𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐓𝐖𝐎 -

❝ ᴡᴏᴡ, ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ꜰɪᴀɴᴄᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ʜᴀʀʀʏ ❞

WHILE JAMES AND HARRY HAD THEIR MEANINGFUL TALK, Remus was telling Maggie all the snacks he had gotten and had placed on their bed. He was trying to get his mind off the pain she could be in, and the bandages around her chest - knowing it was his fault, even though no one thinks that. He still felt like the worst person on this planet.

Magnolia obviously could tell, Remus would do it all the time when she was younger. When he'd feel really bad about something, he'd rant about other things and discreetly make sure the person was okay without being straightforward with it. He hated confrontation. He was her father, of course, Maggie knew his little antics.

"And I can charm some tea too if you want-"

"Remus." She tried stopping him but he only continued his nervous ranting.

"I already knew the spell from my mom-"

"Dad." She said sternly, making him stop and his avoiding brown eyes turned to her blue ones.

"I'm okay, Harry patched me up." She told him reassuringly, making him bite his inner cheek nervously.

"I know... I just... I just feel bad." She furrows her eyebrows before sighing, pressing her hand on her torso as it slightly aches in pain.

"Well, you shouldn't. You did nothing wrong-"

"But I did, Mags. I provoked you to transform into a Veela." She rolled her eyes and shook her head, sitting on the edge of her bed and grabbing a container of cookies.

"Look, you just wanted answers - it's understandable." She said, breaking the chocolate chip cookie in half and handing the rest to Remus. He took it hesitantly and watched her movements closely.

"I still... I still feel so bad."

"Like I told you, it's fine. I should've just told you everything-"

"But you weren't ready," Remus spoke, making her lips clamp shut, knowing that was the truth.

He knew he shouldn't have tried to force it upon her, wanting answers but he even knew - deep down he knew that talking about her past was a tough subject to explain. He didn't know what he was thinking to do all that. After only hearing a little bit about the future and wanting to learn how to change it, he started to grow terrified.

He wants to change the future so badly. He wants good things to happen in the future.

He wants to still be friends with Sirius, Peter, and James in the future. He wants Harry and Maggie to grow up together - like they were supposed to. He wants to be at their wedding, with all his friends and family.

He wants everything to be good for them in the future.

His thoughts were taking over his mind and did only what he did on instinct when he panicked.

"I went too far and yelled at you... I just want everything to be okay for us in the future." She nods in understanding and finishes eating her cookies.

They grew silent, understanding one another's motives. Maggie understood why he was upset and he understood that she was indeed okay. So after a minute of silence, they looked up at one another and smiled.

"Can you tell me about your mom?" Remus asks, making her look down with a bright smile spread across her face.

"She died before I got to meet her." She whispered, making his eyes snap towards her.

"Oh sorry-"

"No it's okay, I like talking about her though. You'd talk about her all the time, so I know a lot." Maggie muttered, a small smile dancing on her lips, making him suddenly smile.

"Her name was Evangeline Taurus. She is Lily's friend from Beauxbatons. You met her at Lily and James's wedding." Remus looked down at his lap and chuckled, playing with his hands.

"As you know, she was a Veela. And in your words - 'even if she wasn't a Veela, she was still the most beautiful woman I have ever met.' Every time you talk about her, it is almost like a fairytale love story. And after that, every time I met a boy who liked me, I'd compare them to you in a way since I was a Veela. I'd ask myself... Does he think I'm the most beautiful girl in the world or does he only think that because of my Veela charm?"

Remus stared at her longingly as she looked down at her lap nervously when she sat on the bed before she glanced at Harry - who looked like he was having a serious conversation with James. Remus noticed the type of look she had and tugged on his bottom lip between his teeth.

"Harry does. He hundred percent loves you for who you are... Being Veela is not what represents you." She looked pretty unsure, which only made Remus laugh and shake his head since she had a small pout in thought.

"Have you not seen the way he looks at you? I don't know, but I feel like you can tell the difference between being charmed by Veela's and true love. And when he looks at you... That's true love." He told her, making her blue eyes reach his and a smile appeared on her face.

"Thanks." She whispered, making him smile and nod.

Magnolia still felt a little emotional to see her father, sitting before her all well and young. But she's started to get used to it and takes in each moment with him thoughtfully. She wanted to make each new memory of him memorable. Because she's afraid when they go back to the future - she'll forget all those special moments with him. And then, everything will turn out the same and he's still dead... And she doesn't want that.

She's praying so hard, that when she and Harry go back to their time, everyone they knew and loved is well and waiting for her at her wedding to see her walk down the aisle. Or everyone they loved is alive and well, while Harry and Maggie are still figuring out that next step in their relationship. Just as long as she can go back - still incredibly in love with Harry and to her whole family beside her and alive.

They both looked to where James and Harry were standing, to see them pulling away from a hug. They both had small tears, but they quickly wiped them away as Remus and Magnolia smiled at the two.

"Guys!" Sirius shouted, barging into the room out of breath.

"Hey, why are you so out of breath?" Maggie asks, furrowing her eyebrows as he takes a deep breath before standing up straight.

"I just... Ran... A million flights of stairs... From the... Astronomy Tower - to here."

"Why were you in the Astronomy Tower?" Harry asks, with raised eyebrows as Sirius places his hands on his hips.

"To talk to Regulus-" All their eyes widened and Magnolia and Harry looked at one another with a smile, making both their parents notice.

"You talked to your brother?" Maggie asks happily as Sirius nods.

"Y-Yes, which reminds - James, I'm gonna have to ask you something later - And bloody hell! I'm out of breath!" Magnolia and Remus both roll their eyes and she gets up, guiding him to sit on her bed.

"Hey, you doing good now?" Sirius asks, directing towards the bandages around her chest as she nods and sits beside him on the bed.

"Doing great, thanks to Harry" She says, sending a smile to Harry as he blushes and scoffs playfully.

"Wow, what a great fiance you are Harry." Sirius playfully says with a smirk, falling back on the bed, and looking up at the ceiling.

"Why did you run?" Peter asks from sitting on a bench by the closet as Magnolia goes to grab her wand to charm herself with a cup of hot tea. But Harry takes it before she does and makes her sit on the bed beside Sirius to rest, and charms some tea for her himself.

"I was really excited, and was started getting major fomo, knowing all you guys are here." Remus rolled his eyes at the black-haired boy beside him and stretched.

"So I'm guessing your talk with Regulus was good?" Magnolia asks, fluffing her pillow as she leans back and he nods.

"Very good. I think... We're civil now?" He says unsure, making them chuckle.

"Well, I am just exhausted and starving - this has been a very busy, busy two days. Shall we go get some dinner? It's gonna start soon" James asks, glancing at his imaginary watch, making Peter frantically nod as Sirius quickly sits up from looking up at the ceiling.

"Sounds good to me," Remus says, standing up from the bed.

"I could go for some chicken right now," Sirius mutters, getting off the bed as Maggie tries following them as she grabs a zip-up hoodie.

"Oh no, you don't-" She immediately groaned, being pulled back by Harry as he pulled her into his arms. He places his hands on her waist and gives her a grin while he gives her his famous smirk.

"Please, I'm not tired." She groaned as Peter passed by them and they all looked at the couple in amusement.

"Love, did you not know that you are bleeding profusely from your back right now?"

"Not anymore, I'm not bleeding anymore." She grumbled like a child, as the marauders slowly closed the door to give the couple some space as they left for the Great Hall.

"Yeah, but you need to rest." He softly demanded, climbing in bed and patting the spot next to him for Magnolia as she groaned.

"I don't want to go to bed! I feel completely fine."

"You're very stubborn, you know that?" He states, making her smirk and nod teasingly. But he only gave her a serious look while she sat at the edge of the bed and he spoke, "C'mere, you're barely getting good sleep these days"

"I don't need to go to bed, I'm not tired, I'll be fine."

"But, darling, I'll be so lonely without you. Come curl up in my arms so I can feel whole again." He asks, with a lazy suggestive smirk, and a blush forms across her cheeks by the way he looks at her.

"O-Oh. Well - Wait, are you trying to seduce me into healthy sleeping patterns?"

"Is it working?" He asks with the stupid smirk that Magnolia loves so much - even though she'll never admit it.

She groans before dropping the zip-up hoodie on the ground and crawling onto the bed. He watches her intently as she crawls to him. His heart raced and heat coursed through him as her long whitish gold hair fell over her shoulders like mini waterfalls cascading down. Her enchanting blue eyes captured his green ones before she came to a stop and sat in front of him on her knees.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" He asks, tilting his head to the side with a smirk. He sits up against their headboard and uses her knees to pull her closer to him.

"Yes, but I'd love to hear it again." She whispers, growing a little shy under his gaze.

"Every day I fall a little bit more in love with you..." His words make her heart swarm with butterflies and a small smile appears on her lips. Her eyes fluttered open and reached his eyes, feeling him cup her cheek with his thumb tracing over her soft pink plump lips.

"Really?" She whispers, making him nod and her lips slightly parted as his thumb flicked her bottom lip. She awaited his lips to meet hers, but they didn't come, making her look at him curiously. He notices and the corner of his lips lifts sensually.

"I want you to kiss me." He whispers, making her eyes widen and grow speechless. But trying to overcome her excited nervousness as he kept his thumb gliding over her bottom lip, she playfully nipped at him as he laughed.

She sits between his parted legs, wrapping her legs around his waist, and leans forward, placing her hands on his cheeks to go in for his kiss. His eyes flutter closed, and his lips part, awaiting her lips on his. She watches his expressions, trying to take a mental picture of him like this for her. He was so vulnerable. So awaiting and almost begging... She loved it.

She took in his dazed state before parting her lips and closing the gap between them by pressing her lips on his.

~~~

"Hey Prongs, can I talk to you alone for a second?" Sirius asks James as they enter the Great Hall. James nods and Remus and Peter nod in understanding, walking over to the Gryffindor table as the two stay put a little off to the side.

"What's wrong?" James asks, his eyebrows furrowing in worry but Sirius only reassures him with a small nervous smile.

"So you know I talked to Regulus, right?" James nods, not quite understanding what this conversation was gonna go with the topic of Regulus.

"Well, when we talked... We kind of made up? And I kind of asked him to..."

"What did you ask him, Pads?" James asks wearily, eyeing the black-haired guy in front of him, only thinking about the worst-case scenario.

"I kind of asked him to come live with me." James furrows his eyebrows and raises an eyebrow before realization processes through his brain. Sirius watches his facial expressions closely.

"But you... Oh. With us, at my parents?"

"Yeah... Sorry, I should have talked to you about it first-"

"No, no - It's fine. He always had a place at my house, you know that." James reassures, making Sirius smile. It was true, countless times Euphemia and Fleamont have mentioned that they'd love to take in Regulus if it came to him not wanting to be with his family anymore. It never bothered them on the topic of Regulus staying with them - just like Sirius. And it didn't bother James with another addition since his best mates are always staying over, giving him the siblings he's always wanted. He truly never was an only child.

"Really?"

"Of course, Sirius. Just like you, he always had a place to stay if he needed it." James says, making Sirius pull an excited grin and pull his best mate into a hug.

Sirius profusely thanked James, only making the boy chuckle and accept the thanks. Sirius couldn't fathom how much he was thankful for the Potters - for they had accepted him into their home and treated him like he was a part of the family. And now they're happily accepting his little brother, only forcing Sirius's heart to love the small family even more. They made him forget the real family he came from, and he couldn't be more thankful for only recognizing that his real family is the Potters and his little brother.

authors note !!!

did we just get a teeny tiny somewhat glimpse of dom magnolia?

and just realized these past eight chapters have been all one day lmao