And I'm back with one more. Gosh, I'm working fast here lol! 

I'm often drunk this month because of Festas Juninas (Brazilians know what I'm talking about), so this was written nearly black-out drunk and grammar was corrected while in a hangover. Do forgive any mistakes.

As always: LEAVE COMMENTS.

The dull ache on Luna Lupin's hand made her bite her bottom lip. The cut had been closed by a spell, but the throbbing continued for a few more minutes as she continued using her hand to brew instead of waiting it out like it was recommended. Still, the small jar of her own blood on her working table made her a bit proud.

"Are you sure you need that much blood, Miss Lupin? It's seeming rather exaggerated in my opinion," Alphard said, frowning at the jar.

Contrary to Luna, apparently, Alphard did not do well with blood. Mentally, Luna was glad that Alphard was a man, because if she was that squeamish about blood, the time she had stopped talking the contraceptive pills (her anaemia had gotten a lot better and even had stopped taking iron pills) would've been a nightmare.

"If something goes wrong, I don't have to cut myself again," she said, stoking the fire. "Besides, cutting the hand hurts a lot."

"Why did you go for the hand, then?"

"Because it's the easiest to close afterwards with the spell," she explained, looking at him and giving him a smile.

Alphard gave a little chuckle, watching her reach for the ready Lukas' Potion and, slowly, pouring a bit of her own blood into the bubbling potion.

The disgusting brown coloured potion, bubbling like hot mud, turned into an ever darker brown once her blood was added. Then, after a moment on the fire, the potion started to change colours again. From brown, the potion turned into a very odd, very sickly tone of green, almost yellowish, like dying grass.

"And you'll drink that?" Alphard said, grimacing.

It certainly didn't smell good. The iron-like smell of blood was there, but the main tones of it were of something sweet, like sticking one's nose into melted white chocolate – too much fat, too much sugar. It was weird, because the Lukas' Potion smelled bitter with undertones of dirt.

"It seems I need to," she said.

Alphard sighed. "Before doing that, why don't you sit for a little bit?" he asked.

Since the hospital visit, Alphard seemed a lot more interested in 'taking care' of her, which in his language, meant hovering over her, watching her working over her shoulder as if she was back in Hogwarts. Fortunately, he had no interest in potions or alchemy, which meant that he wouldn't give many opinions if he didn't think they were important for her health, like the amount of blood that she was taking from her own hand or the time she was standing over the table in her work.

"I'm well, Mister Black," she appeased.

He watched her, unsure. He said nothing.

Luna poured her new potion into a cup, watching it with her lips curling in disgust. She couldn't imagine drinking it even though she knew she needed to. She grew nervous, anticipating the taste. Perhaps it was that nervousness that made her start rambling about things that Alphard had already heard about.

"It's hypothetical still, but if I do this correct, I might be adding to the theory or proving it completely. The concept is that blood and magic can be healing, and your own blood cannot be seen as a foreigner agent unless you are sick, so if you make your blood health on the outside of your body, it can be medicine that will not make you feel unwell, hence the number of wizards that outlive their 100s and the low number immune-compromised wizards," she told Alphard, watching the white smoke coming off the hot cup. "Since my blood is my problem, filled with my illness, I can... heal it outside of my body, without overworking my heart. It's expected that the potion can kill my illness and make my blood and magic clean, allowing it to... clean me."

"Even if your theory is correct, how many times do you have to drink it to know if it worked?" Alphard asked.

"By my calculations, the time I need to clean most of my blood off is three continuous days, once a day," she answered. "It would be more if we were closer to the full moon, but since the full moon it's already passed, I believe I can be more laxed about it."

Alphard pulled a chair and sat a few feet away from her, still giving her space to work but being nearby in case she needed help. He leaned back, happy to be near the window and taking the little sun December provided.

"Are you scared?" Alphard asked, seeing her obvious hesitation.

"I don't think it looks... appetising," she admitted.

"I don't think anything other the black pudding has blood and looks appetising," Alphard said, crossing his arms and putting his feet forward. "Chorizo, maybe?"

"I avoid both of those," Luna admitted.

"Too ruddy?"

"Too posh."

And too disgusting, but Alphard seem fond of those foods, so she chose to make no comment on it.

Alphard chuckled.

Luna took a deep breath and held it in, taking the cup and drinking it all at once, swallowing before she could taste it.

Cringing, Alphard got up from his seat, watching her with so much attention that she felt chills go down her spine... but it might have been the wave of nausea that hit her like a punch to the stomach. He took a few steps forward.

"Miss Lupin?" he called out.

She put her hands over her mouth, forcing herself to swallow the saliva gathering in her mouth. She was pale, hands trembling as she reached for the table, holding onto it to not fall to her knees. Her stomach churned and turned violently, making her gag out loud. She took a deep breath thorough her nose.

"Oh, good God!" she gasped.

"Merlin's beard, Miss Lupin!" Alphard exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

Her chest was tight, breathing was had, but her mind was clearer than it had ever been before. And then, just as suddenly as it had started, her stomach settled, and her lungs became light feathers. Her heart slowed down to its normality.

"I'm alright. I think the taste is just awful," she said.

"But you'll have to drink it for a few more days. Do you need to brew more?" he asked.

"The potion's shelf life is just past a fortnight, I'll be alright. The blood is under stasis, so I don't have to do anything for at least a week or so. If I must drink it every month, things will be a bit more difficult, but we'll find out," she said.

Under the study and tests, she found out that a spell could find the particles of her illness in her blood. After the test time, she would redo to the rest to find out how many more times she needed to drink that potion. Afterwards, after the full moon, she would do it again to find out if she needed to remake the potion every month.

After the first day that she took the new potion, she saw a small fall of the number. It was after the second day and second dose that she saw a grand fall, a little less than half particles. In the third, she saw she needed more.

Luna ended up drinking it for a whole month.

By Christmas, Luna could not see anything in her blood, but she would need to wait for January to make sure she was cured.

Remus sighed in relief near the fireplace in Nain's house, watching as Sirius threw Sophia up in the air and received her into his waiting arms. They had just gotten back inside from the snow that had fallen a few days before and was starting to melt, and now Remus was just glad that the heat from the fire could make his joints stop hurting so much.

Surprisingly, Luna seemed alright with the cold, without any pain or discomfort. She had gained weight again and was giggling about something Florian was saying, drinking her wine without worries. Her hair seemed shinier and her eyes brighter.

Patricia seemed to have notice the same thing, talking in a low voice to Nain before turning to Luna.

"You look well, Luna," she said, gently.

Luna looked at her, stirring the wine in her cup and trying to smile a bit, though she was also trying to stop herself from laughing at whatever Florian had said.

"Thank you. It's a new dress," she explained.

Nain gave a little chuckle.

"That's not what Patricia meant, darling. You just look... happier, healthier. Letting you go on your own was for the best, indeed," Nain said. "Being an adult becomes you."

"It's not that different from living with Mum. The only difference is that I don't have Remus or Leticia to share the chores with anymore," Luna said with a little shrug. "And I've been so busy with the Academy that I don't really dirty my clothes anymore. Besides, I'm spending my weekends at the Potters or at my laboratory."

Sirius hugged Sophia, who was babbling his ear off about her schoolwork, whatever it was that three-year-olds would do in school. He turned to look at Luna with some curiosity as he changed Sophia's weight from one arm to the other.

"Mum never mentioned," Sirius said.

"Really?" Luna said, putting her feet up on the coffee table and raising her eyebrows. "Auntie is teaching me a bit more about herbology, because we're getting that subject in the Academy again about the quality of the ingredients. I want to do well."

Florian scoffed. "When have you not done well?" he asked.

Luna's cheeks coloured.

Leticia crossed her arms.

"I'm good with herbs as well, darling," Nain said.

"I know," Luna said, smiling at her grandmother. "But Auntie used to sell her herbs. She knows good suppliers that might give me a discount, seeing as I am her ward and all that."

"So, what have you been doing in that Academy of yours? You tell us so little of it in your letters," Hope asked, leaning forward.

Luna turned to look at Sirius and Remus to see their reaction; they were the only ones there that had not received any letters, only knowing of her achievements through Hope and Euphemia. Neither knew of her time in the hospital or her request for the Potters' help with duelling, and they certainly didn't know anything about her self-experimentation, which would cause quite the uproar in her family, but she could at least attempt to explain it to them.

"Well, as you know I have created a variation, which is a good thing, because it's cheaper," Luna started.

"Good thing? It's grand!" Sirius exclaimed, smiling at her.

She gave a little dismissive nod, crossing her legs. "Well, anyone could've done that," she said.

"But nobody did," Remus said, leaning back in his chair. "Nobody cares for people like us, Luna, but you did, because you came from down under. They don't care for people that can't pay for the expenses, they won't waste time making cheaper and quicker variations. If you can't pay, you die. Those are the society rules."

Nain made a little noise, looking at her son before letting out a little laugh. Hope followed her, putting a finger over her lips as to discreetly control herself.

Lyall grinned.

You're starting to sound like me, Remus, careful there. I was just like that when I first got into the Academy," he said. "Hence why my seniors hated me so much."

"Like Orion Black?" Patricia offered, smirking.

Florian cringed. If there's one person that would know his father well enough to offer such a conclusion was, certainly, his mother.

"Oh, he was not the leader of the group throwing my belongings through the window, I assure you, but he didn't care for me either," Lyall said, he leaned against the wall beside the window facing the backyard. "Our..." he thought deep of a word, "problems started when I got into a fight with it in a pub. Something about a law his father had wanted to pass a few years before, I got into trouble talking about it loud and clear. After that, there wasn't a time we could look at each other without wanting to deck one another."

"Sounds healthy," Luna mocked.

Florian laughed, lowering his head.

"Apparently, Lord Black isn't the friendliest of people, folks look me bad about it," he said, pushing a hand through his hair.

Sirius laughed. "Oh, no. Dear old papa is quite the troublemaker. I still get dirty looks from being his son, and I'm not even his son anymore," he said.

"I get a side-eyes by walking beside him as his protegee or whatever, and I'm his secret son. Gosh, here's to nobody knowing no shit about it," Florian grumbled.

"Language!" Patricia scolded.

Florian rolled his eyes.

Luna was quite happy that the subject moved for a moment more as people asked Florian about his networking and the probability of him starting as a flying teacher in Hogwarts by the next school year, then everybody turned, going on and on about Lyall and asking how his job was.

She was staring to relax when she caught Sirius raising his eyebrows at her. At once, she realised that Sophia was in Florian's lap now, playing with the sleeves of Luna's dress, glad to finger through the lace there.

"Hm?" she asked, confused.

Sirius smiled at her startlement.

"I said you must like working in your mystery laboratory, because you look happy," he said.

"I am."

"So it is a mystery place," Sirius said.

Luna frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Sirius seemed amused by her forcefully nonchalant answer.

"You speak of a laboratory, but you never mentioned where it is," he said, shrugging.

She gave a little laugh, a fake smile coming to her lips as she leaned forward, not moving her arm to let Sophia keep playing with her sleeve.

"Is that why Meera told me you were asking for me at her inn?" she asked, pointed tone making Sirius raise his eyebrows.

Remus' face snapped to the side, looking at his boyfriend in search of any signals or explanation, but he only saw obvious confusion and amusement. Slowly, he allowed himself to relax just enough to look back at Luna.

"You shouldn't lie to make a point," Remus scolded.

But when he paid attention to his sister again, something in her facial expression made him frown. She looked genuinely confused for a moment, and then her face turned so pale that he wondered if the comment about her being healthier than before was a lie.

"You mean Meera Lohan?" Sirius asked. "What were you doing there?"

Luna's mouth opened and closed for a moment before a curtain of steel closed behind her eyes and the colour went back to her cheeks discreetly and naturally.

"Eating," she answered.

"She sells food?" Sirius asked, confused.

"It is a restaurant and an inn," Luna said. "It's a pity you were so quick to go in and out there before, because had you spent enough time there, you'd know the food is brilliant!"

"Oh, you spent a lot of time there, did you?" Sirius asked, teasing.

"Nights," Luna said, raising her eyebrows. "And sometimes I'd drink tea with Meera and gossip. Information runs fast in establishments like that, and it's always fun to hear a thing or two about what other people do there."

At once, Sirius seemed to have understood something, because his cheeks turned slightly red as he crossed his arms. Remus, too, understood what Luna was trying to convey, but didn't have the heart to defend Sirius there, because whatever it was that that they were discussing, clearly Sirius was in the wrong.

However, the other people there were confused, though clearly aware something else was happening other than what was being said. Nobody dared to ask questions, though they glanced to one another in search for answers.

"Doesn't matter. I haven't been there in years," Sirius said.

"Meera said –"

"Meera was wrong. I wasn't there, to eat or anything else, and I certainly wasn't asking around about you," Sirius said sharply, cutting her off.

Luna shook her head, pressing her lips together.

Though her face looked calm, her hands were trembling.

It hadn't been Sirius in the inn, but it was someone wearing his face and that knew that Luna went there before. Someone that believed Meera had reason to know why Sirius was looking for Luna in a random day at the inn. And the more she thought, the more scared she started to become, because someone knew Luna was there and someone knew that she was there to meet Regulus Black there.

Someone that knew of her history with Sirius, someone that knew of her history with Regulus. Someone that was showing interest in her. Someone that believed her to still be with Regulus despite of their very public break of courtship. Someone that didn't know where else to search for her.

Someone like Severus Snape.

Feeling her stomach squeeze as she tried to take a deep breath, Luna gulped. She turned to look at Sophia and smiled at the girl that was talking to Florian about wanting to paint something.

"Maybe she was wrong," Luna dismissed. "She just thought I should know someone was searching for me."

"I never received any letters or a visit asking if I was searching for you," Sirius said.

"I believed that if it was important, you knew where I live," Luna said, turning to him again and shrugging. "Since you didn't come after me, I decided it wasn't important. Seeing it wasn't you, I'm glad I didn't write or waste time walking through London when I need to study so much."

Sirius seemed somewhat upset by her words and by the quick dismissal of the idea of Luna going to his and Remus' apartment for a common visit, as if that was too much work for her. Though the fact that he and Remus had never gone to her boarding house to talk to her after moving day made him shut up.

Remus sighed and turned to his sister. "What have you been working on right now?" he asked.

Glad for the change of subject, the others turned to her as well.

"Yes!" Patricia said. "What is the next big discovery for the medical area under the hands of Luna Lupin?"

"Just a theory that seems to be working until now," Luna said, accepting the forceful stir of the conversation. "Though experimenting on only one test subject is certainly not ideal. The subject seems fine, of course, but I wanted someone else." She turned to her brother. "I wanted to ask you to be my second subject. All indicated that the experiment is safe and will be conducted under a controlled environment."

Remus narrowed his eyes.

"Are you going to poison me?" he asked.

Hope clicked her tongue, reprimanding her son.

"This is work, Remus. Why in heaven would she poison you?" she asked.

Remus tried to answer, but his mother's glare made him press his lips together to keep his unkind words inside. He turned to his sister again and raised his hands, showing his empty palms in surrender.

"Fine. What do you need?" he asked.

Luna hesitated.

"Well... your blood..." she admitted.

Silence fell upon the room at once, even Sophia going quiet for a moment of confused awkwardness.

Hope looked around.

"I might be Muggle, but even I know that didn't sound good," she admitted to the people around her.

Nain turned to Luna, eyes wide and taken aback.

"Cariad, why would you want your brother's blood? What sort of potion have you been messing with? This is certainly not something I expected you to dabble on, especially because I know for certain that it's frowned upon by most areas. Am I wrong?" Nain asked, turning to look at the other witch and the wizards in the room. "Certainly, your professor spoke of it to you and tried to dissuade you from continuing."

"It's an... independent study," Luna said.

She knew any favour she had with her own family about her work was lost right then and there.

"Luna –" started Lyall.

"I'm trying to study lycanthropy. Trying to find a potion that might actually help!" she said, cutting her father off with a glare. "Nothing that any mediwizard or healer found has been helpful. It helps the symptoms, but never the illness itself, but I think I found something that might help!" She got up from the sofa she had sat on. "If the magic in our blood is healing to us, why can't we clean our blood from the lycanthropy before feeding it back to us, slowly replace it. If it works the way I intend it to, it can help – at least – me... and James, too! And if I improve, it can help Remus, but I wanted to test it --"

"On your brother?!" Hope squeaked. "No!"

"But I –"

"Where have you been testing it?" Florian asked.

Luna blinked, expecting someone to cut him off as well, but the room was silent, waiting for her answer.

"Myself," she admitted.

"LUNA!" Hope yelled in horror.

"IT'S WORKING!" she screamed back, holding her stance. Her mother got up from the sofa she had been sharing with Patricia, looking just as pale as Luna had been when sick. "The first attempt, the one that didn't take any blood, didn't go well, but I remembered about this treatment that people wanted me to have when I was younger, the one with someone's transfusion? But I didn't have any close relative with the same blood type and magical (sorry, Mum). It was an idea. I tested it. It worked. I'm waiting to find out if I'll need to retake the potion next month, but my blood is considerably cleaner now... and..." her bottom lip trembled, nose widening, but eyes dry. "My scar is whiter. It looks... prettier now."

Remus flinched.

Guilt choked him so hard that he had to gulp before even moving to look again.

Sirius, however, was firmer in his stance, either because of the anger that he felt with Remus' hurt reaction or his actual morals.

"Using blood is bordering dark magic," he said.

Nobody could deny that.

"It's for a good reason!" she said. "I can help people like me, people like Remus."

"By the cost of your soul?" Lyall asked, shaking his head. "I cannot agree with it."

Luna turned sharply at him.

"Well, you found refuge at the cost of your body and your family, so do forgive me if I don't take your advice very seriously," she spat towards him.

Lyall looked down. Nain shot up to stand up as well, looking at Luna as if she had never seen her before.

It was immediate, Luna felt her chest constrict.

"I'm sorry, Dad. That wasn't fair of me," she whispered. "I'm just stressed. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. You're not wrong."

"It doesn't matter. I was wrong for using it against you. You're working so hard, I have no right to use it against you when you're trying to help me find what's best for me," she said. She sighed, sitting down again. "I just... I wanted you to know that it's helping me. I'm healthier than I have ever been. I'm sleeping through the night, I can eat without throwing it up, I don't feel so weak or dizzy."

Remus shook his head.

"I want to help you, Luna, but I won't mess with blood magic," he said. "Something bad can come through it."

"I just want to help," she insisted.

Hope sighed. "I know, darling," she mumbled gently.

"I'm glad things are going well for you, Luna, really, I am. But I can't," Remus continued, giving her a sad smile. "I'm glad you're better now."

Meera Lohan tried not to smile, but it was hard.

Luna and Regulus were such a beautiful couple. Even through something as simple as eating a meal together, they seemed so deeply in love that she couldn't look away, let alone not watch them with a silly smile on her face, like some schoolgirl dreaming of her future love.

Regulus leaned forward, tucking some hair behind Luna's ear, making her giggle and lean forward in unconscious flirting. She knew the power she had over him, and she knew the obvious electricity between them meant that they would go upstairs and lock themselves in the bedroom they usually went to sooner or later. While in most couples she saw coming and going it often looked like it was just a stepping stone to what truly mattered, the meal and the conversation between Luna and Regulus could end at just that (and sometimes it did) and she wouldn't think they loved each other any less.

It was amazing.

The last time she had seen love so pure and innocent had been in the way her now wife had attempted her best to help Meera raise her daughter after her husband left her. She had taken the whole 'it takes a village' very seriously, and now the girl was 'their daughter' and called her parents 'Grandpa and Grandma'.

The young couple in front of her talked of love, talked of war and of hope. She wished to be like them, as innocent and as naïve in her expectations. They wanted to keep on going, while she had given up on her husband and of her work to make sure her daughter (and herself) would survive, but they were unwilling to give up on anything.

"...and now Mrs Wright won't leave me alone, really!" Luna continued to complain, reaching for Regulus' free hand to hold it. "Since she found out I had a seizure in the Academy, she's been checking on me all the time; and I know it's just out of concern, but she's annoying me. She tells me not to wear skirts because if I fall somebody might see something, like, it's so weird!"

"She's trying to protect you. And I also don't like when you wear skirts to the Academy, you use a lot of acids that might hurt you if they drip on your legs," Regulus said nonchalantly.

"I wear an overcoat, it's obligatory," she quickly dismissed.

"Whatever you say, darling," he mumbled.

"Oh, she once even asked if I had anything with Xenophilius because he came by to give me a gift, Pandora had made a beautiful orange scarf and wrote such a thick letter that he had been worried the owl would get hurt – anyways, Mrs Wright went on and on about how I shouldn't go around with married men, as if I was a whore! Really!" Luna continued, upset.

That seemed to catch Regulus attention enough to make him look away from the food and glare towards Luna as if he could see Mrs Wright somewhere in her.

"Cunt," was all he said.

Luna laughed so loudly in surprise that she had to cover her mouth. The word had come out so naturally from his mouth that she had been taken aback. While Regulus did curse and swore sometimes, it was hardly at women – and, if in front of Luna, it was usually out of pleasure, not anger.

"Clean forgot you knew how to swear," she admitted to him.

Regulus chuckled. "Don't make me sound like a damsel in distress, my sweet. I'm a grown man, I swear at people," he reminded her.

"I'm aware," she said, continuing laughing. "Usually in fights."

She made no mention of the dirty words he would allow to escape through his lips when they were in bed.

"I'm willing to fight that old woman, even if I can't use my fists. The way she talks to you!" he complained. "Even if you were single, that is not something you say to a person, especially towards a married man – married to your best friend, at that! I am livid!"

Luna shrugged.

"My contract with her ends at the end of January, then I'll find somewhere else to go. It's the end of December, I think I can take it for a bit longer," Luna said, moving her hand to grab her cup of fizzy drink. She smiled at him. "Of all the things that could end up happening, the worst is going to the Potters and beg for a roof over my head until I find somewhere else here in London."

Regulus nodded.

Slowly, he blinked and looked down, deep in thought. Then looked around in obvious curiosity. While looking, he found Meera standing not too far away from then, pretending to be busy with the bookings.

"Madame?" he called out. Meera looked up at them. "Do you happen to rent per month or weekly, or just daily?"

Luna raised her eyebrows, understanding his plan. "Oh," she mumbled.

Meera smiled at the two.

"I can rent monthly to those are know are good for it," she said, eyes glistening in happiness. "You are more than welcome to stay here for as long as you want, missy. I'll even give you a discount, because now I know that I'll have someone to drink tea with me before I close the restaurant for the night."

While happy, Luna still looked a bit uncomfortable.

"This is not very secretive, though. There are people that know I'm particular about this place," she admitted.

"Like Sirius," Regulus said.

"...and I believe that Severus Snape as well," she said, looking between Meera and Regulus. She turned to the woman. "You know that you told me that Sirius was looking for me? I don't think it was him. I'm inclined to believe that it was Snape."

Regulus frowned. He worried his bottom lip for a moment before a long, exhausted sigh was heard. He was tired of hiding his suspicions.

"I wouldn't worry about him too much. It's my understanding he lost the enchantment towards the cause. If he's after you, it's for mere curiosity, not representing true danger to you or me," Regulus said, shaking his head.

"What?"

Regulus smirked.

"Stay here, Luna. It's safe," he said. "And if Snape already came by asking for you under the guise of someone that knows you well, and received a dismissal regardless, he doesn't believe you are here. You are safer somewhere he already searched for then somewhere he still needs to go through. Snape is smart, but not smarter than you."

He rolled his shoulders back.

Luna blushed.

"Alright, eat up, Reggie," she mumbled, looking away from Meera to not let her see her cheeks colouring. "Finishing your food."

I hope you all liked it!

Anyone has any theories? I'm moving the plot along a bit. I'm sorry if the romance seems a bit of an afterthought (it is).