Remus was the first to wake, he smiled as he glanced down at the weight curled up on his chest, her tiny hands balled up in a vise grip on his shirt. He ran his fingers through her long brown hair gently, "Caelen?" He whispered waking the sleeping girl.
Brown eyes fluttered open, one tiny fist rubbed at them groggily before she nuzzled her head into his neck with a yawn. "Hmmmm?" She mumbled against him.
Remus laughed lightly bringing the half sleeping child with him as he sat up, "you can't sleep there all morning,"he said chuckling when she refused to budge from her place cuddled in his arms, "how am I to teach defensive spells while carrying you?"
Caelen reached for his free arm waving it around as if performing some complicated wand movement. Despite her best attempts she couldn't quite contain her giggles.
Remus grinned broadly hearing her laughter, "well you may have something there," he began in a teasing tone. "I can use you as a shield and fight the boggart with this hand," Remus laughed as he spun around pretending to be fighting a fierce beast.
"No!" The little girl squealed giggling, "you fight that old boggart by yourself!"
Pulling her away from himself, Remus grew serious. "I wanted to talk to you about that actually," he began noticing the suddenly nervous expression crossing his daughter's face, "I'm going to be teaching my third years how to fend off boggarts. A boggart takes the form of whatever you fear the most," Caelen tensed in his arms, " so for this class I feel it would be best if you weren't there ok?"
"Hermione, Harry, and Ron are third years," the girl mumbled, "where will I go while you teach them?"
Remus smiled Caelen was fond of the three Gryffindors they'd shared a compartment with on the trip to Hogwarts, he wasn't sure what they'd spoken of while he'd been asleep but he was happy she was gaining confidence enough to speak to them at all. When they had gone shopping for proper clothes for her, the morning after she'd arrived at his home, the girl hadn't made a sound. She'd clung instead to his leg agreeing to anything he suggested with a swift nod of her head. "Well I've spoken to Hagrid and he's agreed to look out for you during my class today."
"But Hagrid's so big..." Caelen whimpered nervously. He'd seemed nice enough when he smiled at her in the great hall, but most adults frightened her, and he was the biggest person she'd ever seen. "I'll stay out of the way I promise I won't bother you at all!" She attempted to bargain desperate to avoid being left with someone other than her father.
Remus squeezed the girl close, "you're not in the way cub," he whispered gently trying to sooth her fears, "I just don't want you frightened. Hagrid will take good care of you you'll like him I promise."
"But-" the girl began still hoping to convince him otherwise.
"I'm sorry Caelen but you just can't be with me this time." Remus interrupted his tone firm, "it will be ok I promise, you'll like Hagrid."
Caelen highly doubted that but thinking better of arguing further she nodded sadly. Remus hugged her once more before sending her to her room to dress for breakfast.
The pair walked hand in hand towards the great hall. Caelen's head turned swiftly side to side attempting to take in all the amazing sights of the castle. She pulled nervously against her father's arm when they neared a moving staircase, "I don't wanna go on that!" She whispered timidly.
Remus smiled remembering his own nervousness over the moving staircases when he'd first come to Hogwarts, "it's alright they just move a little they won't hurt you."
"But what if I fall off?" Caelen stressed biting her lip nervously as she peaked over the edge.
"I promise I won't let you fall, ok?" Remus reassured tugging her gently forward.
Caelen clung to her father's hand as they descended the stairs. She gasped when, halfway down, the stairs shifted. A single smile from her father and a gentle squeeze of her hand calmed the frightened girl enough to complete their trek down.
Seated once again between her father and the cranky potions professor Caelen eyed the students curiously. "So they're grouped by houses?" She asked her father.
"Yes there's four, Gryffindor, Revenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin." Her father responded listing the houses as he pointed them out.
"Which house were you in?"
Remus smiled remembering his school years fondly, "I was a Gryffindor."
The girl shifted in her seat eyeing professor Snape, "were you in Gryffindor too?" she questioned him quietly.
"No." The potions master replied snidely. He wasn't sure why the girl kept speaking to him? It was clear she was a nervous little thing even his bravest students preferred to not engage him yet this small child repeatedly did. "I am head of Slytherin house."
"Oh," the girl smiled, not having discussed the houses before, she didn't know of the house prejudices, "how does the hat know where you belong?"
Severus sighed wishing she'd go back to speaking with her father and leave him be, "the hat knows who you are inside and it takes that into account. The bravest go to Gryffindor, the most cunning to Slytherin, students who seek knowledge above all else to Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff I suppose they have a strong sense of fair play or some such nonsense."
The girl listened to his explanation intently before sighing, "I'm not brave or cunning, I do love to learn but m-mother said I'm not very smart I guess that leaves hufflepuff for me."
Severus glanced curiously at Lupin, despite his dislike of the man he couldn't imagine him allowing anyone to call his child stupid. "Where is your mother?" He noticed the girl tense at his question.
"Probably at her house," the girl mumbled looking away.
A part of the stern man was pleased she'd finally quit bothering him, another part wondered at her curious reaction to the topic of her mother.
Caelen drug her feet belligerently as her father led her towards Hagrid's hut on the castle grounds, "I don't wanna." She mumbled quietly her eyes focused on her boots.
Remus smiled sadly at the little girl as she trudged along next to him as if he were leading her to her execution rather than to spend a few hours with his old friend Hagrid. She clung to his leg as he knocked on the door.
"Remus is good ter see yeh," the big man greeted cheerfully. He bent forward leaning his enormous hands on his knees to face the small child, "allo little one."
Caelen glanced up at her father, a pout firmly in place across her small face, "low" she mumbled in reply.
"Don't yeh worry Remus I'll look after the girl." Hagrid reassured holding the door open for the child.
"Thank you Hagrid," Remus responded cheerfully. He knelt down facing his pouting child, "you'll like Hagrid I promise and I'll be back to get you soon."
Tears filled Caelen's eyes and she bit her lower lip in an attempt to keep them at bay, "I don't wanna stay here, please..." She began in a pleading tone once more.
Remus sighed, "that's enough now we've discussed this," he interrupted his tone firm but gentle, "I'll be back in a little bit be good." And with a short hug and a wave Caelen watched her father walk briskly back toward the castle.
She flinched when the big man placed his hand quietly on her shoulder, "there now at weren't so bad was it?" He questioned gently. "Come ere I'll interduce yeh ter fang."
Caelen followed quietly behind Hagrid wondering what on earth Fang could be. She gasped nervously when an enormous dog appeared barking loudly.
"Easy now fang," Hagrid bellowed at the noisy animal, "we ave a guest! Caelen this ere is fang he's a bloody coward he is but he's right friendly."
Caelen stared at the animal timidly, her mother didn't like dogs so she had never seen one in person. Still, as a werewolf she felt a certain comfort towards the large creature. "Ello fang," she murmured holding her hand out for the dog to sniff. She snuggled against his side in front of the fireplace rubbing his ears quietly. Everything in Hagrid's hut dwarfed Caelen and she felt like a doll by comparison.
"I knew yer father when 'e were a boy," Hagrid began attempting to put the timid child at ease.
"Yeah?" She questioned eyeing him with interest, "did you know my m-mother?"
Hagrid looked puzzled, "maybe who is yer mother?"
The girl hesitated before curiosity got the better of her, "G-Gena Davis."
Hagrid made a sour face as if the very name disgusted him, "aye I knew er, never knew what yer father saw in that girl."
Caelen sighed as if the whole world sat on her tiny shoulders, "so she was always like that then?"
"Like what?" The half giant questioned curious to know how the child saw her mother.
"Evil," the child mumbled glancing up quickly as if frightened she'd said too much.
Hagrid smiled sadly, "yer mother was never very kind, I think yer father had hoped he could save her or some such nonsense."
Caelen nodded quietly glancing around the hut before nuzzling her face in fang's fur attempting to hide her tears.
Hagrid shuffled his feet uncomfortably, "yeh know I've got a unicorn in a pen out back, I bet you'd like ter see a unicorn eh?"
The small girl looked up with interest hesitantly placing her hand in Hagrid's. The half giant took slow lumbering steps avoiding tugging the child along too quickly.
"Well this er is a unicorn, they like girls best so yeh shouldn't ave any trouble petting him." He encouraged helping the small girl climb through the fence.
Caelen glanced back nervously, "are you sure?" She stammered out keeping close to the fence Hagrid stood behind.
"Yeah go on then," he replied waving her forward.
Hesitantly, Caelen walked towards the unicorn. When she neared the center of the corral the unicorn turned and approached her calmly. The girl froze, she held her hand out squeezing her eyes shut and tucking her head down near her shoulder. Brown eyes flickered open as a soft muzzle connected with her outstretched hand. He was white, the beightest white she'd ever seen with a single shining horn protruding from his head. She smiled slightly as she pet the Snow White mane, "hello there," the girl murmured happily.
Slowly Hagrid's attempts began to pay off and Caelen began to ask questions about his work. If he knew all the creatures in the forest, if fang was the biggest dog he'd ever seen, what her father had been like as a child, and what it was like to take care of the castle grounds.
By the time Remus returned for her she was snuggled up with Fang, the pair of them sound asleep. Hagrid trudged to the door at the first knock. "Remus allow." He greeted quietly letting the man through the door.
Remus smiled gently the moment he caught sight of his daughter nestled against the large dog. "Hello Hagrid," he whispered in reply, "was she any trouble."
"No she weren't no trouble et all," Hagrid responded smiling gently, "good as gold she was. Took a might fer er ter warm up ter me but once we got past it we got along fine. Jumpy little thing.." He mentioned quietly wondering about the cause of it.
Remus sighed sadly, "yes well you remember Gena Davis right?"
"Aye that I do," Hagrid nodded studying the other man's face, "it taint none er my business really Remus but eh...she didn't change much after Caelen's birth I don't spose?"
Lupin sighed again rubbing the back of his neck in agitation, "from the little Caelen has said about it, if anything I'd say she got worse.."
The half giant looked at Remus in shock, "Yeh left that little girl alone with Gena!?"
"No! I would never!" The man defended horrified by the thought of anyone knowingly leaving anything with that woman, especially a child. "She didn't tell me, I only found out about Caelen a week ago when she showed up at my house. Believe me Hagrid had I known, Gena wouldn't have spent a single day with my child."
Remus walked to the sleeping girl scooping her up in his arms, her head lolled against his shoulder and he steadied her holding her close in his arms, "thanks again for looking after her Hagrid I appreciate it."
The groundskeeper nodded in reply watching the duo traipse up the hill back toward the castle.
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Hey guys anyone there? Here's another chapter for you I hope you're enjoying the story? I would love a comment? Pretty please? Ok off to write more later