Chapter Fifty Four

Present Day

Things for the next few days were busy. A lot more busy then anyone thought things would probably be. Sirius had been carted to and from the Ministry daily, questions being thrown at him, apologies being made (after all it wasn't often that the Ministry owned up to their mistakes). Sirius was also busy with adjusting to life after Azkaban. There wasn't a constant fear, or need to tell himself over and over again that he was innocent. He had to take care of the Black family affairs. Homes that had sat vacant for years suddenly had an owner again.

Of course Sirius was also busy with Harry, his Godson. Sirius could hardly wait to show Harry all the neat pranks that could be pulled, that James would have wanted Harry to know of course.

Remus was actually busy with Harry as well. The boy it would seem still was urgent in learning how to defeat the Dementors even if they had left the grounds of Hogwarts. No matter how much Remus tried to assure the boy that unless he committed some sort of law-breaking he wouldn't see a Dementor again. But Harry wanted to learn, and Remus couldn't say no. Remus could never say no. He was also buried in work. Who knew teaching would be so difficult?

Kit on the other hand, was spending more and more time with Hermione who seemed to enjoy having another girl to speak with. Although Kit figured it had something to do with the fact that she was older. Sure by physical standards she was only a year older, but Hermione knew she was from the past, therefore in Hermione's intelligent mind Kit was an adult. At least in some odd way. Advice was asked, and Kit tried to do the best she could.

She found herself liking playing the roll of an adult more then the roll of another student, another teenager. It was as if, her mind was slowly coming to terms with the fact that she should be thirty, and not fourteen. It was still hard. Nightly she found herself thinking of things long since past.

She thought of James and Lily, and their smiling faces. There was always a wistful sigh when it came with this. She was thankful for Sirius. Unlike Remus who tended to be closed off Sirius wasn't hesitant in taking over as some sort of father for the boy. At least Sirius grew up…in some ways.

She thought about how things used to be, how they currently were. She thought about the pain, she thought about Lucius and Draco, she thought about being taught by Snivellus and how hard it was to look him in the eyes, or even just to be taught by him in general.

And she thought about not hurting herself. It was hard to do, really. The times when she woke up at night in a cold sweat after a nightmare, when she wanted to get things under control, she'd slip out of her bed and head to the bathrooms. Locking herself in a stall, and holding onto that dagger, just looking at it…daring herself to cut her flesh open.

It scared her sometimes.

Her hands had long since healed in the weeks that had past, but some scars still remained. She cursed Peter whenever she looked at the tiny bite marks that rested on her palms. How dare he! She hadn't paid much attention to him back then, he was just the boy that followed James and Sirius. He was the boy that liked to eat more then anything. He was the boy that Remus always helped with his homework. And he was the boy that ended up causing her brothers death.

James might not have been blood related to her, but she felt closer to him then to anyone. He was always there when she needed to talk. She could tell him about Remus, and what she felt, she could count on him to distract his parents long enough for her to sneak out for a night out with Remus. He was everything an older brother should be (including at times annoying) and now she didn't have him. She just woke up and he was dead. Dead for over ten years at that…

Kit woke up with a slight cry if disdain. She had been dreaming about him again, James and Lily. Smiles, laughter, memories. Things that would never happen again. For awhile she let the silent tears fall, as she glared at the ceiling. It wasn't fair! It wasn't fair!

It only took her a few moments to decide that she wouldn't lock herself into a bathroom stall this time around, she'd go to Remus. She needed Remus.

Remus had yet to fall to sleep, candles were still lit around his desk in his quarters and tests were being graded. His eyes felt as if they had been rubbed in sand he was so tired. Nearing the midnight hour he knew he should go to sleep soon. He would probably miss breakfast in the morning in order to sleep in some, but it would have been worth it for more sleep.

Almost two months had passed since Sirius became a free man, and it seemed like things were slowly forming a pattern. Even he and Kit seemed better. Remus however knew that it was still bugging her, that she wasn't in the time she was supposed to be in. He tried to help where he could, he really did. He just had to let her do her own thing, and come to him. Right?

As he was pondering this over, and correcting the tests, leaned back in a chair that looked as if it would fall back at any moment if he moved just wrong—the object of his thoughts slipped into his quarters. At first the door just opened, and then a moment after the tiny form of Kit appeared out from under an obviously borrowed Invisibility Cloak. Her orange hair was sticking up around her face in a slept in manor, her blue eyes were rimmed red letting him know she had more then likely just awoken from a bad dream, and her choice of bed clothes…amused him.

She was wearing one of his dress shirts (the little thief, he wondered where that went) it fell to her knees, and the sleeves covered her hands, and then some. For a moment she stood uneasy, before easily running to him.

There was only one problem in this. Remember how he was sitting? Half cocked back, chair balancing slightly? Well, when she ran to him, and jumped into his arms…

They both went falling to the floor.

He blinked, looking up to see her smiling rather sheepish. "Hi?"

"Well, fancy meeting you here." He drawled, as she rolled off of him, and as he rolled off that chair.

"I'm sorry…I didn't know you weren't…"

"Balanced?"

"Er…yeah." Remus gave a grin, well at least they didn't split their heads open. That was good news at least. "I just…dreamed, and I needed to see you."

"About James and Lily again?" He asked, picking up the chair and putting the cap onto his ink bottle before leading her to his bed to sit. She easily climbed in, while they didn't do this too often, she was well enough used to coming down to his chambers.

"Yeah. I figured this was better then blankly gazing straight ahead for four hours before falling back asleep."

Remus nodded, striping off the green tee shirt he had been wearing with a few stains from spilled potions in years before. He'd finish the tests later, after all he got the majority of them done. He crawled into bed with her, lifting the blankets up to pull her close next to him. Her head resting on his naked chest with such softness that it made his soul sing.

"So you decided to visit me?"

"Well it was either you or the sex-God I've been seeing for the past few weeks on the side…" She stated rather sarcastically as she rapped an arm around his torso.

"I'm sure he's busy on Thursday nights anyhow. I suppose you'll just have to do with good ole' flabby Remus?"

She gave a pinch to his side, "Your not flabby…"

"No?"

"Nope."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Your just being nice."

"Well, you don't have ripped abs like the Sex God…"

"I'm flabby."

"Bloody Hell…your not flabby!"

The fact of the matter was, that Remus was just doing it – doing things that he knew would make her grin. She did the same thing for him when he was a bit closed off before his full moon transformations.

"Okay, not flabby. I don't believe you, but I'm a man of integrity so I will cease argument over such a trivial matter." Remus said, letting his lips press up against Kit's forehead before dragging her closer to him. So close in fact she was practically laying on top of him.

"Man of integrity? You leave the seat up…"

"Well, we'll just have to charm the toilet so that it automatically falls back into place eh? Maybe charm it to sing a lovely song while we're at it."

"Now your just being sarcastic…"

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Ye—thank you Remmy." She said suddenly, using her pet name for him as she moved to kiss the tip of his nose, and then soon after his lips. Trapping him in a soft touch of her tongue before he could even think about speaking.

"It's my job." He told her with a content sigh, as one of his hands reached to finger the ring on the chain around her neck.

"What would I do without you?" She asked, a glance sent his direction in question. He gave a small frown at that, as much as it sounded a bit self assured, he knew she wouldn't make it without him, much as it was hard for him to make it without her, she would be broke beyond repair if something happened to him.

"Let's hope you never have to find out." And he meant it too. He wasn't planning on leaving her no matter what. Sure, it was odd…he felt bad too. She was only fourteen, he was in his early thirties. There was an age gap…but then again, they were Soul mates. Even Dumbledore agreed they were.

He just hoped that things would be alright for them now. Sirius was back. Harry had a Godfather. Kit didn't seem too depressed. He was doing well for a werewolf. Peter was going to jail…

Remus could only hope as Kit fell asleep on his chest, that things would stand still long enough for them to at least have some happiness. And he fell asleep with a smile on his face, content to feel a small girl on top of him, breathing, and occasionally mumbling in sleep.

Sometimes he should just let his mind shut up…he didn't need to think about the negative. Only the positive. And in his mind, there was a whole lot of positive.

AN: And so ends another chapter o' fluff. I really am sorry about the delay. I moved, moved again, took a holiday, then came back to fan fiction and my Muse apparently was on holiday. But it's okay, in the end I got inspired again and that's all that matters.

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