See If I Care

~1~

-July 31st, 1986-

Alex lay on their stomach on their bed, legs kicking back and forth slightly in the air from where their knees were resting on their pillow, their book in front of them at the foot of the bed. The book they were reading had been a gift from their godfather, Remus, for their birthday. The only gift they had received. They could faintly hear the noises of the party that was in full swing downstairs through the closed door, but paid it no mind, making no move to leave their book and join the festivities. It may have been a birthday party, but it didn't mean they were invited, regardless of the fact that it was their birthday too. The party was solely for their brother, the precious Boy-Who-Lived, and no one would want them to interrupt it. They were simply Alex, the unwanted and forgotten twin, but they were fine with it that way.

A soft knock on the door caused Alex to close their book, one finger between the pages, marking their spot, and look up. They told the person waiting on the other side that he could come in, already knowing who it would be. Sure enough, the only adult in their life that actually cared about them, or even acknowledged them pushed the door open and entered the room, leaning against the frame of the door.

"Hey Remus. Why aren't you downstairs, celebrating my perfect brother?" A hint of sarcasm entered their voice as they mentioned their brother, who was far from perfect in their eyes; he was spoiled, lazy, and arrogant, and had only just turned six. Remus smiled and chuckled lightly, pushing the door closed and walking further into the room. They weren't bothered that Remus hadn't answered right away; they knew what he would say anyway, since he always replied with the same thing. And, just as they expected,

"Why would I want to be down there when I could be up here with you. You are, after all, my favourite Potter and my one and only goddaughter." He walked over to the bed, sitting down next to them. Alex shifted, sitting up and leaning against Remus, who wrapped his arms around them in a gentle one-armed hug.

"Thank you so much for the book by the way. It's amazing," they said, noticing that Remus had glanced down at the book that they still held in their hand, finger still inserted at the page they were up to, which was already at least halfway through. The book wasn't one that you would expect a normal child to be reading, especially a child who had only just turned six, but Alex was far from normal. They had begun reading when they were two and had loved it. The book that Remus had given them was a history book that was all about the most commonly used spells and their origins, discussing the process of why they were made and how, such as the different words, inflections, and wand movements.

Remus laughed at Alex's words, his arms tightening around their waist slightly. Even though they were just six, they were already enjoying books that most adults would find dull or even downright boring. It certainly created some interesting discussions between the two of them, since Alex's taste in books was very similar to his when it came to the non-fiction variety.

"I can see how much you seem to like it; you haven't even had it for a full day yet and you're already halfway through. At this rate, you'll be done by the time the house elves finish cleaning up from the party." Remus chuckled again, catching the sheepish look on Alex's face as they blushed slightly.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of cub. You're love of reading and learning is refreshing. You have no idea of the kind of witless banter Sirius causes at home. I'm glad I can share this with you." Alex smiled, leaning closer to their godfather, resting their head against his chest as he rested his own head on top of theirs.

"Actually, Remus, there's something I want to talk to you about," Alex said hesitantly, not moving from their position nestled in his side even as they closed their eyes.

~

Remus frowned at the hesitant note in Lexa's voice and pulled her closer, bringing her into his lap and wrapping his other arms around her. She had grabbed a book mark from her bedside table to mark her place in the book and was now fiddling with her fingers in her lap. Lexa seemed extremely nervous, making him realise quite quickly that whatever she wanted to talk about was serious.