12
The Dreaded Days
The rest of the summer passed quickly with Sirius' company. Lily and Marlene were coming home within the next few days and Remus had already been back for a week.
Doe had written and she and her parent's were going to floo over to Remus' houses on Sunday for dinner, so that everyone could meet each other.
Doe spent most of her days just hanging out with Sirius. He was there often. It upset him to be home with Regulus and she didn't mind having him around.
He had become a constant figure in the Meadowes household this summer.
One evening, Doe was sitting in the living room reading her of the prophet, when she noticed two owls sitting outside of their front window. One was her father's who had a note tied to his leg, and the other she didn't recognize, but he also carried a note. She opened the window and let them both in, removing their notes and putting them out a bowl of water.
She took the note from my father's owl and opened it gingerly.
Doe,
I am officially home and want to invite you to stay at my house for a few days. Marlene, and Mary are also coming over. I miss you all so much, so you simply must come. There you go, you have no choice. I'll see you Tuesday. I can't wait to tell you everything.
Tons of love,
Lily
P.S. Please send me a response back so I know you got this.
Smiling to herself at the familiarity of her letter, she scribbled that she would love to spend a few days with her on the back of her letter and tied it back to her father's owl.
With an angry hoot, he flew out of the open window and disappeared into the sky.
She opened the other letter.
Doe,
I can't come over. My mother apparently was not happy that I have kept in contact with my cousin Andromeda and has since locked me in my room. So unless you've learned to apparate in the last 12 hours, i'm screwed.
Sorry,
Sirius.
She frowned. Sirius' mother had locked him in his room for just talking to Andromeda. Andromeda was Sirius' eldest cousin who had been ostracized from their family for falling in love with a muggleborn wizard.
Doe was sad that she wouldn't get to see him today. She had become used to spending most days with him
She couldn't go over there. His mother had always despised her, because of her mom. She had forbade Doe from ever walking through her front door. Apparently, She wasn't the right sort of witch. Or at least that's what she said very harshly to the nine year old Doe one day at the playground.
A thought occurred to her. She had only said she wasn't allowed in her front door.
She grabbed her wand off the table and slipped it into her boot, leaving the house quickly.
The street was empty as most of the adults that lived here were at work. Even the kids were all inside. She walked around to the back of the houses and stopped when she got to the back of Sirius'. She could clearly see the faded number 12 printed by the back door. She eyed the fire escape carefully. If she was careful, she would be able to climb up to Sirius' window.
Her only concern was that she would be spotted by his family in one of the other windows.
She took a deep breath and began climbing the ladder, ducking every time She passed a window with an emerald curtain. She could see Regulus sitting in there. He looked up quickly and Doe ducked to keep from being seen by him. She kept climbing until she reached the fourth floor and saw a window that was covered by a scarlet curtain.
Knowing that no one else in his house, besides Sirius would brandish the color of Gryffindor, she knew the room was his.
She reached out and knocked on the window. The curtains drew apart and Sirius confused face appeared.
He broke out into a smile when he saw his friend crouching on the ladder.
He slid the window open excitedly.
" She technically said I wasn't allowed to set foot through the door" Doe reminded him.
He smiled widely, " I'll give you this Meadowes, I see why you're a Gryffindor"
She climbed in through the window, and was caught off guard by Sirius' room. It was adorned with scarlet and gold. Everything from the bedspread to the posters and tapestries screamed Gryffindor. It was as if he was trying to make it very clear where his allegiance laid.
" Remind me Sirius, what house are you in?" she asked him.
" Oh shut it, Meadowes" Sirius said sitting down on the chair in the corner.
The wall closest to her was papered with Quidditch posters and small photographs. She looked at all of them with a small smile on her face. The one closest to her looked like it was taken last year. It had all of the marauders on it and in the corner someone had written Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. Their nicknames.
They all smiled at her and some of them waved.
" So how are you, Prisoner?" She asked
Sirius shrugged, " She's bloody awful. She locked the door with a spell, so I'm stuck here"
" I'm sorry," she said sitting on the edge of his bed.
" Whatever, I'm used to it." Sirius said with a shrug, " what's new with you?"
" Well I'm going to Remus' tomorrow, and Lily wrote she's back and I'm going to stay with her Mary, and Marlene on tuesday" she told him.
Sirius broke out into a smile, " Mm. Mckinnon"
Doe grabbed a pillow off of his bed and threw it at him. His quidditch reflexes caused him to catch it before it hit him.
" She's my best friend, Sirius" she told him, " not one of your conquests"
Sirius narrowed his eyes, " You are seeing one of my best friends"
" That's different," Doe reminded him, " Remus and I are together. You don't want a relationship with Marlene"
" I don't get the impression that a relationship is what Marlene wants" Sirius said sternly, " unless I've been misreading her very blatant actions"
" She doesn't think that's what she wants" she said.
Sirius shook his head, " We are not all monogamous like you and Moony. Some of us just like to have fun"
Doe rolled my eyes, " Just don't make her mad, it'll be your funeral"
Sirius grinned widely, " I don't dissapoint"
" Ew, Sirius stop" she said rolling her eyes.
He burst into howling laughter, throwing his head back.
Doe let her eyes wander around the room again and her eyes fell on the door. There was a small silver vapor around the knob where his mom had locked her in.
" So you're mom actually locked you in here for just talking to Andromeda?" she asked.
Sirius frowned, " Well actually it was for RSVPing to her wedding"
" She's getting married?" Doe asked.
Sirius nodded, " Yeah to Ted Tonks, whose a muggleborn so our entire family has written her off, but I don't care what they do, I'm not going to do that. I'm going to their wedding"
" Is it a magical wedding?" she asked.
Sirius nodded, " Have you ever been to one?"
Doe shook my head, " We've been invited to a few but my mom never wanted to go"
" Come with me to Andromeda's, she won't mind" Sirius said quickly.
Doe shook her head, " I don't want to intrude. That's a family thing"
She knew Andromeda from when they were younger. She was a Slytherin, but not an evil one. Whenever she came to visit Sirius, she would always join them in the park when they would play out there.
Sirius rolled his eyes, " None of her family is coming. She'll be glad you're there. You're a friendly face. Just come. It's next Saturday"
" So you're sure it's okay if I go?" Doe asked.
" Meadowes, it's fine. I promise" Sirius said.
He reached over onto his nightstand and grabbed a deck of cards.
" Up for a game of exploding snap?" he asked.
Doe grinned widely, "Whatever you want, prisoner"
" Anne have you seen my blue tie?" Her father called down the stairs.
" It's in your office, on the chair" her mom called back.
They had been trying to leave the house to get to Remus' for a half hour, but they kept getting delayed for everything.
Doe seemed to be the only one who was ready on time. She was sitting on the chair in the living room dressed and ready to go while her parents scurried around the house making sure that they had everything that they needed.
" Is this okay?" Her mother asked coming out in a sweater and a matching skirt. She had taken her hair and pulled it into a bun.
" Mom, it's fine" Doe assured her.
Her father strode out a moment later in a suit , sporting a tie that proudly announced his Ravenclaw roots.
" All ready, you two?" He asked adjusting his sleeves.
" Been ready" Doe told him, " for over half an hour" she added under her breath.
" I'm quite excited to meet the young man you seem so enamored with" her father said with a wide smile.
Doe shoved his arm hard, " Do not say that when were there please"
Both of her parents laughed quickly.
" It's strange to see you so nervous , Dorcas" her mother said with a slight smile.
"I'm not nervous" Doe told her.
It wasn't technically a lie, she was nervous. Not about seeing Remus or meeting his parents but of her parents, more specifically her mother, saying something inappropriate.
She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
" Let's go girls" Her father said giving both her and her mom one of his arms.
" Oh I hate this" Her mother said closing her eyes. She hated apparition.
She closed her eyes and felt the sharp pull behind her navel as they disappeared and landed on a cobblestone street.
Her parents had both managed to land on their feet, but she had fallen on her knees onto the street.
She stood up trying to wipe the gravel off of her knees, silently grateful she wasn't wearing tights.
The street had three houses all of them spaced far apart. It was a quiet street lined with oak trees, whose branches billowed over the street.
" Number 812, right there" Her father said pointing to the house in front of them.
It was a tall two story house made of warm brown wood. The front door was red and lined with bricks.
They walked over tentatively and knocked on the door.
" What a cute house" Her mother said looking admiring the outside of the house.
The door opened and a women with long dark hair appeared.
She had to be Remus' mom, they had the exact same shaped eyes. She was smiling widely, she had a heart shaped face.
" Oh, Hi you must be Doe" She said pulling her into a hug, " I'm Carol"
" And you must be her parents, hi. We've been dying to meet you" Carol shook each of their hands.
" Come in," She said opening the door to the house and leading them in.
" I'm, Auberon Meadowes and this is my wife Anne" Her father said.
Their living room was set up with so that the first thing you saw was the massive wall covered in books. Doe had expected nothing less from Remus' family.
" Remus, Lyall. They're here" Carol called into the house.
" Were so pleased you could join us, we've heard so much about your lovely daughter from Remus" Carol said with a smile.
" As have we, were so glad we could do this" Her father said.
Carol opened her mouth to say something but before she could, Remus and his father strode into the living room.
They looked so much alike. Remus' father looked exactly as he did, except for the large eyeglasses he wore.
" Doe" Remus said walking over and pulling her into a tight hug.
It was so nice to see him again. She hadn't realized how much she had missed him since school had ended.
They broke apart quickly, feeling four pairs of eyes watching them.
Remus and his father introduced themselves to her parents.
" Auberon, Anne, come into the sitting room and I'll get you a glass of wine. Remus why don't you show Doe around the house?" Carol suggested.
Remus broke into a wide smile, " I'd love to" he said taking her hand.
Her parents followed Remus' into the sitting room and sat down on one of the armchairs.
Doe followed Remus out of the sitting room and into a hallway with a staircase.
" I've missed you so much" Remus said once they were out of earshot.
Doe squeezed his hand, " I've missed you too. You have no idea" she told him.
" Sirius told me you guys have been hanging out lately" Remus said, " Finally warming up to my friends I see"
" Yeah when he's not being obnoxious" she said with a laugh.
Remus smiled, " Do you want to see my room?"
" Yes, definitely," she told him.
She followed Remus down the hallway and to a door on the left. The rest of the house was just as cute as their living room.
" It's actually in the basement so be careful walking down the stairs" Remus said holding the door open for her.
" Thats amazing, I wish I had a basement" she told him as they climbed the stairs down to his room.
Remus' room was exactly as she would have pictured it. Three of the four walls were lined with bookshelves holding every book imaginable.
His bed was pushed against the only wall not covered by books and next to it was a desk.
" You have so many books" she said admiring the walls lined with novels.
" I have a few" Remus said looking down.
" A few?" she asked incredulously, " this makes my collection look like Flourish and Blott's wastebin"
Remus laughed leaning against the edge of one of the shelves.
" Well look at that" she said noticing a picture above his desk.
It was taken at the end of last year, it was of the two of them sitting in one of the armchairs in the Gryffindor common room.
The Remus and Doe in the picture kept looking at each other smiling and then covering their faces, hiding them from the frame.
Remus blushed , " I like that picture"
She smiled at him, blushing slightly " I like it too".
She moved towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck, " I really missed you".
Remus smiled slightly and bent forward to kiss her.
After a minute they broke apart both slightly pink.
" You know if it's even possible I think you've gotten more beautiful" Remus said his hand brushing some of her hair behind my ear.
Doe rolled my eyes at him, "You're so full of it"
" But I'm not," He said still holding her hand in his, " You're practically a veela"
" You, Remus Lupin are ridiculous" Doe said shaking my head.
He rolled his eyes at her, " You just can't see it, but trust me you're breathtaking"
Doe felt her cheeks were now blushing so deeply she looked down. She kissed Remus again quickly.
" You know eventually, we'll need to make an appearance up there" she said frowning.
Remus sighed, " You're probably right" he said.
Doe laced her hand with hers and led back upstairs.
Their parents were all still sitting in the living room, engaged in conversation.
Doe could hear Remus' mother talking as they walked in " … I wonder if it's something in the Gryffindor genealogy, because I was a Ravenclaw and Lyall was a Hufflepuff, but Remus still ended up in Gryffindor"
Doe's father raised his eyebrow, " You know it might be, because you see Gryffindors often come from non-Gryffindor families"
" But then there's the Prewett's" Remus' father added.
Her father laughed, " That's true, the whole lot of them are Gryffindor"
Her mother sat very still with her hands crossed. It was obvious she didn't have very much to add to the conversation.
" Oh kids, there you are" Remus' father said, " Come sit, we were just talking about your house"
Remus and Doe sat down next to each other on the other open couch.
" Don't they make such a beautiful couple?" Carol said aloud.
Remus was still holding her hand. They both blushed scarlet and avoided their eyes.
" Carol don't embarrass them" Remus' father said squeezing his wife's hand.
" I'm not" she said, " But they are, I mean just look at them"
" And they're both smart as a whip as I hear it" Doe's father said.
" You two must be absolutely dying to find out about the O.W.L results, I imagine" Carol said to her parents.
" Oh, I'm sure Dorcas will do just fine" Her mother said finally offering something to the conversation.
Doe watched Carol's confusion at the use of her unconventional first name. She tightened slightly. Remus who knew of her distaste for both her given name and her mother's rampant use of it, squeezed her hand reassuringly.
" Oh of course she will, I think we don't have to worry about either of them" Remus' father said.
A small beep came from the kitchen, " I think that dinner is ready" Carol announced, " come on let's eat"
The rest of the evening went really well. Doe's mother didn't speak very much again but her father seemed to be getting along very well both Remus and his parents.
At the end of the meal, Doe helped Carol bring the plates back to the kitchen.
" You didn't have to do that" Carol said as she helped her put them into the sink.
" It's no problem" she assured her.
She put down her plates and smiled at Doe, " You know, Remus really cares about you, and he doesn't get close with people very often. He's quite introverted"
Doe smiled, " I care about him too, a lot actually".
" I'm very glad he's found you. You're wonderful, I think you're good for him" she told her, a wide smile breaking out on her face.
" I'm glad, he's a wonderful person" she told her.
Her lip quivered, " I agree. Why don't you go find him and spend a little time together. I've got these"
" You sure?" Doe asked her.
She nodded, " go ahead".
Smiling to herself, she left the kitchen and spotted Remus through the sliding glass door. He was sitting on one of the benches outside in the garden.
Doe's mother and father were still sitting at the table with Remus' father discussing the new Gringotts policy so she slipped outside quietly to where Remus was.
" Hey" she said sitting down beside him.
" Hi there" he said sliding over to make more room for her.
It was a little cooler outside than it had been in a few months, but it was nice.
" I really like your parents. They're sweet" she told him.
" They adore you, you should have heard my mother going on about you when we went to get drinks" Remus said smiling.
" Well so do my parents, I can tell my father likes you, and he doesn't give unwarranted approval" she said.
" We make a beautiful couple" he said mockingly, his laughter filling the now darkening outside.
" And were both smart as a whip" she said through laughter.
" Well you are beautiful" he said softly.
" And you're quite smart" she said back biting her lip.
When they looked back up, they noticed Remus' mother was watching them. She looked away when she noticed them watching.
Remus and Doe exchanged a look and then headed back inside to face their parents again.