CHAPTER EIGHT
↳ an unchanging moment

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1981

Despite how cold the Sunday morning was, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin had decided to take a now two year old Elara Lily Lupin-Black to the local park. They had kept their wands in their pockets, knowing that they'd defend their little girl till the end, always till the end. The small curly haired baby clapped her hands as Sirius pushed her up and down on the swing. Sirius was covering his face and making the girl squeal whilst he played peek-a-boo. Remus watched, a smile present on his usually frown fixed face as he watched the two interact. Remus, watching the joyous look residing on Sirius' face, remained eternally oblivious to the wavering suspicion held against him.

Elara, small curls, brown doe-like eyes, was perfect in her fathers' opinions. She looked like the perfect mix of both her parents, brown eyes like her mum and similar curly locks, yet the same nose as her father.

"Papa!!" He heard Elara scream out laughing hysterically, Sirius was now blowing raspberries into her stomach, her screaming out in glee. Remus pulled himself up off the park bench, walking towards the two who were his moon and stars.

"Pads, what did we say about the tickle monster?"

"To do it?"

"No." Remus blanked at his future husband, his eyes blinking and face fixated in an unreadable expression. "Now give me my little moon," his hands reached out and Sirius sighed and passed him the tanned little girl who babbled in his arm. Moving closer towards the taller man, Sirius laid his head on Remus, a small smile faint on his lips as Elara continued her unknown babbling, oblivious and childlike, how he wished she'd always remain. "I wish times were like these," he mumbled. Remus smiled sadly, that smile falling into a happy smile when his daughter began pulling on Sirius' shoulder length hair. "Ow little poppet, what's that for?"

"Funny," the little girl smirked at him. Sirius ruffled her small tufts of hair and gave her a big, warm smile. "When we see uncle pwongs and auntie 'ily and Hawwy?" The little girl mumbled, quiet like her dads told her to be when mentioning those three. It was a sad reminder, a small child already cautious and wary of a world that she shouldn't be wary of.

"Soon little moon," Remus smoothed her cheeks with his thumb, giving her a sincere smile. The Lupin-Black family were well reserved by the mention of the Potter family, even their two year old daughter knew she had to be quiet when mentioning her favourite family. In fact, it had been a while since they had seen Lily, James and Harry. Sirius, without telling Remus, begged James to make Peter the secret keeper, making their plan foolproof. Even Remus, the love of Sirius' entire existence, was under the impression Sirius concealed their location within his soul.

Sirius knew they'd be safe, so he smiled at his daughter's pouting face, chucking silently to himself.

"You said soon 'esterday!"

"Did I?"

"Mhm," her small, pipsqueak voice hummed out.

"Soon isn't immediate, little poppet," Remus muttered, pulling her further up his waist so he could carry her. "How about we go home and have some leftover chocolate cake?" His eyes brightened up at the mention of chocolate, however none more than Elara who began cheering ("'ocolate 'ake") with joy.

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"Dada?" Sirius was about to close the door in Elara's bedroom. She laid in her crib, although it looked more and more like a regular toddler's bed, just with the rails. "Tell me a stowy?" The little girl looked at him with curious eyes. "Please?"

Sirius shook his head, smiling at her. He wandered to her bed and picked her up, sat on the rocking chair and held her in his arms. "What story do you want me to tell you?"

"About you and papa and Uncle Pwongs and Uncle Petey and auntie 'ily!" The girl smiled brightly. She cradled her new teddy that her dads had gotten her close to her. She had named him "Moony" and was quite cheerful when she had Sirius write that on his name tag. "Moony said he wants to hear the story!"

"How about I tell you and Moony the time we all decided to run around in our animal forms," he always called animagi stuff animal stuff because it technically wasn't wrong. The curly haired little girl smiled and nodded, mumbling "tell me" over and over until he quietened down.

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1985

Remus Lupin was now tucking his six year old daughter in her bed, eyes watery, looking down. Her small hands clung tightly to the blue bedsheets, the small girl refused to cry, she just shook. "Have you had any nightmares, little moon?" He asked in a hushed voice. Elara nodded. "What was it this time?" He tucked her in, thumb rubbing circles on her hand.

"The boy of the lake, again," she mumbled, brown eyes refusing to meet amber. She breathed in shakily. "He's so scary! It hurts seeing him," she cried out. She paused for a moment, looking up to meet his amber gaze. "He's always falling under the water and never coming back up and- and I just-" the small girl shook on the stop in terror she hated reliving. Her throat would always close, almost as though she was choking. Elara had no clue why this strange thing would occur. It only seemed to occur when she told this particular story.

Seeing her freeze up, Remus tried his best to calm the small six year old down. "It's okay," Remus hushed her, rubbing circles more and more. "They're just nightmares, me and-" he stuttered saying 'dadda'. It was agony. "Everyone has nightmares, they're just silly little dreams that we have,"

She crossed her arms. "You'll always scare away my bad dreams, won't you?" Remus nodded, tucking a strand of brown curly hair behind her ear. "And chase them away with Wolfy," little Elara had nicknamed his Patronus form 'Wolfy' considering it was a wolf. It always made her smile, something Remus loved seeing. He nodded again. "Papa?" She tightly clutched onto her teddy she had called 'Moony'. "Tell me a story?" She offered a sleepy smile, hoping her papa would remain with her a little longer. Elara Lily Lupin loved a story, it kept her mind engaged and forever she'd love to listen to Remus as he told her the most thrilling of tales.

Looking towards the small clock that laid on the wall as it ticked, Remus Lupin sighed, a hand ruffling Elara's brown hair. It was only eight o'clock, one story would be fine. He placed her small, soft brown hand into his scarred, calloused hands. "Now what story would you like to hear?" The stories were always about Hogwarts before the war truly impacted them. Stories that were filled rich with innocence, childishness and carelessness. Stories he wished he could relive one more time.

"When you all decided to run around as animals!" The little girl exclaimed with glee. She picked her teddy up and held him close to her ear before gasping. "What's that Moony? Moony said he wants to hear the story! Oh please papa, he'll be terribly sad if you don't tell the story now!" Elara gave him a small pout, facing the old, tattered bear that had it's eye hanging for dear life directly to him. The name tag, Moony, spelt in Sirius' distinctive handwriting that had the two o's curled together slightly, taunting him menacingly as he unconsciously looked down at it.

"Alright, alright," Remus patted her to sit up. "Moony and little moon will get the story," he sighed, another story, the ones he wished to experience over and over again being told as children's tales to a young little six year old.

This story meant the most to him because it was the story that started the life of Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, the marauders.

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Even at the age of almost fifteen, Elara Lupin enjoyed the time she spent with her papa. Now, she could spend it with both her dads, them all sitting on her bed, enjoying chocolate together. Sirius was humming 'Starman' by David Bowie under his breath as Elara grew more and more sleepy as the seconds passed.

"Dad?"

"What, poppet?" Sirius looked down tenderly at his daughter, whose eyes were wide with curiosity and brimming with yearning. He ruffled her long brown hair.

"Tell me a story?" She requested, yawning once more.

Sirius pressed a smile onto his face, tucking a strand of long brown hair behind her ear. "Aren't you getting a tad too old for stories?" Sirius teased. Remus, who had finished his chocolate bonbon, swallowing it down, punched him slightly with a smirk.

Elara's eyes rolled bad as she looked at her dad. "No one's ever too old for stories," Elara quipped back, smiling at her dad with a smile Sirius missed seeing. "Now come on! Tell me more about you and the marauders!"

And that night, everything remained well. A family of three, bonded together by deeper things other than blood, a family of three who loved each other more than anything.

They were all a family.

And when Sirius and Remus both kissed their daughter's forehead, both whispering their goodnight, the smile on Elara Lily Lupin's face never hers as she drifted.

This night, she did not dream of the boy of the lake or Cedric, instead she dreamt of simple, silly, things that made her smile and laugh

Oh how Elara hoped her dreams would remain untouched and forever innocent.

END OF ACT TWO

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OKOK NOW THIS MARKS THE END OF ACT TWO- THIS WHOLE ACT BRUNG ME SO SO MUCH JOY

NOW WE ARE IN GOF-
cute cedric x morgan, elara x hermione, gaia x lois and daphne enjoying her single life. also I have so many ocs planned and a lot of moments I bet you all will love! prepare for more ethan ( an iconic bby ), other characters... perhaps even a kiss-

Oh and Cedric dies, how fun :)