Adrian Pucey lost his sister when he was ten years old.
She was only six, beautiful and curious and innocent. She loved animals and had a penchant for causing mischief. Fancy dinners she always found boring, and the responsibilities of a Pureblood daughter she always ignored.
Adrian spent many a day attending tea parties, conversing with imaginary friends. Whatever Cassana wanted, he would provide.
So, when he came home one day, after spending the weekend at Montague Manor, to find his parents waiting for him, with news of his sister’s death, something broke inside of him. He raged at his parents, blaming them for her death (and rightly so, he would later discover, as they had more than a hand in her murder). Their relationship never recovered.
Adrian played the part of a dedicated Pureblood Heir, but secretly he planned to escape. After graduating Hogwarts, he would cut all ties with his family, move to America and make his own way in society.
For years, that plan had never changed.
But then he met Rhea Potter, and suddenly he was a big brother again.
The first time he saw her, approaching the Sorting Hat at the welcoming feast, he’d noticed how small she looked in her robes. He saw the way her poison-green eyes scanned the Hall with suspicion, and how, when the Hat called out “Gryffindor!” she looked first towards his own table before joining the Lions at theirs.
He noticed her next on the quidditch pitch. While the rest of his teammates grumbled about the first-year Seeker breaking the rules, Adrian could only focus on Rhea’s agility in the air. She ducked and weaved, performing manoeuvres instinctively that many older players wouldn’t dare to attempt. Her expression was one of wonder – the first positive expression he’d seen on her face since first noticing her in the Hall – and she almost looked disappointed when she caught the snitch, as though she would have preferred to keep flying.
It was when the girl started spending time with Draco Malfoy that Adrian first got his chance to talk with her. She was intelligent but cold, glaring at him the entire conversation. It was only when he was called away a while later – after discussing Quidditch strategy and Hogwarts classes for half an hour – that he finally saw her soften, like he’d passed some test he didn’t realise he was taking.
Their next conversation was a little easier, and the one after that even more so. Over time, Adrian learned more and more about Rhea, and he grew more and more protective. She was beautiful and curious, though far from innocent – her innocence having been violently stamped out by her disgusting muggle family. She loved animals, a closely guarded secret it seemed, and her eyes lit up whenever Hedwig, her snowy owl, glided in. And, as dour as she looked, Rhea Potter loved causing mischief. Adrian found himself, on many occasions, aiding her, Draco, and the Longbottom boy in playing pranks on the Weasley twins – and spent many an hour laughing with them as they watched the redheads scramble to work out who was behind it.
It took Adrian a few years to realise that Rhea had taken the place of his little sister. She could never replaceCassana, of course, but she’d given him a purpose again. She’d given him a reason to stay.
Whatever Rhea wanted, Adrian would strive to provide.
He helped her study, giving her his notes, and talking her through the difficult spells.
He always made sure to buy her favourite sweets whilst in Hogsmeade, dropping a couple in her pockets every time he saw her.
He helped her train for Quidditch, regardless of the fact she played for the opposite team.
And when she broke her own record, catching the snitch in only two minutes 31 seconds, he gifted her a bracelet. It was nothing fancy, just a simple cord with five breads threaded onto it – one blue, one gold, one silver, one black, and one green. One for each of her family members – Draco, Neville, Adrian, and Severus – and one for herself. He promised her that whenever she opened herself up to someone new, whenever she trusted someone enough to add them to their family, they could add a bead to the bracelet.
Rhea thanked him with a hug.
Adrian no longer planned to go to America. He no longer wished to leave everything behind. He had responsibilities now – responsibilities he happily accepted, though they had nothing to do with his last name.
Adrian had a sister again, and he was determined that, this time, he would get to keep her.