Toujours Pur, Toujours Famille

Toujours Pur, Toujours Famille

Chapter 3: Chocolate and Home Runs with a Side

Of Letters

Remus Lupin fidgeted nervously in his bed. The waxing moon was just giving way to the sun. He had not gotten much sleep last night and though he was confined to the bed he would not get much rest during the day.

"Come in," he called at the knock on his door.

The sight of his father walking in with a plate of breakfast and the Daily Prophet brought a smile to his face as he sat himself up on the pillows. The elder Lupin placed the breakfast on the bedside table and kept the paper clutched in his hand. He bent down and kissed the top of his son's head. "Good morning."

"'Morning, dad."

"Mum went down to the apothecary to get a few herbs for tomorrow," he said, absently fixing the covers before pulling over an old rickety chair that was in the corner. "She wanted you to eat this," he motioned to the tray that contained a few pieces of toast and a bowl of oatmeal. "I don't imagine that you have much of an appetite."

Remus smiled. "Not for any of that at least." He picked up a piece of toast and nibbled at it.

"Here, something I thought you might find interesting."

Remus took the newspaper from his father who was smirking. When he unfolded the paper an envelope fell out. Remus' heart leapt. With shaking hands he ignored whom it was addressed to and opened it.

"'Dear Mr. Lupin, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.' Dad, they want me, they really want me to go!"

Jack Lupin smiled. "Of course they want you. My son, Remus Lupin, the greatest wizard in the world!" he boasted loudly. Remus laughed, jumping up on his bed with a renewed vigor and brandishing an imaginary wand.

"No one can defeat me!" he laughed.

"Oh, yeah?"

Remus backed up, biting his lip and grinning at the look in his father's eyes. In seconds he was down on the bed being tickled to death. "Mercy...mercy!" he cried.

Jack pulled back and surveyed his son momentarily. "Let's go get some real food, eh?" Remus nodded. "Hop on," Jack said, standing up and turned around.

The rule of the day before a full moon was absolutely no walking. Both fearing the wrath of a protective mother, the rule was bent somewhat as Jack carried Remus on his back down into the kitchen and placed him at the scrubbed table.

"So what'll it be?"

"Chocolate!"

Jack laughed. "I would have guessed as much. I believe we have some of that German chocolate cake left from mum's birthday..." He trailed off, looking around in the refrigerator. He gave a shout of triumph as he pulled out half a cake. Remus could feel his mouth water. Ever since he had been a child, chocolate had been his favorite food. However, both froze when the front door opened.

"Jack! I'm home!" she called.

"In here, Rosie," he mumbled weakly. Remus shrank into the background as much as he could.

"Sorry it took so long. I had ran by the market while I was there and- Jack, what are you doing with that cake?" She had her back to Remus as she kissed Jack hello and started to unload the groceries. Jack tried to put out an excuse and Remus had a small sense of hope that maybe he could sneak away upstairs. However, this was soon diminished as Rosie looked from the cake, to her babbling husband, and finally to Remus who was smiling weakly.

"Oh, so that's what's going on. I leave for less than an hour and you're conned into bringing him down here and getting him cake." Jack grinned charmingly. "Oh, don't give me that smile. It won't work."

"Come on Rosie. We were just getting something to eat other than stale bread."

"Yeah, mum. Besides it wasn't dad's fault."

"For some odd reason I have a hard time believing that," she said, kissing his forehead. He fidgeted underneath her appraising gaze. "Well I suppose you do look better than usual. Since your down here it won't hurt having a good breakfast down here."

"Thanks, mum." Jack winked at him as though the two had shared a silent victory.

~~~

"Come on Evans! Get off the field, you hit like a girl!"

"No, really? I wonder why you prat!"

Ignoring the boy yelling at her, a fiery red head threw a helmet on and grabbed a bat. She stomped onto the field, smacking a wad of bubblegum in the back of her mouth. She could hear some of her friends in the stands laughing and cheering her on. Suppressing a grin, she stared the pitcher down for a moment as she situated herself on the base. Fixing her nastiest glare on the pitcher, the boy that had been yelling at her, she prepared herself. The ball came flying at her and in a matter of seconds it was in the air, higher, and landed on the other side of the fence.

She smirked at the pitcher who was angrily walking off the field. As she leisurely jogged all the bases, the small group of people on the stands was on their feet, stomping and jeering at the retreating team. By the time she reached home base a small crowd had gathered.

"Thanks everyone," she said, taking her cap off and tossing her bat over to the side. She had never actually had a big thing for crowds and quickly found her friend.

"The great Miss Evans saves the day again," her friend muttered teasingly as Lily walked up.

"Shut up, Jackie. You know you're just as good at baseball as I am."

Jacquelyn laughed. "Yeah, but do I have the nerve to go up against Brett Thompson, the best pitcher and three years older than us?"

Lily smiled. Jacquelyn and her had been friends since the Evanses moved to the small town a few years ago. Lily immediately won the hearts of every person in the town and Jacquelyn was made to live in the shadow of her glory. Lily, in all of her naivety, never did notice this.

"I'll see you later Jackie," Lily said as they came upon a quaint house, complete with front porch and bay windows.

"Bye, Lil!" she called.

Lily sprinted up to the house and ran inside. "Hey mum!" she called. There was no answer. "Dad?" she asked, even though there would definitely be no answer for that one. Before they had finally settled in the town the family had been forced to move frequently. When he was offered a job at a permanent place, he leapt at the offer. Unfortunately, it called for long days and weeks.

"Mum?" she said in a now singsong voice, searching the kitchen with her eyes. She rolled her eyes when she heard yipping coming from outside. "Hello Toto," she murmured, reaching down to pet the small black mutt. "Can you tell me where mum is?" The dog barked once more and trotted out into the vast yard. Lily grinned when she saw a floppy pink hat lying next to a woman on her hands and knees. "Good boy," Lily said, scratching the behind the tiny ears. "Hi, mum."

"Lily! There you are love. I was looking for you earlier. Pet said you had gone to a baseball game." At Lily's nod of confirmation, she continued. "And? How did you do?"

"Won the game with a home run," she said sheepishly.

Madeline Evans smiled and kissed her younger daughter's cheek. "Well good for you. Show those boys how to play the game." Lily sat down as her mother continued to viciously weed out one of the many sections of the garden.

"Where is Pet?" Lily asked, reaching forward to help.

"Oh, she went off with Peter or Paul or one of them. She'll be back later. Or so she says."

Lily laughed lightly and was about to respond but something else drew her attention. "Mum, would you look at that?" Madeline looked up to the tree Lily was pointing to. Perched on one of the highest branches was a snowy white owl. Unusual, but not as unusual as what it had.

"I do believe that owl is carry a letter in its beak."

The owl, coming to the realization that it was being watched, ruffled its feathers and soared down, stopping momentarily to drop the letter in Lily's lap and continuing on its way.

Lily looked down in her lap. The thick envelope was made from parchment and in delicate green ink, the words "Miss Lily R. Evans, second bedroom on the right, 1385 Willowed Drive, Brookshur, England" were inscribed. "Mum..." she said, handing the envelope forward.

Madeline observed it for a moment, her eyes growing wide when she read what the wax seal said. "Hogwarts," she muttered to herself.

"Do you know who that is?" Lily asked, peering from the letter to her mother.

"My great aunt..." Madeline said quietly. "I only met her once. Grandma loved her dearly. She spent the whole afternoon telling me stories of course I always supposed they had been made up...."

"Can I open it?" Lily asked, gazing at the envelope with such a longing one might have thought it some holy relic. Madeline had the same wondrous look on her face.

"Hurry up and do it before I think too hard and say not to."

Lily shredded the envelope and let the letters fall onto her lap. Hastily unfolding them, her eyes grew wide as saucers. "'Dear Miss Lily Evans, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.' Mum," she whispered, her eyes glued to the parchment. "I'm a witch."