18th July, 1984

For the first time since she could remember, the summer days seemed to fly by. It was like Ophelia had blinked and July had already arrived. All the previous years she had been lying hopelessly in her bed, desperately waiting for the vacation to end.

But now, she never wanted it to finish. Because that would mean leaving for Hogwarts. And yes, the castle would always be her home; but for the first time she had found it somewhere else too. Somewhere that she could call it her own.

And selfishly she wanted to stay there forever, with her parents.

Ophelia Lupin-Black let out a small chuckle at these thoughts as she leaned back, her palms pressed onto the soft grass of their garden. Who would've thought that one day she'd be looking at the stars, and wishing for September to come a little slower.

Her gaze never left the starry sky. This was one of her favorite pastimes, and she enjoyed it immensely.

Despite it being summer, the air was slightly colder as well, creating a perfect balance. Ophelia took such a condition to her advantage by wearing one of Remus' sweaters.

She had always wondered how they felt, because on him it seemed to look a hell lot comfortable. And yeah, it was definitely true, she thought to herself and pulled her knees against her chest, wrapping her arms around them. The soft material of the jumper keeping her warm.

Her days and nights both passed on pleasantly. Just with the occasional nightmares here and there, they were fine.

Except for one.

Those dreams she got of the same place again and again. A particular graveyard, one that was not even familiar to her. The visions always left her feeling uneasy, giving off an eerie sensation.

She frowned at the thought and subconsciously touched the scar on her forehead. One that hadn't troubled her since two years. The last time being when she had looked at Professor Quirrel during the welcome feast.

Harry's scar had also hurt, she remembered. Was he having such nightmares too? Was this even related to Voldemort in some way?

Or maybe she was thinking too much. But she had told herself this the last time itself. Once, twice or even thrice is fine, but it was happening a lot more oftenly for her liking. She couldn't really pass it off as something normal or ordinary.

Her trail of thoughts however was interrupted by the door opening behind her, making her turn.

"Hey Da," she smiled, the speculations over her dreams evaporating from her mind already.

"Hey love," he grinned and sat beside her. Though it was late night, he was still wearing his leather jacket on top of his shirt.

She shook her head, understanding that they were his genes that were responsible for her obsession with leather jackets.

"Where's Pa?"

"Looking through some of his work, he'll be back in ten minutes or so," Sirius replied and laid down on the soft lawn, his palms supporting the back of his head.

A few minutes later the door opened again and Remus Lupin was greeted by the sight of his husband and daughter lying down in the same positions, their eyes fixed on the sky.

"Well hello there," he smiled and sat to Ophelia's right, folding his knees slightly and leaning back.

"Hey," the two murmured in unison.

"Chocolate anyone?"

"Me!" Regulus Black perked up.

"Me too!" Marlene involuntarily raised her hand.

A similar sandy-brown head suddenly popped up in front of him, earning a laugh. She looked the exact copy of Remus Lupin in this moment.

"Here you go," he smiled fondly and handed her one whole bar while taking the other one for himself.

Sirius not being that much of an enthusiast as these two settled for two squares.

"When are your results coming, love?" He asked and turned sideways, elbow propped up and his cheek resting on his palm.

"I dunno," she furrowed her eyebrows. "Maybe sometime after the 20th. What's today's date?" She asked, forgetting it for the first time until now.

"18th," Remus replied and he too laid down, him on his left side, facing the other two.

Ophelia was stumped for a second before regaining her consciousness, "Today's the 18th of July?" She asked again and received two nods.

"Salazar.. It's her birthday tomorrow," Regulus whispered, his heart squeezing sadly in his chest.

"My little Moonfoot's gonna be fifteen tomorrow!" James exclaimed and his face fell.

Her heart started racing, holy merlin it was her fifteenth birthday tomorrow. A disbelieving chuckle escaped her lips as she still continued processing the information.

"What's wrong? Was there something today?" Remus questioned, looking at her.

"No fucking way they forgot," Dorcas hissed angrily and sat up straight, as though getting ready to strike.

"I hope they haven't," Lily muttered.

She looked at both of them, a frown starting to appear on her face, one which she wiped off immediately. Surely they'd remember, it was their daughter's birthday tomorrow. Or no, maybe they'd forgotten already. It had been too long since they'd last celebrated it together. Yeah, they must've forgotten.

Her rapidly beating heart slowed down to give a sinking feeling. She had been foolish to expect that they would remember. She looked them in the eyes again, just spotting genuine confusion in them making her sigh.

"No," she gave a small, fake smile. "Nothing's there. Just- Just surprised at how fast the days are moving".

The parents shared a glance when she wasn't looking, one that seemed to have all the secrets in it.

"Oh thank Merlin, I was gonna slaughter them," Dorcas smiled, now leaning back comfortably.

"Same here, Meadows," James grinned and rested his palm on his cheek.

There was a tightness in her throat, one that had starting becoming quite frequent that she'd like. She was beginning to lower her defences, become more vulnerable. She could feel it nowadays.

That just won't do, she internally told herself. Making a decision to firm her heart and put it in that box once again. That would make everything hurt less. You don't show any emotions, and so you also receive less emotions.

But that wasn't healthy, not at all. Maybe she was overthinking everything, but wasn't this what she'd been doing since being made to live with the Fawleys?

Although she wasn't living with them now, she had people she could call her own. It was okay to show emotions, it was completely alright to be open about your feelings. But not so much, that even the slightest displeasure can cause you to become bloody sentimental.

And it wasn't even such a big thing. Fine, they didn't remember her birthday. So what? There were other things that mattered more. There were other things that they had not forgotten until now.

"Don't you have work tomorrow, Pa?" She asked softly, looking up at him from her position on the ground. "It's getting too late, you've got to wake up early tomorrow".

To her surprise he shook his head, "I've taken the day off".

"Day off? Why?"

"I'm feeling too tired," he replied and she nodded. The full moon was in four days, it was expected.

"Anything I can help with?"

He gave her a small smile, "I can handle it on my own, love. Don't you worry about me".

"Yeah too bad I'll always worry about you," she rolled her eyes and resumed staring at the sky overhead.

"Which is your favorite constellation?" Sirius asked curiously as the small family looked at the various stars.

"I don't know," she mumbled slowly, eyes shifting from one start to the other. "It's hard to choose but um- Andromeda probably. I just seem to like her story".

He nodded, his eyes shifting towards Remus who gave him a look of understanding.

"Y'know," he said and Ophelia turned her eyes towards him. "I have a cousin, her name's Andromeda".

"Buckle up everyone, it's happening," Marlene smirked and they all actually straightened up in their seats, some grabbing the arm rests for support.

Now that was something that sparked her interest. She had never given a thought about her extended family, being content with only these two. "Tell me more, I don't know anything about your families," she looked at Remus too as she said this.

They both held a certain look which made her frown, their faces hardened. One's hardened with what she assumed was grief, and the other's was tight because of shame.

"You go first," Sirius gave his husband a pressed smile, internally regretting his decision of mentioning even some part of his parents.

"My parents, Lyall and Hope Lupin," Remus began with a small smile and she nodded eagerly, shifting closer.

"Hold on I'll summon an album, you'd see it for yourself then. Accio," he murmured and another thick photo album covered in beautiful leather flew into his hand.

He flipped through the pages quickly and found the photo he was looking for. It was of his parents holding baby Ophelia for the first time.

Her hands grabbed the album and she felt her eyes start to well up as she looked at her grandparents.

Hope Lupin was sitting in a chair, her arms holding the baby as she slowly rocked her. Though her light brown hair was streaked with faint grey and there were many wrinkles decorating her face, she seemed to look way younger. Her warm face held a smile filled with adoration that made her look gorgeous. She was gazing at her granddaughter and Ophelia was looking back curiously too. She seemed to be the epitome of gentleness, her entire self radiated such warmth that it made anybody feel loved.

Sirius Black had experienced that type of love firsthand. And never before had he been embraced the way she had when they first met.

Lyall Lupin on the other hand sat next to his wife. His frame quite tall and broad, his sandy hair filled with streaks of grey as well. His face too was lined by age, but that didn't matter. His honey-brown eyes were trained on the baby too, holding a softness in them. Ophelia was holding his finger in her tiny fist, making him smile, one that was filled with pride and of course, love. A slight chuckle was seen from him as the baby let out a yawn, shaking her fist and his finger too in the process.

"Oh my word," Ophelia whispered as her hand moved over the picture. "They must've been wonderful".

"They were," Sirius nodded while Remus just looked a little sad. She noticed it and laid her head on his shoulder making him smile softly as he held her close.

"Mum was muggleborn," he continued. "She met my Dad when he saved her from a banshee. He worked in the department for magical creatures. They soon started going out, fell in love and got married".

"That's sweet," she laughed.

"Your turn now, Da," she turned towards her left. She saw him avoid her gaze and swallow nervously. "You don't have to do it, you know? It's fine, I understand".

He was silent for a while before shaking his head, "No- it's okay, it's just a little hard". She nodded, wholly understanding his situation.

"Well my parents were Orion and Walburga. And of course, they were a part of the most well known pure-blood family; the 'Blacks'. Part of the sacred twenty-eight," he rolled his eyes. "Quite the pair they were. Always trying to drill the requirements needed for one to become the perfect heir into our minds".

"So just imagine their surprise-" he gave a short, bitter laugh, "-When one of their sons gets sorted into the house they absolutely despise. Well you know how it is, you can guess the drama that followed the upcoming years".

Her eyebrows furrowed as she listened on with rapt attention, "Did you have a brother?"

"Oh shit," Regulus cursed, feeling both ecstatic and miserable upon knowing that his beloved niece will finally get to know about her late uncle.

Marlene put her arm around him, she had sort of adopted the young man. "It'll be fine, Baby Black".

Sirius halted his movements, not being able to register anything as he froze. Remus' heart clenched upon seeing his state, the total pain on the man's face was indescribable.

"Y- Yeah," he answered quickly, eyes unintentionally flitting towards the sky. "I had a younger brother, Regulus Arcturus Black".

"Regulus," said Ophelia and his chest tightened, heart squeezing at hearing the familiar name after a long, long time. But then her mind took note of something else too, "Had?" She asked, feeling slightly restless.

"He's dead".

Ophelia's very soul sank, deep down into a dark space. The remorse, grief and regret on her father's face was present in amounts she had never seen before. And probably for the first time, she longed for a member of the Black family apart from her Dad. Just seeing Sirius told her that there was something different about Regulus.

"D- Dead?"

Sirius swallowed painfully, the ache in his throat growing more and more. "He joined the death eaters when he was just sixteen. Then wanted to desert them, but that's not how they work. It's not a common job where you can just come in and leave, it's a lifetime commitment. And then he was probably killed. We never found his body though, guess they disposed of that too".

Regulus' eyes had watered to an extent where he could barely keep the tears at bay, his vision becoming blurry as he tried his hardest to hold in the cries that were longing desperately to escape from his ruthless clutches.

"Let it out, Reg," Dorcas whispered and pulled him in a hug.

"Da," she whispered and sat up properly. "Hey," she moved closer to wrap him in a tight hug once she saw a tear roll down his cheek, one which he tried to hide unsuccessfully.

"It's all my fault," he stuttered and gave up on trying to control himself, instead letting her comfort him.

Ophelia couldn't say anything as she had no idea of the full story so she looked desperately towards Remus who gave her a small nod and she stepped back, letting him take it on.

"Hey," Remus murmured in his ear, "It's not your fault, my love. You did your best to get him out, and you know that".

"I should've done more..."

"You did everything you could, Siri," the younger Slytherin cried. "I was just a dumbass for not going with you".

"Atleast you admit it," James frowned, removing his glasses and wiping his eyes while being hugged by his wife.

"You did all that you could, Sirius. Quite literally dragging him when you were escaping, then hoarding him with letters asking about his wellbeing, trying to create the perfect plan on how to get him out, nearly getting yourself caught while doing so. I think you did more than enough, Pads".

"But still he- he just joined them! He- he left me- left us here all alone!"

Sirius buried his face in Remus's neck, silent tears falling now. He was bottling up many feelings for a long time, and they had decided to finally make their appearance.

"Please don't cry, Dad," his daughter's small voice broke him out of his misery. He shifted just a tiny bit to see her silvery-grey eyes having glazed over.

No, he couldn't do that. He shouldn't have done that. Letting himself cry like this when he was the one responsible for making her feel better when she was down. It was supposed to be that way, not the other way around.

"It's all done now," she attempted to give him a bright smile, but failed. "I'm sure you must've done your best, but maybe- maybe it was meant to happen this way," she frowned and looked away, her eyes burning with anger.

Fate, she thought in her mind. Rage coursing through her as she cursed it for causing her family so much pain.

Sirius wiped his eyes and gave Remus a small peck on his cheek, his way of expressing gratitude to which Remus smiled warmly.

He then pulled Ophelia, who was still frowning into his arms, making her relax instantly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lose control like that".

"Hey no, why the hell are you apologising? It's fine, Da. Everyone needs a small cry to help them feel better again. You okay, now?"

"I'm grand," he gave her a full smile.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

19th July 1984

The next morning, Ophelia Lupin-Black wasn't woken up by the soft rays of sunlight filtering through her closed curtains, or even the lively chirping of birds that was quite frequent.

No, not at all. Instead she was rudely woken up by a loud, awful noise of someone barking.

"He looks too eager for death huh?" Marlene raised an eyebrow.

"I should've known, he would have died when he was seven," Regulus looked thoughtful, and a little regretful too.

The barking of a particular big, black dog to be exact.

"Padfoot," she growled in annoyance. "What the flip is wrong with you?"

But she only received another very loud bark extremely near her ear making her swat at him angrily.

"Pa!" She yelled, her voice all hoarse and raspy. "PAPA!"

She heard hurried footsteps and Remus was there in the doorway the nexr second, looking slightly panicked, "What? What's wrong?"

"Your husband".

He took a while to assess the scene and the situation hit him, "You did exactly what I had warned you not to, didn't you?"

Padfoot bowed his head and transformed back, revealing a frowning Sirius Lupin-Black, "I thought she'd like that!"

"Sirius... Use a little bit of your brain. She's your daughter for Merlin's sake, and might I remind you of how you were when being woken up?"

Ophelia stifled a laugh at his dumbfounded reaction making him turn sharply towards her and narrow his eyes, "It's funny is it?"

She immediately straightened her face, forcing a solemn expression, "No of course not. It's hilarious".

The two stared at each other for awhile before he began attacking jer with his tickles making her scream as she tried to roll away, almost falling on the floor.

"You can't just- You can't do that!"

He just grinned and continued to tickle her non-stop.

"Pa! Help me!"

But Remus did no such thing, he simply went forward and joined forces making her gasp dramatically.

"Remus John Lupin," Marlene glared harshly as she despised it when someone tickled her, with a very rare exception being Dorcas Meadows.

"Go on Moony!" James cheered him on.

"You betrayed me!" She said in between shouts of chuckles.

"I'm sorry," he smiled, definitely not sorry at all and the two finally ceased their teasing.

"I hate you," she groaned, the smile still on her face as she wiped her cheeks that were stained with tears from laughing too hard.

They just chuckled and sat down, with Remus trying to tame her wild, rumpled hair from the aggressive movement.

It was silent for a second as the couple glanced at each other, smiling and nodding subtly.

"Happy birthday, love," they spoke in unison, their voices soft in the serene silence.

Her brain still being foggy in the early morning didn't register what they were saying and it was after a few seconds that her smile dropped, "W-What?"

"Happy birthday Moonfoot!" They have screamed loudly, everyone's face painted with excitement.

"Happy birthday darling," Regulus repeated under his breath, smiling but being slightly heartbroken at the same time.

"Happy birthday," Sirius repeated with a gentle turn of his lips. "It's the 19th of July, your birthday".

A wave of abrupt affection hit her as her lips widened slowly, a grin so big that it lit up her entire self. "You two remembered?"

"Certainly we did," said Remus, his honey-brown eyes shining golden with the sunlight reflecting in them. "How do you expect us to forget the birthday of someone who became our entire world fifteen years ago?"

She let out a small laugh, "I thought you must've forgotten. The last time we celebrated together was too long ago".

"Even twelve years in Azkaban cannot make me forget that," Sirius added. "So a very happy fifteenth birthday, darling".

"Thank you," she said and leaned into their arms, embracing them both. "Thank you so much".

"Godric you're growing up too fast," Remus muttered, resting his cheek on the top of her head.

She just smiled, feeling as if she were on the top of the world. Her heart was close to bursting with the amount of happiness she had inside of her.

"Come on then, freshen up and I'll whip your favorite for breakfast. What do you want?"

"Nothing in particular. You can make whatever you want. They're all my favorites anyways".

"Alright then! See ya in twenty," saying so he left the room, whistling a very familiar tune as he walked down the stairs.

"Hey you alright?" Remus asked, turning towards her.

She nodded slowly, "Just surprised actually. I really didn't expect you two to remember".

"When it concerns you, love, there are hardly any things that we may forget".

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

After a wonderful breakfast, a huge surprise was awaiting Ophelia. When she returned back to her room, there were literal stacks of letters all over her desk, many presents on her bed and some on the floor too.

She was confused before hesitantly taking one letter and her smile brightening at seeing George's name. She quickly flicked through the others seeing many more familiar names.

After a while her parents explained that they had sent owls to all of her friends' houses, telling them that it was her birthday tomorrow. They knew that she hadn't told anyone, though the reason was unknown to them.

And all the hardwork seemed to have been worth it, the two thought once they saw their daughter's beautiful smile, lighting every inch of her face as she bounced excitedly like a child when opening the many presents.

But the surprises hadn't ended there, oh no, not at all. There was still a final thing left, one last gift from Sirius was yet to be given.

"Are you going to tell me now?" Ophelia grumbled and crossed her arms, getting highly irritated.

"Patience, my dear," Sirius smirked, purposefully riling her up while Remus shook his head.

"Sirius, you really don't value your life much do you?"

"And why do you say that?"

"Is he like, visually impaired or something?" Lily asked.

"More like mentally impaired," Regulus snorted, thoroughly enjoying Ophelia's murderous face.

Remus just stared at him disbelievingly, "Nothing. It's just stamped on your forehead".

He rolled his eyes, "Alright fine, come on I'll show you your gift".

Her face sported a delighted expression and she high-fived Remus before the pair followed Sirius on his way outside.

"Close your eyes," he instructed, his hand on the door, waiting to open.

She nodded and her eyes were shut tightly as Remus took her hand, guiding her towards wherever her present was. She walked with uncertain steps, wobbling slightly.

"That's it, open your eyes Lia".

Her eyes fluttered open and a loud gasp was heard from her while the two men chuckled, clearly bemused.

"OH MY WORD!" Marlene jumped out of her seat at seeing the familiar thing that brought back thousands of memories.

"This is gonna be so much fun," Dorcas grinned widely.

There just in their backyard was a navy blue motorbike, looking absolutely brand new with its gleaming body and handles.

"This- This is your bike!" She said while looking at Sirius who nodded eagerly.

"It's yours now".

Her eyes widened once again as she avidly stepped closer, admiring and examining every part of the vehicle. Her hands felt the smooth handle and the comfortable leather seat. "Can I have a go?"

"Of course you can," he laughed at her keen interest, one which could one day rival to his.

"Have you ever ridden a bike?" Remus asked, leaning on his left side, hands in his pockets.

"No, but Da can teach me," she answered, still not taking her sight off.

"Yeah let's go then," he grinned, taking his leather jacket from his husband and wearing it elegantly.

Ophelia Lupin-Black, standing there and slightly inclining towards the bike looked quite the view, one which was quickly captured by Remus who had the camera in his hand.

She had on black skinny, ripped jeans, a white tshirt that was a little above her belly button and over that she donned a black leather jacket similar to her father's.

She followed his direction and sat on the bike comfortably, her feet pressing against the ground easily because of her tall figure and her hands wrapping around the handle, testing it.

Sirius sat behind her, wanting to help her first in properly understanding what all to do and then making her do it on her own. He started the bike with a kick, accelerating a little and giving his husband a goodbye wink before setting off down the lonely road, making Ophelia's mouth open in awe.

"Oh Merlin this is so much fun," she yelled as he started speeding up.

"Hang on then," he said loudly and sped up more making her squeal in total delight.

"Be- Be careful Sirius for Merlin's sake!" Regulus winced.

"Stop being a spoilsport!" James whacked him and received a harsh punch in return.

They came back after a few minutes, greeted by a very amused Remus Lupin sitting on the lawn and reading a book.

"Lools like you enjoyed it," he smiled when she nodded frantically.

"Wanna give it a try on your own, darling?"

Remus' head suddenly whipped up in alarm, "Don't you think it's too soon? I mean you've only ridden it with her once. What if she falls?"

"Remus! You really think I'm going to leave her all alone? I'm gonna sit behind her and just give her the controls".

"Yeah alright but what if she over accelerates and accidentally hits-"

"Remus! She'll be fine, I'm going to be with her!"

"Exactly my point," Regulus sighed, dreading what was to come.

"Oh hush, we can trust her," Marlene smiled.

"That's exactly what I'm worried about," he muttered under his breath earning him a raised eyebrow.

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing," he smiled a little too charmingly making the other pause for a second. "Just- be careful".

"Don't worry, Pa. I'll be fine. You can trust me," she grinned sweetly and went back to sit on the bike, with Sirius following after.

It was safe to say that there were no accidents, no broken bones or skulls.

Ophelia managed it perfectly on her third try. She was maintaining her balance quite well and was good in the control too.

Though she had accidentally hit a small telephone booth that was present in a small corner and had succeeded in scraping her knee, it wasn't anything serious but it was bleeding.

Which led to her sitting on the sofa in their living room, her leg propped up on the cushion as Remus fretted over her, occasionally shooting her and Sirius with a small glare.

"I told you- I told you to be careful," he grumbled and cleaned the wound. "Such reckless behaviour might as well get you killed one day".

She looked incredulously at Sirius who face-palmed, "Pa, it's just a scratch- okay fine it's not just a scratch, scratch that. But it is not anything major!"

"It could've been," he exaggerated and bandaged the cut carefully, his fingers extremely gentle.

"Looks like they exchanged their roles huh?" Dorcas shook her head in disappointment though she was also a little amused.

"Be quite, Meadows. He is being completely reasonable," Regulus cut her off.

"Yeah sure," Marlene rolled her eyes. "He's being a drama queen".

"Rem-" Sirius shut his mouth at the glare given to him while Ophelia suppressed a snicker.

"You could've been seriously injured!"

"My dear Pa," Ophelia said with as much innocence as she could muster. "I have hurt myself yes, but I am not going to die for Godric's sake!"

But as expected, he ignored that completely and continued to worry about her, occasionally throwing a sharp look towards his pouting husband.

"Oh come on, Rem!" Sirius whined after being subjected to an unintentional silent treatment. "How will she learn things if she doesn't give it a try?"

"She will learn things more safely from now onwards," he said to which Ophelia nodded obediently, while hiding a mischievous smirk to which Sirius glared at her.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Hello everyone, how are you? Doing well I hope.

Here I am with a new chp and now the Lupin-Black focused ones are over (for now). We'll be starting with the world cup in the upcoming one.

And I've got many ideas for the plot which has led to me being heavily conflicted, if you do have any ideas please please feel free to share.

Thank you for 7k!!! It still feels unreal to me, but yeah now onto the next target, 8k.

Love <333