A/N - Happy April! I am hoping that this means that maybe winter is finally over because I am really sick of looking at snow! So, there is not alot in this chapter that advances the plot, some, but not alot and I debated back and forth about taking most of it out all together. But there is a scene near the end with Remus and Catherine that I totally loved that wouldn't have happened without all the non-advancing of the plot stuff, so you get it all anyway. :) Enjoy!
Chapter 9
Family Troubles
2 January 1995
Catherine was nervous. Her hand kept straying into her hair to twine it round her fingers as she waited for Sarah to arrive. Catherine had spoken to the children about their aunt right after they had returned home from the Cauldwell's the day Sarah had visited. Miranda seemed excited to meet her. She really had no memories of her father, after all. Rory had taken it all in stride, as Catherine had expected, and while not overly eager, wasn't upset about seeing his aunt again either. It was Ellie she was worried about.
The girl had gone quiet when Catherine had told them about Sarah's visit and that she would like to get to know the children again. Ellie remembered her, just as she remembered her father and all that had happened. Ellie hadn't agreed or disagreed when Catherine had finished, just silently went to her room where she had remained for the rest of the evening, not even coming down for dinner.
When Catherine had gone to her daughter's room that night after Rory and Miranda were in bed, she wasn't surprised to find Ellie curled up on her bed, arms around her knees which were drawn up to her chest, facing the wall.
"Ellie," Catherine said gently, but her daughter didn't acknowledge her. Catherine sat on the edge of Ellie's bed and ran a hand through her hair. "Talk to me sweetheart." Ellie sniffled and Catherine turned her over onto her back. Ellie's eyes were red and puffy and there were still tear remnants on her cheeks. "Oh, baby," Catherine said and laid down next to her daughter, pulling Ellie into her arms. Ellie wrapped her arms around Catherine's middle and buried her face in Catherine's chest. Catherine rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head.
"If you don't want her to come, I'll wait until you're back at school," Catherine said quietly. Ellie shook her head.
"No, I," she stopped and took a deep breath. "I think I want to see her. I always loved Aunt Sarah."
"Then what is it?" Catherine asked, still rubbing Ellie's back lightly.
"I don't know, thinking about her just made me think about," she trailed off.
"Your father," Catherine said. Ellie nodded. They lay in silence for a few minutes, before Catherine moved Ellie to the side and propped herself up on an elbow so she could look at her daughter. She moved a strand of hair off her face and tucked it behind her ear. "Do you want to talk about it?" Ellie shrugged. Catherine waited.
"It's just…hard sometimes," Ellie finally said.
"How so?" Catherine asked and Ellie shrugged again.
"Tess' dad is gone a lot, but when he's home, he always asks Tess and Will about school and what they're learning and what they're doing with their friends and everything. He's sort of proper, I guess, but you can tell that he loves them a lot and he's always really nice to me. And Mr. Cauldwell, Ian, I mean," Ellie blushed a bit. Myra and Ian had recently told her children to call them by their first names, but Ellie seemed a bit shy about it for some reason. "He's funny and he goofs around with all the kids and us too when we're there. He makes us feel like we belong, sort of like we're his kids too. And Remus, I know he cares about us and sometimes I think that he might even love us, sort of like a dad would. But none of them are my dad." Catherine's heart clenched and she could feel the tears coming. Ellie looked up at her mother, tears in her own eyes.
"And I love you and Grandma and I know that you love me and everything, but," she stopped, her bottom lip trembling.
"But you still don't have a dad," Catherine finished. Ellie nodded. Catherine gathered her back into her arms and held her while they both cried. "Oh sweetheart, it's not fair what happened to you and your brother and sister and it's not fair that your father decided to leave you. There's nothing I wish for more often than that your lives had been different that you had a daddy that adored you. I would do anything to give you that, you know."
"I know Mum," Ellie whispered. "It's okay."
"No baby, it's not okay," Catherine replied. "It's not okay at all." She had held Ellie until she drifted off to sleep and then Catherine had spent the better part of the night sitting and watching her, lost in her memories and wishes for what could have been.
The next morning Ellie seemed better. She was subdued, to be sure, but she didn't seem upset anymore. And as the week had gone on, Ellie had seemed to go back to her old self. Until today, that is.
She had spent the majority of the day in her room, only coming out for meals. She was packing, she said and Catherine knew that was partly true. Still, it didn't take an entire day to pack after the Christmas holiday, she just hadn't brought that much home. When Catherine had taken Ellie the last of the clean clothes she had washed, Catherine had asked her daughter if she wanted to talk about anything. Ellie had just smiled and shook her head, then turned back to her trunk. Sarah was to arrive in ten minutes and Ellie still hadn't come down from her room.
"Do you want me to go and check on her?" Catherine heard from behind her and turned to smile at her mother.
"No, she knows what time Sarah will be here," Catherine said. "I don't want to push her." Jane nodded and patted Catherine on the back, then went back into the kitchen. Catherine sighed and finished setting the table.
When the doorbell rang, Miranda ran to answer the door as usual, Catherine following quickly behind. She reached the door, just as Miranda had flung it open.
"Come in," Catherine said as Sarah smiled at Miranda.
"Are you really my aunt?" Miranda asked once Sarah had come into the house.
"Yes, I am," Sarah said, squatting down so she was closer to the little girl. "The last time I saw you, you were just a baby."
"Really?" Miranda asked.
"Yes," Sarah replied. "And I've got to say, you're even prettier now than you were then." Miranda grinned shyly and wrapped an arm around Catherine. Sarah stood and Catherine took her coat.
"Rory's watching the telly," Miranda said helpfully after Catherine had finished hanging up Sarah's coat.
"Will you show me?" Sarah asked and Miranda nodded and took her aunt's hand. Catherine followed the two of them into the lounge.
"Rory, your Aunt Sarah is here," Catherine said and Rory picked up the remote and turned off the telly. He looked up at his aunt and smiled tentatively.
"Oh my Rory, you've grown so much!" Sarah said with a smile.
"Well, I am ten now," he said with a shrug of his shoulders and Sarah laughed. Catherine shook her head indulgently.
"Where's Ellie?" Sarah asked, looking around the room.
"She's upstairs, finishing her packing for school," Catherine said. "I'm sure she'll be along shortly." Jane came into the room and greeted Sarah as well and then Sarah sat down on the couch next to Rory and Miranda and began asking them about school and their friends. Twenty minutes later, when Jane announced that the dinner was ready, Ellie still had not made an appearance. Miranda ran up to fetch her, but returned alone.
"Ellie says she's not hungry and she's still got more packing to do," Miranda said. Catherine glanced at Sarah, apologetic expression on her face. Sarah looked a little sad, but smiled all the same.
"It's all right, Catherine," Sarah said quietly as Rory and Miranda sat down at the table. "I knew it would be the hardest for her." She squeezed Catherine's hand and Catherine nodded gratefully before sitting down and joining her family.
Dinner was pleasant enough, although Catherine kept glancing at the stairs every two minutes. Rory warmed up to his aunt quickly, as Catherine had suspected he would, and was currently instructing her in the rules of quidditch. Miranda rolled her eyes and Rory attempted to explain a sloth roll, then jumped from the table and ran upstairs for his book instead.
"Come on Aunt Sarah," Miranda said once her brother had gone. "Let's go see my room before Rory gets back. Otherwise you'll be stuck talking about quidditch forever." Sarah chuckled and let Miranda lead her to her bedroom while Catherine cleared away the plates. Her mother insisted on cleaning up the kitchen and told Catherine to go and visit with Sarah and the children.
Catherine began climbing the stairs and before she was halfway up, heard Sarah and Miranda's voices coming down the hall from Miranda's room. Catherine had just reached the top of the stairs as Sarah and Miranda neared Ellie's closed door, no longer talking. At that moment, Ellie opened the door to her room and came face to face with her aunt.
Sarah gasped and put a hand to her mouth, probably in part because of how much Ellie had grown, but Catherine knew it was mostly because of how much Ellie looked like Daniel. Had Ellie's hair been short, the two could have passed for twins. Ellie froze, obviously expecting her aunt to still be in Miranda's room. Catherine stood rooted to the top step, unsure what to say. It was Ellie that finally broke the silence.
"Hi," she said, so quietly that Catherine barely heard her. Sarah continued to stare at her and then reached out a hand and gently ran it down the side of Ellie's hair. Ellie bit her lip and looked up at her aunt. The two locked eyes for a moment and then, to Catherine's shock, Ellie flung her arms around Sarah. Sarah automatically brought her arms around Ellie and after a moment, hugged her tightly.
"Oh Ellie," she whispered and Catherine could see the tear that ran down her cheek. Catherine swiped away a few of her own and motioned to Miranda to go back downstairs. Miranda glanced at her aunt and sister one last time before she complied. Rory, who had come out of his own room moments before, followed quickly after his little sister.
Catherine couldn't have said how long they stood there at the top of the stairs, but Ellie seemed to have no intention of letting her aunt go. And Sarah, for her part, didn't seem to mind. She stroked Ellie's back and hair and whispered quietly to her. What, Catherine did not know, but Ellie would nod now and then and once, she saw Ellie's arms tighten a bit more around Sarah. Finally they pulled apart from each other and Sarah patted Ellie on the cheek, then put an arm around her and led her to the stairs.
"All right?" Catherine asked Ellie as they neared her. Ellie nodded, small smile on her face. Catherine looked up at Sarah who nodded as well.
"It's time for pudding then, I expect," Catherine said. "I'll even let you have some without eating dinner first." She smiled at Ellie and Ellie grinned back at her. And the three made their way back to the table, Jane carrying out the pie from the kitchen as they arrived.
When Sarah was leaving later that night, Catherine asked her what she had said to Ellie upstairs.
"I told her how much she had grown and how beautiful she was, that I was so proud of how well she did in school and that I couldn't wait to see a little bit of her magic whenever she could show me," Sarah said with a smile. "And then I told her how sorry I was for everything that had happened with her father and how I wished I had known what was going on sooner, so I could have gotten her and Rory away before all the bad things happened." She paused and Catherine opened her mouth to speak, but Sarah held up a hand.
"I am you know," she said. "And I know that you don't blame me, but there were so many signs that I should have followed up on. Things he said that just didn't make sense. I chose to ignore them and believe that he just had the children's best interests at heart. I should have known better and I don't think I will ever forgive myself for that."
"It wasn't your fault," Catherine insisted. "He fooled everyone."
"I was his sister Catherine, I grew up with him and I knew what our mother was like," Sarah protested. "I should have suspected at the very least."
"It does no good to live in the past, Sarah," Catherine said gently. "All we can do is learn from it and go on. We don't blame you, any of us." She hugged her sister-in-law tightly. Even though Catherine was no longer married to her brother, that's still how she saw Sarah.
"Thank you," Sarah said. "For saying that and for allowing me to come. I'd love for you to meet my children, if you'd like to."
"I would like that very much," Catherine replied. Sarah smiled.
"I'll call you next week, then," Sarah said. "Good night Catherine."
"Good bye Sarah," Catherine replied. She watched from the doorway until the other woman had driven away and went back into the house and closed the front door. She leaned her forehead against it and sighed loudly. It had been an emotional night, but one Catherine was glad had happened.
20 February 1995
Catherine glanced at her watch again, tapping her fingers nervously on the counter. She still had an hour left until her shift at the bookstore was over. She had been nervous and jumpy for the last two weeks, not having heard from Sirius in over a month. She'd gotten a note from him just after Christmas thanking her for the cloak. It had taken Maia more than week to find him and return. And she'd heard from him a few weeks later, letting her know all was well, but nothing since. Remus had heard nothing either, although he'd only personally heard from Sirius once since Sirius had returned to the UK. Sirius instead either sent a note to Catherine for Remus or asked Catherine to deliver news to their friend directly.
"Is everything all right, Catherine?" she heard Mr. Follensbee ask. She hadn't realized she had started tapping her fingers again.
"Oh, yes sir, sorry about that," she replied.
"No bother," he said, giving her a smile. "You know it is very slow today. Why don't you go ahead and leave a bit early. Jimmy is in the stock room if I need any help."
"Are you sure?" she asked, feeling guilty now.
"Of course my dear, I can see that your mind is elsewhere today," he said knowingly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean, that is," Catherine broke off, her face reddening. Mr. Follensbee shook his head in amusement.
"It is all right, I assure you," he said, looking at her fondly. "It happens to all of us at one time or another."
"Thank you sir, I promise I'll do better the next time I'm here," she said, coming out from behind the counter. Mr. Follensbee patted her on the arm as he passed.
"I have no doubt of that," he said and took her spot behind the counter. Catherine went into the back room and gathered her cloak and then flooed back to her home.
When she stepped through, Rory was hollering and Miranda came screeching into the room, crashing into Catherine's legs.
"Miranda, what on earth?" Catherine asked, as she steadied herself and her daughter.
"Rory's going to hit me!" she wailed and buried her tear-stained face in her mother's midsection.
"I'm sure your brother isn't going to hit you," Catherine tried to reassure the girl. She heard her mother's raised voice from the direction of the kitchen and Rory's indignant reply, although she couldn't hear what was said. "Now what's going on?"
"Nothing Mummy," Miranda insisted, still hiding her face. "Rory just hates me." She sniffled. Catherine stifled a grin and squatted down in front of her daughter.
"I don't think that your brother hates you," she said. "He does sound quite angry though. Can you tell me what happened?" Miranda shook her head, her blonde curls bouncing wildly, and wrapped her arms around her mother's neck, burying her face in Catherine's shoulder. Catherine gathered the girl to her and stood up, grunting a bit as she did so. "You're getting too big for Mummy to pick up, sweetheart."
"Does that mean I'm not your baby anymore?" Miranda sniffled, her bottom lip stuck out in a pout. Catherine couldn't help but chuckle.
"Of course not, you'll always be my baby," she said, rubbing noses with her daughter. Just then, Rory burst into the room, Jane close at his heels.
"There you are, you little brat," he snarled.
"Rory!" Catherine exclaimed, as Miranda grabbed her tighter around the neck. She had never seen her son so angry. Jane put a hand on the boy's shoulder and Catherine noticed that her other was behind her back.
"Well, she is," Rory insisted. "Mum, you won't believe what she did!"
"I didn't, Mummy!" Miranda wailed, then began to cry again.
"Yes you did!" Rory yelled. "And now it's ruined!" Her son ran from the room, pounded up the stairs and slammed the door to his bedroom. Miranda was still sobbing on her shoulder and Catherine looked at her mother, completely flabbergasted. Jane sighed and brought a hand to her forehead, rubbing between her eyes with her fingers.
"What in Merlin's name is going on?" Catherine finally managed.
"This," Jane said and pulled her other hand out from behind her back. She held up Rory's broom and Catherine stared at it, gobsmacked. Almost half the twigs were gone from the tail and those that remained were ridiculously short. The handle was smeared with some kind of goop, which dripped down and into the tail. And when Catherine looked closer, she could see that there was a crack in the handle near the end.
"Oh my," she said. Her mother nodded grimly. "Miranda," Catherine began, but the little girl just wailed louder. Catherine automatically brought a hand to her back and began to try and soothe her. "Shh, now, it's all right, Mummy's here." When her daughter's cries had subsided into hiccupping breaths, Catherine sat down on the couch and maneuvered Miranda so she could see her.
"Do you want to tell me what happened to your brother's broom?" Catherine asked, but Miranda just shook her head. "Shall I go ask Rory?"
"No!" Miranda howled. She tried to bury her face again, but Catherine wouldn't let her.
"Miranda Jane, I think you need to tell Mummy what happened, right now," Catherine said, her voice brokering no room for argument.
"I didn't mean to," the girl said quietly, looking up at her mother with her big blue eyes. Catherine's heart melted, but she quickly reminded herself that Miranda was nearly eight years old. Certainly old enough to know better than to mess with her brother's broom.
"If you didn't mean to, then how did this happen?" Catherine asked, waving a hand at the mess her mother was still holding. Miranda's lower lip began to quiver, but Catherine looked at her sternly.
"I wanted to help Rory," she said. "He told me he was going flying with Mr. Remus today and he had to fix up his broom for it." That was right, Catherine remembered. Remus would be here in an hour to take Rory flying. Since Owen had started at Hogwarts, Rory didn't get to fly as often and Remus had volunteered to take the boy out once in a while.
"So what did you do?" Catherine prodded.
"I got out the kit that Owen got him for Christmas and tried to fix it," she said quietly, looking down at her lap.
"Oh Miranda," Catherine said in exasperation. The Cauldwell's had gotten Rory a broom servicing kit for Christmas and Rory had reverently polished the broom and trimmed the tail twigs more than once.
"I'm sorry Mummy, I didn't mean to," Miranda said, her bottom lip in full quiver once again. Catherine looked down at her and saw the tears begin to fall again. She gathered her daughter into her embrace once more. "I j-just w-wanted to he-help," Miranda wailed and Catherine sighed.
"I know you did sweetheart, but what have I told you about touching your brother's things?" Catherine asked, pulling back from the little girl once more. Miranda looked at her lap and didn't answer. "Miranda," her mother said warningly.
"Not to," Miranda whispered.
"Unless what?" Catherine said.
"Unless Rory says I can," Miranda finished.
"And I'm assuming by your brother's reaction that you didn't ask," Catherine continued.
"No Mummy," her daughter admitted quietly. She looked up at her mother, her eyes still sparkling with tears. "Did I wreck Rory's broom?"
"I don't know, I'll have to show it to Remus when he gets here and see what he says," Miranda nodded sadly. "I think you better go up to your room for a while. I'll be up to talk to you later." Miranda slid from her mother's lap and began to walk towards the stairs.
"Mummy?" she asked just before she left the room.
"Yes, Miranda?" Catherine said.
"If Rory's broom is wrecked, I'll buy him a new one," the little girl said, the tears starting down her cheeks again. "You can take the money in my piggy bank." With that she turned and hurried up the stairs and Catherine felt a lump form in her throat. She turned to her mother whose eyes were suspiciously bright. One look at the broom that was now dripping broom polish onto the floor and Catherine groaned. Jane chuckled a bit, then looked distastefully at the broom in her hand.
"I'll be right back," she said. Her mother disappeared into the kitchen and Catherine heard the door to the garden open and then close again. She heard the tap turn on and moments later her mother was back in the lounge wiping her hands on a towel.
"What am I going to do with her?" Catherine said, rubbing her temples with her fingers. Jane sighed and sat down next to her daughter on the couch.
"I think we've got to stop babying her for one," her mother replied. Catherine looked at her in surprise. "Don't give me that look. We're both guilty of it, you know that we are. We treat her younger than she is, let her get away with things too often. If Rory had done something like this to Ellie, you would have treated the situation entirely differently." Catherine opened her mouth to protest and then closed it again. Her mother was right, she did baby Miranda, probably too much.
"And I think," Jane trailed off, glancing at her daughter from the corner of her eye. Catherine looked at her in confusion when her mother didn't continue.
"What?" Catherine prodded. Jane turned and took Catherine's hands in her own.
"Sweetheart, I want you to listen to me completely before you say anything," the older woman began.
"All right," Catherine agreed. Her mother took a deep breath and Catherine began to worry about just what she was going to say.
"Miranda's teacher called yesterday." Catherine opened her mouth to say something, but Jane held up a hand. "I know I should have told you right away, but you were so tired when you got home from work yesterday and then you left early this morning. I planned to discuss it with you this evening. Apparently there have been a few incidents at school. Miranda is telling 'fanciful tales', according to the teacher. From what I understand, Miranda has been talking to the other children about magic and has told a few of them that she's a witch. It's made the other children less likely to play with her because she keeps insisting that the stories are true. The teacher has been trying to handle it on her own, but yesterday they had sharing time and Miranda gave quite a complete account of the quidditch match at Myra's over the summer." Catherine groaned and put her head in her hands.
"The teacher is becoming concerned that Miranda is 'losing touch with reality', in her words. She's not so subtly suggested that Miranda speak to someone," Jane finished.
"You mean a therapist," Catherine said and her mother shrugged. "What has gotten into her? She knows she's not supposed to talk about magic at school." Catherine got up and began to pace.
"Well, I have a theory about that," Jane said quietly and Catherine turned to look at her. Her mother wore the same pensive expression she had when she started the conversation.
"Mum, whatever it is, just say it," Catherine said in resignation.
"Well, you have been gone an awful lot lately," her mother said. "When you first took the job at the bookstore it was only a few mornings a week and it was always while the children were in school. Even once you started up at Hogwarts, you were still only gone during the day, the vast majority of the time. But now, you're working more often at the shop, a lot of time on the weekends, staying up at the school until almost dinner time, revising in the evenings for your tests. I know you've been worried about Sirius these last couple of weeks and it's made you preoccupied. I just think that Miranda may be feeling a bit, well, neglected. And so she's trying to get some attention."
Catherine looked at her mother and then sunk down in the chair across from the couch. She put her face in her hands again, shaking her head.
"I'm a horrible mother," she finally said, her voice muffled by her hands.
"Oh my darling, no you aren't," Jane said with a chuckle. Catherine looked out from behind her hands. "You've just found yourself in the same spot that mothers have found themselves in since the dawn of time, I'd expect." Catherine looked at her quizzically. "Are you doing enough? Are you doing too much? Are you ignoring them if you work? Are you smothering them if you don't?" Jane shook her head with a smile, then walked over to her daughter and knelt in front of her.
"You, my dear, are the best mother I know," she said, taking Catherine's face in her hands. "You have been there for those children through the most horrific of times and you've done it on your own. You love them with your entire being and there is nothing that you wouldn't do for them. They are wonderful, sweet, thriving children, don't ever doubt that."
"Thank you Mum," Catherine replied, her voice quavering a bit. "But you're wrong about one thing." Her mother looked at her in puzzlement. "I didn't do it on my own." Jane smiled at her and then drew her into her embrace. The two women hugged each other for a few moments before Jane pulled back.
"Now, I don't think that this is quite the insurmountable problem that you think it is," Jane said. "The thing you need to remember is that Miranda is the youngest and the two of you have had a special bond from the start. She had you all to herself for those two years when Rory and Ellie were both in school before she started. And you were very present for her, even when you had work you only did it when she was napping or after they'd all gone to bed. She's just having trouble adjusting to you not being here all the time."
"Maybe I should quit my job at the shop and put this healer training on hold until she's gone to Hogwarts" Catherine said. "I could go back to the publishing company, work from home again or part-time in the office just during the school day. I could," but before she could continue, Jane interrupted her.
"Catherine, stop. You don't need to go so far the other way," her mother protested.
"But Mum, she obviously needs me. She's acting up at school, ruining her brother's things," Catherine said in frustration.
"Yes, she needs you, but you need those things too, Catherine, you can't forget that," her mother reminded her. "I've seen you since you started working with Poppy. You're more alive than you've been in I don't know how long."
"I do love it, but Miranda," Jane interrupted her again.
"Will be fine, once she's gotten some reassurance," her mother insisted. "Rearrange your hours at the shop so you're home more often when the children are, but sweetheart, you don't need to go overboard."
"Are you sure?" Catherine asked, clearly wanting her mother's assurance. When Catherine had been married to Daniel, he had never wanted her to work. And she hadn't really wanted to either, wanting to be home with the children when they were small. And then, after all that had happened with him, she hadn't wanted to leave them, for fear that they would feel abandoned by their mother as well as their father. But her mother was right, Catherine had felt so much better about herself, so much more 'alive' as her mother had put it, working with Poppy and revising for her exams. She enjoyed her time at the bookshop as well, reading had always been her favorite pastime. But she had been gone an awful lot lately, her mother had been with the children more than she had.
"Oh Mum, I'm sorry," Catherine said.
"Whatever for?" Jane asked in confusion.
"You've been with the kids so much lately and I never even asked if you were all right with that," Catherine rambled. "I'm sorry, I've been taking you for granted, oh I'm a horrible daughter!"
"Catherine, stop being ridiculous," her mother said rolling her eyes. "You know that I adore being with the children and that I will always help you when you need it. You haven't been taking me for granted. Now, stop with the guilt and self-flagellation and let's figure out how we're going to handle the situation."
"You're right, I'm sorry," Catherine said.
"And that's the last 'I'm sorry' I expect to hear from you today, young lady," her mother said sternly.
"Yes, Mum," Catherine replied with a grin.
A half an hour later, when the doorbell rang, Catherine was in much better spirits. She had spoken to Miranda, who had made a tearful apology to Rory. Rory, for his part, had accepted that his sister hadn't done anything out of malice and truly had thought she was helping. He was still rather upset about his broom, but perked up at bit when Catherine told him she'd have Remus look at it. And as Catherine opened the door, the man in question came into view. He had told her not to expect him by floo, that he was apparating today instead. Catherine suspected he just liked the walk from the park to calm his dizziness from apparition.
"Hello," he said cheerfully, kissing her on the cheek as he entered.
"Hello, Remus," she replied, returning his smile.
"What is it?" he immediately said and she looked at him incredulously.
"How do you do that?" she asked.
"Do what?"
"Always know when there's something wrong," she replied.
"Instinct," he said shrugging and Catherine decided not to ask exactly what instinct he was talking about. She was afraid he'd tell her she smelled differently or something.
"Well, we have had a bit of a rough afternoon," she said and conveyed all that had happened with Rory's broom as they walked into the kitchen. Rory sat at the kitchen table, the broom lying on some newspapers Catherine had covered the table with as there was an excess of broom polish still dripping from the handle. Rory sat with his chin in his hands, staring morosely at the broom.
"I didn't want to do anything to it before you got here," Catherine explained. "I wasn't sure if spells would interfere with the broom's magic or not.
"Let's take a look, shall we," Remus said with a smile at Rory. The boy just sighed. Remus inspected the broom, turning it from side to side. He whispered a 'scourgify' and ran the tip of his wand up and down the broom's handle. The excess broom polish slowly disappeared. Remus inspected the crack in the end of the handle closely, then finally set it back down and smiled at Rory.
"Well, you'll need to have the tail twigs replaced, of course, but the crack isn't bad at all, they should be able to repair it at the Quidditch shop in Diagon Alley," he said. "After a bit of work, it should be fine."
"You're sure?" Rory asked.
"I'm not an expert, but I've seen a few damaged brooms in my day," Remus assured him. Rory sighed in relief. He knew that brooms were very expensive and that his mother probably wouldn't just go out and buy him a new one for no reason. That meant he would have had to wait until at least his birthday, which was forever away.
"Thanks Remus!" he said in delight. "Mum, can you take my broom to the Quidditch shop on Monday when you go to work?"
"Of course sweetheart," she said, ruffling his hair. He grinned widely at her.
"Mr. Remus," a small voice said and they all turned to see Miranda standing in the doorway, her hands behind her back.
"Yes, Miranda," he said squatting down in front of her.
"Did you fix Rory's broom?" she asked quietly.
"Well, I cleaned it up a bit, but your mum will have to take it to the quidditch shop to fix the tail," Remus explained. Miranda nodded. She sniffled a bit and then brought her piggy bank out from behind her back.
"Mummy, you can take my money to pay the quidditch man," she said, holding the bank out to her mother. "And you should give some to Mr. Remus since he helped too." Catherine felt her eyes fill, but before she could say anything, Remus gently took the bank from Miranda and set it on the table. Then he held his arms out to the little girl and she flung herself into then.
"Thank you for your offer, Miranda," he said, gently patting her back. "But I don't need any money. I'm always happy to help you or your mum or your brother and sister." Miranda nodded into his neck and Catherine could tell that she was crying again. She looked at Remus in question, but he waved her off and carried Miranda out of the kitchen.
"Mum, is Manda okay?" Rory asked, concern in his eyes.
"I'm sure she'll be fine. Why do you ask?" Catherine said, putting a hand on her son's shoulder. He shrugged.
"She's been different lately, whiny and way more annoying than usual," he replied and Catherine couldn't help but chuckle.
"Sit down a minute, Rory, I want to ask you something," she said. Rory sat down at the table, Catherine next to him.
"Do you think that I've been gone too much lately?" she asked and Rory cocked his head at her, thoughtful look on his face.
"Well, you have been gone more than usual," he said.
"Does that bother you?" she asked apprehensively.
"Not really," he finally said. "I mean, I do miss you sometimes, but I know that you really like working with Madame Pomfrey and Grandma's always here if we need her." Catherine nodded. "How come you're asking me?"
"I think that may be part of what's bothering your sister," she explained. Rory nodded knowingly.
"That's probably it," he said. Catherine sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. "But Mum?" She looked up at him. "I don't think you should stop working or anything."
"You don't?" she asked.
"No," he said.
"Why not?"
"Because, you're happier now than you used to be," he said. "I think it's good that you decided to be a witch again. And if you're as good at being a healer as you are at being our Mum, well," he grinned almost shyly at her. "Then you'll be the best healer ever." Catherine couldn't help the tears that gathered in her eyes and she pulled her son towards her into a hug.
"Thank you Rory," she whispered into his hair. He gave her a tight squeeze and then pulled back and smiled at her.
"I think I'll go see if I can cheer Manda up," he said and left the kitchen. Catherine looked up and saw her mother standing in the doorway.
"That is one special boy," her mother said, her voice shaky. Catherine stood and hugged her mother.
"That he is," she agreed.
"Remus wanted me to tell you he's taken Miranda up to her room," Jane said once they had released each other. "She was nearly asleep when I saw them. I told Rory not to bother them just now."
"Thanks Mum," Catherine said and left the kitchen, smiling as she walked past the lounge and saw Rory sitting on the couch and watching the telly.
She made her way upstairs to Miranda's room and stopped just outside the door when she heard quiet humming coming from inside. Peeking around the door frame, she saw Remus, still holding Miranda and gently swaying from side to side, humming what sounded like a lullaby to her. Miranda was asleep with her head on his shoulder, her thumb in her mouth. Catherine had finally mostly broken Miranda of the habit of sucking her thumb while she slept, but when she was upset, Catherine sometimes still caught her doing it. Catherine leaned against the door frame and smiled fondly at the pair.
"I know you're there," Remus said quietly, even though his back was to her.
"Stupid werewolf senses," Catherine muttered as Remus chuckled.
"I wasn't sure if you wanted her asleep or not," he said as Catherine came into the room. She put a hand to her daughter's back and the little girl sighed in her sleep.
"It's all right, she's had a rough afternoon," Catherine replied. "A little nap won't hurt anything."
"How's Rory?" he asked.
"Bounced back just as he always does," she replied smiling. "He's a great kid."
"They all are," Remus said and she nodded.
"You can put her in her bed you know," she said, smirking.
"She's fine," he said and Catherine smiled knowingly. Remus colored a bit.
"You could have one of your own," she said quietly. She saw him stiffen a bit, but when Miranda shifted, he relaxed again.
"Let's not start that discussion again," he said. But Catherine refused to be put off. He was holding her sleeping daughter. She effectively had him trapped.
"I think we need to have that discussion again. And keep having it until you realize what an idiot you're being," she said firmly.
"Catherine," he warned.
"Remus, you're being silly," she said with a sigh. "There has been no evidence that you can pass lycanthropy on to your children."
"That's because werewolves don't get married," he said, just as he did every time she brought this subject up.
"Well, somehow I doubt that means none of them have ever procreated," she said dryly.
"And the vast majority do not try to exist in wizarding society so the test subjects are few to none," he said.
"You deserve this," she said, rubbing Miranda's back. "You deserve it just as much as anyone else does. You're a good man, Remus."
"I'm a monster in the eyes of most people, a half-breed at best," he said tersely.
"Stop it," Catherine said a little louder than she intended, causing Miranda to shift again in her sleep. Remus immediately started swaying again and the girl resettled herself. "Stop it," Catherine said again, much quieter this time. "I won't have you castigating yourself in front of me or my children. You've done nothing to deserve it and you know it." Remus sighed and moved away from her, gently laying Miranda down in her bed. Catherine watched as he pulled the covers up over her and bent and kissed the top of her head. When he turned back to her, his eyes were full of longing and pain, but only for a split second as he quickly masked them. He put his hands on her shoulders.
"I know that you don't feel the same way about my situation as I do and I love you for that," he said. "But we've had this discussion many times before and you know how I feel about it. I know that you don't agree, but I will never be anything more than Mr. Remus. It's a moot point anyway considering the fact that I am only one half of what's needed to produce a child in the first place."
"You've dated before," Catherine said. "And you'll date again. There's someone out there for you."
"While I appreciate your optimism, I do not share it," he said, somewhat sadly she thought. "No woman in her right mind would want to saddle herself with a werewolf and I'm sorry to say that being in your right mind would definitely be a requirement for me." Catherine snorted in spite of herself. He pulled her into a hug and they stood in silence for a few moments, watching the steady rise and fall of Miranda's chest.
"It's enough for me, to be Mr. Remus, to play quidditch with Rory and hopefully, now that I'm no longer her teacher, to be Ellie's friend," he finally said. "I don't need anyone to call me daddy." Catherine hugged him again and thought to herself that no matter what he said, someone calling him daddy was exactly what he did need. But she said nothing, not wanting to upset her friend further.
"Why don't you stay for dinner?" Catherine asked as they left Miranda's room. "I don't see enough of you these days."
"All right," he agreed, smiling at her as they made their way back downstairs.
The next day, Catherine talked to Miranda about her punishment for messing up Rory's broom. The little girl wasn't happy about it, by any means, but she accepted it all the same. Catherine also had a long talk with her about discussing magic at school and why she couldn't. She was beginning to understand why most witches and wizards homeschooled their children until they went to Hogwarts. It was a bit difficult to explain the Statute of Secrecy in seven-year old terms.
After discussing the fact that Catherine was not going to quit working, but was going to try and arrange her hours so that she was working mostly while Miranda and Rory were at school, Miranda seemed to perk up. She pouted a bit when Catherine warned her that there might be times when she still had to work on the weekends or in the evenings, but when Catherine reassured her daughter that they would not happen very often, Miranda seemed happier.
After their talk, she took Rory and Miranda to the science museum. Catherine noticed that Miranda was much more clingy than usual, but she let the little girl hold her hand and ride on her back as much as she wanted, trying to reassure her. The three of them had a wonderful day and when they returned home, Jane had dinner waiting for them. Catherine hoped that things would get better now and stay that way.
