Sing Sorrow

"I'm sorry too. Sorry I will never know him... but he will know why I died and I hope he will understand. I was trying to make a world in which he could live a happier life."

-R.J. Lupin

Remus stood by in the room as Nymphadora screamed. There was nothing either of them could do. They could only spectate. It had been a few months since Voldemort had won the final battle. Three death eaters now stood in Andromeda's home surrounding Dora's mother.

"Where's the kid?" Remus looked over, recognizing that voice. It couldn't be any other, despite the gruff raspyness of it that seemed to have developed over the past few months. Severus Snape raised his wand at her.

"I'll never tell you." She said as Dora tried desperately to save her mother. There was nothing she could do here in the afterlife … Remus came up beside her and took her into his arms as he pulled her away.

"Come on." Remus whispered, even though he knew the living could not hear him. "Lets go check on Teddy." He said, pulling her away from the scene.

"If she dies, who will take care of Teddy?" She said. She didn't fear for her mother dying. Not when she knew where she would go. She would be back with her husband, and when her and Remus decided it was time to move on, with them as well …. But Teddy needed her. No one but Andromeda knew where he was.

The flash of green light came quickly, the glow awfully bright in the dimness of the room. It wasn't Snape that had cast it … If Remus could guess correctly it had to have been Dolohov. The man who had taken his life in the final battle. The man who had bested him.

Remus closed his eyes and shook his head. At least she was at peace now. Remus walked through the door and headed into the basement, Dora trailing behind him, fearful for her son as the Death Eaters spread through the house, searching.

She stood in the basement, staring at the floor where Teddy was hidden underneath, a silencing charm on the floor so no one could hear him crying. The door upstairs clicked open and there was footsteps on the stairs as someone came down.

"Remus …" Dora whispered wrapping her arms around him. "Not Teddy …. Not Teddy, he's just a baby." She said burying her face into his jacket. He held her as Snape came into the room, his mask in his hand and his hood pulled back. Remus could see a deep nasty scar on his neck, which explained the raspyness of his voice.

Severus slowly stepped into the room, running his wand over the room. He'd find Teddy … There was no doubt about it. Severus paused with his wand aimed at where Teddy was hidden. This was it.

"Did you find him?" Dolohov called down the stairs as a loud crash came from the living room. Severus stared at the spot where Teddy was and turned towards the stairs.

"No. She must have left him somewhere." He said, "Did you search upstairs?"

"Let's get out of here." Yaxley said as Snape came back up to the main floor. Remus watched as Snape went back upstairs.

"He found him." Remus said confused. "He found him and he walked away." Dora looked at the floor, near distraught.

"Maybe he figured where he is, would be a slower more painful death than what they would deal him." She said clawing at the floor as if trying to get it open. "I want my baby!" She said her hands phasing through the floor. "I want him … I want him out … I want him safe." Remus put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her back away from where Teddy was hidden in the floor. He pulled her back until he was sitting on the floor with her in his lap.

"It'll be okay." He whispered in her ear. "Someone will find him."

"Who?" Dora asked. "Who? Everyone we know, everyone we care about is dead or in hiding …. Who is there left for him?" Remus said nothing as they sat there, waiting, fearful for Teddy's life. They couldn't help him …. Night was already falling when Remus started to wonder how long it would be for Teddy's ghost to appear. It had been hours since anyone had fed him, or changed him, or comforted him. He must be so scared … He wasn't sure how long it would take a child in Teddy's position to die but … He didn't think it would be long.

Remus glanced towards the stairs when he heard the door click open again, surprised that he hadn't heard anyone walking around upstairs.

"Dora …. Dora wake up …" He said nudging her. It wasn't possible for them to get tired anymore, but they slept out of habit, and he wasn't about to neglect her of that … But something was happening. Someone was coming.

Severus came back down the stairs as he had earlier that morning, nearly twelve hours ago. Was he coming back to take the glory for himself … Not that were was much glory to be had in killing an infant. He watched as Severus walked to the corner where Teddy was hidden in the floor. He crouched down next to the spot on the floor as Dora came awake. She saw Snape and clutched onto Remus, knowing there was nothing she could do.

Severus ran his wand over the spot in the floor, trying to figure out what spells Andromeda had put on the floor. He could sense the amount of magic on the floor, and knew there was something being hidden inside, more than likely the wolf's kid.

It took him nearly half an hour of attempting various counter spells, trying to remove the spells before the sound of an infants crying rang through the room. He was clearly distressed, which wasn't a surprise. Severus removed the floor board and saw Teddy, red faced, his cheeks covered in tears as he reached into the hole and pulled him out.

"Remus." Dora said, glancing over at Snape who pulled Teddy out with surprising gentleness. Severus placed Teddy down on the floor, and for the first time Dora and Remus noticed a bag on Snape's shoulder. He fiddled with the bag, pulling some things out of his bag. Remus watched in confusion as Snape quickly changed Teddy's diaper, leaving the dirty one in the hole of the floor, having nowhere else to put it and pulled out a bottle. He put the tip to the crying infants mouth and it took a moment for Teddy to realize that there was a bottle being placed into his mouth.

"What is he doing?" Dora asked. If Snape wanted to kill him, why would he bother wasting time changing him and feeding him? And why would he come prepared? Why not take him when he was first here? It didn't make sense.

"You're alone too huh?" Snape said, looking down at the kid who had calmed down a bit as he sucked on the bottle, looking up at the strange man who was feeding him. "Miss your family?" He asked, though he knew that the kid couldn't answer him. "You're too young to learn that the world is so cruel …" He said running his thin fingers through Teddy's bright red hair as it turned into a dark black to match Snape's, his eyes morphing into the dark black like his as well. Snape smiled slightly. "Definitely your mothers kid. She used to sit in my class and imitate my nose … Thought I didn't notice." He said as Teddy finished off the bottle.

Remus looked at Dora. "I don't know if your parents can hear me … Where ever they are now … Or if they're looking after you but …. You'll be safe." He took a deep breath as he picked Teddy up off the ground, sitting him on his knee with his hand on his chest, his hand almost big enough to cover his entire torso Teddy was so tiny. He patted his back trying to coax a burp out of him. "Don't ask me why …" He said patting his back. "But … I'll take you somewhere …"

He was silent for a few moments before Teddy burped, a tiny bit of white spittle coming out of his mouth. Severus supposed the bottle was too large for Teddy, but really he knew nothing about infants. He'd have to do some research. "Remus, if you're here … And I'm sure you are cause you're a constant pain in my side." He said making Remus laugh. "I didn't particularly like you … But I didn't want you dead. Nymphadora even less so …. But if you're sticking around for him … If you even are … Then you can be at peace. At least I can give you that much."

Dora jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Andromeda standing behind them. "Mom?" Dora asked, pausing as she looked around. They were no longer in Andromeda's basement where they had been hiding the past month, but their home, her father standing on the porch as if waiting for them to come in for dinner as he had ever since she was a kid.

"He's telling the truth Dora …" She said holding out her hand. "He'll take care of him … Teddy couldn't be safer."

"But he's a death eater." Dora said looking up at Remus. Andromeda nodded.

"He is ... But he's a good man … Harry vouched for him both in life and in death …" She said still holding out her hand. "Even now …" Remus put his hands on Dora's shoulders.

"There's nothing we can do for Teddy now … But at least we know he's safe." He said. Dora looked over her shoulder at him, tears streaking her cheeks.

She looked back down and was surprised that she could still see Snape with Teddy sitting on the ground, as if they were between worlds. As if their locations were over lapping each other. Teddy was now sitting on Snape's laugh and gripping onto his large hooked nose, the small infant laughing profusely as Snape scrunched up his nose in exaggerated annoyance. Never in her wildest dreams would she imagine that her child would be safe with her most hated professor. That he of all people would come to his rescue.

She looked back to her mother and nodded. There wasn't anything she could do for him. "Can I still see him?" Dora asked.

"No." Andromeda said. "But you will see him again one day. Years from now, when he crosses over … This isn't really good bye." Dora looked back at Teddy who was squealing with delight as Snape stood, holding the infant in his arms. "He'll be happy …"

"But-" Dora started to argue. It was so hard to turn away from her child but …. She'd already been torn away from him months ago.

"Dora … We can't stay here …" Remus said quietly. "Let Severus take over for us."

"You were always the first to trust Severus." Dora said looking up at Remus. She wiped the tears from her face and nodded. She reached her hand out to her mother and both her and Remus went …. On.

((A/N – So I'm probably going to keep this as a one shot, just because of how it ended. But I'll probably write a sequel to it where it's actually from Snape and Teddy's pov …. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed. I hope a few of you at least shed a few tears, if not I'm not doing my job well enough. Not that I'm being paid for this, it's all entirely voluntary …. So I'm voluntarily trying to make you cry. Did I succeed? I don't know. Song I chose for the title was Sing Sorrow by KoRn if you wanna look it up, up to you. Please leave a review.))