8. The Lupins.

"Dad! Vala is here!" Remus shouted as soon as I stepped in their lovely house.

I heard John rushing downstairs and laughed.

Remus' father could have been mine. His eyes were the exact same shade of blue as mine, and we loved the same things in so many subjects it was sometimes scary. Whenever he would annoy me too much, I always used to call him "Uncle" and he would shut up at once. So unlike his son and yet so similar physically speaking.

"Valy!" John yelled before hugging me tightly.

"Calm down, John, it's only been four months!" I protested while Remus was giggling behind me.

"Only four months? Only? Have you heard that Helen?" he asked letting me go.

"Yes, I have darling. Let me see you puppy" she then said looking at me.

Helen Lupin was my mother. I mean, really, I had decided years before that she would be my mother as I never knew mine (or remember her, following which is the least cruel). Her hair was mousy brown with little grey lines in it, and her brown eyes, which she had passed on (partly) to her son, were looking warmly at me. I jumped in her open arms.

"I really missed being here, Helen", I said against her shoulder.

She caressed my hair while giggling.

"Why didn't we adopt her, darling?" she asked her husband.

"Oh, there we go again!" said Remus faking anger. "If you want us to swap, you tell us!"

I reached his arms in a blink.

"You're irreplaceable, dearest Rem', I'm afraid."

And, hand in hand, we all headed to the kitchen/living room.

o°o°o°o

When I left school to come back home, Dad already knew I would leave him for New Year's Eve. And for once he didn't say anything, probably because he was planning something with his girlfriend, who I really didn't want to meet, and still don't. I think her name was Sarah... Or Mary? Whatever stupid name she wore...

I left for the Lupins only three days after coming home, but didn't take anything with me as the spare room at Remus' almost belonged to me. The wardrobe was locked with some of my clothes in it, in case one of the Marauders would be tired of Rem's snoring, and it was coloured of every shade of blue they had found. Which happened to be my favourite colour. Oh, and the window showed the beautiful and quiet garden, which helped me keeping calm. Not that I ever got upset at their house.

In fact, I thought bitterly, I was feeling much more at home there than in my dad's house.

"So, how long are you staying this time?" asked John when we were both folding napkins to make the table up for diner.

"As long as possible. I really have issues keeping up with Dad since summer" I replied.

It was so easy to speak with him. No need to hide who you were and how it was difficult to live with someone like me.

"It'll get better. You're still a family, even if you're part of ours too" he grinned.

I smiled and drew a heart on my chest. He smiled back and then became serious in the time of a blink. Something I wasn't used to.

"I suppose you would have liked a quiet holiday, but the boys are coming tomorrow" he said calmly watching into my face for anger.

He found none.

"Which of them?" I innocently asked thought I knew I wouldn't like the answer.

"James and Sirius. Peter doesn't want to "take place for no reason"." he rolled his eyes.

"Well then, I think I'll have to lock myself up in my room" I said on the matter-of-fact tone.

"Oh, then it really is true that Sirius is interested in you, isn't it?" he asked grinning again as I was keeping up the quietness.

"If only it wasn't true!" I said lifting my hands up in the air as a silent pray.

He giggled in a way so similar from his son.

"Don't you fancy him, then?" he asked reading my face really carefully.

I knew he was one of the only (alone with his son, actually) to be able to tell when I was lying, so I looked straight in his eyes.

"I don't fancy Black" I said smiling a little. "Don't play your Remus, please."

"Why? D's'he want you to end up together?"

"I'm afraid so" I said. "Here, perfect" I added as the table was perfectly set up for an important diner.

John put his hand on my shoulder.

"I'm going to work. See you later, Valy" he said before kissing my forehead.

I went to find Helen and asked her if she needed something else from me but she said no, so I headed right to Remus' room, my second favourite room of the house after my own.

o°o°o°o

The first impression you got when you entered the biggest room of the house was that you just entered a library. The second impression was that it was small. Every single place around the walls or even against the rare furniture was covered in books. It was a bloody mess. What it wasn't actually as each pile of books was sorted by genre and then by alphabetical order.

Remus was reading Dracula in his bed, without the help of his syllabary. I really loved his brain...

I lied next to him and put my head on his chest. His right hand automatically stroke my hair. Before I closed my eyes and fell asleep, I whispered a question that was tickling on my tongue.

"Why didn't you tell me your friends were coming tomorrow?"

He closed his book and levelled my chin so that I would look in his eyes.

"Vals, James and Sirius are coming tomorrow for the rest of this holidays. I didn't tell you before because I was afraid you might run away from Padfoot and spend an awful holiday."

I put my head down again.

"I'm not running away. I'm going to kill him, different!"

As soon as my eyes were closed, I collapsed.

o°o°o°o

"Happy New Year!" we all shouted when the clock reached twelve. Year 1977 had just started.

I laughed as John and Helen quickly locked their lips together and even much as Remus looked at them as if he was disgusted.

I fingered him to come closer and put my arms around his neck in a teasing way.

"I wish there was mistletoe" I whispered.

"I preferred to remove it unless you would have been stalked by Sirius all week."

"Happy New Year, Rem'" I then said before loudly pecking him on the cheek.

"Family hug!" then yelled John and soon I was embraced by three pairs of arms I loved as if I belonged with them. A tear came down my cheek. A tear with mixed feelings in it. I was grateful I was accepted somewhere, and yet sad I didn't belonged in the one place I should have done.

"Happy 1977, people" I answered their hug.

Helen didn't want their "guest" (as if) to help cleaning out our gentle mess (John had wanted to play a plate version of the wizard chess) and I was sent to bed without further explanation. But I knew there was one very important. The following day, I was going to be awaken by no other than the boy who kept kissing me when I least wanted him to. Not as if I ever wanted him to kiss me.

When I finally reached my blue bed after a quick wash and pleading to help, I thought that I could managed. I did manage so many times, why not one entire week? Oh dear, I was going to die...

...

He he... Vala is so strange sometimes I even don't understand her behaviour. Thought I totally understand the feeling of belonging to a place you shouldn't...

Oh, and thanks again to those who review, it really helps me writing better... :p