To The Moon and Back | Remus Lupin's Daughter

35. Last minute - Remus

24th December 1993

BY ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC 

 Customers are reminded that until further notice, Dementors will be patrolling the streets of Hogsmeade every night after sundown. This measure has been put in place for the safety of Hogsmeade residents and will be lifted upon the recapture of Peter Pettigrew. It is therefore advisable that you complete your shopping well before nightfall. 

"Whole lot of us those creature do" Anne growled as we passed the seventh ministry notice as we enter zonko's. It was Christmas eve and in some what farcical stereotypical fashion, we'd forgotten to actually complete Christmas shopping. I suppose almost twelve years of not celebrating the holiday makes you forget the finer details of it all. 

Since Astra's return a number of rumour sighting of Pettigrew had popped up across the country. It had everyone in the castle living on edge, especially with what i saw at the first quidditch match of the season, i swear that rat was there. i just have no proof. since then, a member of the council has always been assigned to watch out family.  I know its for a valid reason, however i wish myself and sirius could have completed christmas shopping for our family by ourselves. No under the watchful eyes of a guide. Anne was doing her best of be a friendly pressence but i couldn't help but feel a little coddiled and i can tell sirius feels the same, he's been silent the whole trip with his shoulders sagging in defeat. 

Not really the romantic stroll i'd invisioned, for the day.

"Hey, you two love birds okay?" Anne asked turning to face me and sirius with a knowing eye. 

"We're fine anne" Sirius sighed, as he dragged his feet out of the snow and into store. 

"Sure and i'm the proud owner of the elder wand. Spill." she stated, folding her arms and leaning against a new by shelf. "somethings clearly bothering the both of you, but mainly you Mr. Black."

Sirius just looked at her doing a rather convincing impression of a deer caught in the headlights. His mouth opening and closing while he struggled to find the words to reply, i couldn't help laugh at him. These kind of interactions tended to happen often with ms. Bonny, she always knew exactly what sirius and i were thinking and was incrediable at making him speechless as she flawlessly called him out when he thought he was being rather clever about hiding his true feelings about things. 

"I don't like being babied" He grumbled under his breath eventually as he scanned the shelves for some presents for the Weasley twins, as well as Artemis and Astra - who had all quickly began to reek havoc onthe corridors of Hogwarts with an epic prank war which i have to admit has quickly out done anything myself and marauders achieved during our Hogwarts years. though i still believe that we made the map are still in line for winning. for now at least. Sirius is often proud as punch that his niece and daughter are truly continusing and outdoing our legacy - Wandering around the shelves aimlessly away from us, picking up random products the four kids might like as he goes. 

"Don't mind him, he's just... down. I think we both had hoped peter would be caught by now" I sighed walking with Anne through the shop following Sirius. 

Anne, looked at me her firey hair bouncing arounf her in a curly halo as she walked, she got this machievious look in her eye. "look, i'm sure you'd both like some privacy and I actually have a date with a rather cute Metamorphmagus Auror in training" she looked down at her nonexistant watch before looking back at me "In about half and hour. So, how about rather than guiding yous back to the castle, i'll leave you two to make your own way back to the castle in one of those infamus secret passage you know about" she finished with a wink before picking up a dungbomb and tossed it at me before skipping away to inform Sirius of her plan.