Sunflowers

Little Light

Thia hurried through the falling rain, Cosette at her side. As she stepped through the door of the Three Broomsticks, she heaved a sigh of relief. Thia raised a hand to Madam Rosmerta, who nodded to a table in the corner.

"Hey, Remmy," she said softly as she slid into the seat. Her oldest friend looked up at her, something cradled in his arms and tears in his eyes.

"Hey, Thia," he said back, clearing his throat, "I'm guessing you're wondering why I asked Madam Pomfrey to let you come today, huh?"

Thia gave him a look, and he chuckled. He took a deep breath.

"Harry wasn't Lily and Prongs' only kid," He spoke quietly so that Thia had to lean in to hear, "Three months ago, they had another, a girl. They wrote and named me godfather." Remus stopped for a moment.

"Thia, meet Elliana Rose Potter," Remus handed Thia the baby, watching the teen's eyes go wide with shock. She held Ellie as she would a doll, like Thia was scared she would break any moment. Cosette nudged the bundle of blankets with her nose, wuffing happily when the girl let out a giggle.

"Does Dumbledore know?"

"No," Remus said, watching as she cradled Ellie.

"Good, keep it that way. I wouldn't put it past him to take her away too." Her voice was bitter, "He won't even tell me where he is, Rem."

Remus gave her arm a squeeze. She gave him a small smile, looking back down at the child in her arms. A tuft of red hair shot off her head, and chubby cheeks that rivalled her hair. 

"You might ask Minnie, you know. She probably knows, and she has a soft spot for you," Remus tweaked Thia's nose, drawing a smile from the witch.

"That's actually a good idea, Rem. Thanks." She watched Ellie, fascinated with the little bundle. When Thia tapped her on the nose, however, she was shocked to find Ellie's skin was cold to the touch, "Rem, she's awfully cold. I think she might be sick."

"She hasn't warmed up yet?" Remus frowned, taking her back into his arms, "Merlin, you're right. What should I do?"

Thia gnawed the inside of her cheek, "It's too risky trying to bring her to Aunt Poppy. Dumbledore would find out. What about the woman from the Order? Molly, was it? She might be able to help."

Remus nodded, wrapping his enlarged scarf around Ellie, "You're right. Molly probably would be the best bet, at least for now. She's good at keeping things quiet."

The pair stood, leaving money on the table for Rosmerta. Cosette walked on her left while Remus and Ellie were on her right. They stopped at the edge of the path to Hogwarts.

"She's going to look like Lily, mark my words," she told him, "And if you ever need some help around that time of the month after I'm done here, I'm more than happy to watch her."

"Thanks, little Hell-Raiser," He looked down at Ellie, "Those are James' eyes though. Quite the parallel of Harry, isn't she?"

"Yeah. You should be going, I guess." Thia hugged her friend, kissing Ellie's forehead as well.

"Don't forget to write, Thia. And don't bottle things up. And remember to eat. And-"

"Goodness, are you sure you need help? You're starting to sound like Teddy," Thia teased. Remus chuckled.

"Just be careful, okay? And don't forget to talk to Minnie about Harry." She nodded, giving him one last hug before she disappeared down the path to Hogwarts.

Remus sighed, looking down at the bundle of white blankets in his arms, "Well, my little light, it looks like we have a visit to make."

~

"Can you believe we're done with Hogwarts?" Mo threw her arms back, tilting her head to the sky. In doing so, she made the boat they were on wobble dangerously. It was tradition, for the graduating class to leave Hogwarts across the Black Lake, but Thia honestly hated the boat.

"Mo," Thia pleaded, "Could you not move so much?"

Her friend laughed, slipping arm around her shoulders and leaning their heads together, "Sorry, a stór." 

Callum and Sophie groaned. "Would you two just get together already?" Sophie demanded, "You two being so mushy is making me feel painfully single."

Thia flushed and Mo just laughed some more, saying, "Ah, come on, MacDonald, you're scaring her."

Cosette, who was just as much of a fan of the boat as Thia, jumped out as soon as they reached the shore. Callum and Sophie followed, then Mo and Thia. The four fell into step together, walking that long familiar path down to the station.

Mo tugged Thia to a stop while they were still in the trees, letting the others pass by.

"There is something I wanted to tell you, Thia," Mo's voice was practically a whisper, and it made Thia's heart beat faster.

"Yeah, Mo?" The taller girl looked up at the sky, then back at Thia, green eyes meeting brown.

"I really like you, Thia. As more than a friend." Thia gulped, feeling her heart in her throat. Her eyes searched Mo's face, but there was no lie there.

"Mo..." Thia stalled. Did she like Mo that way? She certainly felt something for her, but did she want to act on it? 

"Guys! Come on!" Callum called from ahead of them, "I want to actually find a compartment before the train moves."

Mo swore, though a smile crept onto her face, "We're coming!"

Thia followed behind her, lost in her thoughts. Mo fell back beside her, seeing the look on her face. "You can just tell me you don't like me that way, you know. I'm a big girl, I can take it."

She looked up as they reached the train. For a moment Thia was silent, studying the clouds overhead. "I'm not sure I can do that, Mo."

The Hufflepuff looked at her sharply, a cautiously hopeful look on her face, "What?"

"I like you, too, Mo." Thia realised they had stopped, and lots of people were streaming around them to get on the train, "Come on."

Mo grinned when Thia took her hand, leading her onto the train in search of their friends. They found them halfway back, and when they sat down, Mo refused to let go of her hand. Not that Thia minded, nor did she mind when Mo tugged her closer. Sophie eyed them suspiciously.

"I can't tell if you're together now or not, but it's still making me painfully aware of my singleness." The rest of them laughed. "I'm serious!"

Mo rolled her eyes, "That's something we're still figuring out, so you just get to stay wondering."

Thia leaned her head on Mo's shoulder, yawning tiredly. Sleep had been a fickle thing the night before, and as the train hummed beneath them, Thia felt herself beginning to drift off. Mo smiled, "Sleep, Thia. I'll wake you when we get there."