Prequel to 'Little Wolf'.
'She fell so naturally into my arms,
like a flower to the sun'
-Atticus
| MARAUDERS ERA |
*Amazing cover by @-wandascarlett*
*DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF THE WIZARDING WORLD*
| COMPLETE |
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BEING BACK AT THE LUPIN cottage was strange. It was clear that something was missing, well, more like someone. Cassiopeia had originally told Remus that maybe this time she should stay back at Hogwarts, or even go round to the Potters, but the werewolf insisted that she stayed with him and his father, knowing very well that his mum would've preferred it that way.
It was strange, Remus never expected to celebrate his own engagement and even if he did, he certainly never expected to celebrate it without his mum there; the woman that loved Cassiopeia almost as much - if not more - than Remus himself did and would've done anything to be there for them both.
Cassiopeia almost felt like she was invading, no matter how many times Remus reassured her that she wasn't. Even though her and Sirius had already found a small flat together and the black haired boy was already slowly beginning to move his belongings over there, Cassiopeia couldn't bring herself to do that, not just yet anyway.
Not only was Hope not there, but now there was no question about the war that was enveloping the wizarding world. Part of her hoped that the war would just end, end before it could even properly start, but she knew that all that was was wishful thinking. The reality of it was that they all need to train. Train to protect themselves. Train to protect their families. Train to protect their whole world.
Christmas just felt weird. It felt weird to celebrate such a happy holiday with a war looming over them, it felt weird celebrating it without the happiest person Cassiopeia had ever met, she just hoped that as the years went on, the holiday would get easier for Lyall and Remus Lupin, that both of them could eventually go back to being happy even just by a smidge.
When the father and son finally went to sleep, Cassiopeia found herself sneaking out of Remus' bedroom, her wand gripped tightly in her hand as she walked towards the living room. Hope Lupin was the one who would decorate the house every year and without the woman there neither Lyall or Remus knew how they should do it, so there was one Christmas tree in the middle of the living room with no decorations on or around it.
Cassiopeia didn't want to replace the woman, no one could ever replace Hope Ivy Lupin, but she wanted to make sure her fiancé and her future father-in-law weren't so devastated by the holiday. So muttering a few spells under her breath, her piercing blue eyes watched as the living room suddenly became more colourful. When she was satisfied with her work, she finally went back upstairs, slipping under the covers like nothing had ever happened.
To say that both Lupin men were surprised when they woke up would've been an understatement. They were completely and utterly speechless when they walked into the living room. The room that seemed to cold and dark since the passing of Hope but now it seemed to have gained that little bit of life again.
"I can't believe you did all of this," Remus muttered, wrapping his arms around the love of his life, refusing to let the tears fall from his dark eyes.
"It's the least I could do," Cass muttered into his chest, feeling warmth spreading through her body as she realised both men were more than ecstatic with the decorations.
"I think you forgot the star on top of the tree though," Remus chuckled as they pulled away.
Cassiopeia grinned whilst shaking her head, "No, I didn't," She said. Without another word, the black haired girl walked out of the living room, leaving the father and son sharing a puzzled look. When she came back she held onto something in her hand, biting her lip nervously. She walked over to the two men before she passed them the item in her hands.
Lyall choked back a sob as Remus finally let a few tears leave his eyes. In Cass' hand was a star that usually went on top of a Christmas tree, however, this one wasn't like any other. This one held a photograph of Hope Lyall on it, smiling brightly at the camera.
"I hope you like it," The black haired girl said, her voice almost timid.
She got her answer when both men suddenly engulfed her in a group hug, their tears mixing with their smiles as they all stayed close to one another, brining each other the comfort that they didn't even realise they needed.
