Style // Sirius Black

Epilogue

"That's it?"

A sigh slipped through the lips of the woman at the high-pitched whine. It was around five-thirty at night, and the last thing she wanted to hear was a hissy-fit. The warm air of Ottery St Catchpole blew in through the open kitchen window as the smell of potato filled the area. A black dog nosed at her feet, waiting for the moment a small handout was 'accidentally' dropped. Truthfully, a part of her regretted starting to tell this story all those weeks ago the first time she had been asked. If she hadn't—perhaps she would have been able to make dinner in peace.

Unfortunately for Lyra Potter, she struggled to say no to the child staring at her with the same wide-eyed demeanour as their father.

"That's it," she shrugged before pulling the potato masher out of the pot and dropping it into the sink of boiling water, "What else did you want?"

"The whole story, maybe," the child grumbled as she shoved back from the table, wading across the terracotta floors of the home's kitchen. Lyra chuckled as she felt the thin arms tug around her waist, "According to my maths—you're leaving a few years out."

It was August 30th, 1993.

Lyra let out a scoff before twisting around to look down at the raven-haired girl staring up at her with dark chocolate eyes. Freckles littered her nose, and her hair fell to her shoulders in golden curls. Every time Lyra looked at the little girl, her heart ached just that little bit more for what could have been if October 31st, 1981, had never happened. What kind of life she could have lived, the family that she could have had. In those moments, though, she knew just how lucky she was to get to the point she was after long years of fighting a losing battle.

If just one thing had been different, perhaps Antares wouldn't be the little girl she is now. She had wide brown eyes and unruly curls, all excited about whatever lay ahead of her as a student at Hogwarts. The school that waited for the wild beast that was the little girl was riddled with secrets that Lyra would need to explain, questions that would pop up and stories she would have to tell. It was a day both dreaded and anticipated in the household that Lyra had made, the life she had built from those piles of rubble that had laid in Godrics Hollow.

"Annie," Lyra soughed as she dropped down to her daughter's height, running a thumb across the girl's cheek, "What was one lesson I made sure you learned from my story?"

"Always check under your pillow for notes?"

Lyra chuckled at the sarcasm that riddled her words, "Yes—but no. From Regulus, the hero I was telling you about."

"Every story ends—"

"—It just matters at which chapter."

A deep voice finished the quote before the young girl could finish it and Lyra's heart skipped a beat. Annie twisted away from the blonde's grip and ran around the kitchen counter towards where his figure now stood. The girl's dad's thin stature shook with laughter as the soon-to-be Hogwarts student bounded towards him, jumping up and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. He had been spending a few days at Hogwarts, sorting things out for the upcoming position he would be taking.

"Look who made it just in time for dinner," Lyra grinned as she pulled the mashed potatoes off of the stove and scooped them into a ceramic dish, "Always impeccable timing."

"I think it's the canine senses," the brunette hummed as he ran a hand through his hair, separating from the young girl that clung to him, "Roast beef and potatoes? Again?"

"She's stress cooking," Annie whispered while sliding into her seat at the dinner table, "You've missed how nervous she's been about me starting school the past few days."