(Author's Note: This was written for the in memoriam 7 challenge community on Livejournal.)
Remus feels like he's living in a photograph. This is too beautiful to be real. His arms are gently around his wife's waist, and both of them are watching with wonder and adoration every tiny movement that their little son makes as he rests in Dora's arms. Remus moves one hand from around Dora's waist to wiggle his fingers in front of Teddy's face. The baby laughs and his hair turns from pink (to match his mother's) to his happy, resting color of turquoise. The new parents laugh, too. For once, they are free from fear and worry. Remus realizes:
This is my lifeline.
"What?" Dora looks up and around at him, and he realizes he must have spoken the last word aloud. He shakes his head. The feeling is almost too big to put into words.
"My lifeline," he says softly, "This is it. You and Teddy and this beautiful place." Remus laughs a little as he says it.
Dora is still looking at him, in her face, love, understanding, and a thousand questions.
"You keep me sane," he says simply, "I was lost for a while, but this…" He trails off. This is hope and love and life and home and truth, all the things that…
"Matters." Dora finishes the thought. "More than all the bad in the world."
"More than it ever could."
--
Remus feels like he's living in a photograph. This is too horrible to be real. Chaos. Walls crumbling. Darkness and smoke split by flares of wand-light, green and red and every color in between.
A student (Who?--Remus can't tell) is running, keeping close to the ground. He doesn't have a wand, Remus realizes, and a Death Eater is hot on his trail. Remus carefully places himself between them. He can see the Death Eater's mask now, and his rapid-fire style suggests Dolohov. Spells fly wordlessly, deadly magic crackles through the air.
"REMUS!!" Her voice. No--lifeline. Home. Safe. Not here. Please... But there she is, by his side, guarding his back as a mad cackle splits the air. Bella. And suddenly Dora is busy, too.
The diagonal slash of Dolohov's wand. No...Not good. Remus feels something dark shattering his shield, settling into his bones.
Not here, not now. Dora--Teddy--Life--
The ground is a lot closer than it was before, the stars a lot farther.
--line.
Dark.
She feels something change behind her, a shift, wind where there once was not. Remus-- The cry explodes inside her, but when she cuts it loose, her lips move without sound. She turns her back on Bella, knows that she is breaking every rule her Auror training has ground into her. She hears her aunt laugh again and can't be bothered.
Not here, not now.
"Avada-"
Remus--Teddy--Life--
"Kedavra!"
--line.
Bright.
Dark.