"Was this before or after James proposed to the Evans girl?" Dorea asked as though
this were common conversation, her relaxed face the very opposite of Charlus's, who
looked to be nearing a coronary.
"Before. Pretty sure Evans was a strategic move on Remus's part. Mate loves
wizard's chess, and he knows how to handle pawns." Sirius chuckled, practically skipping
past his own parents with indifference as they greeted his brother warmly—or with as
much warmth as Walburga and Orion Black could muster.
"Evans is not a pawn!" James snapped.
"I didn't say she was the pawn."
Charlus pouted. "I don't like it."
"Charlus," Dorea scolded, not even looking at her husband. "Mia dear, make sure
to owl Remus and his parents when we get home. We'll have them all over for dinner
sometime this summer. Get to know them."
"I will." Mia smiled sadly, thinking of the moon the following month. "They're
going to be camping for a few weeks though and then Remus has... a prior engagement.
So I wouldn't expect anything until July or August."
July 14th, 1975While Mia had not expected to see Remus for another month or so, she had thought
he would have owled her or fire-called her at the very least to let her know that he and his
family had made it home. He had done so every year since meeting her, so when Mia woke
each morning and no letter had arrived, she became more and more worried. She tried
placing a fire-call to the Lupin Cottage—a place she would later know as The Den—but
their Floo Network was blocked. James and Sirius tried to cheer her up, insisting that there
was no way Remus would just ignore her and that he was probably in some far away
wilderness with his dad on an extended camping trip with no access to owls or the Floo.
Lily's letters helped some.
Dear Mia,