Chapter 4

LB

I walked all the way up to the front, until I reached the cab. I knocked on the door in a pattern Remus had taught me. I heard shuffling of feet before the door slid open. An elderly man with long grey hair, that reached his shoulders and a short salt and pepper beard, appeared in front of me. I glanced behind me and when I saw we were alone, I lowered my hood.

"Alexandra." The man beamed at me.

"Hi, Oscar." My face matched his. "Can I sit with you?"

"Of course, dear. Step on in." He stepped aside and when I had entered the cab, closed the door behind me. "Come, sit next to me."

"Thank you, Oscar." I took off my robe and sat on the chair next to him. "Remus told me where to find you."

"Is he with you?"

"Yes, he's sleeping right now. He hasn't been sleeping much the past few days."

Oscar nodded in understanding. Oscar had been driving the train for about forty years now. Remus had met him on the train in his first year as he stumbled into his cab. And we stayed in touch since. Oscar doesn't come out of his cab, so he doesn't meet any of the students. His wife, Mary, was the lady who walked through the train with her trolley filled with candies and such. I met Oscar and Mary when I was about five years old. Through a special connection of their floo, we were able to come to each other's houses in minutes, which we used at least once a month, while Remus transformed. They have been a great help over the years, for me and for Remus. They of course, knew of Remus his condition and were glad to help out with the young girl that had been left in his care. But the last two years we had seen less of them I mused as I looked at the elder man. They didn't need to watch me every month as I grew older and especially after...

My thoughts were interrupted when Oscar asked me something.

"Nervous for school?"

"A little." I shrugged. "Healthy nervous, I'd say."

"That's good." He smiled. "But you're always one that could handle these situations with grace."

"Oscar." I said a little bashful.

"No, I mean it. That's just who you are, and you have a way to charm the pants of everyone you meet."

"Hm." I hummed with a frown. "Moony says I look after my da- after Sirius on that front."

Oscar placed his hand on my shoulder with a sad smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to -"

"I know, it's okay." I inhaled sharply.

"You know Hogwarts has different robes, right?" He chuckled as he pointed at my blue robes. And I was happy that he redirected the conversation.

"Yeah, but Dumbledore -" I started to explain. The train ride went smoothly as we talked about my transition to another school, another country. We talked about his kids and grandkids and their plans for the rest of the year.

I enjoyed the scenery in front of me. The mountains, the forests, the blue skies. When the sky suddenly turned grey and dark, the rain started to fall heavily, I subconsciously reached for my wand in my boot. My eyes searched the sky worried. When I saw a hooded figure float in front of the train, my eyes widened, and Oscar reacted fiercely as he stood on the break. The train stopped with a loud screeching sound and the cab turned cold. I glanced over to Oscar, who had his wand in his hand.

"Dementors." We both whispered. Before we could say another word, the train jostled.

"They're on the train." I gripped my wand tightly, as I saw my breath appear in front of me.

"No, stay here." Oscar took a firm grip on my arm as I went to stand up after a few minutes. "I'll go."

"No, Os-" I started but was cut off when the cab door flew open and a dementor appeared in front of us.

"Alexandra, turn! Now!" I glanced back at Oscar, who had gone pale as he stared at the dementor. The dementor turned to look at me. I, at least think he looked at me, hard to know with no eyes. But he stared at me a long time before he opened its mouth, and I felt all the happy memories fleet away. No, I couldn't let a dementor control my life. Remember what Moony taught you, I murmured to myself as I tried to find my bearings. As I tried to find the right memory to get this evil thing away from here.

"Expecto Patronum!" I called out fiercely. The tip of my wand glowed brightly before an arctic wolf leaped out of it and pushed the dementor back. The dementor disappeared behind the white light, behind my wolf and was cast out of the train. I breathed in deeply, regaining my composer before I turned to the paled Oscar. I kneeled in front of him and clasped my hands on his cheeks. "Oscar? Oscar, are you alright?"

Oscar's eyes fluttered for a moment before he looked up at me, the colour in his cheeks coming back. He took a hand of mine in his and gave it a small squeeze and looked up at me. "I'm okay. Thank you." I waved him off with a smile but took my other hand in his too. "Thank you." He said again, his eyes locked on me.

"Anytime." I smiled at him. The door was still open after the dementor had been driven off, and when we heard running footsteps, we both looked to see a frantic and a panting Remus ran up to us. "Moony!" I called out, standing up and flung my arms around him as soon as he was in the cab.

"I was so worried." He pulled back with fright in his eyes and his eyes scanned me for any damage. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. We're fine."

"She'd driven off a dementor that came into the cab." Oscar said standing up, still a bit wobbly. I reached in my coat and gave him the bar of chocolate.

"It helps, it always helps." I repeated the words Remus always used. And in the corner of my eyes, I saw the corners of his mouth twitch.

"Why didn't you turn?" Remus asked, turning my attention back to him after Oscar accepted the chocolate.

"I told her to." Oscar said as he broke off a piece.

"I couldn't just let them parade around the train. I couldn't let them get to Oscar. You taught me those things for a reason, Moony. You didn't teach me everything just to run away and go into hiding."

Remus sighed as he rubbed his face. "Okay, you're right." He pulled me back in a hug. "I'm proud of you, cub." I smiled against his chest as my arms circled around his back.

"Uncle Moony?"

"Yeah?" He asked pulling back, his hands still on my shoulders.

"Where they here for...?"

"I think we should talk about this later." He said with a stern look, that meant not to question him, and I nodded.

"I should go check on Mary." Oscar said with a trembling voice.

"I'll go check on her and the students." He kissed the top of my head. "Wait for me at the train station." He said before he walked out and closed the door behind him.

I turned back to Oscar, who was still munching happily on the chocolate. "Mary is a tough cookie, she'll be fine." Oscar smiled weakly at me. "Can I drive?" I grinned broadly.

"Alright, sit here." He ushered me to his seat, while he took mine. "So, first -" He started explaining the ropes of the train as it started again with a slight jolt. I gladly excepted a piece of chocolate as I took control of the train, unbeknownst to all of the students and Remus that a fifteen-year-old was driving it.

LB

When we arrived at the station, I waited until most of the students had departed the train. I put on my hood again and said goodbye to Oscar and Mary, the latter had joined us the last ten minutes of the ride. With my cloak and hood firmly around me, I walked out of the train. The students that were still left, send me curious looks but no one dared to speak to me. I walked over to the little building and leaned next to the white door, against the brick wall. My eyes scanned the platform swiftly. Remus walked out of the train at last, after most of the students were gone to the carriages.

"We're going with the floo." Remus said once he reached me and opened the door of the station. The building was small, just a few benches spread across the room. A little ticket booth on my right and a large fireplace on my left. "We're flooing to the headmaster's office." I nodded my head. "I'll go first." Remus stepped into the fireplace and grabbed a little of the floo powder at the pot next to him. "Albus Dumbledore's office." He said before he disappeared in green flames.

Once the flames had retreated, I stepped in after my uncle and repeated Remus's actions. I stepped out of the fireplace, into an oval office. A large desk in the centre of the room, paintings and books aligned against the walls. Behind the desk was a staircase that leaded up to another part of the room. A beautiful phoenix clattered its beak from his stand. The office was empty except for me and Remus, so I walked over to the bird, pulling my hood down.

"Hello there." I whispered as I stroked its head. The phoenix nudged his head affectionally against my hand.

"He seems to like you." An unknown voice came from above the staircase. I looked up to see headmaster Dumbledore smile at me. "His name is Fawkes."

"He's beautiful, sir." I looked from the bird to the man in a flowy emerald gown as he descended the stairs.

"Professor Dumbledore." Remus came forward, once he reached the end of the stairs, he had his hand already outstretched.

"Remus!" The professor/headmaster smiled widely. "Nice to see you again, dear boy." They shook hands. "But since you'll be teaching here at Hogwarts, please call me Albus."

I tried to hide my snicker as I saw Remus's shocked face. "Albus -" He tried out but frowned a little at the informality of it. "This is Alexandra Black-"

I cleared my throat, reminding him off my true last name just when the headmaster asked. "Black?" Dumbledore's eyes flickered between me in Remus. "Black in like...?" He turned to Remus.

"Daughter of Sirius Black."

Dumbledore's eyes widened behind his half-moon spectacles as he looked from me to Remus. "I thought – I thought you were dead." The words fell out of his mouth.

"Dead? You knew about her?" Remus's voice low, his eyes angry as he stepped protectively closer to me.

"I saw the letter Cordelia send Sirius." His voice was quiet, as though he did it without his consent. "When the wards of Cordelia's safehouse were broken, I came over in an instant. But it was too late, the house was on fire. By the time we extinguished the fire, there was nothing left."

My legs started to shake uncontrollably and Moony must've noticed because his angry gaze left the headmaster and looked at me worried. He lowered me to one of the chairs and crouched in front of me. "Are you okay?"

I hummed with my eyes closed. I took in a deep breath and looked with an icy glare at Dumbledore. "It's Lupin-Black."

"Excuse me?" He asked confused.

"My name. My name is Lupin-Black." I grumbled.

"Lupin-Black? So-" He turned to Remus, his eyes large behind his spectacles.

"We're not talking about this now, Albus." He snapped.

"Right. And with this new discovery, there is a matter I would like to speak to you about." He said seriously. "The matter of your father, Sirius Black."

"I understand he escaped Azkaban." I nodded with a quick glance to Remus, who took the seat next to me. "I don't know what this has to do with me. My mum wrote to him with the news of the pregnancy and birth, he never replied."

"You have to remember that he is your father. I don't know if he had received the letters from your mum. I only saw the one where she stated she was pregnant with you. So, there is a chance he might come after you."

"Maybe... But as I understand, he escaped trying to find Harry Potter."

Dumbledore eyes flickered to Remus for a moment and Remus crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at the headmaster. "We don't keep secrets, Albus."

I bit the inside of my cheek as I tried to hide the smile that wanted to escape as my eyes went between the two professors. "So, you know that he's Harry's..." He didn't need to finish his sentence because I gave him a short nod. "Alright," He slowly drawled out. "You can't tell him, miss Lupin-Black, under any circumstances." I made a move to counter but by the look Remus gave me, I snapped my mouth shut. "Anyway, that's what we were thinking, that he escaped to get to Harry" Dumbledore admitted. "But be that as it may, you're still his daughter..."

"Only in blood." I muttered. "Sorry." I apologized quickly for the interruption, but the headmaster smiled.

"And it is certainly possible for him to find out about your existence, if he hasn't already."

"No one knows who I am, Professor. Yes, I go by the name Lupin-Black, but in Beauxbatons it was never an issue as almost no one knows about the Black family there. And I – my name – never appeared in any article or sorts, so I don't think he knows who I am and if he does, he doesn't want to know me."

"Maybe not. But I'm afraid to say that won't be the same here. You'll be the talk of the school if you plan to keep your name -"

"I don't mean to interrupt, professor." I held up my hand. "But I will be keeping my name, both of them. Remus raised me and I'm proud to carry his name, to be his daughter. And my mum gave me the name Black. I won't change them, and I certainly won't care about what other kids say about it, or me." My voice determent and proud.

The headmaster looked at me for a moment, his eyes fixed on mine. I felt a subtle nudge in my mind, and I knew what he tried to do. But having Remus as a guardian has its advantages. He had prepared me for everything I might need. And trained me on all sorts of subjects. From defence – magical and muggle – to occlumency and more. The headmaster tried once more, before giving up and backed off.

"Well, that's settled then. But it's certainly a possibility for him to find out once you've been introduced here." I nodded in agreement. "So, I just wanted to tell you to be careful and don't seek him out."

"Why would I seek him out? He's a mass murderer."

"Hm." He gave short nod, and I glanced to Remus who gave me a strained smile. "Let's head to the great hall." The three of us rose from our seats and Remus and I followed him out of the office, I already with my hood over my head.