Remain Calm~ R.Black

Chapter Five

1975- Year Four

On the last day of summer before her fourth year, Ronnie was in her room packing her things for Hogwarts as Remus and Sirius were down by the river swimming. She had left packing to the very last minute and the boys were waiting for her to be ready so all three of them could floo over to the Potters residence together. Mia and Monty insisted on taking the group together to the train in the morning and Ronnie was so excited to stay the night at the Potters.

"Veronica! C'mere!" Lyall Lupin's loud voice boomed out in the house as she let out a small sigh before retreating downstairs.

"Yes father?" Ronnie asked, trying to not say or do anything that could set him off as Ronnie could see he was surrounded by empty beer bottles.

"Did you go to town for me?" He asked as she nodded, "The bags are in the kitchen."

"Thanks dear." He nodded at her before a drunken grin rested on his face, "So, are you excited to leave your old man alone again?"

"What?" She whispered out, unsure of how to answer, "You heard me! Are you excited to leave your old poor father yet again while you and your beast of a brother run around a school?"

"Hogwarts is a requirement." Ronnie said, her voice quivering as he stood, stalking towards her to tower over her, "I know that it's a requirement, I too was a wizard. I'm not a dumb muggle like your mother was."

"Get her name out of your mouth! You don't deserve to say that-" Ronnie started to say, feeling angry that Lyall dared to say anything negative about Hope when her thoughts got rattled by Lyall smacking her across the face, causing her to go flying backwards, hitting the wall.

"Watch what you say, Veronica." Lyall spat, watching as his daughter's lip quivered, her now crouched on the ground as she held the side of her face.

Ronnie turned her head away from Lyall to the door, seeing that Sirius had stopped in his tracks when Ronnie had hit the wall, getting flashbacks of his own home. As she and Sirius locked eyes, she knew he wanted to rush over to her to make sure she was okay but she slowly shook her head, warning him not to. They both flinched when Lyall had thrown a beer bottle at her, shattering just above her head but neither dared to move.

Lyall had thrown another one, this time, shattering at her feet and making glass fly at her face, slicing her cheek, "Get out! Go away!" Lyall yelled as Ronnie scrambled away and into her room, Sirius followed her as he shut her door.

Ronnie stood with her back to Sirius for a few moments before he broke the silence, "How long has that been going on?"

"What?" She asked, slowly turning around to face him as the blood trickled down her cheek mixed with her tears.

"I know what abusive parents look like and that wasn't the first time... and Moony never said anything, and he would've, so how long has this been going on for?" Sirius repeated as Ronnie began to cry harder, "He hit me the first time in the summer between first and second year."

"Why didn't you tell anyone? Why didn't you tell Remus?" Sirius asked as Ronnie shrugged, "Remus would have killed him."

"That he would've... mini, are you okay?" Sirius asked, his voice going quieter.

Ronnie tried to stop the tears but as soon as he finished his sentence, they came falling down her cheeks and she couldn't control them. It was like the minute that anyone asks you if you are okay when you are trying your absolute hardest to swallow your tears and that question makes you crumble.

Ronnie felt like she had been keeping this secret in for such a long time, with a select few knowing but keeping it a secret from her brother and his friends was hard, and it felt like a relief that at least one of them knew.