Lupin's cub (Remus Lupin's Unknown daughter)

Betrayal

Sirius and Caelen paused, stunned and awkward, in the doorway upon returning with breakfast.

Tonks was on tiptoe, arms wrapped tightly around Remus' neck, ring Sirius immediately recognized as Remus' mother's shining on a certain finer. Sirius felt like he couldn't swallow, or maybe that was breathing he was struggling to do? He wasn't quite certain.

"Oh, Sirius, Caelen," Remus murmured, noticing the pair first and extricating himself awkwardly from Tonk's grasp. "So uh, Tonks and I have uh, come to an agreement..."

"We're getting married!" The woman gushed excitedly, holding out her hand for inspection.

Caelen blinked in surprise, glancing between the adults in the room quizzically, "now?" She whispered.

"Uh, soon," Remus replied cautiously, glancing to Sirius for assistance.

Sirius forced a breath in, he felt like the world must've tilted. "I should go fetch Harry, train will be in soon," he muttered, voice sounding a bit choked, and hurried out the door.

Caelen glanced toward the clock, the train wouldn't be in for several hours yet.

"You alright?" Tonks whispered gently, slowly approaching the girl.

"Fine, surprised," Caelen murmured quietly. "I'm going to go have a bath." She trundled up the stairs looking slightly dazed.

"Well that was fun," Tonks laughed sarcastically. "Think they're alright?"

"Timing probably," Remus responded softly, "yesterday was pretty rough." He moved into the kitchen to make tea.

___________________________

Harry was angrier than ever before, the loss of the headmaster, a man he'd revered, weighing heavily on the teen. He tumbled through the floo after Sirius and moved straight up to his room. Caelen sat in her own, door wide open, staring sadly at a pile of potion making supplies in front of her on her bed. "Get those from the traitor?" Harry growled from the doorway.

Caelen glanced up, big brown eyes misty, "he couldn't-"

"-he did!" Harry spat angrily, interrupting the younger girl. "I saw him do it!! Dumbledore was begging, he trusted him!"

"Maybe there's some explanation?" Caelen tried in a small voice, desperate to find some reason to justify her friend's actions.

"How are you so dense?!" Harry screamed, losing himself in his heartbreak and anger. "He's evil! He's a bloody death eater! He was never your friend he probably only wanted you around because you made Sirius and professor Lupin quit suspecting him!"

"Harry mate," Sirius murmured from the stairs, having heard the commotion from the kitchen. "Come on that's enough."

Harry didn't seem to notice his godfather's presence and continued on furiously. "Maybe if you hadn't been around they'd have seen through him!!"

"Hey!" Sirius shouted protectively, "that's enough!"

Harry glanced toward him then, realizing what he'd said and turning toward Caelen remorsefully. "Cae, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry," he murmured. He hadn't meant it, not really. He was mourning and angry, he felt frustrated and betrayed. He'd suspected him right off and everyone had insisted he wasn't evil, 'trust Snape Harry, Dumbledore does,' he'd heard it repeatedly from so many sources and yet here they were. "I'm sorry, I just don't understand why you're still standing up for him..." he breathed out quietly, slowly entering the room and moving to sit beside the girl.

Caelen had her knees tucked up under her chin, arms wrapped tightly around them in a white knuckled grip as she breathed in quick gasping breaths in an attempt to keep calm. Harry reached out tentatively and the girl's composure crumbled, gasps turning to heaving sobs. "I-I-I," she sobbed breathlessly trying to speak through the tears, "just, don't want, don't want him gone!" She wailed brokenly. Even she wasn't certain if she meant Dumbledore, Snape, or both.