Stars in Her Eyes {Wolfstar's Daughter}

Chapter 73: Hidden Scars

Although she knew they would never have abandoned her without good reason, she could see it in their eyes that it would be a long time before they were would ever shake their guilt for not being there for her. All she wanted to know was what had kept them away.

"We were tailed." Sirius' words broke the heavy silence of the living room.

They had made their way into the house and found themselves sat on the two old sofas without uttering a word, but it was clear any attempts to avoid it any longer were futile. Both the Potter and Weasley parents had retreated to other areas of the house to give the family their privacy.

"Tailed?" Nell repeated as he hesitated with further explanation, her other father providing no input beyond than the self blame warping his features.

"We we're following a lead of a potential death eater sighting" "We didn't find anything and thought it was a dead end but when we finally left, someone was following us" he continued.

"Who?" She pressed.

Remus shifted in his seat as Sirius seemed to turn to look at him for a second, the latter's eyes then dropped to the carpet before they met his daughter's gaze once again.

"We're not sure, a death eater." He finally spoke. "We think he was trying to trace us back to the order's headquarters as we apparated" he paused for a moment and there was something about the way he couldn't quite meet her eyes that stayed with her.

"And we didn't want to lead him anywhere near you." He finished, and as he continued to avoid her gaze, Nell took the opportunity to look at the two parents sat across from her.

Their eyes, struggled to hold up the weight of a creased brow and a thousand worries, old lines from the first war resurfacing as if they had been waiting patiently for the day. They were shells of their former selves, sluggish and joyless, the finer details of who they were blurring away, like ripples disappearing on an unmoving lake, the stony surface of fate waiting shallowly beneath .

She wanted to reach out, to change them, to bring them back to the people she recognised and loved but it was as if their faces had been moulded from the thick clay of the earth by the heavy hands of war themselves.

She wanted to see it in their eyes that everything was going to be okay. Now she wasn't sure if she would ever see that look again.

It was only now that she noticed Sirius was sitting strangely, his left shoulder was slouched down slightly and his movements were more careful and conscious. She then noticed a small edge of white bandage peeking out from the collar of his shirt.

She then looked to her other father who eyes were glossed over with the pain of guilt as they had been from the moment they stepped into Umbridge's classroom. His face was tense as he shrunk into himself on the sofa, his tall frame slouched into a fraction of the man he was, bloodied and beaten by the moon with the weight of guilt crushing down on his heavy head.

All at once it became too much for, seeing her parents so defeated, with the sheer emotional and physical exhaustion of the moon, hot tears began to trickle down her face.

"Your shoulder," her voice shook and she tried hopelessly to bite back the lump in her throat, "you were splinched." The tears began to fall freely as she gave up all hope of stopping them.

"A little bit. Yeah" he let out an empty laugh, his heartbreaking with every tear that fell from Nell's eyes. He wanted to hold her, to protect from everything coming for them, to be able to tell her that nothing would ever hurt her. But it was already clear that wasn't true and he was sure he would never feel a pain quite so merciless as not being able to protect his own child.

"Dad?" Nell looked to Remus, the tears dribbling over her lip.

He looked up to her, the muscle in his jaw shifting as he saw the frightened look she wore. The frightened look she wore, all because of him. She went through all of this pain because of him. She was suffering because of his curse, because of him. And last night he couldn't even manage to be there for her through it all like he promised he always would. How could he possible hope to protect her when he was the thing putting her in danger in the first place?

"Rem?" And then Sirius grabbed his hand, lacing his fingers through the others if to say I'm here.

Their eyes met and without a single word uttered they both knew they would put themselves between their child and anything coming her way.

In this moment, they could know nothing of the future, the only certainty was that they were all here together. And by hell would they fight to keep it that way.

"Come here" Remus made room for their daughter between them, as she buried herself in their arms as they held her and just let her cry. And for a moment she felt safe in the arms of her parents once again.

She didn't care if she looked pathetic or weak, crying in the arms of her parents. She was far too tired and in far too much pain to maintain the facade of strength she had wore like a mask for so long.

Amidst all the uncertainties, she was a just girl with her parents and they were two fathers with their child.

A/N: hii, how are you all? Sorry I dipped for so long

I quit my job cuz they treated me like shit 😀
Buuuut I got a new one and I start on Saturday

Reminder that you are all so fucking awesome and I love you <3

Have not proof read btw ^^