Atlas chatted with everyone that afternoon. He spent a good deal of time chatting one-on-one with Sirius and Theo, but he always gravitated back towards Aurora and they happily monopolized each other's time. They were meeting for the first time today, but somehow they'd known each other forever.

It made Remus happy to see his daughter so happy. She'd been so nervous at the start of the day. By the time dinner was over, he knew she would be disappointed to see him go. The same was unmistakably true for Sirius who watched Atlas and Aurora with such joy in his eyes that it actually made Remus' heartache a little. He could never give up a single moment he'd spent raising Aurora, but he couldn't deny that so much had been taken from his friend.

Theo seemed pleased that everyone else around her was happy, but gave the children and Sirius a lot of space. She'd already made her boundaries and feelings clear. She was happy to let Sirius and Remus and Anna take on the parental roles if they so chose, but that was not her path.

Everyone was happy, jovial even. And yet Remus didn't think he'd ever felt farther away from his daughter in his life than he did right now. He was sad for his daughter that the evening was coming to an end, but also a little relieved.

"We're going to be in Edinburgh for a week visiting my mom's family," Atlas said, "but I should be able to see you again before we go back to New York."

"We'll make the time," Anna assured him, looking to Remus who agreed with a nod. "But our Portkey leaves in about three minutes so say your goodbyes."

"Next time you come by, hopefully, Tonks will be here," Aurora said. "She's the Auror I was telling you about."

"Yeah," Atlas said. "I was hoping to meet her too. My mom slapped her, you know."

Anna groaned. "Don't remind me. I owe her an apology for how I reacted to her contacting me."

"You mean leaving the country, coming all the way to London, walking into the Ministry of Magic, and slapping an Auror in the face because you didn't want some weirdo cult leader bothering you again isn't your idea of a good first impression?" Atlas asked.

"It's not, actually," Anna said with an exhaustion Remus knew all too well.

"I mean, she's like my cousin, right? So it's probably fine," Atlas said.

"I should still apologize," Anna said. "I hope she didn't stay away on my account."

"Definitely not," Sirius said. "Right, Remus?"

Remus glared at him. "The Auror office is very busy these days, especially the organizational changes."

"I'll make sure she's here next time," Aurora insisted.

Sirius and Aurora walked with Atlas and Anna to their portkey. They both hugged him goodbye and a minute later, the pair was gone.

"That went better than the last time I had to meet Rory's family." Remus was startled to see Harry standing beside him. "At least from what Rory told me anyway. Fairly convinced that Atlas did actually like me and wasn't just pretending to like me."

"It did go well," Remus said. "I'm glad something is going according to her expectations this summer." Harry nodded but there was clearly something else on his mind. "What is it?"

Harry sighed. "She wouldn't want me to say, but… She's been worrying about you a lot all summer."

Remus chuckled. "What on earth for?"

"She worries a lot about everything right now, obviously. Everything is changing and different," Harry said. "I think she just doesn't want things to be different between the two of you. You're her dad, you know?"

Remus looked back across the yard to Sirius and Aurora who were hugging now. But Remus nodded. "I know," he said. But he didn't quite believe the words.

At the end of the night, they were walking back to Sirius' house. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Aurora were chatting and laughing loudly as they walked, Remus, Sirius, and Theo silently taking up the rear.

Once they were in the house, the teens walked back to the solarium.

"That went better than I expected," Theo said sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Well you expected the worst, but what did I tell you?" Sirius asked. "What did you think of him, Remus?"

"I think I'm never going to complain about how much alike you and Aurora are again," Remus replied.

Sirius chuckled. "They got on famously. I'm glad. I hated my brother."

"We're all aware," Theo said. "Having a brother who grew up to be a despicable human being is another thing we have in common."

"Hopefully that's not genetic as well," Sirius said.

"I wouldn't worry," Remus said. "They don't remind me of Levi or Regulus in the slightest. Mostly they remind me of the two of you."

"Well, I look forward to getting to know him better," Sirius said. "So does Aurora."

Remus nodded in agreement and called out to his daughter. She walked into the kitchen a minute later.

"Five minutes and then we need to get back, alright?" he asked.

Aurora nodded. "Do you think Tonks'll be by tomorrow? I'm trying not to take it personally that I didn't see her today."

Unless Remus decided to completely disappear on his daughter's 16th birthday, he found it unlikely that Tonks was going to show up, unfortunately. She'd made that abundantly clear the last time they'd spoken.

"I don't know," Remus said. "Work is keeping her very busy these days. I'm sure she'll write even if she doesn't show up."

Aurora sighed and then walked from the room.

"Have you considered changing your position on things?" Sirius asked. "Where Tonks is concerned, I mean."

Only every single minute of every single day that he didn't spend thinking about his daughter.

"No," Remus lied. "Why would I have?"

"Even if you don't, I think you need to find a way to work things out with her," Sirius said. "I mean, she actually likes me and all but says she's not coming around as much because she knows you'll be around."

"Sirius, let it go. Tonks is well within her rights to not want to be around him," Theo said.

"But she likes me," Sirius repeated. "She's like a sister to me. I'd very much have preferred her to Regulus."

"Tonks just needs some space," Theo said. "And besides, it's not like…" She trailed off and got a glass from the cabinet.

"What?" Remus asked.

Theo sighed and turned around to him. "Well, Remus, you do this. You have always done this. You get close to someone and as soon as things start to get the slightest bit serious you shut them out. And at first, Sirius may've had me convinced that things with Tonks were different because, you two are… I don't know. Soulmates it seemed like, but when she showed up at Grimmauld Place that night, I felt bad but also… Classic Remus Lupin."

Classic Remus Lupin. Theo had been gone for 14 years and saw the way things were going to turn out from the beginning. He really believed that he was protecting Tonks from himself. But was this a pattern?

"But it's like I said, it's not anybody's business," Theo said. "Nobody in this room is qualified to be passing out relationship advice as far as I'm concerned."

"Harry and Aurora might be the only ones in this house who know what they're doing," Sirius said. "But you always want to see the next generation do better than you."

Aurora was clearly doing better than he'd ever done. He'd done a good job there at least. Remus could tell that Sirius had something to say about Aurora and Tonks, but he was relieved that he was restraining himself for once. But even Remus could tell that Tonks' absence was upsetting to Aurora. It wasn't something he could ignore indefinitely. But Tonks would come around eventually, at least to see Aurora.

"Make sure you're here early tomorrow. Molly is planning breakfast since the kids had to share their party with meeting Atlas," Sirius said moving onto another subject. "Also, are you planning on leaving Aurora with Lyall after Matilda's party?"

Remus was momentarily confused.

"The full moon," Sirius said. "You originally said you meant to leave her with Lyall. Is that still your plan?"

Right. The full moon. His life only completely revolved around it.

"Oh, no I don't think so," Remus said. "She wasn't thrilled about how dinner panned out. We had to have a difficult conversation afterward."

"She mentioned that," Sirius said.

Remus was surprised. "Did she?"

Sirius nodded. "Said she wrote him a letter and hasn't heard back from him. She seemed a bit disappointed, and a bit upset frankly."

"She was," Remus said. He was used to hearing about Aurora confiding in her friends, in Harry especially, but for some reason hearing that she would confide in Sirius hurt him a little. It was the same feeling he'd had earlier today seeing them together, that feeling that a gap was forming between him and his daughter. He even felt a gap forming between him and Sirius. Sometimes Remus felt like an interloper in their relationship, like he was in the way.

"She'll mend things with him I think," Theo said. "She'll try to anyway. It'll probably come down to whether or not your father is willing to relent a bit."

"Well, in my experience, he won't," Remus said. "But if there's one thing I can say about him it's that Aurora has made him better. I hope that trend continues. She really looked up to him until all this."

"She's still got you," Theo said. "No worries."

Remus managed a smile.

"In the interim, she's welcome to stay here," Sirius said. "Ron and Hermione will be here as well. And Matilda's party—"

Remus sighed. Matilda Cerbus and her party. Especially after the Servants of Pythia showed up at their flat, Remus was feeling anxious about letting Aurora go. But Tonks would be there, and Cerbus Manor had

an incredible amount of magical protection on it. It rivaled Grimmauld Place in safety. And he desperately wanted his daughter to have an enjoyable summer in any way she could. This would be good for her.

It would be a good way for Remus to continue to follow through on his promise to trust her to make smart decisions.

"You know Bryony Cerbus?" Sirius asked.

"A bit," Remus said. "She does her best, but is not really a very present parent. And I can't be upset with her because—."

"Her husband was an actual serial murderer," Sirius said.

"Sometimes we've spoken and she's been very coherent and reasonable. Other times you could tell she's spent a bit too much time in her wine cellar," Remus said.

"That's terrible," Theo said. "Especially for Matilda. I'd have never guessed that when I met her."

"She's a tough kid. But she's a wild card," Remus said. "The upside is that she does generally encourage Aurora to make smart decisions, even if Matilda doesn't always."

"Matilda's a gem," Sirius with a nod.

Matilda reminded Remus very strongly of Sirius, but didn't say that aloud.

"Aurora loves Matilda. And I don't know what I'd do without Neville in her life honestly," Remus said.

Theo sighed. She and Lily had been roommates with Alice when they were in school. Frank was two years older than them, but they'd all been in the Order together, but Alice had been a close friend before the Order.

"Augusta is a lot though," Remus said. "But in a good way. Always felt safe leaving Aurora with her."

Remus remembered Augusta writing to him after Remus resigned from Hogwarts and assuring him that being a werewolf in no way diminished her respect for him and that her view of him had not changed in the slightest. Augusta Longbottom was an intense woman, but she was good.

"Well, if she feels comfortable sending Neville then I'm sure it'll be fine," Sirius said.

Remus couldn't help but agree. He checked his watch.

"Time to hit the road?" Sirius asked.

Remus nodded. He called out to Aurora and a few minutes later, she walked out of the solarium.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said.

"We'll be back tomorrow. And unless you've changed your mind about seeing your grandfather, you can stay here while I'm indisposed," Remus said.

"Sounds likes a plan," Aurora siad.

Remus chuckled and went to usher his daughter out the door, but Rory had walked over to Sirius and hugged him tightly.

"Love you," she said.

"Love you too, kiddo," Sirius replied, squeezing her back. "See you tomorrow."

Aurora released him and then gave a quick hug to Theo.

"Goodnight," Aurora said as she rejoined Remus. "Ready, Dad."

He put a hand on her shoulder and guided her out the door. Once they were back at Grimmauld, Aurora seemed exhausted. She'd had a long day. He didn't blame her.

"Have a good day?" Remus asked.

"Yes," she said. "I tried set my expectations for it being awkward and uncomfortable, but it was easy."

"Good. I'm glad," Remus replied.

She walked over and hugged him. She buried her face in his chest and squeezed him tightly.

"And things were good for you today?" she asked.

"Why wouldn't they be? I was just watching to make sure you and Sirius were doing well," Remus replied.

"Promise?" she asked. "You keep acting like this has nothing to do with you, but I mean, it does."

"I know it does," Remus said. "But all that I look for is that you're happy. And if you are, then I am."

She looked up at him and Remus realized that she didn't quite believe him.

"Sit down, Aurora," Remus said. "Tell me what's on your mind."

She let him go and sat down. She looked a little distressed. "I think it's you who needs to tell me what's on your mind, actually. That's what's bothering me. You keep asking me if I'm okay with all these dramatic life changes, meeting all this family that I never knew I had. Because you know things are different now. But you keep behaving as though they're not."

"I know things are different," he said.

"And you're okay that things are different?" she asked.

"Of course," he replied.

"Then what on earth are you and Sirius on about all the time?" she asked. "I feel like Harry and I can't leave you alone for two seconds without you bickering and sniping at each other."

Remus sighed. Maybe Sirius was right. Maybe Aurora did know more than she let on. Maybe he did need to give her more credit.

"I don't know if you've noticed but that girl spends half her life being concerned about you." Sirius' words rang in his head.

"Let me ask you something, and be honest," Remus said. Aurora nodded. "Do you think of Sirius as a parent?"

Aurora only paused for a moment before she nodded. "Of course I do, I mean… He is my parent. He always says you're my dad, but imagine if you had to leave me for 12 years and then pop back up in my life. Would you be capable of loving me like I wasn't your daughter?"

The answer was no. Aurora was the one person on this planet he loved unconditionally. She could turn around tomorrow and start planning on overthrowing Voldemort, and he would still love her.

"Obviously no," Remus said.

Aurora sighed. "Most people have two parents anyway, right? Can't that be true for me too?"

She was right. Two parents was the standard. Was it really such a big deal if she felt like she had two parents? Did it matter if she wasn't biologically his?

"I love you, Aurora," he said.

"I love you too," she said. "Nothing will ever change that. You said so yourself after Levi tried to take me away."

Remus remembered that. He couldn't recall ever seeing his daughter cry so much, had never seen her so hurt, so afraid. But would she be better off with Sirius? Would she be happier?

Maybe he needed to take a step back. Maybe he was holding on too tight. Maybe he needed to let her see what life would be like without him around so she'd realize that she was better off without him.

He kissed her on the forehead. "Go to bed. We've got to get up early. Molly's making breakfast."

"Do you think she's forgiven me for making a tart for Harry?" she asked.

"I wouldn't have another thought about it," Remus said.

Aurora stood and hugged her dad. "Make sure you sleep too."

He nodded. "You're sure you'd rather stay with Sirius than your grandfather during the full moon?"

She nodded. "I'm sure he'll write soon, but I don't want to go on pretending like nothing's happened in the mean time."

Remus understood. "Think you can manage to stay out of trouble?"

"I'll be on my best behavior," she replied.

Remus knew better than to believe this, but he was giving her space, respecting her boundaries. Trust that, no matter what happened while he was away that she would make responsible decisions. As for the consequences of anything that might happen while he was gone, he'd leave it to Sirius.

"Don't you think this is a bit over the top?" Remus asked.

Sirius scoffed. "Of course not. It's her 16th birthday. It's supposed to be special. I wanted to get her something memorable."

"It's a grand piano," Remus said.

"No. It's a baby grand piano," Sirius said. "I did consider a regular one, but thought that was over the top. Besides, she complains about this one all the time."

"Where were you planning on putting this if cultist hadn't found out where we live?" Remus asked.

"Your flat, of course," Sirius said. Remus rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't let me give her the house until she was 17. I had to find an alternative."

Remus sighed. "Sometimes I wonder how spoiled Aurora would be if she'd stayed with you."

"Oh, I'm positive she'd be unbearable," Sirius said. "Of course, I'd have forced you to stick around in Theo's absence, so maybe not. I'd be useless as a single parent, don't you think?"

Sirius placed an obnoxiously large bow on top of the piano and placed his hands on his hips and gave a satisfied nod. Yes, this would be perfect. Sirius couldn't wait for her to wake up and see it.

"Speaking of single parenting," Remus started. He looked down at his shoes. "I think I owe you an apology."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "What did I do?"

"You haven't done anything. Which is why I'm apologizing," Remus said.

Sirius' brain short circuted for a moment. Remus almost always managed to find him at fault for things, so it was interesting that he was admitting guilt to something that he had no idea about.

"I had a chat with Aurora last night," Remus said. "She asked me if I spent 12 years away from her would I be able to stop thinking of her as my child? The obvious answer is no, of course. So I'm sorry that I've been holding onto her so tightly that I didn't consider… I'm sorry."

"Wow," Sirius said. "Of all the things I thought you were going to say to me, that was not it."

Remus shrugged. "You are Aurora's father, a parent. And she considers you a parent. She trusts you the same way she trusts me and, as she reminded me 'most people have two parents' in general."

Sirius dramatically placed a hand over his heart. "Remus are you asking me to co-parent?"

"She's 16 and she spends most of the year at school, so I know there's not much parenting that she needs at this point in her life, but going forward, I think she would want us to make a collaborative effort when she needs something parent related without you always having to defer to me."

Sirius grinned. He was stunned. He'd never seen his friend so vulnerable before, especially in regard to Aurora. He was used to him drawing a hard line with how involved Sirius was allowed to be. And here he was, taking a step back, letting Sirius in. He was overjoyed. But suspicious.

"What happened?" Sirius asked.

"What do you mean?" Remus asked.

"What's with the sudden about-face? Not that I mind it; I'm happy to have a more involved role in her life, but are things alright with you?" Sirius asked.

"I'm just trying to consider what Aurora wants and not necessarily what I want," Remus said. "And you're my friend. I need to consider you as well, and I haven't."

That wasn't really an answer, but Sirius knew better than to push Remus on this. He wasn't going to get a real answer out of him. Not right now anyway. He'd have to wait until his friend did something stupid.

"Alright then," Sirius said, relenting. "Sounds like a plan to me. I will let you know ahead of time next time I decide to buy her a piano."

Remus chuckled. "I appreciate that."

"What'd you get her?" Sirius asked curiously.

"A French press," Remus said.

Sirius frowned. "Well, she likes coffee more than music."

"No one told you to buy her a piano," Remus reminded him. "She'll still love it."

"I know," Sirius said. "And no matter what we get her, it's peanuts compared to anything she'll get from Harry."

"Can I tell you something in confidence?" Remus asked with a sigh. Sirius nodded. "She asked to be on birth control. Which is fine, obviously. I did tell her to be honest with me about all this."

"Better for her to have it and not need it than need it and not have it," Sirius said. He had a strong recollection of Madame Pomfrey in his head at reciting the words. "We really need to trust them now I suppose."

Remus nodded. "Has Harry said anything to you?"

Sirius shook his head. "Naturally, he doesn't really confide in me when it comes to Aurora. But from what he has told me when I've asked, he seems to be letting her take the lead on most things. I don't think we really have anything to worry about."

Remus nodded. "I agree. And yet that does not ease my worry."