August 1879:

Remus Lupin frowned at his girlfriend as she wrapped up the last box with the more important objects, the original copy of the story 'Beauty and the Beast' – his first present for her – being gently placed inside.

"James has a house about five hours from here. You and your cousin can move there." He finally said.

Diana Ashdown sighed, but still flashed him a small smile.

"Remus…"

"Isn't Romania a little too far? And you two aren't even that close, right?"

"We talked about this." Diana said turning around to move the box hiding the pain in her eyes.

They've already fought a couple of times already, which had been terrifying for their friends since it had never happened before.

Remus took the box from her and placed it back on the floor.

"You announced me you were moving to live with a cousin you barely know-"

"She's family and she's having a baby. She doesn't have a husband or even a boyfriend and we're in the middle of a war here."

Remus opened his mouth but she cut him off.

"Her mother was a squib and her father is a muggle like her, I know, but Voldemort is killing people like her almost monthly now and I don't want her to take any chances-"

"Then I'm coming with you." He suddenly declared and Diana couldn't help but gape at him.

She shook her head. "No."

"Yes." He said and took her hand.

Diana hesitated.

"No. You're not." She said softly and gripped his hand a little tighter.

Remus's other hand clenched into a fist so hard his knuckles turned white.

"Your friends need you here. Dumbledore needs you to go undercover in those missions that are already giving me grey hairs-"

"Coming from you that sounds a bit hypocritical…" he mumbled.

Diana pretended not to hear him.

"I'll come back." She said.

"Tomorrow?" he asked, looking at her with puppy eyes. Diana tried to hide her smile.

"Seven months. Not a day more. I promise." She said, tracing one of the scars on his cheek with her thumb.

Remus wrapped his arms around her and she kissed him.

"Seven months?" he asked again, like he was hoping for another answer.

"Seven months." Diana agreed.

She pulled him close again and Remus burrowed his face in her shoulder, breathing her in one last time.

That odd smell was still there.

It wasn't bad and it wasn't annoying or anything, but somehow her scent changed a couple of months ago and it was frustrating him to no end that he couldn't figure out why.

At first he dismissed it. At first it was barely there so he assumed Lily or Alice got a new perfume or had a little accident with a potion or a meal or something then hugged Diana and some of the smell remained on her clothes.

But then it became stronger, too strong not to be her. She smelled… precious wasn't sure how to describe it. The scent was addictive in some way. It made Remus more aware of her and everything she did, and not knowing why was a little confusing.

Lily and Alice got almost the same smell just dulled, maybe. He was too preoccupied with Diana to try and figure them out, too.

"You'll call?" Remus asked, his hands still on her hips, their noses barely an inch apart, as he stared at her and she at him.

"Every day. You'll write?"

"I'll make sure the post will hate me." He said nodding serious.

Diana laughed. Remus almost melted at the sound.

She took his face in her hands and kissed him again.

"I love you."

Three years and that phrase on her lips still managed to warm him from the core.

"I love you, too."

Another kiss.

His eyes fell on the locket around her neck. His one-year anniversary gift for her.

A golden book with a rose like the one from 'Beauty and the Beast' on the cover and 'D.A. & R.J.L.' on the back.

He wasn't even sure he could survive without her a day, much less a month. Seven was pushing it.

Diana bit her lip like she wanted to say something and Remus wanted to kiss her again.

Something flashed in her eyes too quickly for him to catch.

She changed her mind.

"I'll write when I get there."

"… Yeah. Okay."

The last hug lasted longer, but nobody complained.

A week later James Potter and Sirius Black were still trying to cheer up their friend, the three Marauders being engaged in an intense game of Exploding Snap, the former two getting completely destroyed by the werewolf.

"THAT'S IT! I GIVE UP! YOU'RE CHEATING!" Sirius finally yelled after the 12th game.

The noise finally snapped Remus out of his thoughts. He looked down.

"I won." He realized.

Sirius looked pissed.

"YOU'D WIN WHEN YOU WERE DYING! I SWEAR TO MERLIN YOU ARE CHEATING-"

"Sirius, sit down." James said, although he looked like he wanted to join him, his own pride more than a little insulted. "Moony-"

Just then an owl flew through the window, making Remus drop the cards as he scrambled forwards.

"Diana!"

His two friends exchanged a glance, the moments before, forgotten.

"If you're so smitten with this girl how come you don't just marry her?" Sirius asked and James nodded.

It took a moment for Remus to lift his eyes from the letter. "Hm?"

James started humming a wedding song. Sirius took the empty box of cards and got on one knee. James pointed at Sirius and finished the song, then two pairs of eyebrows rose in expectation.

Remus opened his mouth to comment on their attics then bit his tongue, changing his mind.

"I have the ring." He admitted.

Sirius dropped the box. James almost fell off his chair.

"Are you serious?!" asked Sirius. "Shut up." He continued when James turned to him.

Remus looked like he might take it back but then his hand went to his pocket and got out a little black box.

James looked like he might screech like a girl.

Remus opened the box so they could see the ring inside.

"Whoa." Sirius said, his expert eyes already approximating how much it was worth it.

Gold and delicate with a rose-shaped blood diamond with green crystal leafs around. Couldn't have cost less than a fortune. Especially for Remus.

"When did you get this?" James asked. The thing sparkled even more than the one he used to propose to Lily.

"A few of months…"

"Then why the hell is this the first time we hear about it?" Sirius asked not taking his eyes off the ring.

Remus didn't answer.

James and Sirius turned to look at each other.

"Do you… not want to propose anymore?" Asked James, the question sounding especially stupid now after watching his friend run at an owl.

"I do!" Remus said quickly. "I just – she just…"

His friends waited. He took a deep breath.

"She's been pushing me away for some time and…"

"I have a very hard time imagining Diana cheating on you or something, mate." Sirius said.

This time Remus rolled his eyes. "Diana would never cheat." He said.

It was the one thing he was truly sure of. It was Diana they were talking about after all. Long chocolate hair and warm brown eyes, Ravenclaw girl, more loyal than any Huffelpuff.

She figured out he was a werewolf almost four years ago and she asked him out on their first date three years ago.

'But…'

'But what?' she asked, an almost unnoticeable frown on her face.

Remus bit inside his cheek, the ugly scars from the full moon three days ago still red.

'I'm a monster."

The frown disappeared and she snorted.

'Quick being such a drama queen.' She said so defensively he almost took a step back. His eyes widened. 'You fold your socks, Remus. Excuse me if I'm not trembling at the sight of you.'

"Maybe she's trying to make you ask her." James suggested. "Like, remember how Alice and Frank got engaged?"

That was something no one would ever forget. Apparently someone told Alice that Frank bought the ring and didn't know how to ask her, but he waited so long she got frustrated and just yelled at him one day to marry her.

Sirius pondered on the idea a little then shrugged. "Who knows how women think?! If you want to marry her, you ask. That's how it works."

"I will! It's just… She's in Romania and her cousin would kill me if I made some surprise visit. That bloody women hates magic almost as much as Lily's sister."

"Then ask her to come here on a weekend and do it." James said.

Remus fingered with the ring. "Romania is very far, but… it's also much safer than here. You heard what those Death Eaters did to Adam. He and Diana had similar missions-"

"We wouldn't let anything happen to Diana, Moony." Sirius said and James nodded.

"I'd rather know her safe than close, okay?" Remus exclaimed, a little desperation in his eyes. "She joined the Order because we did – Lily, too, don't try to deny it!" He said pointing at James. "If something would happen to her, I wouldn't be able to live with myself…"

His friends exchanged glances, but didn't say anything. They knew how true that statement was.

End of January 1881:

"Does anybody know what this meeting is about?" Lily asked Alice as she shifted the almost five months Harry in her arms.

She shook her head. "Frank thinks it's about the recent attacks. They were way more opened to the public, than before."

"That I'm afraid is true." Dumbledore said entering the room.

The twinkle in his eyes was gone, the grim expression looking so unlike him it was terrifying. He took a deep breath and everyone braced themselves.

"I believe Voldemort shifted his focus into trying to imply as much fear in the people as possible. To make them believe his power and influence actually are as grand as his followers say." He stopped to let everyone process the information, making eye contact with a selected few. "For those of you who may not know, the twins, Ezra and Mary Kane chose to try and hide their family in Germany, last month."

Nobody dared to breathe. The twins had been extremely valuable in their most secret missions. Almost nobody even knew they were in the Order.

"Their house burned to the ground two days ago."

Somebody walked out of the room. Lily didn't look to see who it was.

He husband reached for her hand and she held her son tighter.

"The other attack…" Dumbledore continued and Alice drew a shaky breath.

Two attacks.

The Headmaster turned his pained eyes towards Remus. "…happened in Romania."

It took a moment for the words to settle in.

Lily gasped and Alice choked on a sob. Sirius's hand tightened so hard around his glass it broke.

"No…"

Remus shook his head frantically, looking for somebody to deny it. A few people cursed or said their condolences, but they were all muffed sounds to him.

He couldn't breathe. He thought somebody was shaking his shoulder but he wasn't feeling anything. Tears started flowing down his cheeks, but the only thing he could concentrate on was the sound of his heart somehow still beating, faster, harder, louder.

His ears were ringing. He wasn't sure what he was staring at.

She was supposed to come back.

So this is the first chapter, it was a bit rushed, but I just needed to present how it all started. The story is mainly about Remus's DAUGHTER that will appear in the next chapter.

I hope you like it and tell me what you think.

P.S.: Reviews would make me update faster.

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