Safi stood in the shadows, her back pressed flat against a cluster of overgrown trees, her eyes darting madly into the wilderness that was the forbidden forest.

Her eyes spied just about every creature she'd ever come across when she had her own wanderings in the forest, but she was only focused on one thing.

The hunched and retreating figure of Professor Lupin.

It had been nearly 2 months since she found out he was a werewolf. Completely on accident of course. She wished with all her strength that she hadn't found out, after all it wasn't her secret to know.

But here she was, watching the wiry man from the dark, trying desperately to pluck up the courage to talk to him.

Remus nearly stumbled over a fallen log, but quickly righted himself, but not without causing a new tear in his already torn jacket.

The more Safi had been watching him lately, the more clearly she saw just how similar a life she and the mysterious Professor had.

It wasn't until her first year of Hogwarts that Safi had gotten any new clothes. Before that she had been given rags by Petunia, or she had the clothes that she frequently stole from the vinnies store around the block.

She knew stealing from the church shop was wrong, but she figured God wouldn't mind. After all, God had taken her parents, so she might as well take some clothes.

Point is, she saw Remus Lupin dressed in rags, and she felt a twinge of understanding. She saw him sitting all alone on his breaks, and she knew she was the same as him. She saw him wandering all alone through the dark woods of the forbidden forest, and she knew, Lupin knew things that she needed to know.

"Are you going to stand there forever?"

Safi sucked in a harsh breath as Remus's call hit her ears, and she stumbled out of the dark, looking at him with wide eyes and a deep frown.

"Are you going to keep lying to me?!" she called back, her pace quickening as she kept walking to him, her cheeks flushing a quick red with a new wave of anger overtaking her.

Remus just stood there and as she drew nearer, she saw he was shaking his head, his shaggy greying hair lifting lightly.

"Lying am I? I think you're wrong, Safinya" he said with a stern bite, his eyes twitching in gentle snap.

Safi choked on a bitter laugh, as she came to a stop right in front of the man and sneered right up at him.

"You. Lied." she spat, pointing her finger angrily up at him. "You said you didn't know who my father was! You said you didn't—-"

Remus just tilted his head backwards and let out a raucous laugh.

Safi's jaw slackened, and her eyes flew open, her limbs shaking head to toe.

"Don't you DARE laugh at me! You lied to me! You said—-"

"As a matter of fact it turns out I DIDNT know your father, Safi. In the end I had no idea who he was!" Remus cried aloud, swinging his arms out in the air.

"The way things went that day I barely knew who I was let alone Sirius! Seems not even his closest friends knew who the bloody hell he was. So no!" he spat turning to stare Safi down, "I had no idea who your father was. Or what he was capable of".

The woods rang silent then, only the hot breaths of Safi wrenching out of her body as she fought back hitting the poor man, but she figured he'd been hurt enough.

And really, she'd been hurt enough too.

"Harry hates me now" she whispered then, unbidden tears piercing her eyes. She hastily wiped them away, not wanting to cry in front of Remus, but she cried all the same.

Remus just stared at her, his own anger and years of pain pooling in his scared eyes.

"He's your brother, Saf" he whispered back, moving away from her, the light catching the tears that fell down his cheeks, "he's the only family you have" he choked with a gentle cry.

It was then that Safi's mind lit up, and a burning filled her chest as an image started to fantasise in her mind like the clearest recall she'd ever known, like the memory had never even left her mind.

She was just a baby, being held gently in the arms of her mother, when Remus walked into the room, but he was much younger then, with so many less scars.

He simply walked across the room, the biggest smile on his face, as he knelt beside the chair her mother was seated in.

Remus smiled at Safi, and baby Safi smiled back, and she reached out and put her tiny fist in his hand, letting out a squeal of delight.

And everything was sweet.

And then, everything was gone, and Safi was back in the forest.

"Uncle Moony" Safi suddenly cried, her voice echoing across the forest, stirring everything around her.

In front of her, Remus stiffened, but his eyes widened, and even, just maybe, his eyes brightened.

"That's what I should've been, Uncle Moony" he said sullenly, shoving his hands deep into his coat pockets, "instead I'm a stranger, I'm nobody..."

Safi shook her head immediately, and reached forward and slammed into the scarred man, wrapping her arms fiercely around him like the worlds most loving python.

"We can't change the past, but we can look to the future, we could all be like it should've been" Safi stammered out, her voice loud and sure.

Remus let out a sad laugh, shaking his head down at her as he pulled away from her hug.

"If you had any idea of what I really was, you'd never hug me again—"

"Oh shut the fuck up!" Safi groaned, slapping him on his arm, "you wolf out occasionally, so what? People have sudden out bursts all the time it doesn't mean—"

"Sudden outbursts?!" Remus cried, absolutely appalled. "Being a werewolf is hardly akin to a sudden outburst".

Safi simply shrugged.

"Potato, potahto" she said.

Then, Remus froze, and Safi's words hit him like a hippogriff.

"How did you...how did you find out?" he whispered to her, his stance growing defensive and scared.

Safi immediately shook her head with a smile.

"Believe me when I say I'm sorry I found out, but it was out of my control, I had a vision and—oh shit I'm not supposed to tell people that- but who cares now we both know each others secrets!" she rambled excitedly.

"Point is that we need to move forward together! And you can help me get Harry back!" Safi squealed excitedly, bouncing up and down, the soft soil smooshing beneath her boots.

Remus stared down at her, and Safi could see he was in a sort of daze, but even a blind troll could tell, for the first time in a long time, Remus felt hope.

"You know, your mother told me that you'd grow up to be the sort of person people couldn't say no to" he said coyly, a small smile growing on his face.

Safi just let out a laugh, and she wrapped her arms back around him, back around her Uncle Moony.


"And what is the key ingredient for a pepperup potion?" Hermione prodded with a roll of her eyes and a stifled yawn.

Safi stuck her tongue out in concentration, huffing out puffs of air.

"Uhhhh" she dumbly moaned, scratching her head. "Is it—-"

"If you say Merlin's ballsack sweat one more time I'm never studying with you again" Hermione suddenly warned, her lips thinning as she raised a brow dangerously.

Safi leaned back in her seat with an offended squeak.

"How dare you accuse me of such things, 'Mione!" the blonde said with a dramatic head shake.

Hermione just stared at her from across the library study bench, her brown eyes silently accusing her.

Safi squirmed underneath her gaze, and finally she snapped, throwing her arms up in the air madly.

"Alright! You got me! Is Merlin's glorious ballsack sweat the answer?!" Safi angrily whispered, her eyes darting to the side in case Madam Pince's hearing decided to be sonar today.

Hermione let out a contempted huff, pushed her chair out, and shuffled away, her arms full with large and aged books.

Safi blubbered, completely flabbergasted, but it was no use trying to get the bushy haired witch back. Once Hermione's good graces had been bruised then you had to wait at least 2-5 business days for her to calm down and return to normal.

Safi slumped back in her chair and let out a gentle huff, her hair puffing up from her breath of air.

"Very interesting idea for a new potion ingredient, Miss Psoft"

The blonde snapped her head to the left, and her brow immediately creased as none other than the headmaster came out of the shadows of the library alcove, his withered hands steeples across his chest.

Safi stared up at him, crossing her arms across her chest defensively.

To be perfectly honest, Dumbledore and Safi had never really gotten along. It was mostly on Safi's side that she felt the heeby jeebies whenever the professor talked to her. She never had a solid reason to dislike him, but she always trusted her gut, and her gut absolutely despised the wizened wizard.

"I think it'll be all the rage soon, just you wait" Safi retorted tersely, looking him up and down.

The headmaster raised a brow at her, but simply inclined his head at her.

"I was wondering if there had been any new developments regarding your social situation with Mr Potter" he asked, a wave of mystery clouding his intentions.

Safi's face twitched sadly, before she put on her usual blanked face that usually came when she spoke to the headmaster.

"No new developments, sir. Having a serial killer for a father makes 'social situations' a bit tense" she snapped, tutting under her breath at the old man.

Dumbledore ducked his head slightly but nodded nonetheless.

"Yes I suspect it would. But then I also suspect that you'll be quite alright. If anyone could handle this infamous parentage it would be you, Miss Psoft"

Safi rolled her eyes.

"I suppose people should be calling me Safinya Black now" Safi scoffed.

But surprisingly, Dumbledore solemnly shook his head.

"Oh I think not, Safi. After all, you wouldn't want people to think you'd forsaken your mothers name".

Safi's face softened, and she hated to admit it, but he was right. The lump sum total of what Safi knew of her mother was that she was a righteous woman who had overcome such things in her life as a horrible family and the deaths of those she loved. She also knew it that Lorna Psoft was perhaps one of the angriest women Hogwarts had ever seen. And for that, Safi was impossibly proud of her parentage.

"In fact..." Dumbledore suddenly spoke, knocking Safi out of her reverie, "I have something for you".

Safi opened her mouth to say something, but as Dumbledore removed the item from out of the concealment of his sleeves, she was immediately silenced.

In the wizards hands, was a small, brown leather journal, with tight string binding criss-crossing up the spine, and gold filigree embellishments along the sides.

And written, in impossibly soft, gold writing, was the name 'Lorna Psoft'.

Safi let out a gentle gasp, and she took the journal from the headmaster, feeling like the journal in her hands was something destined just for her.

And in that moment, Safi could swear her mother was smiling down on her, and she was proud her daughter had her diary, like it was just meant to be.

With no more words to say, Dumbledore slipped away and out of sight, and Safi stared down at the diary, not even needing to read it yet, only feeling content to simply stare at it, and know it's existence was real.

It was now like, Safi had her mother with her. And for the first time in a long time, Safi felt hope.