Blood Bond

I hauled my trunk behind me as I searched the throng of bubbling people for my parents. I adjusted my shoulder bag with shaking hands and spotted my mum waving frantically at the barrier.

I gulped and trudged onwards; hoping dad might not pick a fight again. "Oh Mi!" Mum engulfed me in a warm hug, stroking my hair and allowing her tears to soak my side fringe. "We missed you so much!" Mum smiled adoringly down at me, glancing nervously at dad, who shifted awkwardly behind her.

"Hello dad," I smiled weakly. I stood my trunk up on its end and sat Feathers' cage on the top, smiling slightly as Feathers hooted merrily from within his cage.

Dad opened his mouth to say something, though seemed to change his mind and slouched his shoulders with a smile, "Welcome home, pumpkin."

I grinned up at him and threw myself into his hug with a sigh. "It's good to be back."

"Come on, dear, Josh has been so excited to see you again," Mum told me as we made our way out the barrier and passed numerous Hogwarts students sitting on their trunks waiting for their parents to arrive. "He's missed you so much while you were gone."

"Well I-" I stumbled over a stray trunk and my shoulder bag swing round my waist to smack the owner in the face. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't see your trunk and I didn't watch where I was going! Are you okay?!"

The boy got to his feet and brushed himself down with a grin, "Of course I'm okay! I didn't fall fifty feet! Though I must say it feels like you carry several bricks in that bag."

I blushed profusely, glancing at my black shoulder bag and shifting the weight on my feet rather like my dad had done earlier. "Sorry," I mumbled, feeling my face flush even more as I realised who I had smacked in the face.

"No problem at all, Miss Lewis," the boy grinned, flicking his graceful black hair out of his eyes. "I'm abandoned every year and have people tripping over me all the time."

I smiled weakly and secured my shoulder bag again, "Well, sorry again, Sirius."

"Don't think about it," Sirius grinned and sat back down on his trunk, pulling out a Daily Prophet. "See you next year!"

I smiled and waved as I ran to catch up with mum and dads, feeling my face finally return to its usual pale bleakness.

I watched the summer scene from my bedroom window with a smile; I loved summer time. It was so happy. The back garden was almost reverberating with colour as the wind rippled happily across the yard, blowing the washing line in every direction and causing mum to swear loudly in frustration. I smiled from the window seat as she pushed her brown hair out of the way and glanced across the yard, narrowing her eyes and frowning. I caught sight of my little brother, Josh, in the next door neighbour's back garden, sneaking up on the cat and yelping to give it a fright. My little brother Josh was four, and made the most of what he seemed to already know would be a very short childhood.

"Marie!" My head snapped to attention as dad marched out the back door, his face contorted with anger and holding what looked like a photo frame. He thrust it at mum, who was staring with a bank face back at him.

Mum's brow knitted with worry and anxiety as she looked down at the photo, she looked back up at dad, her mouth open ready to explain what it was but dad put his hand up, "Inside, now. I don't want the neighbours hearing."

I glanced once at Josh, who was still fully occupied with the neighbours' cat to notice his parents fighting. I knew once mum and dad went in to fight, they would probably forget about Josh until later so I headed downstairs and into the back garden.

"Josh!" I called softly, climbing over the fence and into the neighbour's garden. "Josh! Time to come inside!"

"Teehee!" I heard the toddler squeal delightedly as he fell into a cherry bush, his cheeks flushed.

"Joshua! Get over here!" I smiled lovingly at him and opened my arms to him as he ran to me and wrapped his tiny arms around my legs. "Alright Josh, time to go inside," I told him firmly.

He pouted and wrinkled his nose, "I want to play!"

"Well that's tough luck, my little duckling, because you have to come in now," I told him as I lifted him into my arms. I felt my heart melt as he giggled shamelessly and clamped his tiny hands over his open mouth to stop the giggling. "And I'll see if I can get you a few cookies too," I added.

"Cookies!" Josh cried with glee as we went inside.

"It was years ago, David!" Mum cried at dad, not noticing me walk into the kitchen, cradling the giggling Josh in my arms. "Why are you lingering in the past? I moved on from it!"

"I don't care how long ago it was!" Dad yelled at mum, his face screwing up in rage.

"What was so long ago?" I asked, my curiosity taking control of me; this fight was not like the other fights mum and dad often had.

"Never you mind!" Dad ordered, making me glare.

"David!" Mum scolded. "Nothing, dear, don't you worry. Mum and dad will sort it out."

I smiled slightly when she began talking in third person again; she always talked like that when Josh was around and even sometimes when it was just mum and I.

I grabbed the cookie jar from the kitchen counter and took Josh through to the living room, where I allowed him to indulge himself with as many cookies as he could cram in his tiny mouth.

After an hour or two, the shouts of mum and dad eventually died down and I thought all of the fighting was over for another couple of days. I was wrong.

"Mira, can you ask your mother to pass the sauce?"

I rolled my eyes and raised an eyebrow at mum. She wrinkled her nose at me and said, "Mira, can you tell your father that if he wants something from me, he can get it himself."

"Mira you can tell your mother that considering I'm beginning to lose trust in her, she should be pleased I'm entrusting her with something to serious as the tomato sauce," Dad spat.

"Okay how about this?" I piped up. "You both grow up and stop bickering like a couple of five year olds!"

Mum's face softened and she smiled delicately over at me, making me smile back; her smile was infectious. Dad simply growled and stormed out of the kitchen, leaving his dinner plate half full and getting cold.

"Can I ask what the fight was about this time?" I asked lightly as I dished some salad onto my plate. Noticing Josh has slurped his potatoes down his chin, I took a napkin and wiped his face clean. He grinned up at me.

Mum sighed heavily, "Mi, have I ever told you about my first love?"

I nodded, "Dad? Yes."

Mum shook her head with a grimace, "It wasn't dad."

I stared at her, confused. "Well, who was it?" I asked.

Mum sighed sadly as she stirred her mashed potatoes into a liquid and said dreamily, "His name was Leonardo, Leo for short. I went to school with him and he became my sweetheart. When I left school we lost touch, though as you know I met dad just after I left school. When I first started dating your father, I wasn't, well…faithful to him. I bumped into Leo around the same time I met dad and well…Leo and I continued our relationship, or well…what you could call a relationship; it was falling apart at the seams. Leo had such a bad temper that we could fall out and not talk for over a week. Eventually, I lost my patience and I left him again. I went back to your dad and we eventually decided to move in together.

"Though it wasn't as happy as I thought it would be. I told you father that I had to go on a business trip for a year, he was alright with it of course; he always encouraged me to stay on top of work you see. As long as I stayed in touch, David had no problem with me leaving."

"But, mum," I began, spooning some more potatoes into Josh's mouth. "You never mentioned going on business trips; that was always dad."

"Well it wasn't exactly a business trip. I went down to England, and I did stay the whole year. But when I was down there I, well, I had Leo's baby," Mum glanced at me, that same anxiety appearing in her eyes again.

I gaped at her, "Mum! You didn't have an affair with Leo when you were in England, did you?!"

"No dear," Mum chuckled, sipping her wine. "When I left Leo I found out I was pregnant. I hid it from your father and left just before I began to show. I gave birth to the baby and everything went swimmingly well. I planned to just give the baby up and go back to live with David, it was hard, but I did it."

I stared at her, astonished, "Mum…how could you give up a baby?"

Mum shrugged pathetically, "I got in touch with Leo and told him everything. Leo, of course, came to see the baby and me. After a few discussions and arguments, he agreed to take the baby. I haven't heard from him, or my baby ever since then.

"You're father has just discovered my one and only picture I have of my baby and he is accusing me of cheating on him," Mum said flatly.

I glared at the door to the living room, "That's not fair! It's not your fault!"

Mum sighed pathetically.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and asked, "How old would the baby be now, mum?"

Mum furrowed her brow as she counted up the years, "Seventeen this October."

I smiled slightly, "You mean…I have another sibling?"

"Half sibling, yes," Mum smiled resignedly. "I'm sorry for never telling you, dear."

I grinned, "How could you ever think that I would mind? It's not as if I'm about to meet the kid! So what's their name? Or more importantly; do I have a brother, or a sister?!"

Mum beamed at me, her blue eyes twinkling, and said, "A brother. His name is Remus Lupin."

My hands shook violently as I fiddled with a loose string of thread on the sleeve of my robes. The Hogwarts Express shook violently from side to side as it met a sharp turn in the track and I threw my hands out to hold my balance.

"Mi, are you alright?" Jenny asked me from opposite me. "You've been very…tense since you got here."

I gulped and rubbed my sweaty hands together, trying to avoid her eyes, "I'm fine. Absolutely perfect, no problems what so ever. You know what? I'm not fine. I'm good. I'm very good."

Jenny raised her perfectly plucked eyebrow at me but didn't say anything else, which I was thankful for.

When mum told me about my having a half brother, that half brother being none other than Remus Lupin, I felt I was going to be sick. I never told mum that I knew Remus well, only that he was in the year above me. Mum seemed very excited about me knowing him and had encouraged me to talk to him, become friends, and maybe even tell him who I was. I told her I would think about it, though I had no plans to do so. I knew mum only wanted me to befriend Remus so that she could get in touch with him, and I didn't blame her. She would be very proud of him. Aside from Lily Evans, he was once of the smartest students at Hogwarts and was very nice. I felt my stomach boil when I thought about how much better he was than me. Pathetic Mira Lewis, the silly sixth year who was dirt compared to the almighty Marauder, Remus Lupin. I felt my face turn red with hatred and jealousy sizzled threateningly in my heart.

"I…er…" I got to my feet and walked to the door. "I'm going…well…I'll be back in a minute."

Jenny grinned knowingly at me and nodded as I slipped into the corridor. I breathed in the fresh air and felt my lungs swell. Yes, I know, the air in the corridor was exactly the same as the air in the compartment but being in a compartment with Jenny, when I knew she suspected something, made me feel cramped and claustrophobic.

I sunk my hands deep into my robe pockets and sauntered down the corridor, hoping nobody would try to talk to me. Deciding that it was getting late and I would be at Hogwarts soon, I thought it would make sense to go to the toilet so that I wouldn't need it later.

I closed the toilet door and headed back down the corridor, feeling refreshed. Though my face paled immensely as I spotted a sandy haired young man walk out his compartment saying, "I'm just going to the loo. I'll be right back."

I gulped and felt my body break out in a furious sweat. My eyes darted all around me, searching for somewhere to hide. Finding nowhere, I ducked my head and trudged forward, hoping Remus wouldn't look at me. Though Merlin knows why he would, he didn't even know me.

"Are you alright?" My head snapped up instinctively and I paled even more as I stared into Remus' amber eyes. My eyes.

I gulped, "I…er…I…I…f-fine…"

Remus looked me up and down and raised an eyebrow, "If you say so. You look awfully pale. Maybe you should go see Madam Pomfrey when we get to school."

I gulped a few more times, becoming aware of the fact that my head was stuck between nodding and shaking, so was making do with twisting it slightly. I blushed. "I'll keep that in mind…" I muttered as I slouched back to my compartment, trying to ignore Remus' curious stares.

I sat my trunk on my four-poster bed and began unpacking it just as all the girls were heading downstairs to hang about in the common room.

I set out my clothes and books ready for tomorrow, and was just about to shut my trunk and shove it under my bed when I spotted a photo frame tucked down the side of the trunk. I plucked it out and felt my lips upturn in a small smile. It was a copy of baby Remus. I had forgotten that mum had given me a copy of it. Dad had not been pleased, as he was still under the impression that mum had cheated on him. I took the frame and sat it on my bedside cabinet next to my photo of Josh as a toddler and smiled.

Feeling I had nothing else to do but find Jenny and hang about in the common room, so I changed into my slippers and headed down the stairs.

I felt myself shake slightly when I spotted Jenny sitting with the Marauders, flirting shamelessly with the most handsome of the boys. Sirius Black.

I gulped as she waved me over. I tucked a strand of my sandy hair out of my eyes and sat down on the couch next to Jenny. "This is Mira Lewis," Jenny told the Marauders, who all nodded an acknowledgment. "Sirius was just telling me about a prank they might pull on some Slytherins tomorrow night, it sounds very exciting," Jenny's eyes sparkled with excitement, though I knew she was only excited because she was actually talking to the most popular group in school.

"Oh right," I replied quietly, keeping my eyes on the wall behind Sirius rather than the amber-eyed boy staring at me.

"Have you always gone to Hogwarts?" Sirius asked me, making me smile slightly. "Because I don't remember ever seeing a girl as good looking as you around."

I rolled my eyes and felt my lips curl into a smirk. Jenny nudged me and narrowed her eyes at me when Sirius wasn't looking. I shrugged and smiled pathetically. As I was not really used to being given compliments by Sirius Black, I just ignored them so I wouldn't embarrass myself.

"Sorry, what's your name again?" Remus piped up, his amber eyes boring into me.

I gulped, "Mira. Mira Lewis."

"Hmm," Remus stroked his chin as he observed me. "Sorry, you just look rather familiar."

"Well she has gone to this school for six years Mooney!" Sirius laughed, flicking his seductive black hair out his face.

"Are you two girls in sixth year then?" Peter Pettigrew enquired, trying to sound charming but failing rather pathetically. I grimaced slightly and tried to ignore Peter's attempts to flirt.

James snorted and took off his round spectacles, and began wiping them with his tie, "No! Peter, don't you know? They've been going to Hogwarts for ten years!"

Peter's brow furrowed, before he grinned and started laughing at James' sarcasm. James rolled his eyes and turned back to me, "You're really quiet compared to Jenny."

I shrugged, not really knowing what to say.

"She's the girl I bumped into on the train," Remus told James, whose face lit up in recognition.

"Oh Remmy, you dark horse you!" Sirius sniggered. "Hitting on girls a year younger? I thought you went for the older women?"

Remus cheeks flushed slightly and he hit Sirius on the shoulder rather pathetically. "Leave him be, Padfoot, you know how Remmy likes to keep his love life private," James sniggered, playing along with Sirius.

Seeing that I would get bored out of my mind if I were to just sit there and listen to Sirius and James' smart remarks, I spotted someone's textbook lying abandoned on a study table. I snatched it from the table and snuggled down into the couch with the thickly bound book on my lap. I smiled slightly to myself as I engulfed myself in the world of Potions.

"James!" I heard Sirius hiss to James, though I don't know if they knew I could hear every word they said. "It's a female Remus!"

Sirius looked over at me and smirked, "You're right James." He puffed out his chest and said loud enough for everyone in the common room to hear, "Remus, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Mira, your soul mate and future bride. Please, be gentle with her."

I felt my face flush and before I could stop myself I had cried out: "Eeeeeew!"

All eyes turned to me, and I glanced quickly at Remus. I felt my face turn a deeper shade of red as he frowned, and for a second, looked hurt.

"That wasn't very nice, Mira," Jenny told me on the way up the staircase to the girls' dormitories.

I gulped, "You don't know what I know, Jen."

"How so?" Jenny asked lightly, sitting delicately down on her bed and crossing her slim legs.

I glanced nervously at the door to make sure it was closed and whispered to Jenny: "Mum told me a bit about her past this summer."

"And?" Jenny asked, a smirk playing on her lips.

I closed my eyes and gulped. I looked warily around the room before looking at my bare toes and mumbling, "Remus is my brother."

"He's your WHAT!?" Jenny leapt from her seat, her hands flying to her face to cover her gaping mouth and her face paling. "Mi! You're telling me you're related to a Marauder!?"

I nodded dumbly. "He's my half brother," I told her slowly. "Apparently before mum and dad actually started going steady she bumped into an old flame and, well, ended up pregnant. She ran off to London and gave birth, and then handed the baby over to the father. And well, mum just told me during the summer about this so I'm just getting my head round it. But…Remus is my half-brother."

"Oh Mira…" Jenny mumbled, raking her fingers through her honey blonde hair. Suddenly, her face lit up and she smiled, "This is great! You can tell Remus and get to know him, I know you've always wanted a sibling your age, I mean Josh would get tiring after a while." I shrugged. "And while you're being all 'sisterly' to Remus, you can set me and Sirius up!"

I rolled my eyes and fell back on my bed with a groan, "Why do you like that boy?!"

Jenny smiled mischievously and sunk back into her bed, pulling her knees up to her chin and tilting her head innocently, "He's very handsome…and he's so sweet."

I sighed pathetically. "Jen, he would just use you like all the other girl who have fallen in his trap," I reasoned. "Sirius Black has never in the history in the world had a steady girlfriend and I don't think he ever plans to have one."

Jenny heaved a sigh and snatched her pyjamas from her bed, "I'm going to get changed, I'll only be a minute."