Dancing

(Stand By Me)

By Azalia Dershowitz

July 5th, 2010

Summary: Behind every picture, there is a story. James and Lily dancing. One-shot. Fluffy and Sad. Bittersweet.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, it's characters, nor am I making any money from this story.

Remus idly went through a pile of old photographs, things he hadn't touched in ages. He put some in one stack, others in another. Some pictures he stopped to look at, lost in the painful nostalgia of the moment.

Keep, Give, Keep, Keep, Give...

It was methodical and sorrowful, but he moved onwards dutifully. Some things just had to be done. But one picture... one made him stop for a moment.

James and Lily... dancing. A sudden burst of emotion seized his chest and he closed his eyes and took in a shuddering breath. He had known it would be difficult, but this was more than he expected. After so long, the pain was so fresh.

Shock, Betrayal, Grief, Denial, Anger, Sadness, Disbelief, Guilt...

It was only a shadow compared to the night it had happened, but it was still powerful enough to force him into a sitting position. Blinking back the emotions that were trying to brim over, he continued to stare at the worn picture. It was clumsily taken, but it had turned out rather well. They laughed and spun... and their faces…. Merlin, their faces… so full of love and laughter and life. How had things been so easy then? Could he even remember what it was like to not feel haunted by ghosts and troubled by shortcomings? Would he ever be without those things again?

In his hand, Lily and James smiled and held each other closely. A moment in time... a moment preserved forever. An autumn day, a few friends, and a couple who loved each other enough to stun all those around them... all erased by one wave of a wand.

Closing his eyes and breathing steadily for a moment, Remus remembered what it was like to have friends... a life... people to depend on... and then he took the picture, and put in the envelope with the rest.

Next, he produced a scrap of parchment and a quill, and proceeded to write.

Dear Hagrid,

In response to your request, I give a heartfelt "yes." I think it's a marvelous idea, and I am complying completely. Enclosed are some of the pictures you asked for... though I admit some were harder to part with than I expected. I think giving them to Harry is the right thing to do, I wish I had thought of it sooner.

Sincerely,

R. J. Lupin

Remus placed the letter along with the pictures, quickly sealed it, and handed it over to the waiting owl before he had a chance to change his mind. He knew what he was doing the right thing, but why was it so difficult?

As the large feathered bird sailed into the distance, he watched with an emotion he couldn't describe.

"Good bye..." he whispered wearily. "May things be a bit brighter where you are... wherever that is."

And finally, after several moments, the man once called "Moony" turned and went back inside.

He wasn't sure exactly what it was about Lily that made him love her so much. True, she was an extraordinary witch, everyone knew that... but it was more than that. Her auburn hair was sleek and long, never out of place, yet effortlessly flowing down her back. She had a mind like a diamond, wit sharp enough to add more force behind a tongue lashing than any witch or woman on Earth. Her smile made the room shine. The way she walked, got any man's attention. She oozed confidence as well as kindness, smooth and gentle, her gait reflected her personality. Unless you got her mad, then her stomping made you want to back away and hide. Yes, angry Lily was a force to be reckoned with.

But it was more than that. So much more. If that were all she possessed, James would merely be happy. Granted, he would be very happy. But that would be all. He thought that that would be all there was to her. That there was no more to have, but after about a year of dating, he realized that there was something more to Lily Evans. He knew something was weird when holding her hand made him bubble with elation. He knew something was different when just the sight of her smile made him smile too. He knew something was definitely special when she was shouting at him and throwing things and her eyes had circles under them, and all he could do was take in her beauty. Stare. He knew something was off when he found himself telling her that he loved her... and meant it. Truly meant it. From the bottom of his soul, he loved Lily Evans. And that terrified him.

That day in particular was beautiful. A stunning fall afternoon where the very light from the sky seemed warm and lazy. A contrasting breeze chilled them, but that didn't matter. Rust colored leaves littered the ground and blew about their feet. They walked in a huddle, Lily, Padfoot, Moony, himself. No Wormtail. He was out somewhere that day. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Lily was laughing at something Sirius had said. Another special thing about Lily: after she stopped hating them all, she fit in really well with his friends. Currently they were taking part in one of their favorite activities: Undercover Muggle Action. Quite simple really, they wore muggle clothes and let Lily lead the way through muggle shops and towns, not necessarily interacting, but blending with the muggles. It was always fun, and different, and it beat any Muggle Studies class he had ever had. At the moment, Lily looked absolutely stunning in a black, close fitting coat and a green hat. He loved seeing her in green. It brought out her eyes.

"Oh! Look James! A fountain. She grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the large stone thing, filled with sluggish water and covered with a layer of fallen leaves, she laughed and drug one of her fingers across the surface of the water. "There was one like this near the place I grew up... My mum and dad used to take me there when the weather was nice..." A bittersweet smile came across her face. That was another special thing about Lily, her ability to see the magic in the mundane. He smiled and trailed his own hand up her back, twirled a piece of her hair, completely forgetting about his friends. Suddenly music wafted out of a nearby set of 'speakers,' some sort of party was happening nearby. Lily straightened up and smiled.

"Oh... I love this song!" They all laughed at her elation. It was still weird to think of his Lily- his magical, wonderful Lily- growing up in the muggle word, listening to muggle songs... but James didn't really mind. It was just another special thing about her.

He offered her his hand with a sly smile on his face.

"May I have this dance?" She laughed at the silliness of it, but took it anyway as he swung her around. Sirius and Remus both laughed and Padfoot made a comment about stupid men in love, but that didn't stop them, he knew his friends were happy to see them happy. As they swayed happily, James leaned in.

"What is this song?" he asked. Her smile brightened. She always loved it when he took interest in her muggle background.

"Stand By Me, Ben E. King."

"Hmm... I like it. Wait... Oh, Moony, put the camera away. You've been taking pictures all day!" He swung Lily the opposite direction. Sirius spoke up.

"Come on, lover boy! You wanna preserve this moment forever, it's adorable!" James groaned, but continued to dance with a beaming Lily. Her hair swung around her face, matching the color of the leaves as the light bounced off it. He held her closer wondering how he had gotten lucky enough to have Lily on his arm.

The autumn was beautiful and special, but not as much as Lily. Leave it to her to put such a lovely day to shame. He wasn't exactly sure what it was about Lily that made him love her so much, but he knew it was there, and potent, and untouchable, and everything would be okay as long as she stood by him.

Years after everything, after it was all over, all done, and the survivors had all moved on, one tiny house in Godric's Hollow stayed warm and snug through the winter. Through the front room of this house, and into the hallway, there was a garden of framed pictures hanging on the wall. Small moving figures preserved precious moments in time, and often inhabitants of the house would stop and just stare at the vast history spread before them. Large moments and small moments, all neatly labeled and hung, not too high, so that small members of the family could see them.

One particular photograph, shabby and worn, held the place of honor. It was sweet and simple. Far too simple for the amount of emotional baggage it carried. A man with glasses and untidy hair swung around a smiling woman with sparkling green eyes, and together they danced around through the autumn scene, happy and blissful and in love.

Harry closed his eyes and opened them again... taking in the images he had long since memorized.

Wizard pictures are a strange thing. They don't record a loop like muggle video... that's a misconception. They only take in a moment... a snapshot in time. The difference between muggle and wizard pictures is that wizard cameras recorded emotion as well as light. The picture was merely a moment... a second of joy preserved forever. They were spinning, spinning... continuing long after their real counterparts were gone. Harry had long since stopped imagining what it would be like if his parents hadn't died... what their family would have been like... he had a family of his own now. Two small children and one on the way. He just recreated what it would have been like as best as he could. But the worn photograph, moving and motionless, still comforted him after all these years. His hand moved up and ran gently across the protective glass.

On the bottom of the plain black frame, a small white label held just one word written in a neat scrawl: Dancing.

"When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see

No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid

Just as long as you stand, stand by me"

-Ben E. King