The Funeral
Disclaimer: I do not own anything. I'm just tinkering with it.
A/N: This is a sequel to The Memory, though it makes sense on its own. I hope you guys enjoy this!
Albus Dumbledore is dead.
I cannot believe it. I repeat it over and over again in my head, but every time it feels as unreal as the first.
He was immortal to me. I knew he had to die someday, granted, but I always assumed that it would be someday after I was long dead.
I look down at my hand, my fingers entwined with a nymph's, Nymphadora Tonks'. Despite myself, I smile just the tiniest bit.
Albus's youthful blue eyes used to sparkle with concealed knowledge whenever he caught me sneaking glances at a certain pink-haired woman. Sirius used to nudge me in the side in a way he considered inconspicuous, though it was anything but that.
Sirius Black is dead.
He came back to life so suddenly, only to die so suddenly. I remember feeling like reality had come back to slap me in the face. Sirius being alive and innocent, it was like a dream; I woke from it sharply only to find myself utterly alone in the world. Then I remember dreaming again under an almost full moon, seeing pink and whispering a name: Nymphadora.
It wouldn't have happened had Sirius been alive.
I hear Sirius's voice ring through my mind: "At least something good came of my death! You've needed a good shag for a while now, Moony. I would have offered my services to you, but I felt that would leave you only more sexually confused. Besides, Hestia would be jealous."
"Thank goodness my newfound love saved her from that displeasure," I tell Sirius in sarcastic rebuttal.
"She might not mind so much if she were there as well…" Sirius says while scratching his chin, apparently deep in thought.
"That sounds kind of kinky, Padfoot," I hear a voice say to my left. I turn and find myself staring at James. I know he's dead; I know both of them are dead, yet for some reason it doesn't even occur to me to wonder if I am dead, or at least to question my sanity.
"Well, what can I say? That's the way I like it," Sirius says, winking at me suggestively. James heaves with laughter as I let out a chuckle of my own.
"So who is it that is keeping Padfoot from his secret fantasy, Moony?" James asks me, a knowing look in his eye as he directs his attention towards me.
"Oh, well…" I begin stumbling over my words. I cannot come up with the words to answer his question. Instead my mind travels to a witch who has a tendency to stumble over objects I didn't even know it was possible to stumble over (I was particularly reminded of the time she tripped over the stove). As a small smile came to my lips and I made no further attempts to answer the question, Sirius deemed it appropriate that he fill in for my stuttering ramblings.
"Nymphadora Tonks! My cousin's daughter. He couldn't resist the Black charm…"
"The one with the pink hair?" James asks in surprise, though I have a fleeting suspicion that he already knows she's the one. My smile grows to spread across my whole face as I recognize the reality of my relationship with Nymphadora Tonks. James slaps my shoulder.
"Go Moony! She has a nice…"
"Hey!" Sirius pipes in. "Cousin in the room!"
James snickers before continuing, though he never finishes what he began to say. I don't mind. I doubt it was anything I had not already noticed on my own.
"Lily is going to love this! She always said you needed a girl and seems she was right, not that I expected anything less of Lily…"
Sirius and I let out simultaneous coughs. James laughs knowing we're telling him: "Yes, we know Lily's great! Now stop praising at the altar of Lily Potter (Yes, Potter! She was stupid enough to marry you!) and move on with the story!"
"I can see she was right though! Look at yeh, mate!"
I hear a high, friendly voice comment from my right. "He's glowing! If he were a girl, I'd say he just gave birth!" The voice laughs musically and I know without turning that I will find Lily's red hair to my right. Sirius and James laugh.
"Anything you're not telling us, Moony?" James manages amidst his amusement.
Lily walks to my other side to slap James upside the head. I laugh thinking she always knew how to keep him in his place…
"It's an analogy James. He's in love!"
"Yeah, not to mention he doesn't look nearly as 'glow-y' as you did the first time you and Lily…" Sirius trails off as his words produce their desired effect. Lily punches James in the arm playfully making both Sirius and I snort.
"How do they know when that occurred exactly, James dearest?" Lily questions dangerously. James looks like a trapped animal looking around wildly for a way out of the hole Sirius dug him.
"Come now, Lily," Sirius offers, taking on a sing-song voice. "You were 'glowing' too, and you guys kept looking at each other all day with contented smiles your faces. It doesn't take a detective…"
"Sirius Black!" Lily screams indignantly, but she isn't really upset. Her eyes are laughing and a smile threatens to reveal itself at the corner of her mouth. James finds the whole thing hysterical. Of course, I suspect he is merely glad he is no longer the cornered prey. Sirius, however, does not even flinch at being the target of Lily's mock death-glare.
"Yes," I chime in, feeling very brave. "It had naught to do with Prongs relaying every dirty detail after breakfast the next morning."
Sirius barks as Lily gives James an incredulous look, who in turn shoots me an incredulous look. Neither of them is capable of reacting to what I have said, particularly Lily, who just learned all her virginal secrets have been shared with three more people than she intended. This only makes Sirius and myself laugh harder.
"Well, what about you, Moony? Why are you 'glowing'? I told you about Lily –" James whines while finding his voice, but he is cut short by Lily raised eyebrows which seem to say: "You might want to reconsider the rest of that sentence."
"Yes Moony, what have you been doing with my dear cousin?" Sirius asks thoughtfully taking over James's place as questioner, but then a look of disgust comes over his face. "Perhaps I don't want to know…"
I must have begun to blush because Sirius and James wolf-whistle while Lily laughs. As the noise subsided James drapes his arm over Lily's shoulder protectively.
"We're happy for yeh, mate," James says suddenly very serious, but he is still smiling.
"Yes, that we are. By the way, I fully expect you to name your first child after me," Sirius pipes in, nudging me in the side.
"Hey? Why not me? 'James' is a much better name than 'Sirius'! Honestly, do you want the kid to be laughed out of school?"
"You got a problem with my name, Prongs?" Sirius asks dangerously.
"No, I'm just suggesting you might want to consider changing it to 'Padfoot' permanently…"
"Boys! Boys!" Lily jumps in, drawing the argument to a close. "There is no reason to argue over this." She pauses as they both grow quiet looking at her knowing she is right. "It's obvious their first child will be a girl and they'll name her Lily!"
The quieted James and Sirius broke out into a new onslaught of fighting which now included Lily.
"Remus?" I feel hot breath on my ear as the images of my arguing friends disappear. I smile recognizing the roughly accented, yet strangely musical voice and the scent of meadows of pink wildflowers.
"Yes, Nymphadora?" I ask turning to see the bright face of the pink-haired woman I fell in love with.
"All right?" She asks while squeezing my hand. "The funeral's over."
I look around to see teary-eyed witches and wizards leaving the Hogwarts grounds. Shaking of the memory of whatever had just transpired in my mind or elsewhere, I kiss Nymphadora on the lips before we begin to walk away.
"Yeah. How are you, Love?"
She pauses a moment, thinking.
"It doesn't feel real."
"No, it doesn't," I agree traveling back to my own thoughts earlier in the funeral.
"I'm glad I have you, Remus," she says after another pause and squeeze of the hand. I know she is doing it to make herself feel better, but I find the feeling of he soft, slightly callused hands comforting as well. I kiss her fingertips.
"I'm glad you're persistent," I return. A smile spreads across her face. My heart speeds up a bit knowing I put that joyful look on the pink nymph's face.
"Albus would be happy," she replies. I look back at the white tomb that we have been steadily walking away from. It almost looks a twinkling blue in the light.
"I think you're right."
Please review! Thank you!