A Love Without Time (Remus Lupin)

Forty-Six.

Harry had a hearing about a week after he arrived, Arthur took him to the Ministry with him when he went to work that day, and we heard all about it. He ended up getting off, thanks to a surprise appearance from Dumbledore. They tried to catch Harry off guard by changing the time of his hearing on them, but Dumbledore somehow found out and was there to step in and save the day.
   
Arthur told us what happened that night at a meeting. Minster Fudge and a few others voted to expel Harry from Hogwarts, but the votes to keep him in school were greater, so he is able to stay. I spoke to Harry a few days later, and he said he was relieved but that Sirius seemed to be ignoring him. Sirius had offered to let Harry stay with him here if he were expelled from Hogwarts, but now that's not going to happen and Sirius has been avoiding Harry.
   
I had to remind Harry that Sirius was emotionally stunted because he's never processed the lifelong trauma he's had to endure. He might be older, but maturity wise Sirius might as well be 17 still. I told Harry not to take anything with Sirius personally. It wasn't Harry’s fault that Sirius got his own hopes up about Harry staying here with him.
   
I went to Sirius after that, because I needed to talk to him alone, friend to friend. I knew he was feeding Buckbeak upstairs so I went to talk to him. Like Harry mentioned he didn't look very happy. He looked angry.
   
"Sirius," I said, getting his attention.
   
"Hi Ellie," he greeted me.
   
I didn't want to beat around the bush. I wanted to get right into it. "Harry thinks you're avoiding him since he had his hearing."
   
Sirius looked at me, like he had gotten caught. "I honestly didn't think Dumbledore would be able to save him." He admitted, "I thought Fudge would do whatever he could to kick him out of Hogwarts. I began to like the idea of having him here with me. Being here would be more bearable if I had someone here with me after you guys all leave."
   
I felt my heart breaking for him. I never thought of what it must be like for him to be back here in his childhood home. He hated growing up here, he absolutely hated it. He was tortured by his parents here. I can't imagine how he might feel being back here. And he knows that once September all of the kids go back to school, and then Molly and Arthur will go home, and I will go back to school to teach as well, and he will be here all alone.
   
"What if I convince Remus to stay here with you?" I say, "He and Lily can stay here so you won't be so alone."
   
"Remus would never stay that far from you. You two need to stay close to each other, for Lily. He needs to go back to Hogsmeade."
   
"I wish you could come with us," I told him.
   
"Believe me, so do I." He said, "but until we hunt down Peter I can't go anywhere."
   
It hurt my heart to hear him say that, because he didn't deserve it. He was such a good friend, and just a good person. He's been through so much, and he deserves some peace. He deserves to live out the rest of his days as Harry’s guardian like James and Lily intended.
   
"At least you have the opportunity to spend time with Harry now before he goes back to School. I know that it will hurt when he's gone, but he's a great kid and he loves you."
   
"I love him, too, but every time I look at him all I see is James. He's a reminder of the people I've lost."
   
"I know how you feel," I say, crossing my arms over my chest. "There are times where I can't even look at my own children."
   
He sighed, understanding. If anyone understood that, it was Sirius. "Every time I see George and Lyanna sitting too close to each other I have to remind myself she's not Marlene. I should be their Uncle, I should have married her before she died."
   
"They shouldn't have died." I said, "We should have been able to be a proper family."
   
"We are," he said, smiling slightly. "Family isn't determined by blood. You and Remus have been more of my true family than my actual blood ever was."
   
"You've always been a brother to me, Sirius," I tell him and he smiles and we hug for a moment. "But promise me you'll stop avoiding Harry. He's going through a lot right now and he could probably use a chat from his Godfather."
   
"I promise," he says, softly. It was hard for him, but he knew I was right.
   
"And just so you know, you're always going to be Uncle Sirius to my kids. They love you."
   
He smiled a small smile, "Thank you, Ellie."
   
Sirius stopped avoiding Harry after that talk. A few days later, the Hogwarts letters arrived. I headed upstairs to give the kids their letters. I found everyone except for George and Lyanna. Fred tried to stop me from going into the room that he himself told me they were in.
   
"Don't go in there!" He nearly shouted, using his tall, long body to block the door from me.
   
"Fred move," I told him, using my stren voice.
   
"You can't go in there," he said, his voice rather frantic.
   
"What are you talking about? Fred, that's my daughter's room. I will go there if I want. Move please." I snuck my hand around to grab the handle but he stopped me again.
   
"Ellie no!" He exclaimed, still blocking me.
   
"What are they doing in there?" I asked, "Why can't I go in there?"
   
"Don't make me say it." He pleads.
   
That was when it hit me, and I don't know why it didn't hit me sooner. My daughter was in her room alone with her boyfriend. I suddenly felt sick. "Oh Merlin. Fred, give these to them when you see them, don't tell them that I know."
   
"You're not mad?" He asked.
   
"No," I said, "A little grossed out, but not mad. I wasn't much older than Lyanna. You just give them their letter later and let's not tell your mother anything."
   
He nods, agreeing. I walked away then. I headed to mine and Remus's room and I sat on the bed. He was in here changing Lily. I sighed and I asked to hold my baby. He handed her off to me and sat with me.
   
"Where did the time go?" I asked, "I feel like just yesterday Lyanna was my baby girl. Now she's all grown up."
   
Remus put an arm around my shoulders, "What's going on with you, Bunny?"
   
"I just found out that Lyanna is in her room with George, alone."
   
"How did you find that out?"
   
"I tried to give them their letters, and Fred wouldn't let me, saying that I couldn't go in there. It took me a second to figure it out but when it hit me I felt sick. My daughter is having sex."
   
"You weren't meant much older than she was. I should know I was there."
   
"I know, she's in love so I don't blame her for wanting to have sex. It's more just me not wanting to admit that she's growing up."
   
"She's a smart, beautiful, amazing young woman, Ellie. You did so well with both of your children, but watching then get older is part of the job."
   
"I wish it didn't happen so fast though. Even with Lily here, she's going to be walking and talking before we know it."
   
"They can't stay little babies forever darling."
   
"I can't wait until we see how you react when Lily is old enough to start having sex. You're going to lose your mind."
   
"No, no no," he said shaking his head, "She's not allowed to date until she's 30. No one is allowed near her until then. When she's 30 she can get a boyfriend." He looked down at our daughter in my arms, "Did you hear that, Cub? No boys until you're 30. Otherwise Daddy and Uncle Sirius will have to get rid of them all, okay?"
   
He tickled her belly, and it made her smile and giggle, which made us both smile at her. "Yes," said Remus, "See you understand me, don't you?" He looked back up at me. "She gets it."
   
"Remus, you can't expect her to stay a virgin until she's 30 when you yourself were 16," I protested. "That would make you a hypocrite. She'll be 16 before we know it."
   
"I'll try not to blink," he said and he kissed my head.
   
"Good luck with that," I chuckled.
   
"We will just have to enjoy the little moments that we have with Lily. We'll have to cherish them."
   
"That we do," I agreed. I looked down at the baby in my arms. A moment ago she was wide awake, and now she's closed her eyes and is falling asleep in my arms. I smiled looking at her. She was so beautiful. Just so beautiful. I could look at her for hours.
   
After a moment I transfered Lily to her crib, and then we headed downstairs to find Molly all excited. She found out that Ron had made Prefect. She's going to get a big banner and throw a small gathering tonight. I left Lily with Remus and we went to Diagon Alley to get the school things for the older children.
   
Bradley had made Prefect for Hufflepuff, which I am not surprised about at all. He was very much like his Uncle, who was a Prefect in his days at Hogwarts. My mother was, too, for Hufflepuff back in her school days as well.
   
When we arrived back at Grimmauld Place, I saw Remus had let Tonks hold Lily. Now I have nothing against Tonks, she's great at her job and she was a joy to teach, but she's very clumsy. She trips over her own feet. So I was just worried that she was going to trip while holding Lily. Luckily though she was sitting down.
   
I sat next to her, and I looked down at my daughter in her arms. "She's so precious, Ellie." She said she was absolutely gushing over my baby. "How did you do it?"
   
"How did I have a baby?" I ask, confused at her question.
   
"How did you land Remus?" She clarified. "I mean I know he's yours, so forgive me, but he is very fit."
   
I chuckled at that, it made me laugh. "He would never believe you if he heard you say that."
   
"Really?"
   
"He thinks he's the ugliest man in the world. I disagree on that, obviously. I've always been very, very attracted to him, especially when we were younger."
   
"That's right you were in Gryffindor together, weren't you?"
   
I nodded, "We were, and thanks to Sirius we started dating. We both had only recently turned 16."
   
"So Sirius got you two together?"
   
"Yeah," I nodded, "he found out that I liked Remus and he didn't stop until we were together. It was actually rather annoying. He was relentless about it. Never tell my older children this, but we should have stayed together, and I wish we had."
   
"But the fact that you two ended up back together married with this lovely precious little nugget is proof that you two are soulmates."
   
I smiled at that, "I think so too," I told her.
   
"You two are really good together, you seem to just understand each other so well."
   
I couldn’t help but smile at that, "You're not the first person to say that about us."

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Here's part 46!

They will be going back to school soon, which means Unbridge is coming. Gross. I hate just even writing her name.

-Emily Winchester.