author_by_night | (no subject)

Yet another fic!

Title: Still Here

Rating: PG-13 (child witnessing painful moment).

Characters: Iris Lupin, Rhea Lupin, Sean Nicholson, Remus Lupin, Artemis Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks.

Pairings: Remus/Tonks

Summary: What happens when a child comes across something too horrible for their mind to understand? Can anything stop the wound from growing worse?

Words: 1,754 (9 pages)

July 29^th, 2007

“You’re kidding me!”

Seven year old Iris Lupin could hear the babysitter, Calidona, talking on the with her friend loudly, even though she was in her cousin Sean’s bedroom. She supposed her friend had snuck over.

“Is she usually this loud?” Rhea asked Sean.

Iris put her finger to her lips, to hush her four year old sister. “Shh! We’re supposed to be sleeping.

“But we… aren’t.”

“She can’t hear us,” Sean piped up. “I once tried yelling at the top of my lungs, she was talking too loudly. But Daddy knows her Daddy, so what good would telling on Calidona do?”

Iris looked outside. The full moon would be rising soon.

She didn’t know exactly why Daddy got sick once a month, just that the moon had something to do with it. Usually, Aunt Artemis (who was Daddy’s sister) watched them, but Mum had work things. Uncle Greg was with friends on a “guy’s retreat”, so Aunt Artemis had scheduled a sitter. (Grandma Tonks was having one of her “bad times” as Mum put it, and Grandma and Grandpa Lupin were in Greece visiting Yia Yia).

“I wish we could help Daddy,” Iris whispered.

“My Mummy said he has problems this time of month – but I guess they’re different from Mummy’s,” Sean said.

Iris blinked. “What?”

Sean shrugged. “I don’t know, and I can’t ask, I wasn’t supposed to be listening.”

“Oh my GOD, Rachel, you DIDN’T!”

Iris gasped so suddenly, she nearly fell of Sean’s bunk. “I’ve got an idea!”

“What?” Rhea asked.

“Will Calidona notice we’re missing?” Iris asked Sean.

“We’re going to sneak out? Iris, we can’t,” Sean said. He was Iris’s age, and could read the mind of his “twin cousin.”

“We have to,” Iris said. “Maybe we can help Daddy feel better.”

Rhea shook her head. “You know the rules, Iris. Mummy’ll get so mad if she finds out. Besides, we’ll have to use floo powder.”

“She won’t see,” Iris said dismissively. “Come on – Mummy will be proud in the end, you’ll see!”

“I don’t know, this is a bad, bad idea,” Sean said slowly.

Iris glared at Sean. “If it were your Daddy-!”

“He’s still my uncle,” Sean retorted. “I want him to feel better too. But-”

“If you’re going to be a sissy, I’ll just go all by myself!” Iris announced.

“Iris, you’ll get caught!”

Iris threw back her dark brown hair. “I’m my parents child, Sean.”

“Iris…”

“And if you tell on me, I’ll make sure the whole world knows both of your secrets,” Iris added.

Rhea’s eyes widened. “You will?”

Iris felt a little bad – she would never really do that – but nodded anyway. “Yes.”

Iris crept down the stairs; Rachel and Calidona were still gossiping.

She went to the fireplace, and was pleased to see that the floo powder was on the table. She grabbed it, and went in.

“My Daddy’s!” Iris said. It didn’t occur to her that her house should have been blocked; she knew Mummy had made it so Aunt Artemis could floo anytime.

Iris finally got to her house, and jumped into her living room.

“Owww…”

Iris froze. It sounded like Daddy… only he was moaning.

She hurried up the stairs, towards the sound of the moaning. It got louder and louder.

It was coming from Mummy and Daddy’s bedroom. Iris peeked into the crack door.

Daddy was on the floor, making noises while Aunt Artemis was whispering soothing things. There was fur growing on his face.

Iris was too scared to even move. All she could do was wish for it to end.

A hand landed on her shoulder, moving her away gently.

“It’s okay,” a voice said.

Tonks finally came home at eleven.

Artemis said goodnight to Remus, and made her way home.

To her displeasure, Calidona and her friend were gossiping loudly.

“Sorry,” Calidona said when she saw Artemis. “I – I had a question for a History of Magic essay, and-”

“Never mind,” Artemis said wearily, handing her a handful of galleons. She'd talk to/fire Calidona when she wasn't too tired. “Did Greg Owl or Floo?”

Calidona nodded. “He said hello.”

“How are the children?”

“Good.”

“Well, I’ll send you home, then,” Artemis said.

Calidona smiled, and eagerly made her way into the family room.

Artemis walked upstairs, her first priority being to say goodnight to her nieces and son. They came before food and dishes.

Rhea and Sean were on the top bunk; Artemis smiled, and then wondered why Iris wasn’t.

She peered down – no Iris.

“Iris?” Artemis turned around. “Iris?”

She looked in the closet, wondering if Iris hadn’t been playing Pretend. No Iris.

Artemis frowned. Where would her niece have gone?

Artemis looked in the bedrooms; no Iris. Both bathrooms were empty. The first floor? No Iris. The basement? No Iris. The treehouse? No Iris.

Oh my God, Artemis thought to herself. Oh my God.

“Iris?” Artemis called loudly. “Iris, sweetheart, this isn’t funny! Come out of wherever you are this instant!”

After searching another time, Artemis raced for the fireplace. “Calidona?”

Artemis heard Calidona go, “hold on!”

Her face appeared. “Mrs. Flanaghan? What’s wrong?”

“Did Iris go anywhere tonight? Did one of the Weasley children call?”

Calidona shook her head. “No – well… I don’t think so. But now that I think of it, I did think I heard someone by the fireplace…”

Artemis pulled her head out, and raced back upstairs.

She hasn’t been kidnapped, or run away, Artemis thought. She’s just hiding.

“Sean? Rhea?” Artemis said as she turned on the light.

Sean turned. “Wadda…”

“Sean, wake up,” Artemis said, shaking him.

Rhea and Sean both sat up.

“Did Iris go anywhere tonight?” Artemis asked, trying to sound as calm as possible.

Rhea looked around, and her eyes widened. “She’s not back yet? Oh no!”

“Shh!” Sean hissed.

Artemis wasn’t sure if she felt more relief than horror, or the other way around. “Where did she go?”

“Nowhere,” Rhea said quickly.

Artemis raised her eyebrows. “And where is this Nowhere?”

“I – I said I wouldn’t tell,” Rhea said, her bottom lip starting to tremble.

“Rhea, this is important,” Artemis said sternly. “Where did she go?”

“It was a promise!” Sean exclaimed.

“Young man, sometimes promises aren’t always kept if they involve safety,” Artemis said. “Where is your cousin?”

“I don’t know, if she didn’t come back,” Rhea began, “but she went home.”

Blood drained from Artemis’s face. “Home?”

Rhea nodded. “Yeah. She was worried about Daddy.”

Artemis wasn’t sure what to make of this. One of two scenarios seemed most likely – she’d either seen the transformation and hid somewhere, or she was somewhere else.

Oh Iris, why didn’t Dora, Remus, Brett and I get Deirdre or Felicia to watch you three? Iris, please be okay… please don’t be traumatized, or lost, or…

“Mummy? Are you mad at us?” Sean asked.

Artemis scooped both children into her arms – not an easy feat, given that they were no longer toddlers. “We’re going to go to Deirdre’s.”

Artemis dropped the children off at Deirdre’s, giving Deirdre the explanation of “NotimetoexplainI’msostupid.”

As soon as she ended up on Dora’s porch, she started shaking.

Dora was clearing up the kitchen – Remus never liked Dora to just sit there while he was transformed – when she heard Artemis knocking on the door.

She knew it was Artemis, because something about the rhythm gave off an air of agitation. Remus knocked the same way when he was upset.

Dora braced herself for whatever the news was, and opened.

Artemis rushed in, shut the door, and grabbed Dora by the shoulders.

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

Dora blinked. “So sorry? What’s going on? Why aren’t you with the kids?”

“Iris came here,” Artemis said. “Calidona… I shouldn’t have trusted her. Somehow, she missed Iris… Iris snuck here at some point. Or – or tried to…”

Dora stared. Her firstborn daughter was missing?

“We’ve got to look here first,” Dora said. “Don’t act too scared… I don’t want Remus to… you know.”

Iris couldn’t be lost, couldn’t have been harmed. Or seen anything.

Dora searched the den; no sign of her.

After searching for a half hour, it occurred to Dora to look in Iris’s bedroom.

And there Iris was, on her back, holding her teddy bear with one arm. Something about her looked shaken, though, and Dora instantly knew she’d seen Remus in that state.

Damn.

“She’s okay,” Artemis said softly.

Dora hugged Artemis. “She’s fine. Thanks. Remus and I will handle everything else in the morning.”

“Not alone,” Artemis said firmly. “It’s all my fault this happened in the first place. I’m coming too.”

The next morning, Iris was quiet; Dora didn’t want to force the subject on her until Remus had recovered enough to discuss the matter.

When Artemis came at noon, she told Sean and Rhea to play in the back yard; then, she, Dora, Remus and Iris went into the family room.

“Why did you come home last night, Iris?” Remus asked as he sat down next to her. Dora sat on the other side, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

Iris bit her lip. “I wanted to help you. I didn’t know – I didn’t know it was something a song and a Kleenex box…”

“So you saw him?” Dora asked gently.

Iris nodded. “Well, part of it. I saw Daddy growing fur, and moaning like he was trying not to scream. Aunt Artemis looked really sad, and then...”

“Are you okay?” Remus interrupted. “I – I never meant for you to find out like that.”

He was visibly shaken, and Dora knew why. She was upset enough as it was; but if Iris had seen her transforming into a Werewolf, weak when she wanted to be strong… she didn’t know how Remus wasn’t crying.

“I’m fine, the man comforted me,” Iris said.

Dora paused. What man? Had Harry been there? Dad? Remus’s father? She looked at Artemis, who seemed just as baffled.

“Who do you mean?” Remus asked carefully.

“He was really tall,” Iris replied. “He took me into my bedroom, told me it was okay, and sung me to sleep.”

Dora felt another wave of panic. Had this man hurt her? And how had he entered the house? “What happened, Iris?”

“I told you, he told me to go to sleep!” Iris insisted. “And before I fell asleep, he asked me to tell you, Daddy and Harry something.”

Dora looked at Remus.

“Go on,” Remus said.

“He told me,” Iris began, “to tell you ‘Padfoot and Prongs are still here.’”