𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗹𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 → 𝑟.𝑙𝑢𝑝𝑖𝑛

epilogue

Eretria looks at her parchment. She annotates the diagram of a healing potion and looks around. Silence reigns as the feathers scratch the parchments. In less than an hour, she will be on holiday and this is the last time she will be in a classroom. She'll never go back to Hogwarts.

She puts her head down on the table and waits. She hadn't been feeling very well for a while. Her stomach hurts, she throws up, and she suspects it's from stress and grief, but it's unpleasant. Finally, the exams were over and she gave in her paper before going up to her dormitory to finish packing her suitcase.

- Hey, kitten, said Marlene, will you come and see me during the holidays? I'm going to miss you.

- You can come too, says Tria. Mum will be happy to meet you.

The two girls hug and Tria pushes her suitcase aside and sits down, waiting to catch the train. She looks around for Steviah to say goodbye, but she's nowhere in sight and her heart pinches. This is not how she would have wanted to leave school.

The brunette got up when the train finally left, and she climbed into one of the carriages before boarding the train. She sits down in a compartment, alone, and closes her eyes, nauseated. The anxiety overwhelms her. She would like to see Remus, to say goodbye, but she holds back.

Remus has made it clear that he doesn't want to see her again. The journey passes quickly, too quickly for her liking, and when it stops, she gets out before pulling on her suitcase. She felt her heart break. She would never come here again. The brunette caught sight of her parents and immediately rushed into their arms. The first thing she does when she gets home is go up to her room, but her mother joins her.

- Darling, she says softly, how about a pizza tonight? It's been a long time, it might cheer you up.

Tria never hides anything from her parents, they know everything, and she turns to her mother, resting her head on her legs. The woman smiles at her and gently strokes her hair, then her cheek.

- I'm feeling sick, Mum, says Tria. I'm just not hungry.

- You look a bit hot, so we'll call the doctor, okay? Have a rest, sweetie.

Tria nods and pulls the duvet up to her head. She falls asleep and is woken by the doctor entering the room. Her parents were behind her, expecting the worst, and they held hands, already imagining their little girl suffering from a serious illness.

- So, Eretria, says the man, do you feel like throwing up? What else can you tell me?

- My head hurts, and so does my stomach, she says. Sometimes I feel very hot.

- Do you eat a lot?

- Yes, I like to eat, she says. Food is good.

- You're absolutely right, laughs the doctor. So, when was your last period?

- They're a bit late, explains Tria. The stress has made my body go haywire, so I'm waiting for them to arrive.

- Well, rest up, you've got the whole holiday to rest up.

The man gets up and closes the door behind him. Tria's parents listen to him and look at each other before nodding, then Henry, her father, enters the room and sits down on the bed. He smiles at her and strokes her hair as she snuggles into his arms.

- Sweetheart, he says gently, have you been doing certain things with Remus? Like touching each other when you're naked?

- Yes, says the brunette. But he's been very nice. And very gentle too.

- Right, and, when you were doing these things, did you use protection?

- Yes, but not the first time, and the last time, before Lucius locked us in, the protection broke. I didn't dare tell Remus when I took it off him. I was just a little hole. I saw it because it got on my hands.

- Okay, honey, I don't need all the details, Henry laughs softly. You know, protection is to avoid making babies. But since it broke down and the doctor noticed your symptoms, you're probably pregnant.

- I'm going to have babies? asks Tria, sitting up straight.

- Well, a baby to start with is good enough, he says. Listen, you're going to rest now and we'll see how you get on. Do you want to tell Remus? He's got a right to know.

- He doesn't want to, says Tria. I heard him say one day that he didn't want a baby. And now he doesn't love me any more. I want to keep the baby. Babies are cute, but do they hurt?

- Sometimes it does, but your mum and I will be there for you, darling. I promise, says Henry. Get some sleep, my Tria.

He places a kiss on her forehead and draws the curtain before leaving. Returning downstairs, he rejoins Lizbeth and takes her in his arms. Talking to Remus's parents would be the solution, but during that holiday, Hope Lupin had died of an illness and Lyall had withdrawn into his solitude, eradicating any friends who might want to help him.

It is in the greatest secrecy that Tria gave birth to two children. Twins. A boy and a girl. And it was in this secrecy that she brought them up, trying her best to help her daughter, who is suffering from lycanthropy. Marlene, Mary, Dorcas, James, Lily, many have died. Sirius has been accused of murdering the Potters and war has raged.

And it is in the darkness that Remus has rebuilt his life, married Nymphadora and that's how their story becomes a chapter, a memory that will never fade, because when you look at the two children, you see Remus. However, as long as there is life, there is hope and the book can continue to be written. It all depends on what you decide to do with it.