Stars in Her Eyes {Wolfstar's Daughter}

Chapter 52: Plaits

During a particularly hot April morning, the sun was beaming down across the meadow behind the cottage, twinkling across droplets of dew collecting on the greenery. The grass had been allowed to grow to its slightly unruly potential, encouraging wildlife of all sorts and a dainty array of wildflowers to sprout up amongst the green. In all her elegance, an apple tree stood proudly at the end, the matriarch of the garden casting patchy shadows across the grass.

And at the centre of it all, the Lupin-Black's were outside enjoying the sun.

Sprawled across a picnic blanket on the grass, Sirius lay on his front, his head propped up in his hands as Nell sat cross legged beside his torso, plaiting his hair from behind. Next to them, Remus rested on his back, holding a book above his head, simultaneously reading and shielding his eyes from the sun.

They existed in a perfect harmony. Sirius humming a series of his favourite songs all blurring into one tune, Remus completely immersed in the idyllic universe of Charlotte Brontë and Nell practising her questionable hairstyling skills at Sirius' request.

But as it always went with the family of three, the silence didn't last.

"Ow!" Sirius yelled frustratedly as his daughter tugged slightly at a strand of his dark hair.

"Stop moving!" She huffed back in the same frustrated tone, her fingers intertwined in the beginning of a french braid at their top of his head.

"Stop pulling!" He recoiled, attempting to crane his neck round only for her to yank his head back round so she could continue her work.

"You're the one who wanted me to plait your hair" she pointed out, her eyes remaining on the intricate plait as she pulled another strand in.

"Yeah, plait it, not rip it out" he muttered sourly.

"Ow!" He yelped obnoxiously, attempting to swat her hand away as she did the same to his.

"Dad!" She yelled in an attempt to signal her other father as Sirius did the same.

"Moony!" He whined in the same tone as his daughter.

With a sigh Remus folded the corner of his page before closing his book, looking up to the bickering pair with a pointed look.

"Padfoot you did ask her to plait your hair" he mediated, raising his hand and gesturing to the now almost finished plait Nell continued to work on.

"Ha!" She remarked smugly

"And Nell stop pulling" he added, a barely noticeable smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he took in the sight of the two scowling children. One of whom he married.

"Well maybe you should consider this payback for all the times you "plaited" my hair" she hummed bitterly, tying off the end of the plait with a bobble, allowing Sirius to roll onto his back to look at her.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, my plaits were always perfect and nothing less." He replied, leaning up on his elbows and feigning oblivion to her accusation.

"Oh really?" Nell scoffed, recalling a particularly traumatising memory of her first ever plait.

"Pads can you do my hair pretty like Auntie Lily's? Pleaaaaase" a four year old Nell pleaded, pouting adorably up at her father, wanting a style she had often seeing her godmother wearing. If only she had gone to the redheaded woman instead.

"I don't see why not, how hard could it be" Sirius shrugged, ready to take on the challenge and foolishly overestimating his talents.

"What famous last words those turned out to be Pads" Remus laughed, interrupting Nell's retelling of the memory as he recalled how it ended.