AUTOPHOBIA - G. WEASLEY

Third Year: The Marauders

✯ CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE ✯

Christmas Day, 1993.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS, DAD!" said Estella cheerfully, opening the doors to Remus' quarters. He had gave in and told her the password only a few weeks prior, when he'd realised how much time she truly spent in there.

"Merry Christmas, Stell," Remus replied, his voice croaky. He was lying in his bed still, despite it being almost midday, and Estella felt immediate concern the minute she got close enough to see his face.

"You don't look very well..."

This was true, he didn't, but the full moon was still over a week away so what she couldn't get was why. Estella had only ever seen her Father look so pale and tired the day after the full moon; even leading up to it he didn't get this bad, so it wouldn't make sense for him to get unwell almost two weeks before it.

"I'm not," said Remus, rubbing his head and trying, with difficulty, to sit up in his bed. "I seem to have caught the flu."

"Oh!" said Estella, sighing. She often forgot that there was actual illnesses out there which were possible for people to catch, mainly because she was lucky enough to be one of the people who very rarely caught them. She tried to think back to the few times that she had got sick and how Remus had handled those situations.

"Okay," she said. "You just lie there. I'll go and make you some tea."

Remus' eyes seemed to pop out as he made a face. "Sweetheart, no it's okay, I don't want-"

"I'm making you tea," Estella cut him off, firmly. "You always force me to drink tea when I'm sick, so now it's my turn to do it to you."

Remus sighed. It wasn't that he didn't want tea; he would've loved it, actually. The problem was, Estella wasn't very good at making it. She was amazing at making Hot Chocolate -- Remus thought she was even better than him at it sometimes, which was really saying something. Even coffee she could master, despite him not letting her drink it at her age, but tea was just really where she lacked. She'd add far too much milk and leave the teabag in for barely a second which made it so weak it just wasn't drinkable.

He didn't have the heart to tell her this when she sounded so happy to be helping him, however.

"Here you are, Dad," she placed it on his bedside table.

Remus brought the mug to his lips and took a very small sip. "Lovely, darling, thank you."

Thankfully his daughter was too distracted to notice him gag.

"I brought up my presents," she said, smiling as she rummaged through a bag which she'd brought in with her. "Thought we could open them together."

Remus frowned. "Wouldn't you want to open them with your friends?"

Estella shook her head. "Me and Hermione exchanged ours before I came here, but other than that, no, I'm not really fussed. Most of my friends are at home anyway."

Harry and Estella still weren't talking after the little hogsmeade incident, and while Hermione seemed to be managing to stay friends with both of them, Ron had completely sided with Harry, which Estella thought was stupid considering she'd done nothing wrong.