Aliyah // Remus Lupin

chapter 12: potions class

With the new year beginning, there could be a fresh start for everyone, but at the same time there was the memory of what was going to happen, the unforeseen future that everyone was impatiently waiting for.

Remus was next to Thalia in the front of the class doing their potion as Aliyah was attempting to entertain herself. But as a young girl she just wanted attention. Attention she wasn't getting from her father at the moment. As much as the young girl loved Thalia she was beginning to be jealous of the fact she got his attention too, she didn't want to share her father with anyone.

The little girl stood up making her way over to the teacher who was also making a potion himself, "hello."

"Hello little one."

"Can I help?"

"Not today Aliyah, we're making a very complicated and dangerous potion, I don't want you getting hurt."

"What is it?" she asked tilting her head to the side.

"Draught of living death," Slughorn said looking at the small child and wondering if it was okay to tell her the real name but it would be too late to take it back.

"But don't you have to put LIVE frogs in that? You can't hurt the frogies!"

"We have to Aliyah, I'm very sorry."

Aliyah huffed but walked away from the older man not knowing what else she could do. She looked all around the room, realizing no one was looking or acknowledging her and she slowly walked out of the classroom and down the empty halls wanting to go and make friends with the animals in the lake instead of being cooped up in another classroom.

Back in the class, the bell hud rung and Remus packed up his belongings before he looked up to tell Aliyah it was time to go, on,y she wasn't there. Remus felt that heart sinking moment again, one he hadn't wanted to feel ever again.

"How does someone lose their child more than once!?"

"My parents lost me several times but they never tried to find me," Sirius shrugged in response, his other friends giving him a, 'it's not the time look.'

Remus ignored a his friends running out of the room having seen where she was on the map. But Remus was the only one who had gone this time, his friends knew why she had ran this time and they knew that Remus needed a moment with his daughter.

He ran all the way down to the lake where he found his daughter sitting in the middle of the dock throwing rocks into the water. He sat down beside her, laying down and looking up at the clouds.

"Aliyah?"

"Im sorry I ran away daddy," she said looking down at him. She pushed herself of the ground and sat on his stomach, leaning her back against his knees as if he were a chair, something Remus was used to.

"It's okay pumpkin, daddy hasn't been the best daddy as of lately has he? I was just excited about having a girlfriend that I forgot what was really important. I know I'm the dad and I'm supposed be here for you all the time and teach you things but I'm still learning too. We're learning together Sweets, and I hope you know just how much I love you."

Aliyah moved her legs into the criss cross apple sauce position on her fathers torso as she asked, "how much?" looking down and smiling at him.

"This much!" He grabbed her gently and started tickling her as she giggled loudly, "that's a lot."

Remus smiled up at her, "I love you more than a lot Allie, your my diamond in a world of gems."

Remus and Aliyah spent the rest of the day together. They threw rocks in the lake, went to hogsmead and got candy, came back to Hogwarts at dark and went to get dinner from the kitchens before heading back to the dormitory and falling asleep.

Today had been a good day, and it was also a reminder that Aliyah really was his favourite girl — his favourite human in the entire world and that's how it would always be.