AN: so, this is my very first fanfiction! Isn't this exciting? ;) Ok, so this idea came to me when I re-read Deathly Hallows and cried all over again at the prospect of Remus just… dying. I thought it was quite mean of J.K to be honest. :( In any case, I liked the idea that he wasn't just gone, and that he was re-united with those folks he's not seen in a rather long time. ;) I'll say no more. :3 I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: sadly, I don't own HP. Because if I did, none of the marauders would be dead. :D

Almost Heaven

Remus saw the flash of brightest green from the corner of his eyes, but by the time he turned to block, he knew nothing.

He felt as though he was in a deep slumber, one he had been thrown into suddenly. This must be what death feels like, he thought vaguely. However, it was with this thought that he became aware he could think. Once he discovered this, more realizations hit him: he was laid on something soft, and he could smell grass. Therefore he deduced that he was in fact lying face down on grass.

He thought this strange, as no more than five minutes ago he was battling death eaters. Or perhaps it was longer than that? It could have been five minutes, or it could have been a lifetime. Though, how long ago it was really was irrelevant now, if he truly was dead.

And so he thought he would have to test it. He opened his eyes, after discovering that he had the power to do so. With his new-found eyes, he confirmed his earlier conclusion; he was lying on bright green grass.

He struggled upwards, and sat cross-legged on the ground. There, he contemplated his current state.

"I'm dead. So this must be where you come when you die," he found, as he always did, that voicing his thoughts helped him to concentrate and see them more clearly. "But what if I'm wrong, and this isn't where the dead come? What if I'm the only one…"

This thought hit him rather nastily; he began to panic. What if he was, truly, all alone? But before he had time to start his hyperventilating, he heard a voice. A voice that was wondrously familiar.

"Well well well. Would you take a look at what we have here."

Remus glanced up, and saw, to his delight, Sirius Black grinning at him from his great height. Shocked, Remus said nothing.

"What's the matter, Moony? Wolf got your tongue?" Sirius asked, grinning even wider.

Finally, Remus found his voice as his old friend smiled at him. "Yeah, something like that, no doubt."

Sirius held his hand out to pull his friend up, and Remus reached out to take it. Once on his feet, Remus embraced his mate, unwillingly remembering the last time he had seen him. Sirius seemed to read his mind, and smiled sadly at him.

"Don't worry, mate. Everything's all right now. We're here now, and it's forever."

Remus grinned, and hugged his friend once more. But they were then interrupted by a voice Remus hadn't heard for sixteen years.

"Remus John Lupin! What do you think you're doing here, eh?"

Remus turned in wonder to stare at his old friend, James Potter, his wife Lily standing by his side with a warm smile.

It was strange; at first, he thought he'd returned to the world of the living, and was really looking at a strangely happy Harry. But then he saw the hazel eyes of his mate, dancing as they looked at him. A wide smile broke out across his face.

"Lay some love on me, Moony," James said.

Remus did not hesitate. He ran at his friend, and embraced him. It had been too long; he'd almost forgotten what it had felt like to have his friends – no, his brothers – with him. He turned to Lily, and saw that she looked no different; her beautiful smile, with her eyes dancing in happiness, and her long red hair floating around her shoulders. He pulled her to him, and it wasn't long before he felt the tears.

He was finally being reunited with his family.

His family… It was with a painful shock that he thought of his new family. Tonks. His son, Teddy. Would he ever see them again? He pulled back from Lily, and as always, she noticed something wasn't right.

"Remus, what is it?" she spoke worriedly.

"My family… I mean, obviously I'm happy to be here with you but… My wife, my son," before he knew it, more tears were spilling down his face. James and Sirius entered his line of vision, both looking concerned. But before they could offer words of comfort, they heard a soft thud from behind them. Looking round, Remus saw a sight that both filled him with selfish happiness, and killed him all over again.

His wife, Nymphadora Tonks- Lupin, was lying on the grass, exactly where he had been just ten minutes before her. He was at her side before the others realized there was anyone there.

"Dora?" he asked tentatively.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled when she saw him bending over him.

"Remus?" she replied, her voice a bit croaky. She looked at him in confusion, as though she had never seen him before, or as if he looked remarkably different to the last time she had seen him. She cleared her throat, and sat herself up, gazing around in wonder. The fact they were both dead and their son would be left alone did not seem to have hit her yet…

"Where are we?" she asked curiously. "Lovely place…"

"Dora…" she looked round at the heartbreak in his voice. "Dora, we're dead…"

She blinked once. Then twice. Then three times. And then realization dawned on her pretty face. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she pressed herself against his chest.

"B-but… Teddy! He'll b-be all a-alone… Just like p-poor Harry was!" she sobbed. Remus could feel her tears seeping through the thin T-Shirt he was wearing.

"Sshh… It'll be okay, I promise. Your mother will look after him, and so will Harry once he gets everyone out of this mess." His words of comfort seemed to steady her, for eventually she dried her eyes on his shoulder and pulled herself up. He helped her to her feet, and held her shoulders to keep her shaking form steady.

Tonks looked up at him, and once again she saw confusion etched onto her face.

"What?" he asked, quite frustrated. She was looking at him as though she hadn't seen him in years, as though he'd changed.

"Well… You look… different," she replied, still staring at him in utter bewilderment.

"What do you mean, I look different?" he asked, feeling truly confused.

"Well, mate," Sirius spoke up, and Remus realized with embarrassment that his friends had witnessed his conversation with his wife. "The thing is, when you come here, you change."

"Change?"

"Yeah," James replied for Sirius. "You re-take the form you had when you were happiest. So you look, what, nineteen?" he asked Lily.

"Yeah, around that, I'd say," she replied, giving Remus her warm smile. "Don't worry about your son, Remus. He'll be fine. And if you ever want to check up on him, there's a mirror just around the corner that shows you everything."

"Really? We can see into their world from here?" he asked in amazement.

"Of course," Sirius laughed. "How else do you think we'd keep an eye on you and Harry?"

It was with this statement, that James, Lily and Sirius led Remus and his wife away from the grassy garden, and into what looked to be a small village, much like Godric's Hollow. Once there, they led them to a small cottage, where James and Lily obviously lived.

There, they explained everything they could about this mysterious place. They helped them choose a house of their own, where they could live out eternity.

It seemed strange to Remus, the idea of an eternity spent with Dora and his friends. A place where he didn't have to worry about the full moon; a place where he could finally be happy with no threat of it being taken from him.

Well, this was almost heaven.

*AlmostHeavenAlmostHeaven*

AN: you like? You hate? Let me know! Reviews will make my day. :) Sorry for any mistakes that may be hidden in the somewhere. :)