Shooting Star

Chapter Fifty-Two

I found Peter. Was all the note said. There was no signature, but I knew it was from Sirius. I sent the owl back, begging Sirius not to kill him. I doubt he ever received it.
I also, of course, begged Severus to leave Remus alone, and not mention the whole lycanthropy thing, but he, of course, refused to heed me any mind and exposed him anyway.
Sirius, of course, showed up at the school, and he and Remus were going to kill Peter, but Harry stopped them, and the asshole got away. He deserved Azkaban.
Sirius was caught, of course. But he escaped on a bloody hippogriff that was supposed to be executed (he scratched Draco Malfoy during one of Hagrid's lessons).
Professor Dumbledore wrote me and said that I should put up the Fidelius Charm around my house, for protection against Sirius, should he come looking. I appreciated him getting it, and said I would. He said to write him when I was ready, and he'd come help. I'd wait until Sirius showed before answering.
Of course I didn't know any of this for quite some tome. I went to help Remus pack up his stuff (because Severus is an asshole) which is where I got the whole story.
I had known that there were Dementors at the school (to guard against Sirius Black, the deranged, dangerous criminal), and I had been angry enough, but when I came and saw just how many Dementors there were, I was purely pissed. Why would they subject these kids to that? I almost couldn't walk in, but I finally got my Patronus strutting along beside me.
I made a pitstop at Severus' classroom, of course.
He was in the middle of teaching a class, but I stormed in anyway. The students all seemed to enjoy seeing me berate and scream profanity at him. He was stoic as they laughed.
"Come with me." I said sternly.
"Pardon?"
"Come. With. Me. I need to have a word with you, you selfish, arrogant bastard."
"I'm teaching a class, Eliza." He said calmly, not looking at me.
I grabbed his hand and pulled him out. I stuck my head back in the door. "You're free to go." I told the students with a smile. Harry watched me with raised eyebrows as I marched back out and pulled Severus into an empty room.
"Eliza--"
"Don't fucking Eliza me! Do you know all the shit I've forgiven you for, Severus?! I've forgiven you for more than I've ever had to forgive anybody! Anybody! Why do you insist on ruining everybody's lives, Severus?! How could you do that to Remus?! You--"
"Eliza!" He interrupted. "Stop." He wasn't going to raise his voice at me. He wouldn't.
"No! You fucking asshole! I--"
Remus came in the room and clamped his hand over my mouth. "We can hear you all the way down the hall." He whispered in my ear. "Hush, all right? It's fine. I don't mind. It's okay."
"It isn't, Remus! He's spent his whole bloody life--"
"Shut up, Eliza." He said. "It's fine. Come to my office. It's all right."
"I can't believe you." I hissed at Severus as Remus pulled me out.
"Eliza, it's fine. I don't mind. It's okay." Remus repeated as he pulled me into his office.
"I don't care. He's an asshole."
"You know, you used to chastise us for calling him that." Remus smiled.
"Only I can call him that." I laughed a bit. "All right. Tell me what to do."
Harry came in after a while and Remus handed him some paper.
"Remus, why would you give him that?" I said when I recognized it.
"Don't you think he's inherited it?" Remus shot me a grin.
"Thanks." Harry grinned. "Fred and George had it and gave it to me but it got taken up." He explained to me.
"May I... See it?" I asked Harry timidly, and he handed it to me.
"Eliza, maybe you shouldn't. It..." Remus began, but stopped when I looked at him. "Go on. Just... Okay."
I looked down at the Marauders' Map.
"Mr. Prongs would like to congratulate Ms. Eliza on her marriage to Mr. Padfoot, and would like to say that she doesn't look a day over thirty. He would also like to thank you for raising his child." The map read, and I smiled, my eyes stinging.
"Mr. Padfoot would also like to congratulate Ms. Eliza on her marriage to Mr. Padfoot. He knows he's marvelous." The map continued, and I laughed more.
"Mr. Wormtail would like to say hello."
"Mr. Moony would like to say that Ms. Eliza should apologize to Snivellous, because he doesn't mind."
"How did you guys do this?" I asked Remus.
"I don't remember, honestly." He gave a little smile.
"That was pretty cool how you screamed at Snape." Harry said with a grin.
"Professor Snape, Harry." I said.
And then they told me the story, including about Severus putting himself in between the kids and Remus, I felt kind of bad.
"Ron's rat is Peter?" I asked.
"Yep." Harry said.
That asshole's been with my child all these years?
"Why didn't you let them kill him, Harry?" I asked. I want him dead.
"Because I doubt James would have liked that." Harry said.
I smiled at Remus before turning my attention back to Harry. "You're right." I agreed. "So, Hermione has a Time Turner?" I asked. "That's how she's been getting to classes?"
"Yeah."
"Of course." I smiled.
Once Harry left, I turned to Remus. "Well?"
"He's... Okay. Obviously he's not wonderful. But... He's okay."
"Good." I said, and kept working.
"Don't worry." Remus said. "I'll stay away from Harry."
"...  Why would you do that?" I asked, utterly perplexed.
"I could have hurt him. I--"
"Remus." I sighed. "Remus, stop. This is ridiculous."
"No it's not. I couldn't--"
"You're never around him on the full moon anyway, Remus. Honestly, you're overreacting--"
"No I'm not. If I hurt him--or you, for that matter--"
"Shut up, Remus. Honestly." I said, exasperated.
"I--"
"Shut up." I hugged him. "It's all right, love."
He hugged me back with a sigh.
"You should go apologize to Severus." Remus said casually as I put some books in a box.
"I don't want to."
"Yeah you do."
"I know. But I don't want to want to."
He laughed, and we continued packing in silence.
"Harry, Ron and Hermione say you're the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher they've had." I said.
Remus smiled as he packed. "Yes, well. They're wonderful students. Has Harry told you he can make a Patronus?"
"He hasn't." I raised my eyebrows.
"Not to steal his thunder, but it's a stag. Just like--"
"James'." I finished.
"Yeah." He smiled. "He saved his and Sirius' life with it."
"Sounds like James too." I smiled.
"His boggart--"
"Remus."
"Yeah?"
"What's a boggart?"
He laughed. "It takes on your worst fear. Harry's was a Dementor."
"So... He fears what? Fear?"
Remus nodded.
I kept packing, smiling. I'm so proud of him.
"I guess I'll apologize to Severus." I said.
"All right." Remus smiled. "See you later."
I walked into Severus' office without knocking to find him sitting at his desk, simply staring at a piece of paper. He didn't look up when I came in, so I cleared my throat.
"Eliza." He said, standing quickly. "I--"
"I'm sorry, Severus." I said. "I apologize--"
"No, don't. You were right, as always."
"I may have been right, but I reacted wrongly. I--"
"Parenting has completely ruined you."
I just stared. Excuse me?
"There was a time where you would have just let it be, knowing everything would just be okay. Now you apologize for everything."
"I'm setting an example."
"Does Potter know you're here?"
"No, but--"
"Then it's not an example."
"Just accept my apology so I can go home and sleep."
"But what if I want you to stay?"
"I'm not. You can accept my apology now or later. Either way I'm going home."
He laughed. "Ah, I see. Apology accepted."
"Thank you." I turned to walk out.
"Eliza." He called, and I came back. "Has Black found you yet?"
"No."
"I'm glad he escaped. As much as it pains me to say."
I smiled. "Thanks, Sev. Dumbledore is going to help with protective enchantments. So next time you come, I'll have to show you--"
"You can't show me. I can't know. If they were to--"
"I get it." I smiled and hugged him. "Thank you, Sev. For protecting the kids."
"Of course. I owe Potter, whether or I like it or not."
"You're forgetting something."
"Yes?"
"That Harry's still my child. It isn't his fault you and James never got along."
"Yes, I know."
I went home and laid on the porch to watch the stars, and then someone landed a hippogriff in my back yard.