Moon Dust | Mattheo Riddle

Chapter 1: Hogwarts express

Nova sat opposite her father, watching from the window as the train sped through various mountains and fields.

Remus yawned and pulled his jacket over his shoulders. He was still recovering from the full moon last night and since they had a while to go before they reached their destination, Nova reached into her bag and pulled out an oversized jumper for him to use as a pillow.

She stood up and placed it behind his head as he gave her a sweet thankful smile; she knew his bones were still aching, so wanted to make sure that he wouldn't have to move much.

The train whistled as they turned a sharp corner and the brunette girl stumbled back into her seat a little abruptly. She let out a little yelp as her eyes flashed a shaky lilac.

Remus frowned a little at the shade and tilted his head back onto the makeshift pillow. "Nervous?" he asked and she nodded, closing her eyes to force away the fearful magenta colour that had taken over her irises.

With her metamorphosis-like powers, Nova was an open book. Her father could tell what she was feeling by simply looking into her eyes. They'd glow a deep ocean blue when she'd cry, like stormy sea waves were crashing in her mind trying to break out. When Nova was happy, her eyes would glow like the sun, a cheery shade of orange like a warm summer's night. However, she couldn't control the contrasting colours, not yet anyway. Nymphadora, her mother, had tried to teach her how to change the colours at will as she could with her own hair, but Nova had a hard time grasping it. Control was something she could never quite get a hang off.

"Maybe a little..." Nova breathed, keeping her eyes closed as the train jittered in the wind. The magical express wasn't the best for a calming journey with its torturous terrains and faster-than-light movements. It made the girl's heartbeat rise unsteadily and filled her with anxiety.

"Okay, maybe a lot," she croaked after seeing her father's raised eyebrow.

"We're coming to a stop soon," he said, making a point of sitting up instead of falling back to sleep. He smiled softly as Nova glanced back out towards the window, then reached for the paper on the seat beside him.

Lupin gripped the paper in his scarred hands, then grimaced slightly at one of the headlines.

'Sirius Black escapes from Azkaban.'

He winced, and flicked the page over quickly.

"It's not just the train journey, dad... I'm starting in my fourth year. Everyone's already going to know each other... what if they don't like me?" Nova whispered as she off at the trees in the distance.

Remus moved the newspaper down and let out a sigh, "it doesn't matter, not at Hogwarts... in that school you'll always find your place... and there's no way they couldn't like you, it just isn't possible."

Nova smiled softly and tilted her head with a small laugh. "You have to say that, you're my dad," she said, and he grinned at her, "maybe, but I mean it, Novy, you'll fit right in."

"Mum thinks I'll be in Hufflepuff like her, she said that you guys made a bet," Nova laughed and Remus smirked. "We absolutely did not make a bet... that would be very.... irresponsible," he said, though his tone didn't sound so convincing.

Her parents weren't together, they never had been, that much had always been clear. Never-the-less they were close friends, best friends even, they had grown up together in a little town in the north of Wales. Not far from where Nova and Remus lived now, she'd always lived with her father, they were inseparable. Though, Nymphadora visited a lot when she wasn't out on auror duties.

The brunette girl hummed and moved her attention back to the window, "yeah sure you didn't... what house do you think I'll get into?"

"Whatever house is best for you," he smiled, not looking up from the paper. "Well, that narrows it down," she laughed.