Life After Death - An Erica Black Continuation (4)

Thirty

May 3rd 1998:
She laid with Teddy on the floor of the small living room in the home of Ted and Andromeda Tonks on the morning of May 3rd 1998 as Ted read his paper and his wife bustled about their kitchen, preparing breakfast when there was a loud knock at the front door.
"Andromeda Tonks?" came the familiar voice of her God-brother as Teddy's grandmother opened it, "I'm so sorry mam, Tonks and Remus... The fought so bravely and undoubtedly saved so many others... Madam Pomphrey did all she could but I'm afraid neither of them made it. I came because I am Teddy's Godfather and I really wanted to discuss visitation and custody but of course I'd understand if that will have to wait for another time"
Andromeda ushered in the young man who had clearly not slept that  night and finally, her husband looked up from his paper.
"Andy? What is it my dear?" he asked, his concern evident in his face.
"Oh Ted.." She sobbed, "I-They..." she trailed off, unable to string together a sentence
"Nymphadora? Remus?" He asked, his voice trembling. She shook her head, letting out a soft, pained whimper "Good God" he muttered, shaking his own head in disbelief. Erica felt her heart drop, Remus couldn't be dead... He simply couldn't. And Tonks had always shown her such kindness at number 12... Devastated, she redirected her attention to baby Edward, her poor beloved Teddy.

November 11th 1981:
Five year old Erica Black sat up in her bed, her knees pulled neatly to her chest under the uncrumpled sheets, like something out of a picture book with her ebony ringlets at her shoulders, contrasting strikingly with her ivory skin. her delicate frame tucked loosely under an ankle length white nightie as she rocked slowly back and forth, staring out her bedroom window with a furrowed brow. The clock chimed midnight and she couldn't help but think about how the full moon had only been out for  a short while and counting the minutes he'd have to suffer. In the past, her auntie Lily had watched her, ensuring her mind was occupied when possible - On occasion, even her father had been home and was able to watch her whilst her God-father endured his 'Furry Little Secret' as they referred to it. But they were all gone now, and tonight she was alone, for the first time in her life and yet all she could think about was how alone Mooney must have been feeling.
The old cottage creaked and echoed restlessly around her. Without the light of day, it seemed bigger, and more like a labyrinth than her home. Usually when the walls loomed intimidatingly over her head and shutters clattered sporadically in the wind, she could climb out of bed and patter down the hallway with her plush toy flitterby to her God-father's room and curl up with him, safe from the night-time but that night, it simply wasn't an option. Erica knew this was it, her time to be brave for herself and for her God-father. And she was, very brave. She just elected to be very brave from her God-father's bed.

Late August 1993:
She was seventeen at the time, sat at the long kitchen table of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place with a cup of tea and a delicate pastry, it was a cool morning on the cusp of summer and autumn, when an owl knocked on the window with the intention of delivering her copy of the Daily Prophet. She accepted it absentmindedly and tipped the owl generously with a chunk of her croissant, he hooted gratefully, nipped at her pale fingers before turning on the windowsill and launching back out in to the sunrise. She finally glanced down at the paper in her hand as she sat back in her seat, her eyes widened and a surprised gasp fell from her lips. the thick wad of paper tumbled from her fingers and landed on the knobbly wood of the table which she gripped until her knuckles turned white in a vain attempt to steady her self. She let her legs buckle and slumped into her seat heavily. Like a ghost, the face of her father cackled up at her, an insane look in his eyes as he clutched his sign.
"Remu-" She went to cry out but her God-father wasn't home, he had left before she woke up. Her breathing hitched in her throat and she knew that if it weren't for Kreature, her moment of panic would've spiralled into a full blown panic attack. He appeared before his young mistress and carefully help her hand with an uncharacteristic abundance of care and consideration. The first time this had happened, when she was only thirteen , he had told her how he used to do the same thing for his youngest master, Regulus when he felt the way she did. That was the first time she'd heard anyone talk about her  uncle since she was a little girl, she loved hearing about her family, her father had never been one to talk about his relatives, even on the odd occasion he was around.