CHAPTER ONE
↳ 12 years later

CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, ELARA LUPIN WAS MORE OR LESS OKAY. Sure, she wasn't brilliant in the department of family perfection, but she was getting there. Funnily enough, the number one question you get asked when your father is a lunatic in prison is more so about your well being, not about family drama, just a plain how are you.

It was rather boring. She would rather tell the exciting, thrilling, story on how her wonderful father betrayed her god-father, all in the name of a man who is missing a nose.

Though, instead she gave them the usual, practically rehearsed response. The "i'm okay" because of course no one wants to hear anything other than that. But, it wasn't a lie per say. She grew up as well as she could be, considering all her life circumstances and so truthfully, she was okay.

Twelve years had passed by with the blink of an eye and Remus Lupin was helpless as he watched time take away his short little girl and return in hand with a tall, bespectacled, confident teen with a vivid and vibrant personality. He watched as Elara grew as a person, developing her own style, her own humour, her own cheekiness, learning things and constantly reminding him that she wasn't a kid anymore.

Though, in slight blinks he could still see the little girl who got too scared when it began thundering and stuffed herself with chocolate at three in the morning.

Remus also saw a blatant reminder of someone he would never be able to forget.

There was a twinkle in her eyes that seemed scarily similar to the man he would never be able to escape from. It seemed as though he was watching through her eyes, even twelve years later.

Elara did not have the most sociable upbringing, especially not the one Remus fantasised about when she was barely talking. In his own little fantasy, Elara would've grown up surrounded by so many people, with an endless amount of love. His affliction forced the family into an isolated life in the Welsh valleys, just a few miles away from a Muggle village. The vast scenery - a forest Elara liked to claim was haunted - seemed to stretch out for miles, though they made it work. Sure the loneliness wasn't the greatest, but the safety was, and regardless Elara loved it. The humbleness of the Welsh valleys comforted her in solitude as she endlessly wasted away with little to do and little to worry about. Her hair grew in prominence and her features became more defined and Remus Lupin wondered, sometimes, whether his first and only love would be able to see his little girl the way he saw her. Whether, he'd, see his little poppet the way he saw his moon.

Her stubborn curiosity was an exact replica of the man Remus couldn't ever bring himself to name. The memories of nights together haunted him whenever his little girl flashed him a seemingly innocent little grin at her own little mischief. Items displaced around the house and paints splattered on the floor seemingly gave him déjà vu at the nights where his former love would break out into shrieks of laughter at the moon's shocked expression.

Her smile was simply a crescent moon and it lit the room like the moon lit the night sky.

He, in plain simplicity, adored her with all his strength and courage.

Elara was as curious as a cat and as stubborn as any badger would be, so naturally she longed for the knowledge of her other father. The only reminder simply being a photo of both her fathers holding her staring at her whenever she'd enter her bedroom.

It was a reminder of the life she lost when her father, Sirius Black, deserted her that cold night.

Her papa and dad seemed so happy, him looking at papa with a look that was filled with love and pure happiness. A look no one could ever fake. The photo itself was a photo Remus himself refused to look at, having shut it in the attic so he didn't have to deal with the overwhelming emotions from the memories

Sometimes Elara doubted her father ever committed the crime he was accused of, but that simply was selfish hope that she knew she shouldn't ever have.

She tried to hold onto a belief that people found preposterous to even believe. It was all Elara ever wished for. She could never voice those beliefs, for it would be treacherous to hear her whispers for his innocence. She wished the man she could barely remember was innocent, not only for her sake, but her papa's as well. He was all alone, alone when he had to become a beast every month during the full moon, alone when he had to raise Elara.

Elara never brought up her beliefs on whether or not her dad really was guilty. He always remained adamant that Sirius Black deserved his place in Azkaban, surrounded by the intrusive dementors. Sure, he loved Sirius Black, but he also despised how he betrayed them all. Because, not only did he betray Lily and James, but he also betrayed his fiancé and daughter. Elara understood his opinion and respected him, but still tried to hold onto her small beliefs. She wanted to meet him and have a whole family again. But she could never, he was a criminal who'd never see the light of day again. At least, she believed he wouldn't.

You see, a few days ago he broke out of Azkaban ( which was apparently 'unbreakable' so there was definitely something fishy there ) and was apparently coming after her best friend?

Yeah, I know it's so confusing.

The day the Daily Prophet published his name as an escapee was the day Remus Lupin had shut himself in his room for hours on end and only came out when Elara bribed him with hot chocolate. That day wasn't the happiest, but Elara always tried brightening the mood with her jokes and film references

Elara always found herself sitting on a rock in the woods behind her house in the countryside in Conwy that she shared with her father. In her hand she held a muggle book which Hermione had gifted her with for Christmas during her first year at Hogwarts. It was a book called "Little women" which Elara was rather fond of. In counting she had read the book a total of fifty times and wasn't tired of it.

During that year at their time being at Hogwarts, Hermione and Elara formed a friendship that Elara found to be so strong and beautiful. She absolutely loved the witch. She admired her intellect, her warmth, every thing about her was just... surreal. She left Elara's breathless and just when Elara had found her breath she'd steal it once more.

Flipping the pages, Elara smiled brightly at them. The muggle book was something a wizard could barely concept. It was rich with truth and passion that the author must've felt. Wizards could write a book similar, but it would never feel as true as Little Women was when written by a muggle. It was a muggle-type of magic, bewitched to transform you into the lives of the March sisters.

Elara Lily Lupin had always been a force to be reckoned with. She had wits and a mind like no other, confidence that hid away her insecurity and she seemingly glowed with all her might. Elara Lily Lupin was a complicated persona in simple words. A force to be reckoned with, yes, but also a complicated and unobtainable equation that left people bewildered for days on end. She had doe like eyes that were dark like chocolates, a soft expression permanently fixed on her face, dark brown hair that was eccentrically curled and elegant, soft dark brown skin that glistened in the sun and flustered with happiness. Her cheeks were traced with constellations and stars that bathed in the hues of her complexion with elegance and prominence. She enjoyed dancing in the forest and reading until the late hours of the night. She thrived in the sunlight, and graced in beauty in the moonlight and flourished under the harsh bliss of winds.

Truly, Elara name reflected who she was.

Elara's name was simplicity. It was one of the moon's that orbited Jupiter, a planet that fascinated Elara and clearly fascinated her parents who named her it as it took them 259 days to get both their names on her adoption certificate, even before then she was calls Elara, mainly because it was suggested due to the fact her papa's nickname was Moony and Elara was a pretty moon name.

In the forest behind her house, many enchanted species resided. Some stayed hidden, rare and unnoticeable to the naked eye, others showed themselves when they knew they would be safe, those creatures were sitting contently on Elara's lap making sounds she pretended to understand. It was no lie that the forest was enchanted, it was a lie to think it wasn't. The forest was a safe haven for species, hence why Remus Lupin, Elara's adopted papa, had decided to stay there with his daughter in a cosy little house that remained perched at the end of the forest.

Not only did it keep him away from society, but it also helped them mentally. The nature, the area, was so surreal and it was truly a sight to hold. Despite how isolated from society they were, Elara wouldn't have it any other way. Both she and her father were happy and that's all that mattered.

She always spent her Summer evenings alone, sat in the forest until the dark covered the forest. That was unless it was the day of a full moon, in that case she'd come home before night to spent time with her Papa, eating chocolate and reading whatever book she wanted so that she could comfort her Papa. Most the time, these nights were spent in complete silence, though it never mattered. Silence or not, Elara knew her father found comfort in her presence and it was nice anyways. She knew how much he despised the monster he was to become once a month, always wishing he wasn't burdened with such a curse.

Elara would always wish she could do something to help her Papa, but lycanthropy was incurable. She couldn't perform magic to help him, she was practically just another mouth for him to feed and it made her feel as though she was a burden. She hated it.

Focusing her attention to the chapter she was reading, Elara didn't realise a black dog was stood near her, sniffing the air and watching warmly as she read on. She didn't notice how the dog zoned in on her outfit, wearing a faded Bowie shirt which seemed too big for her. Elara remained content as she read, only noticing the dog afar when a twig snapped. Immediately, her eyes darted to where the sound originated from, narrowing down at the sight of a black dog skidding away.

Her eyebrows furrowed together. "What the--" She coughed, noticing how close the dog was coming to her. She paused for a moment, thinking to think of a reasonable explanation for why a random black dog was there before finally speaking up. "Hello?" She called out, her voice dazed yet curious. "Hello?" She called again. The dog's ears perked up and walked back where she was. Elara's eyes softened, noticing how skinny the poor thing was. "Are you lost? I've never seen you here before?" She'd swear the dog's clouded grey eyes looked similar, like a faint memory she held close to her heart but had lost to the evils of time.

The dog carefully approached her, their silvery eyes that were as cold as a steel glistening as they stared curiously. Now the dog was nuzzling their nose against her hand. Elara lazily rubbed the dog's fur, smiling brightly at them. "Are you hungry?" Although she knew she wouldn't be able to understand the dog, she didn't want to act like it was incompetent and insignificant. The dog gave out a bark; evidentially it must've been hungry. The poor thing was just bones, thin and clearly starved. Their thick black fur seemed ragged and the poor thing seemed to be neglected. Elara wondered if it's prior family was abusive, but she saw no collar so she assumed it was a stray.

If Remus wasn't so reluctant to get a cat, Elara would've brought the dog home with her as a pet. She adored animals, Remus... not so much, well at least not at the extent to which Elara held her adoration.

He used to love dogs. In fact, he adored them with all his heart. There were always photos of him and Elara, when she was a baby, with a great big, fluffy black dog, whose fur shone with happiness. She always did wonder what happened to that dog.

He must have died, somehow.

Elara carefully reached her hand down, the dog's face nudging her side in a loving manner, she brought her hands up t reached into her pocket and bought out a jam sandwich she had stuffed in there. Of course, she also had chocolate biscuits, but dogs couldn't eat them.

Placing the food in her hand after unwrapping it out the foil. The dog for a split moment perked when they saw the foil, almost as though they recognised it which Elara found quite odd. Elara held the food out to the dog, the dog biting it only seconds later. She watched as the poor thing munched away quickly, scoffing the sandwich down in a few seconds, evidently the dog had been starving.

"I doesn't feel right that I keep calling you poor thing," she dwelled for a moment, a finger placed on her chin in thought. "You aren't a thing, you're a beautiful creature and I think you deserve a name," she smiled softly, a fond expression evident on her face as she stared lovingly at the beautiful creature with haunting eyes.

The dog looked at Elara, the man who hid in it taking in her soft features that reminded him so much of the little poppet he adored so much. Oh Merlin, how time had robbed him. Time had been cruel and ran away with his baby and instead left this girl for him to just stare at. Of course, he was aware that she was the same little girl he left twelve years ago. Sure she seemed different and much bigger, but her curly locks, her smile, her freckles that painted her brown cheeks, they were all the same. He missed so much, but she was still the little poppet he loved so so much. "I think I'll call you Snuffles!" She beamed and pet the dog more and more, the dog barking happily.

The girl was going to go back to reading her book, but her Papa had called her name out, beckoning her in. She saw Snuffles' head perk up, eyes looking rather watery and then the dog scurried away. The girl stared at the direction where the dog ran off to, tempted to go and run after it. But she knew her Papa wouldn't be that pleased if she came in too soon for tea time.

Picking herself off the ground with some reluctance, she bid her farewells to the dog, rushing back to where she heard her papa calling her name. She bathed in the warmth of his embrace when she finally appeared, the hug being synonymous with a marshmallow, soft and sweet. The two of them were as close as a father-daughter duo could be. Remus had raised her all alone, watching her grow up.

He wished Sirius could've been there when she took her first steps, when she read her first book, when she went off to nursery for the first time. Sirius had truly missed everything, but he did it to himself when he told you-know-who where the Potter's were hiding.

His emotional attachment to the love he once held for Sirius Orion Black still lingered. It scorched him, tore him from limb to limb. Every moment they spent was replaced with the bitterness that Remus had left when he woke up to the news of Sirius being the traitor and leaving him and their - no - his moon.

That emotional attachment burdened Remus, held him back as his soul refused to recover from the heartbreak of a man he thought to be his soulmate. Of course, the wounds remained tender, but over time, he found comfort in his young daughter who's heart remained pure and loyal, matching her Hogwarts' house of Hufflepuff perfectly.

Elara was pure as can be, he wished she'd remain pure and innocent. Gradually, as she grew as a person, she gained different quirks (such as her immense stubbornness and her odd humour). Remus, however, would never trade it for the world. As much as he didn't want his daughter to grow, it would be inevitable for a child such as herself would never remain as a child.

The two spend the night eating tea, Elara chatting excitedly about seeing her friends who were at Hogwarts with her. She was excited to finally get to chat to Lois and Morgan about their holiday to Portugal for their dad's birthday, especially since the twins had owled her a postcard that she proudly stuck to her bedroom wall.

Tea was always the best time for Elara to ramble as her heart contended. Most the time had been telling Remus all the details she knew about her friend's drama, even including Daphne Scamander's scandalous Summer with a boy who seemed to have fallen head over heels for her (of course, Elara made it quite clear that Daphne's standards were well above some London Boy.) However, the most passionate Elara seemed was when she was speaking about Hermione Granger. It didn't take a genius to pick up on her bashfulness when she addressed anything regarding the Gryffindor.

Remus didn't let the embarrassed aversion of her gaze pass, but chose not to talk about it because it wasn't his place to assume.

Though, as tea progressed, it became blatantly obvious that the conversation was more one sided. Elara knew why - after all her calendar (the one Cedric got her for her birthday last year) pointed that the full moon was tonight. That's why she took the plates immediately to the kitchen sink and washed them, not wanting her father to overexert himself.

As much as Elara wanted to act casual, she was painfully aware how much the moon burdened him.

At night, she wore her blue nightgown and locked her bedroom door. She quickly moved to her bedroom window, poking her head out slightly to nose about. Knowing Remus, he was already as far as he could take himself, so there was no point in trying to find him. Instead, Elara wondered where on Earth Snuffles was. She sighed heavily, grabbing onto the matchbox besides her and striking the match. Carefully, she lit up the singular candle she had, watching the wick burn as she leaned back slightly. She always did this, but especially on full moons. From a young age, Remus had made sure Elara was steadily aware of things that went on behind closed doors. He made sure that she wasn't oblivious to the dangers of werewolves, though Elara always reminded him that werewolves were only dangerous because no one helped them. Put it down to fatherly instincts, but Remus was always afraid something might happen to Elara. She was unbelievably trusting of people, even if they weren't the best people in existence. He worried that one day her goodness might overpower her rationalising self.

Though, Elara didn't think anything of it. She knows Remus wouldn't hurt her because he never has. As sinister as it sounds, he has had the opportunity to hurt her for as long as she has been his daughter and never once has he. There was an ironic sense of sensitivity in his touch, though Remus ignored that. So whilst he became a beast he was cursed to be each month, Elara remained in her bedroom, her door locked, staring out the window as the moonlight reflected onto her face as she stared out to the forest where Snuffles was.

| UPDATE FROM 2023 |

okay the actual redraft of this fic is finally coming. when i first began redrafting, i lost major motivation, so I sorta just published every chapter and called it a redraft. now, here is the actual redraft of this fic, which is including a lot more details because I was a stupid 13 year old when I first wrote this and now I am 17 lol

though ohmygod this fic has come so far. it's nearly at 200k now and im still shocked at that fr because I still remember crying over 10k. but anyways, im so happy people genuinely connect to elara and all my other characters. i really hope this new draft brings you all happiness <3333

but anyways, i please ask everyone who read the first draft, like before it was unpublished, to keep spoilers to a low. i don't wanna ruin any experiences for new readers so pls just keep the little spoilers to yourself <33333