Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. That right is reserved for the wonderful Jk Rowling.
Submitted for Russian Roulette competition on HPFC.
Poppy and Moony
Poppy Pomfrey was no ordinary woman. She was a witch. But not just any witch; a healer, a protector, a saver of lives. During her tenure at Hogwarts, Madam Pomfrey had seen it all, quidditch accidents to potions spillage, simple colds to the wizard flu, she treated them all.
But in all her time there was one boy she would never forget. A boy, whom when he first came to the school, seemed so hopeless and frightened. She took him under his wing; Poppy protected him during his terrible days when hardly a potion could protect the boy. She looked out for him when Moony felt he was alone in the universe, alienating himself even from his own friends in the earliest of his days at Hogwarts.
And when he became a Professor, Poppy delightedly took back the challenge to care for Remus. Poppy found a way to never show favoritism, or that she cared far too much, but inside it showed so much more. It pleased her greatly to witness him mature into the man he was, despite his unique circumstances.
So today, when she started checking heart pulses of the stilled bodies around the great hall, after the terrible war that brought down Voldemort at last, her heart was ripped in half. She had no idea how many bodies she counted, or how many lives were lost, all she could think about how such a terrible thing can happen to this school, and would they ever truly recover. That is when she spotted the pair of bodies. They were lain down somewhere towards the center of the great hall, alongside the rest who were presumed dead.
Poppy approached Remus' and Tonks' still bodies slowly, internally hoping that it was a trick of the eye; that it was just some random adult who came to help the cause, not Remus. Not the man she took as her own to care for when no one else was sure how. It wasn't until she saw the mousy, long brown hair that it hit her. This undeniably was Remus Lupin.
Holding back emotions, Poppy quickly sprang into action, using the same method she used on the other bodies that day. She checked all areas for a pulse. She checked again…the third time, she finally gave up and crashed hard, falling to the floor in tears.
Within a few moments the closest person nearby spotted Poppy in tears and ran over.
"No…not Remus, oh please… don't let it be so," McGonagall spoke softly. Taking another peek at the still form of Remus Lupin, she knelt down to Poppy's level and wrapped a consoling arm around her. A single tear trickled down Minerva's face as they sat silently for a few moments.
Poppy finally spoke, between tears, "He came so far. From a boy who had to hide part of his identity, to having a strong group of friends to back him up, to losing his friends in war, and now this. I was there for it all. I saw him in pain and in joy, and took care of him during the worst of his days. But…," she paused, gasping from tears. Poppy, despite herself, was finding it more difficult by the minute to stay collected, "Now he has just become a father, and for this to happen…"
"It's a truly terrible situation, Poppy," McGonagall admitted, "But do remember he went the way he and his friends would have wanted him to. Fighting to avenge one of his best friends' deaths, fighting to help restore the peace within the Wizard world. He died a good man."
"That he did," Poppy admitted.
"And you took great care of him. Never doubt he'll be thanking you from heaven or remembering you were there when others couldn't be during his times of healing. And that is what you will tell young Teddy when he begins here. I do believe this school will be rebuilt. I do believe we will finally be at peace at last, and Remus helped that happen. And if it weren't for you, Poppy, who knows where that young frightened boy who'd recently been attacked by a werewolf would have wound up today."