Remus pounded- literally pounded- on the O'Leary's front door. It was
opened by a tall, stately man with gray hair.
"May I help you?" He asked, looking at Remus from head to toe. He was extremely windblown from him flight there and his hair and robes were a mess.
"Yes, I need to see Rhia." He blurted out, trying to catch his breath.
"Miss O'Leary doesn't take to ruffians." The man said, trying to shut the door. Remus stuck his toe in and winced.
"It's an emergency." He cried. The man looking him over once more before opening the door wider, letting him into the parlor.
"Wait here." He gestured to a sofa. Remus nodded and sat down. The house was very ornate and he felt common and out of place among the heavy embroidery and gilt furnishings. He had nearly made up his mind to leave when-
"Remus?" Rhia said softly, pausing in the doorway. Remus's breath caught in his throat. She was a vision.dressed in a yellow summer dress that made her look like an equal of Gabriel and his host.
"Hi." He stood nervously, not sure of what to say after such a long time of silence.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, standing next to him, trying with all her might not to throw her arms about him.
"I got a letter from Lily." He held it up. "She said you were going to Eton and I came to talk to you and...I haven't got long, only today."
"Oh?" Rhia's voice sounded a bit disappointed.
"Yes, Gram's having a birthday party for Mum." He replied.
"Then...will you walk with me a bit? In the gardens?" She nodded outside towards the lavish pathways.
"Of course." She smiled at how his voice and eyes lit up. She led him outside.
"I...I've missed you, Remus." She confessed, stooping to pick up a daisy.
"I have too." He replied.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." She blurted out. " I wanted to, it's just that you would've killed Sirius and...I'm talking too much." She blushed.
"Never." He smiled. "And I'm sorry for getting so angry. I shouldn't've blamed you."
She smiled and sat down on a marble bench and he sat next to her, noticing very much that his hand was 'casually' resting on hers.
"Sirius feels terribly about it too." She added. "He just-"
"I don't want to hear about Sirius." Remus interrupted her.
"You're still angry with him?" She asked.
"A little." He nodded. "He hurt her really bad."
"I know." She nodded as well. "How is she?"
"Just fine." He pulled a small box from his pocket. "This is from her. She wanted to send her apologies."
"Oh?" Rhia smiled and opening it. Inside was a small set of turquoise earrings.
"She got them in Egypt, visiting Isis." He explained. "She also wanted me to tell you that she hopes very much that you don't have to go to Eton...as do I."
"Truly?" She asked. He nodded. "I don't want to go either."
"Then why must you?"
"Mother."
"Oh."
Remus looked at the ground.
"Rhia, I think...what I came here to say..."
He stopped and stared into the amber eyes that faced him, but dropped with a blush after a few moments. She smiled and he felt his face move closer and closer to hers until they were only a few centimeters apart...
"Rhia, I-"
Lily stopped short as she walked outside and Rhia jumped away, twisting her hands together.
"Oh no! Oh, Rhia, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt, it's just that... well, Rhia, your mother wants to see you."
Rhia looked at Remus. He was staring off into the garden now. She sighed and turned back to Lily. "I'll be there in a minute." Lily nodded, smiling a little.
"Rhia, I... I'm sorry..." Remus said without turning around.
"Now's not the time for apologies. Why don't we go inside and see what my mother wants?" Rhia got quiet. "I... Remus, I don't think its good. My mother only talks to me when she has to..." Rhia sobbed quietly, but Remus heard her. He turned finally and held her hand.
"It'll all be okay. I'm right here."
They walked inside and Rhia led them to the living room where her mother sat, discussing something with her personal maid Margarite. She looked up when Rhia entered.
"Ah, Rhiannon darling, there you are. Send your little friend away, we have an important matter to discuss."
Rhia cleared her throat. "Mother, I would much prefer if Remus would stay in here with me." She shot her mother a look that clearly said nothing else would be accepted. They sat.
"Very well then. Now Rhiannon, I've been discussing the matter of Eton extensively with your father, and we feel you should leave within the week if you want to be ready for the start of term-"
"Mother!" Rhia exclaimed. "I thought you said it was my decision! I don't want to go to Eton, I want to go to Hogwarts!"
"That is simply out of the question. I have already spoken with your current headmaster, and he has, rather reluctantly, agreed to send over the necessary papers... it will be tricky, convincing Eton you are a Muggle."
Rhia stood up. "Mother, I'm not going."
"Oh yes you are, Rhiannon, and don't argue with me."
"Don't start, Mother."
"You will not raise your tone of voice with me! I am your mother."
"Barely!"
Remus reached up and grabbed Rhia's hand, pulling her back down. "Rhia, just be quiet!" he muttered. She wrenched her hand out of his grip.
"No! I don't care what any of you says, I am going back to Hogwarts this year, and no one is going to stop me!"
"Rhiannon Charlotte O'Leary!" Mrs. O'Leary cried, jumping up as well. "You will not address me as such!"
"I will address you as I like!" Rhia shouted.
"Go to your room!" she pointed to the stairs, her prim white hands shaking. "And send your friends home, you're leaving for Eton tomorrow!"
Rhia's faced turned a pallid shade of white then flushed with colour before she ran up the stairs angrily.
"May I help you?" He asked, looking at Remus from head to toe. He was extremely windblown from him flight there and his hair and robes were a mess.
"Yes, I need to see Rhia." He blurted out, trying to catch his breath.
"Miss O'Leary doesn't take to ruffians." The man said, trying to shut the door. Remus stuck his toe in and winced.
"It's an emergency." He cried. The man looking him over once more before opening the door wider, letting him into the parlor.
"Wait here." He gestured to a sofa. Remus nodded and sat down. The house was very ornate and he felt common and out of place among the heavy embroidery and gilt furnishings. He had nearly made up his mind to leave when-
"Remus?" Rhia said softly, pausing in the doorway. Remus's breath caught in his throat. She was a vision.dressed in a yellow summer dress that made her look like an equal of Gabriel and his host.
"Hi." He stood nervously, not sure of what to say after such a long time of silence.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, standing next to him, trying with all her might not to throw her arms about him.
"I got a letter from Lily." He held it up. "She said you were going to Eton and I came to talk to you and...I haven't got long, only today."
"Oh?" Rhia's voice sounded a bit disappointed.
"Yes, Gram's having a birthday party for Mum." He replied.
"Then...will you walk with me a bit? In the gardens?" She nodded outside towards the lavish pathways.
"Of course." She smiled at how his voice and eyes lit up. She led him outside.
"I...I've missed you, Remus." She confessed, stooping to pick up a daisy.
"I have too." He replied.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." She blurted out. " I wanted to, it's just that you would've killed Sirius and...I'm talking too much." She blushed.
"Never." He smiled. "And I'm sorry for getting so angry. I shouldn't've blamed you."
She smiled and sat down on a marble bench and he sat next to her, noticing very much that his hand was 'casually' resting on hers.
"Sirius feels terribly about it too." She added. "He just-"
"I don't want to hear about Sirius." Remus interrupted her.
"You're still angry with him?" She asked.
"A little." He nodded. "He hurt her really bad."
"I know." She nodded as well. "How is she?"
"Just fine." He pulled a small box from his pocket. "This is from her. She wanted to send her apologies."
"Oh?" Rhia smiled and opening it. Inside was a small set of turquoise earrings.
"She got them in Egypt, visiting Isis." He explained. "She also wanted me to tell you that she hopes very much that you don't have to go to Eton...as do I."
"Truly?" She asked. He nodded. "I don't want to go either."
"Then why must you?"
"Mother."
"Oh."
Remus looked at the ground.
"Rhia, I think...what I came here to say..."
He stopped and stared into the amber eyes that faced him, but dropped with a blush after a few moments. She smiled and he felt his face move closer and closer to hers until they were only a few centimeters apart...
"Rhia, I-"
Lily stopped short as she walked outside and Rhia jumped away, twisting her hands together.
"Oh no! Oh, Rhia, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt, it's just that... well, Rhia, your mother wants to see you."
Rhia looked at Remus. He was staring off into the garden now. She sighed and turned back to Lily. "I'll be there in a minute." Lily nodded, smiling a little.
"Rhia, I... I'm sorry..." Remus said without turning around.
"Now's not the time for apologies. Why don't we go inside and see what my mother wants?" Rhia got quiet. "I... Remus, I don't think its good. My mother only talks to me when she has to..." Rhia sobbed quietly, but Remus heard her. He turned finally and held her hand.
"It'll all be okay. I'm right here."
They walked inside and Rhia led them to the living room where her mother sat, discussing something with her personal maid Margarite. She looked up when Rhia entered.
"Ah, Rhiannon darling, there you are. Send your little friend away, we have an important matter to discuss."
Rhia cleared her throat. "Mother, I would much prefer if Remus would stay in here with me." She shot her mother a look that clearly said nothing else would be accepted. They sat.
"Very well then. Now Rhiannon, I've been discussing the matter of Eton extensively with your father, and we feel you should leave within the week if you want to be ready for the start of term-"
"Mother!" Rhia exclaimed. "I thought you said it was my decision! I don't want to go to Eton, I want to go to Hogwarts!"
"That is simply out of the question. I have already spoken with your current headmaster, and he has, rather reluctantly, agreed to send over the necessary papers... it will be tricky, convincing Eton you are a Muggle."
Rhia stood up. "Mother, I'm not going."
"Oh yes you are, Rhiannon, and don't argue with me."
"Don't start, Mother."
"You will not raise your tone of voice with me! I am your mother."
"Barely!"
Remus reached up and grabbed Rhia's hand, pulling her back down. "Rhia, just be quiet!" he muttered. She wrenched her hand out of his grip.
"No! I don't care what any of you says, I am going back to Hogwarts this year, and no one is going to stop me!"
"Rhiannon Charlotte O'Leary!" Mrs. O'Leary cried, jumping up as well. "You will not address me as such!"
"I will address you as I like!" Rhia shouted.
"Go to your room!" she pointed to the stairs, her prim white hands shaking. "And send your friends home, you're leaving for Eton tomorrow!"
Rhia's faced turned a pallid shade of white then flushed with colour before she ran up the stairs angrily.