You Only Live Once

CHAPTER 43

The house felt too large now. With Lily nine months pregnant and ready to pop, the world seemed to be holding its breath. Sirius and Remus had finally moved into their own flat, eager for a slice of independence despite the shadows of the war. Meanwhile, Mia and Monty had purchased a cottage in Godric's Hollow for James and Lily, giving the new family a place to start their lives.

Mira was left behind in the sprawling halls of Potter Manor. She wasn't technically alone, but Mia and Monty were in their sixties. Their internal clocks were set to a different rhythm. They woke with the sun at six and were tucked into bed by nine. Mira, on the other hand, was a creature of the night. She woke at eleven in the morning and paced the floors until three a.m.

To keep the madness at bay, she threw herself into muggle chores. She scrubbed floors on her hands and knees, kneaded bread until her shoulders ached, and pulled weeds in the garden until her fingernails were stained black. She did it the muggle way because it took longer. Magic made things too easy, leaving her with too much time to think about the people she had lost.

Then there was Melody.

Sirius had found the baby during a raid on an abandoned house. Not knowing what to do with a crying infant, he had brought her to the best woman he knew: Euphemia Potter. But it was Mira who took the lead. Melody was barely two months old, with eyes that seemed to track Mira's every move. Mira did everything—the midnight feedings, the diaper changes, the soft lullabies. She had named her Melody because no child should go through life as a nameless casualty of war. The baby gave her a purpose that the war had tried to strip away.

Safety concerns meant visits were rare, so when Remus sent a letter saying he, Sirius, and Peter were coming for a two-night stay, Mira's internal alarms went off. She spent the afternoon of their arrival eyeing them like a hawk, waiting for the blow to fall.

Dinner that night was a quiet affair until Mira looked around the table.

"Where's Pete?" she asked. She had noticed his empty chair the second they sat down. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but her patience was wearing thin.

"His mother's sick again" Remus replied, focusing intently on his plate.

"Poor woman" Mia sighed, shaking her head. "She's been so fragile lately. Peter has had to miss so many Order meetings to care for her"

Mira felt a cold spike of anger. She knew the truth. Peter wasn't playing nursemaid; he was kneeling at the feet of a monster. He hadn't shown up because he couldn't look Mira in the eye. He knew she saw through the stuttering and the nervous smiles.

She noticed Sirius shoot Remus a meaningful look. Remus responded by kicking Sirius under the table. Mia and Monty saw it too, though they chose to keep their eyes on their food, exchanging a private, worried glance.

"You're not going" Mira said, her voice flat and final.

"Rosie-" Sirius started.

"You're not going, Remus. End of discussion" Mira interrupted, her eyes locking onto the werewolf.

"Dumbledore needs me to go" Remus argued, his voice gentle but firm. "The packs in the north are stirred up. If I can just talk to them-"

"Screw Dumbledore, Rem. He doesn't know what he's doing anyway"

"Ro, there's a war going on in case you haven't noticed" Remus said, his frustration finally bubbling over. "We need as many people on our side as possible. We're outnumbered"

"I have noticed! Believe me, I have!" Mira shouted.

"Great! Then you understand why I have to try"

"It's a suicide mission" Mira snapped. "They won't listen to you. They'll see you as a traitor to your own kind"