Chapter One
12 Grimmauld Place,
November 1st, 1981
A small girl rubbed at her eyes, still tired after having been woken early from her sleep. In front of her, a young man knelt, his hand on her cheek and his eyes full of tears. Their lives were about to change forever, though only one of them knew that.
“Uncle Remmy?” The toddler questioned, her tiny hand coming up to brush the tears from his eyes. “Where’s Mummy?” The girl had always favoured her mother, though she loved her father dearly. Her mother spent nearly all her time with her, and the little girl loved that they had matching hair, save the curls that bounced around her head.
Remus, for his part, sniffled and held his goddaughter to him. Soon, he’d have to tell her that she’d never see her mother and father again. Soon, he’d explain that her baby brother was gone someplace she couldn’t follow. Soon, he’d have to face that his best friend, his something more, was responsible for the pain he was going through, for the pain the girl would go through.
“Mummy -” He paused. “Mummy isn’t going to be home for a long while, Dove. Her and Daddy are off on an important mission with Harry. You’re going to stay with me for a while.” He chanced a weak smile. Remus simply couldn’t tell her yet. It would crush her. It was already crushing him.
The toddler cocked her head at her godfather before nodding and giving him a wide smile back. “Like a sleepover?” Sleepovers were her favourite. Mummy sometimes had living room sleepovers with her when Daddy spent time with his friends.
“Like a sleepover.” He nodded, trying not to choke on his words. She was so innocent in all this. How would she take it when she realized nothing would ever be the same again?
Lupin Cabin,
August 31st, 1991
“Clare!” A gentle tenor called up the stairs of the cabin. It reached the ears of a young girl, who rolled off her bed, depositing the book she’d been reading before heading toward the door. The girl brushed her ginger curls from her face and smoothed down her top. She hummed to herself softly and made her way into the hallway and down the stairs. Remus hated it if she shouted instead of coming to talk like a civilized witch.
“What is it Dad?” The thirteen-year-old looked up at her father, his height never failing to amaze her. Clare wasn’t short for her age, but compared to Remus’ six feet and three inches, she felt quite small.
Raising a child for ten years had aged Remus Lupin. His brown hair streaked with grey and crow’s feet from years of smiles and laughter framed his eyes. The boy who once complained at his lack of facial hair now sported a mustache and the thinnest shadow of hair along his jaw. He’d long ago traded sweaters and jeans for tweed, a necessity in his current job temping for the Ministry of Magic. His jacket bore patches in the elbows, a sign of wear that he was reluctant to replace. Raising Clare on his salary hadn’t given them much, but what he did make went to ensuring she had what she needed. He didn’t want her to spend what was in the Potter Vault on things he should provide for her. That money would be there for her for treats at Hogwarts or for when she reached adulthood.
“Have you packed your trunk yet? We leave tomorrow morning, remember?” The thirty-one-year-old knew his daughter had a habit of leaving her packing to the last minute. It was an action that was so very James and made the werewolf’s heart ache at the similarity. Clare almost always reminded him of Lily. Her hair and face were her mother’s. She was gentle and worked hard at school, more that she got from Lily. But there were moments, just small fractions of time where she was like James. She’d gotten his love of mischief, that was for sure. And her smile. That smile was all James Potter.
Clare, for her part, only rolled her eyes. “Yes father, I only need to pack my carry on still. Speaking of which, where’s the chocolate bar we bought in Diagon Alley? I want to have it for the train ride.” Now her love of chocolate and of reading, that was all Remus. The redhead’s mannerisms were an odd mix of her mother, father, and godfather. It made the man’s heart swell at times, seeing how like him his daughter could be. It assured him, in his darkest moments, that she was his too, that he had not stolen her away from Lily and James. His daughter was as much him as she was Lily and James, and seeing his friends and himself in the girl brought him joy.
“Well daughter if I recall I believe you put it somewhere in the kitchen.” He teased. Their shared love of chocolate meant the two of them kept their stashes in different hiding places, though Remus knew he would give up his own for Clare in a heartbeat. Chocolate was nothing compared to her happiness.
Her eyes lit up at his light teasing. She loved when her father was like this, light and carefree. The last two years, he’d been mopey in the days before she left for Hogwarts. It was good to see that he was no longer so sad when she left. It’s not like she never wrote after all. She nudged him lightly, giving him a sweet grin as she passed, heading into the kitchen for her chocolate. The redhead peered back to ensure her father wasn’t looking, and then pulled open the drawer by the fridge, one that was rarely used. Letting out a sound of victory, Clare pulled the chocolate bar from the drawer and quickly shut it. The teen skipped back out to her father, pocketing the bar for now. “Is that all you needed?”
Her father shook his head, amused. “Why? Are you in a rush to get somewhere?”
“No, unless you mean back to my book, in which case the answer is yes.” She poked her tongue out. Ah yes, nose stuck in a book, she was certainly Remus’ daughter.
His eyes softened at the reminder. “Actually, I did want to give you something. I think you’re old enough for it now.”
Her brow raised. “A present? What is it?” She watched as he took out a small box from his pocket, placing it in her own hand. She looked down at the scarlet-coloured fabric, rubbing her fingers over it. With a flick, the lid opened, revealing a locket with what looked like lily flowers imprinted on the front. “Dad?” she whispered, heart in her throat. She recognized this necklace. She’d seen it in pictures over the years laying on the neck of a woman to whom she bore an uncanny resemblance.
“Open it.” He urged gently, giving her a soft smile. She complied, finding the latch, and opening the locket. The hinge hadn’t been used in a long time; she could tell by how it stuck for a moment before revealing the inside. Her eyes watered. It was them. Her mother and father. They looked every bit as in love as she remembered, not that she remembered much. They were beautiful.
Clare brushed her fingers over her parents’ smiling faces and turned back to her father. “I love it.” She bit her lip to keep it from wobbling and flung herself at Remus. The man easily caught her in his arms and held his daughter as she fought to control her tears. She loved her father. More than anything. But the girl had to admit that she missed the parents who raised her for her first three years. She wished they were still here sometimes, not instead of her dad, but with him. She wanted all three of her parents in her life. “Can you put it on for me?” She whispered, finally pulling away from his hug.
Remus wiped a tear from his own eye and nodded, taking the chain from his daughter, and clasping it around her neck. He knew the necklace was something Clare would need, especially as she began to navigate her teen years. Remus, after all, could only do so much. There were certain things a girl needed her mother for, and he hoped that having this piece of Lily would help her when she was missing her.
The redhead smoothed her thumb over the face of the locket where it sat against her collar and gave her father another hug. “Thank you.”
Hogwarts,
August 31st, 1991
Minerva McGonagall had only argued with her headmaster one time. Ten years ago, on the night that James and Lily Potter had died, she’d fought his decision to place Harry with his aunt and away from his sister. If blood magic was required to keep the Potter boy safe, then he should have been able to stay with his sister. Minerva couldn’t understand why Albus refused. He’d claimed it was for her protection, for both their protection, but Minerva believed differently. After all, who better to keep both children safe than Remus Lupin, the girl’s godfather? Alas, Albus had not listened, and the Potter children lost each other that night.
The clock chimed eleven times, and the older witch turned to her coworker and – well, she certainly wouldn’t call them friends. “Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts tomorrow.” She was uncertain of his reaction. Those who had seen Harry said he bore a striking resemblance to James, and the only reason her companion had taken a shine to the elder Potter child was due to her looking like her mother.
“Indeed. And the girl has no knowledge?” Severus drawled, a mask of indifference across his features. His softness toward Clare Potter was a not so well-kept secret. But then again, Severus had never been good at keeping secret his feelings towards the Evans girls.
Minerva sighed and shook her head. “Albus had decided it was for the best to keep them apart. He did not wish for us to inform her or Remus of Mr. Potter’s arrival until tomorrow.” The witch frowned. Why her headmaster chose for such secrecy, she would never know.
“It shall be interesting, then, to see how they interact – if they even interact.” Snape added. And there was a chance that their paths wouldn’t cross. She was two years older, after all, and a Hufflepuff. Potter was almost guaranteed to be a Gryffindor like his father and mother. It had been a shock when his sister hadn’t wound up in the house of scarlet and gold, but Harry was rumoured to be a carbon copy of his father, in looks and in behaviours. Minerva doubted that they would remain separate for long. Even if the girl didn’t react to her brother’s name being called at the sorting tomorrow, they were Potters. They would be drawn to each other somehow, she was sure.
“I suppose we shall have to wait and see.” The professor conceded, looking out onto the grounds. Tomorrow, the halls of Hogwarts would once more be filled with children eager to hone their magical abilities. Tomorrow, Minerva and Severus would return to their positions as professors. Tomorrow, the presence of Harry Potter would make everything change, especially for his older sister.