Equanimity

0.2

Part One; Chapter Two

—Questions and Answers

"Where did you go?" was the question that greeted Natalie the moment she stepped through the door. She fought hard to contain the sigh though it was in vain. Her gaze flickered innocently to the man who was standing across the room, her eyes moving to the young girl next to him. A faint snort of amusement escaped her lips at the twos' matching expressions.

Remus Lupin had his eyes narrowed at the woman and his arms were crossed over his chest. He knew exactly where she had gone but a heads up would have been appreciated. His eyes, that held a bit of fear, searched over her while she remained silent as if to make sure she was unharmed.

Ten-year-old Carina Potter stood beside the man, doing her best to mimic his actions. Her first year of Hogwarts was coming up, all thanks to Dumbledore for allowing her to start earlier. Her startling grey eyes made Natalie's heart clench painfully though she pushed that feeling to the side. Her curly brown hair stuck out slightly and it was clear she had been flying on her broom if her flushed cheeks were anything to go by.

"I went to see the traitor," she grumbled after a moment. She was too exhausted to put hate in her voice and it only came out in a monotone. The confrontation had taken a lot more out of her then she would care to admit. Not to mention, the two were always careful about what they said around her daughter.

"Go to your room for a minute, Rina," Remus said quietly and Natalie watched as her daughter hesitantly left the room, the sound of a door shutting breaking the tense silence.

Her eyes watched the man warily as he crossed the room to stand in front of her. She was fully prepared for him to give her a scolding, but what surprised her was when he only placed his hands on her waist and pulled her towards him. The hug was much welcomed and a quiet sob escaped the woman. She hadn't realized just how she would feel after everything. Her chest was tight and she gripped Remus's shirt in her small fists, burying her face against his chest.

Her eyes closed as he placed his head on top of hers and her lips curved up into a small smile. "I'm sorry," she spoke softly, her voice muffled against his chest. She pulled away reluctantly to meet his gaze.

Remus sighed and placed a tender kiss to her forehead. "I just wish you would have told me. I was worried sick," he admitted. "Last time you disappeared without telling me, I found you unconscious in the hospital." He closed his eyes, the image still engrained in his mind.

"I'm sorry," Natalie repeated and cupped his cheeks with her hands. "I needed to go though and I knew you wouldn't approve."

"Of course I wouldn't," Remus grumbled and picked her up slightly to where her toes just barely touched the carpeted floor. "I never want to see you spiral down like you had again."

"And I won't," the woman promised sincerely. She pulled away from him when he set her down and began to make her way towards the kitchen, pulling her long hair up as she walked. "Now, what do you want for dinner?"

She frowned when she didn't get a response and was moving to turn around when arms wrapped around her from behind. The action elicited a startled shriek from Natalie and she huffed in disbelief. One would think she would be more used to that considering they had been living together for almost eleven years. He had moved in as soon as Sirius was sentenced, neither wanting to be on their own after everything.

"How about we just order takeaway," Remus mumbled, his voice sounding rather tired.

Natalie laughed quietly. She did a mental count in her head and rolled her eyes. The full moon was less than a week away and that always tended to make Remus rather tired. As the day would get closer, that's when he would start feeling ill. "That sounds fine to me."