A SLIGHT CHANGE

CH. 8- ALWAYS

DISCLAIMER- … Chad… Chad Michael Murray's engaged… damn you for taking him from me, Sophia Bush! You know the deal, I own what I own and I don't what I don't. Or something like that.

AN- When we were in Germany, I saw a truck for a company called Remus and their logo was a wolf's head. I thought that was pretty neat. Thanks to those who reviewed!

This Romeo is bleeding

But you can't see his blood

It's nothing but some feelings

That this old dog kicked up

It's been raining since you left me

Now I'm drowning in the flood

You see I've always been a fighter

But without you I give up

Now I can't sing a love song

Like the way it's meant to be

Well, I guess I'm not that good anymore

But baby, that's just me

And I will love you, baby - Always

And I'll be there forever and a day - Always

I'll be there till the stars don't shine

Till the heavens burst and

The words don't rhyme

And I know when I die, you'll be on my mind

And I'll love you - Always

Now your pictures that you left behind

Are just memories of a different life

Some that made us laugh, some that made us cry

One that made you have to say goodbye

What I'd give to run my fingers through your hair

To touch your lips, to hold you near

When you say your prayers try to understand

I've made mistakes, I'm just a man

When he holds you close, when he pulls you near

When he says the words you've been needing to hear

I'll wish I was him 'cause those words are mine

To say to you till the end of time

Yeah, I will love you baby - Always

And I'll be there forever and a day - Always

If you told me to cry for you

I could

If you told me to die for you

I would

Take a look at my face

There's no price I won't pay

To say these words to you

Well, there ain't no luck

In these loaded dice

But baby if you give me just one more try

We can pack up our old dreams

And our old lives

We'll find a place where the sun still shines

And I will love you, baby - Always

And I'll be there forever and a day - Always

I'll be there till the stars don't shine

Till the heavens burst and

The words don't rhyme

And I know when I die, you'll be on my mind

And I'll love you - Always

"Always" - Bon Jovi

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I SAT huddled on the armchair which Remus dubbed the "Magic Settee" (AN- I am so sorry if I misspelled that.) because that's where he would always sit with me when I was a baby. I'd only known my father for about six months but he's still my father. Mom and I got along well without him but Mom still knew where he was. But now, I've no idea where he is or what he's doing. All I know is that he's after Death Eaters and that's not a very pleasant thought. He's off at war and I don't know when he'll be back.

"Lor?"

I wiped my eyes and saw Harry standing in the doorway, his hair sticking up every which way. I scooted over as far as I could and he gathered me in his arms.

"What's wrong?" he whispered.

"They're gone."

"Already?"

I nodded into his chest. "They left about an hour ago."

"Do you know where they went?"

"No." This brought on another bout of tears.

"Shh… it's going to be okay. I promise. Shh…" He paused. "Who's on the couch?"

"Reina. She's, um, Snape's daughter."

"Snape has a kid? Who's sick enough to sleep with him?"

I took a deep breath, trying to fight the anger that was bubbling in the pit of my stomach. "My father."

"Your-? Oh! I'm sorry for what I said then."

"You didn't know." I crawled off the Magic Settee and knelt in front of my sister. I brushed a stray strand of hair off her olive face and smiled as she began to wake. Her amber eyes searched around the room before landing on my face.

"Lorelai!" She wrapped her thing arms around me in a tight hug and I could feel her shoulder's tremble. "Daddy's gone. So is Remy."

"I know. They'll be back soon." I hope I was telling the poor kid the truth. "Are you hungry? I could make some breakfast."

"Chocolate chip pancakes?" She asked hopefully.

"Your daddy taught me how to make his special chocolate chip pancakes."

"Yay!" She spotted Harry, who was now flipping through the Daily Prophet. "Potter."

"Huh? Oh, hello."

"I don't like you."

Harry looked amused. "Why not?"

"Because my daddy doesn't like you."

"But I like him," I told her. "He's my boyfriend."

She pondered this for a while before nodding. "Okay. I like you then."

"Good."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I TROTTED over to Padfoot the puppy and nudged him with my nose. He continued to bask in the sun, his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth. I barked impatiently and nipped at his ear. This got him up… and angry. He rolled over and bounded to his feet, knocking me over. He towered over me, his haunches raised and teeth bared in a snarl. The growl came from deep within his throat. He nipped at my shoulder and I let out a pained whine.

"Siri, I'm sorry!" I whimpered.

"Lor? Aw, shit, I forgot!" Padfoot the puppy licked my bleeding shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I forgot what you looked like."

"That's flattering."

"Does it hurt?"

"Not really. I'm gonna go home and bandage it up."

"Geez, Lor, you have no idea how sorry I am. I'll come with you. Shit…"

"Siri, it's no big deal. I'll be fine." I limped back to the house and lopped inside. I transformed in the bathroom while Sirius changed clothes. I surveyed my injury in the mirror and grimaced. It looked pretty nasty. It wasn't very deep but it was dripping blood. I washed it off and began to pour hydrogen peroxide on it as Sirius watched with a guilty look on his face. Poor guy.

"Lor, I'm really sorry."

"Stop apologizing."

"But I-"

"Do it again and I'll break your head," I said, putting on my best Jean Reno accent.

He sulked. "Can I at least help?"

"You can put the bandage on."

"All right." As he put the bandage on, I felt really content, like he had been taking care of me since I was little. You know, putting a Band-Aid on my knee from when I fell off the bike when I was five. It just made me reminisce about all the times Mom had to clean my wounds or tell me that my Richie Sambora poster wasn't watching me get dressed. Simple things that made me feel so much better.

"All fixed," Sirius finally said, patting my head mockingly.

"Thank you," I said sincerely.

"No biggie."

Before I knew it, I was hugging him. "I'm so glad my mom found you."

"Me, too. Want me to make you a banana split? I think I heard the rest of the kids come in."

"Sure."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"SIRIUS! Turn that racket off! I swear, you're worse than the kids!" Mrs. Weasley yelled from the kitchen.

"I can't hear you!" Sirius turned the stereo up louder as we continued dancing. Hermione, Mom, and I made up a new dance to "Blitzkrieg Bop" by the Ramones and the guys pretended to actually be the Ramones.

"Sirius!"

"The music's too loud! I can't hear!"

"Ugh!" I heard the back door slam and I guessed that Mrs. Weasley gave up.

"Time for a slow song," Sirius said, putting on "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" by Aerosmith. He pulled Mom close to him as I wrapped my arms around Harry's neck. This left Ron and Hermione to dance with each other and romance to bloom.

"Lor! Lor! Daddy's here! Daddy's back!" Reina ran into the living room and her face made the sunlight seem dim. "Daddy's back and he brought Remy!"

As if right on cue, Severus and Remus walked in and there was a collective gasp at what laid before us. Remus's leg was wrapped in a bloodied gauze and his left eye was swollen. There was a deep gash across his chest that looked like it had just recently scabbed over.

"Oh, my God," Mom breathed, rushing over to Remus. "What happened?"

"Death Eaters," Sev said, disgusted. "They found us before we found them."

"Is everyone else all right?"

"A few bumps and scratches but Remus got it worst. He had wandered off and ran into about five Death Eaters. One had him in a body bind while the rest beat him. We got there just in time. We petrified them and sent them all to Azkaban. Of course, there are still many more out there, but Albus wanted me to bring Remus home. He's in pretty bad shape and the full moon is Thursday."

"Are you staying too?" I asked, realizing my voice sounded hopeful.

"Yes, but only until after the full moon. I have to make Remus's Wolfsbane potion."

I walked over to my father and gently touched his cheek. "Welcome home, Dad." When he didn't respond, I continued. "We missed you. You've been gone for over a month. Not much happened here. Sirius annoyed Mrs. Weasley just about everyday. I mastered the Stunning Spell finally. I stunned Mom's puppy. Have you seen him yet? He's not usually at the house. He likes to wonder." My voice broke. "Please, wake up, Daddy. Please…"

I felt Harry put his hand on my shoulder, gently pulling me towards him. "Come on, Lorelai. Let's go for a walk."

I looked longingly at Remus and blinked furiously, trying to make the tears go away. "Okay."

As we were walking to the back door, Severus stopped me and whispered, "He's going to be okay." (AN- I like making Snape a good guy. :)

"Thank you. For everything. You really are a good guy, Sev."

"Don't tell anyone that," he muttered.

It's all just an act. One he better end soon because I like the good guy Sev.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I SLEPT in a chair next to Remus's bed every night until he woke up. Severus stayed the first night and yesterday but he then went to go spend some time with Reina. I never really slept, though. I more or less waited for him to wake up. But he didn't. Not for the next two days.

It was Wednesday, February 12th, one day before the full moon, that Remus woke up. I was reading HOWL for the twentieth time when I noticed him stir and then sit up, groaning.

"Dad…" I ran over to his bedside and grabbed his hand. "You're awake."

"You're observant. How long was I asleep?" His voice was dry and raspy.

"About two days. Sev brought you home. Here, have some water."

"Thank you." He took a sip before downing the rest in one gulp. When he spoke, his voice was still raspy but held much more feeling and emotion. "Severus brought me home?"

"Yep. He came and sat by you for a day but he's with Reina today. I think he still ahs feelings for you."

He nodded. "I know. He's spoken to me about that. But… Tonks."

"Did Tonks bring you home? Did Tonks sit by your bedside? Did Tonks have a child with you? Does Tonks love you the way Severus does?" Haha, beat that.

"No. To all of those. You're very persistent." He laughed bitterly. "I'm too easy. I've been with three of the people in this house. I proposed to and had a child with one lady, I had a child with one man, and I'm dating another girl."

"Relax. You're going through a phase, trying to find the one who you can love with all of your heart. Who do you think that is?" I paused. "Do you need some painkillers? We've got Motrin."

"Motrin?"

"It's a Muggle brand. It works for me and Mom. Or, Sev brought you this." I handed him a shot glass of potion.

"Good ol' Severus." He gulped down the liquid and made a face. "Tastes like shite but works like a charm. I feel better already." He tried to get out of bed but stopped suddenly, lying back down. "I think I'll just stay here. Pretty sure my leg's broken."

"I bet Sev can fix that."

"Sev can fix anything. Wait, you don't…"

I grinned widely. "I like Sev. I think it's obvious y'all were meant for each other."

"It's not weird for you?"

"Not really."

"Okay, then. I need to talk to Tonks first, but I can't. And Sev is leaving the day after tomorrow."

"Tell him now. That way he has something he knows he can come home to."

"You are clever."

"Lorelai?" Ron stuck his red head in the door, along with Harry and Hermione. "Oh, Lupin, you're awake!"

"He just woke up about 10 minutes ago," I told them.

"Hello." Remus gestured them in and smiled warmly. "How are you?"

"Tired," Hermione answered. "No one has gotten much sleep. We've all been worried sick about you. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, I am, thank you. Severus has made me a healing potion, but I think my leg's broken."

"Professor Snape said it was. He'll fix it though."

Remus and I shared a knowing smile as someone knocked on the door. Sure enough, in walked Severus, brandishing his wand. He smiled warmly at Remus, who returned it.

"I've come to fix your leg." I noticed that when he spoke to Remus, his voice was a lot softer and very warm. "Let me see it."

"Yes, doctor." Remus pulled the covers off of his leg and everyone groaned and grimaced.

"That's disgusting," Ron moaned.

"Ew…" Hermione buried her face in Ron's shoulder.

It was oozing pus and all sorts of colors. Just… nasty.

Severus muttered a hex and pointed his wand at Remus's leg. Green sparks (as well as those of another sort) flew and the oozing gashes disappeared and Remus took a sharp intake of breath. Seconds later, he was bending his leg as if it was never broken.

"Wow, that's brilliant!" Harry whispered loudly. "Better than Lockhart could ever do."

"Severus, I don't know how I could ever repay you," Remus said.

"Don't get hurt anymore." He sounded rough and spiteful but there was a twinkle in his eyes that only Remus and I spotted.

"Come on, guys. I think Remy and Sev need to talk." I ushered the gang into the hallway and downstairs to where Mom, Mrs. Weasley, and Reina were playing Go Fish and Sirius was watching TV.

"Is your father awake yet?" Mom asked.

"Yep. He's talking to Sev right now. I don't know how long they'll be."

Sirius laughed out loud. "Bloody hell, these guys are brilliant! The tall one, ya see? Friggin' hilarious. And the bald one? Funny as hell. American television is classic." (AN- I'll give a cookie to whoever guesses what show this is.)

Mom turned back to me after staring lovingly at Sirius. "How's Remus?"

"He's a lot better. Severus makes him feel better."

"Because of their past?" I could tell what she was hinting at.

"Because of their past, present and future."

"They're back together?"

"I was talking to Dad about it and he was leaning towards getting back together with Sev. So, they're most likely starting over."

"Lor?" Reina sat her cards down. "Can you take me to go see Daddy?"

"Sure thing, kiddo." I kissed Harry on the cheek as Reina climbed onto my back and we headed upstairs.

"Make yourselves decent, girls are coming in!" I announced, opening the door. Remus was still lying in bed and Severus was sitting next to him.

"Hey, Daddy. Are you better, Remy?" Se asked, climbing into Severus's lap.

"I'm better." Remus stroked his daughter's raven hair. "Do you like it here?"

"Yep! I like going to the beach and playing in the sand. It's different than London. People are nicer." (AN- No offense to the people of London!)

"There's not a lot of magic, though," Severus added. I realized that he had his hand resting on Remus's forearm. "You have to leave your wand at home."

"True. But that's just one little thing," Remus said.

"Are you two back together?" I asked receiving one big grin and a poorly concealed smile.

"You were right, Lor. We were meant to be together."

"That's so cliché," Severus mumbled.

"But it's the truth."

Sev mumbled something before shrugging. "I guess so."

I laughed and told Sev, "You're such a pushover! Dad's got you wrapped around his little finger." I added softly, "You'd do anything for him." He nodded.

"I wanna go to the beach!" Reina exclaimed, jumping off her father's lap. "Let's go, Daddy!"

Severus looked at Remus as though for permission. When he nodded, Sev got out of the bed and picked up his daughter, who giggled with delight. "Come on, my dear Reina Sidney. Let's go to the beach."

I never really pictured Severus as a father. But after I watched him playing with the Reina on the beach, I found out what a great dad he was. He laughed and played with the little girl, something I would never imagine. And… he looked happy. Happier than I've ever seen him. I don't know if it was because of Reina or getting back with Remus, but whatever it was, it made him happy. Seeing him happy made me happy. And it made Remus happy. And a happy Remus made a happy Severus and a happy Severus made a happy me and a happy me makes a happy Harry and so forth. Get it? (AN- I got a little carried away…)

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"SINCE you caught some of the Death Eaters, can we go back to school?" Ron asked Severus the next morning at breakfast.

Sev shrugged, taking a sip of his black coffee. "It's too early to tell. As soon as Albus returns, we should know. There are still hundreds and hundreds of Death Eaters still out there. Black won't ever be truly free."

"Gee, thanks," Sirius muttered.

"He didn't mean it the way you took it," Mom assured him. "You'll never see the end of the Death Eaters is what he's trying to say."

"Exactly. Thank you, Tina." Sev glanced at me and I gave him a gracious smile. He was really trying to be a nicer guy.

"Do you know when Dumbledore will return?" Harry asked Remus, who was stuffing himself with scrambled eggs.

"Don't eat so fast," Sev scolded him.

He gave Sev an annoyed look and said to Harry, "I'm not sure when Albus will be back. I'm hoping he'll return safely and soon."

I pushed my empty bowl of oatmeal away and excused myself. All of a sudden I felt extremely angry. I ran upstairs to my room and locked the door, breathing heavily and clenching my fists. I was mad at Voldemort for killing Harry's parents and trying to kill Harry several different times; at the Death Eaters for wanting to murder an innocent man; again at the Death Eaters for hurting my dad; at the werewolf who bit Remus, giving him monthly grief and pain; and at Eve, for eating the apple and giving women monthly grief and pain.

I sat down on my bed, clutching my stuffed hippo (Frank) close to my chest, and began to sob. I cried in anger, sadness, angst, happiness- I was an emotional wreck. Sad because the people I care for are fighting a never-ending war and Sev was going to join them tomorrow. Suffering from teenage angst and hating the world for no damn reason. And I was happy that he house was full of love and blossoming relationships.

Getting off the bed, I turned on my stereo, letting the music run through my soul. The faint sound of knocking could be heard over the Beatles.

"May I come in?"

"Yes."

Remus opened the door and sat beside me on the floor. He looked paler than usual, probably because the full moon was tonight. His once lively amber eyes were dull and tired, matching his haggard face.

"You left quickly," he said softly.

"Female mood swing. I was angry."

"At whom?"

"Lots of people. Voldemort, his followers, that stupid werewolf who bit you… I believe a religious woman was in there too."

"Ah. I'm sorry." (AN- Gotta love the apologies.) He spotted the scar on my shoulder, for I was wearing a tank top. "Where'd that come from?"

"Oh, um, Sirius was confused. We were in our dog forms and I woke him up, he freaked out, and bit me. He said he didn't know it was me, though."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, of course. Are you okay? Did all of your scars heal up fine?"

"Mm-hmm. Severus did a good job."

"That's good."

Right then, a beautiful snowy owl came flying through the open window and landed on Remus's knee. He removed the note from its outstretched talon and read it quickly. I watched his eyes narrow as they did when he was concerned.

"I've got to go," he said getting up quickly. "Albus needs us."

"What? Dad, where are you going?" I called after him but he was already downstairs. "Dad?"

He and Severus came rushing to the front door, frantically throwing their robes over there Muggle clothes.

"Dad, what's going on? Dad, come on! Tell me!"

"Lorelai-" He gripped my shoulders tightly. "-my sweet daughter, I will always be here for you. Whatever happens, I am always here. I love you so much."

"Dad, what's wrong?" He was beginning to frighten me.

"I have to go."

"But the full moon's tonight!"

"I'll have Severus."

"Dad, what is it?"

His amber eyes pierced into mine. "He's back."

AN- Duh, duh, duh! Cliffhanger! The next chapter should be up soon.