Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Forever and Always	By : cls2256 Category: HP Canon Characters paired with Original Characters > Het - Male/Female Views: 6832 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter or any of its characters or details, nor do I make any money from this fanfic.

Chapter List
- 43
- 44
- 45
“Incendio… incendio… goddammit— incendio!”
A few weeks of burying her head in the library books on wandless magic had so far been a waste of time. Mia spent many exhaustive hours trying to light a candle unaided; frustrated that she couldn’t get even a small spark.
At least there really hadn’t been much else to do; things were quiet with the Order, and she’d been working full time at the Ministry and carrying on part time at the Clearwater’s wine and cheese shop. Penelope had been working seven days a week in an attempt to distract herself from Eric, gone from the flat every time he called begging Mia and Remus (whoever answered the telephone) to have her call him back.
Mia was usually too tired to gallivant around London with Remus in the evenings (thanks to her 6-day work weeks), so they spent their nights on the couch, her head in his lap as she studied her books while he flipped through various muggle television programs. He would stroke her hair and feed her popcorn as he encouraged her to keep studying, despite the annoyance of hearing the incantation ‘Incendio’ 500 times an hour.
No matter what she seemed to do or how much reading she did, the stupid candle wouldn’t light. She was beyond frustrated; she could transfigure her wand easily, but couldn’t make a simple flame? She wondered just how awful at magic she was?
“You getting frustrated won’t help— take a break” Remus called to her from the kitchen
“No, what doesn’t help is the fact that this stupid candle doesn’t light!” Mia growled as she snapped her book shut “I can do it with my wand just fine!”
“Because you learned” he said as he brought her a steaming cup of earl grey tea. “Drink some of this”
“I don’t want any tea right now” she snapped.
“Just relax, take the tea and drink it— I’m going to try to help you get it to light” he said calmly.
She huffed grumpily, but accepted the steaming cup. Her tongue was scorched as she took her first sip, forgetting just how hot Remus always made his tea. Despite her taste buds reduced to char, she began to relax as she consumed the rest of the earl grey, and he massaged her feet.
“You magical man...” she crooned, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths. “I don’t deserve you”
She praised him over and over as rubbed the soles of her feet— He always knew how to calm her down when her irritation was at its highest.
“Let’s try giving you something to focus on, maybe a memory just like when we cast a patronus?” Remus suggested “A memory where you felt your palms tingle—something with adrenaline, or anger”
“Yeah, because my favorite things to think about are death, Dolohov and Greyback” she muttered.
“Let’s just try it— let’s use the night Greyback came to Diagon Alley. Come sit here—”
He motioned for her to sit on the floor around the coffee table, placing the candle in front of her. He sat across for her, taking a sip of his own tea.
“Alright, now close your eyes” he spoke softly, his voice soothing to her. “I want you to think about the conversation you had with him— how you felt, how the scene smelled and the sounds you could hear. Transport yourself back into that moment as if you are living it right now”
“I’d really prefer not to…” she said with a snicker.
“Do you want the damn candle to light?” Remus said with wry smile “Humor me— just try it”
She rolled her eyes, closing her eyes and huffing “fine, fine, I’ll try”
She focused with all her brain power on that night; the feeling of the brick wall against her back, the sound of her own heartbeat in her ears, the feeling of his wand pushing against her throat and his rough hand on her face, even his stale stench that resembled a homeless bum. She focused on how her body felt in that moment, recalling the awareness of adrenaline and fear surging through her. The memory was so strong in her mind she felt goosebumps under her clothes.
“Now, light the candle” Remus said softly.
With her eyes closed and her brain still focusing on feeling of that moment, she raised her right hand and waved it lightly, speaking just above a whisper.
“Incendio”
She waited a moment to open her eyes, her heart fluttering when she looked down at the candle in front of her. A small flame was flickering gently, the lemongrass candle beginning to give off its crisp aroma now that the wax was subject to fire. She looked up to see Remus beaming proudly at her, smiling a wide, toothy smile.
“You, Mia Roswell, are one talented witch”

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Kingsley growled as he picked up his wailing infant son “there’s no way— that’ll the third one this afternoon…”
He sniffed the baby, cringing as he confirmed his suspicions.
“Dora!— I think Reggie needs his diaper changed!” Kingsley called over the sound of the infant crying.
“I’m busy, can you do it please?” she hollered from the bedroom.
He swore under his breath as he looked to Remus and Arthur pleadingly. He hadn’t had to change one of Reggie’s diapers yet; they had a revolving door of members of the Order coming by to help, so between the various experienced parents of the organization, he had gotten off easy in the diaper department. Molly, Arthur, Remus and Mia had all came by this afternoon, the ladies assisting Tonks with unpacking some belated baby gifts in the nursery while the men were left to tend to the newborn.
“I think this is a job for his godfather—”
Kingsley attempted to hand off Reggie to Remus, who just laughed as he shook his head and held his hands up in protest.
“No, no, you got her pregnant, you change the diaper”
“I don’t know how! I haven’t had to do one yet!” Kingsley exclaimed “Come on— Arthur, how about you? You have kids— help me out?”
“I don’t think I even remember how; Ginny is 15, after all.” Arthur chuckled as he scratched his balding head.
“Shit” he muttered “well, this can’t be too hard, right??”
Kingsley laid Reggie on his back, shushing him as he un-wrapped his diaper. The men all plugged their noses and gasped at the sight of Reggie’s decimated diaper.
“This kid is on an all liquid diet, how is… that possible!” Kingsley growled
It took Kingsley nearly 10 minutes to change Reggie, struggling to get the diaper on correctly and resulting to using sticking charms to hold it together. Remus and Arthur sat back and watched him struggle, giving Kingsley false words of encouragement. Molly heard the commotion from the men and the baby in the living room and came out to check on them. She scowled at them when she saw the state of Reggie’s diaper.
“Oh, honestly— it’s not that hard!” she scolded them “oh you poor thing— don’t worry, Auntie Molly will fix you right up”
Molly took 10 seconds to fix Reggie’s diaper, for which he still cried.
“He probably needs a bottle” Molly said,
She shuffled to the kitchen to prepare one, clanking nosily in the cabinets as Kingsley called to her.
“He just had one an hour ago, Molly”
“Well, he probably needs another one”
Molly shoved the bottle in his hands, then picked Reggie up and handed him to him. Her demeanor softened when she saw an overwhelmed expression on Kingsley’s usually stately face.
“Kingsley, you are doing fine. Babies are a lot of work, but you will get the hang of it.” Molly said gently.
She patted him on the shoulder before retreating back to the nursery, leaving Kingsley to awkwardly fumble with the bottle as he attempted to adjust Reggie in his arms. Remus looked at him curiously, feeling an overwhelming urge to hold the infant.
“Can I hold him?” Remus asked
“Yeah, absolutely”
Remus supported the baby’s head in the crook of his elbow, resting his body in his lap.
“Hey, buddy” Remus whispered “I’m your Uncle Remus”
He watched as Reggie drank his bottle, his eyes glazing over as he was falling asleep eating. Remus smiled; he always assumed he wouldn't be able to have a family of his own thanks to his furry little problem, so he was honored to be the godfather of such a pure, innocent soul.
A troll-sized latte with three shots of espresso was getting Mia through her shift— courtesy of Calista Calderon’s coffee shop. Three months of working 6 days in a row (the Ministry through the week and then the wine and cheese shop on Saturdays) was beginning to take a toll on her. Remus had insisted she needed to cut the wine and cheese shop from her schedule, but she didn’t want to leave Penelope in a pinch on the weekends. She had been thinking of taking some time off, taking a week for just him and her at the cottage, but the thought of asking Delphinus Gamal for an entire week off when she had only just met her 90-day mark as an intern seemed like that might be asking too much. She craved a break, wishing to return to the days where they had spent their mornings kayaking and swimming on the lake, and their evenings between his sheets. Life was good then— some of the best times she could think of had been when she, Sirius and Remus holed up at the cottage, before the looming threat of Death Eaters and Voldemort seemed as scary as it did now.
Mia wasn’t the only one drinking her 36oz of over-caffeinated java; Penelope had a cup just as large. They sipped their lattes periodically as they stocked champagne bottles, both feeling over-worked and under-rested. Since Penelope’s split from Eric, she was ‘channeling her inner Susan Roswell’, as Mia told her, by overworking herself to distract her from her feelings.
The doorbell clanged as a breeze flowed through the shop, making Penelope and Mia turn their attention to the customer at the door.
“Hi, can we help you find….”
Penelope stopped in mid-sentence, her voice catching in her throat as she saw Eric standing on the front rug, holding a bouquet of purple and white flowers. Mia smiled at him as she put her hand on Penelope’s shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze.
“Hey” he said, giving her a small smile “can we talk? Somewhere private?”
“What do you want?”
She crossed her arms, clenching her jaw slightly as she stared at him.
“To talk” he repeated
“Anything you have to say to me you can say in front of Mia” she said snottily.
He sighed as he looked down at the flowers in his hand, nodding after a moment of silence.
“Penelope…” he started, taking a few steps inward and raking a hand through his spiked blonde hair. “I know you’re still upset…”
“Yeah, no shit”
“Just let me explain— I wasn’t using you!”
“Mhmm” She hummed, rolling her eyes.
“Yes, I had looked into you when I was looking into Remus and Mia; I already knew your full name, your parents’ names, your birthday, address, hell— I even knew what hospital you were born at”
Penelope glared at him, shifting her weight as she huffed.
“Yes, I was hoping that you would let some little detail slip that Remus was a woman beater or something incriminating, because I wanted him out of the picture.”
“Yeah, because you were using me the whole time to get to her!”
She gestured to Mia, then grabbed a few champagne bottles out of the case and began searing for their place on the shelf.
“No— my interests changed after we had dinner” he said calmly “I was honest when I said I had been hoping you were playing wingman for her, but once you and I got to talking, I realized how much you and I had in common”
Penelope rolled her eyes, but not taking her eyes off her work. Mia leaned back against the wall behind the register counter, feeling like an awkward fly on the wall for a very personal conversation.
“I can’t stop thinking about you. You are the only one that has been on my mind since I walked you home that night.”
Eric took a few steps towards her, clutching the bouquet in his hands to keep them from shaking.
“I don’t know how I never saw it all along—how I wasn’t immediately captivated with you the very first time I met you”
“Because you were trying to get with her”
Her head whipped around to glare at him, jealousy and fury burning in her bright blue eyes.
“Yes, I was” He breathed “But the moment I learned just a small fraction of who you were, I forgot all about her. Everything about you is perfect; Your laugh, your smile— and come on, any girl that enjoys watching Caddyshack just as much as I do is a keeper.” He added with a cautious laugh.
Penelope shifted her weight and bit her lip as she tried not to smile at the mention of one of her favorite movies.
“I know we only were seeing each other for a few months, but I have felt things for you that I haven’t felt about anyone before. This can’t be it, we can’t be over— I need more of you.”
“And what about what I need?” she asked with a huff.
“You need someone you can trust, someone who will stand by you and support you.”
“How do I know I can trust you? That you aren’t just messing me to get more information on her?”
“You don’t” he said simply. “You have to take me at my word”
Penelope furrowed her brow at him. “But I don’t trust you— you lied to me”
“I didn’t lie— I have never lied to you.” Eric said softly “I omitted details”
Penelope scowled at him again as he took a step forward towards her.
“Here’s the story: When I felt scarring on Mia’s leg that she freaked out over, I was certain Remus had a hand in it. I began looking into him, and when the only paperwork I could find on him was an ID obtained not too long before, I thought he might’ve assumed a new identity. Something seemed off, so I began to look into those closest to him. You and Mia I found a lot more records of, but I found it odd that there was no school records for either of you from age 11 and up, yet both of you had received equivalency diplomas. It was suspicious to me” he ran a hand through his hair awkwardly as Penelope continued to stare him up and down. “When you called me and asked me out, I figured I’d get you drunk, and you’d say something that would put the pieces together. I’d finally have the detail that proved Remus wasn’t who he said he was, and I could bring him down.”
Mia began chewing at her bottom lip as she listened to Eric, hoping he would make his point to help himself in Penelope’s mind.
“I let you order glasses of wine and made idle conversation, asking you about yourself and your life, fishing for details— until I got distracted. I laid in bed that night thinking about how cool you were. I woke up the next morning wanting to see you again. I did not lie, just didn’t mention I had looked into you guys—but now you know the whole story.”
“You just forgot about her that quickly? One dinner with me and you moved on?”
Penelope’s tone was incredulous. She threw her hands in the air as she spoke, Mia surprised she hadn’t chucked a champagne bottle at Eric’s head yet.
“You were very certain that Remus didn’t hit her, and well, yeah— I realized that I wanted to focus my energy on you rather than her.”
Eric shrugged awkwardly, flashing Penelope a handsome smile in hopes that it would soften her mood, but alas, did not. Her face and neck began to look red and patchy, a tell-tale sign that she was about to start crying. Mia had seen Penelope turn blotchy every time she tried to hold back tears over their years at school.
“I can’t do anything without thinking about you. I think about you before I sleep, when I wake, and many moments in between. I feel lost, these last few weeks without you have been lonelier than I could’ve imagined.”
Penelope let a few tears escape, wiping her face furiously as she cast her eyes downward.
“I need you— Take me back, please, and I promise to never hurt you again”
Eric smiled weakly, stepping close to her and rocking on his heels.
“I am not a proud man, Penelope— I will get on my knees and beg if I have to”
She looked to him with tears swimming in her eyes “Purple is my favorite color” she said thickly, unable to form any other sentence.
Eric chuckled “I know that’s why I got these” he stepped even closer to her, cupping her cheek with his hand and stroking softly with his thumb. “Please, take me back”
Penelope let out a sob and kissed him firmly. She threw her arms around him and crushed the flowers between them. He threw the squished bouquet aside and snaked his hands into her hair as they kissed passionately. Mia looked away awkwardly, feeling more awkward to be intruding on their kiss more so than she had listening to their conversation. She coughed after a minute of them snogging, reminding them they were not alone.
“Sorry…” Penelope said sheepishly, turning back to Mia.
“It’s alright— why don’t you two lovebirds go get a drink or something? I can manage here”
“You sure? I don’t want to leave you by yourself…”
“Nah I’m good, we close in 45 minutes and we haven’t seen a customer in an hour. I can finish the stock and close up” She said with a grin “Go— you guys should go talk and enjoy yourselves, I’ll see you at home tonight”
Penelope and Eric smiled at each other. “I don’t know about you, but I could use a milkshake” he said
“I’ll go get my purse” she said as she shuffled off to the manager’s office.
Mia grinned and punched Eric lightly on the arm “She really likes you, you know”
Eric chuckled softly “I meant everything I said… she is amazing”
“She is— and you better make good on that promise not to hurt her, or I’ll have to hurt you. I know a killer slug vomiting jinx”
Eric laughed nervously as Penelope reemerged, purse and sweater in hand.
“We’ll be at the burger place a few blocks up if you need anything— the one with the milkshakes” She said as she hugged her friend “Thanks, Mia”
“Of course” Mia said, then pressed her lips close to Penelope’s ear, to whisper so that Eric couldn’t hear “besides— makeup sex is the best sex”
Penelope blushed scarlet as they broke their embrace, she taking Eric’s arm as he led her out of the shop. Mia watched them cross the street and turn the corner out of sight. She couldn’t help but smile as she finished stocking the shelves, feeling much joy for her friend.

She bustled around the shop, checking the clock every few minutes to see when she could lock the doors. She counted the cash register, sweating profusely when the count off, counting it again to find her error.
“Thank merlin” she muttered under her breath.
She bank faced the cash in the drawer, and then trotted back to the safe to lock away the till. As she walked back up front, she grabbed the front door key off the counter as she looked over her closing checklist. She leaned against the wall as she read what closing duties she had completed when a man across the street through the front windows caught her eye. She didn’t pay him mind the first glimpse she saw of him in her peripherals, but only to look up from the clipboard, then down, then up again sharply when she recognized the person standing on the other side of the street. Fenrir Greyback stood completely still on the sidewalk, his head cocked to one side ever so slightly as his sinister grin sent shivers down Mia’s spine, his eyes burning into hers.
She dropped to the floor behind the counter and pulled out her wand, her body trembling as she feared the werewolf might’ve been watching her for longer than she realized. She slowly peeked above the counter, to see Fenrir hadn’t moved, and was still staring at her. She darted back below, whispering swear words and feeling her fight or flight senses kicking in. She peeked again, he was in the middle of the street now, in the road median, cars honking as they whizzed past him. Back below the counter she went again, clutching her wand so tight her hand was beginning to feel numb. If he comes through that door, you need to fight. She told herself, gritting her teeth the moment that door opens, stun him— time to not be afraid.
It seemed like ages, and a mere second simultaneously when Mia heard the bell of the front door chime. She jumped up quick, not even looking at her target as she pointed her wand and screamed “Stupify!”
A large crash and sound of glass breaking echoed in the shop, Mia squeezed her eyes shut, knowing she just sent Fenrir flying into a shelf full of wine bottles. She took a few deep breaths as she trembled before opening her eyes, horrified to find not Fenrir lying stunned amongst a pile of broken wine bottles, but Remus instead.
“Remus!— oh shit, I’m sorry— shit!”
She ran to his side as he tried to sit up, groaning in pain.
“What are you doing here? Did I hurt you— shit I just broke a small fortune.”
She helped him sit up, looking for cuts and scrapes as she brushed off his robes, soaking wet with merlot as he sat amongst the shards of glass.
“My wrist vibrated” he said, his voice constricted from having the wind knocked out of him. “I didn’t expect you to know of any danger in a muggle neighborhood— who were you expecting to stun?”
“Greyback” she said softly.
His eyes locked with hers “Greyback? Here?”
“Across the street; He was looking at me, watching me”
“Where is Penelope?”
“With Eric, at the burger place up the street— I sent her off an hour ago.”
“Fuck, he’s back?” he grumbled, rolling his eyes “regardless, you shouldn’t’ve been alone”
“I am alone here all the time; it’s never been an issue before” she said as she started siphoning the wine away with her wand. “I don’t understand— why he was here, in muggle London?”
He sighed heavily, treating her question as rhetorical.
“Do what you need to do to lock up— then I’d like to go find Penelope.”

Remus and Mia walked into the restaurant, receiving strange looks from the serving staff at Remus’s wine stained clothing. Eric and Penelope were situated in a horseshoe shaped booth in the corner, sitting closely and drinking a milkshake from two straws, both laughing and smiling with each other. Both of their faces fell when they saw Mia’s fear stricken face, looking over her shoulder every other step, and Remus, covered in wine and limping slightly.
“What on earth…” Penelope said, her brow furrowing
“You shouldn’t’ve left her alone!” Remus pointed at Penelope, scowling. “Greyback was watching her, through the windows— scooch over”
“What??” Penelope gasped “Mia, are you alright??”
He motioned for Penelope and Eric to make room for them in the large horseshoe booth. Remus held his arm out to gesture Mia into the booth. He slid in after her, putting a hand on her thigh reassuringly.
“Yeah” she said, looking back towards the door of the restaurant “He was across the street, just watching. I hid behind the counter, and when I heard the doorbell chime, I shot a stunning spell before I saw it was just Remus— broke a bunch of reds”
“Did you see him??” Penelope asked Remus, eyes widening with fear
“No, I had no idea, I just felt my wrist vibrate so I apparated to the shop at once.” He said, then turning and giving Mia a small smile “It was a fantastic stun, by the way”
Mia didn’t answer, as she was too busy looking to the restaurant entrance and picking her fingernails, her chest in a knot.
“Wotcher, what can I get you two to drink?” a server said as she was trotting by, observing Remus’s clothes intently.
“Nothing, we’re just stopping by” he said flatly.
His tone came across a little rude to the server, as she rolled her eyes and walked away hastily.
“How many bottles did you break?” Penelope asked, cringing.
“A lot…” Remus said, “40 bottles maybe”
“Fuck” Penelope whispered, “Dad is going to kill me”
“You can’t go back to work there” Remus said to Mia, “He’s obviously following you”
“That’s my job, I just can’t quit!” Mia said
“You have the Ministry, at least there I know you are safe and aren’t left alone”
“I’m sorry we left, we shouldn’t’ve… “ Penelope started
“No, you shouldn’t’ve!” Remus snapped, his nostril flaring.
“STOP!” Mia hissed, a little too loudly as a few other patrons in the restaurant looked around at them. “Remus, don’t blame Penelope, and I am not quitting the wine and cheese shop.”
Remus and Penelope exchanged looks as there was an awkward pause.
“What can we do to stop him from coming around?” Eric asked breaking the silence. “Should we kill him?”
“Our side doesn’t kill unless absolutely necessary” Remus said heavily. “As much as I would like to kill him, that would make me just as bad as him”
“So there’s nothing? Come on, you guys have magic— there’s gotta be something!”
“Well there is something…” Mia said softly.
She looked to Remus with uncertainty, wondering what his reaction would be to her suggestion. By the way his face twisted when he realized what she was proposing, her comment was not well received.
“No.” He said firmly “Absolutely not.”
“Remus…”
“No— this conversation is over, let’s go home.”
“Hear me out—”
“No— because I’m not doing it” He said dismissively “Let’s go”
Eric opened his mouth to speak, but Penelope shot him a warning look. Remus got up and held his hand out to help Mia out of the booth. They stared at each other, Mia not moving.
“Let’s go” he said, his tone much softer but still insistent.
Mia let out a huff as she turned back to Eric and Penelope. “I’ll see you guys at home— sorry about the bottles”
She scooched out of the booth, taking Remus’s hand and allowing him to nearly drag her out of the restaurant. When they were outside, he turned a corner with her to find a dumpster to apparate behind.
“We’re not even going to talk about it?” she asked irritably.
“Nope”
The argument over Mia taking a few weeks off from working at the wine and cheese shop was a victory for Remus. He insisted she take a step back from the shop, worried that Fenrir Greyback would come skulking around again, and would make it inside on his second attempt to stalk her.
Penelope was extremely irritated to have to find coverage for Mia’s shifts, but Remus insisted it was for Mia’s safety. He also selfishly wanted her to himself for a couple weekend— he missed her when she was gone all the time. With the extra free time she had gained, they spent it buried in her wandless magic books, trying to assist her in learning new spells unaided. She could light candles now with little effort, as well as perform some simple household cleaning charms. She even tried to duplicate her work files wandless— by the 27^th ruined copy she was successful, and could now perform her job without even drawing her wand.
As much as Remus wanted Mia and the flat all to himself on the weekends, Eric had begun spending nearly every free moment he had there— including the weekends. It seemed as wherever Penelope was, ‘punk-ass airman douchebag’ (as Remus still called him) was as well. Mia didn’t seem bothered by him being there, but Remus still wasn’t much of a fan. He and Penelope had a disagreement when Remus suggested if Eric stayed over so much, he should pay rent. Penelope, not so nicely, reminded him that he did not pay rent to live there, and if he wanted a say in who she brought home to her flat, that she would gladly accept a check from him for rent at the beginning of the month. He kept his mouth shut and his snide comments under his breath after that conversation.
They had watched Reggie overnight the previous night, and as much as Remus loved seeing his godson, between having a baby in the house and an unwanted extra roommate, he was feeling a little claustrophobic. He was ecstatic to hear Eric was whisking Penelope away for a few days to Spain— A weekend of just him and Mia was exactly what he needed.
“Are you guys excited for your weekend getaway?” Mia asked Penelope, taking a sip of her coffee.
“Yes, I’ve never been to Barcelona— I want to see everything” Penelope said, smiling a wide, toothy grin.
“It’s amazing how inexpensive it is to travel between European countries” Eric said, wrapping his arm around Penelope.
“Yeah, it’s cheaper for wizards” Mia winked “thank merlin for broomsticks”
“Yeah, well the rest of us can’t wash our underwear in a cauldron, so…” Eric teased.
Remus, Penelope and Mia all bust out laughing, making Reggie stir in his bassinet. Mia shushed them between giggles, not wanting to disturb the baby.
“Eric, we don’t wash our laundry in a cauldron….” Penelope snickered, lowering her voice.
“Well how am I supposed to know??”
“So what are you guys getting into this weekend?” Penelope asked Mia after their laughter had died down.
“I’ve got to take Reggie to Andromeda’s before work, she is watching him so Kingsley and Tonks can have a baby free weekend before returning to work on Monday— I also think I’m scribing for high court again today, I was requested specifically”
“So kissing up to Umbridge has gotten you far?” Remus said playfully.
“That woman sounds terrible” Penelope muttered
“Oh she is, she’s awful— I bought her a coffee mug with a cat on it, she ate that shit up” Mia laughed “So yeah, after work today, no idea— whatever Remus wants to do I guess”
Remus flashed a devilish grin— a heat burned between her thighs as she blushed; she could imagine what he was thinking by the way he had smiled at her. She coughed awkwardly, hoping Penelope and Eric didn’t pick up his facial expressions
“I’m sure the Prime Minister will be thrilled to be rid of my mum once Kingsley is back at work” she continued “He is terrified of her”
“Terrified because she’s a witch?” Eric asked, puzzled.
“Terrified because she is Susan Roswell” Remus smirked, sipping his coffee. “As he should be”
Eric chuckled “oh she can’t be that bad— John used to talk about how much of a ball breaker she was, but she was cool at his wake”
“That’s because you’ve never been on the receiving end of her fury” Remus laughed “She is a woman who gets what she wants”
Mia rolled her eyes at him as Reggie began to stir. She jumped up from the table and picked up the baby, shushing and bouncing him as she made her way to the kitchen for a bottle. Reggie began to cry as Mia fixed his bottle, but settled once he began eating.
“There, that’s it— Aunt Mia knows just what you need” she crooned, smiling down at the infant in her arms.
“He’s so cute— really starting to look like Kingsley, I think” Penelope said, brushing the baby’s hair gently.
“I think so, but something tells me he is going to be a troublemaker like Tonks” Mia smirked “Whatcha think, Remus— doesn’t he make you want one of our own?
Remus stiffened; his coffee cup held in front of him midair as he paused.
“I would love to be able to have a family…” he said quietly, setting his coffee cup down.
“We can have a family. 5 minutes of work is all it takes…” Mia said, playfully poking him in ribs and winking to Eric and Penelope.
“The chance that a child of mine would have my condition…” His tone was very even, cold.
Mia chuckled and rolled her eyes “If we had a child and they were a werewolf, we would still love them regardless”
The color drained from his face as he looked down at the table awkwardly. “To condemn a child to this life would be reprehensible” he muttered, his eyes darkening. “I cannot doom an innocent life to live with this curse, let alone a life with me as their father.”
He looked at little Reggie, so pure and innocent, nestled in Mia’s arms comfortably. He imagined a child of his own, such a small, sweet soul enduring a painful transformation once a month. It made him sick, it repulsed him. He repulsed himself. Eric and Penelope exchanged awkward glances, realizing they were now intruders on a very personal conversation.
“Remus, hey, what are you talking about? Where is your head right now?” Mia asked calmly, reaching up to brush his hair off his forehead.
He swatted her hand away, standing up hastily.
“I can’t do it— I can’t let a child go through that” he said constricted, panic in his eyes.
He walked into Mia’s room and slammed the door shut, making the three of them jump. Reggie stopped drinking his bottle and began to cry, startled by the loud noise.
“Did I say something wrong?” she asked incredulously “shh, Reggie, its ok— Uncle Remus didn’t mean to scare you, shhhh”
They were all quiet for a couple minutes before Mia sighed, and then looked at the clock. “Shit, I’ve got to go”
She put Reggie down in his carrier, buckling him in snug for the journey to his grandparents.
“Take care of Frankie for me” Penelope said
“Nope, I’ll let your owl starve!”
She walked out the front door, looking ridiculous with her arms full with the baby carrier, the diaper bag, and her purse. Penelope chuckled as Eric eyed the owl cages in the corner of the living room, the birds hooting softly at one another.
“The whole owl mail thing is weird, how do they know how to find people?” he said
“They just do” Penelope shrugged
“Well, what if I wanted a dragon to deliver my mail?”
“Dragons don’t deliver post, don’t be stupid”
Despite her getting sick and running out of the courtroom after the Wizengamot sentenced Jasper Hughes to ten years in Azkaban, Dolores Umbridge specifically asked for Mia to sub as a scribe for the court again today.
Mia originally thought being asked to scribe on a Friday would be a great way to end the week, but Delphinus threw a very monotone hissy-fit about how she needed Monday’s files duplicated and sorted before Mia left the Ministry that day. Much to her irritation by this, she agreed to take care of the files— it was her job after all. She finished work hours later than anticipated, the sun already setting by the time she was leaving the Ministry.
Mia apparated into the flat, thinking Remus would lecture her on not having someone escort her home this late in the evening, only to instead find him sitting in the armchair across from the off television set with a bottle of scotch, and all the lights off. The curtains were drawn; the only light present in the flat was the sunset peeking though the edge of the curtains. He was staring at the dark television, in complete silence, slowly sipping the scotch straight from the bottle.
“You want a light on?” she giggled
“No”
She hung her sweater on the coat rack by the door, feeling uncomfortable by his odd behavior. She was home almost 4 hours later than normal, no lecture? He seemed to not even notice what time it was— did he even receive her patronus telling him of her delay?
“You alright?” she asked carefully
“I’m fine”
She noticed that he had Reggie’s stuffed elephant in his other hand, realizing he must be upset about their conversation earlier.
“Remus… If you don’t want to have children, we don’t have to have them” she said gently
He didn’t answer, and after an awkward minute of staring at him, she went to make her way to the bedroom.
“It would be a shame.”
She was half-way inside the bedroom when she turned back to him, looking at him sympathetically.
“To have children?” she asked softly
“To have someone like me as a father.”
“No, Remus…”
He held his hand up to silence her as he took a hearty swig of scotch, his gaze still fixed on the dark television set. Mia knew better than to press him in this moment, so she slipped into her bedroom quietly, not saying another word. She changed into pajamas and climbed into bed, not before peeking her head back out to see Remus still staring at the off television, slowly sipping the caramel colored liquid. She lay on her side, glancing at the clock that read 7:52. It was too early for sleep, but there was nothing else to do, she assuming he wanted to be alone. She stared at the wall for about an hour, until sleep took her by surprise.
Evening, princess.
That horrible smile— that haunting, carnivorous expression stared back at her as she felt his wand at her throat and her body trembling.
Don’t scream.
Mia woke up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, the ugly mug of Fenrir Greyback playing in tonight’s nightmare theater. She rolled over to find the bed empty and the clock reading 1:13. She felt her heart start to pound; where is he?
It wasn’t a full moon this night, so she knew he hadn’t gone off to the cottage or the Weasleys. She walked into the living room to find two empty bottles of scotch and Reggie’s stuffed elephant by the arm chair— but no Remus. She looked at her wrist, the smooth gold band still as stone, but was not reassured. It hadn’t vibrated at all that night; it would’ve woken her up if it had. She sat in the recliner, picking up a bottle of scotch and clutching it to her chest.
We only had two bottles here, if I were Remus and ran out of scotch, where would I go? She thought back to any of the times he had been in a mood like this, remembering the morning he disappeared after Penelope came to the cottage for their night of drunken debauchery. Leaky Cauldron.
Mia ran into her bedroom and pulled on a pair of jeans that she found on the middle of the floor, and threw on a cardigan over her thin pajama camisole. She hastily splashed her face with water, and then threw her hair into a quick ponytail. She grabbed her wand and wallet, closed her eyes, and imagined the Leaky Cauldron.
Fresh air filled her lungs as she opened her eyes, standing in front of the little pub in Diagon Alley. The pub was busier than she expected for past one in the morning, the place was still about ¾ full with drunken witches and wizards having a jolly time. It was Friday night after all, she told herself as she scanned the pub over and over, Remus nowhere to be found. Mia walked up to the bar and waved the bartender, Tom over to her.
“Wotcher sweetie, whatcha’ drinking?” he said pleasantly
“Nothing actually, I’m looking for my boyfriend and wasn’t sure if he’d been here” she said, looking around one more time. “Remus Lupin?”
“Oh yeah, ol’ Remus was here! Drinkin’ a lot of scotch, I had to cut ‘im off. He seemed all tore up ‘bout somethin’. I told ‘im to go on home, but looks like he didn’t”
“Any chance you know where he could’ve gone next?”
“The Screaming Chimaera down at the corner o’ Knockturn Alley will serve ya ‘til ya pass out, maybe try there?” Tom shrugged.
“Great” she grumbled; the Screaming Chimaera was the sketchiest wizarding bar she knew, and she instantly regretted not putting on a bra. “Thanks, Tom”
The Screaming Chimaera looks as inviting from the outside as the name made her feel. She was at least thankful she only had to go one store front into Knockturn alley to this shady little joint. The crumbling brick building looked as if one good push would do it over, she figuring it was probably still standing thanks to magic. She pulled open the front door, and stepped inside a dimly lit, dusty bar that was full of people Mia didn’t really think would be her type of company. She scanned the crowd and saw Remus slumped over a glass of scotch in the corner, an odd bubble of space around him as if everyone thought he had spattergroit and didn’t want to get too close.
She made her way up to the bar, sliding onto the barstool next to him and waving the bartender over.
“I’d like to pay his tab, please” She said politely.
Remus turned to look at her, his eyes bloodshot and his face crestfallen.
“What are you doing here?”
“You didn’t come to bed—” she replied. “Tom told me I could probably find you here”
“You shouldn’t be out alone…” he growled, his words slurred together as he spoke.
She shrugged “Then you should’ve came to bed”
The bartender handed her a slip for Remus’s tab- he drank 8 galleons and 5 sickles worth of scotch. Mia swore under her breath when she dropped a handful of gold coins on the bar counter and slid them to the bartender. Remus downed the last sip of scotch quickly, smacking his tongue as the liquid burned his throat.
“Let’s go home?” she asked.
He nodded, stumbling slightly as he got to his feet. She took his hand and led him to the front of the bar, their path suddenly blocked by a tall, greasy man.
“Look what the kneazle dragged in here, boys” he grumbled drunkenly to a group of men to her left “If you’re looking for a good time sweetheart, you don’t have to settle for a werewolf”
“He’s my boyfriend” She said pointedly, trying to step around the man.
“Really? A pretty thing like you, and something like him?” the man sneered, getting a couple laughs out of his friends.
“Piss off” she growled at him.
“Mia, don’t…” Remus slurred, putting a hand on her shoulder
“Why don’t we show her what a real man is like? Maybe the poor thing doesn’t know any better…?” a man to the left interjected
The greasy one put a hand up to stroke her cheek “yeah, I’d love to make this one scream…”
“Don’t touch me!” she hissed, smacking his hand away from her.
The man grabbed her shoulders; she threw her hands in front of her and pushed his chest hard, feeling the mysterious electric shock against her palms as she did so. Remus stepped in front of her and clocked the man square in the jaw— his buddies to the left scattering back, afraid to get too close.
“You half-breed piece of shit!” the greasy man shouted as he grabbed his jaw, spitting blood onto the floor in front of Remus’s feet.
He seized Mia around the waist and pulled her outside the bar, stumbling slightly as he walked. The chill in the air made her nipples harden, making her feel self-conscious again about forgoing her bra. Remus reeked of scotch, the smell wafting around her as he dragged her around the corner into the safety of Diagon Alley.
“You shouldn’t’ve come; the Screaming Chimaera is no place for you!” he said firmly, rubbing his face furiously.
“Obviously it’s no place for you either; those guys hate werewolves”
He blinked at her for a moment, his eyes bloodshot and glassy from his obvious intoxication. He plopped down on a bench in a huff, resting his elbow on the armrest and his forehead in his hand.
“Everyone hates werewolves” he grumbled
“I don’t…” she whispered
She reached out and stroked his cheek, his stubble scratching her smooth palm. He avoided her eyes but allowed her to touch him. She felt a little sorry for him in this moment, but wouldn’t dare ever tell him that.
“I’m sorry about this morning…”
He held his hand up to shush her. “You did nothing wrong” he whispered
They were silent for a moment, the lament and self-loathing visible in his expression. She thought back to the electricity she felt on her palms as she had pushed the tall greasy man— should she mention it now? Or mention it when he had sobered up? She chose the latter, for it was late and he needed to sleep off the copious amounts of scotch he’d consumed.
“Let’s go home” she said.
She took his hand and helped him stand, Remus stumbling as his foot hit a raised cobblestone. Mia helped him balance, wrapping her arms around his torso.
“Hold onto me” she said
He nodded as she embraced him tighter, smelling the strong scent of scotch more intensely as they shared their breathing room. She closed her eyes and feeling the uncomfortable tug behind her navel. They disappeared from the street with a soft pop, leaving behind only the sound of the breeze rustling the nearby foliage.
- 43
- 44
- 45
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Forever and Always