❁ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀᴄᴜᴘ - ʀ.ᴊ.ʟ❁

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 164

The dim clouded blanket seemed to envelop the three once more, Sirius' words doubtful words hanging loose in the air until there was a creak in the floorboards by the doorway, their heads turning when a familiar soft voice sounded,

"I'd like to think you were wrong with that theory, mon rêve, but I'm often finding myself questioning Dumbledore's morals too. I think he'd give a few for many"

I smiled sadly at the thought, hands holding Maple's from behind as she clumsily walked into the living room, tongue poking from her lips and brows furrowed in concentration. She's doing fairly well for her age. Since she had taken a few steps earlier in the week, Remus and I had been walking her around more so she gets the hang of being on her feet more. Hopefully, she'll be less clumsy than I am.

"Dada!"

Remus softened, lips twitching and heart swelling massively when his daughter giggly called him, honey eyes lighting up when she spotted him on the couch. 'Mama' and 'dada' had been slipping from her lips occasionally since she had been walking, they believe she was trying to get to them and so babbled their names and took steps to them.

He set his drink down on the coffee table, leaning forward on his seat when they both reach him, his eyes briefly catching Willow's before he settled them down on Maple, cupping her middle underneath her cardigan. Coral, she really likes coral. Leaning in, he kisses her button nose paternally with a murmur, "Hi, cub"

"There's a rainbow outside, she quite likes it" I uttered, scooping her up and resting down sideways on Remus' lap when he outstretched his arm, Maple snuggling into us both with a contented look.

James smiled crookedly, Harry mirroring his expression when he looked around, holding his dad's hand when he replied, "Like mother, like daughter"

Remus hummed happily in agreement, arms cloaking his two girls, wishing for it to always to be like this. These little family cuddles are sacred to the Lupins, just like how they have a lazy hour in bed every morning filled of giggles, kisses and toasty warm toes when they cocoon together in bed before breakfast. He wouldn't want it any other way.

He leans his head down on Willow's pressed into his shoulder, Scarlette entering the room with Regulus, drinks in hand they pass around knowingly. Gently brushing his lips over the crown of her head, he closes his eyes blissfully, feeling pathetically soppy when Maple sweetly whispered 'mama' when she'd stroked her cheek.

Regulus brought his coffee to his lips with one hand, the other being grabbed by his son, holding tightly. Breaking the tic tock silence, he mutters, "Bella used to read dark Arts books the year before I left, she'd sometimes show some of the things to me. I imagined they were things that the Dark Lord talked about and she was fascinated"

"Rodolphus was the same, he didn't show me but i'd see him reading them. It was the worst of the worst magic" Scarlette added with a wrinkled nose, Sirius smoothing his thumb against her brow bone whilst I glanced between them musingly, wondering,

"Reg, what type of things was she reading?"

He chewed his lip momentarily, a deep furrow in his eyebrows, placing his coffee back down, beginning to list off, "Potions, harming ones at that, the 'Drink of Despair' was one I remembered seeing, that's a green one. Inferi was another, I suppose he was reanimating those muggles he's murdered to build his army. There was another thing, I can't quite remember...."

He clenched his eyes shut to try and remember, Remus and I exchanging a weary glance before returning our focus back on the tousled haired boy, James rubbing his shoulder to help him. His eyes only snapped open wide when he heard an emotionless word spoken,