The Sun and Her Moon- Remus Lupin

Fake it till you make it

She could've let it consume her so easily. The darkness, and the pain— though never in her life would Aveline Rosier let it win.

A couple days into her stay with the Potters she received a letter from Evan. It was a formal invitation to attend their mothers funeral. Aveline burnt it, letting the ashes of the letter flutter through the sky. She had zero intentions of paying any respects to any member of her family.

A couple days after that she received a letter back from Regulus. It was vague, addressed to her as simply Rosier. She was certain he was doing it out of fear someone was reading his letters. Though it was enough confirmation that he was alive and not in Azkaban, so that was enough for Aveline and Sirius.

For the most part she tried to let it all go. Which was honestly easier then she expected. The girl finding joy in the freedom of the stress and expectations finally weighing her down. It was enough to give her the energy to smile and laugh during the day, even if by night sometimes the waves of her anxiety and grief hit her in the chest.

Nevertheless, she was determined to make the best out of her summer

During the days Peter and Remus would often come over. And the group would spend hours lazing around the beach by the lake that was a short walk to the Potter house. Sipping on summer drinks and laughing till their cheeks were numb.

Or sometimes they'd play two versus two quidditch matches, usually ending in James and Aveline fighting. Remus would always ref, considering he hated being on a broom— always there to diffuse the tension.

As the sun went down her, Sirius and James would sit on the top of the mansion, talking about their plans for the next year like giddy fools.

She could genuinely say for the first summer in her entire life, she was enjoying herself. So much so she barely noticed when the days started ticking by, and soon her birthday was a couple days away.

The group of friends was sitting in the soft grass by the beach on evening. The summer air humid and moist, the wind still as ever.

Aveline was leaning against Remus's chest. The two of them holding onto eachother as they watched the birds flying the sky. Beside them the rest were playing cards, James and Peter bickering over the rules.

"Say Aveline," Sirius began suddenly. "What do you say if we throw you a birthday party this weekend?"

She scrunched her nose, trailing her fingers over Remus's arms as she thought.

Usually her birthdays passed by like every other day. In fact, every single one of her birthdays had passed by like a normal day. The Rosier family didn't like to make a big deal out of birthdays, her father always saying they didn't need the ego boost.

In her entire life Aveline had only gotten one birthday present. It was from one of her Aunts who sent it without asking her parents. She never got to open it though, Calvus burnt it right infront of her.

And even as she made friends in school, they had never been able to send her anything for her father wouldn't allow it. None of them even tried, not wanting to get her in any more trouble then she usually already was. By the time they got back to school her midsummer birthday was long forgotten.

"I don't know," she said thoughtfully.

It was Sirius who realized it first, being a pureblood he understood how those things worked. There was a reason why Sirius always made such a big deal out of his birthday at school, and it was because the first one he ever celebrated was his 12th at Hogwarts when he finally got away from his family. It occurred to him now as he watched Aveline awkwardly trace her fingers on Remus, avoiding the question, Aveline had never celebrated her birthday.