* * * The Prologue * * *
DISCLAIMER: All of the characters from the Harry Potter books are J.K. Rowling's; so don't have a shit fit at me for trying to steal characters for a fanfic XD. The ones that aren't in the books are original characters by me. Erm, this is just the prologue, much more to come, but if you want
to understand the rest of the story, I'd read this. Happy reading.
* * *
The room was dimly lit, and although the chair was one of the most comfortable Remus had ever sat in, he could not relax. His hands folded on his lap were shaking, and it took quite an effort to hold them down. Remus stared blankly into the large fireplace, outlined with phoenix shapes carved into the stone, and words of old that the twenty-eight year old could not read. The room was soundless. Even the wind did not disturb the willow tree several feet from the window on this night.
Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Dong.
Remus looked up at the large, enchanted clock on the wall to find that it was midnight, and he had been sitting in this chair for nearly an hour. It wasn't that he wanted to get out of here; he was by no means in any hurry to get home. He was just afraid. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then tore his gaze over to a rather tall old man in many robes who had just emerged from a door, the silver of a beard streaming down at least to the old man's knees.
"Remus, it has been decided." Remus stood and swallowed hard. "Oh? Oh it has?" The old man nodded. "Minerva and I have found that it would be best if she could stay with you. Sirius would have wished it." The old man stepped slowly down a small flight of stairs leading from another room into the headmaster's office, where Minerva McGonagall had seated the horror- struck young man that night. "And, seeing as her godfather is dead, we believe you are the one who should have custody."
McGonagall stepped out of the room that she and Albus Dumbledore had held council in. "Albus, it is getting awfully late." Albus looked up at her and nodded. "Then we should send Remus on his way." The headmaster turned back to Remus and took several steps closer so that they were face to face. "Do you understand what a responsibility you're taking on?" Remus nodded stiffly, unable to really think at the moment. "Yes. Yes I do, professor." McGonagall took a deep breath and let it out, clearly quite uncomfortable with the thought of having a werewolf, however good of a person he might be, look over such a treasured little thing. "Alright, then." She looked at Dumbledore with one last plea of 'Please, can't we send her somewhere else? And not with the werewolf?' but Dumbledore ignored it. He walked over to the large chair that sat behind his desk, and out of it he softly pulled a little girl, about five years of age.
The young girl slept with her head on Dumbledore's shoulder as he carried her across the room. Lupin swallowed hard, silent tears squirting out of his eyes as he saw the girl. Her long, jet black hair and eyes reminded him of Sirius.and he didn't want to be reminded of Sirius. Not right now, anyway. Dumbledore handed the girl over to Remus, who softly took her in his arms, holding her like there was no tomorrow. Dumbledore smiled softly at Remus. "And I'm guessing that we shall be seeing you sometime soon, correct?" Remus nodded again, less stiffly this time. At least some of the terror had drifted off of him since he knew he now had what he came from. Dumbledore ran a wrinkled, long-fingered hand through the girl's hair, and he walked off to his bedroom; it was pushing a quarter after midnight now.
Remus did not even glance at Minerva McGonagall. He did not want to see the look on her face. The two had always gotten along until now; Professor McGonagall had been his favorite teacher at Hogwarts. Remus knew she had reasons to be concerned with the little girl in the custody of a werewolf, but he also knew that she should put trust in Dumbledore's decision and not her own wariness of the situation. Remus knew also that Dumbledore, McGonagall, and himself were the only ones that had little to say on that night. The rest of the wizarding world was raising its glasses and lifting its hats, proclaiming the death of the Dark Lord and the magnificence of the Boy Who Lived.
* * *
The walk from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade was terrible. Remus was trying to make his way through the pouring rain as fast as he could, but it was not fast enough. The little girl had begun to cry in her sleep; nightmares, Remus thought. And she had every right to be having nightmares after what she had gone through.
As the thick, deep puddles of the road soaked his feet and socks, Remus began to talk to himself. "I p-promise, Sirius.I promise y-you." He repeated over and over out loud, knowing that he was probably going mentally insane and should be locked up in a padded, spell-proof room immediately. He looked over at the little girl's head on his shoulder and saw Sirius again, getting ready to cast a curse on his once-friend, now- traitor in a Muggle alleyway. Remus had told him not to go, told him not to try and catch Peter. But Sirius wouldn't listen. Sirius's heart was filled with hatred so damn unbearable for Peter Pettigrew that he would hurt the little bastard if it meant life in Azkaban. The last conversation Remus had had with his friend had not been a good one.
* * *
"There he is.that worm." Sirius peered around the corner of one of the Muggle bookstores. Lupin had his hands shoved in his pockets, looking around nervously. "Sirius.let's get out of here.Dumbledore's expecting us at the Order meeting in an hour and- Sirius?!" Sirius had made his way out from behind the building, and he began to sneak up on Peter. Remus's eyes widened. "Sirius!" He whispered hoarsely. "Get back here! Hurting Peter isn't going to bring James back!" Sirius turned around and looked at Remus with rather sad eyes. "Remus.whatever happens.you'll take care of Addalyn, won't you?" Remus hadn't said anything, because he didn't want anything to happen to his friend. Sirius's face hardened.
"Promise me, Remus."
"I.I promise," he said as Sirius smiled one last smile at Remus and then turned towards Peter.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Sirius muttered under his breath, grinned a little mischieviously, and then drew his wand. That traitor would pay for what he had done. He would pay for everything. Sirius saw a flash, and turned to his right. A Muggle was lying dead on the ground. He gasped, and then he saw Peter begin to laugh. He cackled the Death Eater's cackle as he killed them all off, killed all of the Muggles, one by one. Sirius's eyes widened as he turned to run, but before he could, the dementors came.
* * *
Remus had several tears running out of his eyes again now as he opened the creaky door to his little, dusty old cottage in Hogsmeade. He would have to clean it up if the two of them would be living in it. Remus walked through the living room and into one of the two very small bedrooms. He laid Addalyn Aurora Black in the small bed, then pulled a quilt up over her and kissed her forehead lightly. The five year old shifted a little in her sleep and then lay still. Remus sat on the edge of her bed for the longest time, brushing some of the hair out of her eyes. "I swear nothing will every happen to you."
DISCLAIMER: All of the characters from the Harry Potter books are J.K. Rowling's; so don't have a shit fit at me for trying to steal characters for a fanfic XD. The ones that aren't in the books are original characters by me. Erm, this is just the prologue, much more to come, but if you want
to understand the rest of the story, I'd read this. Happy reading.
* * *
The room was dimly lit, and although the chair was one of the most comfortable Remus had ever sat in, he could not relax. His hands folded on his lap were shaking, and it took quite an effort to hold them down. Remus stared blankly into the large fireplace, outlined with phoenix shapes carved into the stone, and words of old that the twenty-eight year old could not read. The room was soundless. Even the wind did not disturb the willow tree several feet from the window on this night.
Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Dong.
Remus looked up at the large, enchanted clock on the wall to find that it was midnight, and he had been sitting in this chair for nearly an hour. It wasn't that he wanted to get out of here; he was by no means in any hurry to get home. He was just afraid. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then tore his gaze over to a rather tall old man in many robes who had just emerged from a door, the silver of a beard streaming down at least to the old man's knees.
"Remus, it has been decided." Remus stood and swallowed hard. "Oh? Oh it has?" The old man nodded. "Minerva and I have found that it would be best if she could stay with you. Sirius would have wished it." The old man stepped slowly down a small flight of stairs leading from another room into the headmaster's office, where Minerva McGonagall had seated the horror- struck young man that night. "And, seeing as her godfather is dead, we believe you are the one who should have custody."
McGonagall stepped out of the room that she and Albus Dumbledore had held council in. "Albus, it is getting awfully late." Albus looked up at her and nodded. "Then we should send Remus on his way." The headmaster turned back to Remus and took several steps closer so that they were face to face. "Do you understand what a responsibility you're taking on?" Remus nodded stiffly, unable to really think at the moment. "Yes. Yes I do, professor." McGonagall took a deep breath and let it out, clearly quite uncomfortable with the thought of having a werewolf, however good of a person he might be, look over such a treasured little thing. "Alright, then." She looked at Dumbledore with one last plea of 'Please, can't we send her somewhere else? And not with the werewolf?' but Dumbledore ignored it. He walked over to the large chair that sat behind his desk, and out of it he softly pulled a little girl, about five years of age.
The young girl slept with her head on Dumbledore's shoulder as he carried her across the room. Lupin swallowed hard, silent tears squirting out of his eyes as he saw the girl. Her long, jet black hair and eyes reminded him of Sirius.and he didn't want to be reminded of Sirius. Not right now, anyway. Dumbledore handed the girl over to Remus, who softly took her in his arms, holding her like there was no tomorrow. Dumbledore smiled softly at Remus. "And I'm guessing that we shall be seeing you sometime soon, correct?" Remus nodded again, less stiffly this time. At least some of the terror had drifted off of him since he knew he now had what he came from. Dumbledore ran a wrinkled, long-fingered hand through the girl's hair, and he walked off to his bedroom; it was pushing a quarter after midnight now.
Remus did not even glance at Minerva McGonagall. He did not want to see the look on her face. The two had always gotten along until now; Professor McGonagall had been his favorite teacher at Hogwarts. Remus knew she had reasons to be concerned with the little girl in the custody of a werewolf, but he also knew that she should put trust in Dumbledore's decision and not her own wariness of the situation. Remus knew also that Dumbledore, McGonagall, and himself were the only ones that had little to say on that night. The rest of the wizarding world was raising its glasses and lifting its hats, proclaiming the death of the Dark Lord and the magnificence of the Boy Who Lived.
* * *
The walk from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade was terrible. Remus was trying to make his way through the pouring rain as fast as he could, but it was not fast enough. The little girl had begun to cry in her sleep; nightmares, Remus thought. And she had every right to be having nightmares after what she had gone through.
As the thick, deep puddles of the road soaked his feet and socks, Remus began to talk to himself. "I p-promise, Sirius.I promise y-you." He repeated over and over out loud, knowing that he was probably going mentally insane and should be locked up in a padded, spell-proof room immediately. He looked over at the little girl's head on his shoulder and saw Sirius again, getting ready to cast a curse on his once-friend, now- traitor in a Muggle alleyway. Remus had told him not to go, told him not to try and catch Peter. But Sirius wouldn't listen. Sirius's heart was filled with hatred so damn unbearable for Peter Pettigrew that he would hurt the little bastard if it meant life in Azkaban. The last conversation Remus had had with his friend had not been a good one.
* * *
"There he is.that worm." Sirius peered around the corner of one of the Muggle bookstores. Lupin had his hands shoved in his pockets, looking around nervously. "Sirius.let's get out of here.Dumbledore's expecting us at the Order meeting in an hour and- Sirius?!" Sirius had made his way out from behind the building, and he began to sneak up on Peter. Remus's eyes widened. "Sirius!" He whispered hoarsely. "Get back here! Hurting Peter isn't going to bring James back!" Sirius turned around and looked at Remus with rather sad eyes. "Remus.whatever happens.you'll take care of Addalyn, won't you?" Remus hadn't said anything, because he didn't want anything to happen to his friend. Sirius's face hardened.
"Promise me, Remus."
"I.I promise," he said as Sirius smiled one last smile at Remus and then turned towards Peter.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Sirius muttered under his breath, grinned a little mischieviously, and then drew his wand. That traitor would pay for what he had done. He would pay for everything. Sirius saw a flash, and turned to his right. A Muggle was lying dead on the ground. He gasped, and then he saw Peter begin to laugh. He cackled the Death Eater's cackle as he killed them all off, killed all of the Muggles, one by one. Sirius's eyes widened as he turned to run, but before he could, the dementors came.
* * *
Remus had several tears running out of his eyes again now as he opened the creaky door to his little, dusty old cottage in Hogsmeade. He would have to clean it up if the two of them would be living in it. Remus walked through the living room and into one of the two very small bedrooms. He laid Addalyn Aurora Black in the small bed, then pulled a quilt up over her and kissed her forehead lightly. The five year old shifted a little in her sleep and then lay still. Remus sat on the edge of her bed for the longest time, brushing some of the hair out of her eyes. "I swear nothing will every happen to you."