"And this is me and Mad-Eye." Tonks whispered excitedly, showing Cyra pictures of her auror training. She pointed to a man with one eye, the other trapped in a strange goggle, spinning around. He looked scarred and angry. Tonks in the picture was doing bunny ears behind Mad-Eye's head. In the portrait, he spun around and zapped her hand with his wand.
Cyra laughed as she watched Tonks wave her hand frantically in the photo, "He's good at his job." Tonks snickered, pulling out the next picture, "Yeah. He's a bit kooky, if you ask me. CONSTANT VIGILENCE!" Cyra jumped as Tonks shouted, laughter bubbling out, "I-I'm sorry, what?"
"That's what he's always yelling! I couldn't even go to the loo without him launching an attack on the stall!"
Tonk's mother, Andromeda, came from the kitchen. She was fussing with her hair, wild dark brown curls frizzing out.
"For merlin's sake." She grumbled, trying to pull it back in a bun manually before giving up and shouting, "Ted! I can't find my wand, and my hairs a mess! Do you know where it is?"
Ted Tonks stepped out from his study, holding a hairtie in his hand, "I'm coming, Dromeda dear." Remus walked out after him, going over to the wall to look at the portraits on the wall. Andromeda was huffing, but relaxed when Ted placed his hands on her shoulders, holding still so he can braid her hair.
"I just need my wand.." She mutters beneath her breath.
"Some things are better than magic, my dear." Ted replied dotingly, "If I let you use magic to fix your hair, then how would I get to enjoy touching your lovely hair?"
Tonks gagged at her parents, making Cyra laugh. Andromeda paid no attention to her daughter, looking like a flustered schoolgirl, "Oh, Ted.." As the couple had their moment, Remus stepped over to the girls, sitting next to his daughter as he addressed Tonks, "So Nym-" At her glare, he corrected himself, "Tonks, how are you enjoying auror training."
Her eyes lit up, beginning to ramble about her training with Alastor Moody. Remus tried to pay attention but his gaze kept drifting over to the couple again. He wasn't very close to Andromeda in school, her being around her sisters more than anyone else. He knew that Sirius adored her, she was the only cousin that remained in contact with him after he ran to the Potters.
Andromeda was in the same position as Sirius, banished from the Black family. He remembered Sirius comforting her after she was thrown out, he had never seen her look anything but proper and distinguished, it hurt to see the proud woman broken. But now, she had never looked happier. She lost her sisters and family, but she gained a family. A real one, with Ted.
Seeing her laughing and batting Ted's away from the braid he put in her hair, he felt something familiar tugging at his chest. He had that. That used to be Sirius preening at his attention, begging him to brush his hair.
A small warm hand went over his, directing his attention away from the couple, and his gaze traveled to his pup. Cyra was looking at him worried, giving his hand a squeeze. He gave her a smile to ease her worry, "Sorry, my head is up in the air today."
She gave a nod, looking over his face for a moment before turning away. Her instincts were getting sharper. Though he despised the curse that ailed them both, he did feel pride that she was getting stronger. She'll be able to defend herself when she's older, but for now he'll protect his pup.
He picked up the girls whispering, hearing Tonks suggest, "Mum got the good wine, you want a glass?" Remus answered for Cyra, staring at the older girl disapprovingly, "She's thirteen, Nymphadora."
He watched the young woman's hair turn from bubblegum pink to a deep red, upset by the use of her name.
"Oh come on, Mr. Lupin! Just a sip!"
"Absolutely not." He remained firm.
Andromeda swatted the back of Tonk's head, "She is a minor, don't be a bad influence, young lady." Tonk's hair went white, quickly bowing her head in apology, "Sorry, mum.." Cyra sniffed the air, her stomach growling as she caught the scent of roast turkey.
"The food smells delicious, Mrs. Tonks." Cyra changed the subject, smiling politely.
Andromeda smiled brightly at her, running a hand over Cyra's curls, "Oh thank you dear, it should be ready soon, but I have some pigs in a blanket for us to snack on." She went to reach into her pocket, but then remembered she didn't have her wand, "Oh.. oh for merlin's sake! Where is my wand!?"
Ted gave the others a knowing smile before taking out his wand, pointing it at the kitchen, "Accio wand." A dark wand flew out of the kitchen and into his hand, him holding it out calmly to the frantic Andromeda, "Here, my dear."
She took her wand with a satisfied sigh, "Oh thank you, dear." She gave him a peck on the cheek before levitating the plate of food from the kitchen. When the plate neared Cyra, she took a few and placed them on a napkin.
As Andromeda basked happily in her work, Ted nudged her with a playful glint in his eye, "I thought you said you were going to learn cooking the muggle way. So why was your wand in the kitchen, dear?" His wife gave him an innocent smile, "I used the oven. That's muggle, dear."
The rest of the evening was full of laughter, and warmth. Remus cradled his glass of mulled wine, watching Cyra and Tonks near the tree, playing a game of exploding snap. He chuckled each time Cyra jumped from her cards exploding.
"They're so adorable, aren't they?" Andromeda chimed in from behind him. He didn't turn around, his smile widening as he continued to watch, "They are. Cyra really loves Nymphadora, she looks at her like a big sister."
She gave a humored chuckle, nudging him, "If my family didn't have a tapestry of all the members, I'd swear they were related. Though my daughter barely looks like me these days, she looks more like her father with each passing year. I think that's for the best."
Remus took a sip from his glass, wincing at how strong the alcohol was, "I feel the same. Some days I see myself in her, other days.."
"I see it too."
He felt a soft pat on his back, and he finally looked at her. She gave him a worried look, her gray eyes bearing into him, "How did it go?"
He knew this would come up eventually. Taking a swig from his glass, he managed out, "He's wasting away in there. But..he spoke. He said my nickname. He was looking at me.." His hands tremble for a moment, "It went better than I expected. But it just left me with more questions."
"Hm.." She turned her attention to the girls again, speaking low, "If it's one thing I know, it's that Black's take betrayal very deeply. It's forced into our heads, like dogs, trained to be loyal. Of course, for Sirius and I, we chose our loyalties to different people."
He furrowed his brows, trying to understand, "What are you trying to say, Andromeda?"
"It's simple." She went back to the kitchen, her dress robes shifting around her elegantly as she poured herself a glass of wine, "I would rather die than betray my Ted. I would kill for Nymphadora." Her cool gaze met his, lifting the glass delicately in her hand, "Do you truly think that Sirius would not do the same?"
It was then, he knew. Andromeda never said it to the Order, but even after all this time, she believed in Sirius. She knew something was wrong. As if the wool had been pulled over his eyes, he realized, he also believed.
When he remained silent, she took that as a cue to continue, swirling the dark wine around, "My question is, how did the last male heir of the Black's go to Azkaban without a single trial? They deemed him incompetent to stand for trial, and one of my sources in the ministry told me he had a mental breakdown."
He felt his stomach sink at that, Dumbledore never gave him that information. Andromeda shot him an amused smirk, "Now, all Blacks are a little mad, but that is with us from day one. What could he have seen for his mind to break, and why is no one letting him speak?"
It was then he remembered that Andromeda was a Slytherin. She was cunning, placing spies throughout the ministry and restraining information. She wasn't done yet though, he saw the mad gleam twinkle in her eyes as she took a sip of her wine.
It was silent besides the distant laughter of the young girls. Andromeda's gaze drifted for a moment before plucking up a napkin, dabbing her lips, "My final question.." She tossed it to the side, looking him straight in the eyes, sending chills down his spine, "Why did Albus Dumbledore try to impede the visit I secured for you?"
He nearly dropped his glass, staring at her in shock, "What did you just say?"
"Oh, no way!" Cyra cried out as she took a pair of crescent moon earrings, tiny jewels glinting off them in the light. Tonks clapped excitedly, "I was so hoping you'd love it!"
"I do!" She giggled, looking at them. It was then she remembered, she didn't have pierced ears. As she looked back up at Tonks, she saw a glint in her eyes. Before she could speak, Tonks shoved the next present on her lap, "Next one! Open it! Open it!"
Cyra laughed before tearing open the paper, gasping as she saw the album, "Oh Tonks! Thank you!" She hugged the older girl quickly, before showing her dad, "Look! It's the new Queen Album, Innuendo! The Show Must Go On is on it!" Remus laughed as he looked at it, "Oh good, you can play it anytime you want."
Andromeda nudged her presents over to the girls, "Mine next. Open them up." Tonks tore into hers quickly, gasping in shock before looking up at her mother, "Oh, mum, this is.. perfect." She took out a thigh wand holster, looking it over with wide eyes, "I was looking at this one in the shop on my outing with Moody. I-It even has a disguising charm for undercover missions."
Andromeda smiled down at her daughter, "I figured a master of disguise needs a holster that'll work with them." Tonks looked immensely grateful, her hair growing rapidly into dark brown curls, mirroring her mother. Remus saw the older woman wiping a happy tear from her eye, staring at her only child with nothing but love.
Cyra opened her gift carefully, taking out a book and reading the title. As she gasped, Remus grew curious what it was. She quickly opened the book and began flipping through, "I had no clue this even existed.."
Andromeda had a knowing smile, watching her, "I have a friend at the bookshop who was holding on to it. Told them I knew a young lady who shows a bright future, and has a passion for magical creatures." Cyra looked at her confused, wondering how she knew, before turning to her father, who was peeking at the book.
Remus's eyebrows shot up to his hair, spinning around to Andromeda in shock, "There was an unpublished version?" She gave him a wink before motioning to Cyra, "Go ahead, tell us about it." She quickly read the author's note, "If you are reading this, then it either means the Ministry has released the ridiculous ban, or your drive for knowledge exceeds any authority that tries to stop you. This is the raw and unpublished version of my well-known book, 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them'. This is not the same material you are familiar with. There are many things that the Ministry of Magic would prefer to remain unknown, but imperfect understanding is often more dangerous than ignorance."
Cyra's eyes with twinkling with excitement as she breathed out the final line, "Signed, Newton Scamander.." She fiddled with the book in her hands, feeling over the leather. It looked like contraband, being wrapped in an inconspicuous cover. Any Hogwarts student would know the original publishing from a mile away, wrapped in an obnoxious red and gold. This was entirely different.
She ran her fingers over the old pages, before looking back up to the elegant woman, smiling brightly at her, "Thank you so much, Mrs. Tonks." Andromeda smiled warmly, replying, "You are very welcome, dear."
Remus felt comforted by the fact that Andromeda took such care to find Cyra's present. He had mentioned before that Cyra seemed interested in magical creatures, and occasionally spoke about it to him. He didn't expect for the woman to buy his daughter illegal contraband, but it was very sweet. He'd just have to be sure to remind Cyra to keep her book hidden from her classmates and teachers.
But for now, he would enjoy the excited glow she radiated, curling up beside Tonks as her eyes remained glued to the pages.
"That was so much fun!" Cyra exclaimed as they walked down the muggle street, practically bouncing on her heels, "I'm so excited for Tonks to become an a-" She quickly remembered where she was, and changed her wording, "A copper?" Remus couldn't hold back his snicker, looking down at her amused, "Police Officer."
"Right, a Police Officer." She repeated embarrassed, looking away to the muggle houses they passed. He nudged her lightly, "Don't be embarrassed. It comes with being raised in our world. One time, Lily took us to a magic show, it blew our minds." Cyra laughed at how incredulous Remus sounded, looking at him as he grew animated telling the story.
"And then James whispered to Sirius, 'Oh this bloke really thinks he can pull a rabbit out of his hat, mad I tell you.' So the magician shows us his hat, and then drops the ball in there. He reaches in, and we see his whole arm go in!"
Cyra's eyes widened, "How'd he do that?" Remus laughed, "That's what I was thinking! So this muggle man, he reached far in, and we were waiting with baited breath." He puts his hand over his heart, grinning, "The first sight of fuzzy ears solidified it for us. James was so shocked, Lily had to close his jaw. After the show, both James and Sirius bugged the poor man to tell them how he did it."
"Did he?"
"Nope, he refused to. He just said, 'Magic.' And went off to his dressing room." He guided them to a more discreet place, "I still wonder to this day how he did it. But either way, going to the show and blending in with the muggles, we got to witness something that other wizards didn't."
Cyra took his hand, closing her eyes quickly. As she felt that familiar pull on her bellybutton, she held her breath. It felt like she was being pulled into a small tube and spat out the other side. She stumbled as they landed, holding on tightly to him.
"And those kinds of experiences are important." She felt him tug on her hand, and blindly followed him as he continued talking, "I want you to have those experiences. To see what life is like for muggles, what incredible things they can do without our magic. It's still in a way magic, but it's theirs."
Her stomach finally settled enough for her to open her eyes, and she was confused to see they were not heading towards the cabin, but instead down the London streets. Looking around, she asked softly, "What are we doing here?"
"Your first experience." He turned a corner, heading confidently to their destination, "You got those earrings from Nymphadora, didn't you? How are you going to wear them?" Realization hit her just as they reached the muggle piercing parlor.
"Are you serious?" She whispered in disbelief, "I-I get to get my ears pierced?"
Remus bent slightly at his knees so he could be on her level, placing his hand on her shoulder, "If you're not ready, I understand. But I know you've wanted pierced ears like Tonks since you got that first bottle of black nail polish. You're thirteen now, and you should be allowed to make the choice."
She relaxed under his touch, looking at him with a grin, "Can I get the cool double piercings she has?" He gave her a surprised look before patting her shoulder, "Let's see how you do with the first two." He stood up straight and opened the door for them, walking inside confidently.
Inside the shop were a bunch of muggles decked out in tattoos and piercings, looking intimidating to the small girl. A woman with bright yellow hair approached her, two metal balls in her dimples when she smiled, "Well ello, my names Robin, how can I help you two?"
Remus held out his hand for her to shake, smiling politely, "Good evening, I'm Remus, and this is my daughter Cyra. We're here to get her ears pierced."
Cyra shuffled her feet awkwardly as the woman's eyes went to her. Everyone here was so punk and cool, and they were dressed in tweed. How was her father so calm? He looked like a History Professor in this place, but he seemed so comfortable.
Remus placed his hand on her back and nudged her forward, "It's her first time, so she's a bit nervous." She watched quietly as Robin prepared a clipboard, smiling warmly down at her, "Come with me, doll, we'll get you seated." Remus took the clipboard and clicked the pen, holding it awkwardly in his hands for a moment before beginning to write down Cyra's information, following behind them.
Cyra sat down on the chair, leaning back slowly, "Is it gonna hurt?" Robin spared a glance to Remus before turning back to Cyra, looking a bit unsure, "Umm, well, we're going to be piercing your ear with a needle. So.."
At that accursed word, Cyra was prepared to bolt. Remus was already prepared, placing his hand on Cyra's shoulder firmly, "It's not the same needle you're thinking of." Robin seemed to catch on, and quickly took the girl's attention, "Ah I see, scared of needles from the Doctor, aren't ya?"
She fidgeted in the seat, feeling a bit embarrassed, "Yes ma'am.." Robin was understanding, moving over to her drawers to take out her album, "So am I. I secretly believe bedside nurses are sadists." Cyra's mind went to Madam Pomfrey, laughing softly, beginning to relax.
Remus released her shoulder, going back to filling out the papers. Once he was finished, he passed the clipboard back to Robin, "It asked about allergies. I wrote about her allergy to peanuts, but she also has very sensitive skin. So perhaps something that's hypoallergenic?"
Cyra's brows furrow in confusion, having no clue what he was talking about. Robin looked over the clipboard for a moment before nodding, "That might be best, we have some surgical steel she can choose from." With that, she was off to go grab them.
After a moment, Cyra quietly asked, "Am I about to have surgery?" Remus looked at her confused before realizing what she meant, "Oh, oh no, she's just going to get you some earrings that won't irritate your skin."
That allowed Cyra to breathe, the rest of her muscles relaxing against the seat. When Robin returned, she slid a rolling tray over to Cyra's chair, letting her see, "Alright, so we've got tons of different studs. I recommend something small, your freshly pierced ears are going to feel tender for a bit."
Robin let her sift through them, prepping her station as she waited. Cyra finally decided upon a pair of steel puppy paws, holding them up carefully to Robin, "Can I do these?" The piercer looked them over before taking them, giving the girl a warm smile, "Those will look gorgeous on you."
With that decided, Robin next brought out her album, flipping through the many different ear piercings she could get, "Let's see, we have the traditional lobe piercing, tragus, helix…what are we going for?"
Cyra looked at the photos as she flipped through, deciding she didn't want to directly copy Tonk's piercing style. That was her unique thing. Humming, she pointed at the lobe piercing, "Can I have that?" Robin figured she'd go for that one, preparing to shut the book, "Traditional, sounds good."
"U-Uhh." Cyra hurried to point at the other photo, "And that?" Robin looked at it and felt very unsure, "Well, doll, cartilage piercings like the helix can hurt more. So maybe we should see how you do with the first one?" That was the same answer her father gave her.
Now she was beginning to worry. Was it actually going to hurt that much? Robin seemed to be in her own world, tying Cyra's hair up in a bun before cleaning her lobes with a strong-smelling liquid. She tried not to scrunch up her nose at the scent, not wanting to offend the woman.
Remus caught it, giving her a comforting smile when she looked over. Robin took her marker and did two identical dots on the lobes, before holding out a mirror, "How do you feel about the placement?" Cyra stared at the dots, unsure what was going on, "It's good?"
"Okay, perfect." Robin took the mirror away and sanitized the area one more time. Once she had the needle in her hand, she instructed Cyra to take a deep breath and to count to ten.
This was it. It was happening. She took in a shaking breath and whispered out, "1..2...3..4-" There was a sharp pain for a second, but then nothing. That couldn't have been it. So she kept counting.
"5..6..7.."
Robin slid the first stud in, hurrying over to the other side, "Doing brilliant, love."
"8..9..10.."
There was another sharp pain, and then it was once again, gone. Was that really it? Cyra's eyes unclenched, and she turned to Robin curiously after the matching stud was slid into her lobe, "Did you do it?"
Robin gave an amused chuckle, putting the backing on the earring securely, "I did. You have quite a pain tolerance. Barely even flinched." Cyra reached up to touch her ears, only to have her hands swatted away by the piercer, "Ah, ah, your hands aren't clean. You need to wash them before touching your ears. Or else your piercing will get infected."
"Oh.." Cyra quickly put her hands down, looking over at Remus with a nervous smile, "How do they look?" Remus saw the paw prints glinting in the light, his lips quirking up in a smile, "You look like a rockstar." That seemed to please Cyra, who turned to Robin with twinkling eyes, "We can do the helix now!"
There was a shared glance between Robin and Remus, to which he nodded, giving his permission. At that, she hurried to get the surgical steel tray again, "Okay, let's pick out something a bit simpler. Like maybe a ball stud?" Cyra nodded in agreement, pointing at a small ball in the tray, "I like that one."
And so began the process again, disinfecting, dotting, and then the time for counting. Cyra seemed fully confident now, counting faster, "1, 2, 3, 4-" The first needle came. It was the sight of her eyes welling up with tears that almost brought Moony out. Cyra's confident smile was no longer there, her face scrunching in pain as the needle pushed deeper in her ear.
Robin caught the glare Remus was sending her, and quickly explained as she took the needle out, "L-Like I said, cartilage does hurt more. Because of how dense it is, you have to use more force." She slid the stud in, and grabbed her cleaning solution.
Cyra quickly wiped her tears, holding still for Robin. Once the mirror was held out, she turned her head to the side, seeing the silver glinting in the shop lights. Her ears were very red, but she looked awesome.
"Like it?" Robin asked, watching the young girl admire her new jewelry. A quick glance to the girl's father, she relaxed upon seeing he was no longer piercing her soul with his accusatory stare. Instead, he was watching his daughter with an adoring smile.
"I love it!" Cyra exclaimed. Robin put down the mirror and motioned to the other ear, "Do you want to do the other helix, to match?" At the girl's widening eyes, she backpedaled, "Though I must say the mismatched look really suits you, totally a rocker style." From the compliment the father gave her, she assumed the young girl must really like rock. She was right. Cyra seemed to light up at her words.
Satisfied that her young client was happy with her new piercings, she went to one of the drawers, "Right, so with each new piercing, we give out a little care kit. Just to be sure that they're taking care of their new piercings." She took out a kit, and gave it to Cyra, pointing at the products, "This is a saline solution, you're going to use a q-tip and clean with this around your piercing. Don't take out the jewelry. As you clean, you're going to twist the earrings back and forth. Do this at least two times a day. When you take a shower, make sure you dry your ears after."
Robin tapped the little paper sheet in the kit, "This has the instructions I just told you. Put it up somewhere near your mirror so you remember. Also, your healing time is on the card for the specific piercings. Lobes take three weeks to heal before you can change out your jewelry, cartilage is eight weeks." Cyra nodded along, trying to take in all the information.
When they got home, the first thing she did was rush to the bathroom, admiring her new jewelry. Remus placed his things on the table and sat down, letting out a loud yawn. He stretched himself out in his recliner, feeling his lower back crack, "Oof.." He relaxed into the seat, sighing, "I'm so old."
"You're not old, Papa." Cyra replied from the bathroom, shutting the lights off and going into the den. He grabbed the lever in his armchair, cranking it back with a dramatic groan, "I'm going to need a walking stick soon."
She went over to get the presents, teasing him, "I'll be sure to get that for you next Christmas." Remus chuckled, taking his from her, "If you do, get my initials on it. So, no one will ever dare to steal it." He motioned to the box wrapped in Christmas cookie paper, "That ones yours, smaller than last year, but I hope you like it."
Cyra got the box, placing it on the couch, before spinning back around to watch him open his. Feeling her eyes on him, he hurried to unwrap it. This was the first time that Cyra was able to go to Hogsmeade and buy for him. Most Christmases, she made him his favorite sweets, or when she was small, she'd draw him Christmas cards. It was the most precious thing.
As he opened the box, he saw some chocolate frogs, along with what smelled like freshly baked brownies in a small container. He quickly cracked open the container and broke off a piece of brownie, popping it in his mouth. As the dark rich flavor of chocolate coated his tongue, he hummed happily, "This is perfect, pup, thank you."
"There's more." She replied, looking excited.
He looked back to the box to see she was right, there was more. Reaching in, he took out a few pairs of warm wool socks.
"You get cold a lot during these months. And all your warm socks have holes in them, so I bought you a couple to replace them."
He was touched, hugging the socks close to his chest. Peering inside the box, he saw one more thing. It was a thick knitted red jumper, with gold accents around the collar and sleeves. When he touched it, it felt warm in his hands.
As he took it out, Cyra explained, "It has a warming charm on it." In the blink of an eye, Remus was out of his chair, going to the couch to hug her. She let out a giggle as he pulled her in to his chest, "Do you like it?" He was misty-eyed, hugging her tightly, "I love it. I love it so much." He rests his chin on her head, sniffling, "I am so happy to have you as my child."
Cyra felt herself get a little teary, burying her face in his chest, "I love you too, Papa." Remus's heart was aching, not of pain, but rather of love. He was so lucky to have such a caring kid, someone who knew he wouldn't buy himself these things. Even before being a parent, he put others first, and didn't have time to care about his own self.
He squeezed her one last time before moving back, trying to wipe his tears, "Go ahead and open mine." She gave him a warm smile before picking up her present, ripping the paper carefully. Inside was a little black radio. She took it out, looking it over curiously, "Is this a wireless?"
"It is." He pointed at the antenna, "You won't get any muggle radio channels, because this is powered by magic, but you will be able to listen to all the wizarding stations." As she stared at it in wonder, he took out a paper from the box, showing it to her, it was full of numbers, "I've already marked the stations that play muggle rock music, so you don't have to go hunting for it. There aren't many, sadly." Cyra took the paper almost delicately, "So..what you're telling me.." She raised the radio and looked at him, "I can play muggle music at Hogwarts? A-And it won't break?"
Remus chuckled as he nodded to her question, "Yes, Cyra. You can listen to music whenever you want, granted you should probably take your roommates into consider-"
"Oh, thank you, thank you Dad!" She put the radio carefully on the side before throwing her arms around him, hugging him tightly, "I love it so much!" Remus decided to leave the warnings for later, hugging her back, "I'm glad, pup."
They decided to open the other gifts after getting some food. Remus went through their takeout menus, looking them over carefully, "Hmm.. we could get Italian." Cyra made a disgruntled noise, and he shot her a look, "What do you have against Italian?"
"Too much pasta." Was her blunt answer.
He thought about it for a moment before realizing that he didn't even want to eat pasta. She was right. It wasn't the time for that. They needed something simple. Light bulb went off in his head, and he grabbed the menu for a small pizza place nearby, "How about some pizza?"
"Ooh!" Her eyes lit up at that, looking over to him, "Meatlovers, with hot wings!"
Now that sounded good. He snatched up the phone and began dialing, his stomach already beginning to growl. Once the food arrived, they sat in front of the television, watching the Batman movie. Cyra bit into her pizza slice, watching attentively as the Joker pulls out a gun on Bruce Wayne.
'Tell me something, my friend, have you ever danced with the Devil in the pale moonlight?'
Cyra freezed in mid-chew as the gun went off, watching Bruce go down. Remus wiped his hands with a napkin, watching the screen curiously, "Jack Nicholson is a scary good actor." She hummed in agreement, lifting the cup of pumpkin juice to her lips as she watched the movie.
They decided to wait to open presents when the movie finished, stuffing themselves on pizza and hot wings. Once it was over, they went to go wash their hands and clean up the den before getting the presents. Molly had sent them both hand-knitted jumpers, Remus's being brown with a yellow 'R' and Cyra's being orange with a white 'C'.
He helped her open the one from Professor Snape, laughing as soon as he saw it, "Seems Snape knows about your potion switch." Worried, she looks in the parcel, her eyes widening, "He got me a personal brewing kit? W-Why would he do that?" Remus nudged her with a teasing grin, "Maybe he's telling you to brew your revenge on your own time and not his."
She laughed lightly before looking at it once again, thinking of all the things she could make. Next present was from Professor McGonagall, a very thick blanket that held not only a warming charm, but also a charm to ensure it wouldn't be snagged on anything. Cyra hugged the blanket close, smiling at the note attached, 'You'll catch your death in that shack, this will keep you warm during those nights.'
The last one from the Hogwarts Staff was Dumbledore's, and Remus tried to keep his emotions at bay when it came time to open it. His conversation with Andromeda still haunted him. Why would Dumbledore try to keep anyone from seeing Sirius?
Cyra, oblivious to the turmoil in his head, tore into the parcel. Resting there was a pair of earmuffs and a note. Picking it up, she read it out loud, "Sleep is peaceful if not interrupted, allow these earmuffs to lull you into a calming rest, without the snoring of housemates disturbing your dreams." She placed the earmuffs over her ears, hearing absolutely nothing outside. They must be charmed with something. Slipping them off, she smiled at the present, "Well that's nice."
Remus cleared his throat, going to get the presents her friends sent, "If your dorm is anything like mine was, it is rare to sleep in peace." He placed the boxes next to her, "First one is from George, then the blue one is from Fred."
She opened George's present, smiling brightly as she saw all the chocolate fudge and bon-bons inside. He got her enough chocolate to last her at least a month. Opening Fred's next, she expected to see the same thing, but he filled her box with sugar quills, with a note on top that said, 'Come back soon, Happy Christmas.'
Remus shook his head amused, cleaning up the wrapping paper around them, "It's been three days, an they're already demanding you back." She smiled down at the boxes, placing them carefully to the side, "I hope they like the presents I got them."
He pushed two more over to her. She was confused on what they could be. Picking up the first one, she saw it was from Cedric. It was a small parcel filled some cauldron cakes and Honeyduke's chocolate. He left a small note that said, 'Don't eat this all-in class, or I'll have to switch Potion partners.' She felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment, "I'm going to definitely eat them now, just because he told me I couldn't."
Finally, it was the last present. Cyra was unsure who it could be from, and looked at her father unsure. Remus motioned to it, relaxing her by saying, "Already checked them all for curses. It's safe." She took the parcel and carefully unwrapped it.
It took a moment to understand what she was holding. The preciousness of this gift. She held the t-shirt up like it was a trophy, "A Bon Jovi band tee!" Remus was presented with the muggle musician once more, posing dramatically on the front of the shirt. "Oh, that's nice." He responded, going over to the parcel, "Who sent you that?"
Reaching in, he took out a small paper, it looked like it was scribbled in pencil, "Thanks for the talk, enjoy the pretty boy. Signed, Sarah French." Cyra hugged the shirt to her chest, smiling, "My housemate, I'll be sure to thank her when I get back."
"Sounds good," He picked up the remaining paper and boxes, putting them away. Once he finished cleaning, he took a look at the clock, "Oh woah, it's past your bedtime, pup." Cyra went to complain, but he was already prepared, "Ah, ah, I don't want to hear it. It's nearly midnight, you need your rest."
She pouted before gathering her things, "Fine, you win this one." Remus went to hug her, kissing her gently on the top of her head, "Off to bed, pup." She lets out a yawn, turning away quickly so she didn't see his smug look, "Night, dad."
"Happy Christmas." He replied softly, watching her shuffle to her room. He waited a moment, and then heard her soft, "Happy Christmas, love you." Then the soft click of her door.
As Cyra curled up in bed, she reached beneath her pillow, slipping out the picture she took the other day. For a while, she just laid there, watching her Papa and Sirius joking under the mistletoe. When Sirius looked back towards the camera, she whispered, "Happy Christmas, Sirius.." Before sliding it back beneath her pillow, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.