Remus felt uneasy at bringing Eira back to his small home, which was an unremarkable tumble-down cottage; it was not the fact he was poor that made him wary, but rather the fact he would be living in tight quarters with a young pregnant woman, who firstly was not his wife, and secondly was a Muggle, never forgetting that he was also a werewolf. Moreover, he wasn't sure he had the means to take care of her; certainly, Astrid would be around to help and check in, but she was teaching throughout the week. He could see the pained politeness on Eira's face as he showed her around.

"The toilet's outside, I'm afraid," he grumbled, feeling a little embarrassed as he pointed to a green outhouse at the bottom of the overgrown garden, "Fortunately, it has full plumbing, but can get a bit chilly around this time of year."

Eira felt as though she had been pulled back in time to the nineteen forties as she followed Remus around the cottage. Astrid remained at her side, looking equally bemused.

"The bathtub is here," Remus pointed to a large tin bath propped up against the wall beside the fireplace, "just let me know when you want to use it, so I don't walk in on you."

"Where's the bomb shelter?" Astrid joked.

Eira smiled a little but Remus pretended not to hear her, continuing, "Pantry is here, help yourself to anything; and your bedroom is this way…" he proceeded to lead her up some very narrow, steep stairs that became more like a ladder at the top, and up into an awkwardly tight hallway. Eira and Astrid had to follow him in single file.

"It's not much, but I think it should be comfortable," Remus said to Eira as he opened the door to her new bedroom. It was a small room, no bigger than she one she had slept in at Malfoy manor, with an iron-framed bed covered with a patchwork quilt, a bedside table with a vase of wildflowers from his garden, an old armoire, and a pile of books in the corner. The window was facing the sun, washing the room with a deep orange hue as the day came to a close.

"Thank you, Remus," Eira smiled weakly, looking at him, "It looks very cosy."

"It's very nice, but how will Eira manage those stairs when she's heavily pregnant?" Astrid questioned at once.

Remus clearly hadn't considered this and looked suddenly perplexed. "Oh… right, um… well…"

"I'll manage," Eira said quickly.

"No, she's right," Remus replied, "If you fall… my bedroom is downstairs. I will swap with you."

"No, Remus, really!" Eira objected, "I couldn't do that."

"No, we will swap," he insisted, "I didn't consider that."

"She'll be needing use of the toilet more frequently as the baby grows too," Astrid added, "if she gets up in the night and needs to get down those lethal stairs in the dark…"

"Yes, yes," Remus said a little impatiently, "Yes, it was stupid of me."

Eira felt terrible thinking about Remus arranging that little room upstairs just for her, all for nothing. He had clearly gone to a lot of trouble to make things nice for her, right down to decorating the room with flowers and providing her with books. She knew he didn't particularly want her here in the first place too.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Astrid reassured him, smiling, "You've done a great job, all things considered."

"Yes," Eira agreed, "Thank you, Remus."

Truthfully, Eira missed her old room at the manor; she abhorred the idea of trudging outside whenever she needed the toilet, especially with the weather now growing colder, and she was not keen about living with a man she admittedly didn't know very well. She liked Remus well enough, but her interaction with him was limited; he was Sirius's friend, not hers. What was more, Eira was naturally a little nervous about living with a werewolf; she knew he had his condition mostly under control, but there was always that small chance he didn't, and that was enough to make Eira uneasy. It did not make her feel any better when Remus told her to bolt the bedroom door and windows every full moon, "just in case."

"Shall we have a cup of tea?" Remus said when he had finished showing Eira and Astrid around.

"That would be lovely," Astrid nodded.

Remus bade them to sit at the large kitchen table while he put the kettle on over the fire. It was a cosy room, much unlike the place she had been before; Remus's kitchen was cluttered with all kinds of curious objects, but what caught Eira's eye was the number of baking utensils and supplies scattered around the room – Remus liked to bake. She smiled when he offered them what were clearly homemade scones, though he didn't own up to it.

"How are you feeling, Eira?" Astrid asked while they waited for the kettle to boil, "you seemed very upset about leaving today."

Remus glanced over from his spot by the stove. Eira kept her eyes down, glad to be distracted with the task of cutting her scone in half, "I'm fine," she mumbled.

"I suppose this was all a bit of a shock for you," Astrid continued.

"Yes…" Eira said stiffly.

"But you're safe now," Astrid smiled, "We won't let them hurt you again."

Astrid said 'them' quite deliberately to see how Eira would react; indeed, Eira was quick to the defence, snapping back, "It was only Lucius who hurt me. Narcissa didn't do anything."

"That's rather the point though," Remus put in, "She didn't do anything."

"Now you're twisting my words, that's not what I meant," Eira shook her head.

"Eira," Astrid looked at her and reached for her hand, squeezing it, "I don't know what went on in that house, but you need to realise something: the Malfoys are not good people, and yes I mean Narcissa too. They have very intolerant views about blood purity and Muggles."

Eira seemed unwilling to continue the conversation. She withdrew her hand and began to spread a large dollop of clotted cream over her scone, refusing to look at her or Remus. She felt irritated with them; she didn't care what Narcissa's political beliefs were, it didn't matter.

"Did Sirius ever tell you much about Voldemort?" Remus asked as the kettle began to whistle. He grabbed a tea towel and removed it from the hot flames.

"A little," Eira answered with indifference. It was obvious that the name didn't bother her in the slightest.

"The Malfoys have supported Voldemort ever since he first rose to power, and I have no doubt they continue to do so even now."

"Narcissa never spoke about it."

"Narcissa still made you her personal servant though," Remus said as he poured the hot water into a green teapot, "which to me means she obviously hasn't discarded her views about blood superiority."

"It wasn't like that," Eira mumbled, now eating to avoid saying anything more.

"So then tell us," Astrid said, "What was it like?"

Eira looked at them, covering her mouth with her hand as she ate, before she snapped back impatiently, "Why does it matter? She was my friend, that's all! Why is that so hard to accept?"

"It's incredibly hard to accept," Astrid replied, "knowing you're a Muggle and that the Malfoys consider you a second-class citizen. Narcissa let her husband beat you."

"No, she didn't," Eira's voice cracked slightly as tears welled in her eyes.

Astrid stood up suddenly and walked around Eira, standing behind her chair. She then moved Eira's long hair aside and revealed the scars across her exposed neck.

"How many times did he do this to you?" Astrid demanded.

"Please, just leave me alone," Eira pulled her hair back across her neck, furiously wiping at her eyes.

"Astrid," Remus said softly, his eyes clearly imploring her to drop the matter. Reluctantly, Astrid gave in and sat back down, frowning while Remus calmly poured the tea and changed the subject to the tomato plants he was growing on his windowsill. Neither of them was listening though, and Astrid went home shortly thereafter with the promise of returning in a few days' time. Before she left, however, she insisted on examining Eira and baby to ensure everything was going as it should – "you're a little smaller than I'd like… baby is hiding towards the back… blood pressure is a little high… get plenty of rest and put your feet up."

"Make sure she rests," Astrid said sternly to Remus before she finally left.

Eira went to bed that night thinking of Narcissa, and then briefly of Sirius; it felt like years since she had seen Sirius and worried that she was forgetting his face, particularly when she could visualise Narcissa's so clearly in her mind. Eira felt certain that Narcissa was thinking about her too, and she was right; Narcissa, however, felt the loss of Eira more acutely. In her large, lonely house, Narcissa did not eat anything that evening and went to bed without a word to Lucius. She cried herself to sleep that night.

Within three days, Eira and Narcissa began writing to one another. Narcissa wrote first, sending an elegant letter, rolled up and tied with a silk ribbon, with the use of a very beautiful and reliable snowy owl. It woke Eira up early, tapping on the downstairs window of Remus's bedroom – Remus, as promised, had swapped rooms with her. At first, Eira hoped the letter was from Sirius, but her mood did not dampen when she discovered it was from Narcissa; in fact, her heart fluttered with inexplicable lightness as she unfurled and read the curved script of the letter.

Dearest,

Before I slept last night, I dreamt up a beautiful letter to write to you, but now I cannot remember it – to put it simply, I miss you, and to be more precise I am flooded with agony when I think of how much I miss you. I would be content if I could only hear your voice or even your footsteps across the floor, content with just knowing you are there. You brought such comfort to me.

Lucius taunts me with your loss. He leaves your bedroom door open each morning to remind me that you are not there. I suppose he thinks I am being ridiculous; he spoke briefly of taking me to see a healer, the kind that deals with afflictions of the mind, but I told him I do not need to see a healer. I only need you. Never was there anything so pitiful, and in truth, it scares me a little. I need to see you, be with you, whatever the cost.

I do hope you are comfortable in your new home, although I know Remus Lupin is dreadfully poor. It is not his poverty that worries me though, darling, but the fact he is what he is. Now that I know of your delicate condition, I fret more and more and truly believe you were safest with me. Word of your removal (and pregnancy) has started circulating; I don't know how, as I never said anything to anyone, and this worries me more. Perhaps you will read something about it in the Daily Prophet this week. The wizarding world is not friendly to werewolves and the general consensus is one of outrage. I don't think you realise what a popular figure you are, Eira. Many people truly feel for you. But as I said, it worries me that people know so much about you.

Walburga, of course, knows you are having a baby. She is furious. Lucius invited her for tea while I was knitting a baby's hat and boots for you. I also plan to go and look through Draco's old baby things to send to you. I was given a lot of clothes for him when I was pregnant, and most of it he never wore. Don't worry about Walburga though, darling. She is angry, but her threats are empty.

My heart is full of you, darling. You are constantly in my thoughts. If you were here, we need not talk at all.

I love you.

N

Eira curled up on the bed and re-read the letter several times over. Though the letter brought her warm comfort, she felt a little disturbed about the mention of Walburga's apparent "threats," empty or not. Eira had always felt Narcissa a little naïve when it came to matters of capability regarding her family.

In the kitchen next door, Eira could hear Remus shuffling around, filling the kettle with water and lighting the stovetop. She stuffed Narcissa's letter under the mattress and reached for her dressing gown, which Astrid had bought her; she wrapped this around herself, and then put on her slippers. The weather was getting colder now; a chill permeated the cottage, and it was felt most severely in the mornings. Eira shivered a little and reluctantly left the warmth of her bed to greet Remus in the kitchen. She could feel the chill of the stone floor even through her slippers; he was lighting the large fireplace to warm up the room, which took the better part of an hour to take effect.

"Good morning, Remus," Eira said politely.

"Morning," he nodded, "tea?"

"Yes, please," she sat down at the table and pulled her feet up onto the chair, watching Remus place two chipped mugs down on the table.

"It will warm up soon," Remus assured her, as he did every morning. He took a heavy wool blanket folded on a bench and laid it across her shoulders. Eira smiled gratefully and thanked him. She looked across at the window, which was sparkling with fresh frost, and dully wondered what she would do today. Remus had taken Astrid's advice very seriously and did not let Eira wander around on her feet for long periods of time, confining her to the kitchen fireplace or sitting room, where Eira had spent the last few days knitting, reading, or doing jigsaw puzzles with Remus. The most exercise he allowed her was a few slow circuits around the garden, which while extensive, was not very interesting – apart from the gnomes, which delighted Eira and caused Remus to moan in frustration, having just de-gnomed his garden the other day. Eira, however, wanted to walk further out along the country roads and into the woods.

"Did you sleep well?" Remus asked her once he sat down with the warmed pot of tea.

"Yes, thank you."

"Good," he nodded, pouring her a cup. He then covered the teapot with a red and yellow tea cosy, which to Eira's silent amusement, noticed had the words Gryffindor knitted throughout the yellow sections.

"I think Astrid will be dropping in to check on you today," he then said, sitting back.

"Oh," Eira sipped her tea, "it will be nice to see her."

"I'll be, um, away for a few hours," he said vaguely, "but only when Astrid gets here."

"Where are you going?"

"Have some odd jobs to do," he replied. He was, in fact, going to see Sirius.

"Oh," Eira nodded, looking out the window again.

Astrid turned up around lunchtime and Remus made a swift depart, leaving the two women alone. Eira was lounging in the sitting room, laid out on the moth-eaten settee, skimming through an illustrated book of herbs when Astrid came in.

"Hello," Astrid smiled brightly at her. She was wearing a dress that evoked the current colour of the autumn weather, hued in gold and red.

"Hello," Eira replied, shutting the book and resting it on her belly.

"How are you feeling?"

"Bored."

Astrid laughed lightly and pulled up a seat beside her. Remus, meanwhile, took his usual route to pay his monthly visit to Sirius, apparating as close as magic allowed him to the prison. Sirius was pacing his cell like a wild animal when Remus arrived, rushing up to his bars the moment he saw him.

"Did you do it? Did you get her?" he demanded at once. His long dirty hair partially covered his heavy eyes, but Remus could still see the urgency in them.

"Yes, she's safe."

Sirius now smiled suddenly, showing his yellowed teeth. He laughed gleefully, "Is she alright? Tell me about her, please. God, I wish I could see her."

"She's fine, Sirius," Remus answered, "as fine as she can be, at least."

"What did they do to her?" his brow furrowed slightly.

"Lucius mistreated her," Remus replied, not wishing to go into the details. "But…she seemed close with Narcissa Malfoy."

"Narcissa?" Sirius frowned.

"Hm," Remus nodded in assertion, "like they were good friends. In fairness, their friendship probably prevented Lucius doing further harm to Eira."

Sirius shook his head, scowling darkly, "Friendship? With Narcissa Malfoy? That's impossible. That bitch is no better than Lucius."

"I'm just telling you what I saw," Remus shrugged. "She's fine, anyway. The baby seems to be healthy too. But Sirius, I need to ask you something…" he lowered his voice and leaned a little closer, "Just say yes or no, did you send a letter to Eira?"

Sirius looked at him. A strange smile spread across his face again and he nodded, "Yes. She got it?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Remus didn't dare ask Sirius a word further, fearing already they had said too much. A glazed, distant look was now in Sirius's eyes and he wandered across his cell, continuing to pace erratically. Remus watched him. He knew that look in Sirius's eyes, having seen it many times when they were students at Hogwarts. It was usually a precursor to Sirius doing something stupid.

"Tell her I love her," Sirius rushed back to the bars of his cell again suddenly.

"I'll tell her," Remus nodded, looking at his face closely.

"And I will come for her."

Remus returned home late that night. He saw Astrid at the kitchen window, busy at the sink, and felt gladdened to see she was still with Eira. A second later, however, his insides clenched when he saw Astrid lift her arms to roll up her sleeves, which he saw were stained with bright red blood; Astrid looked pale, her hair falling loose around her face. At sight of this he ran to the cottage and burst in through the kitchen door.

"What's happened?" he rushed into the sitting room.

Astrid was knelt beside Eira, who was propped up against numerous cushions; her face was ashen white.

"She's fine," Astrid said quietly, but she grasped Remus's arm and took him aside into the kitchen while Eira dozed, thankfully serene due to a potion Astrid had given her.

"What's going on? What's happened?" Remus demanded again, but this time speaking in a low voice.

"She's had a bleed, but she's fine. The baby is fine. But Remus…" she looked extremely worried, "I think this was magic."

"What?" he frowned.

"Severus was here an hour ago. I needed his help to save the baby, because nothing I could do seemed to work. He thinks someone has hexed her, and I've got a good guess as to who it could be. I've put a protection charm on her and the baby but it's going to take time for her to recover."

Remus rubbed his face, sighing heavily, "Walburga?"

Astrid nodded, taking a breath to steady her nerves, "I'll kill that decaying old bitch. She's used one the oldest hexes in the book by the look of it."

"But you're sure she will recover?" Remus asked.

Astrid looked at him. "I can't be sure of anything. Even if this wasn't magic, pregnancy is a risky business. You'll need to keep a close eye on her. I'll visit tomorrow, okay?"

Remus nodded, "Yeah, okay…"

They both turned as they heard Eira whimpering in the other room, crying softly. At once, both Astrid and Remus hurried to her side, gripped with anxiety.

"Eira?" Astrid said softly, sitting down beside her and holding her hand.

"I want Cissy," Eira wept quietly, trembling.

Astrid and Remus shared an uncomfortable look with one another. Astrid then squeezed Eira's hand gently and said, "What about Sirius? Do you want Sirius?"

"Yes," Eira answered quietly, though Astrid wasn't sure Eira was really listening to her. She shut her eyes and rolled over onto her side, her back to the two of them, as she cried softly.