All three of them had fallen asleep in the living room that night and somewhere around 3 am, Emeline heard Sirius stumble over something and begin swearing profusely.
She yawned and wiped the sleep from her eyes as she searched for him in the dark and stood to light a candle.
"What the bloody hell are you doing?"
"Midnight snack?" He grinned cheekily.
"Sirius, it's 3 am." She glanced back at her father, still sound asleep and snoring. "You're going to wake the entire town."
"I'm sorry, I actually just got back."
"Back! Back from where?" She exclaimed. "If you're caught you'll be sorry, Sirius. It was bad enough you came with dad to the platform."
"Oh, please. Hardly anyone was on that train. Only losers go home for the holiday."
"Gee, thanks. Now tell me where you were."
"It's top secret."
Her father was stirring now and she rolled her eyes, lowering her voice. "Fine. Don't tell me."
"I still want a snack, though."
"I'll come with you to make sure you don't set the entire cottage ablaze." Emeline sighed, trailing him quietly to the kitchen and lighting a second small candle.
"I'm just joking. You're not a loser." Sirius whispered, still quite loud in Emeline's opinion.
"I appreciate it. You can't blame me for wanting to be home."
"No, I can't." He sighed. "I'm sorry for what a disaster your life has been the past few years."
He meant it genuinely, yet Emeline couldn't help but snicker.
"I appreciate that. It is a bloody disaster. Well it was, until dad came around. Then we've got the whole end of year bit last term. Things are better now, don't you agree?"
"Well I think that's naturally how relationships go." He shrugged. "You're used to us by now."
"I suppose." She quieted as she started up a sandwhich on a thick slice of rustic bread.
"What's going on?" He asked, grabbing a slice of cheese and noting the look Remus had mentioned before: the wheels turning in her mind.
"Nothing."
"Convincing."
Emeline sighed and turned to face him.
"Relationships and all, I guess."
"Oh, issues with your red - headed knight?"
Emeline smiled.
"No. As a matter of fact, he's invited me to the Yule Ball."
"A date!" Sirius exclaimed excitedly.
"Shh! Keep it down!" She shot a nervous glance to the living room. Her father had moved but was still asleep as far as she could tell.
"Ahh, don't want your old man to know yet. I get it. He's a little wild about that, especially after a moon. But if George isn't the problem - who is?" He quirked an eyebrow.
"Sirius, it's really nothing."
"Then you won't mind telling me."
Remus was half awake.
And part of him felt guilty for not making that known.
But he was curious in what his daughter could confide in Sirius and not him, and listening had worked in her favor for comfort the last time a conversation like this transpired between the two of them. That was enough encouragement for him to lay low.
Besides, he did desperately want to go back to sleep.
"I'll tell you." She whispered, unsettled nerves growing in her stomach. "Just keep it down."
He nodded with big eyes, making a motion to get on with it.
"My friend I wrote dad about; the one visiting from Beauxbatons?"
She handed Sirius his sandwhich and he took a large bite, crumbs falling out of his mouth everywhere.
"Okay, one: gross. Two: I spoke with her. And," she trailed off for a moment. Remus felt her eyes on him before she turned around, convinced he was still asleep despite not noticing the lack of snoring. "And it turns out she isn't allowed to be friends with me.. anymore."
It took Sirius a moment. Living in ignorant bliss at the cottage now and imprisoned in Azkaban years before had somewhat removed him from the social prejudices that could so easily affect his best mate's and niece's life. In their safe little shell here at the cottage, the world didn't feel that way. It clicked fairly fast for him as their school days and Moony's desperation to keep his condition a secret flooded back to him.
"I see." He said quietly. "And how do you feel?"
Remus' heart lurched into his throat and he felt sick. This was a main concern he had always held for Emeline: his condition becoming common knowledge and affecting her.
"Emeline?" Sirius asked again, concerned as she wiped her face slowly with the damp cloth at the sink.
"I'm sorry, I just feel kind of sick. No matter, the truth is that I can't believe I was ever friends with such a bitch. It's disgusting."
Remus' eyes widened. Despite it only being a little over a year, he didn't know his daughter to be so aggressive and had rarely heard her swear (which he would immediately reprimand, anyway.) His heart was broken for her friendship and for this to create such animosity in his daughter's spirit. He felt even worse now.
Emeline took a seat, nausea biting at her throat.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Sirius asked.
"Yeah," she waved a hand at him. "Maybe I'm hungry too."
He offered her the other half of his sandwhich and she smiled gratefully.
Remus stayed silent but a sad smile pulled at his lips. He had noticed this connection with her last year, with their silent communication. He didn't know it went into feelings like this and he wasn't sure what it was. He made a note to owl Poppy about it - certain she would have an idea and convinced it was something to do with the lycanthropy sensitivities in his genes; genes he had always thought Emeline had zero of.
"Please don't tell my dad." She broke the silence. "It'll break his heart and I can't bear to see that in him. He doesn't deserve it."
The nausea in his throat was replaced by a calming love deep in his soul. He felt peaceful as his daughter continued.
"They're wrong, you know. It's their loss, those prejudice pricks. My dad would never hurt someone the way they do by shunning people. I think that's admirable."
Sirius smiled.
"Spoken like a true marauder. Anyway, welcome to the club."
"What club?" She asked curiously.
Had Remus' eyes been opened, he'd be rolling them once again as he awaited Sirius' answer: a term he coined in school that always embarrassed his mate.
"The Moony fan club."
•
The next morning, Remus had to smile to himself as he found his daughter and friend in the same positions he'd fallen asleep to them in. He had to admire their determination for acting as if nothing had taken place while they all 'slept peacefully.'
He supposed they all had secrets.
He stood quietly so not to wake them and went to the kitchen to get some breakfast on for them and pen a letter to Poppy posing his question before Emeline saw it.
After his success in sending that out, and the smell of pancakes and sausage wafting through the air, he took a seat and watched them peacefully.
How had he gotten so lucky?
Remus could only have imagined a family of his own in his wildest dreams.
His parents themselves were lovely; devoted and kind. His mother had passed on and his father…Well, sadly he had not mentioned Lyall much to Emeline. Her grandfather was so deep into forgetfulness now that oftentimes he did not even remember Remus. St. Mungos had recommended limiting visits after a large outburst right before he went to teach at Hogwarts left Remus utterly distraught.
Not only did Lyall not remember him, but the thought of making his father angry by attempting to help him recall was more than he could bear. He dropped gifts or cards on holidays but never signed as son.
Lyall would've loved Emeline, he knew. His father hoped that one day there would be a reunion and it took all of Remus' convincing and strength for him not to go after Florence's father that day.
It tore Lyall apart.
When Remus was forced to leave Emeline, he thought he'd never see her again. He spent years having dreams of running into a little girl with bouncing curls and lakeside blue eyes.
He dreamed of hearing her call him daddy and teaching her magic.
A dream that turned into a nightmare every time he woke from them.
He was born to be her dad. This he knew. He felt such purpose the first time he held her. A deep and animalistic desire to protect her. He would die for her, but had he chosen death versus walking away that day, he knew the chance of ever meeting her again and giving her the full story would be a wash. The truth was, he couldn't bear to let go of that small sliver of hope.
The hope that was fulfilled now, sleeping on his couch with half eaten chocolate bars and books strewn about her. His bestfriend on the floor next to her.
This joy was unlike anything he had experienced before.
Emeline smiled in her sleep.
•
Remus set the record player on softly as he tidied up around his still sleeping counterparts.
It was late morning now.
Breakfast had a warming charm on it, the fire was roaring and it was starting to snow for the first time that winter. The familiar, classical music pulled Emeline from her slumber as her father hummed along with it. She gathered some chocolate wrappers in her hand as she stood and followed him into the kitchen where he trashed some as well.
"Morning, dad." She yawned pulling her tousled curls behind her into a loose bun.
He turned to her and smiled, taking the trash and motioning to the table for her food.
"Goodmorning, sweetheart. How did you sleep?"
"Great." She responded quickly, taking a seat at the dining table. He sat across from her and nodded.
"Good, I'm glad."
As she started to eat, she tuned in to his continued humming and felt a lurch in her stomach at his extremely good mood. She ate slowly, before glancing up again and finding his eyes on her, smiling slightly again. She swallowed thickly.
"I have a weird reverse psychology feeling looming over me right now and I don't know why." She said carefully, setting her fork down.
"I'm sorry?" Remus laughed, his eyes twinkling. "I'd do no such thing." He stirred his coffee calmly with a spoon, eyes still on her.
"Something's off." Emeline continued, feeling ill at the thought of him hearing their conversation. Remus felt a knot in his stomach, too, and completely ignored it as he calmed himself and kept this blissful mood close.
Her anxiety soothed as quickly as it came.
"Well, I have plans for us today." He said cheerfully.
"Plans I can't wait to be a part of." Sirius said, bounding into the room with a stretch.
Remus laughed.
"I have to divulge something to you both," he looked between them. "I snuck out last night to secure some… funds from my family's vault."
Remus looked at him with a comically incredulous glare. "You don't say!" He smacked his hand down on the table and Emeline's mouth fell open.
"I am so uncomfortable right now."
"Oh, don't be! The funds are for you." He said excitedly, shoving a pancake in his mouth. "Chocolate? Delicious."
"For me? For what?" Emeline asked, further confused.
"You are going to the Yule Ball, aren't you?" Remus asked calmly, sipping his coffee.
Emeline's face broke into a smile as it dawned on her and Sirius smirked.
"Oh, she's going alright! And not alone!" He responded in a singsong voice.
She blushed and covered her face in her hands.
"Kill me!"
"Em! Come now, you didn't want to tell me you wanted to go - let alone with someone? I'm not that bad, am I?"
Emeline shook her head quickly side to side.
"Well, we all know who it is. Let's hear it from you." Sirius encouraged.
Emeline peaked out between her fingers.
"Dad! Stop smiling like that."
"Fine, no smiling anymore in this house."
She rolled her eyes at his deadpan face and shot him one back.
"Alright, then. Dad, George has asked me to the Yule Ball."
Still serious.
"And, I've accepted."
Remus crossed his arms and nodded.
"That's wonderful, darling."
Emeline now found this game amusing and crossed her arms as well.
"Mhm, very. But I was hoping we could go dress shopping today since I have nothing to wear and I'd like to attend clothed versus-"
Sirius spit out his coffee and Remus blinked rapidly, still staring stoically.
"Emeline Mara Lupin, are you using reverse psychology on me?"
"I'd do no such thing."
It only took a few more moments before they broke down in laughter and Remus stood.
"Get your cloak, pup. And Padfoot, get into character. We've a dress and Christmas tree to secure."
Emeline grinned at the idea of another live tree.
Their first continued tradition.
•
Emeline was always amazed by Diagon Alley. She was a sucker for coziness and charm and the cobblestone and wood with all of the fascinating magical objects, not to mention books, totally stole her heart. She walked at a reasonable pace with Padfoot behind them, as she didn't want to tire Remus having been so close to the past moon.
He regularly chided her for catering to him and reminded her again how old it made him feel, out of guilt or embarrassment she was sure. She regularly reminded him in return that it was in her nature to be caring and who better to be on the receiving end than her father. Occasionally she threw in the word feeble to really get a rise.
"You're quite brisk today." She pestered, catching up to his strides in surprise.
"Maybe you're just falling behind, pup." He quipped, tousling her hair gently which brought forth a groan and a desperate look in the nearest mirror to rectify.
Remus chuckled and was sure Sirius would be, was he in human form, as well. They made no effort to stop for her beauty check and she ran to catch up with them when she'd fallen behind again.
"Well, here's our first stop."
Emeline stared at the dresses in the window with fairly wide eyes. She wasn't sure what funds Sirius had, but she knew her father had practically none, and she felt out of place. Remus pulled the door open for her and smiled.
"Changed your mind?"
"No." She smiled softly, following Padfoot into the shop.
He ran a circle around her and angled his snout up to pull her attention to a particularly revealing dress toward the front.
"Cheeky mutt." She grinned. "Not my style."
"Thank Merlin for that." Remus muttered under his breath.
She surveyed everything in front of her slowly, taking it all in and having the least clue what she was searching for. She was excited for today and anxious now to find the right one, but despite her joy, sadness slowly crept in out of nowhere.
"I miss mum." She blurted out as she turned to her father. Remus nodded knowingly and rested a hand on her shoulder.
"I thought that might arise today. She should be here for this." He agreed. "Did her favorite color stay lavender?" He offered, attempting to at least start her in a direction.
"Yes." She smiled, heading toward the purple tones. "It was."
She fingered through the rack, many catching her eye but none being the one. Emeline was very picky with style and thus, hadn't completely found hers yet. Plus, it was hard to focus with her father and uncle even more out of place than her.
As she studied the dresses, she heard a familiar voice behind her and her blood turned cold.
Calliope.
"Em?" Remus asked, feeling her frozen emotion.
"I don't think any of these are the one." She said hurriedly. "Maybe we can look for the tree first."
"Darling, the trees aren't in Diagon Alley, you know that. You can take all the time you need."
"I don't want to take anymore time, I'm done looking." She glanced back nervously and noted that her old friend had not yet spotted her.
Remus furrowed his brows in confusion. "Emeline, calm down. You're alright. I know it's an emotional time, b-"
"-please." She looked up at him desperately.
Before he could respond, she closed her eyes painfully at the voice that came up behind her.
"Hi, Emeline."
She turned to face her. All alone wearing an unsure smile.
"Leave me alone."
Sirius let out a low growl and Emeline put her hand down at his snout to stop him.
"I just wanted to say I was so-"
"-save it."
"Emeline!" Remus cut in. "I apologize," he smiled sadly to Calliope.
"I didn't ask you to apologize for me!" Emeline fired back with a glance to her father. "You have alot of nerve, you know that, Calliope."
"I do know. But I can't stand how we left things. I just can't change my parents, I -"
"-neither can I! And I don't want to! Please don't waste my time ever again."
"There's another shop." Remus said softly, breaking their tension.
"No, Mr. Lupin, I'm sorry, I'll leave. And I truly am.. sorry." She hung her head and left without another word and Emeline stood rooted to her spot until Remus addressed her again.
"Emeline, I can't condone you treating someone that way."
Whatever she was expecting him to say, it couldn't have possibly been that. Her jaw dropped and she went to speak, but he held up a hand to stop her.
"Don't. When you behave that way, you are no better. I need you to understand. Don't lose your kindness - I've seen it time and time again and I value it so strongly in you."
Emeline nodded slowly and blinked back tears.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry, too."
"You know who she was." Emeline stated fact more than asked a question.
Remus smiled.
"I do," he pondered slowly. "And that's why I'm sorry."
She played absentmindedly with the hem of an emerald dress.
"Why don't you just try a few things on? You'll have a clearer picture when you step back, Emeline."
She eyed Sirius, who was on the ground panting, and her father, still somewhat reliant on his cane.
"Is that okay?" She ventured.
"Take as long as you need."
•
Remus was grateful he brought a novel with him when Emeline took his advice literally and took hours trying on practically every dress in the shop. He glanced up everytime, offered commentary, and then agreed with her when she decided it was the worst dress she could possibly choose. He was certainly exhausted and wouldn't dare use more energy arguing with her, but the truth was, he hadn't seen her eyes light up yet.
He remembered it with Florence.
The way her eyes changed in her first special occasion dress; The shimmer he couldn't help but stare at the entire time she was on his arm. He realized then what the glimmer was and what his daughter was, for some reason, lacking.
Confidence.
"Em?" he called out to her, behind the door of the dressing room once again.
"Hang on! This one is hideous too."
He laughed and closed his book. "I have an idea."
She came out wearing her same jeans and navy blue turtleneck tucked in. Her star necklace hung against her chest and her hair was falling in her typical, simple curls. Her boots were half undone and she sighed when she looked at him.
"What's that?"
"Go take one more look around. Choose the dress you'd choose if no one was here but you."
"I wasn't kidding," she scoffed. "I wouldn't be caught dead showing half my skin in that." She pointed to the dress Sirius had jokingly pointed out in the front.
"I don't mean that one; I'd hope not." He sighed, relieved. "But I think it'll clear your head. Just trust me. Go choose the dress you want."
He returned to his book and she nodded, taking a deep breath before surveying the dresses once more. There was one she wanted; but she couldn't possibly dredge up those memories.
The dress she liked was one that looked strikingly similiar to one she'd seen in her mother's old school photos.
She glanced back at Remus and decided to give his advice a try. Her mother was so beautiful, could she be, too?
As she headed back into the dressing room, Remus caught a glimpse of the shining silver fabric and knew his work here had been done.
As if on cue, Emeline stepped out from the dressing room in a floor length, shimmering silver gown. It was straight and simple with an open back and small straps. She toyed with her necklace nervously with tears stinging at her eyes.
Remus stood quickly and took his place in front of her. He raised her head to meet his eyes and she watched him anxiously. He smiled at the twinkle in her own - there it was.
"Do you feel the way you look?" He asked quietly.
"How's that?" She smiled.
He took her hand away from the necklace and forced her nervous fidgeting to cease before responding just under his breath: "Beautiful, pup."