Even to those closest to her, Althea was as much a mystery then as she is now. As a girl, she was driven by her ambition and thirst for knowledge to a place very few could follow, and she didn't hesitate to leave them behind. But now, after living a...
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"IS HE ON TRIAL FOR SOMETHING?"
Everyone could physically feel the awkward tension that hung about the room the next morning at breakfast. Regulus, thanks to his sleeping draught, had been about the only one who hadn't heard the spat between Althea and Sirius. Althea didn't raise her eyes from her bowl as she ate her cereal, but she was painfully aware of the not-so-discreet looks she was receiving from them all.
Regulus was happily oblivious. He sat in the chair beside his mother and ate his breakfast without complaint. When only the milk remained, he lifted the bowl and brought it to his lips, drinking the whole thing in one go. With a satisfied ahh, he set the bowl back down and looked at his mother. "Can I have a second bowl, Mum?"
This was the only thing that broke Althea from her trance. She looked at her son and opened her mouth, but stopped before she said anything. She looked down to the head of the table, watching as Molly set a cup of tea in front of her husband. Molly's eyes were wide and curious as they met Althea's. "Is he alright to have another bowl?" she asked the woman gently.
"Sure, sure," Molly responded brightly, relieved that that had been all. Her eyes went to the young boy. "Go right ahead, dear."
Regulus grinned widely and jumped up, nearly running to get more. Althea's eyes followed him, and she sat up straighter as she saw, in her peripheral, another figure enter the room. She looked sharply back down at her bowl, thinking it was Sirius, and held her breath as he passed her and sat down a few chairs away. She relaxed a bit when she glanced over and saw that it had been Remus.
She set her spoon down and leaned closer to the man. "Any news?" she asked quietly.
Though he hadn't really been startled, it was obvious that he hadn't expected her to talk to him so suddenly. He looked up into her desperate eyes, swallowed, and shook his head.
Althea tried her hardest not to let her lip quiver as she turned her focus back to her soggy cereal. Regulus rejoined her, and happily started on his second bowl.
A shadow passed over her as another figure entered the room, and she knew without a doubt that this was Sirius. From the corner of her eye she watched him walk slowly past Remus and sit at the head of the table opposite Arthur. Only when he had settled did she look up. Their eyes met for the briefest moment, but the both of them quickly looked away.
The room filled as the last to wake up, Harry and one of the Weasley boys, came into the room. Both the boys shot Althea an awkward look, Harry's with a weak smile, his friend's with an air of contempt, likely blaming her for his lack of sleep that last night. They filled their bowls and sat at the table, filling the two chairs between Regulus and the only other child that wasn't a Weasley.
