Here's a fluffy little Halloween fic I finished before I started working on my Nanowrimo stuff, hope you enjoy!
The days leading up to Halloween were uneventful. Remus taught, and Tonks went to work.
But no one could miss the sadness that lingered around the werewolf. It was like a grey cloud, and it hovered around him constantly. The only one who could get him out of it was his wife. It would happen by the touch of a hand on his arm, and from her touch, the cloud was banished, if only for a moment.
McGonagall noticed, and so did everyone else. They did all they could, but it seemed no one could stop it. They would just have to hope it left soon, because everyone missed the real Lupin.
Soon, they thought. Please let the cloud leave soon.
Halloween came, and the students were joyful. There was a feast waiting for them, it was a time for celebration, pranks and fun. So, it was natural that they expected a Marauders prank. It was normal, because the Marauders would never miss this opportunity, they said. The Marauders would prank anyone and anyone, and this was no exception. This kept everybody on their toes. They expected somehting to jump out at them from a corner.
Eventually, it did. During dinner, the candles flickered once and went out. Try as she might, McGonagall couldn't get them to come back on. They would flicker feebly and die. So the Hall was illuminated with wandlight.
Then someone shrieked. A ghost had passed through them. The candles flickered again. It gave an eerie look to the place, when there was a bone chilling howl.
Suddenly the candles turned back on again, this time they didn't flicker. They just turned back on, one by one.
People smiled shakily and finally everyone was laughing. Laughing at the fact that they had been scared.
McGonagall turned to Remus. "Well, that was frightening. You did that I assume?" Remus nodded. He was smiling, and laughing, but the joyful spark in his eyes was missing.
It was only at the end of the day, when he thought he was home alone, that the werewolf cracked. He walked to his room, sat down heavily on his bed, buried his face in his hands, and sobbed. Remus Lupin grieved then. Grieved for his lost friends.
Grieved for James, Lily, Sirius, for Wormtail even. The old Wormtail. The Peter he had been before Voldemort came in and ruined all their lives.
He was barely aware of his wife coming in. She came in, and the grin slipped from her face as she noticed her husband. "Remus." she breathed. "Oh, Remus." she sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around him, and kissed the top of his head. Had he ever let himself grieve properly for his fallen friends?
She held him while he cried, and held him while he got rid of the burdens he had carried around on his shoulders.
Finally, when it seemed that he was all cried out she kissed his forehead. "It's okay Remus. I've got you."
He looked up at her. "Thank you. Thank you so much, Dora." the werewolf shuddered. "For everything."
"That's what I'm here for. Well, at least partly."
"I love you."
She smiled sadly. "I love you too, so much."
Then he stood shakily. "I need to go see someone. I'll be back."
"Alright. I'll be here."
The werewolf nodded, kissed his wife, and disapparated to a home he knew so well. The cottage in the country, that the Potters called home.
He knocked on the door, and stood there, hands stuffed in his pockets until the door opened. Ginny stood there, smiling, and looked at her Defense Professor. "Hello Professor, I didn't expect to see you here. Everything alright?"
"Hello Ginny. Is Harry here?"
"Yeah, he got home an hour ago. Do you want to see him?" Ginny asked. Remus nodded. "Harry! You have a visitor!" the man in question started walking down the stairs.
"If it's one of the Ministry blokes, you can tell them to bugger- oh. Hello, Remus."
Remus smiled sadly. "Hello, Harry. I wonder if I could borrow your husband for a couple hours Ginny?"
She raised an eyebrow. "What for? Is it important?"
"In a sense. Ginny, it's Halloween." he reminded gently.
"Oh!" she nodded. "Of course! Go knock yourselves out. Just make sure at least one of you can still apparate when you're done."
Remus laughed shakily, and he and Harry walked out. "The Three Broomsticks?"
Harry turned on the spot, followed a moment later by Remus. They apparated into the streets of Hogsmeade, and walked into the pub. They sat down in a booth in the corner and ordered some Firewhiskeys. While they were waiting, Remus inspected Harry. Harry looked about the same as the werewolf felt, tired, and sad.
When the Firewhiskeys came, they toasted their fallen friends. As they drank, Remus felt the cloud that had plagued him dissipate.
When they left, he returned home to find Dora half awake, he gave her a kiss as he settled in to bed. She smiled at him, and he gave her a hug. It was then he realized he didn't have to keep his sadness and burdens to himself.
After all, he was no longer alone. And it had taken him embarrassingly long to realize that.
Review please!