Chapter Three: Being Okay
I disclaim all that is recognized as being famous.
Enjoy!
Keena's Point of View:
"Honestly, I don't know what they mean by rushing into things like this," Molly ranted as she stirred a pot of boiling soup. "It's quite immature of them, really."
"I don't know, Molly, the two of them seem perfectly fine to me," I replied, flicking my wand to stop the potatoes from being chopped before lifting the plate of them and bringing them to the counter. "She's a sweet girl; she's been nothing but kind to Alianna."
The Weasleys had invited our large, strange family over for dinner. Lily, Molly and I were preparing the food and the other three Maruaders were outside with the kids. Arthur, Bill, Fleur and Tonks were all still at work, though we expected them to arrive within the hour. Draco had been obnoxious about coming to the Burrow at first, but once it was made clear that it was either come along with us or have a member of the Order drop in to babysit he stopped complaining. Kaleb had reacted with an enthusiasm equaled only by that of Alianna, who had never seen the Burrow in person.
"I'm sure she can be perfectly lovely when she wants to," Molly replied stiffly. "However, I have only ever heard her make comments on how the house is so bizarre and how there is nothing to do here when Bill is at work. She's still only part-time, you know, I don't know what she could possibly be waiting for in getting a real job."
"Have you considered the possibility that you make her nervous?" Lily asked honestly, touching Molly's arm so that the older witch could move out of the way as Lily dumped the carrots into the soup. "Think about it, you're her future mother-in-law. Bill's surely raved about your cooking and how well you keep the house. He probably only did it to make you sound likeable but Fleur could very well be intimidated by it."
"I suppose, but they're still moving things far too quickly. After all, the girl is only what? Nineteen at most? My Bill is twenty-seven come November!"
I sighed and shared a glance with Lily behind Molly's back. It wasn't going to matter what either of us said; this was her baby boy Molly was talking about.
"Molly, do you have an idea about when the results of the kids OWLs will come?" I asked, searching for a topic change. "I caught Kailey pacing back and forth waiting for the post the other morning. She seemed to think they were late."
"It changes depending on the number of students," Molly replied distractedly. "And I don't wonder that they're a bit late this year, with all the added security to certain Ministry officials. Did you hear about the Bones family?"
"No, did something happen to them?" Lily frowned.
"No, but it certainly should have. Arthur was telling me that Amelia Bones and her family were brought to a safe house just the other day and the very next morning the Death Eaters came calling. A few Aurors had been set up to watch thanks to an anonymous tip and apparently they caught two or three of them."
"Merlin's beard," I shook my head. "Anybody we know of?"
"No, but isn't that all the more terrifying?" Molly asked. "The recruiting You-Know-Who did seems to have paid off."
"Emmeline Vance had a near encounter the other day as well, did you hear?" Lily began, continuing when Molly shook her head. "Someone leaked it about her being in the Order and I guess the Death Eaters tried to send a few werewolves for her last full moon."
Molly gasped and Lily nodded gravely.
"Luckily, she's got a cousin who was a werewolf and I gave her a few batches of Aconite Solution just the week before to get to him and his 'pack'. She managed to throw the potion at them and it got in their eyes and mouths. There are some irritating ingredients in it and the three of them are still at St. Mungo's, partially blinded. The Healer's want me to come in and have a look but I have half a mind to leave them the way they are."
"Well it certainly would serve them right," Molly nodded, taking out her wand and flicking it towards the table. It cleared itself and made room for the dishes. "Especially after what happened to the poor Brown family, did you hear what happened to Patricia Brown's aunt?"
Kailey's Point of View:
"Can I talk to you for a minute, Kailey?" Ginny asked, lowering her broom so that we were eye level.
I swapped a confused look with Hermione before standing up and nodding. Ginny landed and led me away a bit so that we were concealed from the others in the trees. Hermione and Kaleb and I had been watching from the ground as the others fooled around on broom. It was sort of amusing watching James and Sirius attempting to outdo one another with tricks.
She turned to face me and took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry for how I treated you last summer. Well, all of last year, really," she said looking me in the eye. "I know you care a lot about Harry and he…he cares about you too. I was just jealous."
I sighed as she looked down.
"I'm sorry too, Ginny," I muttered, shaking my head. "I know how you feel about him too. I know it wasn't just a stupid crush for you."
She winced, but looked back up at me anyway.
"Will you tell me something honestly?"
I frowned at her but nodded cautiously.
"If…Kailey, if you weren't here with us and things were different…" she trailed off, her eyes begging me to figure out the rest for myself.
"Things are different, Ginny," I answered quietly, unwilling to answer plainly. "What good does wondering about 'what if this or that' do?"
She didn't answer aloud, just kept giving me the same look. I sighed again and looked away from her before I nodded a bit. She exhaled and I looked up to see that she was looking relieved.
"At least I know I didn't waste my time, right? Besides, you make him happy, and it may be perfectly sappy of me, but isn't that what should count?"
I smiled a little at her and she grinned in reply before mounting her broom again and shooting back off towards the others. I didn't think we would ever become friends, but it was better than hating one another, right?
I sat back down beside Hermione, leaning back on my hands for support.
"What did she want?" Hermione asked quietly as Kaleb cheered from beside her after a particularly quick spiral from Harry.
"Just a peace-offering, that's all," I answered with a half shrug, cringing when James and Sirius nearly collided with one another, though both men laughed it off. "Why do they think that's any fun?"
"Likely has to do with the brain damage they got during their own Quidditch days," said a voice from behind us.
The three of us twisted to see Tonks approaching, her hair a magnificent shade of magenta today, though it was longer than usual, tied up in a ponytail. She flopped down on the grass beside me.
"I didn't think you were at Hogwarts at the same time?" Hermione asked, confused.
"Remus told me some stories," she answered with a shrug. "Anything fascinating happen since the last time I've seen you lot?"
"Well considering I saw you sneaking out of the house yesterday morning, I'd have to say no," I grinned wickedly as her hair flashed bright red in embarrassment before she regained her composure. "Why don't you just move in and have done with it? It's not like any of them would care," I added, nodding towards the 'adults'.
"I don't know quite how other occupants of the house would take it," she answered, her eyes flicking first towards Kaleb and then back at me before she looked up at the players.
"Other occupants shouldn't have a say, I don't think. Then again, what's a sixteen-year-old know?"
She chuckled a bit at that and Hermione snorted. Kaleb just cheered again as Ginny and Harry began a short-lived race.
"I would like a word alone with you, Kailey," Tonks admitted quietly. "If you wouldn't mind, that is."
I suppose it was just my night for random, private conversations.
We lifted ourselves off of the ground and walked back towards the house, talking as we went.
"How are you doing, Kailey?" she started, clearly not know what to say.
"Fine…?" I trailed off, looking at her oddly.
"Sorry, I know this is odd, isn't it?" she laughed at herself a bit. "What I mean is, how are you feeling about…well, about Remus having permanent custody over you?"
I frowned and looked at the ground, my steps pausing as we reached the outside of the orchard.
"It isn't something I've considered much about," I said quietly. "It's nothing against Remus!" I added quickly, glancing up at her to see her giving me a look of understanding. "It's just…I wish…"
"You wish your dad could still be with you," she finished for me.
I blew out a large breath of air and nodded.
"There isn't anything wrong with that, Kailey," she added, placing a hand on my shoulder and looking at me with honest eyes. "Remus isn't going to be angry with you for it, either."
"I feel guilty though, he's gone out of his way to do this and everything. I know it's not a magical adoption or anything but he still went to the trouble of it and now I'm not even really…I haven't thanked him or anything. I don't know if I can thank him for it, really," I shook my head in frustration. "It's just so bizarre; legally, I'm his daughter now, aren't I?"
"Yes," Tonks nodded, biting her lip a little. "But you know, he wouldn't have done it if he didn't care for you. I don't know if he's explained to you why he did it?"
"No, I guess not," I answered with a little shrug.
"You know how Keena used to live with him, after the war, just the two of them. A lot of the time, that amounted to his taking care of her. He knows that you're a different person from Keena, but the two of you do share a lot of qualities. Now, don't mention this to the others, I don't think he wants them to know, but he missed the feeling of having someone to take care of. He feels like he messed up with helping Keena and that, somehow, that meant he messed up with helping you. He's hoping to make up for it now."
I considered this for a few moments, looking away from the witch beside me and gazing at the Burrow. There was smoke coming from the chimney and I could see figures in the windows in the kitchen as they cooked.
"I don't think I can call him 'dad'," I admitted with a sigh. "Do you think that'll bother him?"
"No," she said, her lips twitching as she fought off a smile. "But I do know that he's hoping to buy a house of his own soon. Sirius and Keena talked about doing the same two nights ago."
"They want to separate from one another?" I frowned, sure that the confusion on my face said more than my words.
"Sirius and Keena are only discussing it at the moment," she back pedaled quickly, holding up her hands to dispel my discomfort. "But Remus is pretty dead-set on it. He's mostly looking to see if there are any properties for sale close to one of the Potter's homes. I've already told him you won't like being far from Harry."
I blushed and rolled my eyes.
"It isn't like the Floo Network is suddenly out of order," I grumbled before looking up at her and giving into a wicked impulse. "Would you be moving in with us?"
Keena's Point of View:
We all jumped as a squeal sounded not too far from the house.
I leaned closer to the window over the counter and smirked.
"No need to panic, Tonks is just fooling around with Kailey," I grinned over my shoulder at Molly, who had gone for her wand with a soapy hand. "Looks like she took the news of their moving well," I added, looking back out of the window.
"Yes, now all we need is for Remus to actually tell her about the house he's already made an offer on," Lily said, shaking her head. "Though has he had his own conversation with Kailey at all recently?"
"I don't think so," I admitted after a moment.
"Is he worried about her reaction?" Molly asked, making a noise of disapproval when Lily and I nodded. "If Severus' reaction to the adoption didn't frighten him I hardly think Kailey's would."
"Severus cooled off after a few minutes, though," Lily pointed out fairly, laying out the cutlery as the flames turned green in the fireplace again.
Bill stepped out, followed moments later by Fleur. Each greeted Molly before the former went out to find everyone outside to bring them in for dinner. Fleur turned to Molly and asked if there wasn't something she could do to help.
"We're all set in here, dear," Molly answered, and I could tell she was taking care to keep the snippiness out of her tone. "Why don't you just take a seat?"
Molly turned back to the stove to bring the stew over to the table and while she wasn't looking, Fleur allowed her face to show her disappointment. Lily and I glanced at one another but said nothing. It wasn't our place, after all.
Arthur arrived at home just as everyone else had sat down and our meal was able to begin with a full table. Thank Merlin for expansion charms.
Kailey's Point of View:
"HARRY!" I shouted up the stairs at the top of my lungs. "HARRY COME QUICK!"
Thunderous footfalls greeted my shout and by the sound of it I had woken up a larger proportion of the house than I had intended. But instead of waiting to see who came to the top of the stairs, I sprinted back into the kitchen with Alianna hot on my heels. On the window sill sat a Hogwarts owl with four letters attached to his leg, three of which were thicker than the fourth. The bird fluffed up when it spotted how quickly Alianna and I were approaching but it didn't fly away. I managed to be gentle as I removed the precious cargo and it flew off in a rush.
"What is it?" I spun around to see that the entirety of the household either in the kitchen or entering it. "Just your Hogwarts letters?" Sirius sounded disappointed and grouchy.
Maybe I shouldn't've yelled so loudly at seven in the morning.
"Oh it's your OWL results!" Lily cried excitedly, though Harry winced and Draco swallowed. "Well, open them up! Let's have a look."
I handed the boys their respective letters before tearing into my own with shaking hands. I took a deep breath and unfolded the letter and read.
Kailey Audrina Snape has achieved:
Astronomy E
Care of Magical Creatures A
Charms E
Defense Against the Dark Arts O
Divination O
Herbology E
History of Magic P
Potions O
Transfiguration E
I blinked at it and reread it all through again. And again. And before I could manage to control my facial features, I broke out into a huge grin. I quickly tried to school my look just in case Harry or Draco hadn't done as well but it was no good. There was no squishing my happiness. Three O's! Even though one was in Divination, and only one A, for Care of Magical Creatures.
"Well?" Keena asked the three of us in general.
I looked up to see Harry's face was slowly relaxing while Draco seemed relieved as well.
"No complaints here," I smiled, turning slightly red and holding the results closer to my chest when Alianna tried to get a look at them.
"Kailey, c'mon, let me see!" she whined, reaching for them.
"Nope!" I laughed. "But maybe you want to have a look, Remus?" I suggested timidly, biting my lip as the ex-werewolf blinked at me.
I pretended not to notice the smiles Lily and Keena exchanged while Remus nodded and came forward to take the results from my hands. Harry handed his over to Lily and James and we exchanged nervous glances. I looked back at Remus in time to see him smiling up at me.
"Well done, Kailey," he said with a nod.
"Thanks," I smiled in reply.
"Are we going to Diagon Alley today?" Alianna asked, giving her booklist to Kaleb so he could look it over with interest. "Because some of these books are really interesting sounding."
"We'll see if the Weasleys are going today," Keena replied before heading up the stairs as the baby monitor on the counter began making noise.
"In the meantime, why don't we have some breakfast?" Lily suggested, gesturing to the dining room where the house elves were just finishing up.
I went to follow the others in but Remus asked me to wait a moment. I paused and looked up at him while the others went into the dining room ahead of us.
"Actually, why don't we talk in the library for a moment?" he suggested when I opened my mouth to ask what was going on.
"Kay," I shrugged, following him into the seldom used room.
We entered and sat down around a little table the sat nearest to a wide window in a corner of the room. I suspected the only reason it wasn't dusty was because the house elves had little else to do with their time since they outnumbered the occupants of the house.
"What's wrong?" I asked watching how he fidgeted in his seat.
"Nothing," he answered, looking at me with some surprise. "I did want to congratulate you on doing so well in your exams. These were the first ones you've had to sit for since first year, aren't they?" I nodded but continued looking at him with concern. "Well, I also wanted to speak with you about…well, about the custody situation."
"I thought you were my permanent guardian now?" I frowned.
"I am, yes," he nodded. "I just wanted to make certain that it is okay with you. I know you'll be seventeen in come next spring, but I want you to know that you can always come and stay with me for as long as you need."
"Thanks, Remus," I answered softly. "It is nice knowing that I have a real home to go to if I ever need it."
Snape had never taken me to Spinner's End when I had been under his care and I didn't even know if Dumbledore had a house of his own anymore. Potter Mansion was a home, but it didn't always feel like my home.
"I'm glad you feel that way," he replied, a small smile growing on his face. "But I know Tonks mentioned to you that I'm looking for a house?"
"Yeah, she said so the other night."
"Well, I've made an offer."
I just stared at him, blinking a few times to keep from gulping.
"I want you to come and see the house with me," he continued quickly. "If you don't like it, we won't move away. It isn't very big; only four bedrooms. But it does have an open basement and I thought you might like to use it for a potions lab during holidays. It's not a mansion like this or anything, but it's not too far from here either."
"Um…when did you want to take me to look at it?" I asked quietly, not quite trusting my voice. I hadn't expected him to find a house that quickly for some reason.
"Tomorrow, if you'd like," he answered, looking at me with concern. "Kaleb would be more than welcome to come with us," he added.
But I shook my head.
"He and Draco have been getting close, weirdly enough. I don't think it'd be fair to force them apart. Plus, Draco and Harry fight less now partly because of Kaleb I think."
He nodded at me though he didn't reply.
"Will Tonks move in too?" I asked, hoping to ease away some of the tension.
He rolled his eyes at me and I smirked.
"Seriously, Remus, what is taking you so long?"
"Says the girl who's only just started dating a boy she's had a mutual crush with for the past, what? Three years?" he replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, yeah, but we're only sixteen so…"
"And how old do you think I am?" he laughed.
"Old," I deadpanned.
He rolled his eyes again.
"What classes are you going to take this coming year?" he asked, changing the subject.
"I think I'll stick with Potions, DADA, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms and…eh, that'll probably be enough right? All I want to do is experiment with potions anyway. With the Department of Mysteries if I can," I added.
He nodded thoughtfully for a moment.
"What about Care of Magical Creatures?"
"I don't think I'll actually need that one, do you?" I asked, frowning. "Taking care of an animal is different from using it in a potion."
"True, but what if you end up changing your mind about it?" he suggested.
"I won't; I like making potions too much. And if actually working for the Ministry doesn't work out, I can always work for the twins. Though I might like that better anyway," I paused and looked at him for approval.
"So long as you're enjoying what you're doing," he answered once he realized I was waiting for him to do so. "Have you ever helped them with anything before?"
"I looked over their notes some while they were still at school," I shrugged. "But think about it; I'd be experimenting with pranking and potions for a job. It might not pay too well, but I don't need a high paying job."
He nodded again and we were quiet for a minute or two.
"Kailey are you certain you're alright with moving?" Remus asked, breaking the silence.
"Why shouldn't I be?" I replied after a moment's consideration. "Look, Remus, all I've wanted since fourth year is a place I can actually call home with guardians of my own. I mean, the others are great, you know? But Keena and Sirius have their own daughters and now Draco too, and Lily and James are still trying to figure out what they are to Harry and sometimes I feel…like a burden. I miss…I miss having someone who's going to bother me about grades and what I've had for breakfast and just little things that get lost when there are so many other kids around. But that isn't quite what I mean," I paused and shook my head. "I don't need to be an only child but…Alianna was orphaned and Harry feels like he was and Draco is even orphaned now too. But my problems are different. At least, they feel different to me. I am just tired of being a problem child. I don't want to fit in with the others anymore; I just want to be fixed. If I have to live in a different house to do that then…I have to."
"Kailey, you don't need to be fixed," Remus stated, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. "You are not broken. You have been through much more than others your age have, that is true, but that does not mean you are less of a person."
He sighed and dropped his head, looking down at the floor.
"I know that you must feel different from your peers," he continued after a moment, raising his eyes to meet mine again. "And you have had different experiences but it is up to you how those experiences affect you. You can choose to grow from what has happened, these past two years especially, or you can choose to let those experiences engulf who you become. The choice is wholly yours to make."
I swallowed and looked away from him, searching for a spot on the bookshelf to stare at, but not finding anything. He gave my shoulder a slight squeeze and I looked back at him.
"I know that I am not your father," he said quietly. "But I hope you can think of me as a person to turn to, whatever the reason."
I sniffed once, then again and before I quite knew it, I was hugging Remus as tightly as I possibly could.
Keena's Point of View:
"Alianna?" I called quietly, searching through the shelves at Flourish and Blotts. The others were going ahead of us to the joke shop, but Sirius and I hadn't been able to locate Alianna or Kaleb when the time I had come to check out. We had already stopped by the Apothecary as well as Madam Malkin's. Remus had taken Kailey to get supplies for her cat while everyone else had visited the Quidditch shop. "Kaleb? It's time to go!" I called out again, sparing a small smile for Aradia as she let out a stream of babble.
I looked down another row of shelves and had to stifle a giggle. Alianna was totally engrossed in the book in her lap and as she went to turn the page, Kaleb had tried to stop her so that he could finish. She had just slapped his hand away and turned it anyway.
"Hey you two, let's go," I said, gesturing for them to follow me once they looked up. "The others are all already on their way to the joke shop."
"Alright," Kaleb answered, shoving himself off of the ground before offering a hand to my daughter.
"Mum, can I get this please? It's really good," she begged, holding the book up so I could see it. "It's about patronuses and the theory of why they're so hard to make and think of and why they take the shape of the animal that they take the shape of and—"
"Okay, sweetheart, I get it," I interrupted, leading the two of them down to the first floor of the shop where Sirius had been looking. "You're sure you don't want to wait until your birthday?" I added over my shoulder glancing down one of the rows and waving to Sirius when I spotted him.
"But mum, we already started it! I can't just wait now!" she whined.
"Please, Professor Black?" Kaleb voiced.
I sighed and shook my head. "Alright, you can have it, put it on the counter."
Once we were all together and I had paid for the book, the four of us headed out of the shop. Diagon Alley was empty for the most part. The few others that were there were walking in grouped clumps, walking quickly between one shop and the next. Some shops were closed down already.
Sirius glanced around at the sound of shouting, wrapping an arm protectively around Alianna. I looked over to see it was coming from the mouth of Knockturn Alley. I pulled Kaleb closer to us and we picked up our pace. We arrived at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes without any incident.
"Molly must love that sign," I laughed, trading a grin with Sirius. "C'mon, kids, let's get inside."
We were just about to leave for Potter Mansion when the screams sounded.
It's a cliff-hanger! Just to keep you interested at the end of a short chapter. I hope you liked it and I'll see you for chapter four!
:-D