cymbeline_snape (cymbeline_snape) wrote in snark_n_bark, @ 2007-10-08 12:17:00 |
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Entry tags: | complete, cymbeline, regulus, remus, severus |
Running Away Never Solves Anything...
Characters: Cymbeline, Regulus, Severus, Remus
Summary: Cymbeline sets out on her own and has an unexpected encounter that changes her perspective.
Status: complete
Cymbeline made her way down the corridor from her big girl room to the nursery, moving as quietly as possible; if the Troll was asleep, Cymbeline didn't want to wake her up, but she thought she had heard Papa come upstairs a few minutes ago. It had to be Papa, because no one else in the house walked like he did with long strides and purposeful steps; he always walked as if he had somewhere important to be.
She peered around the door frame into the nursery and saw she was right: it had been Papa who had come upstairs. He was sitting in the rocking chair by the window, holding the Troll, who was awake and all smiles as she watched him; the room was quiet and still, and even at a distance, Cymbeline could hear him humming, a soft, deep sound that was achingly familiar to her. She knew how it felt to lean against him and feel the vibrations of the sound in his chest, to be wrapped in his arms and let the sound lull her to sleep because there was no safer and more peaceful a place in the world than Papa's arms.
And the Troll was in her place.
As she watched, Papa began to sing - a rare pleasure. Cymbeline thought he had a pretty voice, but unlike Daddy, he didn't sing often, and usually she and Lysander had to beseech him first.
"But, oh my dear,
Our love is here to stay.
Together we're
Going a long, long way..."
Cymbeline turned away and trudged back to her room, her heart sinking. She knew the Troll was indeed here to stay, and everyone loved the Troll except her. She didn't belong here, and no matter what they said, she didn't believe Papa and Daddy loved her as much as they loved the Troll anymore. She felt a difference - a distance - from everyone, and she knew it was because she didn't like the Troll.
The Troll wasn't going anywhere, so perhaps it was time Cymbeline did.
She got the small overnight bag she used when she spent the night with one of her uncles, and she packed the most important things - Bat, which was her stuffed vampire bat, and her favorite books - and then she tried to remember what Nanny Stella always packed. She opened the dresser and got a pair of underpants and a nightgown, and she got another dress from the wardrobe, and then she closed her bag, grimly determined.
She was leaving home forever!
Papa and the Troll were still in the nursery, and Nanny Stella had taken Lysander out for a walk, which meant Cymbeline only had to worry about getting caught by Daddy or Lurch on her way out. Lurch was probably in the kitchen, and as she made her way downstairs, she didn't hear or see Daddy anywhere, which meant he was probably in his study, writing, and he wouldn't come out for ages and ages.
Clutching her bag, she hurried into the parlor, grabbed some Floo powder, and threw it on the flames. A few moments later, she stepped onto the hearth of the parlor in Monkshood Cottage, which was silent and empty. Uncle Gaius had gone away to live somewhere else, so she wouldn't be caught and sent back home. She let herself out of the cottage, marched down the walk, exited the gate...
And stood looking up and down the street, uncertain which way to go. She knew her way around Hogsmeade well enough; Uncle Serenus and Uncle Gaius always took her and Lysander on walks when she stayed with them, which usually ended with a stop at Honeyduke's before they all walked back to the cottage. She even knew where Uncle Serenus and Uncle Ty lived now, but she didn't want to go there, because they would probably just send her back home.
The problem was, she didn't know what lay beyond the boundaries of the village. She had never been to Hogsmeade, much less beyond it, on her own before, and the prospect of setting out alone was daunting now that she faced it. But she was a Snape, and Snapes weren't cowards, and so she squared her shoulders in an unconscious imitation of Papa and set off with renewed determination.
Regulus strolled along the streets of Hogsmeade at a leisurely pace with no particular destination in mind and in no particular hurry to arrive anywhere. He'd seen fliers announcing the opening of a new bookshop here, and he wanted to stop in and have a look. Other than that, however, he didn't have any plans in mind. He thought he might visit Sirius and Gaius or perhaps Serenus while he was in the area, but right now, he was content to wander and enjoy the cool autumn day.
He stopped in his tracks, however, at the sight of a little girl marching toward him, clutching a bag in one hand. She wasn't approaching him specifically; given the look of fierce determination on her face, he doubted she even noticed him. Whatever she was up to, she was intent upon it, and she seemed familiar as if he'd seen her before, reminding him of someone...
Severus.
The child was a female Severus in miniature, and Regulus abruptly realized this was Cymbeline, Severus' first-born child; he remembered meeting her in Diagon Alley, although Severus had instructed Serenus to whisk her away before Regulus could talk to her much beyond saying hello. He stared, wide-eyed with surprise that Severus and Lupin had let her go out alone, especially since they didn't even live in Hogsmeade unless something had changed. Perhaps she was visiting one of her uncles? But Serenus and Gaius didn't seem the careless type to let a child in their care wander alone, even if Hogsmeade was normally a quiet, peaceful, safe village. Bellatrix Lestrange had been spotted here recently, and Regulus couldn't imagine any of them letting one of the children wander around unsupervised in case Bellatrix came back.
Then again, he thought as he eyed the bag in her hand, they might not know where she was. He remembered an incident from childhood when Narcissa, all of six years old, had arrived on their doorstep, clutching a headless doll and a suitcase they later found out had been filled with toys, and tearfully announced that she had run away from home and was never going back because Bellatrix had broken her favorite dolly. Perhaps Cymbeline had run away from home, in which case neither her parents nor her uncles would have any idea where she'd got to, and Regulus decided he ought to step in.
He moved swiftly to block her determined march and smiled down at her. "You are Miss Cymbeline Snape, are you not? Perhaps you remember me. I'm a friend of-" He paused, unsure how to proceed since Cymbeline had two fathers, and he didn't know what she called either of them. "-one of your fathers. You may remember we met in Diagon Alley? But we were not properly introduced." He bowed and held out his hand, deciding that if the daughter was anything like the father, formal courtesy and dignity would be more welcome than casual familiarity. "My name is Regulus."
"Yes, I Cymbleen Snape," she replied with regal hauteur, but she deigned to put her hand in his, and she beamed when he kissed the back of it just like she was a grown-up lady. She did remember Regulus - or rather, she remembered the marks on his face. Papa said a bad lady had hurt Regulus, which Cymbeline thought must mean Regulus himself was good. Maybe he had even dueled the bad lady or charged into battle on a white horse like in the fairy tales Daddy read! "I 'member you. You Papa's friend."
"Yes, that's right." Regulus nodded, pleased that he seemed to have taken the right approach. Something told him she required careful handling - like father, like daughter, he thought with no little amusement. Severus had always been prickly as well. "Your uncles live nearby, I think. Are you here to visit them? If so, I would be glad to escort you."
"I not here to visit." Cymbeline scowled and clutched her bag against her chest. "I leaving forever!"
"Ah." Regulus stroked his beard to hide a smile, knowing she wouldn't take it well if she thought he was amused by her pronouncement. "I see."
"You not gonna take me back home." She peered up at him, her words half a statement and half a question, as if she wasn't certain what his intentions were.
"No, no." He shook his head. "If you are determined to leave home forever, I would not dream of stopping you. Whatever made you decide to leave must be quite bad indeed."
"It is." She gazed up at him somberly and nodded. "Ev'rybody love the Troll, but I hate her, so I goin' away."
The Troll, he assumed, must be the newest addition to the family. He had heard about Gaia from Gaius, who was in raptures about having a namesake; now that he thought about it, he remembered Gaius had also mentioned Cymbeline having some difficulty adjusting to her new sister's presence, but Gaius hadn't indicated things were quite this bad. He gazed down at Cymbeline, trying to decide how best to handle the situation; he could, of course, pick her up and carry her back home, but that would earn her enmity, and it wouldn't do anything to help solve the underlying problem. Not that it was his place or his business to help with the domestic issues in the Lupin-Snape household, but if there was one thing Regulus had ample experience with, it was sibling rivalry.
"I see." He stroked his chin, regarding her with equal solemnity. "Well, you have a long journey ahead of you. Perhaps you should have something to eat first?" He held out his hand again in an invitation. "I know of a place that serves very good chocolate cake."
The lure of cake was impossible to resist, and Cymbeline took his hand and let him lead her away. She was rather hungry, and it did make sense that she ought to eat something before she ventured into the vast, unknown world.
Regulus took her to the Three Broomsticks and ordered a cup of hot tea for himself and a cup of hot cocoa for her, and he asked Rosmerta to take her time about bringing them any food. Rosmerta gave him a questioning look.
"Is that Severus' girl? I didn't know you liked them quite so young," she teased.
"I don't suppose you would believe I am babysitting," he replied, smiling wryly, and the look she gave him response made him chuckle. "Miss Snape is determined to run away from home," he said, keeping his voice low even though Cymbeline was seated at a table nearer to the door than the bar. "I am going to see if I can convince her to do otherwise."
"Ah... Well, in that case, I'll make certain the meal is a slow-cooked one indeed."
With a nod of thanks, he returned to the table where Cymbeline awaited and handed over the mug of cocoa before taking a seat himself. "So tell me about this troll you are running away from. Is she horribly ugly?"
"Yes," Cymbeline replied with a vehement nod. "She ugly, and she cries. Lysanda didn't cry like that. He a quiet baby," she said scornfully. "The Troll not look like me or Lysanda."
"But that seems like a good thing," Regulus said. "At least then, no one can compare your looks to hers because you look so different." He paused and took a sip of tea before dropping a small hint. "People always compared me to my big brother. They called me a cute miniature version of him." Which was true... Well, true-ish. He and Sirius did get compared based on their similar looks, but the only person who had called Regulus a cute miniature version of Sirius was one of their great aunts, who also pinched his cheeks. He hadn't liked her at all.
"You got a big brother?" She gazed at him with wide-eyed curiosity.
"Mm-hhm." He took another sip of tea with studied casualness as he decided how to proceed. She seemed to be a clever child, which meant she wouldn't appreciate being condescended to or blatantly led along; he would have to be careful and not seem to be prodding her toward getting along with her sister, or she would figure it out and grow resentful. He needed to make it seem as if she was arriving to the conclusion that she needed to return home by herself. "He was handsome and clever, and our parents doted on him. I hated him."
Cymbeline gave him a sympathetic look, and he knew he'd made the right first move. Suddenly, he didn't envy Severus raising children, particularly clever, headstrong children who were likely to end up in Slytherin. It had to be like playing an eternal chess match to deal with them.
"I tried to get their attention, but nothing I did was ever good enough because my brother had always done it first and better than I could," he continued. "I hated being second-best, and so I hated him. We fought constantly with words and with fists, and he grew to hate me too until we were strangers rather than brothers. Even after I grew up, I still hated him. You know what hatred feels like, don't you? It's a hard, hot knot right here." He tapped his chest.
Cymbeline rested her hand on her chest and nodded somberly. "Sometimes it hurt."
"Yes, it does," Regulus agreed. Somehow, it was easier to say things like this to her, perhaps because she was a child, perhaps because she was innocent and ignorant of all the history behind his words. "It starts off small when you only hate one person, but it gets bigger. Hatred grows," he said, fixing her with a steady gaze. "You begin hating more and more people, and that knot gets bigger and hotter until it burns away your heart, and a heart is a very difficult thing to grow back."
"Really?" she breathed, her golden eyes growing wider and rounder.
"Really. My heart was burnt away for a long time, but fortunately, I was able to grow it back." He reached up and touched his cheek where faint scars were still visible, thinking back to his time in captivity and how it had changed his entire perspective on the world.
Rosmerta arrived with their food, but when the plate was placed in front of her, Cymbeline didn't seem to have much appetite; her expression seemed troubled, but not angry, and Regulus hoped he had given her something to think about.
"It wasn't easy, and I hurt people," he continued, picking up his fork although he wasn't sure he had much of an appetite either. "I didn't hate my brother anymore, but it was difficult to convince him not to continue hating me." He glanced at her. "You don't want to hate your parents or Lysander, do you?"
"No..." She blinked, her eyes growing watery. "I love Papa an' Daddy an' Lysanda."
"Will you miss them when you've gone far away?" he asked quietly, and she nodded, her bottom lip wobbling. "They would miss you too, and they would be very sad if you went away forever or began to hate them. I would be sad if your heart was burnt away like mine because you hate your sister like I hated my brother. Isn't there any little thing you like about her?"
Cymbeline frowned, although it seemed she was concentrating rather than angry, and she picked at her food while she thought long and hard about what she might possibly like about her sister. "She got red hair like Uncle Ty, an' it pretty," she admitted with grudging reluctance.
"Red hair is pretty, but not nearly as pretty as dark hair," he said, smiling mischievously as he ran his fingers through his own loose curls, and that coaxed a smile from Cymbeline.
"No, not as pretty," she agreed, stroking one of her own sleek braids. She fell silent then, and after a minute or so, she sighed and glanced sidelong at Regulus. "I not want my heart burnt up," she said quietly. "An' I not want to hate Papa an' Daddy an' Lysanda. But I not like having a sister. I wanna be the only girl 'cause that was special. Now I not special. I just another girl."
Rather than rattle off a blithe response, Regulus sat back and considered what she had said. Perhaps, he thought, it wasn't so much Gaia herself that Cymbeline resented but what Gaia represented. From what he understood, Cymbeline had been at the center of a male-oriented world, surrounded by men who doted on her; it was little wonder that she felt like a special girl under those circumstances. But then along came Gaia, and she realized being a girl wasn't as special as she thought it was. There were lots of other girls in the world, and Gaia also posed a threat to Cymbeline's position as the center of male attention in the family.
"Well," he said slowly. "I cannot say how my brother felt about it, but I didn't care about being the only boy. Being a boy is not what made my brother special. It was how other people treated him that made him seem special to me." He paused, a thought occurring to him. "You know, Gaia might be jealous of you one day because you are the big sister who will do everything first. You are pretty and clever like my brother, and to Gaia, you will be the special one because you are the first born child and the first born girl. She will always be the third child and the second girl, no matter what."
"An' I Papa's only baby!" she announced with no little pride.
Regulus had no idea what that meant, but he inclined his head in agreement anyway. "That too. So you see, you may not feel special anymore, but to Lysander and Gaia, you seem very special, and I imagine you are very special to your parents as well."
Papa and Daddy had told Cymbeline that she was still special, but she hadn't felt that way. But then, she hadn't thought about how it might look from Gaia's perspective either. Although she couldn't fully understand the concept of perspective, she understood what Regulus was saying about how things looked different from person to person. She grasped that how things seemed to her might not be how things seemed to Lysander or Gaia, and that helped. She studied Regulus quizzically for a moment. "Do you feel special?" she asked at last.
Regulus' smile was one of genuine amusement. "Yes," he replied with all honesty. "I believe I am quite special."
Cymbeline nodded and digested that information. He had a brother who looked like him, but he still felt special. Perhaps that meant she could feel special too even though she had a sister now. At least the Troll didn't look like her!
Suddenly, the thought of running away from home forever didn't seem like such an appealing one. She thought she might be able to stop hating the Troll because she didn't want to burn up her heart and start hating everyone else, and she didn't really want to leave the rest of her family and never see them again. Putting down her fork, she looked at Regulus and made an announcement.
"I wanna go home."
Regulus smiled, pleased by the news. "Very well. In that case, I will take you home so you can get there safely and quickly." When she nodded approval of that plan, he rose and went to pay Rosmerta, and then he returned to the table, gathering her and her little bag up in his arms. "Ready?" he asked, and she wrapped one arm around his neck, holding on tight to him while clutching her bag with her free hand.
"Ready," she said.
With that, he Apparated them both to the front gate of Snape Manor, and he carried her up to the front door and knocked; she looked apprehensive, and he found himself rubbing her back soothingly while they waited for someone to come and answer the door.
It was only a matter of a minute or two before the door swung open, and a huge man - well, Regulus gave him the benefit of the doubt as to being a man - loomed in the doorway. "You rang?"
"Er." Regulus looked up - and up - at the butler. "Is Severus at home? I have brought Miss Snape back, and I thought he and Mr. Lupin would want to know."
The butler gave a low groaning sort of noise that might have been a welcome or a threat, and then he turned and beckoned Regulus inside, closing the door behind him. He led Regulus to the parlor, and since Cymbeline was still clinging to him, he didn't put her down. The butler lumbered away, and Regulus remained standing by the sofa with Cymbeline huddled in his arms; she probably thought she was going to be in trouble for running away, and while Regulus didn't feel it was his place to assure her that her parents would probably be too relieved to think about punishments, he didn't think she had much to worry about.
A few minutes later, he heard Severus' distinctive tread in the corridor, and then Severus entered the room, frowning.
"What the devil is going on, Regulus? You know it isn't wise for you to come here," he snapped, although the sight of Cymbeline in Regulus' arms seemed to take him aback.
"I didn't have much of a choice," Regulus replied evenly. "Not if you wanted your daughter back home safe and sound."
Severus stared at him, his expression inscrutable, and then he gestured to the sofa. "Sit. Explain."
It was awkward trying to sit down with a small child clinging to him, but Regulus managed it, and Cymbeline placed her bag on the cushions beside them, but she showed no inclination to remove herself from his lap. Given how stern and forbidding Severus looked at the moment, Regulus couldn't blame her; he rather wanted to scuff his toe on the rug and hide behind something himself.
"I was in Hogsmeade today, and I saw Cymbeline walking alone."
Severus' dark eyes widened with alarm, and he leaned forward. "Was Bellatrix-?"
"No, no!" Regulus shook his head, offering hasty assurance. "Bellatrix was nowhere around as far as I know. Naturally, I thought it was odd that Cymbeline wasn't accompanied by one of her parents or her uncles, so I stopped to make certain she was all right. She informed me that she was running away from home."
Severus' intense gaze shifted to Cymbeline, who shrank in on herself. "Cymbeline, is this true?"
Cymbeline swallowed hard and nodded, pointing to her bag. "I pack all by myself," she said in a quavery voice. "I wanted to go away forever."
Severus looked dumbstruck at that, his face draining of all color, and Regulus gazed at him with a sympathetic look. "You didn't know she was gone?" he asked, and Severus shook his head.
"Remus has been busy working on his latest book," Severus said, his voice sounding strained. "Nanny Stella was out with Lysander, and I was with Gaia. I thought Cymbeline was playing in her room. She has been spending a great deal of time alone in her room of late. I thought-" He broke off and scrubbed his face with one hand. "It never occurred to me she might have left."
"It hasn't been that long," Regulus said, wanting to offer what reassurance he could. "I believe I encountered her shortly after she left home."
Fortunately, Cymbeline backed him up with a nod. "I went to Uncle Gaius' house," she said. "Then I went outside, and I saw him," she added, pointing to Regulus. "He take me to get cocoa and cake, 'cept we didn't get cake."
"I took her to the Three Broomsticks," Regulus explained, hoping Severus didn't think he'd tried to kidnap her. "She told me she was running away because she hates her sister, and since I know something about sibling rivalry, I thought perhaps we could talk," he said with a negligent shrug.
"And then you brought her home?" Severus asked, studying him shrewdly.
"After she told me she was ready to return home, yes." Regulus met his gaze evenly and let the implications of his words sink in, knowing Severus would realize what he wasn't saying. From the look of surprise on Severus' face, he knew he was right.
"I see." Severus gave him another long, shrewd look and then nodded slowly. "Thank you."
Regulus smiled in return and relaxed now that it seemed he wasn't going to be accused of kidnapping or corruption of an innocent child. "Not at all."
The sound of the doorbell had gotten Remus' attention, but since he was nearly finished with the chapter he was working on he continued to write, finally setting down his quill with a sigh of relief. He glanced at the clock, surprised at how many hours had passed since he'd entered his study, and he stood up, feeling guilty for having spent so long away from the family. Given the continuing tenseness, he felt it wise to spend as much time as he could with Severus and the children, even if it was difficult to draw Cymbeline out of her room.
When he stepped into the hall, the sound of voices from the parlor caused him to turn in that direction. Severus' voice was easy to pick out by tone, even if Remus couldn't make out the words, and he thought he heard Cymbeline as well. But there was another voice, low pitched and male, and Remus was curious to see if one of his brothers-in-law had come to call.
Entering the room, however, Remus was brought up short by the sight of Regulus sitting on the sofa with Cymbeline huddled in his lap. There was a bag next to her, and the last bits of the conversation caused him to pause, eyes widening. "Severus? What... what happened? Is everything all right?" The wolf was immediately focused on Regulus, of course, but Remus bit down on his automatic response. There was something going on here, no doubt about it, but he didn't want to leap to any hasty conclusions.
Severus rose to his feet immediately and moved to intercept Remus; knowing how Remus and the wolf felt about Regulus, he didn't want to add to the tension, and he knew it did look odd to see Regulus on their sofa with Cymbeline in his lap. If that didn't rouse the protective instincts of the wolf, he would be much surprised. Reaching out, he clasped Remus' hand and squeezed it tightly, not only to reassure Remus but also himself after the bombshell that had just been dropped on him.
"Everything is all right now," he said, his voice low and soothing. "Regulus brought Cymbeline home. He didn't harm her." He drew in a deep, steadying breath and clutched Remus' hand tighter, shaken to the core in the wake of realizing what might have happened if Regulus hadn't found her. It might have been hours before they realized Cymbeline was gone, and in that time, anything could have happened. "She decided to run away from home. She must have taken the Floo to the cottage and set off from Hogsmeade. Regulus found her there and brought her back."
"He tell me how your heart can get all burnt up from hating your sister," Cymbeline piped up. "I not wanna burnt heart, an' I not wanna hate you, Papa, or Daddy or Lysanda, so I come home."
Regulus sat very still and watched Lupin warily, not making any sudden moves in case he inadvertently provoked the werewolf. He was quite content to let Severus and Cymbeline speak for him until he was certain Lupin wasn't going to rip his throat out.
It took a moment for realization to dawn, but when it did, Remus almost staggered against Severus. "You ran away, Princess?" he asked. "Because of Gaia? Did you think we didn't love you anymore?" He felt sick, and he clung to Severus' hand as a lifeline. There was so much that could have gone wrong, what with Bellatrix on the loose, not to mention the numerous other bad things that could have happened to her! Then there was the entire issue of why she had felt the desire to leave, to escape the pain she was still feeling, and Remus swallowed hard, feeling on the verge of tears. Thank Merlin that Regulus had found her and brought her home!
The thought that he was indebted to Regulus, whom he had neither trusted nor liked, gave him another moment of pause, and Remus turned to look at the man who might have saved their daughter's life. The wolf was still wary, but Remus knew in his heart that if Regulus had wished vengeance or had wished to do harm to his family, he had had the perfect opportunity, and yet he hadn't taken it. "Thank you, Regulus," he said, the gratitude in his voice sincere. "Thank you for bringing her home."
Regulus eyed Lupin warily a moment longer, but it seemed as if Lupin's words were sincere; Lupin recognized that he had tried to help, and he supposed rescuing Lupin's daughter helped assuage the wolf's possessive concern that Regulus would try to take away its mate again, at least a little bit. "You're welcome," he said, only a little stiffly. "Bellatrix has not been seen in the village again since Gaius was attacked, but even still, I knew it was not safe for Cymbeline to roam on her own. When she said why she was running away, I thought we might talk since I understand sibling rivalry from a personal perspective."
"Indeed," Remus said, knowing that Regulus spoke nothing but the truth. He was still worried, however, and he pulled Severus over to the sofa, reaching out with one hand to stroke Cymbeline's hair. She was still clinging to Regulus, no doubt worried about her parent's reaction.
"Princess? We need to talk," he said softly, keeping his voice low and soothing. "About a lot of things, but mostly, I want you to know that I'm glad you're safe. Papa and I both love you very much, and if anything happened to you, it would break our hearts."
Severus sat down beside Remus, still clutching his hand, but he didn't speak, letting Remus do the talking for now. Remus was far better at offering comfort and saying the right things than he was, and if things were bad enough to make Cymbeline want to run away from home, he certainly didn't want to risk saying something to make matters worse.
Cymbeline watched Daddy closely and listened; he didn't sound angry, which was a relief, and she began to relax a little. "I safe," she said with a little nod. "An' I love you and Papa too."
"Good," Remus said. "We're glad about that! We're a family, right? And you're a part of the family, a very special, important part of it. You're our first baby, our big girl. We don't love you less just because we have other children. I know I've told you this before, but I hope you can believe it now. You are loved, and nothing will change that. We love Lysander and Gaia too, but loving them doesn't change anything about how we feel about you."
Cymbeline sensed the distance and disapproval she'd felt from her parents over the past few weeks fading, and that was an even bigger relief than the thought of not getting into terrible trouble for running away. She launched herself into Daddy's lap and flung her arms around his neck, her bottom lip wobbling again as she tried not to cry. "I the first baby an' the first girl, and I Papa's only baby," she said, snuggling against Daddy's chest. "I still special."
"Very, very special," Remus replied, wrapping his arms around her tightly. He looked at Severus, and then he leaned over so that Cymbeline was cuddled snugly between the two of them. "Promise never to run away again, Princess. Please? No matter how much you hurt or are scared, you can always talk to us, and we will always listen, all right? I promise you that. We might not be able to fix things right away, but we'll do our best, and we will always listen, no matter what."
Severus shifted closer and reached out to caress Cymbeline's back, his fingers trembling slightly; the thought of any harm coming to her terrified him in ways he had never experienced despite serving as a double agent through two wars. Her birth and holding her for the first time had been the single happiest moment of his life and it had brought back Remus' memories after Lucius had blocked them off, and for that alone, she would always be special in his heart.
"I thought you were mad 'cause I didn't like the Troll," she said, lifting her head to look up at Daddy. "I thought you not listen."
"We would listen. We will listen," Remus promised. "And we weren't mad about you not liking your sister. We were sad because you were sad, and we didn't know how to help. Parents don't always have all the answers. We can't always make you stop hurting, and that makes us sad. We want you to be happy; we want all of our children to be happy. And even if we can't fix everything that hurts you, we will always listen to what you have to say and do the very best we can."
Cymbeline listened intently, her expression somber, and then she nodded. "Okay. I not run away again." She paused and added, "I not sure where to go anyway."
Regulus couldn't help but chuckle at that, remembering the determined look on her face as she marched along; he never would have guessed she hadn't been dead-set on her destination just from looking at her. He had scooted back, not wanting to intrude on a private family matter, but he didn't want to interrupt an important discussion by getting up and walking out either, and so he remained where he was for the moment, waiting until it seemed the time was right to take his leave.
Now that it seemed the worst had passed, Severus released his death grip on Remus' hand, and he leaned against Remus' side, still stroking Cymbeline's back as much to reassure himself that she was safe and sound as to reassure her. They could think about extra security measures - moving the pot of Floo powder well out of reach, putting some kind of tracking charm on the children - later. Right now, comfort was more important.
"Good, I'm glad you won't run away again," Remus said quietly. He could sense that Severus needed comfort as much as Cymbeline did, but he also knew that Regulus probably was getting bored or embarrassed by the emotional turmoils of their family. He loosened Cymbeline's arms gently and put her in Severus' lap. The two of them had always had a special bond, and Remus knew they needed to rediscover it. "Here, you need to cuddle Papa, too. It's not just me. It's all of us who need to help each other, okay?"
He stroked Cymbeline's hair for a moment, then rose to his feet and turned to Regulus, his expression a bit rueful. Despite the tension of the wolf, Remus truly was grateful for Regulus rescuing Cymbeline. "Thanks again, Regulus," he said. "If it hadn't been for you, there is no telling what could have happened to her. We're in your debt, and I hope that we can somehow repay you for your kindness."
Regulus stood as well and faced Lupin. "There is no debt," he said firmly, waving away the idea of repayment. "I did not do it to make either of you indebted to me." He paused, a wry smile tugging one corner of his mouth. "Little as I ever thought I would hear myself say this, I did it because I thought it was the right thing to do. I am glad she is all right. She is quite a clever, charming little girl." He paused again, and a sense of wonderment crept into his voice. "I like her." Given how little experience he'd ever had with children, that was something of a startling realization.
Meanwhile on the sofa, Severus had accepted Cymbeline into his arms gratefully, and he held her close, rocking her gently, awash in relief that she was back home and all right. "My girl," he murmured, echoing the first words he had ever spoken to her when he held her just after her birth; they had forged a special bond from the beginning, and even though it had been strained of late, he hoped it could be rebuilt as strong as it had been. Gaia was precious to him, and he knew he ought not play favorites, but Cymbeline was so much like him and she was a special gift from Remus, and he couldn't help but feel a strong connection.
Cymbeline was a little worried at first when Daddy moved her to Papa's lap; losing her place in Papa's affections had been one of her greatest fears, but then Papa held her close and tight and called her "my girl", which he hadn't done in so long, and she burst into tears as she clung to him in return. He might hold Gaia and sing as Cymbeline had witnessed earlier, but she knew now that she would always have a place in his arms, too. Gaia couldn't take that away from her; no one could.
Remus turned as Cymbeline started to cry, but he thought that perhaps this release was what she needed. She had steadfastly refused to shed any tears over the last few weeks, bearing her sadness like a heavy weight within. Maybe now she could let it all out and heal from the hurt she felt. Then they could move on as a family and hopefully heal the breach which had sprung up between all of them.
He faced Regulus again, knowing that Severus and Cymbeline probably needed each other for a small time, just the two of them. They had always had something unique, and Remus didn't begrudge them that. He knew that Cymbeline's actions stemmed mostly from fear of losing her special connection to her Papa, and perhaps now she would realize that it could never happen, no matter what.
Remus hesitated for a bare moment, and then he held out his hand to Regulus. "I'm glad you like her, and she obviously likes you, as well," he said. "And we are grateful to you for more than bringing her home safely. Whatever you said to her seems to have done what we couldn't do, and break down the wall she'd built up around herself for protection. I know that I've not been welcoming to you in the past, and I admit that I was wrong about that. You did a very good thing, Regulus. And you are welcome in our home."
Regulus kept his jaw from dropping, but just barely; of all the things he had thought Lupin might say to him, those words were not on the list. But after having to apologize, admit his wrongdoings, and attempt to make amends after his own change of heart, he knew it wasn't easy to say such things, not even for someone like Lupin, who was far less proud and pig-headed than Severus. He doubted he and Lupin would ever be friends, but he would certainly settle for a truce.
He clasped Lupin's hand and shook it. "Thank you, I appreciate it," he said, easing down from his usual wariness when in Lupin's presence. He meant both the welcome and the admission, but he didn't feel inclined to beleaguer the fact that Lupin had been proven wrong about him; what he had done had spoken for itself, and that would suffice. "I am glad I could help." He glanced over at Severus and Cymbeline and smiled. "I believe my part here is finished, however, and I have no desire to intrude on intimate family moments. I can see myself out," he added, not particularly wanting either of them to summon the large, imposing butler to escort him to the door.
"Thank you again," Remus said, releasing Regulus' hand. Perhaps he and Regulus could now find a way to tolerate each other, which would be good for Severus' sake especially. He smiled. "I'm sure Severus will be calling on you in the next day or two to express his own thanks. Perhaps Cymbeline will want to come along as well."
"I would like that," Regulus replied, meaning it. "I won't interrupt, so please tell Severus and Cymbeline goodbye for me." With that, he offered Lupin a small but genuine smile and turned away, heading back to the entrance hall to see himself out. He thought he would return home rather than go back to Hogsmeade, having had quite enough excitement for one day.
Severus held Cymbeline close and continued to rock her until her tears dwindled and eventually stopped, and she slumped against his chest, still sniffling. He kissed the top of her head and began to hum softly, remembering that had soothed her in the past, and he hoped it still would. He was pleased when she released a shuddery sigh and seemed to relax completely, winding her arms around his neck and leaning her head on his shoulder as if the humming had somehow provided the last little bit of comfort she needed.
After Regulus left, Remus returned to the sofa and sat down next to Severus, cuddling close. He wrapped an arm around Severus and Cymbeline both. "Love you," he murmured, kissing Cymbeline's cheek, then Severus'. "Love you both, forever."
Severus shifted to nestle against Remus' side, savoring the closeness and affection, and he turned his head to return the kiss with equal affection even if he didn't return the words aloud.
Cymbeline lifted her head and leaned over to kiss Daddy's cheek too. "Love you, Daddy," she murmured, and then she kissed Papa's cheek as well. "Love you, Papa."
Severus felt his throat close up, rendering him unable to speak even if he could have returned the words easily, and he squeezed her tightly in response, relief making him feel better and lighter of spirit than he had in weeks. As terrifying as the thought of Cymbeline attempting to run away was, perhaps it had been a turning point, and she would be able to put her animosity toward Gaia aside. If that was the case, then he would almost think the attempt was worth it. Almost.