As usual, a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorite and followed!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
"Remus, what is wrong?" He was aware of the new presence of the pink-haired witch beside him but he didn't look up. He continued to stare deep into his glass of firewhiskey, the alcohol was working its magic, he felt weightless and almost numb. A little more might help him to forget. He took a long swig of the whiskey, it burned its way down his throat and warmed his belly, the sensation spread through his body to his fingertips. "Get some rest. We can take care of the rat, you don't need to wait up."
The cage with the rat in question sat on the table, Pettigrew paced nervously around inside it but he could not escape. They would bring it into the Ministry in the morning, only a couple of hours away. Tonks, Shacklebolt and Mad-Eye had a plan and they had invented a fake back story to make the whole thing believable and to protect the Potters. Sirius had gone to bed ages ago and Emmeline had gone home. Even Kingsley had left to get a few hours of sleep. But Remus could not sleep and apparently, neither could Tonks.
He took another swig of his firewhiskey but Tonks took the glass out of his hand and poured its contents into the sink. "What has gotten into you? Sirius is normally the one in a drunken stupor, not you!"
"'M not drunk," he slurred. Not drunk enough, at least, under the circumstances he'd rather be unconscious. "I don't expect you to understand, anyways," he scowled and looked away from her.
"Try me," she challenged, raising an eyebrow.
For a long moment, Remus was silent, considering whether or not he wanted to tell her. She didn't deserve to be burdened by his problems but somehow he felt better whenever he talked to her or even if he just saw her. In the end, he decided to be selfish. "Greyback was there."
"He was," Tonks nodded though not fully understanding.
Remus spoke very little about his lycanthropy. The only people he felt he could confide in about it were James, Sirius, Lily and previously Wormtail, before he was a traitor. During their first year, the Marauders had figured it out, confronted him and offered their support, but Lily had been the first person he had actually told, though she had worked it out for herself long before.
While his condition was not a secret in the Order, he had never spoken to Tonks about it. She didn't have a clue as to who had bitten him, when he had been bitten or even why. How could she? Under normal circumstances, he might not have said anything, but as it was, he was drunk. "He bit me," he blurted out before his sensible side could stop him. "When I was four."
Even now, Remus could see the beast's lips curled back as he bared his teeth and growled threateningly, the full moon that hung high in the night sky behind him and he could almost still feel the pain of the bite that had changed his life.
Her eyes widened in pity and sadness for him. "Merlin, Remus, I'm so sorry." She reached out and took his hand in hers. For a moment he let himself be comforted by it, then he flinched away, folding his hands in his lap and staring straight ahead to avoid the hurt expression in her eyes. He wanted nothing more than to sit there with Nymphadora, hold her hand and be comforted by her but he couldn't. He couldn't do that to her, she deserved better than him- someone younger, less burdening and less dangerous.
There were many times when she would tease him and flirt with him and Remus would try to shut her down as painlessly as he could, but Nymphadora Tonks was not easily discouraged and Remus had been becoming less and less willing to discourage her. But that had been before. The attack and Greyback had reminded him of who he was and what he was and Nymphadora Tonks did not deserve to put up with that.
"And he scratched Lily," he said in order to fill the silence before he could stop himself.
"But she'll be alright," Tonks said quickly. "It was just a scratch, it's nowhere near the full moon and only a bite can turn someone into a werewolf. And it isn't your fault anyways. You didn't scratch her."
"He said something to Amelia," Remus continued as though he had not heard a word of what Tonks had said. "I don't know what he said but she is terrified of me now. I tried to tell James and Lily that it was a bad idea to make me her godfather, but they wouldn't listen. I thought- I thought-"
"Oh, Remus, stop it!" Nymphadora told him fiercely. "You aren't some big scary monster. Get over yourself!" Remus's jaw dropped and before he could stutter a response she continued more gently, "You aren't thinking clearly. Put yourself in her shoes- a defenseless, eleven-year-old girl who was attacked in her home by- yes- a werewolf. And maybe before, she associated werewolves with you- bookish, nerdy Remus Lupin who couldn't hurt a fly. But now she has seen another werewolf, the meanest and scariest of all the werewolves and not only that but he attacked her. In her home. She is probably confused and frightened because how in the world could her nerdy godfather be anything like the man who attacked her family? Yes, of course she was frightened of you, because, after all, how long have you known her? A week? And with everything that is happening, all the changes to her life and her family, she is probably insanely overwhelmed. Just give her time. You'll see. She'll warm up to you again."
"How do you know?"
Her eyes met his for a moment and she held his gaze. "Because how could she not?" He looked away, "You need to stop trying to push people away." At that point she was no longer speaking about any of the Potters and he knew that as well as she did. "James and Lily know you and trust you and so does Harry. They'll help her."
Remus only nodded, still avoiding eye contact. "I hope so."
As Amelia drifted out of a dream she could no longer remember, she was aware that she was waking up, though she didn't want to admit it just yet. She tried desperately to cling to sleep but a voice made her start and her eyes shoot open.
"I'm fine," Harry insisted.
"Mr. Potter, just take the potion," the healer told him. Begrudgingly, he did as he was told and swallowed the potion in one gulp. Nearby, both of their parents were still asleep.
The events of the previous evening came back to her slowly. The loud crash that had woken her in the middle of the night. Her mother ducking her head into Amelia's room, telling her to stay put and that she would keep her safe. The sound of her mum firing off spells and having spells fired back at her. Another crash. She had waited anxiously for her mum to come get her then, but it wasn't her mum who entered her room but a stranger. A werewolf. A werewolf like Remus, he said. She hadn't wanted to believe him but she had been so scared. Then Harry had come and saved her from the werewolf and the fire.
"Miss Potter," the healer said kindly but Amelia flinched at the unexpected sound of her voice. The healer stood before her, holding her wand. Amelia squirmed uncomfortably, remembering how it had taken just a few syllables for the werewolf to destroy her home. "I'm going to cast a quick diagnostic spell on you, if that's alright." Amelia's eyes drifted to Harry who looked bewildered for a moment then nodded at her supportively. She looked back to the healer who cast the spell and waved her wand. The spell had evidently told her something as Madam Pomfrey retreated back to her office and reemerged a moment later with a bottled potion. "This is just a restorative potion," she said and held it out to the little girl. Amelia accepted it hesitantly, uncapped it and drained it. The healer gave her a small smile then retreated to her office once more.
Amelia sat back on her bed and stared straight forwards, unable to get the image of the werewolf from her mind. She snuck a glance at Harry, wondering if he was as frightened as she still was. He seemed to sense her gaze because he looked up and his eyes met her. "Are you- erm- feeling okay?" he asked awkwardly.
She nodded as tears began to fill her eyes while Harry looked about wildly in a panic, desperately wishing for their parents to wake up. He didn't know what to say or how to possibly comfort this little girl. Perhaps Hermione would, but Harry didn't have any experience with this- with being a big brother. "Is it always like this?" her question was so quiet that Harry barely heard it. "Magic, I mean. Will it always be like this?"
Amelia had very little experience with magic. Finding out she was a witch had been like a dream come true, exciting and exhilarating but at the same time it had been frightening the way new things always were. Since then, she hadn't really seen much magic besides some small things- the few things Tonks and her parents had shown her, but she had liked it even though it frightened her a little bit. Magic, after all, had caused Harry to grow up as an orphan and it had taken away her parents' memories. Magic could kill. Magic could burn a home to the ground, she now knew. She had seen how terrible it could be and wondered if, now that she was a witch, would she spend the rest of her life fighting like her parents and being as scared as she had been yesterday?
"What?" Harry asked in confusion. His earliest experiences with magic had been much different from his sister's. Magic had initially been the thing that had gotten him away from the Dursleys. Magic was nearly synonymous with freedom and happiness. As time went on he had seen the best things magic had to offer as well as the worst and he knew that magic could only be as good or as bad as the people who used it. But Amelia, in her short time as a witch, had heard about and experienced more dark magic than light.
"Witches and wizards are people, just like muggles. Muggle or magical, there are good and bad people. Most witches and wizards use their magic for good but just like with any sort of power, there are people who misuse it, like the Death Eaters from last night." Amelia didn't say anything, she just stared down at her hands folded in her lap. Harry didn't know what else to say or if what he had said had even helped. "Come on," Harry stood and pulled on his trainers, suddenly struck by an idea. If she couldn't take his word for it, maybe he could show her.
"Where are we going?" she asked, sliding her legs over the edge of the bed her feet into her shoes tentatively.
"Don't you want to see Hogwarts?" She hesitated and bit her lip uncertainly. "Don't worry, you'll love it."
"Okay," she said softly then followed him silently (so they wouldn't attract Madam Pomfrey's attention) out of the Hospital and down a hall, past many moving portraits and paintings. The corridor alone was large enough to fit her entire house inside it- how would she ever be able to find her way around this place? Harry stopped before a set of doors at least twice his height and pushed them open to reveal a long hall with four tables that ran its length and ended before a high table that stretched the hall's width. Above them, giant banners floated in mid air over each table and above the banners was a cloudless, blue, early morning sky. She stared in awe.
"This is the Great Hall," Harry told her but she couldn't keep her eyes off the sky- was it a massive skylight? "The ceiling is enchanted to look like the sky- Hermione could tell you all about it. At night there are stars and floating candles." Amelia smiled at the image that formed in her mind. "We eat all of our meals here and on September first they'll bring the Sorting Hat in and sort you into your house."
She nodded and tried to remember everything her parents, Tonks and everyone else had told her about the different houses. "That one is Gryffindor," she said slowly, pointing to the red banner with the roaring lion. "And Hufflepuff," she pointed to the yellow banner next to it. "Slytherin," she pointed to the green banner with a silver snake, "And Ravenclaw," she pointed to the blue banner last.
Her parents and her brother and almost everyone she had met, it seemed, were in Gryffindor. She wanted so badly to be a Gryffindor like her family but she just wasn't sure if she was brave enough to get in, especially after the previous night. She thought that she might find Hufflepuff good as well. Tonks was a Hufflepuff, after all and Amelia thought herself to be a loyal person. Perhaps she was smart enough to be a Ravenclaw, but she didn't think she was studious enough. Sirius had told her that all the houses were alright except Slytherin and she had gotten the same impression from nearly everyone else. Professor Snape was the head of Slytherin though she hadn't quite made up her mind about him. He was cold, yes, and mean and unfair, perhaps, but not evil. "What house was Remus in?" she asked, the question came to her suddenly and escaped her lips before she had a chance to consider it. Although she thought she knew the answer, she wanted to make sure.
"Gryffindor," Harry said slowly.
"What about- what about that man… Last night…?" She could hardly get the question out without being overwrought by the panic she had felt last night.
Harry studied Amelia for a moment then said, "I'm not sure. Most Death Eaters were Slytherins at Hogwarts, though. Voldemort was a Slytherin."
Amelia nodded then said, "That man was a werewolf. Like Remus."
Slowly, Harry nodded in understanding. Before, the only werewolf she had known was Remus, but now she knew exactly why people feared and shunned werewolves, because of werewolves like Greyback. "Being a werewolf is like having a disease," he explained. "They can't control it, but bad people get diseases just like good people. You shouldn't let one person with the same disease as Lupin change your opinion of him. Lupin is nothing like that Death Eater."
She nodded, the other werewolf had said some terrible and frightening things about Remus and werewolves and in her fear, she had let herself believe it. Her parents would not have made him her godfather if he would hurt her. He was good and kind and she had no reason to fear him but she could not let go of her fright so easily. "I know," she said finally in a small voice. She hoped that things with Remus could go back to how they were before.
"We can see the grounds a bit, if you want," Harry suggested.
"Okay," she followed him through, what seemed to her, a maze of corridors, outside briefly then back inside, through more corridors until Harry finally pushed open a door to reveal a gorgeous morning- the air was warm and there was a slight breeze.
It was obviously not the main entrance to the school, Amelia understood at once, it wasn't grand enough, but it was beautiful. Grass and a path stretched before them there was a wall a distance away. In the middle of the walled area was a huge willow tree that swayed in the breeze. "The quidditch pitch is over there," Harry pointed straight ahead to where Amelia saw a sort of stadium with three elevated rings on each end. "Hagrid lives over there, by the Forbidden forest," she could see the trees of the forest reaching for the sky though she could not see Hagrid's cottage from where she stood. "The lake is on the other side of the castle, you'll take a boat across it with the other first years on September first." She nodded. "And that is the Whomping Willow," he pointed to the tree. "Ron and I crashed a flying car into it in our second year."
Amelia nodded, remembering the story. "Mum would have wrung your neck," she smirked.
Harry laughed a little and ran his hand through his hair uncomfortably. "Ron got a howler from his mum."
"A howler?" Ron had skipped over that bit when he had told the story. "What's that?"
"It's a letter that screams at you," Harry explained, his lips twitched upwards in amusement at the memory.
Amelia winced, "Yeah, you would have gotten one too, if Mum had known."
Harry smiled, he wasn't sure he would exactly mind getting a howler from his Mum, though he suspected his feelings about that might change. "There's a secret passageway under the Whomping Willow, you know."
"Really?" Amelia's eyes shone with excitement, she could hardly believe that she was going to be attending a real magic school in a castle with real secret passageways. "Where does it go?"
"Just to an abandoned house they call the Shrieking Shack outside Hogsmede, the village," he paused and studied her carefully. "That's where Lupin used to go on the full moon, so he wouldn't hurt anyone and so no one would find out about him." Amelia said nothing, just stared at the tree as it lifted a branch, swatted and missed a passing bird who chirped angrily. "That's why Sirius and-" he paused at the word, unfamiliar on his tongue. "Dad," he said finally. "That's why they decided to become animagi. Werewolf bites don't affect animals so they could keep him company during the transformation."
"They're really good friends," she said though her voice betrayed no emotion.
"They are," Harry agreed. Amelia spun around suddenly and took a few steps backwards to gaze up at the castle in its enormity and splendor and suddenly, she couldn't wait to go to Hogwarts. "We should probably head back." He paused again. "Mum and Dad are probably wondering where we are."
"Okay," she said, but there was one more place she wanted to see. They probably wouldn't have time to visit the Gryffindor tower or anywhere else, but the kitchens couldn't be far from the Great Hall and that was on their way, or at least she thought it was. "But I'm starving. Maybe we should bring back some food?"
"Good idea," Harry said, "Come on." She followed him again through the maze of halls, and down some stairs until they reached a painting of a bowl of fruit. She was about to ask what they were doing there when Harry reached out and tickled the pear. Amelia's eyes went wide when the pear squirmed and laughed then transformed into a green doorknob. Harry opened the door and walked through, Amelia was close behind.
The kitchen was not a kitchen in the traditional sense, it was a high ceilinged room nearly identical to the Great Hall with four parallel tables and one high table. There was a massive brick fireplace, pots and pans were piled everywhere and the entire place was crawling with tiny creatures dressed in rags with big eyes and ears and funny hooked noses. House elves, Amelia knew at once. She had glimpsed Kreacher once or twice at Grimmauld Place, but it was strange to see so many house elves in once place.
"Harry Potter!" one squealed in delight.
"Hi Dobby," Harry greeted. "This is Amelia. Amelia, this is Dobby. He's… always looked out for me." Amelia recalled the story of the house elf that had sealed the gateway to Platform Nine-and-three-quarters.
"It is an honor to meet any of Harry Potter's friends," the house elf said, bowing. Amelia didn't know how to react to that and exchanged a bewildered glance with Harry. Neither she nor Harry corrected the elf and said that she was his sister. While they could probably trust the elf with the secret, they still weren't sure if the news would be made public and the fewer people (or elves) who knew, the better. "What is Harry Potter doing at Hogwarts before term?"
"We just had to spend the night in the Hospital Wing. Nothing to worry about though," he added quickly at Dobby's concerned look. "But we got hungry and wanted to see if we could bring some breakfast back with us."
"Of course, Harry Potter. We can bring it to you very soon!"
"Thanks, Dobby." Amelia followed Harry out of the kitchens and he led her back towards the hospital wing.
"So, that was the house elf that sealed off Platform Nine-and-three-quarters?" Amelia asked as they walked through the corridors that were almost starting to seem familiar.
"Yeah. And cursed a bludger." He touched his arm at the memory. "He means well…"
When they entered the hospital wing, James stood from the chair he had been sitting in next to Lily's bed. "Where were you?" he asked, though not angrily. "We were worried."
"Harry showed me some of the castle," Amelia said with a smile and sat next to her mum on her bed. "We saw the Great Hall, some of the grounds and the kitchens." She glanced out the window and saw the Quidditch pitch a distance away.
"The house elves are going to bring us some breakfast," Harry added.
"Great, I'm starving!" James said.
"How are you feeling, Mum?" Amelia asked gently.
"Much better, good as new," she said with a weak smile. However, Amelia noticed that while her mum's head was not bandaged, her arm still was. She wondered if it had to do with the man who attacked her being a werewolf, but she didn't ask.
There was a soft pop and Dobby appeared in the hospital wing with a tray of food. After a second pop another house elf appeared with a tray of tea and coffee. "Master Potter!" The second elf squealed, setting the tray on a table. "Master Potter can it really be you?"
"Minky?" James asked in shock, she was the house elf he had sent to Hogwarts after the death of his parents, when he couldn't bear to live in the manor without them there. She was much older now, her ears were more droopy, her back was hunched and her skin was wrinkled. But it was still her.
"You came back! You came back!" she exclaimed joyfully.
"Have you been here this whole time?" James asked, brow furrowing. Familiar guilt rolled in his stomach for abandoning the house elves for so long, amongst everyone else.
"Yes. After Master Potter told us to come to Hogwarts, we did. We did! Minky and the other house elves only leave once or twice every year to clean the Potter Manor." She looked up at him with big, eager eyes.
The Potter Manor… He hadn't really thought about it since they had gotten their memories back. While Grimmauld Place had room for the Potters, it would be a tight fit with the Weasleys and everyone else at the moment. James knew that they couldn't go back to the cottage, even if they fixed it up, the Death Eaters would be able to find them and it would take time to put up stronger protective charms. They could go back to get a few things, but that part of their life was over now. It was time to move forward. The Potter Manor was nearly as safe as Hogwarts, unplottable and with so much protection it was nearly a fortress against magical attack. "What do you think about moving into the Manor?" he asked his wife.
"Are you sure?" His parents had been gone for nearly twenty years and while it was way too big for him to live in alone at seventeen and it had always been too big for just him and his parents, it would be a good size for the family of four as well as Sirius and Remus. There was more than enough space for both of his friends and he was determined to get Sirius out of Grimmauld Place. Plus, there was a Quidditch pitch in the backyard, they could play Quidditch and have the Weasleys over and teach Amelia to fly. "I think that's a great idea, if you're okay with it." Lily watched her husband, his eyes were alight with excitement and there was not even the slightest flicker of doubt detectable in his expression.
He nodded confidently, "I am. What do you think?" he addressed his two children.
"Okay," Harry said hesitantly. Moving in with his parents filled him with simultaneous excitement and anxiety. It was a big step, but a natural one. He had expected to move in with them eventually, perhaps over Christmas or next summer though. But it made sense and he felt warm and slightly giddy at the thought.
"Alright," Amelia nodded nervously. She had only known one home her entire life and life at the Potter Manor sounded much different than life at the cottage. Though life in a magic castle would be different as well and changes were coming so often and so quickly these days, she knew she should do her best to embrace them and adapt.
"Great," James smiled. "Minky, you probably remember Lily…"
"Mistress Potter," the house elf bowed.
"This is my daughter, Amelia. She's eleven so she will be attending Hogwarts this year."
"Mistress Amelia," the house elf bowed again and Amelia looked taken aback.
"And you met my son Harry when he was a baby-"
"Minky knows Master Harry!"
James shot his son a look that was a strange mixture of pride and curiosity, "Sneak off to the kitchens much?"
Harry only shrugged and said, "Sometimes."
James smiled, reminded of his own days at Hogwarts and sneaking off to the kitchens. "Do you think you and the other elves can make the manor livable in the next few days?" he asked the little house-elf.
"Minky and the other house-elves can do it this very day!" she exclaimed happily.
"Okay, great. Prepare a bedroom each for Harry and Amelia, Sirius's room for him, one for Remus as well and the master bedroom for me and Lily, please. We'll most likely be at Grimmauld Place when you're finished so maybe you could just give word to Dumbledore when you finish?"
"Right away, Master Potter. Minky will find you." And with that, she bowed and disappeared with a pop.
"Dobby is so honored to meet Harry Potter's family," Dobby bowed low and too disappeared with a pop.
"That was so weird!" Amelia said once they were gone.
Lily smiled, "They do take some getting used to." Chatting casually, they quickly consumed the food the elves had brought. It felt strangely comfortable and right to Harry and he began forward to many more breakfasts with his family.
Well, there you have it! I hope you enjoyed, as always I look forward to feedback from you guys. I've been trying to work in some Remus/Tonks for ages now so I hope you enjoyed that! I've also been thinking a lot about where this story is going, I'm thinking about having it end at the end of Harry's fifth year, switching between Harry and Amelia at Hogwarts and Lily and James readjusting to life in the wizarding world with their friends and whatnot. However, if there is something you guys specifically want to see, let me know! And if you have any thoughts on this chapter, I'd love to hear them!