One. Last. Time. {Oliver Wood}

Third Year

September 1, 1990

Valerie Santos was abruptly shaken awake by her father, Remus Lupin.

"Agh stop shaking me, I'm awake!" she said to her father in a shrill, annoyed voice.

"Get up you banshee, we have to go soon. I'll be downstairs when you decide to get up." said her father jokingly.

It was quarter to 9:00 on September 1st, otherwise known as her first day of term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was Valerie's third year at Hogwarts, and she couldn't have been more excited to get back to school. Considering Valerie was a complete bookworm and loved anything school related, she had a few other things to look forward to this coming term. She was going to be reunited with her two best friends whom she hadn't seen all summer, and it was her second year as Keeper for the Ravenclaw quidditch team. Last year she aided her team in winning the Inter-House Quidditch Cup for Ravenclaw, and they were going to win again this year.

Valerie was 13 years old and 5'6, she had beautiful, long brown hair that had reached the end of her lower back over the summer holidays. She had golden-brown eyes that complemented her tan skin perfectly. Just like her father, Valerie was a half-blood, which turned quite a few heads considering she was a Santos. She quickly got into the shower before picking out her clothes.

For her first day back, she had chosen to go with a white tennis skirt paired with a lavender top and white converse. She combed her hair, triple-checked that she had everything packed in her trunk and went downstairs for breakfast.

Her father, Remus, was sitting at the table reading the Daily Prophet while their house elf, Tally was bustling around making tea and breakfast. When Remus noticed Valerie at the table, he set down his paper and said, "Are you going to miss me more than you're going to miss your books?" You could always count on Remus to make you laugh.

Remus Lupin was a golden-brown eyed, extremely tall, pale and severely scarred wizard at the age of 30. Valerie's father had gotten so many visible scars because of his condition of being a werewolf. Every full moon Remus had to apparate to a random forest to transform, he had gained his scars as a child when he had to be confined during his transformations for the safety of others around him. When he had nothing else to attack but himself, he gained many, many scars. It also is quite difficult for Remus to keep a job as a werewolf since he had to be absent from work once a month, without drawing suspicions. Valerie always had nothing but the utmost respect for her father, because of his bravery through the many painful years of his life he had to endure. She never let the fact that he was a werewolf effect the great amount of love she had for him.

"Hmmm. Tough question. Give me a moment to think about it." Valerie replied with a smirk.

Remus had a look on his face that showed he was greatly offended, and it made them both crack up, laughing.

They both shared a happy morning together, bonding, as they wouldn't be seeing each other until December. That was the one thing that made Valerie never want to come back to Hogwarts after the holidays. She hated having to leave her father alone for many months on end every year. When Valerie was 7 years old her mother had been killed, on duty by a dark wizard. Her mother, Arctura Santos, was an Auror or dark wizard catcher. After her death Valerie and Remus were never the same, no one would be able to replace her in their eyes. At the age of ten Valerie had made the decision to change her last name from Lupin to Santos to honor and never forget her. Without her mother around Remus has no one to share his time with and nothing to fill his time with. It will always break Valerie's heart when the moment came to bid her best friend goodbye.

***

As Valerie pushed her cart through King's Cross with her father by her side, she felt the guilt rising in her as she would soon have to leave her father all alone for four whole months.