Moonbeam - Charlotte - December 1981

[Deleted]

*Takes place during New Moon

Marlene was home alone, Liam was working, when she got the letter. It was from Charlotte, who was being overly formal in asking Marly to come for a visit. As she stood there, analyzing the letter, Mo pulled at her pants leg. She was standing there, holding onto her pants for what seemed to be dear life. She smiled and scooped up her daughter with one hand.

“Aunt Char seems to have an issue. Wanna take a trip?” She got a smile and a tiny nod from the little one, and she smiled back. “Lets grab your things then, shall we?” She grabbed the diaper bag she had, which had Mo’s snacks as well, and grabbed Mo’s jacket. After finally getting it on her daughter, she left the house, she had wards up to prevent apparation, and moved to the apparation point.

She turned on the spot, and when they got to their destination, Charlotte and Remus’ home, and went to the door. Mo started squirming and she put her down, holding her hand so she wouldn’t try to leave. She then knocked on the door and waited for a response. And when she got one she gave the best smile she could.

“You called?”

[Charlotte Fudge]

You have to get the door, Charlotte. You invited her over for a reason. For reasons.

Charlotte Lupin was newly pregnant. She hadn't seen her husband in fourteen days. This combination of events was not sitting well with her. At first the young wife didn't let her mind run away from her - she had told him at an extremely inconvenient time, the day of a full moon, but that had been when she'd confirmed her suspicions at St. Mungo's. She didn't want to keep the news from him, even though she knew she wouldn't be seeing him for at least a day; this was something incredibly unexpected, something they hadn't planned for or even wanted, but they were married. That meant they should be able to discuss anything, get through anything, together.

So when the days stretched into a week, and one week stretched itself into a second...it was safe to say that Charlotte's mind was running away from her. Just as it seemed Remus was.

Seeing how well he had taken the news, she hadn't broken it to anyone else yet. If nothing else, these two weeks had given her time to think, and decide for herself what she wanted without any influence. She knew they were "too young" to be parents, and neither of them had had a pair of ideal parents themselves they could model after. She knew having children wasn't in their plan.

But while editing submissions at work, she caught herself jotting down names, compiling a list that kept growing. If they went the usual Lupin route, the child's first name would be something wolf-like in its derivative, but she didn't know about any pattern to middle names. So that could be more open and up to Remus and herself, and while she was editing everything from poetry to historical accounts, she came across a multitude of interesting names that could potentially fit.

That is, if Remus ever came home to her. If they ever talked this out like married adults. If they could agree on what to do.

Those thoughts hit Charlotte as she wrote each name, and her writing was jerky, sloppier than her usual precise handiwork as she tried to regain her control. But she had to keep at it, didn't she? Because he would come home. And they would talk. And they would agree to keep the baby, no matter how contrary his parting words had been to that concept.

But without even a letter from him, her mind was running, and fast, when she was in their home alone. Today after work she had broken, writing Marlene. The young woman had had a child unexpectedly, and was now happy in motherhood. The past few years hadn't been simple for her, but she had come out with a beautiful family - as she was mutual friends with herself and her husband, who could be better to ask advice of? After her owl had flown away with the invitation, she busied herself with putting on a kettle for tea, gathering up some snacks in case little Mo came with her mum. That would not be ideal, of course, seeing as what Charlotte wanted to tell Marly - but she'd figure something out.

Then there had been knocks at the door, which brought forth the panic she was trying to contain. Telling someone about her situation made it all the more real, and she didn't know if she wanted thoughts like He may have truly left me to feel any more real. But she had to - if there was one thing she had learned in these last few years, it was that she did have friends who would support her. Perhaps Marly knew something she didn't, had heard something about Remus...get the door before she breaks it down.

She pushed her short hair behind her ears, took a steadying breath, and opened the door with a smile. She was greeted with one much cheerier than hers felt, but it was the best she could do under the circumstances. Marly and Mo stood on her stoop, and she held the door wider, an odd pang in her chest at the sight of them. A mother-and-child pair. "I did, thanks for coming so quickly, I hope I'm not keeping you two from anything. Come on in, I've just put on some tea, and we've got some snacks - I don't know all she eats yet," she said, fair cheeks growing pink at the admission, "but I'm sure we can find something."

[Deleted]

Marlene knew something was up, she’d figured it out as she’d read Charlotte’s letter. But she wasn’t prepared for the face she would be receiving when the door was opened. But she didn’t want to let her face fall, no need to worry Charlotte more. She led Mo through the door, before going through it herself.

“It’s no problem, really. Sorry I couldn’t leave Mo at home, Liam’s working today. And it’s not a big deal, always have snacks just in case.” She used her shoulder to gesture to the bag that was over it. She looked around, it’d been about a month maybe a little less, since she’d been to the Lupin’s house. She let go of Mo’s hand and tried to get her coat off of her but the little one toddled off as fast as possible. And the first place the little girl went was Charlotte’s leg. The little one placed a hand on her friend.

“An,” was the only word that came out of her mouth, but Marly couldn’t keep a truly genuine smile off her face. All her friends were referred to as ‘Aunt’ or ‘Uncle’ by her, so whenever she saw them in person it was always “Aunt Charlotte” or “Uncle Remus”. Even her daughter's built in best friends were sort of unofficial cousins. So she was trying to say ‘Aunt’ and it was precious. She went over and slid the coat off while she was preoccupied with Charlotte, putting it in the bag before taking off her own coat.

She looked around as she took her jacket off, was Charlotte home alone right now? That would explain the panicked letter, if Remus wasn’t around whatever was bothering her couldn’t exactly be let out. She only wished she hadn’t needed to bring Mo with her, but she couldn’t very well leave her daughter home alone.

“So, what’s going on? Something seemed off about your letter. And… Are you home alone right now?”

[Charlotte Fudge]

Marlene and her daughter came in, Char closing the door quietly behind them, nodding along as her friend spoke of snacks. Things you'll have to learn. She'd hardly taken a step in herself when Mo bolted over to her - surprisingly fast on her little wobbly legs - and attached herself to her leg. "It's - it's no problem, we'll just watch her around the coffee table - only thing with low enough corners to run into, I think," Char said, giving the toddler a shaky smile as she played with her tights. At Mo's lilting greeting, tears stung the corners of Charlotte's eyes - the little girl was beautiful, and had already grown attached to her honorary aunts and uncles. Until Char knew what she knew now about what was going on inside of herself, the greeting would've just brought a wider smile to her face, a remark about how well Mo was doing. But she couldn't, not today. She mutely laid a hand on the little girl's head, stroking her fine blonde hair as Marly came to coax her out of her jacket.

As much as she knew she wanted to keep the child she and Remus had made, that didn't make embarking on this journey she was so ill prepared for any easier. It was terrifying, especially without Remus here, and that was doing nothing for the stress that the Healer said had kept the pregnancy a secret even from herself. With the war and its end, she'd been under a tremendous amount of the stuff, so much so that she was two months along without having known it. Never having envisioned herself as becoming a mother, and Remus never thinking of himself as a father, they'd taken every precaution...but flukes happen, and this was theirs.

As Marly looked around the Lupins cottage, Char could almost feel the emptiness of the place without Remus that her friend was surely seeing. She and their place just weren't right without him, and with him gone so long...it had to be noticeable. And - given Marly's questions - it was.

"I have been home alone," Charlotte said unsteadily, voice hitching with feeling at the admission. She cleared her throat, frustrated at herself, and leaned down to pick up the toddler still playing with her tights and babbling quietly. Mo on her hip, she looked at the little girl, trying to bring herself back to some sort of calm. Mo reached out and toyed with her hair, the buttons of her cardigan, as she spoke. "I - I came in to some news and told Remus, and he - " left "he's been gone since. It's been two weeks, and I haven't heard a word." The young woman had hardly felt like such a failure; her own husband seemed to have left her, not wanting to face the responsibility of raising a child with her.

[Deleted]

Marlene nodded, not too terribly concerned about the coffee table, it’d just be something she’d have to keep an eye on. But she was decent at getting Mo to be just slightly aware of her surroundings, it did take effort on her part. Mo wasn’t quite to the point where she knew to be careful on her own. Or have too much self preservation. But with magical healing, it wasn’t as terrifying as it could be.

Something definitely seemed off about Char, and she was now very glad she had such a bizarre work schedule. With the war over she had been able to work at the hospital without as many concerns for other things, but Mo was one of them. Liam had such an odd schedule as well, but childcare wasn’t impossible to come by. And while she didn’t really need the position financially, having a job aside from being a mother was nice, especially since she happened to love the work she was doing.

When Charlotte started talking about the strangeness of the house, picking up Mo in the process, she raised an eyebrow. She couldn’t even smile at her daughter playing with Charlotte’s hair and buttons. Since she wasn’t being rough yet there was nothing to be concerned about there, but Remus being away from home for two weeks? And Christmas happening during that time?

That was something to be concerned about.

“Oh Char…” She was going to continue when she realized something. There wasn’t a lot that scared Remus Lupin. Honestly, there wasn’t a lot that could scare any of the people in the Order of the Phoenix these days. They had all seen and done so much that, aside from things that caused flashbacks and nightmares, they were all pretty thick skinned. So what could have sent Remus heading for the hills?

There was only one thing she could think of, but she wasn’t sure how possible it was. Yes the two were married (A much better situation than her own if she was assuming correctly), but neither had seemed very interested in expanding their family aside from maybe a pet or two. But it was the only scenario that made sense in her head to explain Remus leaving and not coming back.

And if that was the case, she was conflicted. Because she wanted to be angry beyond belief but she couldn’t. She couldn’t because she understood better than anybody why he would do it because, hell, she had done it! But she was getting ahead of herself. She didn’t even know if that was really the case. She would need to know for sure before she let her mind go to those places.

“Char… Are you… Expecting?”

[Charlotte Fudge]

Keep it together, Charlotte, she thought sternly as tears pricked at her eyes. Her friend's sympathy was kind, but Char didn't know how to deal with any of this, and being pitied wasn't helping her regain her usual calm. Because Marlene's sympathy was warranted, and Char hated that it was. For someone who had hardly ever had a purpose for that consuming emotion, Charlotte Lupin had been feeling a lot of it lately. She hated that Remus had left, that he hadn't even sent a note since. She hated that she didn't feel she could contact him, because she was frightened her letter would go unanswered. She hated not knowing if he was coming back. She hated seeing his things around the house because she hated thinking that he wasn't going to come back, and then what was she supposed to do with his books and his clothes and everything else? And then she would hate herself for not having faith in him, in letting herself think he could stomach abandoning her.

Because she and this family they could have together, it was unexpected for him. Charlotte knew that he'd grown up thinking he'd never have a partner. That he'd never have children of his own. So leaving for good wasn't something he would do lightly, and was the weight of this child really too heavy for him to bear? It wasn't as if he'd be alone! They would do this together. Yes, they had always been careful, neither wanting a child to come of their - ah - married moments together. Each had reasons, and it wasn't as if she'd found out about her pregnancy and been fine with it! That's why she told him as soon as she knew, because she wasn't sure what to do, and as her partner...he was supposed to help her figure this out.

As the silence slugged by - save Mo's happy cooing as she gently played with her earrings - Char couldn't look at her friend. She never broke down, and the pride that usually lay hidden within her was coming to the surface today. In admitting that things were wrong. It was uncomfortable enough to admit that, for all intents and purposes, it appeared that Remus had left her. She could leave it at that and not cry too, couldn't she? You're picking quite the time to act like a Fudge...

So as Marlene spoke, Char cleared her throat, steeling herself before looking over at her quizzically. "Expecting him to come back? Well, if he doesn't, I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with all of his things. And the house." Another stressful reality that had been needling at her - how was she supposed to afford this house on her own? She'd have to find an apartment in a good neighborhood and pack and move and - Charlotte belatedly blushed, realizing her error in processing. "Sorry - expecting." She set the wiggly little girl down and smoothed her dress, nodding. With her situation a bit more clear, Char dearly hoped that Marlene could offer some insight, as she had reacted similarly to Remus upon finding out about Mo, after all... "I told him," she said stiffly, delicately swiping under her eyes in case her makeup had run, "he said to get rid of it, and that's the last I've seen him."

[Deleted]

Marlene could feel the thickness in the house of something not right, and knowing why made it slightly easier to swallow. But only slightly. Because knowing why meant she had to know nearly everything, and Remus walking out and no one hearing from him was troubling. She was almost wishing he’d stopped by her place, so she could give Charlotte something but he hadn’t. So she had nothing.

She smiled weakly as Charlotte processed her words incorrectly. But what came out of her mouth was painful, being gone for two weeks had not done wonders for Charlotte’s mental state. Especially regarding her husband and what he would do. She really wanted to find Remus and smack some sense into him.

But when Charlotte confirmed her suspicions, her desire to beat the living hell out of him dwindled. Because there was confirmation that said she knew exactly where he was coming from and she knew she needed to have a talk with him. But that was not her first priority right now. Her first priority was Charlotte, and apparently the fourth member of the party she had been unaware of.

Char put Mo down, and Marlene smiled as her daughter went straight for her legs. She squatted down to pick up her daughter, smoothing her shirt once she was back in a standing position. Charlotte gave her more details of the last time she’d seen her husband and she bit her lip in frustration at her friend. What in the name of Merlin was Remus thinking, leaving like that? Had he lost his mind? She pinched the bridge of her nose, not quite sure where she’d picked up the habit, as she thought about it.

“Remus you bloody idiot,” she mumbled, before remembering her daughter was in her arms. Deciding it could have been worse, she decided not to make a big deal out of it, and let Mo take her finger as she continued. She took a breath, knowing what she was about to say would sound bad at first.

“You’d be surprised… How easy it is to leave.” She paused, trying to figure out how to say what she wanted to say properly.

“I can’t claim to know what in the he-“ She stopped before she could say the word she was going to say and corrected herself. “Heck he was thinking. I only know what I did, and it’s easy to leave because you tell yourself you’ll only be gone a few days. But those days turn into one week really fast. And that week can turn into two in a heartbeat. It’s easy because you tell yourself you’ll come back. It gets harder the longer you’re gone because you aren’t sure if you should come back. If the people you left want you to come back.”

She hoped she had gotten her attempted message across. That him leaving things like that could have been a mistake. That he was just afraid of what she or everyone else would think when he did come back. She wasn’t sure how isolated he had been from everyone, if he’d kept in any contact with anyone. It didn’t surprise her he didn’t stop by her place, though she did wish he had, considering the circumstances.

“I made the mistake of thinking I had to figure it all out by myself. Everyone needs someone. Eventually, everyone needs someone. If he’s not willing to find someone or, like in my case, someone doesn’t go and find him and be that someone, his decisions could be entirely up in the air.” Mo was tugging lightly at her mothers hair as she spoke, but she wasn’t noticing too much. She was too concerned about what was going on.

“If I have to go out and find him myself I will. But first things first… How far along are you?”

[Charlotte Fudge]

Marlene's mumbled - ah - assurances of what she had been thinking were met with a small smile, and Char's nervous fingers toyed with the buttons of her cardigan as she looked at Mo and her friend. The little girl was such a sweet and lively mini-me of her mother, and Char knew that Marlene's acceptance of this part of her life hadn't been an easy one. But to have gone from running from everyone she knew to coming back, making up with Liam, and moving forward with confidence? It gave her hope that all perhaps wasn't lost between Remus and herself, that they could do this too.

If he came back.

It's still a pretty big if...

As Marlene continued, it became more and more difficult for Charlotte to face her, and she sat on their little loveseat, leg jiggling with anxious energy, her hands clasped around a knee. What her friend was saying made sense, and Char only hoped that Remus was starting to get back to his own senses. Because what did running do but cause more problems? Where before she trusted him with everything, how was she supposed to trust him now? When he'd run from her in one of her greatest times of need?

And for as upset as she was with him, she couldn't hate him, only his decisions, which he hopefully regretted. Just as she regretted not reaching out these last two weeks. Because where was he, even? Was he taking care of himself? If he was staying with friends someone would have told her, if he was at his father's Lyall would've sent him her way already...

"Do you think he's all right?" she asked abruptly, Marlene's comments about his decisions being up in the air only increasing her worry, her guilt at not looking for him herself. "I'm furious with him, of course," Char continued, brushing at her eyes again as she spoke to the floor, "but - it's just the most frustrating thing. I wasn't expecting this either, but I'm here." Her unspoken And where is he? hung in the air and she sighed in agitation. For as upset as she was with him, she just wanted him home, where they could work things out.

And if he really is done, at least then we can have some closure.

Char looked up to shoot her friend a grateful smile at the offer, hoping it wouldn't come to that, that he would return on his own. "I'm about two months along," she admitted. "The healers said recent stress could've hidden it from me until now, and I couldn't argue with them there." Although the war had come to an end, the past years of it had been more stressful than her entire life until that point combined. Friends had turned on each other, Remus had had to get chummy with Greyback, there had been no certainty of anyone's safety...it had been to her growing baby's best interest, the healers said, for it to not alert her body to its presence as much as a baby would in a time of the mother's prime.

[Deleted]

Marlene needed Charlotte to know that she was there for her. That was her first priority. Her second was trying make her understand what Remus’ motives could be, even though she had no idea what they were. Remus hadn’t exactly come and spoken to her about it. She could only speak from her own experience and that was what was making this difficult. Because she couldn’t help but feel a personal connection here, and while Charlotte being angry made sense, it hurt her heart a little to think that was exactly what she was afraid of when she’d disappeared. And separating her feelings was hard.

“I do think he’s alright, Char. It’s Remus, we know he can handle himself. I don’t doubt that physically he’s fine. Emotionally… I don’t know. He could be okay, but he could be confused, trying to figure this out. I mean… He wouldn’t have left if he had already figured it all out.” She didn’t want to worry Charlotte, but she wasn’t going to lie. Charlotte didn’t need lies right now. She sat down near her, resting Mo on her legs.

“You had time to think by yourself, but you had Remus for when you were ready to tell him. Once you told Remus, he couldn’t really think about it without knowing you were waiting for his reaction. I wanted to think by myself so I left, and I can literally be alone with Liam there, he is the quietest person when he needs to be.” She couldn’t help but smile, thinking about how supportive Liam was about this whole thing. She still felt guilty for leaving, even to this day.

“Well, if you ever have any questions you have a whole slew of people to turn to.” She gave Charlotte a grin. “I know you and Remus can do this, it’s just about making sure you two know you can.” She paused to let Mo back on the ground, and pulled out one of her toys (A small stuffed bear) and handed it to her before returning her attention back to Charlotte.

“So… Aside from your husband back, is there anything you need?”

[Charlotte Fudge]

The longer they spoke, the more difficult it was for Charlotte to keep up any semblance of her standard calm affect. She was someone people went to for logic, for assistance, for reassurance. Admitting that something so huge was going wrong in her life, even to a friend as dear to her heart as Marlene, was more than bruising her pride and sense of self. Because how could she and her husband be so out of touch with each other that this news could send him running?

She knew he had to be scared, and empathized wholly with that. But she hadn't thought he could be so selfish to leave her alone with this. She knew marriage vows could be trite and eventually ignored by some, but she'd not thought that was what would come of theirs...

It just hurt, physically hurt, to actually speak these truths. About the pregnancy, about Remus, about how she'd reacted to his leaving. Char remained tense, avoiding the other's eye, as Marlene sat with her, trying to explain Remus' side based on her own experiences. She nodded, brushing agitatedly at her eyes. "I just...I expected him to freak out, I did. We've spoken about this before, it wasn't something either of us wanted. I just...I expected more of him than this." The young woman trailed off, busying herself from this reality by fixing her dress, her tights, as Marlene went on, reassuring her that she and Remus could do this. Be parents. Raise a child. It was something she'd come to theoretical terms with, something she was taking care of. She'd been following the instructions of the healers, taking care of herself and the baby as well as she could given her current stress. But the reality of it...it still seemed so far away. She'd tried to imagine a bassinet in their bedroom, converting her workroom into a child's room, a baby with her eyes and Remus' smile giggling, rolling around on a blanket on the living room floor...

But it was painful to imagine without her partner with her - he would pop up in her daydreams only to disappear when she came to the present...

"I appreciate it, Marly," Charlotte said, forcing herself to look at her friend. "I'm sure I'll become a bother with all of the questions the books don't answer adequately." She gestured faintly to the end table littered with books on pregnancy and child-rearing she was flitting among. "And...he's all I need. I'm doing what the healers said to do, it's just...him." She fought to swallow back the break in her voice, but it'd already come, and her leg was jiggling again with the effort of keeping herself in check. Mo was contentedly playing at their feet, she didn't want to worry her, to show just how much his abandonment was hurting. Thankfully the kettle in the kitchen began whistling, and she shot Marly a stiff smile as she rose to ready their tea. "Be just a minute," she assured on her way out.

[Deleted]

Marlene wished there was more she could do for her friend. Marlene knew firsthand what stress could do to you when your were pregnant. She’d had her fair share of stresses while she was pregnant with Mo, and while she knew it would be near impossible, it was important that Charlotte try and not be so freaked out. But there wasn’t much she could do, aside from hit the streets and look for Remus herself.

Before she could really work through the best things to say, the kettle was whistling and she decided to let Char handle it. Mo seemed perfectly happy playing on the floor, and Marlene didn’t want to disturb her by getting up. And since Mo was right at her feet, any movement would likely disrupt what she was doing.

But she could use the time to figure out what to say. She couldn’t help but wonder if this was similar to conversations people might have had with Liam. It had been different (they hadn’t been sure if she’d left or if she’d been kidnapped), but it was also somewhat similar. And there was no doubt people were trying to reassure him that she was fine. That she would be fine. That she would be back.

And she could say the same thing, but it would likely be hard to believe without some kind of plan.

When Charlotte returned, she had figured out what she wanted to say. She just had to hope it came out the way she wanted, and that it would help in some way. She didn’t want to make it worse.

“I can’t blame you, I expected more of him too. But we don’t always know what we would do in situations like this until they happen. If you asked me three months beforehand if I thought I would run away at the idea of being pregnant I would have said there was no way. But I did. And worried a heck of a lot of people in the process too. But this is why we have friends right? To remind us of the right thing to do, and to help us when we screw up?” She gave Char a smile, she wanted to cheer her friend up.

“And as for the questions, you could never be a bother. Ask me anything, I certainly went through hell in a hand basket when I was pregnant. I can give you plenty of advice. Including what not to do when you’re overly stressed and potentially suffering from PTSD. The books are great, I read plenty of them when I got pregnant, but nothing is better than real life stories. Especially since every pregnancy is different, the more stories you hear the more prepared you are. At least I think so.”

“And I meant what I said earlier, I’ll go looking for him if I have to.”

[Charlotte Fudge]

Charlotte rather fled to the kitchen, glad for the momentary out. She was grateful for her friend's appearance, advice, and being an outlet, but admitting all of this was dreadfully draining. While she knew she didn't always have to keep her composure, one of the lingering bits of learning from her childhood was that appearances were everything. Thus - crying in front of others? An extreme rarity. She took the time in the kitchen to regain some of her composure, readying their tea, and after fixing her sweater, wiping under her eyes, and tossing her hair, Char was carrying tea on a tray. She set it on the low coffee table, not quite sure how to keep this affair toddler-proof now.

"Careful around the table please, Mo," Charlotte said gently as she sat and poured cups for Marly and herself. She sighed, unsure of what to do now that Marlene - and, if she had been listening, Mo - knew her current troubles, and looked over as her friend spoke. She nodded, glad for the perspective Marly could give - and hopeful that Remus was just experiencing the fear of parenthood, not such an aversion to being with her and being a parent that he would be simply gone from now on. A small smile was teased out of her as Marlene went on about her own pregnancy, appreciating the other's respect of books and the reality that hearing experiences really would be more practical in this instance. She took a few moments of quiet with her tea after the other was done, nodding before she spoke. "I appreciate it, Marly, I really do," she said, hating how unsteady her voice still was. "Do you think Peter, Sirius, or James know about this? I just...I don't even know where to start looking."

[Deleted]

Marly hated seeing Charlotte so upset. She could tell that Char wasn’t truly showing her everything, and she wasn’t a fan of that either. She still remembered all those times she could have, and should have, been more honest about her feelings. But she knew that the moment they got Remus back things would be fine again. It was just a matter of getting to work. But that didn’t mean she wanted to leave her friend upset.

Mo looked up at her name when Charlotte told her to be careful around the table. Marlene just gave a smile, she was sure her daughter would be fine. And even if something did happen, she was a healer. Not that she wouldn’t be paying attention to try and prevent anything from happening.

“Honestly, I think if they do know they had to have just found out. I mean… Considering those guys I would think we would have heard by now. And I’m sure James would have marched Remus over here with his hands tied behind his back if he knew what was going on. So… Probably not.” She was trying desperately hard not to laugh at the image of James behind Remus holding a rope and leading him here.

“I can think of a few places to start, but it’s kind of… Order-y. But of course, we can ask around. There are plenty of ways to find someone. I could ask James how he found me a couple of years ago…” The trailed off for a moment before returning to speaking. “But don’t worry. We’ll find him.”

[Charlotte Fudge]

"That's one way to get him here," Charlotte said, surprising herself with the small laugh that eeked out of her at her friend's commentary about James. He wasn't the most subtle of men, and she could only imagine his extreme disbelief with Remus' behavior. It probably wouldn't be too far off to say that he would do as Marly suggested. Not exactly how I'd want him back - free will would be preferable - but...no, no, he'll come around. He has to. Still, her laughter was short-lived, because what Marly said had to be true. If the blokes knew, there wasn't a way that they wouldn't have come by to see her, to let her know they were looking, that they would help. Even with the - to put it lightly - tension that until very recently had been brewing between Remus and Sirius, she couldn't imagine Sirius finding this out and not trying to do something about it.

She retook her tea, nodding as Marly gave her ideas. "Thanks, Marly - for all of this. Bit late in the day to start looking, but maybe we could send out some inquiries tomorrow? I mean - I can do it, of course, don't mean to put you to work - " She's your friend, his too. She wouldn't mind. Merlin, but sometimes Charlotte wished asking for help was easier for her to do. "Anyway, enough - enough about me and my problems. How are things with you lot?" She chanced a smile over at her friend, hoping that all was well at the McKinnon-MacDougal household.

[Deleted]

Marlene laughed along with Charlotte at the image of Remus being dragged home by James with his hands tied behind his back. She’d purposely come up with an amusing image, and not just because something that silly would be a very James-like thing to do. But because she was hoping to make Charlotte smile, which she’d succeeded at.

“It’s never too late to start searching. But things are just fine with me and Liam. I’d say Mo and I are very lucky.” She mentally slapped herself for saying it, before she remembered that Charlotte wouldn’t have asked if she hadn’t expected an answer. And since no one in their relationship had run away since 1979 there weren’t any issues there.

“I do hate when he’s away, but it was a lot harder when Mo was younger. And at least the games are primarily in the summer. Now he just has a lot of practices.” She picked up Mo, who was happy to sit on her mother’s lap. At least for now. It wouldn’t be long until the toddler would want to be on the ground again.