Thorns

"I'm afraid that it's happened again," Remus Lupin hurriedly spoke to Mad-Eye Moody. Remus's desperate face clearly displayed how much he had grown to care for the girl, but now it was obvious his time to look after her was done. Mad-Eye gruffly nodded, then sighed.

"Dumbledore'll want her closer to keep an eye on her. She'll be transferring to Hogwarts immediately," the ex-auror mumbled. Remus hung his head in disappointment. He had treated her like a princess; he never knew he had that paternal instinct in her until the little girl was entrusted into his care. It had taken an exceptional amount of convincing on Dumbledore's part to even get Remus to speak to the girl, years ago. To see how Remus's heart had changed was astonishing.

He remembered how proud he was when she attended her first day at Bauxbatons. Her dark brown eyes appeared black most of the time, but Remus knew there was light within her. Her smile was so bright; she couldn't be evil, could she? She wrote home speaking about how many friends she had made and what enjoyment she got out of magic. She almost spoke like a normal child. Remus thought the all worries could be pushed aside. Jessalyn would be able to live a normal life!

Jessalyn never had a temper; she was always a well behaved child. Even though he was terrified when the Order asked me to raise the child, he soon learned it wasn't the challenge he thought it would be. She had a quick tongue, but never hurt anybody on purpose. But, what has happened couldn't be ignored or pushed away. The Dark Lord was gaining power, and they couldn't risk Jessalyn being out of Dumbledore's care much longer. Her actions attracted attention, especially to those who knew who she was…

Even though she was quite well-known, we kept her from knowing a thing. She didn’t know who her parents were; she didn’t know a thing about You-Know-Who or deatheaters. Even when she glanced at the Daily Prophet, Remus would wince. Remus wanted her protected from the dark outside world. Keeping her in this bubble was her never being hurt. Now, she would be going to Hogwarts, where kids find out who they really are. He didn’t want to let go, even though he didn’t want to admit this was exactly what she needed. The exposure to the world would be a fair price.

"I know you love her, Remus, but you are playing with a dragon here. She probably shouldn't be around kids her age at all. We want to keep her in school and as regular for as long as we can. At Hogwarts, she would receive the greatest care and attention," Mad-Eye gruffly commented.

"Fine, I understand. I just want her safe," Remus somberly replied, beginning to walk out of the Order's Headquarters.

"Lupin?... Does she have any idea what she's done?" Mad-Eye questioned slowly.

"No. No, she doesn't," Remus solemnly muttered.

"I fear the time is approaching when we will no longer be able to hide who she is from her. We can't keep secrets forever, as much as it will hurt her... Someday she must know and face it on her own."