Growing Up

Part 28.

Remus walked through the daycare door quietly, his eyes catching decorations and painted portraits. He thought apparating into the facility seemed a little strange, so he walked through the empty back alley before appearing. It's surely an appalling sight to a muggle, he could tell anyone that firsthand. He walked up to the front desk and waited for the woman to greet him. Her pen danced furiously along the papers she was holding, her rings clattered as she wrote with a thin pen.

"Who can i get for you?" She rasped, her gaze down at her cursive handwriting that danced across the white page. She looked ten years older than she was, and Remus could guess it was because she worked with children.

"I'm just checking in. Harry Potter, please" He said warmly. Pissing off this woman was not something he desired, especially because Harry's wellbeing depending on her. The woman finally looked up at him, her glasses leaning down her curved nose. Her bright blue eyes startled Remus as he tried to not turn away in disgust. Such a piercing color was rare, and he was almost thankful she had withheld eye contact until then.

"That one, alright. Albus let me know. Go right ahead."

The gate opened with a squeak, and Remus walked through. He poked at the thought of the woman's odd commentary. Before he could think any further, Harry latched onto his leg, sitting on his shoe. Harry's green eyes looked up and smiled at him.

"Moon-ee!"

Remus looked down and smiled at Harry running up to him. Sometimes he wondered how long this stage will last, he never wanted it to end. How could he raise a kid, he still felt like one. A teen will be worse, he almost shivered at the thought. Remus knew he was a shitty teen at one point too, who said Harry won't be one too, he'll grow up with Remus' poor influence. Saying two years had already passed seemed impossible. His best friend too long gone,  and Harry's infant-like stages too short-lived.

"What's up, Bambi?"

Remus knelt down and listened as Harry rambled a quick slur of words, all too incoherent for Remus to translate. Still, he nodded and smiled, pretending like he knew what was going on. He didn't care to decipher what he was hearing until Harry pointed at a small girl close to his age. Harry turned around and ran towards the young girl. Grabbing Remus' hand to lead him, he noticed the woman that was with the child.

She was a well put together girl, right around his age. She had beautiful brown hair, all in ringlets around her head that fell just around her shoulders. She had the same eyes as Harry, as well.

"Hello," Her head bowed slightly at Remus, her voice coated in honey as she spoke, her words glistening as they rolled off her tongue. "That's Harry Potter, correct?"

Remus looked at her and smiled, blinking through the admiration of the beautiful woman standing in front of him. Her small hands folded gently around her book as it pressed against her dress. "Yes, it is."

"He's adorable." She giggled. Her crooked smile reminded him of Sirius. He wondered how different it would be if he Sirius hadn't asked him out so long ago, or if he didn't exist at all. Living with a woman sounded odd, but probably less of a handful than Sirius. The only women he was close with was Lily and her friends. They were all dead now, anyway. Dead, or wishing they were.

"He came right over and told me and my daughter his name."

"Yeah," Remus laughed. "He's pretty social."

She looked down at Harry and smiled, fidgeting with the pages of the book she had in her hand, and Remus recognized the cover.

"Oscar Wilde?" He smiled a little wider, showing his teeth this time. He knew what this meant, only because Mr Wilde was his favorite author in school.