Chapter 7

"Morning," Adria says hurriedly, hanging up her coat on the small rack near the door whilst the girl behind the counter beamed, recognising her as the new girl starting with them. Adria shuffled over to the counter, failing to recognise that her tears that she still couldn't stop where very evidently rolling down her cheeks.

"Oh my, are you alright?" the girl asked, gasping in an accent Adria hadn't ever heard before, it was a very strong American accent, and Adria couldn't deny that she absolutely loved it, "do you not want to work? Oh, I completely get it, I was terrified to start here but now I love it!"

"Oh no, no, no it's not that," Adria laughed softly, "my baby started nursery today and he didn't exactly take it well."

"Oh no," the girl gasped, patting Adria's shoulder and quickly handing her one of the bakery's aprons, "you know I can't believe she's went and hired another Scottish "lass" as she'd say, can barely understand her as it is!"

Adria couldn't help but laugh, tying her hair up atop of her head and quickly following the girls lead in washing her hands, "don't worry, I'm used to toning down my accent for my friends, so I'm sure you'll be able to understand me...better than May anyway. I'm Adria."

The girl grabbed Adria's hand, shaking it enthusiastically with a wide smile across her lips, "Mildred, Mildred Armstrong!"

"So American, huh?" asked Adria, leaning against the counter, she wasn't exactly sure what she had to do, and the shop hadn't open just yet, she noticed from the small hanging sign turned to closed, "where abouts?"

"Oh, I lived in the city," she smiled, "New York, I had to move quickly with my family before of this guy," her face was evidently struck with fear at the thought of her old life back in New York, "he terrorised me...and my parents for being something he didn't like."

"Oh my god," Adria gasped, wide eyed, clasping a hand over her mouth, "you're not talking about Voldemort-"

"Don't say his name!" Mildred screeched, clasping his hand over Adria's mouth who almost stumbled back, "he killed my mother, but me and dad got out."

"Merlin," Adria whispered, unable to help herself as she threw her arms around the girl who reluctantly hugged her back. Adria couldn't possibly imagine the pain that Mildred was in at the thought of her mother being murdered with so much sick and vile hatred.

"He was trying to get followers, fighters in America. My dad is a well-known wizard there, very high up - very powerful, so he targeted my family," she mumbled, glancing around for anyone around them, "my dad wouldn't join him, he's powerful but he isn't evil, he fights for muggleborn's, so do I.

I got this job because it's a muggle job, it's out of the way, we came here to stay hidden. We only realised when we got here that this was the main source of his war but moving around would only make us an easier target.

My dad had to get a muggle job too, he had to learn quickly about how to act around muggles. My mum was a muggle so it wasn't too much but she let his oddness slide, most muggles don't do that. it's easy for me to work her, be surrounded by muggles cause of mum, but my dad - he's a well-known wizarding having to give his life away because of this vile, cruel mam trying to kill us," she shook her head, running a hand through her hair whilst Adria stared at her in shock.

"Last year or so," Adria whispered, "one of my best friends...Gully - his name, his family were killed by his followers...death eaters they're called. My best friend Lily, she had this friend who has basically joined the death eaters. My boyfriend's brother, and his family, are all death eaters, he's called a blood traitor because he doesn't believe in the beliefs.

I mean bloody hell his girlfriend is a muggleborn," she laughed softly, seeing Mildred's eyes widen in shock.

"So, he's targeted?" asked Mildred, leaning against the counter, "if he's a blood traitor, won't he have a target on his back?"

Adria nodded, "my dad got into a car crash and died just this years, basically leaving me and my siblings as orphans. After that, me and Sirius...my boyfriend kinda broke off from the wizarding world, I have this job now, and he has a job in a garage not far from here. I don't think any of us meant to have a muggle life, but it just seems easier.

Ignorance is bliss, I guess, forgetting the world going crazy that we will always be a part of, passing as muggles when I grew up as one just seemed easier," she shook her head, frowning, "I wanted to fight, and Sirius is going to, he's fighting for the both of us but I just, I feel like I can't. I have so much to do, I have a family now, I have my baby Jude to take care of and I can't have him growing up without anyone, I couldn't cope with that thought."

Mildred nodded, patting Adria's shoulder, "merlin we've known each other for all of five minutes and we know our live stories!"

Adria laughed loudly, "that seems to happen with me."

"Alright girls," Adria's head lifted at the sound of the new voice, seeing May enter from the kitchens, "Adria today you can just serve the customers, the tags of what they want are on display, and if they need any drinks, Mildred with make them!"

"Alright," Adria nodded, "will you give me the recipes for the cakes and stuff?"

"Yes!" May nodded, smiling, "remind me to give you them tonight, if you can practice them in the house?"

"Oh yeah, I'm sure the boys would love that," Adria laughed softly, seeing the two smiling with her.

-

"Come again!" Adria beamed, handing the older lady her change as she bid her a goodbye, waving as she left out of the door, "I think I'm getting the hang of this!"

"You're a natural, Adria," Mildred giggled, pouring some tea from one of the many tea pots into a small china cup for Mrs Wallace, the regular that lived just around the corner, making sure to come in for tea and shortbread every single day. She had talked to Adria for at least ten minutes, seeing as she was the new girl, Adria knew what seemed like a huge chunk of the woman's past before she finally sat down for her tea to be taken over.

Adria's head lifted when the door squeaked open, a wide grin planted on her lips when the sight of messy black hair and thick rimmed glasses caught her attention, "James!"

"Addy!" he laughed, hurrying forward to the counter to hug her tightly, "Lily and Peter are behind me."

"What?" she exclaimed, "why are you all here, y'know I'm not going to just run after you all."

"Oh shush," he scoffed, rolling his eyes, "it was Sirius' idea actually, he told us to meet him here, he's coming with Remus. Blair and Isaac are coming too, and Thea tried to get off work but she couldn't."

"You're all idiots," she whispered, shaking her head.

"You love it," he grinned, "so are you going to be a good worker and ask what I want?"

"Aren't you going to wait for the others?" she asked, seeing the red hair of Lily Evans walking through the door with Peter, "go find a table, remember this is a muggle bakery so no butterbeer."

"I know what a muggle bakery is," he huffed, "I live with a muggleborn, remember!"

"Mhmm," she nodded, "but you're a twat so..."

"Piss off," he grumbled, pulling her in for another hug before finding a table.

"You know I do actually have to work, that is what a whole job thing is," Adria teased as she hugged Lily tightly, and then Peter, "I feel like I haven't seen you guys in forever, though."

"I know," Lily frowned, "maybe we could go shopping sometime!"

"When do we not go shopping," Adria giggled, rolling her eyes, "When did Sirius tell you all to come here?!"

"He told Remus and Remus and Peter where over helping me build the bed for our spare room of our flat because James is completely useless, and they told us, and then Blair of course told Isaac, and Remus told me and Peter, so I told James, and Peter told Thea," Lily took a breath, hearing Adria laugh, "how was Jude?"

"Oh, don't remind me," Adria groaned, her head falling onto Lily's shoulder, the day wasn't exactly busy, and every customer was served, just waiting for their tea, or treat that Mildred was dealing with, so Adria was able to talk to Lily without worrying about neglecting any customers, "I broke down sobbing, Lils, he said he wanted his daddy, that was it for me I was ready to just grab him and go home but Sirius grabbed me before I could!"

"Oh merlin," Lily whispered, shaking her head, "I miss that boy, I can't wait until Saturday."

Adria couldn't help but laugh, nodding her head, she spoke, "do you know why Sirius is making a big deal out of it?"

"He just misses you, he was telling Remus and Remus was telling me," Lily sighed, "he misses getting as much free time as he can with just you. that boy loves Jude with every bone in his body but he misses you so much, he misses being able to say, 'let's go out' and actually being able to do it. You both had to grow up faster than anyone we know, so it's nice for the both of you to just have a little time.

Me and James have tons of free time, I mean, right now we're trying to get the flat sorted but there's not much else we need to do, Jude can come over anytime you need us to watch him," Lily reached for Adria's hand, squeezing it comfortingly.

"Same goes, Ads, Thea works to get her mind off of things but she really doesn't need to, we have Eva now and if you need us, we'll be right there able to look after him," Peter grinned, squeezing her hand.

The two quickly moved out of the way when a someone moved up to the counter, "tea, please, three sugars," he spoke quickly, shifting in his shoes.

"Alright," Adria smiled brightly, grabbing Mildred's arm before she past to say the order. At the familiar order of the abnormal amount of sugars, Mildred's eyes snapped up, seeing the boy there she quickly nodded, hiding her face when he sent her a smile and hurried off to the kitchen.

"That'll be two pounds please," she grinned.

"Bloody hell the prices are getting higher and higher these days," the boy spoke, shoving his hands into the pocket of the trousers he wore.

"Oh, I know," Adria chuckled, thinking back to the time she went for ice cream and they tried to scam her two pound for a fifty pence cone, "I'll make sure Mildred brings your tea over, just take a seat anywhere."

The boy smiled, nodding his head and hurrying over to one of the seats near the back. Adria heard the door open once more, seeing Blair and Isaac walking in, quickly followed by Finn and Milo behind them.

"Addy!" Milo beamed, rushing forward to hug her tightly whilst Finn was close behind him, pushing Milo out of the way in order to hug her, "how was Jude?!"

"Oh, don't even ask," Lily chuckled, shaking her head, "a very heart-breaking moment that I'm sure Sirius will tell us all about."

"My favourite!" Isaac exclaimed, earning a slap from Blair who pushed him out of the way in order to hug Adria first, who couldn't stop her laughter at the two, "that was so uncalled for."

"I'm your favourite," Blair huffed, wagging a finger in his face whilst he nodded, throwing his arm around both her and Adria.

"You all realise that this is so unprofessional, right?" asked Adria, "what if I got fired and it's all your fault!"

"Oh please," Isaac laughed, "no one in their right mind would fire you, Addy."

"Oh shush," she chuckled, her smile widening when Sirius and Remus walked through the door.

"So, this was all your doing, then, yeah?" she asked, quickly leaning over the counter to kiss Sirius, "so if I get fired for being unprofessional, it's your fault?"

"Maybe that was my plan all along," Sirius teased, kissing her once more before reluctantly pulling away, "to get you home and resting!"

"Oh shush, I am completely fine," she waved him off, "alright Remus, you look knackered?!"

"Because he is," Blair huffed, moving forward to keep him up, "all he does is work constantly, if he's not working, he's taking care of his mum, he's working himself too hard."

"I'm trying to do all I can for us to finally be able to afford a house," he grumbled, "the only job I can get is a muggle job, obviously."

"Go sit down, Remus, get a rest, I'll bring you over some tea," Adria sighed, reaching over to hug him tightly. The thought of her best friend working himself too hard puddled her stomach with guilt, knowing she and Sirius had a lot of help with the money her dad left them to cope, it broke her heart that Blair and Remus barely where.

Not to mention that Blair was trying her hardest to get her sister out of her father's house.

"Alright Addy?" asked Sirius when the rest of them went to sit down, Adria knew they'd all just want tea of their specific preference, which she knew from the amount of times she was forced to go get them tea, seeing as she was "the best at it" according to her friends.

They were all really just very lazy.

"I just feel terrible," she whispered quietly, "look at Remus, merlin, Sirius that's not coping, he's going to bloody collapse one of these days!"

"I know," Sirius sighed, "I tried to get him to go home the other day but he won't do it, he's at work before I get there and he stays well after I leave, I don't know what to do, it was hard enough forcing him to come here, and he only agreed when I told him you were hurt about Jude!"

Her head fell into her hands, "I can't just watch this happen, Sirius, we need to do something about it," she whispered, running a hand through his hair, "we have two spare rooms, it might be a bit cramped when Allie and Lia come home but at least we know they're all alright, bloody hell, Isaac is sleeping on Remus' parents couch, we could at least take him in, to ease Remus' stress!"

"They wouldn't, Ads, we could ask them, of course we can, but as much as Remus doesn't need any stress, neither do you," he cupped her cheek, "you're stressed enough as it is, when we can help them we will, but stop doing this to yourself, Addy, just take it easy."

"Oh yeah, let me take it easy when I have to make nine cups of tea for you twats," she teased, shaking her head, "I swear to god, Sirius, if I'm fired cause of you lot, you're sleeping on the couch."

"Oh please, you couldn't cope without me to cuddle," he scoffed, seeing the glare in her eye.

"Jude will be your replacement."