LUCKY FLOWER||FRED WEASLEY {REWRITING/MOVED}

YEAR TWO: CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

England, Present Day

Remus' knee bounced as he read the letter from the millionth time, the paper having grown soft and yellowed under his fingertips. The ink was scarred into the paper now, written with a muggle pen. The note was almost as old as Rapunzel now, he remembered when he first found the envelope.

The shrieking was unmistakable, the cries of a little girl echoing off the walls and travelling down the hallway.

The house seemed completely normal, everything was in its place, much unlike the scene when he arrived at the Potters home just a few days ago. A child's Happy Birthday balloon with an cute lizard on it was tied to a small chair at the dining room table.

The floorboards creaked beneath his feet as he reached the top of the stairs, wand drawn and clenched tightly in his shaking hand. He couldn't have another incident like the Potters, he couldn't do this again.

As he entered the bedroom, the tidiness of the room surprised him. Harry's room had been torn apart that night in Godrics Hollow, this was the opposite. But what had not changed was the sight of a mother who died protecting her child, laying lifeless on the floor.

The little girl sat over her mother, the fabric of her shirt in her little balled up hands. Her glowing hair flickered as she choked and sobbed between her song, unable to properly get a chorus out. There was an already healed gash on her forehead, just above her eyebrow, dried blood around it.

Remus went to pick her up and she struggled in his arms, not realizing that he was not going to hurt her. She screamed and kicked and flailed.

"Woah, hey!" Remus turned her in his arms so she was facing him, so she could see his face. "You're safe, it's just uncle Moony."

The girl sniffled, face red from crying and nose runny. "Uncle Moony," she whimpered, wrapping her arms around his neck as her entire body trembled.

"It's okay, it's okay." Remus soothed, stroking the back of her head, gaze transfixed on the body of Elise. His childhood best friend, green eyes open and glassy, skin pale and tinted a sickly green, a little too close to her eye colour but wrong in every way.

Remus choked back a sob for the child's sake, and stood up with her still in his arms. "Close your eyes, honey. Just close your eyes."

Dumbledore had given him this letter shortly after Elise's death, stating the authorities had found it on her bedside, addressed to him specifically. He had read it so many times he could recite it with his eyes closed, but something about reading it physically made it much more tangible, made him feel more connected to Elise.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Remus blinked in surprise, taken aback by the sight of his old headmaster at his front door, gazing sadly at Remus through his half-moon glasses.

"Hello, Remus." Dumbledore looked past him and Remus followed his gaze to the young girl, who had finally managed to fall asleep, albeit on the couch. She was wrapped in a blanket, looking peaceful for the first time in days.

"How is she doing?"

Remus sighed, mouth curling into a frown as he ran a hand down his tired face. "This is the first time she's slept in days. She keeps asking why her mum won't wake up."

"I see," Dumbledore said stiffly, lower lip twitching. He pulled something from his robes, an envelope. "The aurors found this in Elise's bedroom, it seems this was meant for you."

Remus took the envelope, handling it as if it were made of glass. "Thank you, Dumbledore."

Dumbledore nodded, turning to go on his way. But he was stopped by Remus' hand on his arm, and he turned back around with his brows raised.

"Look...I know this is a big ask, but I need your help." Remus looked back at his goddaughter with heavy eyes before looking back at Dumbledore. "This is making her absolutely miserable, I don't want her growing up remembering the death of her mother. I want her to be a normal kid."

Dumbledore was silent, but it seemed he knew what Remus was asking. However, he decided to get his confirmation. "What is it you wish of me?"

"You're an expert at memory charms, Dumbledore. I was wondering if you could...take it away. This memory will rob her of a happy childhood, she deserves to be happy." Remus pleaded his case, face and voice laced with desperation.

Dumbledore was silent for a moment, weighing the consequences before ultimately deciding that Remus had a point. No child should remember such an event.

"I will help." Dumbledore nodded in confirmation, making his way into the home when Remus stepped aside to let him in.

The girl's brow had a slight furrow in her sleep, face twitching every so often. It was no doubt that these events even troubled her in her sleep.

Dumbledore took out his hand and brushed some of her hair out of the way to make room for her temple. He noticed a particular hair, shorter than the rest and brown as opposed to golden blonde. Just beneath the short hair was a jagged scar on her neck. He knew that Voldemort had sent someone to retrieve her hair, had they succeeded Voldemort would be revived and perhaps even more powerful than ever.

Dumbledore pressed the tip of his wand to the girl's temple, closing his eyes with concentration as he sought to remove the memory. As be slowly pulled his wand away, a glowing line, not unlike a worm, began to pull away with it. He pulled a small jar from his robes and placed the memory inside before putting it back in his robes for safekeeping.

Remus sighed in relief as he saw her brow unfurrow and her face relaxed, serene and tranquil.

"Thank you, Dumbledore."

Tears rolled down Remus' cheeks as he pressed his forehead against the letter, hands shaking now. The letter still smelled like her, and he didn't want to let that go. He had enchanted it to stay that way.

"I'm sorry," he said out loud. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you."

"I'm so sorry."