Equanimity

0.6

Part One; Chapter Six

—Goodbyes and Welcome Homes

Natalie knew it had been too good to be true. Trouble seemed to follow Potters everywhere they went like a curse. She should have known better, especially after the troll incident, than to think it would be any different for her daughter and Harry.

Her feet made loud thumps as she ran to the hospital wing, throwing the doors open. She ignored Madame Pomfrey's screeching as she quickly moved to Harry and Carina's sides. She glared down at the two who did their best not to meet the woman's angry gaze. "You.." she trailed off, running her hand through her hair. "You both are the most reckless, absolutely mental, death seeking children I have ever had the misfortune of being related to!"

"But, mum-" Carina tried to speak only to shut her mouth and avert her gaze when her mother practically snarled at her.

"But nothing, Carina Maia Potter," she seethed. She pinched the bridge of her nose, her anger dissipating as she brought the two into a tight hug, tears pouring down her face. She pulled away to glare at them once more. "Don't you ever...ever...do something this life threatening again. Understood?"

"Yes, mum," Carina said softly, looking down at her bed sheets.

Natalie's gaze turned to Harry when he didn't respond and she softened her look, placing her hand on Harry's head to ruffle his hair. "That goes for you too, Harry," she said softly, smiling when Harry turned to look at her with wide eyes. His face quickly turned into a grin though at the motherly tone Natalie had taken.

"Yes, Aunt Nat," he said, and Natalie bore a matching grin to his.

~~~~~~~

"I wrote down my number for you," Natalie said, handing Harry a slip of paper. "I want you to call if you need anything, alright?" She smiled down at Harry who was fixing to board the Hogwarts Express, pushing back his messy hair lovingly.

Harry looked down at the paper for a moment before turning to her with a grin. "I will. Thank you, Aunt Nat," he said sincerely. He hesitated for a moment before throwing his arms around the woman.

Natalie hugged him back tightly, gently running her fingers through his hair. "Alright," she said, finally pulling away from her nephew. She placed a gentle kiss to his head before gently pushing him towards the train, Carina smiling at Harry from her side. "Remember what I said to tell the Dursleys if they decide to be gits." She grinned impishly at Harry's nod, the mother and daughter standing back to watch Harry board the train.

Natalie brushed back her tears at the sight of Harry, Ron, and Hermione all waving from a compartment as the train pulled away and she hastily waved back, Carina mimicking the actions. The school year with Harry had been more than amazing and she could see the resemblance between him and her dear James. They both had a penchant for mischief but held their friends extremely close to their hearts. The three, plus Carina, reminded her sorely of her fellow Marauders, though Natalie was none too excited about the fact. She knew trouble would most definitely follow the four.

She grabbed her daughter's hand and apparated without another word to their house where Remus could be seen waiting anxiously by the door. "Uncle Moony!" Carina called out excitedly and ran from her mother's side to embrace the man tightly. She couldn't help but laugh when Remus's grunt from the force met her ears.

She followed after her daughter, smiling as the girl rambled on about the year. "Go unpack," she instructed softly, laughing at her daughter's groan. "You'll have plenty of time to tell Remus about the year after." She gave her daughter a look when the protests began, causing the girl to shut her mouth. With a huff, the girl lugged her trunk inside.

Natalie let out a small laugh when Remus brought her into a tight hug, burying his face in her curls. "Bloody hell, Moony," the woman laughed out. "I just saw you not even two weeks ago!"

"So?" the man grumbled, not letting her go just yet. "I missed my best friend, sue me." He pulled away after another moment, grabbing Natalie's bag. He ignored her complaints as he brought it inside, dropping it off in her room before making his way to the couch where Natalie had flopped down.

She lifted her head only for a moment to allow Remus to sit down, immediately placing her head in his lap once he had sat down. She looked up, grinning at his slightly amber eyes. She knew that was just Moony, glad to have his pack home. She closed her eyes and hummed at the feeling of his hands gently running through her hair and knew if he kept that up, then she would be asleep within minutes.

"Harry is so grown up," she mumbled after a moment, opening her eyes when she felt Remus's hand stop for a split second. She looked back up at him to see him staring off with a thoughtful look on his face. It was times like this that she thought back to a time shortly after she found out she was pregnant.

She would be in the exact position she was currently in, and Remus would run his hands through her hair comfortingly. There had been many times when her friends would question why she never got with Remus, and she always told them that he was nothing more than a dear friend. It was more complicated than that though. The both of them knew Remus had a mate out there somewhere and she just wasn't it. It certainly hadn't been for lack of trying though. Remus had tried several times to push Moony aside, but in the end, while they had both been happy, it simply wasn't meant to be. Natalie had understood and the two had easily slipped back into their friendship as if nothing had changed.

"I wish I could have seen him," Remus finally said, looking down to meet her eyes and giving her a small smile. The smile quickly turned into a frown though and Natalie could see him debating his next words. "I see you gave Rina the jacket," he said hesitantly, unsure how his friend would react.

Natalie breathed out a sigh and pursed her lips, nodding her head just the slightest. "I wanted her to have something of him. To her knowledge, I've never shown her pictures of him," she spat that out, her eyes flashing dangerously for a moment before she calmed herself. "I told her it belonged to her father and that he would want her to have it."

"It was very brave of you," the lycanthrope said softly after a moment. "I'm sure she loved it."

The woman snorted and rolled her eyes. "You should have seen her, Rem," she said with a soft laugh, her lips curved up into the faintest trace of a smile. "She was absolutely over the moon. Hasn't taken the bloody thing off since." She grinned up at the man when he laughed along with her.

"She does know it's too big on her right?" he questioned in amusement, thinking back to when the two arrived. The jacket practically swallowed the young girl.

"I don't think she cares," was the soft response he received, and Natalie frowned once more. "I don't want her to think less of her father. I promised to never say anything other than the good times. She deserves that at least."

Remus said nothing, continuing to run his hands through the woman's hair as the sounds of AC/DC made its way to them from Carina's room. Yes...she did deserve that.