Bi-Weekly Challenge: Milholland quote.

[r_moony]

Who: Remus Lupin
What: Our heroes are people and people are flawed. Don't let that taint the thing you love. -Randy K. Milholland
Where: Hogwarts
When: Now, in grownhp6words timeline after this.
Why: One, because he himself is piecing things together. Two, because it's Remus. And Moony. And like they ever let their children leave without responding

Comments

[last_ofthe_pack]

Dear Dad,

I don't want to run for the rest of my life. But I had to get out of Hogwarts before I hurt anyone else...it's not safe for me to be near anyone. Maybe it won't ever be again. I can't take the chance of hurting you, Mum, Teddy, Ana, Andrea or Harry Al or any of the rest of the people I love by staying.

You want to protect me--but you can't. Not from what I've done. Not from what's happening to me. What I do next decides who I am. Whether I'm the monster that lurks in the dark or if I can bring myself to face what I did and take responsibility for it. Whose daughter am I after all? Yours? Or His? I know whose I want to be. Whose I've always tried to be. Now I don't know for sure.

I wish I'd talked to you after the moon. I wish I had found a way to tell you what was happening. ...but I can't even look at myself in the mirror... It's too late for me now.

I'm sorry, but I won't answer again.

Your

Maisie

[pinkhairedauror]

Tonks had just completed her shift - but couldn't go home without checking the infirmary first.

She was sitting on a bed as close to Nikola's as they would let her, just watching things going on, exhausted. She knew she needed to go home, but...

This could have been me. This should have been me.

Bill Weasley's wounds hadn't happened too recently, but the sight of Sebastian's exposed flesh when she had seen it hadn't left her wondering too long what kind of attacker had accosted him. And it was her who had chosen to associate with them, wasn't it?

Merlin, I'm tired...

She wearily rose and walked out, and almost ran into her husband.

Even this tired, she could tell something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Remus?" Her voice was quiet, almost hollow. It was all she could master right now.

[r_moony]

Of course it had to be the infirmary, Remus thought to himself even if his expression betrayed nothing. He really didn't want to do this. Bring news that their daughter had left.

He should have seen the signs, he kept thinking. He should have asked her sooner. He should have noticed. He should have--

"Maisie left."

His voice was soft. Calm, even if inside he was anything but. At least he wasn't throwing books like he had done when Scorpius had left; he just handed her the note.

[pinkhairedauror]

"What?" Tonks felt the parchment between her fingers, but her mind was...

Somehow, she recalled where she was and finished going out of the infirmary and into the nearest empty classroom, collapsing in a seat, before she allowed herself to think. Or read.

But read she did. The first time through, it didn't make any sense. So she read it again. And again.

Her joy-filled, strawberry-bright baby girl. Hers. Whatever else, that wouldn't, couldn't change. Why...

She wasn't fully aware if Remus had followed her, but the words rolled out of her mouth anyway, quiet, strained. "You weren't there with her, that night." It had always been about them running together. Not being alone. "She was all on her own." And since then too. Remus had not told her what had happened. If she'd known... She'd not have left Maisie struggle with things alone. Remus was obviously preoccupied himself, but if she'd known, she could have helped. But she wasn't told.

Secrets and lies. Bloody brilliant...

[r_moony]

Remus had indeed followed her, and he caught every tone and every word.

"No, I was not with her."

Why he was answering when she hadn't even asked he had no idea.

"She was on her own, yes. I didn't--... I left her alone that night."