Updated: 19th February 2005
Disclaimer: See Chapter One
Chapter Thirty Two: Homecoming
After months of pleading, Estella finally convinced her Uncle to allow her to go and experience some of what the Muggle world had to offer. Strange as it was, Estella had never seen Remus' home. Her Godfather lived in Muggle London and while she'd spent plenty of days with her Godfather where he had collected her from Hogwarts and taken her to Hogsmeade or took her exploring around the castle, she had never spent a night away from her Uncle. Well, that night in the tunnel under the Whomping Willow and the time in the Asylum being the exception. Now, as the mid term break rapidly approached, Estella was more excited than she had ever been in her entire life. Not only was she going to spend an entire week with her Godfather, but she was going to spend the duration in the Muggle world and get to see the Tonks again.
"Got everything packed?" Her Godfather asked as he walked in through Estella's open doorway. Estella, in turn, beamed at his arrival and leapt up into his arms. Remus chuckled. "Excited?" he asked, stating the obvious.
"Uncle Remus this is so cool!" Estella gushed, before quietening down and casting a sidelong look at her trunk. "But…" She added hesitantly.
"Yes?" Remus asked curiously, shifting Estella on his hip.
"I um, don't have any Muggle clothes!" Estella replied exasperatedly. "I'll stick out like a sore thumb!"
Remus chuckled heartily. "Oh Cub, you don't think your genius Godfather didn't already think of that?" He said, smiling. "It's already covered. Trust me."
Estella squirmed out of her Godfather's strong grip and mock-hid behind the curtains of her bed. "I really don't like the sound of that!" She said playfully, as her Godfather growled and tackled her, bundling her back into his arms and swinging her into a fireman's grip over her shoulder so he could tickle her feet.
"Stop it! Stop it!" Estella pleaded unconvincingly, play-slapping the wiry man on his shoulders in protest. "I need to finish packing!"
"Nonsense!" Remus boomed, waving his wand theatrically and muttering a spell that caused Estella's trunk to finish packing itself. The effect a was rather spectacular display of organised chaos as drawers and cupboard doors opened and closed themselves, sending an assortment of clothes, toys and books flying into the trunk at the end of the bed whilst, in the midst of it all stood the tall sandy-haired werewolf swinging a giggling Estella around in the air.
Moments later, the pair had exerted their hourly quota of 'silliness' and were collapsed on the floor in a heap. Rising to his feet slowly, Remus dusted himself off and groaned as his back clicked back into place.
"I'm getting too old for this!" He said.
Rolling her eyes, Estella jumped up fluidly, shaking her head at her Godfather's antics. "You always say you're getting too old for this!" she said concertedly. "Can we go now?"
His eyes flashing mischievously, Remus shook his head slowly as he stealthily drew his wand and levelled it at Estella. "Not yet," he said softly, as he waved his wand and transfigured Estella's robes before she had time to blink.
"What have you done now?" Estella asked trustingly, turning to face the mirror. Taking in the blue trainers, strange khaki overalls, pink-striped t-shirt and blue denim jacket, Estella raised her eyebrows at Remus in question.
"How could I forget?" Remus said apologetically, slapping himself in the head with his palm before swishing his wand at Estella's hair. "There, now you're ready!"
Estella returned her gaze to the mirror and laughed. On either side of her head sat two conspicuous pig tails, held on either side with gawky pink ribbons. "Oh my!" She managed between peals of laughter. "I've never seen any of the Muggleborn students dress this way before!"
"I assure you it is appropriate attire for a child your age." Remus promised, only admitting to himself that he had perhaps dressed her a little bit younger than her age to maximise her cuteness.
"What on earth is going on in here?" Severus asked, entering the room agitatedly. "I could hear you both all the way from my lab!" Then, after having taken in Estella's attire he gaped. "What in Merlin's name are you wearing child?"
Estella smirked and spun around flauntingly in front of her Uncle. "Muggle clothes!" She said gleefully. "I'm all packed too!"
"I suppose you shall like to be leaving then?" Severus said flatly, already regretting his decision to allow Estella to go. "Lupin, it is imperative for Estella's safety…"
Remus nodded, cutting the other man off. "It's alright, Severus, I have everything under control." He said reassuringly, then as a afterthought added, "trust me."
"You know, you really can't trust him when he says that!" Estella said matter-of-factly, erupting into a fresh wave of giggles and taking her Godfather's hand in a gesture that said 'I'm only joking!'.
"Don't I know it." Severus growled, then holding out an object in his hand "Lupin, the portkey."
Remus accepted the appropriately muggle-themed white ceramic tile appreciatively, having since shrunk Estella's packed trunk and pocketing it in the pocket of his taupe BDU pants. "Well then, if everything's in order…" Remus said congenially. "Estella, if you would like to say goodbye to your Uncle?"
The over-excited child merely shrugged. "Oh, see ya Uncle Sev… let's go already Moony!" Estella urged in the same breath, waving a flippant salute to her Uncle with one hand, whilst tugging impatiently on her Godfather's arm with the other.
Severus shook his head. "On with you!" He said, shooing them off with his hands. "Remember, Lupin, 6pm next Sunday."
Remus nodded his acknowledgement. "You know Severus I really can't thank you enough for this…"
"Whatever, Lupin." Severus said coolly, ignoring Remus' outstretched hand. "Just see to it she is kept safe. Estella…"
"I know, I know… behave!" Estella finished, increasingly exasperated.
"Goodbye then." Severus said simply, becoming somewhat disheartened by his niece's apparent eager desire to get away from him. "Leave already will you, I have a potion on the boil."
Taking their cue, the pair grasped the small mosaic tile and with a muttered 'Portus', were transported directly to Remus' home.
Landing haphazardly in the main living room of Remus' London flat, Estella was ecstatic. Around her, was a eclectic mix of both Muggle and Wizarding influences. The room was undeniably well appointed, and yet expelled an air of homely welcome amidst its organised chaos.
"Welcome home, Estella." Remus said softly. "Come, I will give you the tour later. I'm sure you'd be wanting to see your room first."
"My room?" Estella asked, seeking clarification. "I have my own room?"
"Of course you do, where else did you expect to sleep?" Remus said, chuckling. "Unless you'd rather sleep in the guest room…"
"Well I am a guest, aren't I Remus?" Estella asked, confused.
"You will always have a room all of your own in this house, Estella." Remus said quietly, leading the way up a narrow staircase. "It's been waiting for you since before you were born."
Estella faltered on the bottom step, causing Remus to turn around. "Did… did you want me to live with you?" Estella asked softly.
Remus sat down on the step he was standing on so that he was level with Estella. "In an ideal world you would have lived here, Estella." Remus sighed. "However, your home is with your Uncle. You enjoy it there, do you not?"
"Oh, well, yes of course." Estella said cautiously. "Though it would have been nice to visit with you sooner, and more often."
"Not to worry, Estella. I did not take your Uncle's unwillingness to let you go personally." Remus said reassuringly. "It's only natural that he has concerns for your wellbeing."
"Uncle Sev? Worried?" Estella scoffed, racing up the stairs past Remus. "Now come on, Moony, show me my room already!"
Rising to his feet wearily and dusting off his knees, Remus followed his Goddaughter up the stairs and guided the child down the hall from where she stood waiting for him on the landing. "This way." He directed, pushing Estella towards a heavy dark wood door towards the end of the hallway. "Open the door."
Opening the door, Estella took in the bedroom with wide eyes and slack jaw. The nine foot high walls were decorated floor to ceiling with an detailed, live mural than spaned all four walls of the room. The scene depicted a rolling field of flowers whose blooms actually blossomed and scented the air, an evergreen forest full of friendly magical creatures that moved freely around the walls as though alive, and a amazing expanse of sky that not only covered the ceiling and featured the occasional witch or wizard on broomstick playing a bout of Quidditch, but also mirrored the weather and time of day of the environment outside.
To complement this, the polished wood floorboards were endowed with a beautiful thick green carpet and the picture framed window seat was nestled under the boughs of a great oak tree and scattered with cushions and throws of complimentary bright flowery hues. The window itself, looked out over the Muggle London streetscape, revealing a small playground across the street that Estella made a mental note to go explore. The vertically drawn curtains were like velvety canopy of vines and were at that moment bunched under the main branch of the two-dimensional tree, seemingly a part of the mural.
Under the window seat, were built in cupboards of white wood, and throughout the wooded section of the mural were recessed shelves in dark wood. A Telescope stood proudly on its stand in a corner by the window, and a collection of children's story books and soft toys adorned the shelves. A intricately carved desk that would rival the headmaster's sat in front of the shelves, paired with a comfortable looking leather swivel chair and equipped with thick ivory parchment, quills and ink wells. The wooded section of the mural ended with a cliff face by the bed with what looked like to be a trickling waterfall cascading over it into a small stone pool that sat adjacent the bedside drawers. It served the practical purpose of providing an endless supply of fresh cool water to the bed's occupant, both for consumption and early morning refreshment.
As for the bed, it was a impressive four poster canopy bed, not much different from Estella's bed in her room in Uncle Sev's quarters. The soft, plush bedspread was in Estella's favourite colour – deep magenta – and had no curtains. The bed head was higher than her own at Hogwarts, and was, under closer inspection, embossed with the images of her favoured Marauder characters, Padfoot, Moony and Prongs. Across from the bed was a small, yet inviting, marble fireplace in front of which sat a comfortable looking settee and armchair. A magical mirror graced the wall above the mantle and on either side of the fireplace were doors leading to a closet and bathroom (which far outstripped Hogwarts' famed prefect amenities) respectively.
Turning around to face her Godfather as he enlarged Estella's trunk and positioned it at the end of her bed, she shook her head in amazement. "You did… all of this… for me?" She asked, astonished.
"Well actually," Remus said, perching himself on Estella's trunk so that he could meet the smaller child's eyes. "I only transfigured the bed and the desk."
At Estella's questioning look, Remus continued, playing with Estella's hands in his own. "Everything else your parents designed themselves shortly before you were born." He explained. "If my memory serves me correctly, your father was already planning the nursery within an hour of your mother telling him she was pregnant… and she, being so in tune with him, had already picked the room out!"
"What do you mean, my parents did this room up?" Estella questioned. "Why would they go to so much trouble decorating a room at your house? Were they planning on leaving me with you or something?"
Remus shook his head sadly. Sometimes Estella could be frighteningly dense. "No Estella. Haven't you figured it out yet?" He asked. "This is your father's house. He bought it after James and Lily got married with money his Uncle had left him. Your mother of course moved in with him almost straight away and I er, became somewhat of a permanent house guest after… after… your birth."
"What are we doing here now then?" Estella asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "I confused, I thought you said you lived in a flat?"
"To anyone looking at this place from the outside, it is a flat." Remus said. "I am sure you are familiar with the theory of wizards space. With your father in Azkaban this house all but belongs to you, Estella. I am merely taking care of it until you are old enough to decide what you want done with it."
"Ok." Estella said, her mouth forming the shape of an 'o'. Then, after a comfortable silence she added forlornly. "So this would have been my home if… if… my mother hadn't died?" Remus nodded, prompting Estella to ask. "Well can I see the rest of it now?"
The rest of the first floor, it turned out, housed a guest bedroom, Remus' room (which was lived in just how Estella had always imagined her godfather's room would be) and, closest to her room and behind a locked door, what used to be her parent's room (no one had been in there since the day she was born she was told). Since all of the bedrooms were serviced by their own bathrooms, there was no need for additional plumbing on the floor.
The attic, accessible only by staircase that unrolled itself when you pulled down a trapdoor, had clearly not been used in some time. An impressive treasure trove of cluttered paraphernalia that her parents had collected throughout their lives was collectively stored there. Trunks of old clothes and books lined the walls amongst the odd piece of furniture and a collection of rare magical artefacts and portraits that Estella guessed were up there because they were too conspicuous to be seen by the occasional Muggle salesman or guest invariably visiting in the house's main rooms. Amidst the disorder, was a Muggle games table, a well-loved sofa and makeshift duelling platform. Estella shivered unnervingly, the apparent masculine influence of the room lending to the conclusion that this was likely her Father's favourite room in the house.
Downstairs, there was a guest bathroom, a study (complete with her parent's formidable collection of books on defence, transfiguration, charms and Quidditch), the living room they had arrived in, and a large, casual, eat-in kitchen. Estella supposed she could tell a lot about the kind of people her parents were by the way they presented their house. Asides from the straight lines and educative range of texts in the study, there was nothing remotely formal about the house; and with the seamless blend of Wizarding and Muggle technologies (Estella was intrigued to no end about the light bulb!) one would never have picked that it was the home of two pureblood wizards.
Below the stairs was a cloak cupboard, and off the kitchen was a stairwell leading to a basement area which, Estella was delighted to note, had once indeed been used as a makeshift potions lab as well as its predominant occupation as a wine cellar. The front of the terraced flat opened directly into the street – a narrow, cobble stoned lane in a area not far from Kings Cross Station that had survived the blitz of World War II – whilst out the back was a quaint sandstone floored courtyard surrounded by buildings on all sides that was cluttered with overgrown planting boxes and rusted outdoor furniture, giving it a feral, jungle appeal.
All in all, Estella loved the house. It wasn't cold and imposing like the Malfoy Estate, and yet it had more than everything a child could need. The rooms – in all their imperfect, rough around the edges glory, were warm and enveloping. Everything from the pleasant temperature to the soft textures of the furniture, to the aromatic lived-in scent were like a big warm hug. Estella felt safe and comfortable in every room of the house – in fact, on some subconscious level, she felt like a long forgotten part of her life was finally complete. Her quarters with her Uncle Sev, although they had been her home for as long as she could remember, felt just like that: quarters. Everything had its place, and Estella was forbidden from answering the floo or touching certain books and objects belonging to her Uncle. In actual fact, she had maybe been inside her Uncle's room five times in her entire life and she had never been allowed in his lab or office unattended. This house, however, posed no immediate threat to a curious, unsupervised child; and Remus was quick to permit her to move freely throughout its confines.
A week just wasn't going to be long enough to explore it.
End Chapter: Homecoming