3. Sunset
Sunset. The day was over and he was no better off. In fact, all Remus could think of was Lily and James. He had only heard about their deaths in the morning. He had been crying silent tears all day, alone in his cottage. He hated the fact that they had died probably thinking he had given them up, though this wasn't true. Remus knew that he had been mistrusted recently by his friends and that had hurt him more than he let on. Suddenly, the thought of who had given them up popped into his head. "Sirius." He whispered, fresh tears streaking down his face. He didn't want to believe it, but he thought it had to be true. Who else would James and Lily have trusted with their lives? Who else would they have entrusted their security? Their best friend, Sirius Black. He had heard the terrible news that day that Sirius had killed Peter, too. The Marauders were down to one free man and that man felt guilty. He felt depressed, sad and on the verge of insanity. The only condolence was that Voldemort had been defeated, by Harry, no less! Harry Potter, an infant of just one year-old, had defeated the greatest Dark Wizard of all time. This was only a small condolence, however.
The pain Remus felt at this moment was worse than physical pain. It tore at him, ate him up, with voices screeching that he could have done something. He felt as though he could have saved them somehow, though deep down he knew that nothing could have been done. He felt the same as he had when he had started Hogwarts all those years ago, alone. He felt alone and that was worse than any curse he had to endure. His tears did nothing to relieve his pain, falling onto the leather sofa on which he sat. His hair was a mess, due to the tearing and pulling of it from its owner. Every scar Remus bore hurt now more than ever, pushing his emotional pain into the realms of the physical. James, Lily and Peter were dead and Sirius had all but killed them. Remus knew that Sirius was bound for Azkaban and, despite the hatred he felt for the man, he felt a pang of pity. He had heard terrible stories about the Dementors that guarded the prison. Soon, Sirius Black, Remus' best friend, would be left without a soul. That was exactly how Remus felt then, soulless. His friends were dead and it was the fault of no more than Sirius Black. Sirius Black, who had seemed so trustworthy, so loyal, that Remus half-hoped that he had been dreaming about the event, or that Sirius had been under the Imperius curse. He knew these hopes were futile, of course.
Now that he thought about it, the sunset seemed symbolic. Sunset, the ending of a day and the beginning of the night. The joy and happiness of Remus' life had left all in one fell swoop. One night, and Remus' friends were gone, in some way or another. The Marauders were dead, with only one left, who felt as though death would be the kinder option for him, instead of a life devoid of friendship and love. Remus was truly alone. This thought hit him dully several times, slowly chipping away at his confidence and his emotions, what was left of them. He felt a panic as he found himself already beginning to forget those faces, those voices he had once taken for granted only a few weeks ago. It seemed impossible, like some cruel joke. He hoped more than anything that James, Lily, Peter and Sirius were going to jump out and shout 'Surprise!' or something like that. He wanted them to be alive. He would give anything, even his own life. He would die so that they could live, so that they could smile once more. He would give anything to see them smile, once more. But never more would they smile together. This truly was the sunset of the Marauders.