The Sun, Moon & Stars

23. Summer, 1992

Being home was so familiar, so perfect, that it hardly felt like she had been gone at all. She fell right back into her usual routines. Making breakfast with Ginger, reading in the field of wildflowers behind their small cottage, and dancing to muggle records around the sitting room with Remus. For her, being home from school for two months was a blessing. It wasn't that she didn't like it, or that she didn't have friends; because she didn't think she could ever properly describe how incandescently happy being at Hogwarts made her. But there was only one thing she loved more, and that was spending time with her Dad and Ginger.

On top of that, she had secured plans to visit the Weasley's in late August after her birthday. It was fine by Remus, though he wouldn't be joining as he would still be sore from the August full moon. She would spend the last two days of summer with them, and she was beyond excited to get two extra days with her friends; as Harry would also be meeting them, as Ron vaguely put in a letter.

Harry was the only one that didn't seem to put any effort into contacting them at all. At first she reckoned it was because he lives with muggles, but that truly didn't make any sense. After all, Hermione had neither an owl nor wizard parents, yet she had figured it out. She had eventually come to the conclusion he must have been taking some space. He did almost die at the hands of his Professor, and the man that killed his parents; it was reasonable to distance himself from everything for a bit.

For the majority of her break though, her last thought was her friends or school. She wanted nothing more than to spend time with her family, and that was what she did. She took care of Remus after the July full moon, as per usual, and they played board games and she read aloud to him as he drifted in and out of peaceful sleep. She watched muggle movies with Ginger in the sitting room late at night, and she picked flowers for a centre piece at their dining table from the meadow; which she magically charmed to stay alive.

They had camp-outs a lot, in the backyard with a muggle tent, camping the 'muggle-way'. It was fun, they enjoyed it and did it as often as they could; and one humid night, in early August, it was just the two of them, laying on the grass, staring up at the stars.

'It's pretty, isn't it?' Ophelia breathed, and Remus, who was laying beside her made a 'hmm' sound in agreement.

'What would you wish for? If you saw a shooting star right now?' She asked. She often asked questions like this because she truly couldn't help it; she was so naturally curious about everything.

'Well, if I tell you it won't come true.' Remus had reminded her, rolling over to his side to look at her. Ophelia did the same.

Ophelia giggled. 'But it was theoretical! You can tell me. Come on, come on, pleaseee.' She pleaded, her warm honey eyes staring into his.

He sighed, telling her she had won the battle, but he took a few moments to piece together his answer. 'You want the truth?' He finally asked.

She nodded eagerly, feeling very much like a five year old again.

'Nothing.' He said contently.

'Nothing?' She questioned, furrowing her eyebrows.

'If everything is already perfect, what more could I ask for?' Remus smiled.

Ophelia smiled back, but she had to tease him just a little bit or she simply wouldn't be acting herself; 'Not even chocolate?'

Remus laughed. 'Already got a life supply, love.' He reminded her. 'And besides.' He rolled onto his back again to stare up at the stars, and Ophelia copied his motion. 'Somebody once told me we shouldn't spend our life wishing for things to be different.' He said thoughtfully.