0000. PROLOGUE
— october thirty-first, nineteen-eighty-one

OUTSIDE OF THE WALLS OF THE LUPIN FAMILY HOME, THE FALL WEATHER WAS IN FULL FORCE, WITH WINDS HOWLING BETWEEN THE BARREN LIMBS OF TREES AND FADED SOUNDS OF DROPLETS OF WATER SPLASHING AGAINST THE WINDOW PANES. Halloween wasn't much of a celebration this year because of it — the weather was airing more on the side of getting worse instead of better. But, there was no talking down the Lupin's four-year-old daughter. Especially when she hit both of her parents with the pout that always got her what she wanted (Arabella Lupin had both of her parents wrapped around her finger the minute she was born, and so did Evelyn Lupin), Juniper Scamander-Lupin couldn't help but smile at the sight of her daughter's blonde (though her hair was slowly darkening into the honey-amber tones similar to her father's color) hair bouncing down the stairs with her Cinderella costume on. Remus wasn't far behind their young toddler, a similar smile resting on his lips, especially as he glanced at the one-year-old who had laid her head against his shoulder. Despite the fall weather outside of their door, there wasn't anything else Remus felt he needed to keep himself warm. His chest was consistently fed with the warmth from his wife and children — a warmth he never thought he deserved because of who he was, but a warmth he came to understand he needed to be the best version of himself. Even then, when he looked at this picture-perfect example of domesticity, Remus Lupin nearly had to pinch himself. There was no reason he deserved this, all of this good stuff. All of this happiness.

"Why isn't she in her costume?" Juniper's question broke Remus from his train of thought. He glanced between Evelyn, who had just laid her head against his shoulder, and their oldest child, Arabella, who was practically bouncing on her heels, ready to trick or treat.

Wordlessly, Remus leaned over so Juniper could feel their daughter's skin, "I walked in, and she was burning up, I figured it would be best if she just stayed at home. I'll stay with her; you and Ara should go out and enjoy trick or treating."

Juniper couldn't help but coo at their one-year-old, the back of her hand feeling her forehead (not to say she didn't trust her husband's judgment because she did; she just wanted to know the severity), "My poor Evelyn, sick on her second Halloween." Evelyn propped her head up slightly from her father's shoulder, hands grabbing for her mother. This wasn't a new thing. Despite Evelyn Lupin being a daddy's girl (Remus was the only one who could calm her crying when she had colic), she always returned to her mother when she was sick. Juniper looked up at her husband and back at their oldest with a sad smile, "You should take Arabella, Rem. You know how fussy Evelyn can get when she's sick."

"You sure?" Remus questioned, "We don't have to go trick or treating. We could always just pick up some candy from the store and call it a day."

"Arabella wants to go, Rem, let her make those memories," Juniper laughed. "Besides, we need her to go walking and running around; she might go to sleep tonight because of it."

A laugh left his lips, his hand cupping his wife's cheek as he leaned down to kiss her. Juniper leaned into his touch, a hum leaving her lips, "I love you."

"I love you more," Remus smiled, and they both knew that neither one loved the other more. They couldn't; their entire hearts beat for one another — there was no way to have more love shared between them. But Remus Lupin couldn't help but question what he had done to deserve such a form of happiness in his life. He had a wife who loved him not despite but regardless of all of his other problems — he had two beautiful children, children that he vowed would never know the same pain he did. It was on days like these that he couldn't help but question what he had done to deserve this. Perhaps it was nothing. He leaned over to kiss his youngest child's forehead, "I hate that she's sick, is there anything you need me to pick up while we're out?"

"I think we have some potions already, so we should be fine," Juniper smiled. "But, I'm sure once she wakes up more than she already has, I won't have time to make dinner. So ..."

"I'll pick something up on the way home," Remus waved his hand, "what are you feeling?"

"Whatever you want," A shrug came from Juniper, making Remus narrow his eyes. Juniper laughed, "Seriously, Rem, whatever you want is good with me."

Remus couldn't help but sigh as he rolled his eyes at his wife's statement — in their nearly six years of being together, she always knew exactly what she wanted, but she often chose to forgo that for whatever Remus wanted. It wasn't that he pushed his opinion for dates or food on her. Juniper just wanted to see him excited and happy, especially in the times right after a full moon. Even after she had taken to buying the supplies and making the wolfsbane potion for him so he wouldn't transform, she wanted to give him a little joy. Joy that he hadn't had before he met her. Words failed Remus Lupin — he, a bookworm at heart with a particularly vast vocabulary, could not string together the words to explain that to her. Because how was he supposed to explain that to her? Tell her that he didn't need his wants to be fulfilled all the time; no, seeing her happy (and now seeing their daughters happy) was enough to make his heart flutter. He wanted to fill his chest with a lightness he never thought would be possible, a lightness he never thought he deserved because of who he was. Because of what he was. Juniper Scamander (now Lupin) made her point clear very early on that she loved him, not despite the things he had inflicted upon him but, regardless. Because she was sure, she would have loved him no matter what — whether he hadn't been a werewolf or even if he had become one while they were dating. Like a single thread had tied them together many years ago, Juniper Scamander knew that her heart was his just as his was hers. Two souls intertwined, Remus and Juniper were destined for one another. And Juniper knew she would do whatever she could to make him happy, that was her only goal in life.

To make her family happy.

"Juniper," Remus sighed. "I know you're craving something specific, please let me get something you want for once."

"Rem," Juniper sighed, running her hand through their sick daughter's blonde locks. Remus hit her with another look, trying to get her to tell him what she wanted. "Fine, but you're choosing the next time."

Remus raised his hands in mock surrender, "Fine by me."

"I could go for that sandwich shop up the road," Juniper answered, making Remus nod further trying to get what exactly she wanted. She rolled her eyes, readjusting Evelyn in her lap before continuing, "The turkey club."

"Alright," Remus smiled brightly. "A turkey club it is."

"Now, go," Juniper shooed him off. "Have fun trick-or-treating."

"Arabella," Remus called out to their daughter who had taken to running around the first floor of their cottage, smiling wider when she came bounding into the living room with a slight giggle. He had knelt down to the floor, his long arms reaching out to grab the toddler and pull her into him for a quick hug. When he broke their hug he very quietly spoke, "Go give your mum a hug, Ara."

"Can I give Evelyn a kiss to help her feel better?" The toddler's voice cut through the near silence (barring the wind outside and the creaks and groans their homemade normally), melting both of her parents' hearts. Arabella had pulled herself up onto the couch to give her mother a hug and a kiss on the cheek before looking at her sister. Juniper brushed some of Arabella's fly away hairs out of her face, smiling while nodding in response to her daughter's question.

"Of course you can, Arabella," Juniper moved Evelyn slightly to make it easier for Arabella to lean over and kiss her forehead. "I'm sure your sister is already feeling so much better knowing her older sister loves and cares for her as much as you do."

"I love you Mummy," Arabella smiled toothfully at her mother, which sent a pang straight into Juniper's heart. Their daughter's were growing up much too fast for her liking. It was just like yesterday she remembered coming home with a newborn baby and now they were both talking (albeit Evelyn was only just over one year old, her talking was far from advanced). A part of her felt like she had blinked and suddenly she was here, like it all happened within the blink of an eye, watching them grow up.

Juniper gave her a kiss on her cheek, being sure to make an extravagant show for her, "And Mummy loves you, so, so, so very much. Enjoy trick or treating with your daddy, okay?"

"I will, Mummy," Arabella nodded, grabbing her trick or treating pail off of the entryway table, with a skip in her step.

"I love you," Remus smiled at his wife, leaning down to give her a kiss before they headed out. Leaning over a little more, he placed a kiss on their youngest's head, "And I love you too, feel better soon."

Evelyn's eyes opened at her father's words, her small hand reaching out for his (much larger) one with a small whisper, "Dada."

Remus' heart melted at his daughter's soft coo, one of his fingers gently rubbing her temple until her eyes closed again and her hand dropped from his other one. He gave Juniper one last kiss on the forehead before running to follow Arabella out the door. The house was quieter once they left — at one point in time Juniper would have loved a quiet home, long before they had Arabella, Juniper was a fan of near silence. She enjoyed it, and practically craved it. In some ways, she needed silence like a person needed their morning coffee. There was no doubt in her mind that if someone had asked her younger self if she thought she could live in a loud home, her answer would have been no. Remus was much the same, though he was more tolerant to loud noises and sounds. Being roomed with James, Sirius, and Peter forced him into being more capable of handling them. But the two had found solace in each other's inherent want and need for silence — they never had to justify why they wanted to be quiet together. Staying in instead of going out, curling up next to the fire in the common room with a book over sneaking out to whatever place the other students were going to for a party. Not to say they didn't join along, because they did, but, oftentimes they didn't have to explain what was happening when their social battery had been depleted, when they had heard one too many noises, spoken one too many times, or anything in between. On the days when the outside world was just too much, both Remus and Juniper were more than welcoming to a quiet day in. But now? Silence was a rare find within the Lupin home and for a reason that Juniper couldn't argue against. She couldn't imagine waking up to a silent home, not anymore. No, she had grown too used to and too fond of the sound of her daughter's giggles and faint music coming from the record player. Or the sound of Remus singing along to songs as he made both of their daughters breakfast, allowing his wife to sleep in for the days she was off of work. She couldn't imagine her home being quiet instead of hearing the way her husband created another world for their daughters to escape amongst during story time. Juniper Scamander-Lupin found the now quiet house to be unsettling — abnormal for what she was used to now. Especially with the weather outside, the wind howling right outside of the windows, and the slight creaking of the old and aging wood their home had been made out of. If she strained just enough, Juniper could even hear the rustling of trees right on their property line, reminding her of the wind working its way through the town.

Standing with her daughter attached to her side, Juniper stood up to grab one of their records out of their collection and throw it on to play. Something, anything, to break up the quietness surrounding her in her own home. Evelyn stirred slightly, raising her head up as her mother pulled the vinyl out of its album sleeve and put it onto the record player. Evelyn's eyes watched her mother's actions, watching as Juniper gently picked up the needle, placed it onto the plastic disc and listened for the start of the song. It wasn't long after that that Evelyn's eyes grew heavier, the little girl taking longer and longer between her blinks, and her head returned to rest against her mother's body. Juniper softly ran her hands over her daughter's head, speaking softly to her, "Do you want to try to eat something, baby?"

Evelyn seemed to think for a moment before nodding her head no, "I no feel good, mummy."

Juniper couldn't help but hit her lip out in response, cooing at her daughter's words with a finger dragging lightly against her warm cheek. Evelyn's eyes closed as she tiredly closed them even as Juniper said, "Sweetheart, you have to try and eat."

Juniper had known it was a lost cause the minute she was up and walking around with her daughter falling asleep in her arms — Evelyn was already such a picky eater when she wasn't sick that during the few times she had gotten sick over her first year of life, it was difficult to get her to eat. This was something that Juniper understood quite easily; when she didn't feel well, she didn't want to eat. But Juniper knew it was a thousand times easier for her to force herself to eat even when she was sick, even when she was hurting, compared to her daughter, who couldn't even articulate what she was feeling. Running her hand through her daughter's blonde hair, Juniper let out a sigh. It was a battle she wasn't willing to fight; if her daughter felt bad enough not to eat, she wasn't going to push it. Not now, at the very least.

Instead, she just walked around their living room with her daughter in her arms. Bouncing her ever so slightly to help rock her to sleep, Evelyn's eyes drooped further and further as she reached the cusp of sleep. Just as stubborn as her father, Evelyn was trying to fight off sleep. Juniper couldn't help but find it endearing anytime she found a connection to her husband in their children. Of course, she saw parts of herself in her children, but she had always wished that their children would take after Remus more than herself. Every good thing that Juniper could ever think about existed within her husband, the man she was cut from the same star, her other half. And any part of him that bled into their children was something Juniper was more than happy to have. She saw Remus in Arabella when she worried, whether it be over her younger sister or over her own parents. Her brows furrowed together, and her lip would jut out in the same way that Remus' did when he was stressed. Arabella would pace through the home with a singular hand on her hip, following behind her father, who was doing the exact same thing. Two birds of the same feathers. Evelyn was much too young to see every trait she gathered from either parent. But Juniper knew that Evelyn had taken a liking to her father. She was always less fussy when Remus was around, both of their daughters were, and all three of the Scamander-Lupin's were calmer when Remus was around.

Evelyn, after minutes of fighting off the sleep she so desperately needed, had finally fallen asleep in her mothers arms. Mouth open as she breathed, the noise of her stuffy nose filling her mother's ears over the music that had been softly drifting through their home. Juniper ran two of her fingers over her daughter's rosy cheek, feeling how warm she was. A sigh left the older blonde's lips, placing a kiss on her daughter's forehead before mumbling her next few words against her daughter's skin, "I wish that magic could help you more, my little love."

Evelyn stirred slightly, a slight whine leaving the one-year-olds lips after Juniper spoke. Moving from the living room of their cottage, Juniper shifted her hold of her daughter. With Evelyn now snug against her hip, they both made their move up the stairs back to the nursery. Juniper couldn't seem to push down the feeling of eeriness she had about their home with most of the lights off. It didn't help that it was storming outside and she had always been left a bit uneasy with thunder rolling through the skies. The house creaked, wood shifting as the wind outside of the home picked up. Just as her hand reached the doorknob to the nursery a strike of lightening hit the ground just in front of the home. A flash of white light greeting Juniper just before the large boom and clap of thunder followed. Evelyn stirred just enough that Juniper worried she had woken up with the sound of the thunder, but instead she nuzzled her way into her mothers neck. Juniper let out a breath she wasn't even aware of holding once the house settled, opening up the door. Oddly enough, it was at that moment she realized the eerie feeling she had was just a sense of deja-vu. Juniper Scamander-Lupin was no stranger to deja-vu. She just couldn't remember what this was reminding her of. She couldn't remember what vision it may have been that she had, what thing she had seen that was causing this. She had spent plenty of stormy nights putting Evelyn back into her nursery, that's where it was coming from.

It definitely was not the time for that vision to be happening. She had time left, she swore Evelyn seemed older in the vision. She thought she had more time.

But time was never on her favor, Juniper Scamander-Lupin knew that from the minute she started having the visions. Because the visions told her about her death long before they ever told her about the life she would get to live. Her something to look forward to. Juniper leaned her head against the crib, she hadn't even be able to say goodbye to her husband.

To her soulmate. Remus would come home to find her dead (to find them both dead?) and there was nothing she could do about it. Would it be strange for her to write a letter? Juniper shook her head, what if she was wrong about this feeling? Perhaps it was all just in her head, the feeling had subsided just a bit. As she stared out the window, watching droplets of water trail down the pane of glass, it all started to settle a bit more within her. Even if this was the day, Juniper would be content with it as long as her daughter made it out alive. As long as her daughter made it to see her father, everything would be right. It would make her death worth it. Instinctively, Juniper clutched at the necklace her own parents had gifted her when she was just a child. A necklace her own mother had worn throughout her childhood, a necklace that helped to keep her mother alive during the war with Grindelwald. Her finger ran over the gold chain as she got lost in thought while watching the leaves sway with the trees in the wind. It wouldn't hurt anyone for the necklace to be put onto Evelyn, right? If it helped to ease some of her fears make her feel better about what may or may not be coming in the near future, was there any problem with doing it?

Juniper knew the answer to her own question.

The minute she slipped that necklace off of her own neck and placed it onto her daughters she was signing her death certificate. The necklace was the only thing that stood between Juniper Scamander-Lupin and death — but, Juniper valued two things ahead of herself. She had the very minute she found out she was pregnant with Arabella. Actually, scratch that, she knew that her own life was the least of her priorities the first time she had a vision where she saw her two children. Her first and only priority was always going to be her children. It was always going to be protecting them first, making sure they got to enjoy their life. Making sure that they get to have a world worth living in. Juniper wanted to be part of that world, Godric knew she did, but she knew that was out of the cards, so she settled with trying to ensure they had everything they needed. Unclasping the necklace from her neck was one of the easiest decisions Juniper had ever made — second to saying yes when Remus asked her to marry him. Putting it around her daughter's neck was a difficult one. Not because of what it would do — Juniper would do anything to keep her daughter alive, and without fail, she would do anything.

But the minute that Juniper clasped the necklace around her daughter's neck, it made everything real. Or maybe she was thinking too much about it because the necklace didn't make anything feel real.

The sound of their front door being blasted open, wood flying across their living room as the music completely died inside of it, was the nail in her coffin. This was it. This was Juniper Scamander-Lupin meeting her death. And oddly enough, she felt at peace.

Perhaps it was just because she knew her daughter was going to be fine — even if she was his actual target. She wasn't an idiot; she knew he would want her for her powers. Juniper had cursed Evelyn to the same fate, a fate of being cursed with visions of the future and other things that Juniper had not yet even thought of tapping into in her twenty-one years of life. Juniper turned to look at her sleeping child, hand reaching out to run against her cheek once more. Evelyn looked so peaceful and quiet; sleeping like a baby was a better way to put it. A pang of guilt filled Juniper's stomach; Evelyn would never remember her. Her daughter would grow up never knowing her mother, and Juniper felt guilty about it, as if it was her own fault she was going to die. And she would never remember this, which was for the best. Evelyn shouldn't be forced to live with the memory of her mother dying. But it also meant she would never remember her mother's last words. Still, despite knowing that she would never remember any of it, Juniper spoke. Even if it was just to the air surrounding them, she needed to say it. She needed the universe to hear her last words.

"Evelyn," Juniper's voice was strangely calm for a woman who knew she was about to die, "I love you more than you could ever know. I love your father and your sister just as much." A tear traveled its way down her cheek, "I wish I had more time; I thought I had more time. You don't deserve this happening to you; you're just a baby. And the world will never be the same after this for you and your sister, even your father."

The wood on the stair second to the bottom creaked, as it always did, causing Juniper's head to whip back towards the door. She took a deep breath. It would only be a minute (possibly two) before she breathed her last breath before she had her final moment alive on this Earth. Turning back to her one-year-old, Juniper kneeled to be level with her face between the bars on the crib, "Evelyn, Mummy loves you."

For a moment, she wished she had taken the time to write the letters. To give a final goodbye to everyone. "Mummy loves you, and she loves your sister, and she loves your daddy very much. And your mummy wouldn't dream of having any other life."

"I wouldn't be so certain of that," the door creaked and a voice that she had only heard whispers of before filled her ears. Goosebumps rose on her arms, down her spine, as Juniper turned to face him. His face was covered with a hood, and the rest of his body was cloaked in darkness; another roar of thunder came through the house as she stood up. Fitting. "You might wish you had chosen a different life than this one."

Juniper lifted a brow, "What? A life working as a living weapon for you?"

He sucked air between his teeth, "I wouldn't turn your nose up at the idea, can you imagine it? The things we'd be able to do with you by my side."

"I'd rather fucking die."

"Don't worry, you will," Voldemort retorted. "I'm only trying to figure out if I should kill that kid of yours first."

"Oh c'mon, Tom, where's the fun in that?"

A tsk, "Perhaps."

"Go on then, I'm not going to join you. There's only one way tonight is going to go."

A hum came from his lips, and soon, his wand was pulled out, staring her down like the barrel of a gun. Juniper closed her eyes; she didn't want to see the green that would take her out. She couldn't die letting that be the last thing she saw. She glanced down at her daughter before closing them again and taking a deep breath. Tom's voice filled the room, a sharp and shrill tone encasing the words Avada Kedavra, and soon Juniper felt nothing at all. Another mutter from Tom Riddle, another shade of green heading directly towards Evelyn before it bounced back to hit him. Black enveloped the room as he escaped out the window, not unlike a dog trying to lick his own wounds.

Leaving behind the lifeless body of Juniper Scamander-Lupin and a one-year-old Evelyn Lupin, who had just been stirred awake. A scene that Juniper would have never wished her husband had to see. But a scene he would be forced to stumble onto in just twenty minutes. Twenty minutes later, Evelyn woke up from her feverish state only to begin crying out for her mother, her mother who had just been there with her.

Remus Lupin heard them from their front yard, his daughter's high-pitched voice crying Mama enough for him to realize what happened inside his home. He thought they had more time. He pulled Arabella into his arms, running through the broken-down front door to his house. Stopping, heart beating wildly fast, he wondered if he wanted to be the one to walk up the stairs. If he was strong enough to see what he knew would be up there. He couldn't. He wouldn't be able to live with the image of the love of his life lying lifeless on the floor of their youngest child's nursery. But he also couldn't bear to hear his daughter's shrill cries filling their home, not knowing how long she had been left there. Remus turned his head to look back out the door, where the bags of food he had brought home from dinner were scattered against the ground. Arabella stirred in his arms, the four-year-old speaking, "Daddy, I don't like this."

Remus cradled her head into his neck, "I know, I know."

With one silent charm, Arabella was fast asleep against his shoulder. He didn't need her seeing this, too. He let out a shaky breath before walking up the stairs towards Evelyn's cries, the door creaking when he entered the nursery. Juniper's face was covered with her blonde hair, which may have been the universe trying to soften the blow for Remus. Sure, he knew it was his wife. He knew it was her body lying there. But without seeing her face, he was able to push back the breakdown that was pushing its way through his body. Remus quickly grabbed Evelyn out of her crib, hugging her close to his body. He apparated to the only place he could trust, which was safe for his daughters. Their grandparents. No words were spoken; they didn't need to be. They 'knew.

Juniper Scamander-Lupin was dead. Evelyn Lupin wasn't, and it was all because of her mother's sacrifice. But that doesn't change anything. Because the world never found out about Evelyn Lupin's amazing brush with death and the sacrifice made for her. No, Remus Lupin didn't want that for his daughter. Especially considering that same night Harry Potter (his best friend's kid) came out not only an orphan but also hailed as the savior of the wizarding world. Evelyn Lupin deserved to have as normal of a childhood as possible, which meant keeping her out of the wizarding world's prying eye. After all, Remus knew that there was no way he could give her a normal childhood. She had a werewolf for a father and a sister, and he had no support system outside of her grandparents. James, Lily, and Peter were all dead. Juniper was dead. And Sirius had betrayed three of them.

Normal is not something that Evelyn Lupin would describe her childhood. Or a word she would use to describe her years at Hogwarts. Because how the fuck did she get to outlive Lord Voldemort at one year old, only to have him come back at the end of her fourth year. How is that fucking fair? And why is it that Harry fucking Potter is always at the center of it?

Evelyn Fawn Lupin wasn't sure, but she was certain that she was fucking tired of this already.

AUTHORS NOTE

I'm sorry (I'm not).
To be fair. We all knew what was coming.
Juniper's storyline has been the same since Records was started like what ... 7 years ago? Rip Juniper Scamander-Lupin, gone but never forgotten.

Buttttt!! A records update in the year 2024?? Shocker, I know! I hope you all enjoyed it! I can't wait to continue Evelyn's growth story and bring harvelyn back to everyone!!

Also everyone say happy birthday Hannah (bananapopsicIes) because she is the main reason this is being posted despite me being finished with this chapter for like over a week.

Let me know your thoughts!!