𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 | 𝐡. 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

𝟏𝟖 - 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙢, the breeze had gone and was instead a cool chill that set upon London. Ophelia and Harry headed back down into the garden, considerably closer than before.
Remus picked up on his daughter's pink tinge on her cheeks and a frown fell upon his face, the rim of the glass of fire whiskey he was drinking fell from his lips as he beckoned over Ophelia.

While Harry followed behind her to sit beside Sirius, who had taken off the sunglasses but was quietly munching on the slice of Harry's birthday cake with an airy grin.

Ophelia sat on the arm of her dads chair and he leaned into her ear to whisper to her privately.
"You alright love? You look like you've been crying."

Ophelia lightly sniffed but smiled.
"Yeah I have been crying but I'm alright," she told him quietly.

Remus turned in his seat to properly look at his daughter, who's bright eyes were now glistening in the firelight, he searched them for a reason as to why she was upset but before he could come to a conclusion Ophelia told him.

"I opened the envelope."

It took half a second for him to understand what she meant by that, he felt tears pricking at his eyes while his throat clammed up at the memory of that envelope being handed to him by James.

"Bathilda had them developed, she thought it might help somehow," James said, his normally cheerful eyes saddened in grief, his brow furrowed for his friend who looked so lost and empty.

Remus looked at the envelope in his hands, his thumb rubbing over the words written on it, too grief-stricken to even cry anymore.

"I don't think I can open it James." He admitted quietly.

After a moment he put it in his pocket but it felt like the heaviest metal in earth's existence had been placed in his soul. His eyes glanced down at the sleeping infant in the car seat, his only piece of his wife left in the world, he couldn't bear the thought of bringing her back to that place that was once their home.

He needed time to get his bearings somehow, sort out a place for them to call home, the only thing keeping him tied to this Earth was softly sleeping in the blanket her mother had knitted for her.

"Lily hasn't been the same since, she's trying to put a face on for Harry but I know she's in pain. It feels so different knowing she's not here you know? God I know you're in pain too, I don't even want to imagine what it must feel like, I'm so sorry Remus." James said, pulling him into a hug.

Remus didn't sob, but he appreciated James' attempt to comfort him, over his shoulder he saw Lily walking towards them.

"I've just got Harry down, I'll make sure she's alright Remus, you have my word." She told him, her hand pressed against his face as she joined the hug with James.

"I just," Remus started, his voice breaking.
"I keep reliving that day, what I should've done. I should've held her closer, god I should've gone home with Ophelia instead. If I hadn't have forgotten to buy the milk then-"

"Then Lia might have lost both of her parents, you know Gwen wouldn't have wanted that. Please, Remus, don't blame yourself, you're not guilty of being human." Lily told him softly, those green eyes creasing with sadness.

He looked again at his daughter, and he wordlessly pulled her into a hug.
"How was she?" He asked softly.

His hand was resting on the nape of his daughter's neck, she was getting too big for these hugs now, a little heavier and taller.