CHAPTER TWO
↳ a curious kitten

ELARA HAD NEVER GROWN UP WITH A PET. When your father was a werewolf and you lived a not so stable lifestyle, you didn't exactly find yourself privileged with a domesticated animal. Though that didn't stop Elara from longing for one. Years ago, she had even forged a letter with Father Christmas' name and signature on it, addressed from him, saying he allowed her to buy a dog as she had been a very good girl that Christmas.

Remus Lupin was no idiot and instead got her a toy dog and said that Father Christmas couldn't buy real dogs.

Elara was still petty about that to this day and insisted he could.

After all, he was Father Christmas!

He could do anything he wanted.

Right?

Though, she never did get her pet dog. It was painfully because Remus simply just wasn't fond of having such animals in the house. He never would elaborate on why, he just said that he didn't want to pick up after another kid. He'd even joke she already had a dog at home ( though Elara simply would hit his side with a laugh ). Almost like a cheesy fairytale, Elara found comfort in the inhabitants of the woods next to her home. She was so fascinated with creatures that one time when she was around seven, she tried sneaking a massive spider into the house, possibly giving Remus a heart attack.

Ever since then, Remus made sure to check Elara's pockets whenever she came back from the forest to make sure she didn't attempt to befriend another spider.

He loved her innocence, but wished she didn't attempt to give him such a fright.

The amount of times Elara had tried to bring an animal of whatever size home with her was astronomical. He once had a tally, but threw that tally chart away when he realised he would fill the entire tally table up before she turned nine. Quite frankly, Remus found it humorous how stubborn she was when she actually wanted something. They had an owl, but the owl pecked Elara in the nose when she tried petting it, the owl (whom was named Prince) was rather unfavourable in Elara's eyes. She still had a scar that she would point out to her father whenever he'd argue they had Prince.

"But Lara, we have Prince," she'd always give him a look, before pointing her finger to her nose.

"If you cannot tell, me and Prince haven't gotten along ever since he decided that my face needed a decoration," Her finger rested near where the white scar was, her nose flaring with disgust as she squinted at her father. Elara, when challenged, always did put up a fight to prove why she was right and 90% of the time she was correct.

Though watching her fight her point across was funny. It never failed to bring a smile to Remus' face.

So as a way to perhaps stop her from bringing some strange creatures into the house, Remus had decided to satisfy his daughter with a cute, small, house cat. Of course he didn't tell her that, he planned to surprise her as she was so needy to have a cat to call her own.

The cat was small and white as snow. He had found the cat lingering in the woods, pawing at a spider with a small amount of disgust twinkling in his eyes. Remus had to admit it, this cat was a god sent. It was as though the world decided to create an animal just for his daughter,.

The cat remained nameless. Remus had chosen not to name it for the benefit of watching Elara stress over a pretty cat name.

And the added fact that Elara despised his naming decisions. She didn't think Prince was a good name whatsoever (and Remus had to admit, it wasn't).

Remus had hidden the small kitten in his bedroom, placing it under his bed in the cage. He knew she always wanted a cat, she'd spent hours talking non stop about the cat her friend Lois had stolen one time from Hogsmeade. That and the fact she seemed like a cat person solidified Remus' assumption that the snowy kitten under his bed would be the perfect gift for his moon.

In two days Elara would be returning back to Hogwarts, this time he'd be joining her as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Elara, surprisingly, was very eager to have him at the school, mainly because she knew he wouldn't be terribly lonely whilst she was gone.

It was a Monday in the last few days of August. In around two days, leads would find herself home at Hogwarts with her friends. She sat in her bedroom, legs against the wall as she read her book, once again. She carefully turned the place, focused intensely on the words written. She mouthed them as she read, taking in every small detail of Little Women. She pushed her glasses up as they fell down her nose yet again, jumping ever so slightly when she heard a knock at her closed bedroom door.

"Lara?" He called out, not wanting to burst in. He respected that his daughter wanted privacy and wanted to make sure she knew that he would never intrude in her life. "Moon can I come in?" Remus heard the girl hum out a yes and he opened the door. There she was, sat on her windchill with her book in her hands, her big curly hair tied back in a bobble. Some strands had already fallen out of the hair bobble, falling in her face as she obnoxiously blew them away. He gave a small smile. "You know, later I can braid your hair, if you want?"

Elara smiled, looking at the man through her thick lensed glasses. "Yeah, sure, that'll be nice." Her voice was faint, though her eyes were filled with happiness. "Can we put beads in it again? Like the Christmas braids? But, maybe yellow?"

Remus chuckled, remembering how much he fumbled and struggled with that style. He would never be an expert, though he knew how much it meant for his daughter to feel special. It was the least he could have done, though it made his world knowing he made her smile, so Remus simply nodded. His hands still grasped the cat behind his back, awaiting for her to realise that he hadn't revealed what he held.

Elara looked up again from her book and immediately noticed how strange he was being. Elara focused on his odd posture, watching him with a curious tilt as she narrowed her gaze down to the hands he held behind his back. She crossed her arms, the book closed and to the side of her. Elara raised an eyebrow. "Papa, why have you got your arms behind your back?" The girl was curious, her eyes dripping in the curiosity that remained intertwined in her heart. The cat meowed out and Elara's mouth comedically dropped open. She straightened up almost immediately, a small look of surprise on her face as she brushed her curls out of her face.

Remus' eyes softened at the reaction and he brought forward the kitten he held in his hands. "Is that a cat?"

"No it's a dog,"

"You know what I mean," Elara rolled her eyes. She was genuinely surprised that her Papa had even bought her a kitten. They didn't exact live in the wealthiest of situations, barely even being able to afford their own house and food. It was all because of stupid prejudice and hatred that Remus and Elara In poverty. Of course, that didn't dampen their mood and they still remained true and positive. He struggled getting jobs, but that didn't mean he wanted to ruin his daughter's mood.

Elara picked up the small cat that was purring when it snuggled into her arms. She smiled softly, the cat nuzzling their head against her, clearly fond of her. "I prefer him over Prince," she perked up, Remus letting out a chesty laugh as he stared at his daughter's pure happiness.

"Of course you do, you'd prefer anyone over Prince," Remus laughed, exhaustion ever so prominent in his laughter that made Elara's heart shutter just a little. Elara gave him a look, tilting her head sideways, "don't give me that look,"

"It's either this, or I throw a book at you," he put his hands up in surrender, a playful smirk on his face. Elara shrugged. "I wouldn't have thrown my book at you anyways. Books are too precious." She placed her copy of Little Women down, immediately crouching onto the floor and holding her hand out for the kitten to lick.

The cat meowed softly, moving towards Elara and licking her hand. He purred softly, rubbing his head against her, making Elara immediately melt on the spot.

"So what are you going to call him?" Remus saw his daughter's eyes light up with awe as she looked up at him.

"Really? I get to name him?" Her big brown eyes were wide with happiness, her mouth agap.

He laughed. "You said it yourself, I can't give names for shit."

Elara laughed, awing even more as small tears fell down her cheeks from happiness. She got off the floor, scooping the cat in her arms and capturing Remus in a tight hug. "Oh my god! You're really letting me keep him?"

"Yes, for the thousandth time. Yes we are keeping him." He pressed a small kiss on her forehead. "Now come on, prove you can name things better than me."

Elara wiped away a few tears, staring down at the snow coloured cat once more. "I think Laurie suits him quite dearly," she smiled, her father giving her a confused look. "It's a boy from Little Women, who has a charming personality and black eyes, fairly similar to this little beastie," Elara scratched the cat's chin, the small creature purring and nudging her hand to continue going. "I love him, thank you so much Papa," She hugged him even tighter than before, though she soon softened her grip.

She didn't let the wince he let out go unnoticed.

She paused for a moment before frowning. "You seriously didn't think I'd notice that your side has gained a new scar?"

"Eh it was Prince?"

"Sure it was."

Remus hated the fact his thirteen year old daughter knew the basic necessities of first aid. After a loving embrace after gifting his thirteen year old a cat, Remus found himself laying on the sofa, Elara sat besides him on a stool, with his shirt ridden up. Underneath revealed a nasty gash, ripe red and angry. He watched with a shaky exhale as Elara dabbed an alcohol soaked cloth on the wound, wiping away any blood.

She had never been afraid of blood. She never squirmed at the sight, practically immune to any of the icks the substance gave the usual person. She hadn't always been helping with his injuries, when she was younger she used to linger. He had caught her watching him from down the hallway when she was six, then when she was eight, she asked if she could do anything to help.

By the age of ten, Elara had taken over and begun helping him on her own.

Remus' biggest regret was allowing for Elara to grow up like that. If he had been more careful, maybe she wouldn't be the thirteen year old girl who knew how to do stitches easily, who never winced at blood. Maybe she would be the typical teenager who gagged at the sight and turned a blind eye at a silent wince.

Remus hated himself so much for putting his daughter in such a position. He hated it so much. He hated how well versed she was in giving stitches, how she understood the magic vodka had in cleaning and disinfecting wounds.

She was thirteen. Normal thirteen year old's didn't clean their dad's injuries and know first aid. Normal thirteen year olds weren't afraid of how much pain the rise of the moon might bring their dad.

But then again, Elara Lupin was not a normal thirteen year old.

He couldn't look her way as she focused intensely on the nasty gashes on his waist. He felt almost ashamed of himself, for putting Elara in a place she should never have been in.

"Why do you always try and hide your injuries, Papa?" Her question was innocent enough, though her focus was elsewhere as she finished off his stitches. She had wiped away all the excess blood ages ago, just focuses on the needle in her grip. "You do realise I know when you're lying."

Remus grinned, though winced slightly. "Cause your psychic, that's why." He teased ever so slightly, biting down on his lip as Elara continued on his stitches.

Elara paused, hesitating as she noticed his discomfort. Once his body relaxed, she gave him an apologetic smile, whispering a small apology as she resumed. Elara shook her head, a small grin on her face. "Because i'm not an idiot." She snipped away at the stitches, nodding at her Papa. Attentively, Remus studied her face as her dark eyebrows knitted together. "Done."

"You know I do hate how you take care of me so much." He lightly commented, though truthfully he wished he could be the one keeping an eye on her. He hated how incapable he was at times. It made him feel like the worse dad in the world.

"I don't mind it," Elara lightly commented, rummaging through the medical bag for bandages. Once she pulled them out, she began wrapping his side. He helped her, watching intently as she breathed in and then out. "It's not awful."

"Yes, but sometimes I forget who the parent is." Remus complained lightly, rolling his eyes at her.

Elara laughed. "Isn't it the kid's job to take care of the elderly?"

He scoffed. "Elderly?"

Elara snickered, gesturing to him with a light hearted grin on her face. "Cause you're getting all old and grey, Papa." Her head tilted to the side as she brushed away a strand of his hair.

Remus' eyebrows furrowed together at her attentive expression. "What? Don't tell me I got a cut on my forehead too?"

Elara shook her head. "No..." a small playful grin appeared on her face. "Just a few greys."

IN 👏THIS 👏HOUSEHOLD, 👏WE 👏PROTECT 👏LAURIE 👏THE 👏CAT 👏

i also offer a gloriously scarce update since im in the middle of exams

i have finished school officially !! out of that shithole and i now have friends who made me feel happy and respected.

after the last year, i have gone through my fair share of friends who haven't respected everything about me. i love them all so much, but i feel like that was more one sided.

i was sort of the other friend. the token for them to have if they didn't have anyone else. but now im another friend. not the third wheel

if any of you are in the same situation i was in, please realise you dont deserve that.

i love you all :)

( UPDATE FROM 2023 )
giggling at that A/N because that backfired sooooooo much. like lets just say, those friends weren't the best either.

im not gonna say anything bc ill defo jinx everything. but life is okay :)

but i added another moment between elara and remus bc i knew this chapter was missing something. i felt that scene of elara cleaning his wound rlly was needed.