The day Harry was born was a quiet day for everybody except Fae because she had known he was supposed to be born on July 31st and a small part of her was worried that the butterfly effect was a thing and that he wouldn't be born or would be a she or something. She wasn't even sure if it would be good or bad if it did end up differently because that might secure his safety and hey, she was trying to drastically change things anyways.
Still, she was madly fidgety at work all that day and practically threw herself over the counter when Sirius finally burst in around 2 in the afternoon to let her know that Lily was on her way to the hospital with James. Remus and Peter met them there. There was pacing and screaming and crying. And then there he was.
The day after Harry was born, Fae went with Sirius to get new tattoos. A fawn with a lily flower tucked behind its ear. The flower was, admittedly, overdue, but Lily was nonetheless honored to have been added to Fae's growing totem pole, now only a few inches below her armpit and beginning to curve towards her back. Her world had grown, her reasons for fighting increased by one.
Now that the whole energy crisis had been solved, Fae's Mondays had been freed up again. And because Remus rarely said no to her, not that he'd say no to this, Fae found herself spending large chunks of her days off over at James and Lily's, giving the poor, new mother a break and enjoying every second with her beautiful nephew.
As a general opinion, babies kind of freaked Fae out. They were tiny and fragile and always screamed and pooped and stared. Which, Harry did all of. But he also cooed every time he saw her, wiggled so cutely in his little star and moon patterned onesie, and made happy scrunchy face when she sang to him. He felt so warm in her arms and loved to chew on her hair. The spit up was well worth it and she somehow never failed to help him stop crying by spinning them around the room in a little slow dance while she sang in Japanese of all things.
Japanese anime openings and closings used to help her sleep way back when and she'd been a little rusty singing it at first, but it worked out. Four Seasons from Inuyasha. Nandemonaiya from Your Name. True Light from D N Angel. Dear You Cry from Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni. Weirdo kid loved it, just like his Aunt. It probably wouldn't last forever because children were horrifyingly changeable, but it was perfect now.
James and Lily had no clue she knew any Japanese, but didn't give a fuck because it meant they could sleep for more than five minutes. Remus was only amused and impressed, long used to Fae pulling rabbits out of the hat like it was going out of style.
Harry had stopped crying and was giggling softly as she kept dancing and spinning slowly around the room, like she was eternally on a carousel. "I would burn down the world for you, little one," she told him dreamily.
"Woah," Remus said, chuckling softly. "Intense, much?"
"Don't listen to him, he's not as fun as I am," she said to Harry, giving Remus a teasing glare from where he was watching her, sitting with a book in the windowsill. Then she turned back to her nephew and gave him little eskimo kisses.
"Hi. Hi, there. I'm your Aunt Fae," she said, giggling softly with him.
"Hey, I resent that," Remus said playfully.
Fae ignored him in favor of continuing to talk to her little nephew who was getting adorably sleepy. "Don't you worry, Bambi. I'll take care of you. You'll grow up so loved and so happy and I'll never let anybody hurt you."
"Bambi?"
"What? It's cuter than Harry," she said, laughing. Then gave him a slightly pleading look. "Don't tell Lily though, she hates it when I call him that."
He snickered. "Only you, Fae."
"Remus, he's so precious. I don't know what to do with myself," she said helplessly.
"Burn the whole world down, apparently," he answered dryly.
"Shut up," she said, giving him the finger. "Like you wouldn't commit arson for him."
"No, you're right, I would," he agreed.
"I'm always right. Right Bambi?"
Harry yawned and she felt the distinct urge to throw herself off a building. Or like, start crying. So cute, so cute, so cute. And then she nearly dropped him when Remus said, "You'll be a great mother one day," in such a soft, fond voice that it made her heart stop. For a lot of reasons.
"Oh I don't know about that," she said stiffly. Babies and kids were awesome, when they weren't hers. Having kids scared her even more than the idea of marriage. Families were wonderful, but what if it all fell apart and her child hated her twenty years later? The idea of having a daughter one day gave her heart palpitations.
"No, I know you will," he insisted.
She rolled her eyes and huffed. "Yeah well.. Kent and I haven't even talked about anything like that, so don't go hoping for another little one anytime soon."
"Right. Of course."
"That, and the whole werewolf thing. I have no clue if female werewolves can even have kids," she said, humming thoughtfully. Transformations are rough on the body, and are just that, transformations. Plus, what would happen to the child, being born from a werewolf? She knew being born from a male werewolf was fine, but being carried by one? Who knows. But she didn't know if she'd ever have kids so it probably didn't matter anyways. She'd just be the best Aunt ever.
Hilariously, she and Kent had actually talked about kids. Not having them together, hell no. But in dizzy, dumb daydreams of post-war life, imagining completely insane and unlikely scenarios of both of them being married to whoever, settled down, their kids playing together in the woods one day. They both laughed hysterically at the thought.
What they mostly talked about these days, however, was how stupid Voldemort was. Good fucking Gods, he was dumb. The prophecy, and Harry's and Neville's entrances into the world, had spooked him. Spooked him enough to have him hiding his Horcruxes and using his Death Eaters to do it. It was almost too easy and Fae legitimately could not believe her luck.
A week after the prophecy had been read, Regulus had been taken away with Voldemort to a house in ruins, tasked with cursing the hell out of a little container, hidden in plain sight, holding a ring. Despite his quiet nature, there had been a reason Voldemort had wanted Regulus to be a Death Eater, other than his pureblood ancestry. The Black Family had a long history of dark magic, obviously. What most people didn't know, and what had been lost over time and social status, was that they'd originally gained their wealth and prestige in similar ways to Fleamont Potter - that is, with invention, innovation, and enhancement of powerfully and creatively charmed objects.
The House of Black was practically a museum of dark curiosities and fantastical antiquities, hence why Sirius had believed her so easily about the bonding chains back at Hogwarts or why Regulus had the perfect ring for her to use as a conduit. As heirs to the main line and sons to a father proud of that particular piece of heritage, both Regulus and Sirius had been brought up with extensive knowledge of charms, dark or otherwise. It explained a lot of things about the Marauder's Map for sure. And Regulus' need for challenging and creative outlets. Both of them had that, actually.
So Voldemort knew about it. And he used it. It was perfect for him. Regulus already knew about one cursed item on account of Kreacher. Having him know about the others and be the one to place the curses and illusions to hide them and secure them made perfect sense. Less people to know. Thus the Black Family hid the first Horcrux and was given the honor of being present to curse and hide the remaining. At long last, quiet, subtle, loyal Regulus had use for him.
And as for the Malfoys - well they were large, devoted supporters as well and had done him well in the ministry, corrupting politicians left and right, passing sneaky deals under the table and in dark corners. Suiting the laws slowly to his needs. They were rewarded with a cursed item to guard. Hidden in plain sight in the manor library and hidden behind illusions that if you tried to look at too carefully or break through carelessly, would leave you senseless altogether. In the once future, Lucius Malfoy must've undone the curses to peruse it himself and then left it to Ginny Weasley when it sought the opening of the Chamber.
The Lestranges, most maniacally loyal to the Dark Lord, got theirs too. Bellatrix, Regulus' cousin, received her own item to keep hold of, and Regulus was once again tasked with cursing it creatively to high hell and back, ensuring it's security. Voldemort had been pleased with Regulus' solution, duplication and severe burns from contact.
She and Regulus were nearly giddy with how easy this was. Combined with Harry's birth, Fae was practically walking on air. She went and bought some lottery tickets. No luck on those, but they'd been fun anyways.
And then it just got better.
The Order of the Phoenix, in small groups to simply pass assignments, usually met in Lucrecia's back room these days. She'd offered up the space in the spirit of her late husband and Fae was pleased as hell because it was close to home and came with coffee and treats. On one momentous occasion, she and Remus had been hungry and stayed after the meeting to make some brownies. A simple recipe that somehow ended up disastrously, messing up both the kitchen and the two werewolves fantastically. Ah, that had been a good night, licking the batter off Remus' face and neck.
On this occasion, Fae had been wondering if she could convince Remus to go for a late-night snack again when Moody came up to the both of them and said, "Relations with the western pack are good and secure. The northern pack maintains their neutrality and as such, we can count on them not to work against us. Now it is time for you two to locate and investigate Greyback's pack. See what you can learn and if you can't cause a little trouble."
Remus went white as a ghost. Fae grinned.
"We're on it."
Remus had a thing about Fenrir Greyback, which was to be expected. He'd been bitten by him after all. And after all their research, Remus knew exactly how powerful and fucked up he was. So Fae understood his anxiety. But the thing was, they weren't going to find him. She was very sure of that. There was no chance in hell that they would find him, especially since the last piece of information they had to go off of had them driving 8 hour to Perth and then wandering into the mountains. As if Voldemort, so spooked right now, would keep them so far away.
It was basically a vacation, and a sorely needed one. Fae had been working hard at printing her zines, keeping up with the Order, planning about the Horcruxes with Kent, looking after Harry, and still managing a relatively normal life. She was in a good place with all of them and felt that this was practically a gift from her to her for her 20th birthday. Sure, the actual day and celebration would be after they got back, because her little Bambi had to be there or it didn't count, but three weeks with just Remus, getting lost in the woods? A dream.
It took Remus a week to officially calm down, and he'd definitely snapped at her a few times over his nerves and his anxiety and his exasperation with her not taking it seriously. She took it in stride, finding it adorable when he was fired up and having fun finding new ways every day to get him to relax, ease up. Leaning precariously far over cliff edges until he rescued her, racing him here and there, sudden baths in the rivers, getting really excited about different creatures she ran into, running away after pissing off those creatures, letting him hold her hand so she didn't go racing off without him, racing off without him and jumping out to scare him when he followed.
She had him laughing and smiling with her by the end of the morning every day, without fail. Afternoons were for Hide and Hunt or making fun of him liking fishing or spouting off random bird trivia.
There were small towns scattered throughout the area and although camping was fun, because they still hadn't bothered with a bigger tent and just 'shared warmth' at night, Fae loved adventuring into each little area. She absolutely loved looking for the fun little things that made it special and turned their time there into a bedtime store for her nephew. Or trying new foods, dancing to the live band that always played at the bar every Wednesday night and trying to figure out how to dance to bagpipes, discovering the perfectly hidden treasure of a bookstore, tasting the coffee, buying handmade rugs or towels or washcloths for home, picking up little gifts for everyone. And she knew Remus loved it too, loved the discovery and the freedom.
He grew a little happier every day, a little more at ease. They woke up next to each other every day, sometimes hungover from trying every new alcohol in the tavern the night before. They laughed and started the day smiling, idly planning where to go next as they gathered their things. Sometimes they sat down to eat a little breakfast where Fae would always steal what he got and vice versa because he always preferred the food she ordered to his own.
Hand in hand, Fae would run to the woods, yelling at him to hurry the fuck up and he would purposely go as slow as possible to tease her, even if he was just as eager to see what was out there today. The forest and the mountains and the rivers had a million new discoveries each day and new grounds to discover as they chased each other in circles, doing their best to evade capture and trick the other one into the water.
They'd find a new town, ask around about wolves in the area, and eventually get distracted by exploring. Or they'd settle down, set up camp, rock paper scissors for who was getting dinner, Remus going fishing or Fae taking down a few rabbits. Whoever didn't hunt, cooked. And then there was reading or singing or dancing or just watching the sunset or the stars together.
Every day, just like that. She couldn't help fantasizing about how this could be their future one day. Fae had never wanted anything so much in her life.
She wondered if Remus wanted it too, and then got her answer two weeks into their trip. They'd found a little fishing town on a huge river, which Remus loved, dork. The two werewolves were enjoying a little take-out on one of the docks, watching the sunset over all the boats on the horizon.
"This is great," Remus said.
"Yeah, it really is. So beautiful." She sighed happily, imagining she was on one of those boats.
"Yeah, beautiful," he agreed. And then a moment later he said, "I've really missed you, you know?"
She turned to him and crinkled her nose playfully. "Missed me? We see each other every day," she said, laughing. Which was true, come to think of it, it had to have been at least a year since she'd gone a day without Remus. Probably since she came home from Hogwarts. Huh.
"I know," he said churlishly, suddenly averting his gaze.
She leaned over to catch his eyes again. "And we spend every Tuesday together, just us. And well, Harry now too, I guess." Aahhh she missed Bambi so much.
"I know."
"Then what do you mean, silly?" she asked, switching tactics and head butting his shoulder playfully.
He sighed and looked out over the water. "I just… I miss it being just you and me like this," he admitted shyly. And then he laughed lightly. "When we were younger, we would spend all summer like this. Remember that time you came to pick me up from my parents for the first time and you were so excited that you forgot to put on shoes?"
Fae laughed and recalled how Hope had hated her on sight. Remus finally found out what they had talked about while he apologized to Sirius, and then that got them talking about that whole mess with Severus nearly getting killed and how Remus still thought she was terrifying, but was much more used to it now.
They talked about a lot of Hogwarts' Greatest Hits for them, like the quidditch match where Sirius wore a cheerleading outfit or the music night at Hufflepuff that had turned into spoons and then turned into a brawl. The first time Remus went in the Forbidden Forest. That time they followed James around Hogsmeade to help him win over Lily and that time they both fell asleep in the library den one night and were almost late to classes the next day. The first time she took Remus to her library or when he gained awareness or when Fae had helped Romilly set loose a bunch of ferrets who were going to be used for Potions' parts.
Fae and Remus talked for hours, remembering and making themselves cry and double over with how hard they laughed at the all stupid shit they'd done over the years.
Eventually, he said, "I guess I'm just feeling nostalgic. You're right, I'm being silly."
She smiled softly at him. "No, not really. I get like that a lot too."
"Really?"
"Really. I miss us too and how much easier everything was back then," she said, letting the yearning bubble up in her chest. And then shoving it down. Wishing to go back in time was nothing but a waste of time. "But I'm glad we still have this now."
He nodded and smiled. "Me too."
Then she turned to him and grinned. "And besides, I promised you we'd go traveling when the war was over, didn't I? College and a new place every weekend, remember?" she said, reaching her hand out over the horizon and excitedly thinking of all the places they could go one day, boat or not.
"Yeah, but that's not going to happen is it?"
His quiet voice and his sad words shocked her and she blinked at him dumbly. "Why shouldn't it?" she demanded. Dreaming of that future was one of the things that kept her going strong. He couldn't be backing out, could he?
The tall boy bit his lip and fidgeted with his fingers. "Oh. Uh. I just figured you'd stay home. Or go to France, or wherever. With Kent. He'll be done with college soon and he'll have a stable job and all that."
She wanted to smack him. Or toss him in the water. So fussy, her darling was sometimes. Got too caught up in his head. Like that would ever happen. It made her laugh. "Well yeah, but it's not like I have to stay with him," she answered easily.
Remus fixed her with a curious look. "Don't you want to?"
She shrugged. "I'm not the settling down type and he knows it." Oh, if only Remus knew. It was so funny.
"Does he? He put a ring on you at six months," Remus said dryly, nearly ripping open the seams of his sweater with how intently he was picking at it now.
Fae sighed and took his hand, lacing their fingers so he wouldn't stretch out the sleeves of yet another perfectly cute sweater. Clearly Remus had been thinking about this a lot. It surprised her, but she supposed that to everybody else, she and Kent did seem like a serious couple. She'd never dated anyone for long before and they never fought because they weren't in love, they were best friends plotting to kill a dark lord.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he's going to ask me to marry him or anything. That's the great thing about him. He knows me and knows that I have different priorities in life right now, just like he does. He has a career and I have a war. We're happy together and we're happy with what we have. That's enough for now. And whatever happens in the future will happen," she explained, hoping that would put him at ease.
"Oh."
No way was she going to give up the chance to see the world with him. Not for anything or anyone.
"So keep your passport updated, yeah? I still want to go to Spain. And Italy. And Thailand. And Japan. And America. And-"
Finally, he smiled. Beautiful as ever. "Okay, okay, I get it."
The only reason Fae got in the car and drove home was because she missed her nephew so much. That was it. Otherwise, she might've seriously tried to convince Remus to stay lost in the woods forever with her.
Of course, nothing can ever go so smoothly.
They arrived home to James and Lily's home having been burned to the ground and the Prewett brothers dead. Harry and Lily were safe, but James had nearly lost a leg and it likely wouldn't move at full capacity ever again. It had been far too close.
Fae got back to work immediately and floored it to go double time. Twice a week printing sessions or just straight all-nighters. Dueling practice with James and Sirius every lunch in the Auror's training rooms. More assignments where she insisted on capture and interrogation so she would be the absolute first to know if there was anything else planned against her family anytime soon. Checking and double checking that Regulus was safe and nobody suspected a thing about his loyalties, and taking on his research of further horcruxes so he could remain undetected easier.
When she couldn't sleep, waiting for the next attack that she knew would come, she'd go for a run. Not in her woods, no. She'd apparate to the small, discrete town that James and Lily lived in now and she'd circle the area, patrolling and testing the wards incessantly. Sometimes, Remus came with her. They didn't get distracted for a second, no Hide and Hunt, no stories about the stars, just focus.
The second attack came in November and she was ready for it. She'd been unable to sleep and patrolling their town when she smelt the rotted flesh of the Dark Mark. Their house had been wrecked again, but Fae had ensured that Lily and Harry were long gone before that could happen, having installed the secret portkey herself. James and Fae stayed behind, Remus and Sirius showing up to join them only seconds later with several members from the Order.
James and Sirius had further innovated their fathers' instant message notebook into a thin, clear patch that they all wore over their inner wrists while on duty. Fae wore her's all the time, despite the itch and the way the long-term exposure fucked with her magic just a tad. She felt no remorse when she committed her first murder that night - gutting Perseus Bellweather with a vine when he had aimed a Bone Splintering curse at Sirius' back. Two other Death Eaters were captured and she led the interrogation, making them scream for days.
Nobody in the Order looked at her the same after that. Even Remus took a few days to show up where she was practicing her most violent spells in the woods, late at night because she couldn't sleep and there wasn't anywhere to patrol just yet since her family was between locations. He didn't say a word about the completely vile and horrendous and, in most cases, illegal spells she was performing. Instead he kissed her forehead, thanked her for saving everybody, and asked her to teach him how to cast them. He didn't have much luck with a good deal of them because he couldn't get the intent or heart behind it, but she loved him anyways for trying.
James and Lily went deeper into hiding. James left the ministry and they holed up in the center of London, hidden in a tiny, forgotten apartment beneath the city, connected to a coffee shop in the subway. Fae moved to working three nights a week and began shipping the zines to contacts all over the country - more than just Romilly now. Other werewolves she'd written to over the years, old classmates from Hogwarts like the Klein Brothers, distant old friends and business partners of her father's that she'd found.
Dueling training stepped up from lunches to a few hours a day. She cast a Patronus for the first time and was unsurprised to see it was a wolf. Remus' was the same. With James and Lily underground, she couldn't patrol without giving away their location, even if she ached to ride the trains over and over. Instead she kept up practicing in the woods as well on sleepless nights, trying new destructive spells and considering where she could begin training Fiendfyre again.
She was completely on edge, dangerous and ready at a moment's notice to protect her family. So she was more than a little pissed when she was allowed to visit Lily, James, and Harry one day, only to see them waiting with Sirius, Remus, Kent, and a suitcase.
They literally forced her, kicking and screaming, onto a train with Kent, which took them to a boat, which took them to Dublin for a 'romantic get-away weekend' to celebrate their anniversary. The only reason she didn't immediately go back was because she couldn't apparate over the ocean and Kent had pulled out actual bonding chains to keep her tethered to him. Not that she didn't try to knock him unconscious and get him on a boat anyways.
"Come on, Fae. Relax a bit. Enjoy the sights," Kent said, dragging her through a market. In all honesty, it was a bustling, exciting market and normally she'd be running around like a ballerina on crack.
"Easy for you to say. I can't stand being apart from Harry at a time like this," she said, deeply unhappy and making sure he damn well knew it.
Kent rolled his eyes and pulled her into a chocolate shop. The smell was intoxicating and warm and sweet and inviting. Bastard. "It'll be fine, Sirius and Remus took off work for a few days to stay as guards."
"And why can't I have done that?" she whined.
He shoved a piece of chocolate in her mouth abruptly. "Because everybody decided that you're overworking yourself."
He shoved another one in, and would've kept going, but she turned her head away. Turned away from chocolate because, "I am not!"
"You are too."
"I am not!"
"Remus thinks so," Kent said, eyes fiery and annoyed and challenging.
Fae frowned and felt even worse. She hated being apart from him. All of her favorite people were together, without her, where she couldn't protect them. "Why do you have to bring him into this?" she asked, hating Kent for hitting below the belt.
"Because he'll kill me if we come back and you're still all riled up," the glasses-wearing man replied sharply.
She blinked. "What?"
Kent sighed deeply, pinched the bridge of his nose, pulled Fae to sit at a table and pushed a plate full of truffles and chocolate treats at her as he explained. "He asked me to do this, you know."
"He-" What? What the fuck? Why would Remus ask Kent to take her on an anniversary vacation. Remus hated sharing her with Kent. He just lied through his teeth about it and pretended to be nice. It was disturbingly like Hope, but she found it actually really funny when it wasn't her as the target.
"He's been so worried about you and thought that our anniversary was the best chance you had to get away from it all for a bit. He practically threatened me to take you away on some extravagant destination holiday. He even offered to repay me, the nervy ponce."
"He did?"
"Your loved ones are concerned for you," Kent said. "I'm concerned for you. If you burn yourself out, you'll be of no use to anybody. Chill out, Fae. If not for yourself, then for Remus and Harry."
Not fair. Totally not fair. Not wrong, but not fair. Assholes, teaming up even though they hated each other. For her sake. That was playing dirty. Remus… That fucking idiot. Like she'd ever relax so far away from him.
She took it easier. It was hard to, knowing what was ahead and not knowing what was ahead at the same time. But Regulus had been right, she couldn't risk being overly tweaky and burned out and useless. So she eased up. Printing was almost complete, she could switch to one night every other week and be done well before she needed to be. Her dueling skills were doing just fine practicing with James and Sirius over lunch, they were all in peak condition. Most of the Horcruxes had been located and Regulus was researching any other possible ones so she didn't have to. All she really had to do was wait now. Wait for the next attack, stop it, and then move onto Phase Two. And what better way to prevent an attack on her family, then by spending her time with them?
Harry's first Christmas was completely wonderful and magical. They had it at the Potter house with all the decorations up and then some because she, Sirius, and James had gotten a little crazy at Diagon Alley when they'd gone Christmas shopping.
Sirius and Kent were intently playing a new, crystal set of Wizard's Chess and bickering about the latest quidditch game. Lily and James were off on a quiet, sorely needed romantic walk through the snow for a bit. And Fae was on the couch with Harry, watching Christmas movies quietly while Remus read beside her and they shared a plate of treats.
It reminded her so much of that last Christmas she got to spend with Euphemia and Fleamont and she got a little teary-eyed thinking of it while she rocked and softly sang Harry to sleep. Remus' arm settled around her and he nuzzled her temple, offering comfort and asking what she was thinking about. She laughed softly and reminisced over that Christmas, the first they'd gotten to spend together, the one where her parents had gifted them with the trip to Athens for the marathon. It seemed so long ago. It was such a happy time. She'd give anything for them to be here now and share this happiness too.
She spent a lot of time in her woods running with Remus instead of dueling, memorizing it and letting it bring her solace. The increased meditation and closeness to nature kept her in shape, physically and mentally. It kept her body ready and her senses sharp. And of course, having Remus at her side brought her contentment. Joy. Warmth. A continual reminder of why she was doing this.
That reminder hit her hard when the third attack came on a warm day in April. It had been fast and brutal and that section of the subway had collapsed before Fae could get in there. Remus had brought down the tunnel, ensuring Lily, James, and Harry could escape while trapping himself in the small apartment with three Death Eaters. He won, but not without a cost. Hospitalized for a week with lacerations all over his body which had spilled nearly half his blood before the Order dug him out and got him help. Three vital organs nearly failing from an Electric Pulse curse. His heart nearly did stop. Fae cried at his bedside for two days before they let him wake up.
"Hey."
She'd been blankly staring at him for so long that she didn't even actually see it when he opened his eyes and smiled at her. "Hey."
"Are James, Lily, and Harry okay?" he asked.
Fucking Remus. Of course, asking after everybody else. "They're fine, thanks to you."
"Oh," he said. Smiled wider. "Good."
Fae's breath hitched and she started to sob in earnest. "No, not good. I mean, good that you saved them. But-" a shuddering heave. "but, not good that you-" she couldn't even speak. "you idiot. You really scared me," she breathed, voice a high and nearly silent whine. She was crying so hard, air unable to get to her chest despite it being a big, aching hole.
"Come here then," he said.
"What?" she mouthed. No sound came out, too busy trying to hold back whimpers and cries.
"Come here," he commanded, opening his arms. A choked sound escaped her and as she crawled gently and carefully and glacially into bed beside him so as not to hurt him. The loud, watery sounds of anguish and fear and hurt finally spilled out and she cried like a toddler against him.
"See? I'm alive and I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon," he said, shushing her and kissing her wherever he could reach.
"I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."
"Burn the whole world down?" he suggested playfully.
She laid her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat like it was the only sound in the world. Fae shook her head and inhaled sharply, getting ahold of her crying just long enough for her to clearly say, "No. If you were gone, there'd be no world left for me."
She must've looked as miserable as she felt because when Hope came to visit, she was actually nice to her. Nice, up until she dragged Fae out under the guise of getting Remus some food, and then smacked the hell out of her.
"What the-"
"Get it together. Remus needs you to be the strong, confident, supportive woman he thinks you are, right now. Quit it with this pathetic moping and get to work, Fae." And uh, wow. That was probably the first time she'd ever heard a sincere compliment from Hope. Ish. But damn, she'd really needed that wake up call. Fuck.
"You're right."
"I'm always right."
Which was hilarious and as such made Fae laugh hysterically before she smiled at the befuddled woman. "Thank you."
Hope nodded once and then gave Fae a critical up-down glance. "Now come, get yourself fixed up. This is the worst I've ever seen you look and that's saying something."
Ah, there it was.
Let it be said that Fae has a thing about bossy mothers messing with her looks. She'd had body issues for most of her life because of the things her mother said. But she'd grown as a person and she owed Hope for her kindness, unbelievable as it was. So she let Hope fix her hair and get her clean clothes from the house and cast some cleaning charms before she walked back into Remus' room, smiling brightly and surely.
After making sure he was going to be okay, Fae went on a warpath. She wanted blood and come to think of it, she hadn't seen Peter in a little while. Fuck it, she wasn't waiting any longer. His humble little home was unguarded and hilariously easy to break into. She was sitting in his living room, waiting for him when he finally showed up around midnight.
"Hey Peter, where you been?"
He yelped and spun around to face her, unable to find her in the dark for a moment. "Fae? What are you doing here?"
"I'm hunting."
Peter inhaled sharply. "What? I don't understand?"
"What I don't understand is how you could betray your friends. Your family," she said coolly.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, voice cracking.
She growled. "Stop playing dumb. I know what a Death Eater's mark smells like. They give you that as a reward for selling out my brother, Lily, and Harry?"
He cracked like an egg under her fury. "I'm sorry! You don't understand, I couldn't-"
"DAMN RIGHT I DON'T UNDERSTAND" she screamed. Fae had brought Peter a new house plant, a voracious hanging vine full of red flowers. The vines quadrupled in size, wrapped him up, hung him. Some constricted around his middle, his throat. Others grew thorns and began to tear into his skin, slowly bleeding him to the floor from all the little cuts. Shredding him. A special few were sneaking around his hands, forcing between and splitting the nails and skin apart on several fingers.
He screamed and screamed. "Please! Don't kill me!"
Fae watched him and hurt. "Oh Peter, I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to use you."
"How?" he gasped out. Then sighed in relief as the vines stopped their movements. He needed to be clear of pain and clear in the mind to hear her words.
"My brother, Lily, and Harry are going to go further into hiding," she said. "Under a special kind of charm, nobody will know where they are except for the Secret Keeper, the focus of this charm. You following me so far?"
He nodded frantically. The vines tightened and shifted. "YES!" he screamed.
Fae nodded. "Knowing James, Sirius will be chosen. But Sirius is an obvious choice and knows it, so he's going to pick you instead."
"M-Me? I don't-"
"They have faith in you, misplaced as it is," she said, growling.
Peter whimpered. "O-oh.. So what-"
"You're going to suggest me instead."
"You?"
"Yes," Fae said, grinning all sharp teeth. "I will be the Secret Keeper. And then you won't even be capable of ratting out or hurting my family again."
Peter was silent, his expression hurt and pleading. Manipulative little shit. He screamed as a vine removed his pinky nail completely and Fae relished the small sound of it hitting the pools of blood on the ground below.
She continued. "And when Voldemort demands more information from you, you're going to tell him I'm the Secret Keeper."
"What?! Why?" The shock was clear, and so was a little genuine concern. Fucker.
"That's for me to know and you to find out. You will feed him the information that I tell you. And don't worry, it'll make your precious Dark Lord very happy with you."
At least, until things went very wrong for his pet Death Eaters and he realized he had underestimated her severely. It was going to be a good time.
"I don't understand."
"I don't care," she said, letting the vines drop him. As he gasped for breath and tried to compose himself to run away, she approached him. Began to heal his injuries, but only superficially. The pain would remain, but nobody would see a thing. The restricted section at Hogwarts practically begged for students to become dark witches and wizards.
"You will do as I say, or I let James, Sirius, Remus, and Lily know what you've done. I let the Order know what you've done. And I will let them do whatever they want to you for as long as they want - save for killing you. I will kill you and I will make it so slow and painful that you beg for it to be over. Get it?"
"Yes, yes I get it, I'll do whatever you say!"
"Good," she said, straightening after her work was over. "Your new house plant stays."
He nodded dumbly, shaking with fear. Peter had never been scared of her, not when she'd hung up Remus' bullies in fifth year, not when she was a werewolf, not when she'd murdered a Death Eater in front of him. He'd admired her then, clear as day.
Coward. This wasn't fun anymore.
"Not that it's worth anything, but why'd you do it Peter? Why'd you give us up? You were like family to us," she asked. All the work she had done, all the love she'd felt for him and made sure he knew. It changed nothing. Her failure disgusted her.
"I.. You don't know what the Dark Lord is like."
The vine crept forward and swiftly snapped his ankle. He could heal that himself, she was sure.
"No, I don't. But I can't imagine anyone or anything could ever make me betray family. People I love. People who love me."
"Fae, I'm so sorry," he said, tears falling down his face.
"No. You're not. But you will be if you put my family in harm's way again, I promise you."
Then she cackled madly.
"No. No, don't be sorry. Be better," she challenged him.
She felt a bit better after that. Truly hurt and disappointed that Peter had betrayed them in the end. But secure, knowing that her plan was still working accordingly. The next step was to break up with Kent. He needed to be out of the picture well before Phase One ended so as not to have her brothers trying to track him down for questioning.
Regulus eagerly agreed, ready to move on from Phase One as well. Remus got out of the hospital and they'd all decided to have dinner at the Potter house to celebrate. Even James and Lily, who were currently hiding out at Hogwarts until more secure arrangements could be made again. Dinner was fun and easy, Fae cheerfully finger painting with Harry and the alfredo sauce. Just like his dad, he was.
"You know, my residency is almost up," Kent said conversationally.
"Oh? Is that so?" Sirius asked.
"Yes, it is. I'll be going back to France soon. Back home."
"Oh," Fae said, idly, far too wrapped up in her nephew.
At least, until Kent said, "And I want you to come with me."
"What?!" she yelped. Fae turned her gaze on him, searching, and then almost laughed at the sly look she found gazing back. Oh, so this is how he was going to do it? Have her refuse to go with him, get in a fight, storm out? Interesting.
He laughed and smiled delightedly, masking his clever smirk. "Come with me to France. Your brother and his family can come too, they'll be safe there," he offered.
Playing the role, Fae breathed in sharply and looked thoughtful, hesitant. "Oh, Kent, I don't know."
And then the little bastard threw her one hell of a curveball.
"Fae, I'm so in love with you. From the way you always play little tricks, to the way you take care of everybody around you fiercely. I love your smile and your laugh and that you never run out of energy. I love the strength in your hugs, the sweetness on your lips, the fire in your eyes. You make everyday amazing and you are the most unbelievable, brilliant, wonderful person I've ever met."
He stood from the table, came around to kneel in front of Fae, and offered up an offensively huge diamond ring. "I want to spend my life with you. Will you marry me?"
You could hear a pin drop for miles.
"Oh fuck!" she gasped, standing up sharply. "I.. Uhm. Oh geez. This is so sudden. We haven't even talked about this," she babbled. Holy fuck, what the hell was he thinking? Break up! Not get married! Oh. Wait a second. Unless..? Merlin, and he was saying it so convincingly too, she was actually getting choked up. Goddamn, Regulus.
"I know," he said, looking up at her with all the hope in the world and that charming smile. "But when you know, you know, and I've known for a while now that you're the love of my life. There is no one like you."
"Babe…" she said, sniffling.
"So? Yes or no?"
Fae gaped and then gasped out, "I love you, I really do, but I'm just not ready to get married or settle down yet." Fuck, it was so hard not to laugh.
"I see," he said, heartbroken, eyes wet and dejected.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!"
"It's okay. I understand. I'll just...go," he said, standing and emotionally rushing out of the house, eyes wiping away his tears.
"Kent!" she yelled, rushing after him.
Fae raced after him, out of the house and partially down the drive. When she was sure they were far enough away, she slapped Regulus' shoulder and burst into silent laughter.
"Dude, what the fuck?" Fae gasped between laughs.
"What? You told me we had to break up!" he said, laughing silently just as hard as she was.
"I didn't mean like that!" she whispered harshly. "Merlin fucking- did you see the look on my brother's face?"
"You should've seen the look on your face!" he said, pointing at her.
"Oh, fuck you. That was a Grade A performance, top notch acting!" she argued, lying. She had to give it to him, she had not seen that coming at all.
"I know I nailed it, but you looked like you were about to shit yourself," he said. And well, he wasn't wrong.
Their laughs died off and she grinned at him. "Whatever. Nicely done, I suppose."
"Thank you," he said, grandly taking a bow.
Then Fae sighed and looked at him sadly, but happy too. "I'll see you soon?"
"See you soon," he said. They gave each other tight hugs, quick kisses on the cheek, and then he was gone.
"Stay safe. Just a little while longer."
All according to plan, a few weeks after she and Kent had gone their separate ways, she was called to Hogwarts where James, Lily, Dumbledore, Sirius, and Peter were waiting. Fae grinned when Dumbledore explained the Fidelius Charm to her and that James and Lily would be moved to Godric's Hollow and hidden there with the charm. He explained the details, how it would be cast, what the Secret Keeper was and what that would entail, when it was to take place.
It was to be cast on a new moon with a complex array around the location and inhabitants. It would take some prep due to the complex and powerful nature of the spell. Luckily it was the new moon and not full, or she'd have been fucked. Dumbledore then gracefully bowed out, stating that in choosing the Keeper, there had been a dispute, and they ought to sort it out now.
"Dibs," she said cheerfully.
"What?" James said.
"Dibs on Keeper."
"No."
"Sorry?" she said, frowning.
"No. No way in hell," he said, getting red in the face.
Sirius was right behind him, glowering at her. "Ah, I second that. Not happening."
Fae huffed. "What? Why not?"
"Because you're our baby sister."
She threw a hex at them, immediately pissed. She knew she was going to get push back, but seriously? Assholes, underestimating her. "Oh baby, my ass! I'm a grown-ass woman, and a powerful one to boot. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't be the Secret Keeper."
"Do you know what they'd do to you if they caught you?" Sirius bellowed.
"Does it look like I care?" she shouted back, crossing her arms stubbornly. "I wouldn't give up anything for any reason. And besides, they'd have to catch me first!"
"That's not the point!"
"What is the point?!"
Nobody really knew the point, other than that James and Sirius refused to let their precious little sister be a target. Because they wanted her safe and so did Remus. Because Harry needed his Aunt. Because she was their connection to the western werewolves. Because all sorts of reasons, fair and bullshit alike. But Fae had made up her mind and argued back just as fiercely. It could've gone on for hours had Lily not interrupted.
"Fae," she said, surprising them into a second of quiet.
"What?"
"I pick Fae," she said, resolute.
James gasped. "Lily, what are you saying?"
"Did I fucking stutter? I. Pick. Fae."
And Fae could've kissed her right then and there.
"How could you?!" Sirius yelled.
"I trust her to keep our secret," Lily answered calmly, not rising to the heat for a second. So classy. "I know she'll take it with her to the grave, not that the Death Eaters have a snowball's chance in hell of getting her there."
Fae beamed and went to stand by her sister-in-law, giving her a wet smack on the cheek and throwing her arms around her.
Sirius looked like he might set the room on fire. "But they'll try anyways! They'll try and get her, any chance they can!"
"You really think they can catch her?"
"Yeah, you really think they can catch me?"
"I don't want to give them any reason to!" James said. "Look, Sirius and Fae are the obvious choices. They'd never guess Peter."
Lily frowned and fixed him with a considering, challenging gaze. "But do we want to take that risk? No offense, but if they found out about Peter, he wouldn't stand a chance. Not like Fae. No, we're choosing Fae. For Harry. End of discussion."
And there was no arguing with her when she said it like that. James gave them both a hurt, betrayed glance, and then stormed out. Sirius looked at them numbly before he followed, slamming the door shut.
Fae sighed. "Thank you Lily."
"No, thank you. For keeping our family safe," the red-head said, sighing as well.
"Don't mention it," Fae joked. And then grimaced. "No really, please don't tell Remus."
"What? Why not?"
Because he'd stop her.
Fae laughed lightly, playing it off. "He'll completely freak out and get all stressed and fussy," she whined.
"Well yeah," Lily said fiercely. "Fae, he loves you, of course he's going to freak out, but he deserves to know."
"No he-"
And suddenly Lily's anger was on her. Ouch. "Don't even argue with me. I know you don't believe that he truly loves you even though he does. To be honest, I don't even know if that matters to you anymore, considering Kent and all, but-"
"Of course it matters!" Fae shrieked, cutting her off. "My feelings for him haven't changed a bit, you know. He still means everything to me!" Seriously? How could anyone question that? She had literally just 'rejected' Kent.
Lily smiled serenely at her, sharp and triumphant. "Then you owe it to him to at least be honest about this."
Fae gaped. And then deflated. Fuck, she got her there. "Okay. Fine. But let me tell him?"
"Yeah, okay."
The plans were made - the Fidelius would be cast on the next new moon, May 3rd. James and Sirius were pissed and refused to speak to her, but she hoped they got over it soon. Before her three weeks were up, preferably.
Three weeks, which was perfect to put in her notice at work, write Romilly, and get prepared.
It was almost time.
A/N: Wow! So a lot happens in this chapter. Who thought Peter was going to be a traitor still? Better yet, who knows what's going to happen to Peter from here on out?
Get ready for the reunion of Romilly, Regulus, and Fae. And for some Death Eaters to get WREKT.
As always, love you all and hope you're enjoying your weekends.