————. ° ♧︎: *.☽. * :☾. ♕ *. ————

6 minutes from Serephine's home.

6 minutes from the truth.

6 minutes from finding out all of what's under the veil of secrets.

Y/N's arm was out of the roofless vehicle, meeting the prime wind. Harry's chin rested on the side doors whispering lyrics under his chest listening to Aunt Serephine scream over the wind about how they'll binge watch movies on Monday. Bake on Tuesday. Garden on Wednesday. Explore on Thursday. Swim on Friday. Bonfires on Saturday. Sleep under stars on Sunday.

It was all simply bliss coming from one ear and out the other.

Tables of mosaic tiles with tropical tangerines in ceramic bowls awaited to bring sweetness to homeowner's tongues. Flowerbeds growing rapidly at the absence of the landowning lady to nurture euphuistic lawns of swirling evergreen trees landscaping floral patterns. Large sculptured walls of summer shelter and warmth neighbouring the in-ground banks of azure pooling water. Raspberries and pears growing on the surrounding trees, ripe and in prime for summer saccharine. Summer and its summertime sillage. Summer, summer, and only summer. . .

But, destination holds only 30 seconds left before revealing the veil of secrets.

Aunt Serephine sighed in recognizing her house hidden behind evergreen trees, "Alright, we're here my loves, just one turn —"

Harry and Y/N whipped their heads at the sight, turning back to face each other with identical beams desperate for it to all commence. For the fun to commence? The chaos? The secrets? They hadn't a clue with their lovely stupid grins.

Home sweet home.

Aunt Serephine, Harry, and Y/N all shared smirking faces ready for summer to commence. They slammed the car doors and ran to the trunk where Hedwig was endlessly hooting. Holding their belongings, Aunt Serephine walked a few steps before dropping Hedwig's cage.

There stood, Sirius Orion Black. Husband of Aunt Serephine, Godfather of Harry James Potter, and kinsman to Y/N Athena Harlow.

Both Harry and Y/N's jaws hung loose with wide vagary-struck eyes. Immediately, they took into account knowing Aunt Serephine hadn't an idea about Sirius' innocence, for only a specific lot of people knew. A wave of fury, despondency, longing, woe, and fallacy belief washed over Aunt Serephine's expression through 7 different responses.

Trouble in paradise.

Sirius, stood up when catching her gaze, looked like he was on the verge of crying tears of symbolic yearning. 12 years, touch deprived of his Serephine. 12 years, gone without ABBA blasting. 12 years, pondering if the lady of his dreams had fallen for someone who doesn't go by the name Sirius Black. 12 years, wasted promises and vows made on a wedding day. 12 years, Sirius Black had been separated from his Serephine.

Serephine inhaled sharply before dropping her once vacant arms to strangle the same class clown she met in 1972 and guilty for falling in love with.

Her breathing was a brontide of hazards and her anger increased each intake. Harry and Y/N abruptly took ahold of both of her arms to stop her in her tracks.

"HE'S INNOCENT— HE WAS FALSEY ACUSED AND FRAMED!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT WE KNOW AND VICE VERSA, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW— SO JUST LISTEN! YOU'VE OUGHT TO BELIEVE US!"

Part of the pulsating heart in Serephine wanted to believe Sirius' innocence, but it had been 12 years the lie had implanted in her halcyon mind.

"Fine. Fine let go," Aunt Serephine huffed, eyeing Sirius' deeply, "Let go of me."

"I'm afraid if we let go. . . we'll witness a real murder," Y/N spoke under her breath cautiously letting her hold off the raging woman as Harry mirrored her actions.

Aunt Serephine, hair falling out of her hair-do, didn't hesitate to charge towards Black yelling and hollering, "YOU— COMPLETE— ARSE— SIRIUS FUCKING BLACK!"

Y/N clutched onto Harry's arm, tugging onto his sleeve while whisper-shouting, "Mayday! Mayday! The Aunt Serephine cussed. Harry, Sirius' end is nearing."

Aunt Serephine was hitting Sirius' in the chest as he sadly chuckled and forced her arms around her into a hug. Her bones began to tremble like they were once misplaced and woefully rearranged by the heat Sirius brought to her body. Serephine's head found her solace in the crook of Sirius' neck, muttering her distress in sonorous silvery notes.

"Where the hell have you been for 12 fucking years, you imbecile," Serephine choked out through her sobs that've been collected in the well of Sirius' steep hollow shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Sayre," Sirius' weeped throwing her hat off, lips pressing against her hair whispering amaranthine adulation-filled words echoing in her ricochetting sanity.

"This— this is the scariest thing I've ever seen," Harry whispered to Y/N, barely letting a breath escape his lips, "And that's saying something 'cause I fought You-know-who as a first year. . ."

"Harry," Y/N imitated his whispering voice, widened eyes glued onto the reconnected affinity between the swains, "You're gonna have to shut up right now."

Aunt Serephine pulled away from the unified embrace and sniffled into her sleeves turning back to Harry and Y/N, eyes bloodshot, her lashes drenched overhanging, "You guys look petrified."

"Who said we aren't," Y/N quietly claimed, Harry nodding vigorously next to her.

Aunt Serephine turned back to Sirius and looked him in the eyes, with ones welled in tears, "This— this right here is not over yet."

"Crossing my fingers that you mean it's time you tell everything that has been kept from me?" Y/N encouraged, hopeful.

Aunt Serephine nodded, and indicated for everyone to sit in the white wooden garden gazebo on the left side lawn of the land. Harry, Y/N, Sirius all took seats equally around the gazebo, eyeing Aunt Serephine as she stepped in with ragged breaths. Sirius reluctantly held her fingers wrapped in his hand with her knuckles out free an started,

"I'll do it if you don't want to. . ."

"Yeah, yeah okay."

Sirius stiffly nodded and begun, "Once upon a time —"

"NO!" Serephine groaned in cringe, "Don't say that —"

"— Fine then you say it!"

"I will!"

"So does this story just never start or. . ." Harry said, stretching his tone.

"No, no it does. Just listen," Aunt Serephine assured.

And so they did listen. They listened all of the treacly honey cascade from their ears, now clogged with a grey stoned tomb of rotting raw truth to finally succumb.

"I don't know how to say this so I'm just going to let all of what I know out and I'm no longer holding back. Right, way back in our years, there was James, Remus, Peter, Sirius, Lily, Dorcas, Hestia, me, Marlene, Mary, Alice, and Frank. Nothing but marauder mayhem with us. Now remember, I only kept this from you because you weren't of age to perceive this maturely. You deserved your childhood. Hestia Dior was a young woman, undeniably arresting and wild and I am Serephine Primrose Dior, twin sister to Hestia Harlow Dior. May I mention that I am proudly 12 minutes older than Hestia —"

"ISN'T HESTIA MY MOTHE —"

"Y/N, don't interrupt me. I'm barely holding the courage to continue. Our friends and I all grew up together through letters, detentions, late-night parties, and daily ventures. We grew and became somewhat more prone to feelings and overtime James confessed for Lily, Sirius to me, Marlene to Dorcas, Alice to Frank— Anyway the point where it involves you is where Remus confessed for Hestia. It was always 'Serephine and Remus' against 'Hestia and Sirius' during our old series of comedic hoax. Sirius and Hestia were dramatic farceurs and bound to be future brother and sister in law. Remus and I found our own personal likings for sneaking sweets and benevolence —"

"I object!" Sirius uttered, "Both you and Moony were complete temperamental tantrum-throwing —"

"— Both Moony and I," Aunt Serephine grinned guilt-freely, overcoming Sirius' voice, "Were modest students. If someone interrupts again, I'm going to obliviate myself. To what we used to call it, Jily, Serephius, and Remestia were official relationships. Now Remus and Hestia, Remestia, was a hard ship to steer for Remus was vigilant for his werewolf condition. Hestia always reassured him it didn't affect her affection towards him, but he always kept it in the back of his head and it was crystal clear. Years of inevitable love for all of us, Remus and Hestia got married first in 1978. Second wedding, belonged to James and Lily and the third wedding, belonged to Sirius and I in 1979. All three weddings of ours were quiet and friends-only due to the first wizarding war. And just like that, it was like a miracle occurred. Hestia and Remus were pregnant with Y/N and Lily and James, with Harry."

"June 3rd, 1980, Y/N Athena Dior-Lupin was born to Remus John Lupin and Hestia Harlow Dior-Lupin. July 31st, 1980, Harry James Potter was born to James Fleamont Potter and Lily Marie Potter. Now after July 31st, it was set on both families that it was no coincidence both Harry and Y/N were born in the same year and so you two proved that from being inseparable as infants. Harry'd only fall fast asleep when put into the crib with Y/N, from what Hestia and Lily told us. James would put on Bambi for you two babies to fall asleep to, and you always fell asleep to 'Love is a song', but the morosis in the room was too devouring that James quite literally put himself to sleep too. And so since birth, it was always Harry and Y/N."

"Now for the relation, Hestia and Serephine were the 'twin-duo' of Hogwarts, yeah? Hestia married Remus Lupin and I, Sirius Black. So you calling me Aunt Serephine is biologically right, and Sirius Black is your uncle. One Dior got stuck with Lupin and the other Dior, with Black."

❝Now the brontide of where all hell broke loose, October 30, 1981.❞

Serephine's blood began curdling in horror as she fiercely flushed the rogue redness tint back to the fluid and continued to spill all of what happened:

On October 30, 1981, a soul had been carried from the grounds of Earth to the mind's mere memory. Remus, Hestia, and Y/N were peacefully under the stars celebrating their anniversary. The small family were all situated in the backyard at 1:32am, stargazing. Big cottage architecture, fairy lights, laughter ringing, chocolate wrappers on the floor, and the couple's pinot noir wine for celebration. Hestia was laying on the grass while watching Y/N crawl to chase fireflies, Remus tidying the table of leftover desserts and fruit. Clouds invaded the sky in clusters and the full moon veiled behind these clouds was a nightmare waiting happen. A gust of wind hit west and the cloud covering the moon's speed accelerated and clearly revealed a full pale moon shining straight down on Hestia, Y/N, and Remus. Remus transformed. The groaning, wailing, howling, caught Hestia's attention as her eyes widened in horror both seeing the full moon and its aftermath, the werewolf.

Remus dedicated all his focus for the past 2 days on the anniversary, the idea of the full moon's appearance slipped his mind and so as did the wolfsbane. Hestia abruptly took Y/N and wrapped her arm around her to her chest, her hand tightly supporting her head, as Hestia dashed through the glass sliding door. The littlest sounds severely vibrated through the werewolf's ears and laid its eye contact on the woman and the baby in her arms. Hestia was sobbing and shrieking while running up the grand stairs to seek cover and essentials in Y/N's nursery room. The werewolf's claws could be heard dragging against the portraits downstairs in the guest room. Hestia's throat was closing in fear while she repeatedly snuck glances at her bewildered baby through glistening tears as she slowly realized this was going to end in sacrifice. Hestia bit on the insides of her cheeks, muffling her sobs, as she seized a basket from the nursery's closet, Y/N's golden necklace engraved with her personalized name, and a baby blanket. Hestia swathed Y/N's delicate body in a lilac satin baby blanket and clasped the necklace around her. It glistened the engraved name of a baby who's going to be sacrificed for in the near future, '𝐘/𝐍 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐰'. Hestia lifted the swathed child into her arms and pressed a chaste deep kiss to the tip of Y/N's nose for whatever the future might hold that could separate a mother from her daughter. Y/N, the mind of a baby with lullabies and sunflower radiating in, scrunched her nose and looked at her mother with doe eyes. Perplexed but pained.

The wailing of a werewolf hollered through the upstairs hallways and Hestia's eyes widened completely horror-stricken and hid, with Y/N embraced in her hold, behind the nursery's entry door. The footsteps thundered the floors and ricochetted through the girls' ears. Remus (in his werewolf form) swiftly shoved opened the door and roared into the echoing room. Hestia's hollow gasp caught the attention of the werewolf and worsened the safety for her and her child. And it had already killed Hestia then when she knew she had to hurt the werewolf who was her hidden husband within. Hestia possessed pyrokinesis. The women of Dior were a generation that had a descendant power following generation after generation from their ancestors. It had all revolved around rubescent red inflamed magic. Pyrokinesis to chaos magic to red based energy manipulation. Hestia forced red hues of whirling flame from the crest tip of her index finger to the werewolf's chest and made a run for it through the door down the stairs. The werewolf's growls could be heard from yards away as it dashed from out of the nursery. Hestia didn't waste time to abandon the house and head her way to the grass fields. Hestia's hair was horrendously shambolic, her seasonal anniversary slip-on dress donned with torn hems now, and her face glazed with diaphanous pellucid tears. Raise a sparkling glass to smeared claret lipstick and drenched eyelashes of a couple's prestige. Unfortunately, a lady's speed with her beloved child is no match to a chasing werewolf's in this state of affairs.

Hestia's tears were stolen by the wind that came in gusts to her face as she ran through the field of grass, carrying Y/N in her arm with the other occupied with the basket. She cried for breaking her vow to never hurt Remus with her feared ascendancy abilities, she cried for the tremble of their once pristine family circle, she cried for the damage of Y/N's childhood she dreamt the best for, she cried to see her daughter witness a bellicose manner share between her mother and her transformed father, Hestia cried for a ruined future. Hestia, holding Y/N in her grasp, was in an occupation losing the werwolf by sneaking around the barks of grand trees. Sirius' and Serephine's manor cottage had a specific trail made to travel from theirs, to the Dior-Lupin cottage. Hestia used her history of being almost put into Ravenclaw in a hat stall into input in this sitch. She darted by picking her weight of the sole of her feet to sound inaudible in her tracks, and raced to the path between both manors. Sirius preparing at the safe house as a decoy for the Potter's welfare far out of earshot as for Serephine was driving back from her night shift as an Auror.

The swathed darling daughter in lilac layers of chenille and satin was being placed by her mother's arms into the wicker picnic basket. Hestia's tears interfered with the wilt of Y/N's blankets, her tears designing droplets of fear onto the fabric colouring dampness a deep shade of plum. The werewolf was still scouring in the forests but Hestia knew it was only a matter of little time that she would be found. So praying that either one of Sirius or Serephine would walk this path someday after like they habitually do, Hestia planted the basket holding her beloved child behind the bush with a tree overhanging of an enchanting collection of beheld amethyst wisterias. She pulled the necklace engraved of her name to be visibly displayed atop Y/N. Hestia knew with what each second went by, the more Y/N's safety was endangered because unlike Y/N, Hestia's tall stature would be harder to hide rather than Y/N's body of an infant. So with pearl-like tears streaming down her cheeks, hanging off the rim of her chiselled jawline, Hestia kissed her daughter for what she knew would be the very last time. 'I love you, I love you, I love you, and in another lifetime, may you meet with mama once more. Till then, I will wait, my child.' Hestia's murmurs were melodious farewells, glass shattering to the heart of her own that she knew would soon be sacrificed for the living of her bright daughter. And with one last deep breath, the woman bent and kissed Y/N's forehead with wet quivering lips of tears for the very last of her days. Hestia picked up the wrecked dress of ruined lace hems, from her shin's length, and ran away. She ran far from where Y/N was situated and intentionally caught the attention of the werewolf. Hestia sobbed tears with her family's name on each bead of crystalline from her eye slits as she darted into the darkness of the forest. The innocent pale moonlight projecting it's indigo blue tincture to gleam Hestia's tears like sodalite's falling down her face. She ran, and ran, and ran deep into the depths of the forest with the werewolf just behind her.

Hestia was a woman who adapted quickly to unfortunate events. But in her circumstances, she still the littlest bit of hope in her as she was stuck in an open pit of fallen trees, much to the werewolf's advantage. Hestia whipped her head around to see the werewolf close in sight, creeping up slowly as she backed away each motion. It was then that she stepped on her torn anniversary dress and fell backwards to the ground, her elbows colliding painfully with the forest ground. The atmosphere got colder, darker, and sinister in a way it became blood-curdling with each step the werewolf got closer to his wife. 'Remus stop! You know the man you truly are... please stop! ' The werewolf inched closer. The creature didn't recognize the name of the man. The werewolf was not the same being as Remus. 'Remus you wouldn't dare hurt me! You love me, you said so yourself so Remus please!' Problem was, this werewolf was not Remus. Remus was not the creature who was nearing Hestia. Remus was the loving father of Y/N, husband and the very love of Hestia Dior's life, best mate from Sirius to Peter to James and yet to Serephine too. Because in the end, these people would do anything for their moony. But this werewolf was not the same man in this circumstances. His claws arise before Hestia's fallen body, his eyes meeting his wife's, and his heart beating raw as ever. And with his first slash, the creature's claws dragged across Hestia's body with an aftermath of ear-piercing screams. Then another attack, and another, and another till the screams of the woman was an inaudible empty soul. Hestia's dead body had been killed and left in the lost ruin of the unknown forest by the . Raise a glass to the 3rd anniversary of the once married couple, Hestia Dior & Remus Lupin.

Fast-forward to 6 hours after the clandestine death of Hestia Harlow Dior-Lupin, it was 8:07am on the 30th of October, 1981. Serephine arrived at her Manor around 3 in the morning, Sirius an hour after her. And it was just like any warm-hued mellow autumn morning to Serephine and Sirius Black. Sirius was sprawled under the covers of their canopy king bed, air was slithering in through the widely opened full-length windows which lead to their stoned balcony. Serephine's waist leaned against the railing with her morning robe worn around her figure tightly, her chapped lips from the dayspring chill feebly meeting from the rim of her cup of Rosemary tea, spluttering a bit of her drink as she grinned from hearing Sirius' raspy snores. The silent piercing sound of psithurism of aureate gowned trees and the crisp rustles of crunchy autumn leaves seemed to dance with the sharp wind blazing into Serephine and Sirius' room begetting the ivory full-length drapes to flutter. Not even the mourning doves would have suspected anything odd that may have possibly occurred only a few hours ago.

Calendars in this couple's manor were marked with 'Remestia's' 3rd anniversary on the day. Sirius, as per usual, took his beauty sleep ever so seriously and that lead to Serephine going out alone into the muggle world to visit a florist shop. In her leather beret and taupe trench coat, she left the florist shop with a vast bouquet of amber autumn crisp Sunflowers. The symbolic flower of the 3rd anniversary in a marriage, symbolizing adoration, loyalty, and longevity. Serephine, being the woman she was, in jest hid a wilt ugly looking moonflower in the middle of the bouquet to specifically tell Remus it represented him and his undying youth to her. A fair amount of hours passed by and it was now the evening of the 30th of October. Serephine skipped enthusiastically with Sirius behind her mocking her fluttery skips as they trailed in the stoned path between the manors of Dior-Black and Dior-Lupin. Around a cerulean pond, pass a few foregone bird baths, and grassy lands, they stopped right at the end of the path where they recognized the cry of a baby. 'I love our little moonlet, but Merlin our niece has the call of a pterodactyl' Sirius retorted. 'Siri, nip it! Y/N's not in the house, she's in the crook of that tree!' Serephine cried. Sirius' face squished bemusedly as Serephine pulled her dress up to her knees and hopped over the lot of flowerbeds to where Y/N was hidden. The child's face softened at the familiar sight of someone round-faced other than the full moon. Serephine and Sirius were completely taken aback to find their beloved niece, alone, in the palm of a botanical garden. Serephine concernedly carried Y/N in the basket, sure to scold her twin for leaving her daughter alone in the outdoors with a great risk of a bee stinging the child's face to interfere with her flourishing beauty. The couple of two trudged their way to where they retained the Dior-Lupin cottage manor to be at, Y/N in the basket slightly getting grumpy about her head repeatedly hitting the insides of the basket due to Serephine's uneasy swinging. It took only a look from Sirius and Serephine to notice the atmosphere of the once gleaming house was dull and dead. The grasp in Serephine's hand failed to carry the stems of the Sunflower bouquet and it fell from her hand going unnoticed, the sound of the posy falling to the grass with the lightest blare.

The Dior-Lupin manor was not what it was the last time Serephine and Sirius visited. It's once vivid landscaping of various flowers (mostly Tulips) were no ripped from their flowerbeds scattered across their grass. Certain windows were violently broken and the drapes were greatly noticed to be clawed through. The grand entrance door was broken down to the porch as well as the balcony's. It looked like the certain aftermath of a certain situation Sirius had always secretly feared, but refused to believe it was what he was witnessing right then and there. The adults darted in through the doors of the manor and continuously shouted Hestia's and Remus' names. Sirius upstairs, seeing claw marks dragged down doors, and Serephine downstairs, seeing claw marks through their galleries of renaissance art. They both stumbled back in slight realization and hurried to one another. And when they did, they both saw the same horrifying notion in each others brown irises. Sirius' eyes widened and suddenly glossed as he bit back a scream at Serephine also reacting to the hunch with trembling knees and quivering lips. Sirius' hands shakily cupped Serephine's and promised that Hestia and Remus were probably also heading to their house for a visit and that they would be waiting at their porch for them to see. And so the couple ran back to their home with unconvinced tears pouring out of their eyes, heaving chests, and a desire for air to breathe. Y/N's innocent doe eyes peaked from the opening of her basket to look up to wet substance pouring from her Aunt's eyes. She tilted her head in utter bewilder and feebly sneezed, attracting Serephine's sudden attention as she forced a faux smile and stroked Y/N's head once.

Hestia nor Remus were waiting for Serephine and Sirius on their porch. And the couple hearkened to one another's heart chip and then shatter all at once. Serephine fells to her knees as she hyperventilated into the palm of her hands that caught the spilling tears from her eye slits. Their was a note held under the knocking ring of their left entrance door. Sirius' raced to the note, his hand constantly rubbing the drenching sobs from off his cheeks:

Dear Sayre and Padfoot,

I'm sorry. I'm sorry for ever believing I was half as worthy to be your sister's lawful husband. I'm sorry for believing I could ever raise a child of my own. I'm sorry for believing I could make a difference in your guys' life by befriending you. I'm sorry I believed I deserved you guys. I'm sorry that it all went down like it did. I do not ask for you to forgive me, let alone I cannot forgive myself. I don't think I can ever really forgive myself.

I am the murderer of my own wife. With the full moon being my assistance in crime, I killed Hestia Dior. I killed the mother of my child. The sister of Serephine Dior. The befriended of James, Lily Potter and Sirius Black. I murdered the love of my life and I couldn't even find her body to bury. Turns out, I really am the monster everyone feared I was.

I don't know where Y/N is. Hestia must've left her behind somewhere during the chase. Find and take care of my girl. Take care of my daughter the way I was never meant to be able to. Take care of her the way I believed I got a chance to. I shall take my burden of an existence off your shoulders. You deserve nothing like a person of me, and I, you. I never deserved your guys' cherishment, and you, my burden. I'm leaving in hopes that my daughter will have at least the chance at the life my dead wife planned for her to live, in hopes you guys will never come cross a murderous monster once more again. I trust you will provide the very best of life to my bright child, that is why I must not be in her life to dull it. Never speak of me, think of me, look for me, nothing. Your guys' lives mustn't consist of my burden. Not a breath goes by since the attack where I don't hate my guts anymore than I did before. So for the love of Hestia Dior, and my daughter's well being, do not bring me into the life of Y/N Dior-Lupin. Hestia longed to see her daughter live a happy life and the least I can ever do is not interfere with anymore than what I have done. Take care of my girl. If not for me, at least for Hestia.

I will not be telling you where to where I am off to. Do not come looking for me. I'm sure you wouldn't even bother after knowing. Trust me, if I were in your shoes, I would hate myself too. I was never fit to be deserving of the people who loved me. Raise and care for my daughter, I beg. If she is not associated with any magic whatsoever, keep her the furthest from the wizarding world. I was never suitable to be loved nor love. But you best not forget to make her feel loved every morning she wakes up, and ever night she sleeps. She likes to be put to sleep while being rocked on a rocking chair and she has energy bursts every quarter past 3 in the morning. But whatever you do, you best make sure she grows up never knowing about her disgrace of a father. This sitch must be so confusing for a little girl growing up.

Hestia and I left her Hestia's part of the Dior fortune, when Y/N was first born, in her possession when she becomes of age to access it at Gringotts. Once more, if she is not associated with magic, you best keep it away from her and say it is from your own fortune to her blessing when she becomes of age.

I trust you will give her the life she deserves. A life without me to be in with. I am sorry. And I hope for the well-being to all of you that we will never meet again. I am a murderer and I cannot bare to live around the people of the murdered's beloved ones. Take care of my girl. Not for me, for what Hestia longed for.

With never-ending apols and remorse,

R.J.L.

Sirius' knees gave out and Serephine's body weeped to the grass she let fall on.

"SHE'S GONE, SIRIUS, GONE!" Serephine sobbed, looking up at her husband's heartsore face. Her nails dug into the dirt as she clawed for some grip, feeling the bones in her collapse with every shaky intake of breath she devoured thickly. Sirius rushed from the porch step, throwing his body onto Serephine's as he hid her face under his chin, his tears falling and forming a tiara of loss around Serephine's pericranium.

And so they weeped for the death of Hestia Harlow Dior-Lupin. A silver string of muttered, 'she's gone' followed by 'I know, I know' seemed to never end. They mourned for the loss of a family, a mother, a friend, and a sister. Remus was gone just as Hestia was long gone. And so now, the cheered tall-glass of sparkling anniversary champagne was now shattered and stained all over the white table cloth in fonts of sorrow.

For the rest of the night, Sirius and Serephine sobbed, weeped, wailed, did it all. And all with the small audience of a clueless innocent Y/N watching crystalline threads string from their eyes like it was a marvellous discovery. No sleep, no stop. Sirius was mourning with complete terror with Serephine by his side, completely in melancholia's denial. Sirius stroked Y/N's petite self in his arms all throughout night long, trying to properly cope with Serephine. And so the entire ending night of October 30, 1981 evolved into the very beginning of October 31, 1981. Another collection series of exclusive tears.

It all happened in a flash. A striking emerald flash, to be precise.

A Sirius Black cradling Y/N's body in his arm, his other around a mourning Serephine Dior. A departing Sirius Black to the decoy safe house for the Potter's under Dumbledore's orders. A heavy mishap. A knock on the door, no Halloween spirit intended. A James Potter dead on the floor. A dark lord's wand raised at a Lily Potter. A green flash, green as the mother's eyes, just less effervescent. Another mother's sacrifice had occurred. A nebulous young infant Harry Potter hidden from the frame. A crying Severus Snape. A Sirius Black in denial. An framed and arrested Sirius Black. A bawling and begging for a trial Serephine. A Serephine pleading to Dumbledore to take custody of Harry Potter to raise. A Serephine left with her niece in her arms, alone to raise. A Harry Potter sent to his abusive muggle relative's household. An additional death streak of James and Lily Potter on October 30, 1981. The downfall of the Potter's family, the downfall of the Dior-Lupin's family, the downfall of Hestia and Remus' marriage, the downfall of Sirius and Serephine's relationship, the downfall of a thorny carmine era of guilty spilt blood and soulless lovers.

And so did exactly what the marauders would have wished for. Serephine designed a beautiful life for their little girl, Y/N. There wasn't a day that went by where the young lady felt remorse of not having legal custody to care for Harry for she, in no way, was related to Harry Potter to possess that responsibility. So Y/N grew, clueless of her past and very careless too, with much vivacity. She was Serephine's happiness, a butterfly. For the sake of their beloved beauty, Serephine mourned in silence to provide Y/N the life she was wished to live. Burnt cupcakes and ABBA on full volume, bed mattresses down the grand staircase and sleeping on the roof, swinging on trees and gliding through lakes guarded of willow trees, planting gardens and waking up Serephine with clanging pans, and endless conversations about Y/N's fantasy novels she wished to relive someday.

And so the post Dior-Black slowly became the echoing manor of a bright young girl and a collected lady. Them together, so on so forth.

But right now, we're in the present where Serephine and Sirius had just finished exposing the past to Y/N, with an agape Harry on her side.

"I don't think I'm a fit witness to be hearing all this," Harry choked out, his throat holding a lump in.

Y/N felt nauseated, speechless, lightheaded, all the above. But she felt somewhat completed. All the questions that raided through her head slowly dissolved into one fuzzy scenery in her mind.

Serephine sniffled, "I'm so sorry I threw it all out on you right now, but you were only so close to finding it out an-"

Sirius put a hand on Serephine's knee to quiet her as he looked profoundly into his niece's eyes, almost proud of who he was looking at?

Y/N gradually stood up as Harry rushed to grab ahold her elbows to balance her trying to look straight into her eyes, and dizzily pointed to the exit of the garden gazebo, "I- I think I'm going to take a little stroll someplace out..."

Sirius weakly smiled as he held his niece's hands gently in his, "Whatever it is that you need, poppet."

Y/N stiffly nodded as she bent down to Serephine sitting and dumbfoundedly kissed both her knuckles on either one of Serephine's hands muttering a quick 'thank you' as Y/N swiftly left.

Harry's first instincts were to chase after the runaway but Sirius placed his leg up in Harry's way to halt him with raised brows.

"Sirius, she's probably going to swing herself from a tree into orbit, for all I know right now," Harry reasoned with his Godfather.

"Of course, but before you do stop your runaway bride," Sirius deadpanned looking to his left to see Serephine's lips forming into a light smile with teary eyes, "I think there's something in this house that I kept, which I hope hasn't been relocated since my departing, that I think would be rather intriguing to both you and Y/N."

Serephine's eyes slowly travelled up to face Sirius' as they began to light up when she finally caught on, "OH THAT THING- Oh merlin, it has indeed been 'relocated since your departing'."

"Well alright then, we best show it to Harry and Y/N now, no?"

Serephine sighed and stood up, stroking her dress down and fixing herself up as she inhaled deeply and wore a genuine grin, "Follow me."

As free and blissful the manor may come off as, the manor had it's history and strict restrictions. Down to the west of their home, 2 staircases up, door to your right, was a forbidden room Serephine instructed Y/N must never enter. As a toddler, Y/N was told by Serephine there was a vicious three headed dog waiting to attack as soon as the door opens. With time, Y/N's mind grew more intelligent and witty, foxy if you will even, to believe any of what Serephine had in store for excuses. The young girl just believed it was an unfinished renovated room or simply an old dusty room that had little creatures in it. That was her mistake to never explore it further.

Down to the west of their home, 2 staircases up, door to your right, was a room that contained a whole life before the downfall of October 1981. In their was a bright clean room with not one speck of dust nor a crawling creature. It was greatly large for a hidden exhibit in a manor. There lied a twin bed with a crowned canopy above it, papered walls of floral patterns and oil paintings of Bambi and Faline, two ravishing cribs with certain names engraved in gold embellishments, a glaucous record player with vinyls displayed aside it of Bambi's soundtrack, the ceiling was crowned in ivory and had been painted of baby angels and pink and blue skies.

It was the marauders who all designed this very nursery room for their expected fallen angels to be born soon enough. Lily and Hestia painting the walls, Serephine and James spoiling the unarrived children with stuffed animals and Bambi vinyls, Sirius and Remus arguing over which shade of blue would compliment the baby angel's painted nails they spent 4.5 hours on just to end up painting them pink, Marlene and Pandora crafting jewels onto lengthy strings to hang from the ceiling, Dorces, Alice, and Frank building the cribs and carving Harry and Y/N's names onto them. It was elysian heaven-mania waiting to be stolen and vandalized.

Serephine had secretly spent all her nights, whilst Y/N slept, in this very room recalling every gleeful memory that soon faded into melancholic loss. The lady would just in in the corner and hold Harry's favourite stuffed bunny to her chest and stare at the grounds, eyes half lidded and numb. Sometimes she'd even fall asleep in there just to wake up to the chiming birds in the morning dawn and the craft she, Hestia, and Lily made with mental strung in a circular shape in different lengths for when the wind would move them in motion, they would bristle melodies off the metal meeting another. Serephine knew Y/N always snook out in the early mornings and late nights for she, Serephine too, was a very coveted brilliant minded woman she inherited with Hestia. Y/N always thought Serephine went off to bed way too early and slept in far to long in the mornings. No, Serephine had herself quietly sitting in the nursery waiting to hear her friends' voices again. If not their voices, then at least their hums to their vinyls they played every brunch. A winsome lot of 20 year olds with ABBA ringing minds and whiskey sipping lips to enjoy the littlest things together as whole. Little did they know did their celebration red wine could look and be mistaken for their upcoming death's crimson spilt blood.

Serephine seeing this room everyday was not a surprise to her as she walked in like a daily ritual. Harry and Sirius on the other hand portrayed two very different yet similar expressions. Sirius was nostalgic, melancholic, yet awed. Harry was confused, unbelonging, yet awed.

Serephine looked back at her boys and came to the realization where she halted before she could do anymore, "Oh, been a long time since you visited Siri. You too Harry. Still remember how you and Y/N used to crawl out and over your cribs and attempt to rip each other's stuffed animals. Anyway."

"WAIT Y/N? AS IN MY- Y-YOUR- OUR Y/N?!" Harry's voice increased suddenly realizing and coming back to reality.

"Yes Bambi," Serephine breathed a little laugh, "Your Y/N."

Harry was a reacting mess. A blush threatening to embarrass him though his cheeks, widened eyes as being in the same room his parents once was many years ago, his nursery room as a baby with the girl he mysteriously found in a forest on accident. It was an invisibility cloak revealed.

"We'll tell you everything later but if I can still recall, your runaway bride is still a runaway I'm assuming you'd like to banter with so..." Sirius' gaze switched to Serephine's as he referred to the item they were there for in the first place."

"Oh! Yes! Alright here," Serephine opened the doors of the milk white wardrobe and revealed a gallery book and a stereoscope. A gallery with Harry and Y/N's name embedded on it in italic font and the stereoscope being an invention that has two eyes holes and an insert to place your photo in to observe in 3-D.

"What am I supposed to do with two ancient artefacts to comfort a girl," Harry slowly asked, completely oblivious.

"Runaway bride!" Sirius reminded Harry in a sing song voice as he rushed and nudged Harry out of the room to signal him.

Serephine quickly spoke, "Again, don't feel too confused! We'll spend the night in this room and I'll answer all your questions and tell stories! I'll go make the treats right now! Make that cupcak-"

Sirius quickly put his hand over Serephine's mouth as she looked up at him with doe eyes, "- No cupcakes."

Serephine looked over Sirius' shoulder to see Harry already gone to look him back dead in the eyes, "I am not finished with you."

"Neither am I," Sirius smirked as he towered over his wife.

Harry was standing awkwardly at the door frame, "I forgot m-my wand, I'll just- just head out then. Erm- enjoy."

Harry scrambled out of the room and the couple could hear his mumbles of disgust echoing in the halls.

"You really are no different from the Sirius Black in 1981 are you?"

"You think a little trip to Azkaban can modify my mannerisms?"

"Well I thought it would!"

"Pretty pathetic assumption for a first-class woman like your, Lady Dior-Black," Sirius teased, his face coming closer I contact with his.

Serephine smiled and whispered, "Harry's at the door."

Sirius jumped away as his head swung to see the door frame utterly empty and most anti-Harry.

"You think after 12 years, it'll be that easy to win over the Serephine Primrose Dior again? Did Azkaban raise your spirits a tad bit up? Hm, take a shower and settle in and you can tell me about it," Serephine sighed, knowing she still needed to know about they're own betrayal, "Tell me everything about what happened that night for you. Tell me why I was left alone for 12 years with my niece to raise, please."

————. ° ♧︎: *.☽. * :☾. ♕ *. ————

Harry was an oblivious whipped young boy searching through the forests with a heavy weighing stereoscope in his left arm and a gallery book in his other, looking for his 'runaway bride'.

"Y/N?!"

"Y/N! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"MISS CHESHIRE, I SWEAR IF YOU'RE ON A TREE-"

Harry saved his breath when he heard Y/N shout, "I'M NOT HERE!"

He walked through nearly every ground of the forest to only realize he walking in circles, so he chanted her name repeatedly that were followed by a bunch of nicknames he created for her on the spot, a silver string of her name tumbled from his lips continuously till he was sure he had forgotten his own.

Harry stopped in his tracks when he realized where he was. The lake. Their lake. Their lake they first met at. And to think that same girl he found sitting against the bark of a willow tree would be the same girl he happened to start a new year at a wizarding school with and learn her entire history of her family tree and past. To think that, once was, stranger was the girl he grew up with since birth. To think that the girl he saw under the full moon was no longer Y/N Athena Harlow, but Y/N Athena Dior-Lupin.

Harry's back rested against the ungraciousness texture of the willow tree's bark, exactly where he had first seen Y/N, and just thought, wondered, and hoped. Does she really want to be alone after just hearing all that? What will I say to her? Should I compliment her to make her feel better or would she just already know? What am I doing here? Could she really not be here and just screamed from orbit? Does she feel guilty? Should I just stop forcing it? Do I just let fate do its job like when we first met? Should I just shut up and go back? Harry shut up and go back.

Harry looked down to either of his sides where the stereoscope and book laid. His eyes travelled up back to his front where his saw the hanging branches of the willow swaying in the summer breeze and the chiming of its calm bristles. Behind the framing greenery was the rippling aqua lake they swam in together. Nine elegant swans were clustered in the lake as well as a few lily pads had grown since the last time Harry visited. Tall grassy fields behind the lake swayed in the breeze with blooming flowers spinning in the zephyr. Two yellow butterflies dancing in the air from the corner of Harry's eyes.

Harry decided to let fate do its job as he gradually got up and annoyed muttered, "This girl."

"Ah, yes! That girl..." Y/N exhaled theatrically.

"FUCKING HELL-"

Y/N was laying on her side on the branch of the willow tree Harry was sitting against. Her elbow on the branch, her head propped up on her hand, her left leg swaying off the branch while her right was angulated on the branch. Her hair was frisky, as per usual, it wasn't messy, no, it was rather perfectly displaced to where it made her look like she was under water. She wasn't wearing her signature smirk, no, she had a very unimpressed look on her face rather dull.

She casually watched as Harry panted from his jump scare of unexpected events as he looked at her in disbelief, slowly shaking his head as an unintentional grin crept upon his lips, "How foolish of me to think Kitty Cheshire would prefer the ground than her tree."

Y/N spoke, "Very."

"Do you want to join me?" Harry asked bluntly, his eyes concentrated on her and her only, "Down here, on the ground?"

Y/N smiled at him and jumped down in a quite distressing manner as Harry helped regain her balance, his hold tight on her arms. They had made eye contact for only a mere 4 seconds and they already both had flushed rosette cheeks. Y/N quickly got out of his grasp and pulled herself together when her eyes finally met the two objects Harry left on the ground.

"And that is?"

Harry traced her gaze to when he finally caught on," 'Dunno, Aunt Serephine and Sirius gave it to me. You should've seen how lovey-dovey they get after a 12 year unannounced 'divorce'."

"Ew."

"Yeah, yeah utterly ew." Harry vigorously nodded in agreement.

"We aren't related are we?" Y/N slowly asked, hopeful for a certain answer.

"NO! NOT AT ALL!" Harry quickly responded, loudly, "Sorry, erm- no. Your aunt and my godfather are not related by blood and only by law."

"Right, makes sense," Y/N exhaled in relief, "If we were related I wouldn't be able to-"

Harry's eyes swiftly stared at her glistening ones watching the lake as her eyes widen when she began to hear herself.

"Wouldn't be able to what?" Harry asked as he moved his head into her direction catching her expression.

"I- I wouldn't be able to inherit all of Aunt Serephine's inheritance."

"'Was gonna break it to you sooner or later but I reckon Aunt Serephine and Sirius are gonna get right down to business to form a crook to steal part of your inheritance from what I last saw between them."

"HARRY!"

"Y/N!"

"Harry."

Harry's expression hardened yet his eyes softened at her as he titled his head trying to get to the point, "Y/N."

"I'm fin-"

"No you're not."

"Honestly I don't know what I feel right now, Harry."

"And that's perfectly exceptional, Y/N."

"But then why do I feel like it's not what my mother would've expected my reaction to be?"

Harry's lips formed into a faint smile Y/N could not even decipher as he began to chuckle to himself, "Because you're delusional, Willow."

Y/N's eyes diverted between both Harry's emerald ones as she let a breathy laugh out at the new reference, "What did you just call me?"

"Willow."

"Is this your attempt on calling me the Whomping Willow?"

"No, Willow."

"Yes, Whomping."

"Willow, I mean as in our tree," Harry explained as if it were the most obvious thing, "It's a willow tree, no?"

Y/N looked at Harry intently with a crooked grin on her lips. They were such mindless drawn creatures that were so artistically gravitated towards one another. How he admired her hair flowing like the willow's leaves and how she adored his strong face structure like the willow's bark. Y/N shifted her gaze to her feet as she walked a couple steps away from Harry and sat against the bark of the Willow tree and placed the gallery book in her lap. Her breath steadied as she slowly lifted her head to face Harry's and motioned for him to take a seat next to her. Both she and he sat in silence, the only audible sound being the swaying bristling willow leave.

"Before you open it," Harry started, putting a hand forcefully over the book, "Do you want to talk about it-"

"-I've never been familiar with the blues because it was only ever me and Aunt Serephine when I was growing up and I was never given a reason to be under the weather. I feel so illiterate for I have no idea how to form my feelings into a single verbal sentence disregarding my extensive vocabulary Aunt Serephine said I tend to play with a lot. I cannot wrap my head around the fact the same once random boy I unexpectedly met under a night of the full moon in this very forest was the same I happened to associated with since birth. The woman who I was told that took me in as an unwanted baby was actually my biological aunt. My uncle is a framed murderer who has a hobby of bibbidi-bobbidi-boo-ing himself into a canine when he feels like it. My professor in our previous year is my father who was afraid I'd hate him for what I just learned. My mother sacrificed her life for mine and is dead. I feel that it's so much to take in that my feelings are distorted but in no way am I upset."

"You can keep going," Harry smiled.

"Bless thy soul, Harry. I love feeling whole now that I understand everything. I love the woman I am being told is my mother, I am rocking with my new last name-"

Harry's mind went elsewhere in that very moment thinking what Y/N's name would sound like with another last name, more so familiar to his.

"-Aunt Serephine is the bravest most stronger woman I'll ever know, Sirius deserves so much better, I love that I am not what I had believed, an unwanted child."

"And what do you think of your dad?" Harry asked.

Y/N's voice became inaudible and her mind went sharp, "I actually didn't analyze that part yet. I just think I wish he told me earlier. But I do strongly believe that a person's identity and his or her werewolf form are not the same beings. In one way or another, yes he is the cause of my mother's death, but he is not responsible for her massacre. I'm usually a quick adapter but I don't know how long it'll take for me to adapt with him. I'm trying though, Harry. I'll try."

"I know you are, Y/N."

Y/N cleared her throat and rose her eyebrows at the book to indicate to Harry. Her fingers gently held the spine of the book and she flipped open the first page written '𝐁𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞'. They were both still clueless about it all as she flipped forward to the next page where a photo of two beautiful children were in a single crib, a baby girl's head atop a certain emerald eyed baby boy's.

Y/N gasped at the realization and Harry nearly choked on air.

"Is that-" Y/N begun.

Harry nodded fervently, "Mhm- is that-"

"Yeah," Y/N gulped, feeling the urge of laughter in her throat croaking.

This gallery book was dedicated to the early months of Harry and Y/N's birth. The birth of a  beautiful emerald eyed boy and a bewitching e/c eyed girl. This very book was filled to its finest of all photographs of Harry and Y/N as infants. The grown, once infants together in crime, enthusiastically flipped through the pages agape and in awe. Photos of Y/N pulling on Sirius' hair, photos of Harry nuzzled in Remus' arms, photos of Y/N with cake batter split on her, photos of Harry biting his stuffed animal, photos of Harry and Y/N sound asleep in Harry's crib, photos of Y/N's fingers fumbling with Harry's, photos of Harry and Y/N smiling on camera for the very first, photos of Y/N and Harry fallen asleep to Bambi vinyls with James in his deepest slumber having put himself to sleep to while craning over the crib, photos of Y/N and Harry splattered in Marlene's paint, photos of Harry and Y/N showing off each other's flowers they found for each other, photos of Harry and Y/N on a marauder's weekly picnic laying flat on their tummies facing one another and giggling at probably the mirror reflection of a themselves as being babies.

Y/N let out a breathy laugh, "This is unreal."

"This can't be us," Harry inhaled sharply, "Wait, pass me the stereoscope."

"Whatever you say, Bambi Boy."

Harry's head swiftly turned to hers as his eyes widened, cheeks blushed, and lips grinned, "Now what did you just call me?"

"Oh excuse me, are you speaking to me? You want to speak to Willow?" Y/N secretly never admitted how she loved her banters with Harry as she shoved the stereoscope at his stomach, "I was only doing what you asked, Bambi."

Harry's eyes didn't leave hers as he caught the stereoscope and smirked, "Don't knock yourself out, Faline."

Harry held the stereoscope up for Y/N as he slid one of the photographs into the slot of the scope and brought it close to Y/N's eyes. She instantly gasped at what she had seen. What she didn't see, was Harry grinning with dazed eyes at her reaction of that specific smile he dreamt of every moment he got. Y/N saw the photograph reenact its moment in three dimension. The stereoscope was a device for viewing a stereoscopic pair of separate images, depicting left-eye and right-eye views of the same scene, as a single three-dimensional image.

There was a cluster of blissful aura, Harry and Y/N being recorded by James' hyperactive camera skills, fervently watching the particular scene that came up where Faline and Bambi share a swift kiss on the cheek. Harry's doe eyes shifted between the projector and Y/N before he leaned in next to Y/N and kissed her cheek leaving her a giggling mess. James' voice kettle squeal broke the audio for the rest of the photo was inaudible.

"What are you blushing at, Faline?" Harry chuckled.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!"

"Hm," He side-eyed her, still wearing his subconscious grin. The two spent at least a sold forty five minutes flipping and switching between photographs and observing them through the wooden stereoscope. The laughter they chorused, the flushed cheeks they poorly hid, the teasing banters they chanted. Simply two youthful teenagers watching their ancient baby photographs under the willow tree they both met at after the separation.

Summertime's melancholia was always sweeter than spring's aureate nectar.

————. ° ♧︎: *.☽. * :☾. ♕ *. ————

𝑇𝑊𝑂 𝑆𝑂𝑈𝐿𝑆 𝐷𝑂𝑁'𝑇 𝐹𝐼𝑁𝐷
𝐸𝐴𝐶𝐻 𝑂𝑇𝐻𝐸𝑅 𝐵𝑌
𝑆𝐼𝑀𝑃𝐿𝐸 𝐴𝐶𝐶𝐼𝐷𝐸𝑁𝑇𝑆

【𝑨𝑼𝑻𝑯𝑶𝑹'𝑺 𝑵𝑶𝑻𝑬】

i'm back in black baby.
can you decipher that I am emotionally attached to bambi?
anyway, before going on any further with werifesteria,
i am going to be rewriting this book and changing,
it from harryxreader to harryxoc.

LADIES AND GENTS, I INTRODUCE TO YOU, Lilith Clèmence Dior-Lupin <3
i'm in love idc

i will be projecting my new writing ethics into my previous version,
before going in any deeper with this book.
i missed all my lovelies, Dior kisses for you all.

~ S.