Silvia and the Rising Moon [EDITING]

The Rain

     The rain had began to pour the day that Remus had stepped off the Hogwarts express. He returned to a house soaked both inside and out.
That was the perfect way to start summer vacation.
It didn't cease for six days. Thunder shook the Lupin home. Raindrops pounded the roof.
On day four, the flood began.
"Repairo!" Lyall shouted. The leak was fixed, however, in no time, the next leak was spotted.
Their cement basement was soaked and covered in a thick layer of mud. On the morning of day 5, Lyall had given up. A group of magical cleaners were called from the Ministry to clean out the flooded basement.
That's when Lyall did something for the second time since Remus was born; he called his sister through the floo.
Aunt Lita's face flickered in the fire. "What are you calling me for, Lyall? Gus's sisters are here. Can you call back later?"
Lyall signed. "Lita, please house my family for a couple of nights. Our house flooded."
Lita scoffed. "Serves you right for buying a muggle house." She rolled her eyes. "I suppose you can spend the night. Just don't make it obvious to my in-laws that your wife is a... you know."
"Yes, of course," Lyall replied. "Lita, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you in front of your friends all of those Christmases ago. We haven't spoken since then, but I feel so awfully guilty. I know how they feel about being purebloods."
"Ah, well, they're the ones who are really embarrassed," she laughed. "Walburga's son was sorted into Gryffindor. Druella hasn't spoken to her since."
"Served them right for being such pricks. Not everyone can have the perfect family," Lyall scoffed.
Lita chuckled nervously. A silence pursued the space between them. "Well, come on, now. Bring your family over. We have plenty of spare bedrooms."
Within fifteen minutes, the Lupins arrived on the Einrich estate once more.
     "Oh, dear," a voice called from beyond the floo. "You're soaking wet. Mulbree, fetch towels for my brother and his family."
     "Yes, mistress."
     "And they better be dried or you'll receive two times the lashings you received last week."
     "Of course, mistress. Right away." The house elf scampered away. Within minutes, the enchanted towels sopped up all of the dripping rain.
     Silvia turned the corners of her mouth upward. She was almost relieved to be back at Einrich estate.
     "Well, come along. My family is in the parlor now. However, Silvia, I regret to inform you that all of Uncle Gus's 'prizes' have been returned to their rightful places. Even the," her voice dropped to a whisper as she turned to Lyall, "werewolf skin."
     Silvia turned nervously to Remus, who only swallowed hard and looked to the ground. He nodded and followed Aunt Lita.
     "Have a seat, everybody," she said. Her voice quivered as Gustav and his sisters turned to scope out their unwanted guests.
     Remus sat in the same chair that Silvia had sat in on her first day on Einrich estate. He dare not look behind him at the crucified werewolf skin. It hung above him like an omen and a reflection of what lies very shallow just underneath his skin. Silvia turned to the ground and stared at the restored hippogriff skin. She reached out and held Remus's hand.
     "Oh, well, um, my–" Aunt Lita's quivering voice spat. "This is my brother, Lyall, his wife, Hope– it is Hope, correct?"
     Both Lyall and Hope nodded simultaneously.
     "Yes, um, okay. Lyall, Hope, and their son, Remus, and daughter, Silvia."
     Gustav's sisters looked displeased. It was obvious that one was much older than the other, however, they dressed and looked almost identical. Each wore black gowns, buttoned past their necks, accompanied by high lace collars. Their eyes were the same, thin, menacing, and piercing blue. Their noses, long, thin, and straight. Their mouths small and pale. A mound of dirty blond hair sat upon each of their heads.
     Lita took their silence as a chance to speak again. "These are Gustav's sisters, Amalasanda and Lisette. Amalasanda recently moved from East Germany to the UK to send her children to Hogwarts. Remus, you might know her daughters." She motioned to the two blonde girls in dark dresses. "Harper and Piper Stockhausen. They're twins."
     "Yes, I know them," Remus said softly. "They were each sorted into Slytherin." He said it almost cruelly. The twins giggled menacingly. Silvia felt a chill run down her spine."
     "It's nice to meet you, all of you," Lyall said after a prolonged period of eerie silence. "Mrs. Stockhausen, pardon my asking, where's Mr. Stockhausen?"
     Amalasanda Stockhausen straightened. "He is out with Lisette's husband. They have late night jobs at the Ministry. Your wife is a muggle."
     Lyall shifted uncomfortably. Lita quickly changed the topic of conversation.
     "Lisette is having a baby," she said excitedly. No one shared her excitement. "Oh, Lisette, please, tell Lyall and his family all about the baby on its way."
     The younger woman placed a hand on her stomach. "Just like my brother and sister's children, my child's blood will be pure and German, much unlike your children, Mr. Lupin."
     "What's the matter with this boy's face?" Amalasanda asked, reaching toward Remus.
     "Please, it's nothing, just some scars from an accident when he was young," Lyall said quickly. Remus grasped tighter onto Silvia's hand.
     "No doubt some freak muggle accident," Lisette added. The sisters laughed.
     "Yes, muggles are quite freaks, mudbloods as well," Gustav chuckled. "Ah, the things you miss out on by marrying a muggle, Lyall."
     Hope sniffed, wiping a hot tear.
     "That's enough," Lyall announced. "I won't have this. I'd take the flooded home over this torment any day."
     "Flooded home? My lord, Lyall, your home isn't even magically bound? Don't tell me you live a muggle lifestyle as well," Gustav shook with mocking concern.
     "I bet they treat their house elf as an equal," Lisette sneered. The sisters laughed. Harper and Piper laughed along.
     Silvia protectively wrapped her arm around Visty. This act only aroused a chorus of hearty laughter. Silvia shrunk in her chair and held Visty tighter.
"Aww, little house elf loving half-blood," Gustav roared. "It's hilarious. The muggles are always so kind and caring to disgusting creatures who don't deserve it.
Suddenly, the room began to shake. "What the bloody hell?" Gustav asked, reaching for his wand. A horrible ripping sound filled the parlor as the room shook with more intensity. Gustav looked up just as the werewolf skin displayed on the wall behind Remus ripped from its nails. The entire skin flung from the wall onto Gustav. His wand was whipped out of his hand as a massive werewolf paw slammed into his arm. Silvia cowered in the chair, holding tightly onto Visty. Lyall turned to her in complete shock.
"Silvia, wh–"
Remus stood, glaring at Gustav as his sisters struggled to pull the werewolf skin off of his thrashing body. The shaking in the room slowed before coming to a complete stop. Everyone sat silently until the werewolf skin fell to the floor with a hard thud.
"I'll have your head, Lyall Lupin." Gustav was disheveled and furious. He pointed a shaking finger at Lyall. "I'll have your head, and I'll put it on this wall and I'll label it 'blood traitor'! That's all you are, a filthy, muggle-loving blood traitor! You and your grimy children and their tainted blood." He turned to Remus. "That was some wonderful little prank you pulled, half-blood. All of that effort to defend your family, but I know what's coming. Sooner or later, the Ministry will be sending you a wonderful little letter and you will no longer be able to attend Hogwarts. So, I hope your proud of yourself, Remus Lupin. I do hope you're proud of your stupidity when you take pride in a family that not even squibs can respect."
Remus only continued to glare at the German man. Speechless and offended, that's all he could do.
"Well," Lyall broke the silence. "I do believe we've had enough of this unwelcoming home. You've offended my family for the last time, Gustav. It's a shame you can't see the world for what it is: changing. With change comes progression of new ideas, ideas that a pure blood wizard like you would never had ever considered attempted one hundred years ago. My family and I stand for progression, we stand for change. I take shame in the family that someone as closed minded as yourself could have married my sister." He turned to her. "Lolita, I'm ashamed of you and your choices. Thank you for your short-lived hospitality, but we must be going now. Remus, Silvia, grab your things. We're going home."
With that, the Lupins walked back to the floo and each vanished individually in a puff of smoke and dust.

No letter ever came to Remus from the Ministry. Lyall explained that his act was not severe enough for punishment, considering no harm was done. For the rest of the summer, Remus and Anastasia told Silvia their stories of their adventures at Hogwarts. The rain still came each month, however, much more moderately. Every night, the moon rose just like the night before. However, the sight of it no longer brought endless darkness and fear as it once had. Finally, the world had begun to align itself for the first time in what felt like centuries.