Till Forever Falls Apart

Third Year: Spending Time

*Hey, everyone! I'm trying to update more frequently from now on. Happy (early) Valentine's Day! I'm also going to start labeling years with their correct number, but we all know I'm not the best with numerical chapters;)

Something I've been wanting to do is footnotes. Every time there's a line or scene I want to touch more upon, I'll put a tiny "*" by it and explain it in further depth at the end of the chapter. It's a way of understanding the storyline and reasoning behind the writing better I hope!

Here is the chapter. Go on!

August 30, 1993

They had received the "all-clear", relying on information given by Dumbledore and the Auror Department. Greyback was somewhere near the northern border of Wales, and Val immediately begged to go back to their other house at once when she heard the news. Isolation had not been kind to her, and she was more eager than ever to get her supplies for the year and run into old friends. She had even been allowed to contact a few of them and ask to meet with her in Diagon Alley so that they could purchase their things together. Everyone would be there to see her through this transition, and as she watched the sunrise, she knew her anticipation could no longer wait.

Val threw open her bedroom door and flung herself at the mercy of her fathers' room, hoping they would allow her to come in. When she had received word that permitted her entrance, she breezed merrily into the room, alive with the sun as her companion and making her shine brighter.

"Good morning," she said, noticing they were already dressed. Sirius was buttoning his vest in the mirror while Remus emerged from the bathroom, searching for a pair of shoes.

"Morning, love!" Sirius returned her enthusiasm, finishing off the last touches of his outfit before planting a kiss on her forehead as he walked by. "Do you have your letter?"

She waved the paper with her school supplies back and forth, having received it a week before. "It's all here. Are we getting breakfast on the way, or should we eat here? I'm thinking here, but it's up to you-"

"Slow down," Remus' laughter was soft, unlike his hardened disposition the past few days. "We can eat here, and then be on our way. You haven't gotten dressed yet, mind you."

Val ignored this. "Was there a separate letter sent to one of you about what I need for Defense Against the Dark Arts this year?" She thoroughly examined the list for the fourth time.

"The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts by Galatea Merrythought," Remus replied instantly. Sirius suppressed his merriment, looking from his husband to his daughter. He was waiting to see which would make the first move.

Val laughed nervously. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?" Sirius folded his arms with a tongue-in-cheek expression. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I guess now is as good a time as ever," the other father tied his shoes.

"We should've said something earlier."

"There was just never a good time!"

"Please don't hide anything more from me," Val said painfully. "You're making me anxious."

Both fathers looked at each other, grinning madly. "I think you should be the one to say it, Moony."

Val was very tired of everyone knowing everything but her.

Remus cleared his throat, pursing his lips as he looked at her intently. "What do you think about your Defense Against the Dark Arts class?"

"Prewett was fun, Lockhart was a nightmare," she recalled of her last two teachers. "It's not my favorite, and I wish it was more hands-on, but I guess that depends on the teacher, right? I would like to actually use my wand once or twice, or see one of the creatures in the books up close... why do you ask?"