Chapter Thirty Nine
My Daughter
The Summer of 1996
"Don't ask questions, just trust me. I know what I saw. Why would I lie to you about something like this?"
"I know you wouldn't lie, it's just highly unlikely that you've found her. She's been gone for fifteen years. If you taught her three years ago, why didn't you realise who she was then? She's supposed to look a lot like I do, which also means she looks a lot like you."
"I wasn't sure if I was just imagining things. If you heard the things she told me you would know it's her too. That's not all; the Healers sent the blood work results to us and her parents."
"Why would they send it to the Order?"
"It involves us. But that's beside the point. The point is, when they tested the blood it came up different from her parents' DNA. It came up with a makeup similar to yours. I know it's hard for you to believe, but I wouldn't lie about this. Just let me explain."
Ding dong…
Remus Lupin waited patiently at the front door of the Jameson house, looking around in the evening sky. It was not yet dark, but it was not too light either. This was how it went for the past two years. He would go to Harry's house first and then to Lily's house. Lily was a friend of Harry's who spent the summer at the Order of the Phoenix's headquarters, more commonly known as Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. It was going to be a tradition for only another year as they would be graduating after this year, but it was a nice tradition… especially after what had occurred after their fifth year. Remus still hadn't gotten over it yet. How could he? Sirius was his best friend and only two years after recovering him from Azkaban, after he was falsely accused of the murder of Lily and James Potter, he went away again and this time for good. The only person this had affected worse than him was Harry. Harry was putting up a good fight, however, and going on as if nothing had happened.
The door opened, revealing a middle-aged woman with blonde hair and green eyes. She was holding a dishtowel and looking at him oddly.
Remus cleared his throat and smiled politely. "I'm not sure if you remember me," he said awkwardly. "But I'm Professor Lupin, a former teacher at Hogwarts."
The woman studied him for a minute, trying to place him. When she realised who he was, she smiled and nodded. "Yes, I remember you, come in." She stepped aside and Remus stepped through the front door, only to hear the clattering of a plate and the squishing of what was supposed to be their dinner.
"Mum," came a hesitant voice from the kitchen. "I think Riley's dinner's alive. It jumped up at me."
Mrs. Jameson sighed and threw her towel down on the floor. "Lily, you didn't charm it, did you?" she asked the girl, now known as Lily, in the other room.
"Hey, I'm not getting expelled!" she yelled back defensively.
Mrs. Jameson shook her head and turned back to Remus. "Sorry, my son was trying to cook dinner," she explained, stooping down to pick up the towel. "Lily was bound to do something to it."
"I heard that," said Lily, once again. They then heard footsteps and a girl, who looked to have turned sixteen only a short while ago, entered. The girl was fairly tall, reaching about 5"6. She had sandy brown hair and bright blue eyes. She was holding what appeared to be a plate of their dinner, except it was devoid of any food. There was only sauce smeared all over it.
"Mum," Lily said, not noticing Remus standing beside her mother. "I swear, the dinner got up and walked off my plate! It grew legs!"
"Will you stop that!" her mother snapped.
Lily stepped back, shocked by her mother's snap, but quickly recovered when she saw a little meatball begin walking over the wooden floor towards them. Her mother and Remus gaped at it and Lily smirked triumphantly.
"Told you it was alive."
Mrs. Jameson kneeled down and cautiously flicked the meatball over. Under it was a rather large spider. Revolted, she hurried into the other room and came out with a shoe. She slammed it on the spider until it was good and dead. When she was finished, she cleaned the shoe and the mess on the floor up.
"It wasn't alive," she said to her daughter, who was still smirking.
"Yeah, well, I guess we all know what Riley's made the meatballs out of," she said, indifferent to her mother's comment. "Forgive me if I don't eat dinner tonight. Spiders are not part of my diet."
Mrs. Jameson shook her head and left the room. Remus looked around the room, before clearing his throat to catch the girl's attention. Lily jumped at the noise and jumped even more when she saw Professor Lupin standing behind her. She didn't realise he was going to come so soon this year. It was only two weeks after school had ended. She thought, considering the situation, he would've waited a little more before coming.
"Oh, hi Professor," she said pleasantly. "I didn't think you'd be coming so early."
"Well, Professor Dumbledore thought it best to get Harry away from the Dursleys as soon as possible," Remus explained with a hollow laugh. "So, I decided to come get you too."
She nodded slowly, listening as her mum cleaned up the mess in the kitchen. "Well, I'm not packed at all," she confessed. "I can pack quickly though, once I find everything."
He nodded and asked if he could be of any help. She shook her head and dashed up the flight of stairs leading towards the end of the hallway, where there was yet another flight of stairs leading to her room.
Lily's room was actually the old attic, which they had converted into a bedroom five years ago when her mother was supposed to be having another baby. Lily was going to have to share a room, but they figured it wasn't a good idea, as they knew she had all different kinds of magic supplies strewn around. So her dad had the idea to convert the attic into a separate bedroom for her. The baby only lived a short while, dying from respiratory complications. Lily was supposed to move back into her old room, but her mother refused, saying that it was going to serve as a memorial for Lily's little sister.
Her room was the largest in the house. As that the attic covered the entire building, she was able to have a big room. Directly across from the door was her bed, which held a dark blue comforter with a portrait of a crescent moon, embroidered on it. Her room contained her dresser, which held many knick-knacks. There was the cage that normally held her owl Sapphire in it. Sapphire, however, was out scavenging and the cage stood empty. She had many poster hung around her room, all of them showing off her favourite movies and bands, such as Star Wars, The Rolling Stones, Queen, and any Mel Brooks movie in creation. Her room was usually kept clean, being that she was only using it two months during the year. Now it was as messy as it could be. She knew, because of this, it would take her quite some time before she managed to recover everything she needed for school.
She stood in the doorway and looked around, trying to spot some of her school supplies in the mess. She did manage to spot her wand lying precariously on the edge of her dresser. She made her way carefully through the mess and retrieved it. Now she was on the search for her trunk so she could put the wand in it.
"Do you need any help?" Professor Lupin asked from the doorway.
Lily looked up at him, then down at her mess, and laughed. "I think we'll need tomb raiders to find everything in this mess," she answered, now spotting a spare bottle from her potion supplies.
"I think two people will do just fine," he replied, going on his own search for school items. He soon realised that she wasn't kidding. Looking at the mess reminded Remus slightly of his sister. She had never been one to keep a room, or anything for that matter, clean for long. He was used to looking through large messes to find little objects. The silence in the room, with the exception of the clunking of the objects on the floor, was rather uncomfortable, not to mention irritating, so Lily decided to strike up a conversation. However, the first thing that came to her mind wasn't the best.
"How are you feeling… since… well the end of last year," she asked as she found another textbook behind her bed.
Professor Lupin looked up, feeling slightly surprised at the question, even though he knew he shouldn't have been. He had not gotten over the fact that the last of his best friends was dead; but he didn't feel as bad as he did the first few days following the death.
"Better," he said, doing his best to smile.
She smiled back, as she nearly tripped over a bottle full of some substance she needed for Professor Snape's class. She hurriedly picked it up and placed it gently in her potion kit.
"I know I really have no right to say this," she said as she continued their search, which was nearing its end, "but for some reason I feel worse than I should about Sirius dying."
Remus looked up at her, confused for a second at what she was saying. "What do you mean?" he asked curiously.
"I dunno, really… It just feels like I lost my dad or something. It's crazy, but I can't help it."
Now Remus was confused. She felt like she lost her dad? She had her own father. True her parents were divorced, but she did have one. So, why would she be saying that she felt like she lost him when Sirius died? She was right in saying it was crazy. Just because it was crazy, it didn't mean that it was false. That would mean… but how could it mean that?
"It's not that crazy," he said reasonably, though thinking to himself that it was crazy… and yet… "You and Sirius did talk quite a bit during the holidays. You're both similar to each other. Personality wise that is."
"So, it's not crazy that I feel like that?"
"Not crazy at all." But it was. How could it be that after all this time? Why hadn't he seen it before? He just shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts out of his mind. He knew it was impossible. It couldn't be and he didn't want to get his or anybody else's hopes up. Instead of saying anything else, he helped her find the last bit of her school supplies.
The sun was finished setting outside the window, and the full moon was just beginning to rise and brighten the dark night sky. Remus only managed to take a glance out the window in his search, when he spotted the moon. His heart stopped. How could he have forgotten it was a full moon? How could he have been so stupid? The only explanation was that he was still upset about Sirius and it had completely blocked the full moon out of his mind. Now, here he was, with one of his former students unaware of anything, while he was starting to undergo his change. He didn't know what to do. The pain was too much for him to yell for her to get out of the room. When Lily heard the groans of pain coming from him, she was too frightened to move.
His bones changed to unnatural lengths. Fur was sprouting out of every inch of his body. His facial features lengthened to a wolfish length and all the while he kept his cries of pain quiet. Lily just stood there, transfixed at the sight. She didn't know what to do, even though her first instinct should have been to run. Remus's transformation was over. Now, where her old professor should have been, was a grey wolf that was still whimpering in pain. She knew the whimpering would end soon. When it did the wolf, would start taking in its surroundings, and he would realise there was fresh meat right there for him to attack.
The werewolf did stop whimpering and, when it did, it did exactly as Lily thought it would do. It looked around the room, perplexed at the thought that he wasn't in the forest where he should be. Then, when he saw a scared girl only feet away from him, he forgot all about that. He had his dinner right there for him; he didn't need to hunt. The werewolf slowly made its way towards the girl, grinning wolfishly as she backed against the wall, not having any means of escaping.
Breathing heavily, Lily looked towards the door that the wolf was blocking. She wasn't going to escape, but she should get her mum and brother out.
"Mum, Riley, get out of the house!" she called out, fear greatly evident in her voice. "Don't come back 'till tomorrow!" She listened as her mum yelled up the stairs, asking what was wrong. "Professor Lupin's a werewolf! Tonight's a full moon! Just leave!" She heard her mother's footsteps coming up the stairs and she yelled even louder. "No! Go away! Don't come back!" She heard the footsteps hesitate for a minute. She knew her mum wasn't going to give up. She knew her mother was also terrified at the thought of a werewolf being in her house. "Mum! Get out of this house! I'm serious! I'll be fine!"
Her mum finally gave up, however grudgingly, her footsteps retreated from the stairs and the front door slammed shut.
Lily was relieved that her mum and brother were out of the house, but when she saw the werewolf one inch from her nose, her fear came back to her. She wished she would have run out of the room when she had the chance. But her chance was gone and she knew what the wolf was thinking. The wolf inched closer to her. She backed up against the wall as much as she could, but it was useless. The wolf bent down ready to inflict the fate determining bite. Then she got the idea to kick the wolf back. That was also worthless, as the wolf gripped her foot and bit down on it. She held her cry of pain in and saw the wolf was backing away, obviously pleased with itself. She took this opportunity to use her remaining strength to get out of the room. She slid down the stairs and made a mad dash for her mum's room, locking herself in. Once she knew she was safe in the room, she gave up her last bit of strength and allowed herself to black out.
"Mrs. Jameson, I can't tell you how sorry I am. I lost track of the days, I didn't realise –"
"It's okay, Professor."
"No, I should have been more responsible. Please, if there's anything I can do to make up for this, just tell me and I'll do it."
"The only thing I want you to do is to explain this to her. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment. My son will be up soon and when he does, you two are free to go to St. Mungo's and wherever you went last year… that headquarters place."
"I'll do that, and I'm really sorry."
The front door slammed shut, causing Lily (who was asleep in her mum's room after her mother picked the lock) to wake with a start. She looked around and wondered how she ended up in her mum's room. Then she saw her leg wrapped in a bloody bandage. She leaned back on her pillow and thought for a second, trying to think what might have happened that could have caused this. Then she remembered. Professor Lupin had forgotten it was a full moon; he'd bitten her.
Shaking her head, she carefully raised herself out of bed and set herself on one leg. She walked vigilantly down the stairs, wincing as she used her wounded leg. She saw Professor Lupin standing at the stove, apparently trying to cook breakfast. He looked up from his cooking and smiled when he saw her.
"Good morning," he said, in his most pleasant voice.
"Morning," she replied sitting down at the table. She looked lazily at the stove, only to see a mammoth cloud of black smoke emit from it. Professor Lupin broke out into a fit of coughs. He waved his hand vigorously through the smoke, in an attempt to get rid of it. Once the smoke had cleared, he took whatever he was cooking and placed it on a plate.
"I've never been much of a cook," he admitted as he placed two plates on the table and took a seat.
She looked at what appeared to be black bacon and tried to smile in thanks, but the smell of the burnt food was nauseating to her. Still, in her attempt to be well-mannered, she ate it with a forced grin and listened as Professor Lupin tried to make conversation. He tried beating around the bush before he had to tell her what Mrs. Jameson said he had to tell her.
"Are you avoiding something?" she asked as if reading his mind. "Because I already know what you're trying not to say."
He sighed, feeling defeated, and nodded.
"So, I have nothing to explain then," he said, feeling oddly relieved. "You know what happened. I'm so sorry; I should have kept track of the days. I completely forgot. I should have sent Tonks or Mad Eye here…"
"No, really… it's okay. I even saw it was a full moon before you came. I should've said something. I guess spiders carrying meatballs away make you forget these things. It's okay, I don't blame you."
Remus still felt that he had to say something. He had just condemned her to the worst fate a man could have, other than death. He wanted to assure her that it wasn't the worst thing in the world. He could almost tell she was thinking that by the way she kept glancing down at her injured leg. What could he say? She had already dismissed the subject and clearly didn't want to discuss apologies any further. Luckily, Remus didn't need to say anything because she began to talk again.
"I know it's a little weird, but I figure my mum might be mad at me because this happened," she said in an odd voice. "I mean, I know my mum knows that this isn't my fault or anyone else's really, but she might say that I should have known. 'You're always looking out that telescope of yours, you should have known.' Being interested in astronomy doesn't mean you have to always remember when a full moon is, right?"
Remus shook his head, again finding himself bewildered by the things she was telling him, how much they sounded like someone else he knew. Why was this happening? He wanted to convince himself that he was just imagining this. He couldn't deny the resemblance. She had an uncanny resemblance to the both of them. Maybe he was still shocked by what he had done. Perhaps it was reminding him of them. It was impossible; neither of them had seen her for fifteen years. Why would she turn up now? Especially since Remus had seen her many times before; he should have made the connection earlier if it was the truth.
"I never knew when the full moons were before I was bitten," Remus said, poking his breakfast in an attempt to rid it of the burnt part. "Not unless you're really interested in astronomy would you know that, or Professor Sinstra's drilled it into your head so you can't forget." He paused for a minute, and said, "You know you have to be registered today, otherwise the Ministry might not let you go back to school."
"Great… just how I wanted to spend my day."
"Well, your mother told me that once your brother wakes up we can leave. We'll go to St. Mungo's to make sure the bite is okay, no infections other than the ones intended. Then we'll head to the Ministry so you can get registered and then to Headquarters. So, you're all packed?"
"I think so. Did my stuff survive?"
Remus's face turned red when she questioned him. He knew that all of her stuff was safe; he hadn't eaten anything once he'd bitten her.
Her brother woke up an hour after breakfast and once he did the two were off for St. Mungo's where the Healers would assess the damage done. Remus was also able to find a crutch for Lily to walk on, as it was causing her great pain to walk with her leg bandaged up.
To get to St. Mungo's they had to go into the city where they would find an old store with a manikin in the window. Lily and Professor Lupin wandered casually around the streets, doing their best to blend in with the background. As they had been there only a few months before, they knew what to do so they wouldn't be noticed. The two approached an old building with a sign on it that read Closed for Renovations. The two knew that the store wasn't closed to be fixed. Apparently the shoppers in the area did not know that as they made comments about it as they passed. Professor Lupin walked up to the rusted manikin in the window display and murmured,
"Good morning." The head instantly snapped up and turned in an eerie manner towards the professor, who watched the scene with a bored expression. It studied Professor Lupin for a minute, before asking in a cool voice,
"Business?"
"Werewolf bite."
"Please, come in."
The glass window slowly began to melt away and the two stepped inside and, instead of finding themselves in an old store, they found themselves standing in the middle of a receptionist office. Professor Lupin led Lily up to the front desk, where a witch was busy writing on a notepad. He cleared his throat and the woman looked up, seeming rather annoyed at the interruption.
"How may I help you?" she asked slowly.
"We would like to go up to the Serious Bites Ward. She has a werewolf bite that needs to be checked."
The receptionist huffed, shuffled some papers on the desk, and pointed towards the staircase. "Up the stairs, a few floors up; you'll see a sign you can't miss."
"Thank you very much."
They turned towards the door she had pointed out and began the climb. The witch was right in saying it was only a few floors up with a sign they couldn't miss. They knew they had reached the floor when they saw a giant sign reading Serious Bites Ward. Professor Lupin pushed the door open and led the way down the hallway, where he found a spare room with a healer who seemed to be sitting at his leisure. Professor Lupin knocked loudly on the door and caught the healer's attention.
"How may I help you sir?" he asked.
"She has a werewolf bite that needs to be checked for any further damage," Remus responded promptly.
The doctor nodded and gestured for Lily to sit down on one of the chairs while he stooped down to remove the bandage. Once finished he crumpled it up and tossed it accurately in the trash bin behind him. He slowly examined the bite, which was still covered in blood, but the healer didn't seem to be bothered about it. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and stood up after five minutes' examination. He rubbed his hands together and turned to Remus.
"There's nothing but the usual effects," he said, taking another glance down at the bite. "I'll just clean it up and then I suggest you go down to the Ministry so she can be registered."
"We were on our way there after we came here."
"Hullo, I need to see your wands before you can enter the Ministry."
Professor Lupin and Lily each pulled their wands out of their pockets and handed it to the security wizard standing in front of the entrance to the Ministry. The security wizard took them and quickly ran them through a check for verification and recited each of their names in turn and what materials their wands were made of. After verifying their wands and returning them to their owners, he allowed them into the Ministry of Magic where they were able to find a worker who led them to the Werewolf Registration Department. He took them up a flight of stairs and down a long corridor that led to where the department was.
As they walked farther down the hall they could tell they were getting closer to their destination, as the evidence of werewolf propaganda was increasing with every step. Remus remembered when he first came down this hallway for his registration when he was eight. How he dreaded the moment when they would take down his full name and he would forever be known as Remus John Lupin – Werewolf. He knew Lily was dreading the very same. This would only be worse for her since she had spent her time at Hogwarts building a name for herself and if anyone found out, it would all be taken away. Remus had it easier because he had no name to ruin. It still wasn't easy for him, and it wouldn't be easy for her.
The man stopped and gestured towards a door with a sign that read Mr. Malcolm Green – Werewolf Head. Remus thanked the man for his help and knocked loudly on the door. The two waited only a minute before the door swung open revealing a grizzled old man with a white, bushy moustache. He looked at the two for a second and his eyes rested on Remus, who gave the man a curious look.
"I remember you," he said in a weary voice. "Remus Lupin, eight when you came here for your registration. What brings you here today?"
"She does," Remus replied, jerking his head to Lily, who suddenly felt very embarrassed to be standing where she was.
"And when was she bitten?" Mr. Green asked. "More importantly, who did it?"
"Last night," Remus answered hesitantly. "And it was me. I forgot when the full moon was."
"Isn't that Werewolf Lesson 101?"
"Very funny, but can she get this over with, please?"
"Oh very well, very well! I see someone's in a hurry." Mr. Green stepped aside and Remus and Lily walked into a room that was decorated with pictures of werewolves plastering nearly every inch of the wall. There were shelves and shelves full of files and registration pictures. Remus took a seat next to the door while Lily and Mr. Green took seats at the desk.
"This is a very simple process," Mr. Green said to Lily in a kind voice. "We just need to know your basic information and get a blood sample to keep on record. You know how the Ministry loves to keep tabs on all of the half breeds." He laughed and grabbed a paper and a quill. "Now down to business, full name please."
"Lily Elizabeth Jameson," Lily answered without delay.
Mr. Green nodded and wrote her response down.
"Date of birth?"
"January 15th, 1980."
"Uh huh… parent's names?"
"Marie and Anthony."
"Siblings, and if so, ages?"
"A brother named Riley, 18 years old."
"Year in Hogwarts?"
"Sixth year."
"Is that your last year or the year you're entering."
"The year I'm entering, sir."
"Very good… That's all I need to know. Now, if you'll follow me into the next room I can get your blood sample and you'll be all set to go."
Lily grimaced at the thought of a blood sample. She hated needles; they always made her feel sick when she visited the doctor's as a child. Mr. Green led her into a room that resembled her Muggle doctor's office. There were also several file cabinets lining the walls and a refrigerator, which mostly likely contained the needles and vials. He nodded towards a stool and Lily took a seat on it while he went to prepare a needle. He had the needle prepared in no time at all and pulled a cotton ball of the counter. He rubbed the spot on her arm where he would place the needle.
He whistled away as he cleaned the tip of the needle and whistled even louder and (unless Lily's ears were deceiving her) more merrily. He looked at the spot carefully in his search for the vein to puncture. He smiled when he found it. He pinched the needle into the spot and ignored Lily's sharp intake of breath. He waited patiently until the entire vial was filled. He handed her a bandage and dismissed her. More than ready to get out of the room, Lily hopped off the stool and raced out of the room. When he saw her in the room, Professor Lupin stood up.
"Let's go," he said, pulling the door open.
"Is it always that fast?" she asked as they made their way down the empty hallway.
"As far as I can tell, yes. He was quick with me too. By reputation, he's known for not wanting to spend as much time with a werewolf as he needs to. Word is they roped him into the job with a good salary, though he has yet to receive it."
"Well, that wasn't that bad, I guess."
"It's not bad at first. I'm not trying to scare you, I'm just warning you. It won't be easy when your first full moon comes. It's always the most painful."
"I know. I kind of got the idea it would be painful last night. But I'm not going to complain; I'm just a little worried. What will everyone at the order say?"
"I don't know, but if they accept me than they have to accept you."
Remus was right in the end. The Order accepted her and treated her as the normally did. She wasn't exempt from chores, though they did mention she would be at least twice during the month. Lily couldn't help but notice they never mentioned the word "full moon." Not once when she was talking to them about it did they actually come out and say, "full moon." They always used another way to refer to it.
Remus was also right when he said the first full moon was painful. The night of the full moon she felt the worst pain she ever experienced in her life. It was as if thousands of tiny needles were piercing every inch of her body and slowly squeezing their way through her flesh. She retched so many times she lost count. When the pain finally subsided, it was only replaced by the biting and scratching of her wolfish self. She now knew what it was like to be Professor Lupin.
They all went off to school eventually. Remus left her with some good excuses for her various absences, hoping he had given her enough to last until Christmas. When he received an owl at the headquarters, he realised that they might need to see her before Christmas. It was the first weekend of November, when Remus got an owl from the Ministry of Magic about the werewolf registration. Remus wondered why they had sent it to him. It should have been sent straight to her parents. He opened the letter and saw that a copy had been sent to her parents as well, but what he saw under it wasn't what he had expected.
"How is this possible?" he whispered out loud. "I was right… it's true." He read the remainder of the letter, though he saw no need to. The most important information was at the very beginning. He left the letter on the kitchen table and hurried out of the room to find a piece of parchment and a quill. He needed to send a letter desperately. Settling himself back at the table, he began to write a short message, a message that would bring who he needed.
Dear Rachael,
Come to Sirius's old house, now!
Love Remus.
That was short, sweet, and to the point, not to mention it also got his sister at the house very quickly. The day after Remus received the letter; his sister was knocking at the door, waiting impatiently for her brother to answer and all the while wondering what was so important that it couldn't wait. The door swung open and Remus swiftly pulled his sister inside before any of the Muggles saw a door appear out of nowhere. He brought her into the kitchen where the letter was.
"Remus, what was so –" she began, but Remus quickly cut her off.
"I found her."
"Who?"
"Don't pretend like you don't know! You know who I'm talking about."
"Remus, I doubt it's really her. Why would you just figure this out now? How do you even know what you're seeing?"
"Don't ask questions, just trust me. I know what I saw. Why would I lie to you about something like this?" Remus was frustrated. He knew his sister would've a hard time believing what he was telling her, but he never pictured her doubting him about it. He would never lie about such a thing.
"I know you wouldn't lie, it's just highly unlikely that you've found her. She's been gone for fifteen years. If you taught her three years ago, why didn't you realise who she was then? She's supposed to look a lot like I do, which also means she looks a lot like you." She didn't mean to come off so harshly about this. She had spent fifteen years seeing kids who resembled her, and not one of them was the real thing. Now for her brother to come and tell her this; she just had a hard time believing it could be true.
"I wasn't sure if I was just imagining things. If you heard the things she told me you would know it's her too. That's not all; the Healers sent the blood work results to us and her parents."
"Why would they send it to the Order?" She was confused now. What blood work was he even talking about? And why would he go to the Ministry of all places to get it? Unless, no… Remus didn't!
"It involves us. But that's beside the point. The point is, when they tested the blood it came up different from her parents' DNA. It came up with a makeup similar to yours. I know it's hard for you to believe, but I wouldn't lie about this. Just let me explain."
"Okay, Remus, explain!"
Remus went over to the table, retrieved the letter and handed it to his sister, who took it with an inquisitive glance at him. She unfolded the letter and began to read. As she read, Remus couldn't help but notice how wide her eyes got. She had to understand him now. There was no way she could doubt him after reading that letter.
"Remus," she said slowly, looking up from the letter. "How is this possible?"
"I don't know, but it is. We've finally found her."
"Remus, I've got to see her. If anyone's going to explain this, it has to be me."
Remus nodded and started out of the room for another piece of parchment. "Of course, who else would explain but you? Let me just owl Dumbledore. Hopefully he'll see it our way and she'll be here by the weekend."
When Professor Dumbledore received Remus's letter, he was more than happy to send Lily back to Grimmauld Place. He knew this would have a significant impact on both people. He decided to give her a week to deal with it before she had to return to school. He even found it hard to believe what had happened. Though he knew perfectly well it would happen someday, he never expected to see it. He was both happy and concerned. How would she take it?
This scene was only too familiar to Rachael. When she came into the kitchen to sit down, she suddenly remembered where she had seen this scene before. It was back in her second year, after she had followed her brother to the Whomping Willow. She had come back from the Hospital Wing and fallen asleep on the couch when she had this realistic dream. She now saw just how realistic it was. It was the very same girl who bore a striking resemblance to herself… and her eyes… they were only too well known as well. She knew very well where they came from. She just couldn't comprehend the moment, after fifteen years…
The girl, on the other hand, didn't seem too ecstatic about the meeting. She looked like she would rather be anywhere than where she was. She was glaring at Rachael, looking both frightened and angry. Rachael didn't know why she felt angry, as Remus hadn't said anything yet. She was probably mad about missing the Hogsmeade trip that was being held that weekend. As Rachael studied the girl, she noticed something disturbing about her appearance. Around her face were light pink scars and under her eyes were dark circles, making it look like she hadn't had much sleep recently. Remus did…
To her great luck, the awkward silence was broken by footsteps coming from the stairwell. Remus entered to room. He looked between the two occupants at the table and looked towards his sister.
"Rachael, this is Lily Jameson," he said in his most pleasant voice. "Lily, this is Rachael Lupin, my twin sister." Lily nodded and reached out to shake hands with Rachael, though she had no idea what Professor Lupin was talking about. "You're probably wondering why I took you out of school to meet her."
"The thought did cross my mind," Lily replied sarcastically.
"Well, I'm not the person to explain. My sister and this letter are the ones who can tell you what this is all about. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go meet Kingsley in Diagon Alley. See you later." And, before Lily could even stop him, Professor Lupin was out the door. She doubted he even had to go to Diagon Alley. Feeling defeated, Lily turned to Rachael, and waited for her to tell her what was going on.
"Well, you're probably wondering why you're here," Rachael said uneasily. Lily nodded her head, getting fed up with all of the stalling. "Well, this is odd for me to say… let me try this. When you look at pictures of you and your parents, did you ever notice that you look nothing like them?"
Lily thought for a moment. This person did have a point. Everyone in her family had blonde hair; she had brown, this was usually considered a bit odd. Now that she thought about it, her mum and brother had green eyes and her dad had brown, she had blue. Okay she has a point, but that still doesn't explain anything.
"Well, yeah, I don't look like anyone in my family," Lily admitted. "But, that's normal, isn't it?"
Rachael now had an opening, so she decided to take advantage of it.
"Yes, it is true," she agreed. "But, is it not a little strange to have DNA different than your parents'?"
Rachael waited for a reaction, but the one she got wasn't the one she was expecting. She had expected Lily to be mad, but instead she was laughing, as though she had heard the most hilarious joke.
"What's so funny?"
"What you just said!" Lily answered through her laughs. "You just said I'm not related to my parents. That's great!"
"That's nothing to laugh about."
"Yes it is! That's the dumbest thing I ever heard! Of course I'm related to my parents. Why wouldn't I be?"
"You're related to me!"
This stopped her from laughing any further. Lily looked at her as though she had heard the most absurd thing in the world. She thought of laughing again, but when she saw the look on Rachael's face, she could tell she was serious. How in the world could she be serious? She couldn't be related to this woman. If she was, why hadn't she known?
"You're kidding, right?" she asked, hoping this was a joke.
"Who would kid about something like this? Read the letter, if you don't believe me."
Lily looked at her skeptically, but read the letter anyway. What she read, she didn't like. She didn't want to listen to what it said. It was wrong, it had to be. She couldn't be related to someone else… to a different family entirely.
"Do you believe me now?" Rachael asked once she saw Lily was finished.
"This is a lie," Lily answered, her voice shaking slightly. "It has to be."
"It's not a lie. I didn't trust it at first, but you have to consider the facts –"
"Let's consider the fact that the old guy was just a little off his rocker and decided this would be a nice joke to play. This isn't true… you're not my mother!" She wouldn't listen, she couldn't. This woman standing in front of her wasn't her mother! Her mother was back at her house. It was always that way, why did it have to change now?
"This isn't a joke. That man wasn't lying to you. Who would lie about something like this?"
"You would for starters." Lily closed her eyes in anger. This wasn't right, it was wrong! "This is all wrong!" she yelled out in aggravation. "You're not my mother! My mum is back at my house! Why are you doing this to me? As if being bitten by a werewolf wasn't enough to last me a lifetime? You have to come and tell me I've been adopted all these years?"
Rachael sighed, frustrated with this girl's lack of understanding. She wasn't lying. Why didn't she see this? She wanted to meet her daughter for fifteen years and now that she finally had the chance, her daughter was snubbing her and calling her a liar. She was just going to have to prove it…
"Look, I'm sorry all of this horrible stuff happened to you, but you are my daughter. If you won't believe the letter or me telling you, I'm just going to have to show you."
"She's so pretty."
"She must've taken after her mother then."
"James!"
"What? You can't call a boy pretty. That just sounds wrong."
"He does have a point, you know.
"Hey look, she has your eyes, Sirius."
"Lucky girl, right?"
Rachael nodded halfheartedly, just to get those three to stop acting so childish. She was surprised that Peter was acting the most mature out of all of them. That was a first. Remus was usually the one who held the maturity in their group. Now he was acting just as immature as his friends. Even Sirius was joining in. He was going to have a great influence on his daughter.
Remus cleared his throat and looked down at the bundle his sister was holding. "So what are you naming her?"
Rachael looked down at her daughter and over to Lily who was standing in the background. "How do you like this? I'm going to name her after someone who's always been there for me, for as long as I can remember."
"You mean you're naming her Jamie?" James piped up.
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Of course, James," he said sarcastically. "I want my daughter to be named after you, of all people. We're naming her Siriusa!"
"Is that even a name?" Peter snickered.
"No, we're naming her Lily!" Rachael cut in through their laughs. "Lily is the person who's always been there for all of us, no matter what."
Lily smiled, obviously embarrassed, but clearly pleased.
"Thank you," she managed to say.
"Any time. Just remember, Sirius is going to be begging you to name your son after him now."
Sirius, pretending to look insulted, turned away, and said, "No I'm not."
James shook his head and stepped forward.
"Well, we've got to be going," he said, stooping down to give Rachael a hug and slapping Sirius on the back. "Let it be known that on this day, January 15th, 1980, Sirius and Rachael Black have become parents to this beautiful little girl. Come on, Lily, Peter, Remus, I believe we have an Order meeting at our house. Good night, see you in the morning."
The four exited the room, leaving Rachael, Sirius and their daughter alone.
"So," said Sirius, sitting down next to the hospital bed. "Have any ideas for a middle name?"
"No, you have any?"
"Well, I've always been partial to the name Elizabeth. How does that sound? Lily Elizabeth Black."
"I like it."
Sirius smiled and looked down at his daughter, hardly believing that he was now a father to such a beautiful baby. She was perfect to him in every way. Her hair was a light shade of brown. Her eyes a bright blue colour. He couldn't imagine ever having a more beautiful baby.
"She looks just like you," he said. "James was right, she did take after you."
"I wonder what would happen if his son ended up looking like him?"
"The world isn't big enough for two of him. There wouldn't be enough egos for everyone else."
"True," Rachael agreed. "We've already inflated it enough by making him her godfather and Lily her godmother. We're not helping the matter."
"No, we aren't."
Sirius yawned and said he was going to get some sleep. He gave Rachael a kiss on the forehead and settled down in his chair.
Once Sirius was asleep Rachael looked down at Lily, this was her child… hers and Sirius's. They were parents now and this was their child.
Lily looked at Rachael, completely dumbfounded at what she had just seen. The scene was far too detailed and accurate for it to be made up. The way it was shown made her deem it true. She wasn't Lily Elizabeth Jameson. Instead she was Lily Elizabeth Black. Everything was making sense, finally. She had spent the past few months feeling miserable about Sirius's death. She had felt like she had lost her own father. Now, she finally knew that she had really lost her father. She just didn't know it was him. She sighed and looked up at Rachael.
"I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "It's just… I've been having a hard time since the summer and now to find out that I never knew my real parents. I didn't know how to react, so I just yelled."
"It's okay. If I was you I'd feel the same way." Rachael sat down at the table and took the letter back. "It's strange how something like this could bring out the truth, I've been wondering where you ended up for years and the way I found out was through your werewolf registration papers."
Lily tried to smile, though it wasn't in the least bit funny. But what Rachael had said made her wonder. "Why did you give me up? From what you showed me, it seemed like you and Sirius were really happy."
"We were really happy. That's why I've been trying to find out where you were. Look, you know what happened the night Voldemort fell, when Harry defeated him. I thought Sirius had really done it. I thought Sirius had betrayed Lily and James. I didn't want to, but all signs pointed to him, and he had been acting so strangely…"
It was a cold Halloween night, one that was perfect for trick or treaters who were eager to go out in their costumes and get candy from the neighbours. This wasn't one year to go out, not with all the horrible things that had been going on, not when the war was at its peak and the risk of going outside was too great. They would've to wait until next year.
Rachael sat on the couch in the living room, gently rocking Lily to sleep. The howling wind had woke her up and she wasn't able to fall asleep. Rachael had a bad feeling. There was something about the howling of that wind and the darkness of the night made her feel something bad was going to happen, something that could possibly change their lives forever. Sirius was apparently having the same feeling, as he couldn't stop pacing across the room and looking out the window, as though he was expecting the Dark Lord to appear at their porch at any minute.
"Sirius, stop pacing!" she said at last. "You're making the baby nervous."
Sirius sighed and sat down in the chair behind him, attempting to stay still, though he couldn't prevent his knee from hopping uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I just have a bad feeling… like something's wrong with James and Lily."
"What do you mean? They're safe as long as you kept their location a secret. Why would you be worried? You said it yourself that you would rather die before betraying them."
"And I would! It's just… listen I'll be back later. I need to check on Peter."
"Sirius-"
"I'll be fine. You just stay here. I'll be back later."
But Sirius never came back. Rachael waited up for hours, hoping that he would come home. She dreaded that something might have happened to him. All of the members of the Order of the Phoenix were on the top of Voldemort's list, him most of all, along with James and Lily. That was why they were forced into hiding with their son, Harry. Sirius was their Secret Keeper. He wouldn't betray them… he couldn't.
There was a sharp knock at the door. Rachael jumped up and pulled her wand out of her pocket.
"Rachael, it's Remus!" came her brother's voice from outside. "Let me in, I need to tell you something."
Rachael sighed in relief and let him in. The moment Remus stumbled into the room; she could tell something was wrong. Remus's face was red and his eyes were shining. Remus was never one to cry unless something really horrible had happened. Her worst fears were confirmed.
"Remus, what happened?"
"Its James and Lily," he chocked. "Rachael… they're dead. I was just down at Godric's Hollow. Their house was in flames. We brought the bodies to a morgue not too far from there… Hagrid helped. He's bringing Harry to his aunt and uncle's. Harry survived. He defeated Voldemort."
"Remus, what-"
"Sirius betrayed them! He gave their location to Voldemort. He betrayed Lily and James. I'm sorry."
Rachael didn't say anything. She just stared at her brother. How could this be true? How could Sirius just go and betray his best friends? And his godson, for goodness's sake! He was their best friend and he went and killed them! She rubbed her eyes and took a shuddering breath. This wasn't true, she told herself. It couldn't be true. That would explain why he was so nervous earlier…
"Remus…"
"I'm sorry."
Remus pulled his sister into a hug, both of them crying, neither of them knowing what else to do. Sirius had not only betrayed Lily, James and Harry… he had betrayed Remus, his wife and his daughter. Sirius Black was truly gone forever.
"Keep her safe here. Please, don't let anything bad happen to her."
"We'll keep her safe, Ms. Lupin. Don't worry about it."
"Thank you, Professor. I just can't believe this is happening."
Professor McGonagall nodded solemnly, her eyes looking bloodshot. It was the night after Halloween and Rachael found herself at an orphanage. It was a special orphanage that was open to both wizards and Muggles. Professor McGonagall helped run it. As she took Lily away from her mother, she reassured her that her daughter would be safe. They would find the perfect family for her.
"I can't keep her, not with Sirius around. Who knows what could happen," Rachael said, struggling to keep her voice in check.
"I can't understand this any more than you can," the professor agreed. "Sirius was always such a good kid, mischievous yes, but his heart was always in the right place."
"I guess his parents' influence got the best of him… I should go now. Promise me, Professor, that she'll be safe. I don't want her to remember any of this until I find her. I don't want anyone else to tell her what happened."
"Don't worry. We'll take good care of her."
"Thank you." Rachael walked over to the cradle her daughter was sleeping in and leaned over, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Goodbye Lily…"
"I wasn't able to locate you after everything had settled down," Rachael said, staring down at the table. "The orphanage was burned down by Death Eaters who had wormed their way out of arrestment. All of the files of where the orphans had been sent were lost."
"But Sirius was innocent," Lily breathed. "He never betrayed anyone."
"No one had any proof, everyone believed him to be guilty. Remus thought it was him, I did, everyone did. No one wanted to think it was him, but that was what everyone thought. And I only put you up for adoption because I thought you would be safe. I loved you so much and I didn't want anything to happen to you. I just want you to love me as much."
"I'm sorry… I just don't know what to think. I don't know what to call you or what to say to you. You're really my mother."
The two heard footsteps approaching the room and it shocked them, as the room was quiet, with the exception of Rachael's storytelling. They looked over to see Remus coming into the room.
"How's it going?" he asked.
"And if you're my mother," Lily said slowly, looking between Remus and Rachael. "He's my uncle."
It was a grey day out, and it was best kept that way, as the mood of everyone in the cemetery was grey as well. The small group listened as Professor Dumbledore delivered his eulogy, standing behind a gravestone engraved:
Here lies Remus John Lupin
1960 -1997
Died in the line of duty
R.I.P
Remus had died the night before in a battle against Death Eaters. He had put up a good fight, but still being weak from the full moon, the Death Eaters proved stronger. He was struck down with a Killing Curse sent by Lucius Malfoy. His body was recovered and sent to Hogwarts where the last four people who should have seen it, were the ones who walked in to see it being carted to Professor Dumbledore's office. Harry, Lily, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley walked down an empty corridor to see his body being wheeled past them. Their hearts stopped.
Now, they were all standing in the funeral party, listening as Dumbledore concluded his eulogy.
"He was a brilliant and caring man… but war takes away the best of people. This time it was him." Professor Dumbledore bowed his head and the group dispatched.
Lily broke away from her friends and made her way to Rachael, who was staring at the gravestone, her eyes shining with tears.
"It isn't fair," she whispered. "Remus, of all people?"
"War isn't supposed to be fair. It's supposed to be deadly," Lily said, looking down at the stone as well. The tombstone next to Remus's caught her attention. It read: Here lies Gregory H. Lupin.
"Mum, is that Grandpa?" she asked.
Rachael nodded, realising this was the first time she had recognised anyone in their family by the appropriate name. She had called Rachael by her first name ever since their first meeting. This was the first time she called her mum. She couldn't help but smile.
"He died when we were in our fifth year," she explained.
"Oh… well, if that's where he's buried, where's Grandma? Is she still alive?"
"Yes, she's – right over there." Rachael nodded towards a spot across the cemetery where she saw her mother, someone she hadn't seen for years. Her mother looked up from her spot and her eyes met Rachael's. Rachael didn't know what to do, if she should walk the other way, or approach her. Both seemed appealing, but she had to do the latter. She had to make amends with her mother and now was as good a time as any. She led Lily through the crowd and cautiously approached her mother.
"Mum?" she asked uncertainly.
"Hullo," her mother whispered.
"I…um… I have someone for you to meet. You always told me when I was younger, before everything happened, that you wanted me to give you a granddaughter. Remember?"
"Yes, I do remember."
"Well, here she is. Mum, I'd like you to meet your granddaughter, Lily Elizabeth Black. You never knew about her. You never knew me and Sirius got married. You didn't know any of this and I just want you to know now."
Mrs. Lupin looked from her daughter to Lily, who looked some much like Rachael and yet her eyes still reminded her of the boy who told her off the first night he stayed over their house during Remus's second year. Just by looking into her granddaughter's blue eyes suddenly made everything make sense. She now knew how horrible of a mother she had been. She now realised how sorry she was.
"I'm sorry," she whispered sincerely. "My granddaughter, Lily…" She looked up at Rachael and, for the first time in years, pulled her into a hug and said, "Rachael… my daughter."
The End