Chapter Eleven
“Reign, are you okay?” Remus asked her as she stared up at the ceiling in disbelief. She slowly sat up in the worn bed, but didn't move her gaze from the opposite side of the room. Remus watched her as she did so, knowing perfectly well what she was thinking. “Reign?” She turned her gaze towards him quickly and stared at him with the look of confusion. “How are you feeling?” He finished now that he had her attention.
“I have a headache.” Remus nodded. He just about started telling her something when he realized she was no longer paying attention. Her curiosity was directed over to the group of people standing by the door. “Who are they?” Remus pretended along with her and turned his gaze to the group of people his back was facing. He smiled at them before turning back to the girl sitting on the bed.
“You remember Mr. Weasley do you not?” She frowned in thought.
“I guess.”
“No Reign, do you not remember him?” He asked her again.
“I remember the name Weasley, but I don't remember meeting any of them. Daddy was rather protective of who I was around.” She said thoughtfully and this time not only Remus noticed her frown.
“Why don't we tell her who we are to make her feel a bit better about being around us?” Bill interjected. Even though he played along with the situation and acted as if nothing was bothering him, his heart fell more. Remus nodded. “Reign?” Reign's eye shot up to look at him.
“Yes?”
“I'm Bill-” He paused slightly in thought then smiled. “Billy.” She nodded then looked at the boy standing next to him.
“And you?” She demanded, more than asking.
“Ron.”
“I'm Hermione Granger.” Reign frowned again.
“I didn't ask you yet.” She snapped. Ron snickered but later regretted it as Hermione jabbed him in the side. “Don't do that! It's a bloody free country, he can laugh if he wants to!”
“Reign!” She looked over at Remus with a clueless expression. “Be nice.”
“Why? I didn't ask for her name.” Reign pointed out.
“You are right you didn't, but she's just trying to be nice so you will show her the same respect she shows you. Is that understood?”
“Yes, wannabe father.” She giggled. “Uncle Remmy you should know by now I'm not gonna listen to you.” She nodded, trying to look as innocent as she could. Ron looked over at Hermione and mouthed 'Uncle Remmy?'. She shrugged.
“Yes, my uncle Remmy.” Reign stated without looking at Ron.
“Reign ignore them okay?” She nodded. “I need you to answer some things for me. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes, sir.” She saluted him. She smirked, but Remus didn't seem to find that as fun as she did so her face dropped.
“First, what do you think of your father?” Reign chewed on her lower lip as she brought her finger up to her chin and looked at the ceiling.
“Hmm, a pervagit?” Remus chuckled as she smiled. “Remmy? You look old.” She blurted out.
“Yes, I would have to agree with you on both statements Reign. Your father did act a bit like that.”
“That's not true. He always acted like that. Have you forgotten already that he forgot I was his daughter?” Reign's face fell again. “That was before you two stopped talking.” She said in a low whisper.
“Yes, I remember. I do need you to not forget that you are not the reason that him and I had that fall out.”
“I told you both that you were being stupid and in the end I was left without either of you. Of course when daddy found out mum was taking me to see you I rarely saw her anymore.” Remus ignored her last statement and continued.
“Secondly, I need to tell me everything you saw while you were sleeping. You got me?” She nodded again. She motioned for her to continue.
“I remember mum and daddy standing on her deck. Daddy was a few days early. They were yelling at each other, but they normally did that. This was different though.”
“How so?”
“Daddy was begging her to let me go with him. Well begging in a loud voice, leave it at that. He kept saying stuff like I need to see her and You don't understand Kara. If you did you wouldn't be arguing with me right now. He acted like he wasn't going to ever see me again.”
“And?”
“Mum kept saying no, telling him that he would have to wait until the agreed time. That's when I walked out. I told mum that I would go and she looked disappointed, but allowed me to go afterward. I never did find out why he was there for me.” She stated thoughtfully.
“Maybe he missed you?” Remus added.
“No, I think he sensed that something bad was happening, either that or it was about you.”
“Possible. What else?”
“I remember being in daddy's arms while he was walking around Hogwarts, just barely, but what I do remember really well is Grandpa Henry. I know that he was the one that brought me to Hogwarts every night. Daddy told me. He also said I set their couch on fire.” Remus laughed.
“Yeah you did.” Remus smiled at her when a thought came to him. “What's the last thing you remember?” Reign's eyes widened in terror. She shook her head telling him that she wasn't going to tell him. “Reign I really need to know.”
“But..”
“Reign I need to know what happened that night.” She looked at him, begging him to let her stay quiet about it. “Reign I know what happened that night hurts to think about, but I need to know in order to help you.”
“I was reading.” She started. She paused and watched the people around her. “I was sitting on my bed reading the rest of the story daddy started. He never finished because he hurriedly ran out of my room. I didn't know why until later. He came back into my room and he picked me up off my bed, hugging me tightly. I didn't know why and now I wished I had. He kept telling me I would be great even when he was gone. I didn't understand. I wanted to, but I couldn't. Why did he keep saying when he was gone? I asked him.” She chocked a bit on the last line and stopped. Remus watched her closely.
“He sat down and say me on his lap and looked me in the eye. I had never once seen daddy cry, but I could have sworn to merlin he was. I was, crying I mean.
He didn't tell me anything 'cept that he had something to do. Something that he had to do no matter how much he wanted to be with me. I asked... I asked if he'd come back. But all he did was shake his head. He set me bad down and got up this time. That's when he gave me padfoot.” Remus knew what she was talking about. It was the little stuffed dog Sirius had. “He told me to be great and then he left my room, but I wasn't gonna stay, no I wasn't. I ran out the door after him. I was scr... screaming for him to come back, but he didn't and I knew he would never. That's when I fell, in the road. I just stayed there, crying. But then I felt myself being lifted from the ground. It was mum. She was there, with me. She wasn't crying, but she looked sad.
"I don't remember much after...”
“Your mum said you didn't want to eat or talk to anyone. You were with her for a week.” Reign nodded to Remus.
“Then they took me away.”
“Away where?”
“The old man, He took me away from mummy. He kept telling her that it was unsafe, very unsafe.”
“What was unsafe?” He pushed for her to continue.
“You. He said you were unsafe. These men,” she squeaked as fresh tears fell from her eyes. “They forced me to leave.” She closed her eyes. “Mum!!” She screamed. Remus touched her shoulder and she jumped.
“What happened after?”
“I don't remember!”
“Think Reign.”
“I can't, I don't know what happened!!”
“Reign!”
“No I can't.”
“You do remember, I know you do. Tell me where they took you.”
“A car. I was still screaming and I remember being forced into a car, but I swear I 'member nothing after that. I swear!!” She gripped her head in frustration.
“Did you love your mum?” Reign looked at him, telling him by the look she gave him that that was a stupid question to ask.
“Did you love her as much as your father.” Reign looked away. She didn't want to answer. “Reign?” She shook her head, “No.”
“Why?”
“I know mum loved me,” She started. “But I'm not stupid either. I know that every time I was with her I was reminding her of a huge mistake she made. I heard her say it, but it was to someone else.”
“Mum said you were a mistake?”
“Well not exactly.”
“Then what exactly did she say?”
“That she loved me and I was a one of the best things she had, but I was daddy's.” The group of redheads and one brunette looked confused.
“So you still loved your father more?”
Reign's facial expression changed quickly. She looked angry. “No.” Remus gave her a questioning look. “I don't love him anymore.” She whispered. Her eyes slowly welled up with tears. “He said I was special. He said I was his little girl and that he loved me more than life. That no matter what happened he'd still be with me and then he left!!” She screamed. “He didn't care.” The tears were now flowing freely down her cheeks.
“Reign your father..”
“No, he didn't.” She interrupted. “If he did he would of stayed.”
“Reign, he had to do what he did. Though it took me until now to realize this, your father blamed himself for what happened to James.”
“Where is he?” Reign asked in what little hope she had left. Remus looked away from the girl. “Uncle Remmy were is daddy?!” She pushed on his shoulders.
“Reign, Sirius has been taken away for a very long time.”
“Put he didn't do anything!!” Reign's tear stained cheeks now once again played trail to the tears escaping the corner of her eyes. She raised her fist and beat on the bed as she cried. “NO!!” she shook her head. “Noo.” Remus grabbed her her hands and held them tightly. She leaned forward and laid her head on his shoulder. Her body was shaking with ever tear that trailed down her cheek. Remus hugged her tightly and whispered that it would all be okay and to lie down while he went to go finish some business he had left. She nodded and leaned back in the bed. Her head hit the pillow and her eyes instantly. Remus stood up and motioned for them to follow him.
They walked down to the end door in the hallway and opened it. Harry was sitting on the edge of the bed looking at the floor.
“Harry..” Remus started.
“Don't bother I already heard.” He said icily. “Why wouldn't he tell me?” He looked up.
“Harry she was something that he thought he lost. It was hard for him. You have to understand.”
“No, he lied to me.”
“Not exactly mate,” Ron said. “He just kept it a secret.”
“I am tired of people a secrets from me! Tired of it! The more people don't tell me the worse things get. That's the reason I don't have Sirius anymore!
Not to mention there's a girl in the other room who's trying to take what little I have left of him away from me!”
“Harry that girls name is Reign and she isn't trying to do anything but remember who she really is.” Remus told him calmly.
“I don't believe it.”
“Harry even you can't be that stubborn.” Both Ron and Hermione told him.
“Just go!”
“Not until you know what's going on.” Remus told him, pushing on his shoulders to sit down.
“I already know.”
“No you don't. Harry when she was eight you were just a baby that's why you had to leave. She's smart enough to see the difference between you and James and that can ultimately cause for very bad things to happen.”
“Oh really? Well let me go and show my face to her right now.” Harry said moodily.
“Harry stop being stupid.” Harry glared at the floor, but said nothing. “Harry because of the fact that Sirius went to avenge your fathers death it led to that girl in there to have to live as a Malfoy for fifteen years. Even you can't possibly tell me that the Dursleys are worse than them. She was beaten and abused to the point of suicidal thoughts. She's been through a tough life too. I am not saying you haven't Harry. You can hate her all you want Harry, but you must understand you have two huge things in common. One being that you both lost Sirius, whether or not she can fully remember it. Two being that both your lives took a deadly turn after that same incident.”
“I don't care.”
“You don't have to, but Harry you did once like her and the only reason you don't is because she's not who you thought she was.” And with Remus backed out of the room and down the hall. Remus knew that tonights events where only the beginning to a bigger storm that was charging closer to their destination with rapid speed. Tonight is only the beginning, He thought.