selenophile || remus lupin

chapter ninety

5 August 1977

11:34 am

Ophelia had recovered a good amount, now being able to walk around by herself without much trouble. She still had many scars that were most likely never going to heal, but she was okay with that. Each time she looked at herself in the mirror, really looked at herself, the more she accepted them. It took a bit of time to get used to seeing the bruises, the gashes, and the cuts, but she was starting to get used to it. She was eating well too, Mia making sure she always had a meal to eat and offered snacks when she was hungry, a drastic difference from Grimmauld Place.

Ophelia was rather glad that she was able to walk around by herself now, not only because it meant that she was recovering well, but also because she could get away from the almost constant company she was in. She knew they all meant well, but the Potters, Sirius, and Remus were almost always with her, and she sometimes needed some space. Space wasn't hard to find in the Potter Manor, but with someone having to accompany her to every part of the house so she wouldn't fall or just sit there and be with her while she was resting was starting to get on her nerves.

On the first time she was able to get out of the house without anybody with her, she decided to walk around the vast grounds and gardens of Potter Manor. Euphemia told her stories of how James used to play in one of the fountains when he was a little boy, and how Sirius would sometimes sit on one of the benches under a tree to read for a while when he needed to clear his head. She told Ophelia how she kept the gardens nice and taught her a few spells on how to make plants grow and stay alive for longer than they would without.

As she stepped outside into the warm air, she immediately felt the sunlight beaming down on her and the barely noticeable breeze slightly brushing against her skin. She took a deep breath of the fresh air she so badly needed and started walking down one of the many paths of the extensive gardens. The multicolor flowers bloomed all around her, and there were large walls of shrubbery caging in each of the different pathways. She stumbled across one of the fountains and dipped a finger in it, quickly pulling it back out when her fingers turned cold. She kept walking and was about to walk towards a black metal bench near the end of one of the paths when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. A small paper airplane came whizzing from behind her and circled her face before landing in front of her feet. She bent down to pick it up and slowly stood up to avoid any lightheadedness. She looked behind her, but no one was there -- whoever sent it must still be in the house.

Ophelia,

Come back to the house

I have a surprise for you

Yours, RJL

Ophelia slightly grinned to herself at the note and turned around to go back inside. She walked back towards where she came from, appreciating the beauty of the gardens around her and vowing to walk and sit out there whenever she was able to. As she neared the home, she heard the common laughter inside that she associated with the Potters. However, there were a few new voices that she didn't recognize. She hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to think of the new voices, but ultimately decided that the Potters wouldn't let anyone in if they felt that they would harm her or any of them.

When she stepped inside, she saw Mia, Remus, and two other adults: one with greying brown hair, a brown beard, and tortoiseshell glasses, the other with straight blonde hair and a thin, pale face. The two familiar looking adults were laughing at something Remus had said and Ophelia figured out where she knew them from. They were always at Platform 9 ¾ getting on and off the Hogwarts Express, always waiting for Remus with kind faces. This must be Lyall and Hope Lupin.

Suddenly, Ophelia felt very self conscious. She wished she had dressed nicer to meet Remus' parents for the first time, maybe brushed her hair instead of putting it in a messy half up half down hairstyle, or covering up some of the scars with a bit of makeup or concealment charms. All of those thoughts went away, however, when Hope turned to see Ophelia and her eyes brightened and her smile widened.