HP7

Lupin and Tonks' death

The protective charms had finally given way, and suddenly Remus Lupin was totally aware of the children around him. He was twice their age. He had even been his teacher. And yet, they were all standing beside him with conviction written on their expressions, facing the tide of death eaters that were coming in groups... followed by two enormous giants. They reached the castle in two long strides and started pounding its walls with all their strength.

"Stay together" he said trying to hide the nervousness out of his voice.

While those who were in the castle were trying to hold the giants' attack, Lupin ran surrounding the death eaters getting near to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He was running at the front of the group hoping to attract the first spells to him. The death eaters saw them. One group ran toward them, while other attacked Kingsley on his left and one more got into the Forbidden Forest.

Lupin knocked down the one at the front and at the same time he intercepted the spell from the one behind him. The boys, just as instructed, were fighting on pairs, one to attack and the other to protect.

The night suddenly was filled with beams of light, explosions, screams and the horrible howls of the giants, who were destroying anything they could. The noise and the adrenaline of the moment forced them to communicate through shouting. Death eaters and students were all mixed now.

Curses flew in all directions. Some of them collided on midair causing small outbursts of light that illuminated for a moment the faces of those fighting around.

Lupin, with his son's face etched on his mind, was forcing himself to keep a cool head and to concentrate only on the fight, that was claiming all of his attention. He was fighting two at the time going backward and forward trying not to lose sight of any of them.

One student just behind him staggered backwards victim of a relentless rain of spells "Professor!" he shouted feeling that he couldn't contain his opponent any longer.

Lupin turned and grabbed the boy from his pajamas throwing him to the floor moving backwards as he did to keep the new attacker within his visual field. The latter went against Lupin, throwing him a Killing curse he barely dodge. He then made a complicated wand movement and sank the ground where the three death eaters stood, making them lose balance and fall. Lupin poured a mound burying them. He then turned to the one that had called him and realized he was already standing and fighting fiercely with another hooded figure.

He was amazed with the boys. They had only used defensive spells in the safety of their classrooms, and now they were managing to block several curses at a time while attacking or helping a fallen comrade.

Death eaters didn't use deadly spells at the beginning, wich puzzled Lupin, but after a moment green lights were all that came from them. Killing curses passed inches away from the defenders. Three times Lupin had to push the kids not to become victims of this curse.

A group of death eaters led by Dolohov, who was no longer masked, came and joined the fight against Lupin. Dolohov's spells were so powerful that one of the younger fighters staggered when blocking off one. Remus lunged at him and engaged in a wild struggle where diverted spells came out everywhere.

The young student fell backwards when he was hit by one of these spells and did not move again. The next moment Dolohov flew away driven by an explosive spell.

...

Tonks ran not really listening what Ginny had just said.

She had already lost sigh of Aberforth and was speeding towards the school grounds thinking she couldn't run fast enough. She tried to surround the battles around her and find Remus. However, as soon as she got to the school grounds she realized there were a lot of battles taking place in there. With all that confusion and the dark night all around her she could not recognize any of the fighters. Some of them were so far from her she could only see the light beams.

Wand at the ready, she ran towards the closest group of fighters cursing the first death eater she saw and looking eagerly for his husband. He was not there. She kicked down one last foe before turning away as she could and approached the next group of fighters.

...

He got distracted with a horrifying sight. Gigantic spiders were coming out the Forbidden Forest and with a frightening speed they headed towards the castle passing over them.

"Spiders!" he shouted

Death eaters and students alike ran away from them and threw them all kind of curses as those beasts were grabbing and jostling them with their claws trying to take them away as prizes.

Spiders were causing a great damage swooping them all.

Lupin tried to gather his boys again and to reorganize them to attack all at once.

"TARGET THE ABDOMEN!" he shouted trying to be heard above all the fuss.

They were able to recover four of the victims the spiders had taken, and managed to collect the wounded. Lupin instructed two of the youngest to take them to Hagrid's hut to keep them safe. The rest of them went after the death eaters that had fled, reaching them near the edge of the forest.

Lupin knew they were outnumbered, he hoped however that attacking them by surprise would put the balance in their favor. And it did. Lupin had already knocked down three of them, when something unexpected happened. He felt an awful blow to the head that sent him a few feet away, half unconscious. In the heat of the battle they had approached the Whomping Willow. It was waving his branches like never before, hitting all who came near it.

He got up after a moment with some difficulty, only to realize he had lost his wand. Lucky for him the willow had scared off those who were fighting nearby.

He slipped out of the reach of the branches peering into the darkness, trying to find his wand. But he found nothing. He kept looking and looking, feeling rather angry and helpless. He huffed angrily and stood up. He would get one, he thought. And so, he hid behind the trees of the forest not losing sight of the nearest group of combatants.

One of them was getting closer and closer. They were three death eaters fighting four defenders of the castle. He waited for an oportunity. And then with a sudden panic... he saw her.

"What is she doing here?!"

The image of their son home alone came to his mind. "Why hadn't she stayed with him?!"

He stared tensed, with all his nerves itching the battle unfolding in front of him.

…

"WHERE IS HE?"

She was getting desperate. Having to remind herself to stay calm, she knew it wasn't the time to collapse. She had to be strong. She was now fighting near the edge of the Forbidden Forest together with Ernie, Luna, and Seamus. They were surrounded by bodies lying on the ground mostly killed by the spiders. And she hadn't found him yet.

"What if the battle forced him to enter the castle?"

She managed to beat her opponent. And ran towards the castle without a second thought.

…

Lupin jumped out of the trees and tackled the death eater who was aiming at his wife's back while she was running away, just in time to deflect the beam of green light wich hit full in the chest of the second death eater who was fighting Ernie, Luna and Seamus. They ran toward the forest the moment they saw him collapse to help another group of students.

Dolohov's wand fell to the ground when Lupin tackled him. They both wrestled to get it. After many struggles and bumps Lupin managed to take it but the death eater, who had realized he couldn't win it, struck him a nasty blow to the back of his head with a rock. Lupin fell to the grass unconscious. Dolohov took the wand from his hands and whispering the curse lit the ground with a bright green light.

Tonks came to a halt without really knowing why. Filled with anguish she went back over her steps toward the forest. And then, she knew. Her gasps and sobs mingled with furiously wiped tears that blurred her view. He was dead and she knew it.

"Remus" she whispered, barely rising her voice. She didn't feel her hands while running, nor her feet. She ran among the fallen bodies, seeing them all and none at the same time. She didn't want to know who was there, nor help those who were injured. There was only one person on her mind. She wiped her eyes again.

At that moment her foot hit upon something soft, making her trip and fall over one of the bodies lying there. Cursing her stupidity she was going to get up when something stopped her in that place. All her anguish turned to certainty. She took a deep breath and slowly turned the body over not knowing if she wanted to know or not.

It was him.

Hardly breathing and with her gaze fixed on him she laid down beside him on the grass. She stayed there for a few long minutes with her mind in blank, just feeling her husband's skin against hers. When suddenly, her reality overwhelmed her.

"Remus… Remus"

She wept bitterly, sobbing his name, not daring to say it out loud fearing the silence that would follow. He would never answer again.

A sudden flash and the tremble of the giants footsteps reminded her where she was. But even the battle had lost its meaning. What was she doing there? She couldn't do anything, anything for Remus. Everything had been in vain.

For the first time since she had joined the Order she wondered what could happen if they lost; with a stab of pain she thought about the future of her son, the very picture of his father. So cute and innocent, ignorant of all the hate that rose around.

They could not lose. They WOULD NOT lose. That possibility was terrifying.

She looked once again to her husband's empty face, ran a hand through her hair, kissed his forehead, his lips and hands, slowly stood up and with one last look at him she ran towards the nearest group of combatants.

She saw with horror that she was surrounded by children. Children who may not return with their mothers, the tears almost did not let her see, and she just couldn't regain control... however, she had to make an effort...

With the fixed idea of saving as many as she could she began fighting as never before... with determination, coldness and hate...

Thirty minutes later the bodies of Remus and Tonks were led into the Great Hall in the arms of the students who had been saved by them

Ted came out the Pensieve with watery eyes.

His godfather was watching him sympathetically. Tears coming out of his eyes as well.

Harry didn't know what to say, so he just came over and hugged him. He had promised Ted to show him his parents last thoughts when he turned twenty. He hadn't been sure about it. But he knew it was the right thing to do.

They deserved it. Lupin and Tonks deserved to be remembered.

"Thank you, Harry" mumbled Ted after a few moments.

"They loved you. We all do"