This is just a short little piece I wrote after rereading OOTP. I apologize if it is badly OOC for Remus. Please let me know what you think. Enjoy.
"Marauders forever?" a young black-haired boy asked.
"Marauders forever."
Remus Lupin was staring out his bedroom window at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. The room was dark and cold—just like Remus' heart. While the world outside seemed to be the opposite. People were walking around—happy, joyful, and carefree—even at this late at night. It pained Remus to see these muggles who were unaware of what the wizarding world was going through right now and the effect it could have on them.
It had been a few weeks since that fateful night at the Department of Mysteries where Remus' last remaining friend tragically lost his life. Sirius had been hit by a spell cast by his own cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, that sent him tumbling backwards into the veil. The veil where voices could be heard speaking as though they were hiding behind it.
What had made the whole situation worse was how devastating this was to Harry. First he had lost his parents, and now his godfather. How many more would die to protect 'The-Boy-Who-Lived'? It all happened right in front of him, too. Harry went to go save Sirius, but Remus held him back, trying to tell him that it was too late, that nothing could be done. Overcome with rage, Harry went after Bellatrix himself, only to be saved by Dumbledore. A foolish move, but understandable.
As Remus replayed that night in his mind, a realization struck him . . . he was the last Marauder. The last of four friends who had promised to always be there for each other, no matter what happened. How quickly that had fallen apart—two dead and one a traitor—all that was left was the werewolf, the outcast. Now was Sirius was gone, Remus felt so alone . . . Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs were no longer.
A lone tear fell from Remus' eye, slowly falling until it dripped off his face. He bit back the flood of tears what were threatening to explode. He had to remain strong, for Harry, for the Order, for himself. Soon, he would take Harry from his aunt and uncle's tyranny; he couldn't let him see the wreck he had become. He just couldn't.
Unable to restrain it any longer, Remus broke down. In the cold darkness alone, where no one could see him, he cried. He cried for his lost friends—the friends who had stuck by him even after they found out what he was. He cried for all the victims of Voldemort's evil reign. Tears of mourning fell from his face. He just couldn't take it anymore . . . the pain was too much to keep inside.
Wiping away his tears, Remus was overcome with a new feeling, a feeling of destiny, of what his fate would be. It was now up to him to protect Harry, to help carry on the fight, and to do what Sirius and James could not . . . to care for Harry like his own son. He knew that someday he could be able to see his friends again, but until then he had a purpose. Remus knew he would end up serving a purpose in this war, but he never knew exactly what. Now he knew—he would become a father figure to Harry, a guardian to the boy who never really had a true family.
Leaving his place by the window, Remus climbed into bed. All that crying had made him sleepy. Determined that he would carry out his destiny, Remus decided that tomorrow he would bring Harry back to Number 12 Grimmauld Place with him.
"Marauders forever." He said before giving into his sleepy conscious.
Forgive the spelling and grammer errors, they will be fixed ASAP. Comments and advice are welcome.
- Silvarius