Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all its characters, creations, and such belong to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing except Eve Pankhart, Dawn Pankhart, Mrs. Sternstone, Anna Twitter, Cynthia Young, Derek Gotter, and any other character not of J.K. Rowlng's creation that are original characters of my own creation, and my plot idea for this fanfiction, which comes from my imagination. The Phantom of the Opera and all its characters, creations, and such belong to Gaston Leroux and/or Andrew Lloyd Webber. I have not written this fanfiction to benefit me in any way, shape, or form; I am merely using my imagination in addition to J.K. Rowling's and Gaston Leroux's and/or Andrew Lloyd Webber's characters, creations, and such to produce this fanfiction for my entertainment and enjoyment, nothing more.

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for waiting so patiently for the sequel to Written in the Stars! To make up for the wait, this first chapter is quite lengthy. :) I am so excited to return Remus and Eve to fanfiction-land in Scripted in the Sky, especially after all the support my readers and reviewers gave me in Written in the Stars! Again, I would like to thank each and every reader and reviewer for their time and feedback as they read along on this journey with Remus and Eve. Thank you all, and I hope you enjoy Scripted in the Sky.

To the fans who like Eve as a leading lady OC: I have some fantabulous news! I've decided to write another fanfiction, one set in The Santa Clause trilogy universe, focusing on Jack Frost (an amazing, interesting, and humorous character to write!). The leading lady of the fanfiction (entitled Why it Snows in Spring) will also be an OC of my own creation: Clarabella Bloom. If you enjoyed reading about and getting to know Eve, then I'm sure you'll love Clarabella. She's different from Eve in many ways, obviously, but she's just as much of a joy to write about and explore in depth (and I daresay she'll be just as much of a hoot to read about, especially since she'll be starring opposite the extremely animated, amusing, and theatrical Jack Frost. I would absolutely love to see my Written in the Stars and Scripted in the Sky fans reading, reviewing, and enjoying Why it Snows in Spring, which will be debuting tomorrow, March 21 (on the vernal equinox, which will be a more obviously significant date as you learn about Clarabella's character). I hope to hear from you all there! :)

Trivia Question Winners: The answer to the last trivia question was: Ace of Chalices, but, as always, I accept any attempt at answering the trivia question. The winners are: JonBon (I'm so glad you enjoyed the ending! I'm happy to hear that you're such a big fan of Remus and Eve, and that you're excited for Scripted in the Sky. I always look forward to you and KajiMori's reviews; and I think it's really cool that you two talk about them together! I hope to read more of them for this fanfiction, and I'd like to encourage you two to read and review Why it Snows in Spring. I'm sure you will love it! Please keep reading and reviewing!), Shnitzel (Congratulations on winning the "Question to the Characters" challenge! I really enjoyed reading your lengthy and thorough review. I'm happy to read that you enjoyed the ending and are "ecstatic" for this sequel! I hope to read more reviews from you in this fanfiction and Why it Snows in Spring.), and Squid7000 (I'm happy to read that you enjoyed the ending of Written in the Stars! I also enjoyed reading that you like Remus and Eve together, and that you enjoy reading about Anna—she is quite a joy to write, I must say. I hope I continue to see your reviews in Scripted in the Sky and Why it Snows in Spring!). And thanks to all my other reviewers! Please keep reading and reviewing for this fanfiction and Why it Snows in Spring!

Questions to the Characters Winner: Shnitzel! Congratulations!

Remus folded the parchment he read the question from and contemplated his response while Sirius, James, and Peter grinned at him.

"Go on, then, mate; what would you do if a bird used a pickup line to flirt with you?" Sirius teased as he nudged him. Sirius, in particular, found this an amusing question to ask.

"I… I don't know… No girl has ever used a pick-up line with me. I mean… Eve and I flirt a bit, obviously, but…" He unfolded the parchment and glanced through the question once again. As he looked up to ponder some more, he spotted his girlfriend entering the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Hello, all! What are you Marauders scheming up now?" Eve asked jestingly with her nose-crinkling grin.

The boys greeted her as she sat beside Remus on the carpet by the fireplace. She affectionately ruffled back his hair as he spoke to her, "'Lo, beautiful," and pecked her wrist.

Eve blushed and looked away for a moment before tucking her arm into his and declaring, "Remus, you're so sweet you should be bottled and sold at Honeyduke's!"

The other three wizards smirked at the pickup line and leaned forward with interest, wondering what the answer to the reader's question would be.

Remus hugged his girlfriend and turned his head to whisper deliciously into her ear, so soft the others had to strain to eavesdrop, "Well, darling, if I should be bottled and sold at Honeyduke's for being sweet, you would put them out of business—you're candy for the eyes and the heart."

A bright smile spread on Eve's face and her eyes twinkled with delight.

Sirius chuckled and, plucking up the parchment from where it fell to the floor, said, "Well, I guess we see what happens when Remus is presented with a pickup line: he'll give a witty comeback. Thanks for the question, Shnitzel!"

Publish Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010.

Scripted in the Sky

Chapter One: Of Families, Meetings, and Rings

"Oh, Dawn, I'm just so excited for you to meet Remus!" Eve gushed as her almost-eleven-year-old sister wove two braids together from the brunette's temples to the crown of her head.

Dawn smiled wide into the mirror of the vanity Eve sat before so the brunette could see her happiness. "And I'm excited to meet him; just as excited as you must be for seeing him again after so long!" She tied off the end of the braid with an elastic band before hugging her sister from behind.

"Definitely; three weeks is too long to go without seeing him." The two hadn't seen each other since graduation, and it was more than either of them could take. But Remus insisted that he really needed to concentrate on work—he did yard work for his neighbors—and that, even if she did visit him sooner, he couldn't focus on her because he would need to be away. Eve had the sneaking suspicion that he wasn't telling her something; after all, how much yard work could he have that would take him away from her?

Turning to face Dawn, Eve gently swept a few blonde locks away from her face. "You're going to adore him."

Eve smiled gently as she slid a couple gold flower earrings into her ears. She set to work applying make-up to her eyes to make them appear bigger and brighter. She knew Remus had told her numerous times throughout the course of their relationship not to bother, that she always looked beautiful anyway so she shouldn't waste her time, but she figured that just a little make-up wouldn't hurt, especially since this was her first time meeting his parents. Besides, his one unyielding condition regarding her wearing make-up was that, if she was going to do it, it couldn't be because she thought he would like her better made up. He had later admitted that this was because he didn't want to be like a second Vladimir to her, besides the fact that he really didn't feel like she needed make-up to begin with. She could wear it if she wanted to, but not because she thought he wanted her to.

Hooting greeted them as Remus's owl swooped in through the window and perched on the sill.

"Maiara!" Dawn squealed as she ran over to pet the bird's feathers. Maiara leaned into the girl's touch—the two had grown rather fond of each other as of late, seeing as Eve and Remus wrote to each other every day.

"Remus," Eve breathed as she caught sight of a large pink flower clutched in Maiara's beak—the latest of Remus's gifts to her. Each day, he tried to send her at least one trinket to surprise her with when she received his letters. Sometimes it had been drawings of her he'd created in his spare time, other times it would be a vividly colored quill or a small book or even a poem he wrote out from another author—usually Shakespeare.

Since their decision on New Year's Day to stay together, they had grown closer and closer together as trials challenged them for the rest of the school year. They had triumphed, however, and their reward was the deep, intimate bond they now shared.

"He said I could!" Dawn exclaimed with delight as she dropped the parchment she held and snatched up a bottle of pink nail polish from Eve's vanity and began painting Maiara's claws. The owl cocked her head curiously.

Returning from her reverie, Eve gaped and replied, "Give me my letter, Nosey!" She seized the letter, and her sister immediately claimed that she only read the P.S. at the bottom, where she knew Remus's reply to whether or not she could paint his owl's claws would be.

Dear Eve,

Words cannot express how excited I am to finally see you. These past three weeks of separation have only been made bearable by your letters.

I hope you like the flower. It's a garden tea rose from my mother's garden.

I'll apparate in a few minutes to your house. My parents will give us a couple minutes to ourselves before they apparate. Make sure you have your luggage packed and shrunk so we can bring you to my place after we've met your family.

Counting the minutes 'til I see you again, darling.

Sincerely yours,

Remus

P.S. Yes, Dawn; I, too, think it is high time Maiara receives her first-ever pedicure. Go right ahead and paint her claws. I'm looking forward to meeting you.

Eve chuckled at Remus's sense of humor in his P.S., and sighed gently at his kindness—he had made sure to say hello to Dawn in every single one of his letters to Eve, knowing that the youngest Pankhart always looked forward to playing with his owl. She sighed again, this time in adoration, as she pressed the letter to her heart and slid down in her seat, completely charmed with the wizard (pardon the pun).

Dawn approached Eve, flower in hand. "Where do you want me to put this?"

Eve snapped out of her thoughts to reply, "My hair. Would you mind?"

Dawn fixed the flower into the hair by Eve's left temple, and tied a ribbon into a large bow at the juncture of the two braids at the back of her head, the two arms of the remaining ribbon flowing down her curls.

The doorbell rang. Eve jumped from her place and screeched, "He's here! He's here!" before galloping down the steps two at a time. When she arrived at the door, she took a moment to compose herself and smooth out her white-and-pink summer dress with her hands.

Turning the knob, she opened the door to reveal a tanned Remus with hair longer and shaggier than she remembered, and three bouquets of flowers in his arms. He wore a nice green shirt—Eve loved seeing him in green since it brought out his eyes—and khaki shorts.

Eve squealed loudly and launched at him. Remus hurriedly swooped her up into his arms and twirled her around, the bouquets of flowers slipping effortlessly from his elbow to his hand. Her face buried itself eagerly into the column of his throat as her arms wove themselves around his shoulders, relishing the feeling of being with him once again.

"Your hair!" He exclaimed.

"Your hair!" She replied.

"You had it done—you look lovely with bangs."

"You grew it out!" Eve made a playful growling noise in his ear as she played with the almost chin-length strands.

Remus chuckled appreciatively as he spun with her. "I've missed you so much, Evie." Halting, he coaxed her face away from his neck so he could look at her. With a grin, he asked her suspiciously, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

Nuzzling his forehead with hers, he replied, "Get more and more beautiful each time I see you." Eve's skin had bronzed to a golden hue that made her gray eyes pop, and her usually dark hair now sported sun-kissed streaks of caramel.

Eve cooed modestly as she blushed, and she was leaning in to share her first kiss with him in three weeks when a loud pop sounded behind them.

"Mum! Dad!" Remus exclaimed, twirling with Eve in his arms once more. Eve squealed once more and buried her face into his neck as he continued turning with her. While she flailed and kicked teasingly, he continued calling to his parents who had just apparated down the driveway, "This is Eve. Isn't she beautiful? Could you ask for a more beautiful girlfriend for me?"

Eve banteringly smacked him on the shoulder. "Oh, hush, you; you'll get their hopes up!" she hissed so only he could hear.

She heard twin chuckles from somewhere behind her and a light, cheery female voice say, "Oh, I'm sure she's simply delightful, darling; but we can't see her face. Set her down and let us have a proper look at her, won't you?"

Eve felt Remus stop once more and nod his head at his mother. She felt herself being lowered, and when her feet touched the ground she slowly pulled away from Remus to catch her first glimpse of his parents. Mrs. Lupin was only slightly taller than Eve, and had tawny brown, slightly curled hair pulled modestly back from her face into a loose braid. She wore a blue blouse and a light skirt in a humble manner. Eve could see only slight resemblances between the mother and her son, but his father was an older version of him exactly: neat, sandy brown hair but with patches of pepper sprouting; a tall, lanky frame; and a smile warm enough to melt chocolate.

Eve noticed, touched, that his parents were holding hands, fingers entwined.

Mrs. Lupin's features rearranged themselves to accommodate awe and moved carefully toward Eve, as if afraid she'd frighten her off like a kitten. Mrs. Lupin touched her fingers to her lips, and a watery smile burst onto her face.

"My dear, you really are lovely. Isn't she, John?" she whispered. Lowering her hand, she asked with a shaky voice, "May I… hug you?"

"No. Mum, you promised me you wouldn't do this—" Remus began to complain.

Without waiting for her response, Mrs. Lupin gripped Eve in a tight hug that lasted almost a full minute as she declared, "Oh, my little boy's first girlfriend ever! How wonderful it is to meet you, Eve!"

"No, no, no—Mum!" Remus clapped a hand to his face and blushed in mortification.

As if that weren't bad enough, his father chuckled and said, "Come, now, Remus, you know how much your mother's been looking forward to today."

"O-Oh, it's lovely to meet you, too, ma'am. And you're too kind, really," Eve began as she hugged her boyfriend's mother in return.

"Oh, not at all, dear—in fact, I'm not kind enough! You really are a very pretty girl." Mrs. Lupin gave Eve a final squeeze before releasing her from her grip. Stepping back to survey her, she continued, "I can see why he can't stop talking about you—I'll have you know you have our son completely bewitched!"

"Muuuuum!" Remus hid his head behind the three bouquets of flowers, wishing to Merlin that he could just turn into a bug and fly away.

"I do, do I?" Eve asked, and only Remus—having known her for as long and as well as he had—could detect the smug slyness laced in her voice. "I'll have to remember that," she murmured for only him to hear. The tone in her voice made him long for his parents to apparate back to their house so he and Eve could have a very lengthy private moment.

Turning to Mr. Lupin, Eve offered her hand. "How do you do? It's nice to meet you, Mr. Lupin."

"Likewise, Eve." Mr. Lupin clasped her hand. "We're looking forward to getting to know you."

"Same here," Eve replied before gesturing to the door and stepping aside. "Won't you please come in? You're just in time for tea."

"Tea sounds terrific." Mrs. Lupin declared as she walked into the house with her husband right behind her.

Eve parted the bouquets covering Remus's face and told him with a wink, "I intend to take full advantage of your bewitchment of me later, Mr. Lupin."

"I intend to let you," Remus replied with a longing glance. Suddenly extending a hand with one bouquet of flowers, he declared, "To my goddess Eve."

"I was wondering when you'd offer," Eve teased him, taking the flowers from him and breathing deep, loving the subtle smells of the variety of colorful flowers. "I was beginning to think you had three girlfriends, or something."

"I do have three girlfriends," Remus began, earning him a quizzical look that told him to be careful with how he proceeded. "You," he kissed her right cheek, "yourself," he smooched the left, "and my Evie." He gazed into her eyes meaningfully before pressing a tender kiss to her forehead.

They remained silent for a moment before Eve suggested, "Come; I want to show you off to my family." She took his hand and led him inside, where Remus's parents were meeting hers and Dawn was staring wide-eyed at the notion of having an actual magical family right there in her own house. Maiara hooted to Remus from her perch on Dawn's forearm, jarring the youngest Pankhart from her thoughts and spreading a wide grin along her face when she saw Remus.

Remus turned toward the sound of his owl and found Eve's younger sister smiling at him as if she had discovered a new specie.

Dawn slowly approached him, and Remus extended a hand. "This is most certainly the famous Dawn I've heard so much about." He smiled warmly at her.

Dawn, still in awe that she was standing before a real-live wizard, replied as she shook the proffered hand, "You'd better believe it." She grinned proudly. Stroking Maiara's feather's, she inquired, "Do you like her pedicure? I did it all by myself, see?"

Remus chuckled at the sparkly pink nail polish that currently adorned his owl's claws. "Oh, yes—she is certainly the most beautiful bird I ever saw, don't you think so?"

"Definitely!" Dawn exclaimed, happy that she'd pleased Remus.

Remus extended one of the bouquets to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dawn. I'm sure we'll be good friends very soon." Although Dawn saw the softened look on Eve's face and was, herself, flattered to receive such a gift, she looked puzzled and bobbed her head to the left and right to check either side of the bouquet and his hand.

"Dawn? What are you doing?" Eve asked in confusion. Trying to prompt her younger sister to display her good manners, she encouraged, "This is a thoughtful gesture from Remus, don't you think?"

"Oh, it is." Dawn looked up suspiciously at Remus. "But they look like everyday, ordinary muggle flowers—aren't wizards supposed to make gifts appear out of thin air right before my very eyes or mysteriously pull them from my ear or something?"

"Dawn!" Eve scolded, stepping closer to the youngest Pankhart. Placing her hands on her hips, she reminded the girl, "We always thank people when they give us gifts—especially when they didn't need to get us anything in the first place!"

"Sorry, sorry! I was just wondering why a wizard wouldn't—my flowers!" Dawn gasped as the bouquet suddenly vanished from his hand. She snatched at his palm and felt it to try to figure out where her flowers went, but couldn't find them. Dawn batted her large eyes up at him, asking the silent question.

Remus's entire face was smiling. After being used to magic all his life, it was refreshing to see the expressions of someone who was completely enchanted by it.

With a wink, he whispered, "Go check your room." Dawn squealed and raced up the stairs, two at a time, to her room. Maiara squawked in startled surprise and fluttered her wings on the girl's arm.

Eve chuckled knowingly. "They're not in her room, are they?" She made it sound more like a statement than a question. Off his sly headshake, she approached him and wrapped her arms around his neck playfully. "You're a very mischievous Marauder, do you know that?"

"It's all part of the magic, Evie. Besides, I had to do something—I've been waiting three whole weeks for a good and proper kiss from you; do you honestly think you can make me wait much longer?" He nodded to the room their parents had occupied minutes before. "Our parents are gone, your sister is gone…" He closed in on Eve. "The perfect time to sneak a—"

"They're not up here!" Dawn pouted as she slumped down the stairs once more. The couple quickly broke away, Remus because he knew how Eve felt about getting caught in positions like this, and Eve because she didn't need her little sister catching her almost snogging her beau.

"They're not?" Remus pretended to look stumped, scratching his head and searching the floor with his gaze. "How about your shoes, have you checked those?"

Dawn laughed. "Silly, I'm not wearing any shoes!" She pointedly wriggled her toes to make her point, which were painted the same pink as Maiara's claws.

"Hmm!" Remus sighed exaggeratedly, as if he were truly puzzled. Planting his hands on his hips, he gave an expression of mocked thought. Finally, he snapped his fingers. "Give me your hand."

Dawn's face brightened, and Remus could see why her parents gave her her name—Eve had been right, her smile was brilliant and her face was warm like the dawn. He kneeled down in front of her to be at eyelevel with her and clasped her open hand. He set down the last bouquet gently and placed his other hand palms together with hers.

"Now, Dawn, this is a very big spell to cast, so I'm gonna need your help. Okay?" Dawn nodded her head feverishly; she was about to cast a real-live spell with a real-live wizard!

Behind Remus, Eve was smiling uncontrollably. Remus was so good with her sister! It made her heart melt to know how much he liked children—he would make a great teacher and, more importantly, a great father, too! Which was good for her to know because she desperately wanted children someday…

…But, no, she had only been courting him for almost half a year. She shouldn't be thinking such things. She smoothed down her summer dress over her torso and continued watching Dawn grow happier and happier with Remus.

"Now," Remus said, cupping Dawn's hand in his own, "on the count of three, we're going to say 'orchideous' together, okay? When you say the word 'orchideous,' I want you to picture your bouquet of flowers in your head. Ready?" Dawn bobbed her head ecstatically, scarcely able to contain her excitement.

"One." Their hands bounced down and then up together.

"Two." Dawn's eyes squeezed her eyes shut tight to envision the flowers.

"Three." Her eyes popped open once more to lock eyes with Remus, smiling encouragingly up at her.

"Orchideous," they chorused together.

Dawn watched in amazement as her bouquet sprouted and grew in her hand. She danced in place and screeched, her short blonde hair fluttering wildly about her face, and Maiara, used to the high-energy girl, merely did her best to stay perched on her arm.

"I did it!" she squealed as Remus removed his hands from hers so she could survey the outcome of her spell.

"You," Remus began, tapping Dawn on the nose, "are going to be a very powerful witch one day, I can tell."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Dawn threw herself at Remus and hugged him. The wizard chuckled and embraced her, telling her that she was welcome.

Pulling away quickly, Dawn ran off toward the room all the adults were sitting in and told her parents in a rushing flood of words about what had just occurred but, in her enthusiastic state, her parents could only understand 'Remus' and 'flowers.'

"You're so good with her, darling," Eve quietly said to her beau.

"I'm glad she enjoyed her gift." Remus rose and walked to Eve. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he inquired slyly, "Now, what will be my reward for my good deed?" He brought his mouth a mere breath away from hers.

Eve arched her neck back and gazed up at him with slit eyes. "A sit-down with my father."

That comment sobered him like a bucket of cold water dumped on his head. "Come again?"

"I mean it. If you want my family to be alright with you courting me, you'll have to ask my father to speak with him privately about me. You must take the initiative to do this, otherwise you'll lose points with him. This is important—do not wait for him to ask you. He wants for me a man who shows himself as someone who will take the lead and have ambition and determination. You need to discuss with him your intentions for courting me, and what you have to offer as my beau."

Remus suddenly felt lightheaded, which wasn't uncommon with Eve in his arms, but he found that he didn't like this particular case of it. "So… I need to get interviewed about courting you… again?" He recalled the talk Anna had given him back in January.

"More like interrogated. And there will be ground rules for you to follow if you want Daddy to be okay with you."

As bubbles burst in his head, Remus tried to regain a sense of composure. This shouldn't be too bad, right? After all, Eve and Dawn had quite taken to him, which meant he had done something right. And besides…

"If it means getting to keep you, of course I'll speak with your father." He smiled down at her before inquiring innocently, "May I have a kiss for good luck?"

Embracing his shoulders, Eve replied happily, "Of course!" With that, she planted a solid kiss on his cheek before leading the way down to the sitting area where their families were, throwing a wink over her shoulder at him, she disappeared down the stairs and into the next room.

Remus's mouth hung open for a moment, then it shut a moment later. That little minx knew exactly what she was doing to him. In the past few months of their relationship, one of her favorite games she randomly liked to play with him was: "Tease Remus by Withholding Kisses." She had defended herself by saying it was funny to watch him desperately try to coax her into granting him even a tiny peck on the lips, and that if he weren't so humorous, she would stop. Apparently, the joke was not going cold anytime soon, unfortunately for him.

Maybe if he could find the strength to turn the game around on her—Ooh! He smirked wickedly at the thought. Well, she was coming to stay with him for a while, wasn't she? That would give him plenty of time to take his revenge on her through his game.

He erased the sly expression from his face when Eve reappeared, holding out her hand to him.

"Well? Are you coming? I want to introduce you to my parents."

Remus drew in a deep, reassuring breath. He could not mess this up.

Nodding, he took Eve's hand, and she led him to the sitting room.

The sitting room was cream-colored with light streaming in through the open door leading to a cozy backyard. A light summer breeze rolled in through the screen. Mrs. Lupin and Mrs. Pankhart were chattering very animatedly with one another, Mr. Lupin and Mr. Pankhart were taking turns speaking and nodding their heads, and Dawn sat between the two pairs of talking parents looking somewhat bored, though stroking the flowers as if they were a prized possession. Maiara preened on the perch in the corner.

"Ooh, I need to fetch the tea tray. Go on down, and I'll introduce you shortly." Eve disappeared in the kitchen to collect the tea supplies. Remus swallowed sharply and descended the stairs. He hesitated for a moment before remembering that Eve said her father wanted her daughter to court a man who took initiative, and so straightened himself up and walked calmly and determinedly to sit in the chair beside Mr. Pankhart's.

"Where's Eve?" Mrs. Lupin inquired of Remus immediately upon his sitting.

"Putting the tea tray together," Remus replied, smoothing out his shirt, wanting to look his best.

Mrs. Lupin immediately rose and met Eve in the kitchen to help her with the tea tray. Remus sighed at his mother's moderate obsession with his girlfriend; ever since he'd told his parents he was courting Eve, his mother had done little else besides nag him about when she could meet the "delightful girl" he went on and on about. Now that she'd met her, he could see he was going to have little alone time with his own girlfriend—his mother was eager to get to know Eve.

"Tea, anyone?" Eve inquired of her family and their guests as she reappeared carrying the tea tray, Mrs. Lupin walking behind her carrying extra tea cups that wouldn't fit on the arrangement.

Mr. Lupin and Remus immediately rose to stand upon their significant others entering the room. Mrs. Lupin began arranging the teacups on the saucers in preparation for Eve to serve tea, throwing a smile at her husband, but otherwise not taking particular acknowledgement of the gesture.

Eve batted her eyelashes confusedly before saying quietly to him, "Sit down, you don't need to stand for me."

Smiling at her as he and his father sat at the same time, he replied sincerely, "I was raised to stand when my lady enters the room."

Eve leaned over and lightly touched his hand to show her appreciation. Mrs. Lupin sat beside Mrs. Pankhart on the sofa once more. Straightening up, Eve inquired once more, "Tea, anyone?"

Remus immediately rose once more and insisted, "Please, allow me."

"Oh, no, really, you're our guest—"

"No, please. I insist." Remus took the kettle from her and poured her some tea, dropped one, two, three sugar cubes into the steaming cup, and added a healthy helping of cream. Just the way she liked it.

He handed her her teacup, and she smiled at him over the rim as she took a sip. He knew her too well.

"Ooh, introductions!" Eve could barely swallow the tea fast enough when the words flew out of her mouth; she was excited to finally introduce her beau to her parents. After Remus asked Mrs. Lupin how she liked her tea, Eve rested her arm on Remus's back and said, "Mum, this is Remus. And Remus, this is Mum."

After handing her her cup and saucer, Remus extended a hand to Eve's mother. "A pleasure, Mrs. Pankhart, to meet you." He offered her a warm smile before extending the final bouquet to her. "Thank you for having us in your lovely home."

The woman adjusted her glasses to see the flowers and, after inhaling its scents, told him, "Likewise, it is a pleasure to meet you after hearing so much about you."

"All good, I hope," Remus teased lightly with a grin.

"Of course, of course. My eldest is quite fond of you, and I believe you have found a friend in my youngest—that really was such a nice thing for you to do, giving us each flowers." Mrs. Pankhart smiled up at Remus, but it wavered when she found the scars marring his face. Because he had a tan, it took a second, closer look for her to notice them but, blended in or not, they were there just the same.

Remus continued asking how each person liked their tea before making it to their liking. As he did, Eve placed a hand on Remus's back and said, "And this is my father. Daddy, this is Remus."

Mr. Pankhart looked at Remus appraisingly, surveying him to see if he deserved his eldest daughter. While appearances, of course, did not reflect one's true nature, Mr. Pankhart thought nothing short f the best of his daughter, and thought she should not be wasted on a man who could not keep up with his appearance, because, of course, this would lead to a difficulty in finding a job (since one must look professional in order to procure a job), as well as difficulty in having cute babies (Mr. Pankhart, although not wanting to become a grandfather too soon, wanted to be a grandfather almost as desperately as Eve wanted to become a mother).

Remus seemed at first glance to appease this requirement of Mr. Pankhart's, but as Remus approached to give him his tea and shake his hand, he found multiple fading scars across his face, and he felt instantly taken aback.

"An honor to finally meet you, sir." Remus gave Mr. Pankhart a handshake, making sure to keep his grip firm. Sirius gave him this advice when he heard Remus was going to meet his girlfriend's family, since the Marauder claimed that girls' fathers wanted men for their daughters, and, apparently, the measure of men in fathers' eyes was how firmly their daughters' boyfriends shook their hands. Perhaps he'd figure it out if he ever had a daughter…

No. He wouldn't be having any children. At all. He couldn't spread his disease, he couldn't pass it to a child, and he especially couldn't pass the agony onto his child.

Remus immediately heaved the thought adamantly from his mind as Mr. Pankhart shook his hand in return and spoke, "The honor is all mine, Remus. I've heard nothing but the best of you from my daughter." Mr. Pankhart watched Remus carefully as he raised the tea to his lips.

"You're too kind." Remus smiled. "And, of course, I've heard nothing but the best about you and your family, sir, and it's quite apparent why." He sipped at his tea as he sat down on the couch beside Mr. Pankhart's chair, placing himself between Eve and her father so he could continue, "I can already see what a warm family Eve was so lucky to grow up with." Eve linked her arm through his appreciatively.

Mr. Pankhart quickly finished his tea, and Remus asked politely, "Sir, may I request a private audience with you to discuss Eve?"

Mr. Pankhart raised an impressed eyebrow and replied while setting his teacup down, "Of course, Remus." He gestured to one doorway that led down a corridor, at the end of which was a small room.

Eve squeezed Remus's hand lightly for reassurance as he exited the sitting room. Mrs. Lupin immediately moved to sit next to her and engage her in conversation, interested in getting to know her. She brought up Eve's desire to become a Healer someday, and Eve smiled and spoke from there. Mrs. Pankhart and Mr. Lupin, their original chatting partners gone, struck up a discussion between the two of them on their jobs.

Mr. Pankhart sat in one of the armchairs in the room and gestured for Remus to occupy the one opposite. He immediately sat, perched confidently on the edge of the seat.

Seeing as he had initiated this conversation, Remus began, "Sir I would like to ask for your permission to court Eve."

Mr. Pankhart tilted his head to one side, impressed. Not even Eve's last boyfriend had taken the initiative to begin this conversation. He eventually forgave him for it, but Remus already received a jumpstart where Mr. Pankhart's blessing was concerned. If he kept this up throughout the rest of their discussion, Remus would receive Mr. Pankhart's favor entirely.

"You'd like to court my daughter, eh?" Mr. Pankhart leaned forward in his seat, drawing himself to full height as he sat. "Well, Mr. Lupin, I do not allow just anyone to court my daughter. There have been numerous boys who have asked for permission to see Eve, and can you guess how many met my standards?"

Remus heard his heart pound his ears, but tried to keep his facial expressions as neutral as possible. "No, sir."

With a small grin, Mr. Pankhart replied, "One: her last boyfriend, Duncan."

Is he serious? Or is he testing me? Remus decided to reply with flattery, "Obviously you have very high standards in what you are looking for in your daughter's boyfriend. Of course, from what I know about Eve, she deserves nothing less, sir, and I will strive to meet your standards to give her the very best."

Mr. Pankhart gauged Remus's body language, and found them, to his immense surprise, to be very genuine. With a comment like that, it would have been easy for him to have been completely sarcastic, but he seemed true enough to his word that it put Mr. Pankhart somewhat at ease.

"Hmm." A small smile found its way to the man's lips. "We shall see." Shifting in his chair, he leaned back and asked, "Tell me, Remus, what are some interests of yours? Hobbies? Aspirations? Tell me a little about yourself."

"Well, sir, interests of mine include furthering myself academically, and helping tutor younger students. My hobbies are drawing, reading, and playing wizarding chess. And I hope to become a professor at Hogwarts; I would like to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"You consider yourself talented in magical protection from dark magic, then?"

"Not trying to brag, sir, but I have been told by my professors that I am particularly gifted in that area. Along with all my other classes, I have received top marks in Defense. And I helped Eve with it, as well. She didn't need the extra help, of course, sir," Remus smiled, and a light sparkle touched his eyes, "but she was curious about a particular unit we studied even after we finished it in class, so we practiced the magic together. I must say, sir, she's very talented when it comes to dueling; she certainly kept me on my toes." His mind briefly flicked to their time dueling; they had bet kisses and snogs who would win a particular round. He had had no idea up until that point just how expansive his girlfriend's knowledge of spells was, and had been pleasantly surprised when she won their first duel with only one spell.

"Dueling?" Mr. Pankhart cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh, dueling is when two sorcerers face one another and try to gain the upper hand through casting spells. It's a test of spell knowledge and strategy, among anything else. Eve really is quite a powerful witch." Remus complimented.

"Well," Mr. Pankhart proudly emphasized his daughter's abilities, "I know she has worked hard over the years. Tell me, do you currently have a job?"

"I do yardwork for my neighbors for pay, and housework for free for some of my elderly neighbors. But I'm currently looking for a real job near where I live; I'm in the interviewing stage of a couple office jobs that seemed interested in hiring me." This wasn't a total lie; he could tell that he had impressed the employers during his interviews, but he knew that, once he left and they had a chance to read through his resume, they would find the one flaw on his application: the mandated-by-law disclosure of his lycanthropy.

"Very good." Mr. Pankhart was very impressed with this young man: he had taken his education seriously, he was striving for a respectable career that would pay well, he had a good work ethic, he expressed himself eloquently, and he obviously thought highly of Eve. But he still had to ask: "What are your intentions for courting my daughter?"

"Well, sir, I have been courting her for almost half a year, already—"

"No, you haven't," Mr. Pankhart spoke so bluntly, Remus looked thrown off from his original declaration.

The boy floundered. "Sir?"

"You hadn't asked me before, so it wasn't official," he stated, as if it were obvious.

Remus's lip twitched, a grin pulling it as he understood. "Of course, sir. Well... Then we have been waiting to ask for your permission to court for almost half a year," Mr. Pankhart smiled as the wizard adjusted his phrasing to suit him, "and I can honestly say that my intentions for courting your daughter are to have a long-term, supportive relationship. I have had two poor relationships prior to Eve, so I know how it feels to be with someone who does not support you. I also understand that Eve has also suffered from some poor relationships, as well, and I could never treat her that way. I want to be there for her whenever she needs me, and I will never fail her like I hear some of her formers did."

Mr. Pankhart nodded his head slowly, thoughtfully. "Sounds like some noble reasons for courting my daughter." A minute's silence filled the gap between them, and Remus's mind raced. Would he be allowed to continue seeing Eve? Would Mr. Pankhart give them his blessing? Would he like Remus? Did he?

At length, the man extended a hand to the wizard and shook it. "You have my permission to court my daughter, Remus."

Remus's face melted into a beaming smile, and he eagerly shook the man's hand. "Thank you, sir, thank you. I really appreciate it. I care a lot for Eve, and—"

Mr. Pankhart firmly pulled Remus closer to him so he could stare him hard in the eye. "But allow me to make one thing exceedingly clear: there will be no schenanigans, hanky-panky, or otherwise inappropriate relations with my daughter. At all. If I ever have reason to suspect that you have in any way violated this rule, I will throw you out of my house and make sure you will never see my daughter again. Eve has promised herself to protect her virtue, and I expect that if you truly want the best for her like you say you do, that you will be a gentleman and help protect it with her. Am I completely understood?"

Remus bobbed his head for several long moments before replying, "Absolutely, sir. I respect Eve's promise to herself. In fact, if I may... With your permission, again, of course," he pulled his hand away from the other man's and reached into his pocket. He retrieved a velvet box and opened it to show Mr. Pankhart two silver rings, one wider for a man, and one narrower for a woman. "I saved up for these and… I know Eve already has a purity ring, but I would like to present her with these. They're magical purity rings. Once we put them on, they will stay white to show that we're honoring our promise."

Mr. Pankhart examined the rings with interest, which quickly turned into enthusiasm. Good; now he could keep an eye on the two, and alleviate his worries. So long as the rings stayed white, Mr. Pankhart could be at ease.

"I think that would be a marvelous idea, my boy." Gesturing toward the sitting room where their families remained, he encouraged, "Well, go on, present them to her."

Remus shook the man's hand and thanked him once more before exiting, heart elated that Eve and he received her father's blessing. His heart was so light it could have propelled him to the moon and back.

He approached Eve, who politely ended her side of the conversation with Mrs. Lupin. "Well, how did it go?" She smirked playfully and lowered her voice so only he could hear, "Do you get to keep me?"

"For as long as you want to keep me," he replied with a kiss to the back of her hand. "Look," he sat down next to her, "I want to give you something." He presented her with the box and opened it.

Eve gasped, knowing immediately what kind of rings they were. She'd previously spied one through the window of a magical jewelry shop.

"Oh, Remus," she breathed, gazing up at him in awe.

"This is the reason why I couldn't see you before now; I was saving up for this present for you… for us. I wanted to give you something to show you that I am dedicated to you, wholly and completely." Eve batted her eyes sweetly up at Remus. Mrs. Lupin looked on the verge of tears, and was reaching out to hug the couple when her husband lightly took her arm and led her to sit with him beside Mrs. Pankhart (who was smiling gently at the two), reminding her that they should have this moment to themselves.

"I adore you, Eve. And, I want to join you in your promise."

Eve covered her mouth, her eyes smiling wide at him. She squealed and pulled him into a bruising hug he wasn't sure she would ever release him from.

When she finally broke away, Remus held up the smaller of the two rings. "May I?"

Eve bobbed her head excitedly. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" She blurted, waving her left hand at him.

He slid it in front of her first purity ring, and Eve gazed at it happily. Picking up the larger ring, she inquired of him, "May I?"

He smiled in response, and Eve pushed the ring onto Remus's left ring finger. Once they were both firmly placed on one another's hands, they instantly morphed from their silver color to white.

Mr. Pankhart, leaning against the doorframe, breathed a relieved sigh at the color change. He could keep a close eye on them this way. Although he trusted his daughter fully, he, having already gone through adolescence, understood young men all too well to ever trust them fully.

Remus and Eve locked tender, affectionate gazes with one another, sharing silent messages for some time until Dawn rolled her eyes and interrupted, "Aw, just kiss already!"

Mrs. Pankhart arched a stern eyebrow at her youngest for embarrassing Eve. The eldest Pankhart girl turned away from her beau, blushing at the notion of sharing a kiss with him in front of her and his families.

"Oh, Dawn, really—" She began, but Remus's surprise smooch to her cheek interrupted her as she blushed further.

Dawn giggled. "Aw!" Mr. Pankhart's eyes rounded behind his glasses, as if silently asking her 'Excuse me? You're too young to be interested in this.' The blonde instantly switched tactics to appease her father and said, "Erm, I mean, 'Ick, old people kissing.'" Her father relaxed visibly at this.

Eve took a moment to smooth over her skirt before she launched at Remus, planting one squarely on his face. Her eyes fluttered right after, as if she'd startled herself in kissing him back. Mrs. Lupin could scarcely contain her delight at how adorable her little boy and his girlfriend were.

Eve cleared her throat and suddenly stood. "So… Who's up for some more tea?"

Author's Note: Phew! That was a long one—over twelve pages total! It's sooo great to be back! I'm looking forward to everyone's reviews; seeing some fans from the Written in the Stars posting days, and also fans new to my work altogether.

Random Question: What does everyone think of the first chapter of Scripted in the Sky? What do you hope I will write about in future chapters (remember, since there is no set plot or timeline, the chapters can take place at just about any time or place, within reason, of course)? What have I not written about that you'd like me to, and/or what has happened "offstage," so to speak, that you'd like to read about?

Trivia Question: What kind of flower does Remus send to Eve with his owl?

Questions to the Characters: Again, I'd like to remind everyone about this opportunity to ask the characters of this fanfiction questions you'd like them to answer. Each time I post a chapter, I choose one question at random and write a response at the first author's note (like I did for this chapter). Again, this is just for something fun to add into your review. Also, the questions must be appropriate to be asked and answered in the fanfiction (rated a low T or lower), or I will not consider them.