As the train filled out, and Cyra hugged Cedric goodbye, she hurried to the platform. Looking around, her eyes swept the crowd before landing on her Papa.
Remus was hurrying to her, excusing himself as he has to push past others. Once he reached her, he swept her up in a hug, "Oh lookit you! You've gotten so big!" She laughed and hugged him back, "I've barely grown an inch, Papa." He holds her for a moment before setting her down, smiling happily at her, "You have no clue how happy I am to see you."
She took his hand, squeezing it softly, "I missed you too Papa." Remus quickly gathers himself, wiping his watery eyes, "Right, let's get home. I'm sure Biscuit will want to be free after such a long ride." He taps her owl's cage before levitating her things, guiding her to the floo.
Once she got settled in, Cyra sat down on the couch and let out an enormous sigh of relief, "Finally out of that uniform." She had already changed into one of Remus's old band shirts, and some pajama pants. Remus sat in the recliner, looking over to her in amusement, "So, what have you gotten up to this year?"
She laid back against the couch's armrest, humming, "I'm excelling in potions, Professor Snape said I made a potion that was almost identical to his own." Remus raised a brow at that, looking at her in awe, "Is that so? Do you think you want to be a Potions Master when you grow up?" She shook her head, sighing, "No. It seems like such a depressing life."
He chuckled, "Are you saying that Professor Snape is depressed?"
She shot him a look, causing him to laugh again. Cyra gave a small chuckle before continuing, "I'm having some issues with defense still. It's not a problem with my wand, it's a problem with me. Professor Quirrell says I need to connect more to my emotions." Remus caught the bite in her voice when she mentioned the DADA Professor.
"Why are you angry with him?" He asked calmly. She looked at him shocked, as if she thought he read her mind. No, he just knew his little girl. She took a moment before replying, "He wanted to do this anonymous interview with werewolf. But he completely twisted my words, and made werewolves out to be monsters." Cyra hesitated to tell he dad, but she decided it was best to be honest, "So..I decided to spike his water with Confusion Draught I brewed in Professor Snape's class."
He nodded along, showing no judgement, "How did you get your potion from Snape? He makes you leave them."
"I stole it while distracting him with cookies."
Remus was unable to hold back his laughter, shaking his head, "How did it work?"
"He looked so loony, people completely took his werewolf story apart. They say it's fake."
He was impressed, giving her a look of approval, "Well done."
She turned her head to him, giving him a mischievous smile, "And I punched Graham." He froze, his eyes wide. She quickly followed it up with, "She slapped me first." He relaxed at that, "Did you get detention?" Cyra gave an innocent smile, "Not one."
"How?!" He sat up, looking at her incredulously.
She shrugged, "Beats me." Remus watched her, trying to look stern, but he couldn't hold it together. Slowly, his lips quirked up, "I feel I should scold you, but I'm so proud of you that I can't." He stood up, patting her head as he passed her, "Well, my little marauder, what do you want for dinner?"
Cyra hummed, thinking about it, "Hmm..can we have some..oh!" She sits up, turning to him, "Can we get Chinese takeout?" Just as the words left her mouth, she saw him holding the Chinese takeout menu, staring at her knowingly. As she laughed, he shot her a wink, "Sweet and sour chicken with eggrolls, right?"
She hops up, pointing at him, "With some extra-"
"Yum Yum Sauce. Do I ever forget?" Remus teased.
She was so happy to be home. "No, never." Cyra replied, before teasing, "But be sure to get some sushi, I've heard fish is good for memory loss. Just in case." Remus's eyes crinkled as he grinned at her, "Good comeback, you're getting better."
The radio was once again blaring in the cabin, Cyra softly swaying to the music. Remus was nodding along as he wrapped his presents for the Weasleys.
'Does anybody know what we are living for? I guess I'm learning..'
Cyra plopped the cookie down onto the counter, flour flying everywhere. As she rolled it out the dough, she sang along, "I'll soon be turning, round the corner now.."
Remus folded the griffin decorated paper, joining in under his breath, "Outside the dawn is breaking..but inside in the dark I'm aching to be free.." The tempo increased, and Cyra picked up her rolling pin at the sounds of the drums beating. Remus and Cyra began singing loudly with the chorus, "The show must go on! The show must go on!"
As Freddie Mercury continued to sing, Remus laughed and taped a bow on the wrapped parcel, "Queen never gets old." Cyra giggled, rolling out her dough, "They're brilliant. Freddie has the voice of an siren." Remus agreed, "Mm hmm, you've got that right."
He pushed himself up from the floor, groaning as his knees pop. As he went over to get more wrapping paper, he said, "You know, I've seen them live in concert before." Cyra's jaw drops, looking at her father in shock, "What!? When?"
"1978." He chuckled, picking up a roll of paper, "It was just before we graduated. We snuck out on a Hogsmeade trip." After he got situated on the floor again, he continued, "I told Sirius that it was just before exams, but he insisted. So we went to Bingley Hall in England, saw them live. It was Sirius and I's third date, and it was.." He let out a soft sigh, "Magical."
Cyra watched him, her hands paused over the dough. He always got like this. Thinking back to her conversation with French, she piped in, "I had a thought."
Remus spoke almost dazed, "Go ahead, pup."
She felt her heart begin to race, wetting her lips before speaking, "What if we.. I mean.. It could just be you if you want. What I'm trying to say is..um.. what if we visited him?"
He blinked, confused as to what she was talking about. Looking at her, he saw her worried expression, asking, "Who are you talking about?"
She shifted, nibbling her lip. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she forces out, "Him. Sirius." She watched as realization entered his eyes, then fear. She hurried to continue, putting her rolling pin down, "I-I just mean, you haven't seen him in so long. You haven't had closure. And we still don't know if he's guilty, maybe if you talked to him he could-"
"No." Remus's voice was low.
Cyra stopped speaking, looking down at the dough, "Sorry.." He took the moment of silence to collect himself, clearing his throat, "Not..now. I don't think I'm ready, Cyra." He gives her a small smile, hoping she wouldn't beat herself up about it, "It's not because I don't want to, it just..it still.."
She met his gaze, whispering, "It still hurts." He relaxed a bit, nodding, "Y-Yeah. It still hurts. And I don't want to say something I regret to him. I still love him." As the words left his lips, his eyes widened in shock. He hadn't said it in so long.
She let him have his moment, grabbing the cookie cutters. The only sound came from the radio, the announcer shouting, "That was Queen's newest song, 'The Show Must Go on'! Next up, Guns N' Roses 'November Rain'."
As the piano notes began to play, Remus got himself together and presented the wrapped box to Cyra, "Think they'll know what's in it?" She laughed as she saw the tears in the paper, revealing the kitchen organizer inside, "Oh no, they won't be able to tell!"
He smiled at her laughter, looking at the badly wrapped gift, "Maybe I should have invested in gift bags instead."
As Cyra dug through the decorations, she saw some pictures at the bottom of the box. Emptying it out, she gathered them up. It looked like a Christmas spent with the Marauders and a redheaded woman. Must be Lily Evans. Flipping through the photos, she spotted a picture of James and Lily under a mistletoe, a small Harry in her arms as they embrace. Infant Harry was reaching up to play with his mother's hair.
The sentence beneath the photo read, 'Potter Family Christmas: 1980'
Cyra watched it for some time, before putting it to the side. She'll ask her Papa if it's okay to give it to Harry. The next photo was the mistletoe again, but it was her dad and what must have been Sirius. Remus was laughing at him, who was trying to steal a kiss. She watched the scene, smiling as she sees her dad finally give in, and they embrace. He looked so happy. So in love.
When they break apart, Sirius looks at her, shooting a bright grin. They do look alike. He rustles his dark curls and hugs Remus close, looking at him lovingly. How could he ever betray him? They look so happy together.
Silently, she folds the photo and pockets it. Moving the decorations box into the living room, she announces, "It's time to decorate the tree!" There was a loud thud, before Remus came hurrying out, "Don't touch my glass ornaments! They're fragile!"
Once the tree was decorated to Remus's liking, they sat at the table and slowly strung popcorn garlands. The tv was on in the background. Cyra focused intensely as she pushed the needle into the popcorn. Remus was doing more munching on the popcorn than threading it.
She let out a satisfied sigh as she finished hers, "Thank merlin, that was torture." Remus snickered, shoving another handful of popcorn in his mouth, "Oh good! You can help me finish mine!" She shot him a glare, taking her garland over to the tree.
Remus chuckled, stringing some popcorn, "Kidding, thank you for your assistance. I know how you hate such tedious tasks." Cyra hummed as she carefully draped the garlands on the tree branches. After she was satisfied, she went back over to him, cleaning up the table. As the silence continued, Remus spared her a glance, seeing her nibbling at her lip. He waited patiently, allowing her to break the silence.
"Papa.. can we talk about Harry?" Her voice was soft as she asked. Curious as to what she meant, he gave her a raised brow, "Go on, pup." She took a deep breath before continuing to tidy up the table, "He's thin, malnourished. Wherever he has been placed, they've obviously never touched him with affection. But.." She hesitated, her voice peaking in emotion.
He put his garland down, giving her all his attention, "Go on." She wrings her hands for a moment, looking away, "He smelled like blood when I first saw him at diagon alley. Almost like he had a fresh wound. Over time, I've caught glimpses of bruises and places he'd wince as if it was raw. I think they're abusing him."
And there it was. He understood how serious of a situation this was. Cyra looked at him with worry, "I-I know that Dumbledore personally chose where he'd go. But what if..what if Dumbledore was wrong?" Remus shifted for a moment, feeling the chill in her words.
She swallowed before following it up with, "I know that's awful to say, he's one of the most powerful wizards, h-he defeated Grindelwald, but I know what I've seen. Harry is not safe."
Remus thought about it for a moment, before calmly responding, "Don't speak of this to anyone, I'll see what I can do. Just keep an eye on Harry, make sure he's not being mistreated." She gave an affirmative nod, taking the trash to the kitchen.
Cyra snatched up her bomber jacket from her bed, calling out, "Papa, we're going to be late!" She hurried to the living room, looking around for her father. He was no where to be seen. She tapped her boots impatiently on the floorboards, knowing he could hear her, "You know how Mrs. Tonks is about punctuality."
He exited his room, fidgeting with his sweater. He looked nice, but not his usual nice. It was almost like he dressed up. His hair looked like he had been messing with it. Cyra sniffed the air, her eyebrows raising in surprise, "Are you..wearing cologne?" Remus cleared his throat awkwardly, going over to grab his jacket, "I've already sent a letter to Andromeda that we'd be late, we need to make a quick stop before we go over to the Tonks."
She watched him slip a small box out from his jacket, checking it over nervously before dropping it in his pocket. It didn't look like anything special, but it was his actions that were weird. Stepping closer to him, she asked curiously, "Where are we stopping?"
"Azkaban.." He replies firmly, before he falters with a nervous smile, "I decided to take your advice.. I think I'm ready to at least try.." Cyra's eyes were wide with shock, "We're going to visit him? Now?" Remus grabs his wand off the counter, slipping it into his pocket, "Well, I will. You're still too young to enter the premises."
She nodded, understanding. She figured it might be better if he did it alone. Once he ran out of things to do, he just stood there, staring at the door, "Well.. we better go." Cyra raised a brow, walking to the door, "Here we go." Looking back, she saw him still frozen.
"Papa?"
"Yep, time to go." He replies.
She sighed, going over to him, "Papa.." Her hand slipped into his, "You look really dashing today. It'd be a waste if he didn't see." Remus scolds her weakly, "I'm not going there to flirt, Cyra." She tugged on his hand, pulling him to the door, "Sure, whatever you say. Now let's go."
When they reached the facility, Remus asked one of the Aurors to watch Cyra for him. They promised that she'd be completely safe, and a guard guided him out to the cells. It was cold, the sound of painful moaning and maniacal screaming filling the air. He shivered as he heard familiar high-pitched cackling. Bellatrix Lestrange, an awful piece of work.
He knew that Andromeda hadn't made any attempt to be in contact with her sister, which he found to be fair. Bellatrix was too far gone, and had been for a while. Even Sirius thought so when they were in Hogwarts. Sirius..
He was nearing the cell, and he felt his chest growing heavy. Typically it was very hard to get a visitation pass, but he was lucky enough to have connections. Or rather, Andromeda had connections, being a Black. When he asked her for this favor, she told him to be careful. But he could tell a part of her held hope.
He wished he had that. Instead, he was just filled with anxiety, his hands trembling as he nears the cell.
"Here you are, sir." The guard motioned to the dark cell with runes carved deep in the stone. Remus took in a shaking breath, stepping closer. It got colder as he neared the cell, his heart gripped with ice. As the light shone into the cell, he saw the shell of the man he knew. Sirius was ragged, his eyes dulled and unfocused.
Remus held down all the emotions that threatened to bubble over, "H-Hello Padfoot.." He noticed the guard went to check the other cells, perhaps to give them space. Glancing back to his former lover, he saw he hadn't moved, "Sirius?" He tried again. Nothing. How long had he been like this?
He takes in a deep breath, taking out the box from his pocket, "I wanted you to have this.." He makes sure the guard isn't looking, before placing the box behind the bars, giving it a push. The box slid along the cell floor, before running into Sirius's outstretched leg.
Remus waited a moment to see if he'd take it, before continuing, "A lot has changed. I have a daughter." He began to ramble, trying to pretend he was speaking to old Sirius, "Not in the way you think, I've never been with anyone since.. well.. anyway, I adopted her. She's absolutely brilliant. Smart mouth, but that's all I can ask for, I can't stand the thought of someone pushing her around. She's been through enough.."
There was a long pause.
He cleared his throat, looking up at the sky, "She's like me, only reason they allowed me to adopt her. I'm so grateful though, cause she makes life worth living. Having that sweet little girl depend on me was the only thing keeping me from losing it. After everything.." He feels the tears form in his eyes, "She's the one who suggested I see you. She believes you didn't do it. And I-I.." His voice catches, "I want to believe it too. I really do."
"….m.."
Was that a response? He looks at Sirius in shock, his heart leaping as he sees those familiar grey eyes. Looking right at him.
"She reminds me of you." He stammers out, trying to see if he catches anything in Sirius's expression, but the shadows made it hard, "Others have hinted at it. And if I didn't know any better, I'd believe it. She has your hair, dark and wild curls everywhere. But she also somehow got your quirks. I don't know how, maybe it was from all the stories I let slip."
Did those eyes soften, or was it just his imagination? He feels the tears fall down his cheeks as he tries not to blink, "She has your smile, your laugh, and that mischievous smirk when she's up to something. Perhaps choosing her playmates to be the Weasley twins was a bad idea. One of these days, they're going to surpass us."
"..Moony.." Sirius rasped out, shifting slightly from his position on the wall. Remus's sight blurred by tears, watching him move.
"Mr. Lupin, times up." The guard appeared at Remus's side. He quickly wiped at his eyes, "Could I have a few more minutes?"
"Sorry, but no. Too much socialization will make the prisoners agitated. Can't have that."
Remus felt his heart shatter, but he remained a straight face, stepping off to the side, "Oh, my apologies then." He was led off, fighting the urge to cry. When he got inside, Cyra immediately knew something was off. He was polite, thanking the auror before leading her out.
She took his hand softly, squeezing his hand. He felt it, and found the strength to keep it together.
It was Christmas. He knew that from the paper he borrowed from the guard. The Dementors had their early present, feasting off of the Prisoners. He felt so tired, so sore. He's been in the same spot since earlier, slumped against the wall.
How long had it been? Ten years? The date on the paper confirmed it was. He didn't know why he bothered to keep count. He was going to be here for a lot longer than that. All thanks to that rat. Not even anger could help him out of this emptiness.
"H-Hello Padfoot."
Was that? No, couldn't be. There was no way he could be here.
"Sirius?"
He knew that voice, but how?
"I wanted you to have this.."
He heard something slide inside, not able to react as whatever it was nudged his leg. It was quiet. He felt his heart ache, wanting to hear him more. He forgot how sweet Remus's voice sounded.
"A lot has changed. I have a daughter."
What?
"Not in the way you think, I've never been with anyone since.. well.."
Since them. He felt a lump form in his throat that he couldn't swallow. Remus waited this entire time for him. But what good was he now?
"Anyway, I adopted her. She's absolutely brilliant. Smart mouth, but that's all I can ask for, I can't stand the thought of someone pushing her around. She's been through enough. She's like me, only reason they allowed me to adopt her."
Oh Moony. He couldn't imagine how it felt for Remus to see her go through that.
"I'm so grateful though, cause she makes life worth living. Having that sweet little girl depend on me was the only thing keeping me from losing it. After everything.. She's the one who suggested I see you. She believes you didn't do it. And I-I.."
Say you forgive me. He didn't think he could live if Remus hated him.
"I want to believe it too. I really do."
He needed to see him. His heart yearned just for a peek. Using his strength, he forced his head to tilt to the side, taking in the sight of Remus greedily. His one true love. His Moony.
"…m.." He tried so desperately to call out to him. Moony I'm right here.
He felt a comforting relief when those gorgeous amber eyes met his. He watched Remus do that nervous little twitch, stammering, "She reminds me of you."
Oh, merlin must be on his side. He remembered all the times he would daydream of sharing a child with Remus. He wanted to know more.
"Others have hinted at it. And if I didn't know any better, I'd believe it. She has your hair, dark and wild curls everywhere. But she also somehow got your quirks. I don't know how, maybe it was from all the stories I let slip."
Oh, he could see her now. He would do so much for her, teach her how to ride his motorbike, take her to the best rock concerts.
"She has your smile, your laugh, and that mischievous smirk when she's up to something."
It was like his dreams come true, a little marauder.
"Perhaps choosing her playmates to be the Weasley twins was a bad idea. One of these days, they're going to surpass us."
Us. He missed that so much. That was supposed to be their life together, raising their daughter together. He wasn't supposed to be here. He was supposed to be with him. His Moony.
"..Moony.." He finally managed, cringing at how rough he sounded. That definitely wouldn't have Remus swooning. His eyes stayed on Remus's form, gritting his teeth as he tries to get up. He needed to be closer to him. To tell him. Maybe he could still have a chance.
"Mr. Lupin, times up." One of the guards came up.
No! Not like this!
"Could I have a few more minutes?"
Please.
"Sorry, but no. Too much socialization will make the prisoners agitated. Can't have that."
"Oh, my apologies then."
Come back. He slumped against the stone, watching him go with a heavy heart. So much left unsaid.
Shifting his legs, he heard something scratch against the floor. Looking down, he saw a small box. It must have been what Remus got him.
His thin fingers carefully picked up the box, shakily opening it. Inside was a picture of him and Remus, having their own Christmas at the cabin after they celebrated with James and Lily. He watched as his younger self rubbed his pocket, the small black box hidden beneath. That was the night he proposed.
In the photograph, Remus was smiling shyly, snuggled along his side. No idea about what Sirius was planning. Placing it to the side delicately, he looked inside the box, feeling his breath catch.
It was a new photo, with Remus and a young girl on the same couch. Their home. She was raised in their home. She was just as beautiful as Remus described. Her dark curls bouncing around her as she smiles awkwardly at the camera, fidgeting with the bottom of her sweater. Remus was hugging her close, ruffling her curls with a laugh. As he does, she scrunches up her nose in the same way Remus did when he was displeased with something.
Sirius watched the photo with a small smile, running his fingers over Remus's laughing face. Flipping it over, he sees the scrawled writing on the back, 'Remus and Cyra's Christmas, 1991.'
"Cyra.." He mummers, flipping it back over to look at the young girl. She really did look like them both. It may be merlin's idea of a cruel joke, but he would take it.