A/N: for those that don’t know or have never encountered and ‘underpass’ it is a tunnel that goes underneath a main/busy road and takes the person safely to the other side, without the person having to play dodge the traffic and take their life in their hands.
Aime’s first two years at Hogwarts was spent rushing between her Gryffindor’s and her Ravenclaw’s.Cheering in every Quidditch match and cavorting by the lake. Sirius had taken to asking Joan out at every opportune moment. Joan had knocked him back every time. The day before the summer holidays began Joan had walked bold as brass over to the Gryffindor table at breakfast and asked Sirius to go out with her in front of the whole school. Aime had collapsed laughing when he turned round and said ‘I’ll think about it’. Joan had just said don’t wait too long and walked back to the Ravenclaw table.
“Aime what did I do wrong?” she’d asked fearing that she had messed up her chances with Sirius.
“Nothing” Aime had replied still shaking with laughter at the plight of her friend “he’ll come and tell you yes before the day is out.” And he did.
Poor James however had taken a similar approach with Lily Evans. Unfortunately he didn’t quite have charm that Sirius had and she had taken an instant dislike to the cocky youth. She had nearly hexed him into the next week when he had ‘accidentally’ transfigured her quill into a rat. He was in fact aiming to turn it into a box of chocolates. He had taken to calling a cactus that Aime’s mum had sent her Lily. When asked why James has said rather bitterly that it looks really pretty from a distance but when you do eventually go nearly it prickles the hell out of you.
Peter’s crowning glory came two weeks into the 2nd year when he found out exactly how to get into the Hogwarts Kitchen. Peter was hailed as a hero for about a week. That is until Professor Damant had found the five of them emerging from the kitchens laden with food. Oh the detentions they received for that little effort.
Sirius had become Hogwarts womanizer of the year and had been out with most of the Gryffindor girls by the end of the 2nd year. Sirius had however made himself an enemy of the Slytherin’s. He had off a firework under Severus Snape’s table in potions. Syltherins not one to see there own embarrassed had come after Sirius and hexed him rather badly. He spent a day or two in the hospital wing. Much to Sirius’ delight the Nurse Madame Pomfrey was very attractive and he developed a bit of a crush on her. For the remainder of the 2nd year he kept falling ill with unknown ailments so he could be sent to the Hospital Wing.
Remus had come out of his shell a little pulling off some of the most subtle pranks known to wizarding kind. Subtlety was definitely one of his strong points. So strong in fact that Aime hadn’t been picking up on any of his ‘I like you’ hints. Remus had wanted to tell her for a while but never found the right time. He’d tried to ask Beth if Aime had mentioned him at all. But Beth had been in a huge rush, that or she was being evasive.
Remus loved it at Hogwarts his transformations were still horrendous and the lying to his friends was getting really awkward. In fact he was running out of relatives to visit. Aime had noticed one day when they were all down by the lake and voiced her concerns about him going to relatives who were ill when he was blatantly ill himself. Remus had wanted to tell them all about where he went and what happen during his monthly sojourns to his ‘aunts’ but he didn’t want to be made to feel like a freak and he really didn’t want to lose all the friends he had tried to hard to make and keep.
The summer holidays were upon them again. Sirius was in a towering temper. He didn’t want to go home. He didn’t want to be treated like a babysitter for the golden child. James was fuming over the amount of homework that they had all received and moping that he was going to miss Lily. Peter just wanted to go home because he missed his mummy’s cooking. Aime was going to have to spend the holidays evading her fathers “Please come and see me. I miss you. How’s your mother” phone calls and his “I’m so glad I caught you at home. How’s your mother” visits. Sirius had said that she could come to London and stay with him. Aime had nearly taken him up on the offer. “I’ll visit you all!” she’d shouted as they all went their separate ways from Kings Cross Station. Beth, Mel and Joan had already gotten there warning that she would be stopping round at during the holidays. She hugged Remus and blew a kiss to James and Sirius. Peter had disappeared into the thick of a family huddle of grandparents and brothers and sisters.
“Who was that girl Remus?” asked Ray Lupin.
“Just a girl that I know.” Remus said, his ears turning slightly pink. Ray looked over at his wife and gave her a knowing look.
“What is she called? Is she a Gryffindor? How old is she?” pressed his father.
Remus rolled his eyes he could tell this was going to be a long ride home. “Dad. Can you just drop it please; I am not going to see her for six weeks.”
“You still didn’t answer your father’s questions.” Anna said with a smile at Ray.
“Mum don’t you start on too.” Remus mumbled.
“Come on Remus. You might as well tell us. You know we won’t stop until we find out.” Stated Ray.
“Fine I’ll tell you. But could you just drop it afterward?”
“Ok” said his prying parents in unison.
“She’s called Aime. She’s a Ravenclaw. And she is the same age as me. Are we done with the inquisition?”
“Why don’t you invite her over? Ask her to stay for a couple of days over the summer. You can invite James, Sirius and Peter. Your mum would be in her element all those teenagers running around the house.” Suggested Ray
“Could I? Do you mean it?” asked Remus his face lighting up at the prospect of seeing his friends sooner than anticipated.
“Absolutely!” exclaimed Ray, who was very happy with his son’s enthused response.
“Mum. What do you think? Would you mind?”
“It’s fine by me. The boys can all stay in your room and Aime can stay in the spare room.” Said Anna
“Mum. That’s the cell she can’t stay in there.” Remus said warily.
“Well she can’t stay with you four. You’ll just have to invite them at the end of the holidays. Your father can take the bars off the window and I can repaint it. And put a camping bed in it. She won’t know the difference.” Anna said.
“Ok. Cool. Great. I’ll send them all owls when I get in.”
Aime caught the train from the muggle side of Kings Cross Station. Her mum had forgotten to pick her up. She was probably drunk again. Gitte was meowing restlessly in her travelling case. Aime was pulling her case along the pavement towards the bus stop. Through one of urine soaked the underpasses of the big grey city that was her home a tramp stopped her and asked her for some change. He reeked of alcohol and tobacco. Aime shook her head and pressed on. When she eventually got home to the shoebox council house that she lived in with her mother and 2 younger brothers, she opened the door to the familiar sight of her mother passed out on the couch a bottle of vodka in her hand. Her two brothers were in the kitchen trying to work the electric tin opener to eat cold beans out of the can. Aime turned it on at the mains opened the can made toast and warmed the beans in the microwave and fed her brothers. Aime let the meowing Gitte out her of her cat basket and fed her woke her mother and helped her to bed.
“I’m shorry shweetie.” Slurred her mother.
“Don’t worry about it mum.” Said Aime to the inebriated woman leaning heavily on her shoulders.
“Where’s Ben and Christopher?” asked the concerned drunk
“Downstairs. I’m going to take them to Granny Ivy’s house.” Aime said to her mother
“Good Girl. You’re my good girl. I missed you baby.” Said the tearful mother
“I missed you too mum.” Said Aime putting the woman to bed.
Aime went back down stairs to find a barn owl tapping frantically on her window. Aime opened the window and it dropped through it. Aime untied the parchment and read the note attached to the owls leg.
Dear Aime,
My mum has said that you can all come and stay at my house for a couple of days toward the end of the holidays (29th August until the 31st August). I wanted you to come sooner but they have the decorators in. Any way owl me back ASAP with your response.
Love
Remus
Aime thought for about 2 seconds
Dear Remus
Yes.
Love Aime.
Aime picked her toddling brother Chris up and got Ben’s pyjamas and caught the last bus to her Granny Ivy’s house.
Granny Ivy was the witch in the family. It appeared that ‘special’ powers skipped a generation in Aime’s family. Granny Ivy was the one who was funding Aime’s education since her daughter was too busy funding her drinking habit.
“Gran! It’s Aime. Let us in!” Aime shouted at the locked and barred door. She heard shuffling footsteps.
“Aime! What’s wrong?” Said the frail looking old lady when she opened the door to her grandchildren.
“It Mum. She’s drunk again. They are going to take Ben and Chris off her if she doesn’t start looking after them.”
Ivy embraced her granddaughter. She got the boys ready for bed and gave her granddaughter a drink of hot chocolate and a chocolate frog. ‘Chocolate always makes things better. I have to introduce Remus to this school of thought’. Aime smiled to herself at the thought of Remus Lupin. He’d definitely gotten better looking in the last 2 years. Ok that’s a lie in the first year Aime barely noticed boys she was far too busy learning all of the thing that she thought that she had missed. But with James, Sirius, Remus and Peter all being her friends she couldn’t really miss boys either. “Gran, would you mind looking after the boys on the 29th I am going to stay with my friends. Just until term starts.”
“Which friend might that be?” asked Ivy.
“Remus Lupin.” Replied Aime
“Well Aime Tala Hunter. I do believe you have a crush!”
“Gran! I do not have a crush on Remus!” Ivy gave her granddaughter sarcastic look. And Aime conceded ”Alright maybe a little one. Are you a seer and didn’t tell me?” said Aime who was just a little flustered by her Gran’s sudden ability to read her like a book.
“Of course I’ll have the boys. In fact they might as well come and live with me for as much as my useless daughter does for them.” Snarled the normally mild mannered Ivy. “Now off to bed with you.” She said much more gently.
The Holidays were a pretty uneventful time for the entire group of friends. Beth Mel and Joan came to visit and brought their friend Jasmine with them. Jasmine was a first year Gryffindor with a big thing for Sirius. Beth, Mel and Joan tried their first ever joint as provided by Aime and her much older cousin Jason. A great time was had by all when Sirius floo’ed himself over to Aime’s. Aime had to follow Jasmine around with a drool bucket. It was hilarious. Sirius of course loved every minute of it any kind of hero worship was a good thing in Sirius’ book. Especially when it was aimed at him.
“Can you get some more of that for when we go to Lupin’s house?” asked Sirius pointing to the joint.
“Erm I am not sure. I could ask Jason. Why?” Aime asked in rather clipped tones.
“I have a funny feeling that our old friend Remus could do with a little lightening up.” Sirius replied with a mischievous grin.
“You do know that smoking weed is illegal don’t you?” said Aime matter of factly.
“Yes. But what the police and the ministry don’t know about won’t hurt them.”
“Your going to get yourself locked up one day Sirius Black.” Aime said as she shoved him back into the fireplace from whence he came.