Disclaimer- I own only the plot, Sohalia, Tala, "Karna" and Mr. Cape. The
rest belong to JK Rowling.
Remus sighed as he swished his cold cereal around in his bowl. "This is not going to be a good day," he muttered dejectedly. He looked up at the stairs half heartedly. "Where is that girl?" he walked to the foot of the stairs and looked up into the hallway. Her door was still mysteriously closed. "Sohalia, are you up yet?" he called. He listened; there was no sound. "Sohalia, don't make me come and get you up!" he yelled. When no reply came he jogged up the stairs and thrust open the door. As he had suspected, she was still in her bed. "Sohalia, come on," he begged, walking over to her. "I really don't want to have to do this," a small smile played on his lips as he brought out the........oh no......tickle fingers. The minute his fingers touched her abdomen she popped out of her bed like a rocket.
"DAD!" she exclaimed. "That wasn't nice!" He smiled. Though she was now 15, not 5, tickle fingers still worked perfectly.
"Sohalia Rosaline Lupin, you know what time you're supposed to be up. We have to leave in 15 minutes," he chastised, putting on his serious face.
"It's fine, that's totally enough time to get ready. It'll be especially enough if my father leaves so I can get dressed," she added, giving him a pointed look.
"Oh, right," he blushed and left immediately. Maybe today wouldn't be entirely miserable. That's what he thought every morning. It was always terrible until he saw his little girl's smiling face.
For the past 15 years, his daughter had been the only thing to see him through. She had been his sun, his moon, his stars, everything. You see, after the 2nd war was over Remus couldn't see facing a world of pain and rejection again. He could stand it when there was a job to do, but with that world, he couldn't even land himself a one. So, after Voldemort was killed and he knew Harry would be alright, he left. He took a portkey to the US, and sent a letter to Severus asking him to send Wolfsbane once a month.
A small while after he was there, he met a woman. Her name was Tala McCaphey. She worked in his office and he discovered that she too was a werewolf. Like him, she had fled the wizarding world, seeking solace in the ignorance of her surroundings. The couple thought that a common situation was the only thing they needed.
They got married soon after they met. Very early in their marriage they realized that they had nothing in common. They had completely different personalities and mentalities. Clearly, they couldn't stay married just because hey both got transformed into a beast once a month. Their misguided fairytale was coming to an end. Then, when they were getting ready to file for divorce, Tala dropped the bomb. He still remembered the words: "Remus, I'm pregnant," blowing him away. Because of the baby, they decided to stick it out for a bit longer. They'd live as friends, not husband and wife though it was easier just not to file for divorce.
Like all expectant parents, they fussed over everything. They got a room ready with their meager savings. They bought a highchair and bottles, bowls, and spoons. They were on like mad but they were excited. They poured over baby books, wanting to find the perfect name. The name Rollin Edward was the name for the baby if it was a boy. Rollin meant "Wolf" so they thought it suitable. Both secretly hoped, however, that it was a girl. Sohalia Rosaline Lupin. It, Sohalia was a Hindi name meaning "moon glow" . As Tala explained: "We should take something that we hate and turn it into something we love." Remus agreed.
Unfortunately, their darling Sohalia's birthday was also Tala's death day. Father and daughter were left alone, sort of. It was tough. Remus had very little money. He lived in the muggle world but it was onerous. The two had to move into a shabby, little apartment in a bad neighborhood for a couple of years.
Once a month, Remus would get a baby sitter to stay with Sohalia over night so he could go elsewhere for his transformation. He knew that the Wolfsbane kept him from being dangerous but you could never too safe. The baby sitter must have noticed but said nothing. That went on for 8 years. In those 8 y ears, Remus saved enough to move into a small, two-story house near work. It was tiny; downstairs had three rooms: kitchen, living room and office. Upstairs had three rooms: two bedrooms, and a bathroom. The little hut, nonetheless, was theirs and quite acceptable for the two.
When Sohalia was eight she informed her father that she knew what was going on. He was taken aback and tried to deny it but the brainy little girl held up a bottle of Wolfsbane potion. "There's no use denying it Daddy. I've been tracking your "business meetings" for two months. They both fell on the full moon." He didn't deny it.
She convinced him that she should help him. He refused at first but the want for human contact was just too great. He took her to the abandoned shack the next month. She brought a book, food, and a sleeping bag. "Sohalia, you are to stay away from me, is that clear? There are two rooms and you are not to go out of the one I appoint to you." She nodded resolutely.
The next morning, when he woke up, he went to check on her. She looked at him with her big, blue eyes. Tears had clearly fallen down her cheeks. He expected her to run away from him. He felt the bottom drop out of his stomach, how could he have been so stupid? Now she hated him. She did a very surprising thing, however. She got up off the floor and walked over to him. With a tentative hand, she caressed his cheek softly. "Does it hurt terribly Daddy?" she asked in a very small voice.
He broke down. Tears fell down his face in torrents and he didn't think they'd ever stop. She was worried about him, his pain. She wasn't revolted by him; she loved him. He felt her small arms fold around his neck. He felt soft tears fall onto his head and they stayed like that for what seemed an eternity. When he finally broke the embrace he looked into her eyes, his eyes and smiled. "It doesn't hurt as badly as it did." She smiled her biggest smile.
"That makes me so happy Daddy!" They walked home; her egging him on till they got through. Once inside she instructed him to lay on the couch. He watched her as she prepared him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He watched as she methodically cut off the crust and poured him a glass of apple juice. It was the meal he always prepared for her when she was feeling rotten. She put the two things on a tray and carried it in to him. To this day, PB&J along with Apple juice is his favorite meal.
Over the next 9 years Sohalia enrolled in SMI- an American counterpart to Hogwarts. She stayed home and went to school in the day as was the custom in the States. Remus was exceedingly happy about that. He got a job at a Magical Creatures shop, easing his way back into the magical community. She went to the shack in the woods with him every full moon and stayed in the opposite room. She always made him dinner afterwards though it became a bit more sophisticated as she grew older.
During the summers, starting when Sohalia was 13, she worked in the shop with her father. He guessed that nobody would think to look for him there and even if they did, they wouldn't be looking for Remus Lupin, father of Sohalia Lupin. As it went, they lead a pretty nice life. Of course, when the bills rolled around each month there was always that fear that there wouldn't be enough. Remus just thanked his lucky star every night that it had been Tala and not Sohalia that had died. He knew it was terrible but he had never loved Tala. Sure, he had liked her enough to get married but he hadn't ever loved her. Ther first time he saw Sohalia, though, his heart mealt.
"I'm ready Dad, we can floo now," Sohalia said, walking up behind her father, fully dressed.
"Aren't you going to eat anything Hallie?" he asked, giving her a skeptical look.
"I grabbed a piece of toast on the way out. Go ahead, I'll be fine," she rolled her eyes and pushed him toward the small grate. She was a pretty girl, very pretty. She got her eyes from her father along with his height but that's where the similarities ended. One thing Tala had given was her looks. Sohalia had inherited her milky white complextion and wavy, brown hair. She had inherited her shapely yet small build and her big, full lips. Sohalia was beautiful, just plain beautiful. That was one thing none of Remus's coleages contested.
He appeared in the shop and met the owner. Mr. Cape was an older gentleman. He knew a heck of a lot about animals (though not as much as Remus). He showed the werewolf mercy because his own son had been bit when he was 6. "Where is Sohalia? I was expecting her to greet the customers," Mr. Cape said, giving Remus a smile.
"She's coming though I'm not sure I want her to be drawing in customers. You know that the customers she drags in aren't the type you want," Remus answered, half jokinly. Sohalia broke up the conversation when she tumbled out of the grate.
"I have never gotten the hang of floo," she muttered, brushing off her blouse. She was wearing the purple blouse Remus had bought her for her 15th brithday paired with a pair of jeans and flipflops. She had her dark curls pinned back behind her ears. The long tresses hung to her waist because Remus had never felt the erge for her to get it cut.
"Pleasant journey?" Mr. Cape asked, taking her bag and hanging it up.
"As pleaseant as floo ever is. Dad, why don't you get an eye on that new shipment of blast-ended skroots that just came in." He smiled and nodded, ducking into the back room. "Do you want me to man the register Mr. Cape?"
"Please, call me Peter."
"Alright, do you?"
"Yes, please do. Your apron is right there." He pointed a knobbly finger at a Kelley-green apron with the name "Karna" on it. She pulled it on and stood behind the register. "Good, good, just, you know, work your magic."
"I don't know what kind of magic it is but whatever," she grinned. The old man was obviously horny but in a cute, somewhat harmless type of way.
The day passed quickly. Buisness was normal if not robust. Sohalia didn't see her father very much over the course of the day. In fact, he didn't come from the back of the shop till lunch time. Since they had very little money, Remus always brought sack lunches which they ate in the park across from "Karna". It was quite enjoyable and Remus had learned to relish every moment he spent with his dearest.
The afternoon arrived with heavier business then usual. It was so busy that Sohalia didn't notice a man with his son, pacing around the shelves on the left. She didn't notice either till they caught her at the register. "Hello, are you Sohalia Lupin?"
"Yes, why do you ask?" she felt her voice take on a guarded tone. These people were foreign. They sounded like they were from England, just like her father. The older had messy, black hair, was slightly short, and wore glasses over big, green eyes. The son looked virtually the same except with no glasses, slightly taller, and with blue eyes.
"I'm Harry Potter, this is my son James. We're here to see your father........"
Remus sighed as he swished his cold cereal around in his bowl. "This is not going to be a good day," he muttered dejectedly. He looked up at the stairs half heartedly. "Where is that girl?" he walked to the foot of the stairs and looked up into the hallway. Her door was still mysteriously closed. "Sohalia, are you up yet?" he called. He listened; there was no sound. "Sohalia, don't make me come and get you up!" he yelled. When no reply came he jogged up the stairs and thrust open the door. As he had suspected, she was still in her bed. "Sohalia, come on," he begged, walking over to her. "I really don't want to have to do this," a small smile played on his lips as he brought out the........oh no......tickle fingers. The minute his fingers touched her abdomen she popped out of her bed like a rocket.
"DAD!" she exclaimed. "That wasn't nice!" He smiled. Though she was now 15, not 5, tickle fingers still worked perfectly.
"Sohalia Rosaline Lupin, you know what time you're supposed to be up. We have to leave in 15 minutes," he chastised, putting on his serious face.
"It's fine, that's totally enough time to get ready. It'll be especially enough if my father leaves so I can get dressed," she added, giving him a pointed look.
"Oh, right," he blushed and left immediately. Maybe today wouldn't be entirely miserable. That's what he thought every morning. It was always terrible until he saw his little girl's smiling face.
For the past 15 years, his daughter had been the only thing to see him through. She had been his sun, his moon, his stars, everything. You see, after the 2nd war was over Remus couldn't see facing a world of pain and rejection again. He could stand it when there was a job to do, but with that world, he couldn't even land himself a one. So, after Voldemort was killed and he knew Harry would be alright, he left. He took a portkey to the US, and sent a letter to Severus asking him to send Wolfsbane once a month.
A small while after he was there, he met a woman. Her name was Tala McCaphey. She worked in his office and he discovered that she too was a werewolf. Like him, she had fled the wizarding world, seeking solace in the ignorance of her surroundings. The couple thought that a common situation was the only thing they needed.
They got married soon after they met. Very early in their marriage they realized that they had nothing in common. They had completely different personalities and mentalities. Clearly, they couldn't stay married just because hey both got transformed into a beast once a month. Their misguided fairytale was coming to an end. Then, when they were getting ready to file for divorce, Tala dropped the bomb. He still remembered the words: "Remus, I'm pregnant," blowing him away. Because of the baby, they decided to stick it out for a bit longer. They'd live as friends, not husband and wife though it was easier just not to file for divorce.
Like all expectant parents, they fussed over everything. They got a room ready with their meager savings. They bought a highchair and bottles, bowls, and spoons. They were on like mad but they were excited. They poured over baby books, wanting to find the perfect name. The name Rollin Edward was the name for the baby if it was a boy. Rollin meant "Wolf" so they thought it suitable. Both secretly hoped, however, that it was a girl. Sohalia Rosaline Lupin. It, Sohalia was a Hindi name meaning "moon glow" . As Tala explained: "We should take something that we hate and turn it into something we love." Remus agreed.
Unfortunately, their darling Sohalia's birthday was also Tala's death day. Father and daughter were left alone, sort of. It was tough. Remus had very little money. He lived in the muggle world but it was onerous. The two had to move into a shabby, little apartment in a bad neighborhood for a couple of years.
Once a month, Remus would get a baby sitter to stay with Sohalia over night so he could go elsewhere for his transformation. He knew that the Wolfsbane kept him from being dangerous but you could never too safe. The baby sitter must have noticed but said nothing. That went on for 8 years. In those 8 y ears, Remus saved enough to move into a small, two-story house near work. It was tiny; downstairs had three rooms: kitchen, living room and office. Upstairs had three rooms: two bedrooms, and a bathroom. The little hut, nonetheless, was theirs and quite acceptable for the two.
When Sohalia was eight she informed her father that she knew what was going on. He was taken aback and tried to deny it but the brainy little girl held up a bottle of Wolfsbane potion. "There's no use denying it Daddy. I've been tracking your "business meetings" for two months. They both fell on the full moon." He didn't deny it.
She convinced him that she should help him. He refused at first but the want for human contact was just too great. He took her to the abandoned shack the next month. She brought a book, food, and a sleeping bag. "Sohalia, you are to stay away from me, is that clear? There are two rooms and you are not to go out of the one I appoint to you." She nodded resolutely.
The next morning, when he woke up, he went to check on her. She looked at him with her big, blue eyes. Tears had clearly fallen down her cheeks. He expected her to run away from him. He felt the bottom drop out of his stomach, how could he have been so stupid? Now she hated him. She did a very surprising thing, however. She got up off the floor and walked over to him. With a tentative hand, she caressed his cheek softly. "Does it hurt terribly Daddy?" she asked in a very small voice.
He broke down. Tears fell down his face in torrents and he didn't think they'd ever stop. She was worried about him, his pain. She wasn't revolted by him; she loved him. He felt her small arms fold around his neck. He felt soft tears fall onto his head and they stayed like that for what seemed an eternity. When he finally broke the embrace he looked into her eyes, his eyes and smiled. "It doesn't hurt as badly as it did." She smiled her biggest smile.
"That makes me so happy Daddy!" They walked home; her egging him on till they got through. Once inside she instructed him to lay on the couch. He watched her as she prepared him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He watched as she methodically cut off the crust and poured him a glass of apple juice. It was the meal he always prepared for her when she was feeling rotten. She put the two things on a tray and carried it in to him. To this day, PB&J along with Apple juice is his favorite meal.
Over the next 9 years Sohalia enrolled in SMI- an American counterpart to Hogwarts. She stayed home and went to school in the day as was the custom in the States. Remus was exceedingly happy about that. He got a job at a Magical Creatures shop, easing his way back into the magical community. She went to the shack in the woods with him every full moon and stayed in the opposite room. She always made him dinner afterwards though it became a bit more sophisticated as she grew older.
During the summers, starting when Sohalia was 13, she worked in the shop with her father. He guessed that nobody would think to look for him there and even if they did, they wouldn't be looking for Remus Lupin, father of Sohalia Lupin. As it went, they lead a pretty nice life. Of course, when the bills rolled around each month there was always that fear that there wouldn't be enough. Remus just thanked his lucky star every night that it had been Tala and not Sohalia that had died. He knew it was terrible but he had never loved Tala. Sure, he had liked her enough to get married but he hadn't ever loved her. Ther first time he saw Sohalia, though, his heart mealt.
"I'm ready Dad, we can floo now," Sohalia said, walking up behind her father, fully dressed.
"Aren't you going to eat anything Hallie?" he asked, giving her a skeptical look.
"I grabbed a piece of toast on the way out. Go ahead, I'll be fine," she rolled her eyes and pushed him toward the small grate. She was a pretty girl, very pretty. She got her eyes from her father along with his height but that's where the similarities ended. One thing Tala had given was her looks. Sohalia had inherited her milky white complextion and wavy, brown hair. She had inherited her shapely yet small build and her big, full lips. Sohalia was beautiful, just plain beautiful. That was one thing none of Remus's coleages contested.
He appeared in the shop and met the owner. Mr. Cape was an older gentleman. He knew a heck of a lot about animals (though not as much as Remus). He showed the werewolf mercy because his own son had been bit when he was 6. "Where is Sohalia? I was expecting her to greet the customers," Mr. Cape said, giving Remus a smile.
"She's coming though I'm not sure I want her to be drawing in customers. You know that the customers she drags in aren't the type you want," Remus answered, half jokinly. Sohalia broke up the conversation when she tumbled out of the grate.
"I have never gotten the hang of floo," she muttered, brushing off her blouse. She was wearing the purple blouse Remus had bought her for her 15th brithday paired with a pair of jeans and flipflops. She had her dark curls pinned back behind her ears. The long tresses hung to her waist because Remus had never felt the erge for her to get it cut.
"Pleasant journey?" Mr. Cape asked, taking her bag and hanging it up.
"As pleaseant as floo ever is. Dad, why don't you get an eye on that new shipment of blast-ended skroots that just came in." He smiled and nodded, ducking into the back room. "Do you want me to man the register Mr. Cape?"
"Please, call me Peter."
"Alright, do you?"
"Yes, please do. Your apron is right there." He pointed a knobbly finger at a Kelley-green apron with the name "Karna" on it. She pulled it on and stood behind the register. "Good, good, just, you know, work your magic."
"I don't know what kind of magic it is but whatever," she grinned. The old man was obviously horny but in a cute, somewhat harmless type of way.
The day passed quickly. Buisness was normal if not robust. Sohalia didn't see her father very much over the course of the day. In fact, he didn't come from the back of the shop till lunch time. Since they had very little money, Remus always brought sack lunches which they ate in the park across from "Karna". It was quite enjoyable and Remus had learned to relish every moment he spent with his dearest.
The afternoon arrived with heavier business then usual. It was so busy that Sohalia didn't notice a man with his son, pacing around the shelves on the left. She didn't notice either till they caught her at the register. "Hello, are you Sohalia Lupin?"
"Yes, why do you ask?" she felt her voice take on a guarded tone. These people were foreign. They sounded like they were from England, just like her father. The older had messy, black hair, was slightly short, and wore glasses over big, green eyes. The son looked virtually the same except with no glasses, slightly taller, and with blue eyes.
"I'm Harry Potter, this is my son James. We're here to see your father........"