Chapter 1: Same old, same old

Ah, finally I can write in Aliza's point of view and get to the stuff I have been waiting to write. That prologue was killing me. Ah well, hope you guys like this chapter.

Same old, same old

Aliza Lupin woke up to two things that morning. One was birds chirping and the other was the sound of a steaming kettle. Immediately Aliza bolted up from her bed, threw on her house robe, and ran down the stairs to take off the kettle. When she found herself in the kitchen along with the tea was toast and jam on the counter with a note from her dad.

Dear Aliza,

I went ahead and put the kettle on for you. I know you like myself like a glass of tea in the morning, or in your case hot chocolate (there is some coco powder in the cupboard.) I went off to the store I heard of in Whales. I have heard the store owners are quite progressive and equality driven wizards and I hope to get a job there. I will be home in time for dinner hopefully with good new. Have a good day, Aliza.

Love,

Dad

Aliza read the note and sighed. She felt so bad for her dad on days like these; he had recently been laid off from his last job due to discrimination for people in his condition. You see Aliza's father was a werewolf, something that for same strange reason was frowned upon in the wizarding society. For that reason, it was always hard for her dad to find a job, and the Lupins were always short on money.

That fact did not bother Aliza one bit. She had clothes (all be it old ones), food, and all the books form her grandparent's old collection. That's all she needed. Her father how ever was bothered by that fact. It pained him to know that he couldn't give his daughter everything, because he wanted to give her the world. The only thing Aliza felt bad about was the fact that her father wouldn't let her help out. He insisted they didn't nee. But she, having apparently according to her father inherited her mother's stubbornness, was determined to help.

That is the reason right now, after checking the clock and seeing that the clock red half past eight, she realized if she didn't get to work within the next half hour I would be late. So she immediately ran up stairs, took the fastest shower ever, braided her hair, threw on her purple uniform robes, ran back down the stairs to the fireplace, grabbed some flew powder, and presently flewed to Diagon Alley.

She immediately after arriving booked it over to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor and ran inside

"I am so sorry I am late, Mr. Fortescue. I over slept. It wont happen again I promise." She said throwing on her apron and getting in to her place behind the counter. Her best friend Angie gave her a teasing smile as she handed a customer their ice cream.

"Don't worry about it Lupin. With how hard you work you could be late for three weeks and I wouldn't bat and eye." Mr. Fortescue laughed from behind the counter.

"And what about me?" Angie asked with mock offense.

"Oh you Johnson, you so much as breathe wrong and you're out." He said laughing.

"Glad to know you care, boss." Angie replied.

"Alright, that's enough talk for know we have got ice cream to sell." Mr. Fortescue said walking into the back to make another batch.

"Well look who's the boss' favorite." Angie remarked to her.

"Good morning to you to Angie. Have a nice snog last night?" Aliza replied back with a smirk. Angelina Johnson, a tall very athletic looking girl, had been Aliza's best friend since she had started working in the ice cream shop at the beginning of last summer. They had become fast friends and had exchanged letters while Angelina was away at Hogwarts and Aliza had stayed working at the shop. Angie's letters had causes Aliza to long to go to Hogwarts even more.

Its not that Aliza hadn't gotten her Hogwarts letter, she had, that wasn't the problem. It was just her dad didn't think it was safe, though every magical book she read repeatedly said Hogwarts was the safest place on earth. Still, she didn't argue, and her dad taught her from home and right now she was at, if not ahead of, where she would be id she attended Hogwarts.

"How did you know I had snog last night?" Angie asked her shoked.

"You have got a red mark on your neck. So who was he?" she asked her friend playfully.

"A friend form school." Angie said with a smirk.

"How was he?"

After that comment, Angelina turned to her friend. "Does little Miss Goodie Two Shoes want to know how a snog was? Well I never." She said mockingly. "And it was nice."

"Nice. You snog a guy and I cant even get one to look at me and you say it was 'nice'." She said incredioulsy to her friend.

"So how on earth did you sleep late, seeing there was no way you were up last night doing anything, except maybe reading." Angie teased.

"Not all of us have a rebellious streak a mile wide Angelina. Oh I have meaning to ask you, when do you plan to tell your parents that you have a belly button ring?" she teased her friend.

"The same time you plan to tell your dad that you have a job. And, just so you know I have seen quite a few guys who come into the shop look at you." She replied back smartly.

"I didn't know scoping ice cream required talking girls." A voice called from the back.

"Sorry Mr. Fortescue." We both replied in perfect unison.

The rest of the day went by perfect normal for Aliza. She and Angie had severed ice cream to customers, while throwing witty quips at each other during the process. Now, it was almost five and they were closing up the shop.

"Hey, Liz, I am going to dinner tonight with two of my friends from school. You wanna come. They have been dying to meet you." Angie said as they were walking away from the store.

"Ang, you know I can't. I have to get home before my dad does." She said sighing. Truth be told she had wanted to meet these two friends of Angie's but she couldn't risk getting caught.

"Well, okay. As soon as you ready to live a little give me a call." Angie said giving her friend a hug and turning in the other direction.

Aliza got home at just after five, and she prayed to herself her dad wasn't home yet. She fell out of the flew, got up, and dusted herself off.

"How as work." Said a voice from behind which caused her to jump. She was busted. She turned around to see her father sitting in an armchair with a cup of tea and a book. Her father was a decent looking fellow, not drop dead handsome, but he certainly wasn't ugly. Just looked older for his age. He had thin light brown hair streaked with grey, and thin scars due to his transformations. Aliza was often told her and her father looked nothing alike, except their eyes. You could tell by the amber orbs they shared that they were father and daughter. That and they both had the same subtle sense of humor.

"How long have you known?" she asked feeling like a guilty child with their hand caught in a cookie.

"Oh, only for about two months. My first hint was when I noticed you weren't going through books as fast even though I believed you had all the time in the world to read. Second was that I noticed we were having to buy groceries less and less. Third was when I noticed you ice cream every day, you forget dear that I have a heightened sense of smell and you have a strong aroma Florean Frotescue's triple chocolate ice cream." He said calmly with small smile.

"Are you mad?" she asked perplexed. She had though for sure her dad would be upset with her at the very least.

"Mad, why would I be mad? Yes I wish you would have told me instead of sneaking around, but now I can honestly say I am not mad. For one I find it fascinating that you managed to keep a job from me for a year. You truly are a marauder's daughter. I talked with Mr. Fortescue the other day and he said you were a very hard worker. He also said the costumers loved you. It did an old man's heart good." He said walking over to her.

"Dad, you are hardly an old man, you're what, 33?" she said with a smirk to her dad.

"Yes, and would you let me finish. I would how ever like to now why you wanted a job in the first place? To my knowledge most teenagers would much rather stay home then get a job." He asked quizzically ruffling her hair.

"I just wanted to help out."

"Aliza, how many times do I have to say we are…" but she cut him off.

"Fine? Dad I know, but I just want to help out. It kills me when I see you pay bills at the end of the month and I can't do anything about. I just want to make it easier for you, and can you blame. For 12 years you have put me first and its time I start taking care of you." She said purposefully.

"A daughter shouldn't have to take care of her father." He father said to her.

"A father shouldn't worry himself sick over his daughter." She replied back with quick wit.

"Actually, I do believe worrying is in a father's job description." He joked.

"Dad, will you just admit there is nothing wrong with me working?" she laughed back to him.

"Fine. Fine. You keep you job, but on two conditions. You don't work on the weekends, and once I get a good steady job, you only work in the mornings. Deal?" he said holding out his hand.

"Deal." She replied back with a smile shaking his hand. "Now what do you want to make for dinner? I think we have the stuff for Shepherd's Pie."

"Shepherds Pie sounds delightful. Shall we get started." He said offering her his arm with a laugh at how quickly she could change a subject.

"We shall." She said with an equally joyous laugh taking his arm.

Remus Lupin was looking in awe at his daughter. At nearly fifth teen she was looking more grown up and more like her mother each day. It still seemed to him like it was just yesterday that she was that little girl in a brown smock dress asking if a snack was trick. He was quite pleased at the young lady she had become. She was stubborn yes, but also kind, gentle and very articulate for a teenager, and not to mention with a wit as quick as whip. He was quite surprised that he had done such a good job raising the girl. He still remembered his early insecurities that he would be an awful parent. Still at some points he thought he was. These were the times when he felt he couldn't give her everything he deserved, like when he saw her reread a book for the tenth time because she didn't have a new one, or when he saw her look at a pair of robes in Madame Malkin's in Diagon Alley. Other moments were when he felt she was taking more of care of him then he was of her. His heart rose and fell at the same time when every morning after full moon he awoke to wet rags for addressing wounds, hot chocolate, and soup. He just wished she didn't have to do that.

Aliza on the other hand was happy to do that, and had her own motives. In her mind her actions were a repayment. She remembered when she was little her father would trade in his best set of robes to get her new ones, or, when things were particularly bad, he would skip a meal so she could have her fill. For that she was grateful. All throughout her life he had put her first, now she wanted to return the favor.

But these thoughts were to depressive for the now lighthearted atmosphere. The two swerved around the kitchen in perfect harmony, talking about their days. Her dad was in a very good mood because he got a job interview at the business in his letter. The two exchanged jokes, and at one point a small food fight had broken out. Yep, Aliza thought, same old, same old, but that's the way I like it.

Merry Christmas! I am off two weeks from school for Christmas so I will most likely get a few more chapters out before I go back.