DOUBLE UPTADE SURPRISE! I know, nobody saw it coming, not even myself - two chapters in two days. I'm on fire. Truth is that I'm too sick to go to uni, so I stayed and wrote the whole day. Enjoy this half-medicated chapter with a side of headache after I fell on the shower.

By the way, it's a bit boring, but I swear I'll pick it up more later on, but this chapter's main theme: MOTHERHOOD.

LEAVE COMMENTS!!!!

Euphemia Potter looked perfectly at ease in Bristol, much to Remus Lupin's surprise. Even while growing up rich, Euphemia was the sort of person that looked at ease and happy in any situation at all. He was pretty sure that if she was left in the most dangerous parts of England, Euphemia would somehow befriend someone that would help her come out of the situation with a smile on her face and some happiness in her new adventurous life.

Dressed in a beautiful, but rather behaved, female bright pink kurta and white trousers underneath, she was the perfect image of a modern woman in the 70s with a lot more courage to stand out than Hope ever did. She had a golden handbag and drank tea like a queen, unbothered by the screaming children playing outside and yelling at some car that passed by far too quickly in the street.

Hope felt out of place in her own house. She had gotten back from her job not too long ago and was barefoot, still in her nurse's clothing in light blue and white uniform – her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail through the shift, and she had yet to put it down. Fortunately, she was comfortable enough with getting rid of her pantyhose as soon as she got home, moments before Euphemia came knocking at her door.

"It's a nice ball," Euphemia tried, sipping her tea with a smile. "For a nice cause."

"Addition of more Seats in the magical parliament?" Remus asked, frowning at the invitation. "I don't see how we got the invitation."

"Oh, well, because I asked for another invite for you and the Pettigrews, of course," Euphemia said as if it was obvious. "And the addition of Seats is the entrance of Ireland in our parliament, darling. It's a huge deal. To go is to show support, or at least pretend to show support in some families' cases."

With that Hope seemed to agree, because she nodded and read the invitation over her son's shoulder once more.

"A Celebration of Addition," she read the name of the ball. "While I believe that titles shouldn't have the weight they hold in this society, I can get behind the Irish getting into the politics and having more power. They always had a lot to teach us."

"Mum, you're Spanish," Remus reminded her.

"The Irish and the French, two very smart people," Hope said with a nod, ignoring her son's words.

Remus ended up chuckling at that.

"Mum, please," he said, amused, but not really scolding his mother.

If there was one consistent thing about his mother was her political views, especially over royalty and titles, even in front of Euphemia Potter, who had a title herself. Growing up with the family that believed with such strength in freedom and individuality, it was beyond understanding that she grew to find herself so against the idea of royalty and impractical power balances, but seeing her children getting along with the people she had been taught to hate was astonishing, especially Remus, ever so similar to her in his political views – though Luna had always been a bit more malleable with her viewing of the world, slightly more forgiving and acceptive of everything around her.

Well, at least she thought Luna to be more forgiving and understanding than she had been herself at that age, but now that she watched Luna ignore whenever Lyall called home, she was proven that she had been wrong.

"Indian people themselves would agree with you there, darling," Euphemia said, comforting Remus. "My family were loyalists, but my husband's family were not. The title given to them was an attempt of masquerading the real power the British wanted from them in India, fortunately, my grandfather-in-law was a smart enough man to use the power he got to keep himself and his family safe."

"There are some good men in the world," Hope agreed.

Remus glanced between the two women, unsure if he was welcome into the conversation this time around.

"Perhaps I should look for Luna?" he said, pushing himself to stand.

"She's at Mr and Mrs James, they're about to get back at any moment," Hope dismissed. She turned to Euphemia again. "She's back at babysitting the neighbourhood children. She likes having something to do during the summer when she can't be writing to that boy of hers."

"If it was up to her, she would be writing to Regulus all the time, indeed," Euphemia said with a nod.

Euphemia hid a grin behind her teacup, happily enjoying the black tea that Remus had made her.

"They're rather attached to the hip in school," Remus added to the conversation, unsure of what else to say. "Sirius gets very annoyed about it."

Euphemia rolled his eyes. "Sirius is a jealous boy sometimes, and that is something that we all know well," she said.

Hope glanced between the two people in the room.

"That's actually something that I have been meaning to ask for a while now. Has something happened between Sirius and Luna?" Hope asked, putting her tea down and leaning forward. "She shot me down when I first asked."

Remus tensed up, hesitating. He knew his mother enough to know that she would lose her mind if she knew everything that had happened between Luna and Sirius, but he also knew his mother was concerned about it genuinely and wasn't asking just to pry. Besides, it was obvious, even if Luna pretended it wasn't.

"They had a little something happening, but they broke up," Remus managed to say.

Euphemia watched the scene for a second before sighing dramatically. "Oh, teenagers! So confusing!" she made, rolling her eyes. "By what I understood, Luna liked Sirius and Sirius wasn't so interested. A bit of a miscommunication, really, but it was dealt with without much interference."

That was a lie, but Hope didn't know that. She didn't need to know the real extent of the discredit that Sirius had inflicted upon her little girl.

"And between you and Sirius?" Hope asked suddenly. Remus felt his stomach drop to his feet as he turned to stare at his mother, eyes widening before he could find any other reaction to what she said. "What? Am I not allowed to ask about it, too?"

"Mum!" Remus said, blushing.

Euphemia couldn't hold back her giggle at the boy's demure reaction, but she tried to make it more acceptable by bringing her painted red fingertips to her lips, almost holding her lips together.

"I don't mind it if something is happening between you and the boy, Remus, honestly," Hope said, rolling her eyes and turning to her son completely. "And I'm sure Euphemia will agree with me there (Euphemia did an honest agreement under her breath)! It's just curiosity from our part."

"I'm very invested," Euphemia agreed, half-pretending to pay attention to something happening outside of the window of the small sitting room of the Bristol house.

Remus, cheeks burning scarlet-red and scars looking whiter in contrast, got up from the sofa and crossed his arms, shifting his weight between legs as he looked around the room, searching for any sort of escape from the awful situation. He was embarrassed and feeling rather exposed, but he wasn't scared as he would imagine he would feel when he thought of his mother bringing up any sort of romantic relationship between him and someone else.

"Nothing is happening between us," Remus admitted.

Hope leaned back on the sofa, eyes narrowing.

"But you're not happy about that," she said.

Remus' forehead seemed to burn now.

"Of course. I'm not happy about it, Mum. Have you seen him?" he asked.

That took such a loud and happy laugh from Hope that Euphemia turned to look at the woman, surprised at her emotions coming so freely to the surface. But Hope seemed to pleased at the loud admission of interest.

"You and your sister have a type!" Hope said.

Remus's jaw dropped.

"Mum!" he scolded.

At that moment, the front door unlocked while Hope still laughed, someone dropped the bag at the entrance.

"Mummy?" Luna called out from the door. "Rebecca threw up again and had a fever, Anthony was feverish, but he wasn't burning. Mr and Mrs James will give them a warm bath, but said they'd come knocking if it didn't come down."

"Again, darling?" Hope said, getting up from the sofa with an amused look at her son. "Did she throw up on you?"

"No, I had just cleaned it up before Mrs James came in," Luna said, appearing on the sitting room. "Oh. Mia, hi. With all due respect, ma'am, what are you doing here?"

Euphemia turned, looking over the back of the sofa with a kind smile, the lines of her face looking deeper for a moment, but she looked truly happy. Something in Luna warmed up at the sight of the woman looking so motherly and joyful at her presence, even with Hope right there – it was like she wasn't scared of showing that she had a big heart.

"Ma'am?" she repeated, raising her eyebrows.

"No 'ma'am', yes. Sorry," Luna said, still taken aback. She cleared her throat. "What's happening? Is everything alright?"

Euphemia nodded. "I came here to invite you and your family to your first public ball," she explained.

Luna frowned.

"I've been to balls before," Luna said.

"Yes, but those were Black Family Balls. Restrict and much harder to get access; whatever happened in there is just between the people that were in there, but a public ball is much more than that, Gudyia," Euphemia explained. "Think of the wedding and the ball as... training for what this one will truly mean."

Remus shifted uncomfortable.

"And why are we being invited?" Remus asked.

"Because I'm inviting you, I made sure of it," Euphemia said, pointing delicately at the invitation over the coffee table. "Your first ball, Remus, isn't that exciting?! Hope, I'm sure you can find some reason to be excited about it as well."

Hope tried to smile, giving the piece of paper on the table an unenthusiastic narrowed glare. Suspicious of its true meaning.

"It's for a good cause," Hope managed to say.

"Yes, the Irish!" Euphemia said with a nod. "And you, Remus? Why don't you find something to be excited about? There's a lot of dancing and food involved. I've been told you're ravenous over good food without radish in it."

"Nobody likes radish," Remus said, frowning a bit. To like radish, in his opinion was a great sin. "But I don't like dancing."

"Neither does Sirius. Someone needs to keep him company while James dances, and I'm quite certain that your friend Peter won't be the one to do that, by what I know he's rather excited about dancing as well," Euphemia said. She smiled.

Of course, she had a plan. Euphemia Potter always had a plan.

Luna bit the inside of her cheek.

"I believe my red gown –" Luna started.

Euphemia clicked her tongue, already disapproving of Luna's thought lines, putting her tea down and getting up from the sofa.

"Oh, darling, if you think you or your family will buy a single thing for this ball, you think me a much worse Guardian than I really am," Euphemia dismissed her concerns. "Besides, we both know that you boy likes to reward you with beautiful dresses."

"I wouldn't ask."

"If you had to ask, then he wouldn't like you as much," Euphemia said with a smile. "The Ball will be on August 19th, and I shall remind all of you that I want you in the Manor for the preparations. What's the fun in getting ready alone?" she exchanged a look with Hope. "I'm just so glad to have a girl over to get ready with, you have no idea, Hope! What a fun that I seem to be missing with just boys in the house."

It was a rather shocking moment for Hope, ever so in a hurry, that it had been years since she had gotten ready for anything other than her work, even longer than she had helped her daughter get ready for anything other than the holydays.

"Yes, girls," Hope said, lost in her own thoughts.

Luna smiled.

"What do you think he'll send me this time?" Luna asked.

Euphemia smirked.

"More than you could ever ask for," was her only answer.

And Euphemia, as always, was not wrong.

Luna had received a dress and jewels from Regulus just a few days after Euphemia's invitation (and acceptance of the invitation in their regard), because Uncle Cygnus had asked someone to keep an eye out on the Lupin's standing in the political matter, which was unsurprising, according to Regulus' letter – her mother's eyes and glares had left her political leaning rather obvious that very first meeting that they had, and Orion thought it to be amusing and somewhat astonishing how comfortably open Hope was to show off her opinions. Walburga was less excited over the discovery, but apparently had insisted on helping Regulus find a dress for Luna.

Hence how well-behaved the dress was.

"It's age-appropriate," Hope said, delighted, as soon as the dress was out of the box. "But seems... very expensive. I don't like you taking gifts from people, Luna, especially such expensive dresses and material."

Hope crossed her arms, uncomfortable on the seat near the window. She wore a gown over her underwear, unwilling to undress in front of Euphemia – or even in front of her own daughter this time around.

Euphemia made a little noise, taking the dress from Hope and putting it on its hanger on Luna's bedroom in the Potter Manor, where all the women were gathered at the present.

"Oh, dear, that's completely normal," Euphemia dismissed.

"It feels like he's buying her," Hope said, uncomfortable.

"He's just showing off his money. How else would he be able to show off that he's prepared to take care of a good standing family?" Euphemia said. "He's too young to work all the time, like a man."

"But not too young to buy expensive jewels and dresses with his parents' money?" Hope asked.

"The money he's spending on her is most likely his. Birthing gifts, birthday gifts, money left towards him as individual inside the family after a passing – and, darling Hope, please, the boy does work somewhat. He's the Heir, he has his jobs and duties inside the Household, and he gets paid for them during the holyday, like an internship for his father," Euphemia said. "Do you think he lies around all day and night just thinking of dear Luna? I'm sure he tries, but his mother wouldn't allow such time to go to waste. He's probably settling the books and balances of the family for his father while he's at the meetings."

"The boy does the whole family's balance?" Hope asked, unserious.

"Why not? James and Sirius do ours when they're at home," Euphemia said with a shrug.

Hope's eyes widened.

"You're bloody joking," Hope said.

"I am not. I have to put those two to work if I don't want anything broken at home," Euphemia said. "Remus does tend to help sometimes, but I scolded him for it and gave him something else to do."

"And what would that be?" Luna asked, laughing and sitting on her bed.

"Balancing my books, separate from the Potter's State," Euphemia said, smirk growing. "A whole lot of purses, dresses and silk for him to balance correctly. He never tried to help again, thankfully. More time with Sirius and James busy, away from those awful broomsticks, away from those hideous injuries that I'm always healing."

Euphemia was a lot more open with her own body. She wore muggle underwear and a thin, see-through gown over it, not bothering to hide anything that she didn't want to with the clothes. Her hair was down, curled from being braided for too long and she had no make-up on – she looked delightful either way, and that much Luna couldn't deny (she wasn't blind).

Luna, finally getting some confidence with Euphemia and not caring much for her mother's opinion on the body that she had made, was in her shift, as she usually was when she was alone in her bedroom at the Potter's. She had no dressing gown over it, and it had the top-buttons unbuttoned, her scar and lap showing a bit.

"Are the boys bad at it? Flying, I mean?" Hope asked.

"Not at all, they are really good," Luna said, shaking head a bit. "Everybody thinks James will get Quidditch Captain this year, and Sirius is a great Beater, though everybody thinks he should've been a Chaser – he's fast."

"Not as fast as your Regulus," Euphemia said.

Luna blushed.

"Regulus is really fast with the broom," Luna agreed with a nod, turning to look at her mother again, ignoring her raised eyebrows. "He's a Seeker. If he gets the ball, the whole game is over. It's the ball that is worth the most points – small, golden and really fast. Easy to miss, but he's got keen eyes, proper good, really."

"Proper good?" Hope repeated.

"He can catch it like this," Luna said, snapping her fingers. "One day, I got to one of his matches thirty minutes late because I was in the Hospital Wing, and I didn't even see it. He was mad that I went at all, but I wanted to see him play."

"He didn't want you there?"

"He didn't want me out of bed," Luna said, rolling her eyes.

Euphemia chuckled. "He's a good boy. And his mother has been presenting you well to the society, as I noticed at the wedding party," she mentioned.

Luna nodded, solemn.

"Yes. Alchemist for the most part, some Potioneers as well," Luna said.

"Alchemy, that's what you want to do," Hope said, turning to her daughter in interest. "Turning things into gold and all that."

"That's how muggles see it? How interesting," Euphemia said, turning to Hope and leaning forward to listen to her better.

"Is that not it?"

"Not just that, but it's right," Luna said, a bit impressed that Hope had gone after it after she had mentioned her desire to work in the area. She smiled at her mum. "I want to go to medical Alchemy, as I said in the luncheon." Hope nodded, remembering it. "I want to cure lycanthropy and its symptoms, or at least make it better... more controllable."

Luna wasn't sure if it was the honesty in her voice or if the time that she had spent thinking about it made it seem a lot more normal than Hope was used to, because her mother's eyes turned dark for a second before they shone – filling with tears of such gratitude that Luna didn't have time to do anything other than make a noise with the force of the hug that she received.

"You really are my perfect baby, aren't you?" she cooed.

Over her mother's shoulder, Luna turned to look at Euphemia, who smiled and made a little face, teasing Luna's red cheeks.

"Mummy, stop it, please," Luna said, but she didn't let go of the hug.

Hope grumbled, squeezing her daughter tight once more before sighing and stepping away.

"You're so smart, and so good," Hope continued under her breath, she walked back to her seat. "And this boy's family has been helping you with talking to the right people?"

Luna nodded.

"Yes, I've been talking to people from all over the world. At the wedding, I talked to – at least – three Alchemists with good names in the country, let alone people from foreigner countries as well that Lady Black showed me to," Luna said. "I still think that they're doing it so I don't forget that they don't want me to marry Regulus, because if I'm working, in their mind, I'm not getting married."

Hope raised her eyebrows at the same moment that Euphemia hummed.

"And you want to get married to him, do you?" Euphemia teased, going to the mirror in the room and fixing something nearby, her back turned to Luna. "It's no shame. He's handsome, he's charming, rich and a very good suitor in general, I hear. I mean, I have not heard his name from a single young lady."

Luna knew what it meant. Regulus hadn't been sleeping around; and that much she knew.

"Yes, he's... shy," she lied.

Hope smiled to herself.

"Is he?"

"Very. All blushes and stolen glances. It gets annoying sometimes," Luna admitted.

"Frustrating?"

Luna looked up at her mother, surprised about how lightly she was taking the conversation.

"Sometimes," she agreed. "Nain tried to make him kiss me at Christmas, even got us some mistletoe, but he got shy because... someone was watching, and he didn't want his first kiss to be watched." Hope was starting to like the boy a bit more now, especially because she could see Luna's smile coming to her lips and eyes naturally, not a single moment of preparation. "We talk a lot, and we eat a lot. He knows that I like my fruits with honey, so whenever I forget to eat, he tries to bring me something salty and fruits with honey."

Euphemia turned around again, facing the women.

"His mother has been trying to keep him in line, ergo the dress made for someone that is in debut," Euphemia said, pointing at the dress. "If there's one thing about Walburga Black is that she knows what to dress and when to dress it to make it a spectacle."

"Why does she want everybody's attention on me, not on Regulus?" Luna asked.

"Because they don't plan on supporting the idea of the Irish with power. If the conversation of the night is you and how beautiful you look, and how absolutely delighted they are to be introducing you alongside us, then the Irish will simply cease to exist in their tiny circle – it's comfortable and rather ingenious, I have to admit," Euphemia said. "She's a witty one, Walburga. Men tend to forget how easily swayed conversations can be with the right smile, nod or dress to guide them away; they're simple, poor creatures."

Hope smiled.

"In that I can't disagree," Hope said.

"My husband is a good exception. I taught him well," Euphemia teased. Luna smiled. "My sons, however, are struggling with an illness: adolescence. Fortunately, I have time to teach it away from them."

"Adolescence? Teach it away?" Hope repeated, laughing.

"Beating doesn't work with Sirius and James is just too nice sometimes. I only hit him a few times, and mostly because he needed to learn how a beating felt like – he hit his female cousin, so I, as a female, hit him. He never did it again," Euphemia said. "Looks, grimaces and glares are great threats from far away."

Hope hummed.

"I usually screamed at Remus, but he started ignoring me once he was six for almost a month and I had to start holding him in place to be scolded," Hope said. "Luna was an angel of a girl. Not a single problem besides her accidental magic."

Luna raised her eyebrows. "Really?!"

"You were a bit of a cry-baby, but you didn't want me, you wanted your brother, so I couldn't help much at all," Hope admitted. "Once you skinned your knee in the playground of the school and they had to cross the road to get your brother from his own school because you wouldn't stop crying."

"I remember that," Luna admitted, chuckling.

"You were always your brother's little girl, more than ever being mine," Hope said.

There was a note of sadness, but impressiveness in Hope's tone. A reminder that there were parts in her life that she had failed with Luna, but never as a mother, just as a friend – something that she had remedied by allowing Remus and Luna to be such good friends when they were small. A small blessing such a small house and such consistent moves made in them, the opportunity of trusting one another beyond trusting any other person around them.

"And your brother will need to do a good job tonight, Luna," Euphemia said, changing the subject when the situation seemed to weight in the room. "They need to be mesmerised by you if you want Walburga's support."

"And do I want Walburga's support?" Luna asked.

"While you're in a courtship with her son? Absolutely. Having her on her side means not having her as an enemy, and I don't wish that woman as an enemy on anyone at all," Euphemia said with a look at Hope. A reminder of carefulness. "She's a powerful woman, and a very competent one at that."

Hope crossed her arms.

"You make her sound like a queen," she complained.

"Believe me when I say, she's not too far behind when she's with all her weapons in hand," Euphemia said. "She has the political, monetary and social power to throw her weight around as a woman, let alone with her husband, brothers and son in tow. She doesn't need to taint her name with things below a woman her station, she had people that would gladly do it for her."

Hope shivered, watching Euphemia with some fear hidden behind her eyes, but the way Luna smiled and shrugged it off made her hold her tongue back.

"Lady Black doesn't hate me," Luna said. "That's more than most of those people can say. I'm winning."

Euphemia turned to her, a bit concerned.

"Her not hatred isn't love," Euphemia reminded her.

"By what I know, the only people she loves are her sons and her husband. Even her brothers can't be completely put into the category of love, according to Regulus. Her 'not-hatred' is more than enough for me for now," Luna said. "My loyalty is my trading card, and she's aware where my loyalties lie. She won't mess with it, so I'm safe."

That was why they dressed in lower conversations, a quick go-through all the protocols and a reminder to Hope that she should stay near them if she ever felt unsafe at all, and that Fleatmont was warned that he was allowed to accompany her back to the Manor if she so wished at any point of the night and that Euphemia would stay through the ball, if she so wished to come back home to retire. But Hope refused before she was even dressed.

Hope felt beautiful in Nain's formal wizarding robes of a very dark midnight-blue with big sleeves that went to her knees, cutting around her hands with an elegant velvet, a golden structure in the waist that made it snug and comfortable and a good amount of cleavage that Hope wasn't used to showing around. She felt beautiful, and she knew it. Especially after the make-up that Euphemia had insisted on doing, making her blue eyes darker around and her lips a beautiful shade of discreet pink.

Euphemia was ever the image. With a bronze blouse with short sleeves and some light-blue details near the chest, half-covered by the saree with a bronze underskirt and long, rune-inspired details around the skirt, thrown and pinned over her shoulder. Her hair was better curled now and she had insisted of leaving it down – an act of rebellion, she had said in a conspiring tone to Hope, because her husband always thought her hair down was far too beautiful to be seen by the common-folk, or so he joked.

It was Luna's dress that made Hope sure that Luna knew where she was walking into.

The dress was a cloud of ivory silk and expensive clothing over her body, depicting the very essence of delicately and femineity that many women in high society had dreamed of achieving when they started their path there. In many, it would look like a confection of piled-up ruffles and French tulle, but in Luna it looked like luxury cascading over her in a graceful manner to the floor. It was the wide, off-the-shoulder neckline that framed her delicate shoulders that made her look so adult, especially with the blush-pink ribbon over the shoulder's lines tied to the front with Euphemia's family's jewel (to protect her scar). The bodice was meticulously fitted on her by magic and the skirt came from it, layers of expensive tulle that didn't itch, shimmering with its own inner light with the help of silk, each fold and ruffle creating a delicate play with shadow and light under its layers. Another blush-pink ribbon was tied with a small bow at the back of her waist in a splash of colour that made her look healthy.

Luna looked like the whisper of audacity of a lower class climbing against the white canvas of proper society, and Hope and Euphemia were proud of the woman she was becoming.

"That's a dress!" Hope complimented.

"That's a dress for waltzing," teased Euphemia, leaning to pinch Luna's cheeks. They coloured with the shame shade of her ribbons. "And hair?"

"Up!" Luna announced.

"Regulus likes your hair down," Euphemia said, reminding her what the girl had said in her first ball.

"He just really likes my hair," Luna dismissed.

Because more than her hair, he seemed to be always caught looking at her neck, clavicles and any delicate spot of skin that her uniform would afford him a look that was meant to be somewhat personal.

They twisted, braided and turned her hair until it was a complicated, thick rope in the back of her beck, handing low and showing off the naked parts of her back.

"Am I allowed to waltz, Mum?" Luna asked, looking in the mirror.

Hope seemed taken aback.

"I don't know. Are you?" Hope asked, confused.

Euphemia chuckled.

"It's such an old thing to say, Gudiya," Euphemia teased. "I'm certain your mother will see no problem with you waltzing with your boy."

Luna smiled.

"I never waltzed with him before," she mentioned.

Euphemia hummed, interested.

"Is waltzing a big thing?" Hope asked.

"Not as much anymore, but it used to be," Euphemia said. "It's more touch-y than the other dances, but it's not as scandalous as people make it seem. Any dance can be intimate enough with the right pair of lovers, one would suppose."

Luna nodded to herself. Euphemia watched her through the mirror, eyes knowing her façade through her put-together appearance; everybody knew that the girl was anxious through the make-up appearing due to the spell the older woman had put on her.

"I only ever waltzed with Pandora, and Rosalie when Pandora was teaching us," Luna explained her nervousness. "We mostly focused on fast-paced dances, like polka, you know? Because it's so difficult."

"The Viennese Waltz is the most important one, and that you know, I can assure you," Euphemia said. "Forget the American Waltz, nobody in their right mind would play it at the ball tonight. I'd guess, however, that Anna's Waltz will be quite the deal tonight – a favourite dance of the Irish, I've been told, though it's a Russian dance."

Luna chuckled.

"Irish and Russian, quite the mixture," Luna mused.

"And a wonderful one at dancing," Euphemia said, nodding. She leaned it, smirking, touching the girl's nose cutely. "A touchier one, as well. So, I'll be a nice chaperone and allow you out without gloves, pretending that I don't know Anna's Waltz will be playing."

Hope chuckled, just seconds away from giggling like a schoolgirl.

"My little girl, all proper and serious with the minted posh boy, who would've thought?" Hope teased.

"Anyone with eyes as soon as you saw them dancing together. It's quite the scene, as you'll know tonight, Hope, dear," Euphemia said, reaching for the girl's mother and holding her shoulders firmly. "You are about to see your daughter shine through years of polished attitudes as if she had been made for it."

"You sound quite proud of it," Hope said, laughing at the older woman.

"Why would I be? I got nothing to do with it, that's all you," Euphemia said, shaking her head. "This girl is ready for the world and I didn't need to do anything other than tell when not to say something."

"I still struggle with that one," Luna admitted. "But so does Pandora."

Pandora and her mouth were quite the characters in Luna's mind, especially when Pandora was so eager to tease and 'appear normal' for the others, which often meant her drinking a bit of alcohol and giggling along with everybody else, unsure of the complete meaning of the jokes. It had led her to be recognised as mean in her earlier years, but once people understood her 'quirkiness' (and how Luna hated that word avidly), they seemed to leave her off it.

And Pandora, thankfully, would be there with Evan as well, another friend that would keep Luna busy when Walburga took all of Regulus' time once her duty was done in causing a distraction from the real reason for the gathering.

"So does James, so I'm sure you'll do fine," Euphemia dismissed. "For now, you go and enjoy tonight. And, now, you go out there and tell James to teach you Anna's Waltz, I'm going to finish your mother and I."

"Mia –" started Luna, blushing.

Mia raised her eyebrows.

"It's just a dance, I'm certain nobody will mind. But do keep a dance for him on your card, he'd like that," Euphemia said. "He won't admit it in front of Sirius, but he likes dancing quite a bit."

Luna smiled.

"Alright," she finally said.

As soon as Luna was out of the bedroom, Euphemia turned to Hope.

"Tonight, it'll will be the night that we will see if Luna will survive their game," she announced to the nurse, causing the woman to turn to her, tensing up. "We're in the middle of Walburga Black's game. Let's hope Luna reads her cards right."

"What do you mean?"

"This is more than political. Walburga's political views are mostly focused on herself and her own family; if there's some other reason for her attempt of taking the attention away from the situation in parliament – besides the mess between her sister-in-law and her brother, their paramours, but that's all-common knowledge already – then, she'll use Luna," Euphemia explained. "She wants something."

Hope frowned.

"That woman sounds like a monster!" she complained.

"The closest thing to a public boggart, I fear. We don't know she's there until she has her teeth on you," Euphemia said, lip curling with disgust at the imagery. "Let's hope ours are sharper."

Hope looked around, unsure of what to say.

"And are they?" she asked.

She was caught by surprise by everything. That was not the world she was part of, and she was certainly annoyed by Euphemia sprinkling that in moments before they walked out of the room, towards the slaughter.

"She's a mother, but so are we," Euphemia said. "And I'm about to show the world that Luna is just as much Potter as any of the other children that I allowed to cross my doorway, and that included Walburga's lost one."

"This is an exchange," Hope noticed in a whisper.

"This is a hostage show-off, not an exchange," Euphemia said, shaking her head. "She wants to show the world that she has Luna Lupin? Well, I have Sirius Black and Luna Lupin. And nobody will dare touch either of them on my watch."

Hope understood then that it was more than just power-plays and pretty words under tulle and silk. The world of a pureblood woman was a lot more red, like a battlefield, just under the guise of rubies rather than blood, and Euphemia Potter knew how to play that game much better than most – she had crowned her family in its position in England alongside her husband, not allowing her husband to do so for her, as many of the rich families that crashed and burned, being left with nothing but name.

Euphemia was a mother, and she was hungry for happiness, not power. That was more than most could say.

And Hope was glad that she was a friend, not an enemy.

I love Euphemia Potter, but I'm terrified of her. Like I'm terrified of Walburga Black, but I'm in love with her at the same time - two very different and similar people at the same time, so it was a fun one to write, comparing the two of them.

Now, honest to God. Euphemia was slightly based off my mum in a few parts, so if she sounds a bit dramatic, blame it on my mum.

PS, THE BALL'S WALTZ MENTIONED WILL BE BASED OFF ON ANNA K.'S WALTZ SCENE. SCANDALOUS, IKR

BALL:::

What do we think will happen?

What do we think it's Walburga's intentions?

There's so much coming, I'm scared that I'm not as prepared lol, my notebooks are just vanishing from all the writing that I'm doing by hand trying to put it on a significant timeline. I'm failing, I'm bad at math.