Title: Strangers in a Car
Rating: T, just to be safe (for a bit of fantasy, wand waving, violence, and the word "hell").
Length: 1,861 words, 8,186 characters, 55 paragraphs, and 3 pages in Microsoft Word (I love Word Count).
Characters: Remus Lupin (Tonks, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Dumbledore and other Order members mentioned).
Summary: Two weeks after the final battle, Remus looks back on the events that occurred there.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and Warner Bros. do), and I am not making any money off of this fic, so please don't sue me. Besides, if I did own Harry Potter, you would know because Snape would be long gone.
Hello to all you lovely people taking the time to read his fic,
So, you all should know that I take a rather long time to post my fics up on the net after completing them. That being said, I wrote this before Half-Blood Prince was released, so some things will not match up and/or go along with the story presented in book six.
The idea for this story came to me while I was listening to "Strangers in a Car" by Marc Cohn, hence the name of the fic.
But anyways, go, read, and be merry. And if you don't mind, take an extra minute to review (you will be much loved if you do, and cookies will be rewarded).
And without further ado, on with the bloody story.
-E.O.
Strangers in a Car
By Elizabeth Odessky
"And you can't even hear them no more--
All the voices of choices
Now only one road remains
And strangers in a car
Two hearts
Two souls
Tonight
Two lanes"
-Marc Cohn, Strangers in a Car
Remus Lupin trudged miserably down the busy street, lost. Lost in a figurative sense. He knew where he was, where he was going. Keeping his head down, so as not to reveal his emotions, blatant on his young face, he sped up his pace.
Remus stopped in front of a house. The grass was yellowing already, and it was becoming overgrown. Not bothering to see if anyone was watching, he pushed open the small gate and stepped onto the walk. Taking a deep breath, he continued on, up the three steps, and to the front door.
He had stood here so many times before. He'd knock, and then laugh as he heard her clumsily advance to the door. Then she would open it, and his day would be brightened by her smile. Knowing that'd never happen again almost made him sick.
"Alohomora," He muttered, aiming his wand at the lock on the door. It clicked, now unlocked, and Remus opened it. Everything was exactly as she had left it. Papers scattered everywhere, mismatched socks and shoes all over the place. Despite his need for order, he liked it this way. The kitchen counter was a mess.
Remus lifted a scrap nearby, which had her curvy and untidy scrawl on it. It was a grocery list. Smiling to himself, he put it back, so gently as if were something incredibly valuable. He left the kitchen to find her bedroom.
Her bedroom was in a state of disarray, much like the rest of her tiny house. Clothes and shoes were strewn across the floor, her bed was unmade, and not one of the drawers on her armoire was closed.
It was then he noticed the thick book on top of the armoire. Remus crossed the room in several easy strides, and picked it up gingerly. Opening it, he saw her name in gold script on the inside cover. It was her diary. Flipping to the last entry, he read:
May 13
I don't think I have ever been this nervous. Tomorrow will be one of the biggest days in history. I'm afraid. I'm too weak to admit it, but I am. Not for me, for Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and all the students that will be a part of this. I can't help but think of how unfair it all is. There is no way we'll get through this without casualties, and these students have their entire lives ahead of them. Sure, I'm young too, but I've already lived my dream. I became an auror, helped defeat many dark wizards, so if I were to die, so be it.
Who am I fooling? I don't want to die. I still have my whole life ahead of me. I want to get married, maybe even have children. Maybe with him.
How does he do this to me? I feel like a schoolgirl with a crush. Honestly! Every time I'm around him, I trip over my words, I become more clumsy than usual, and I get butterflies in my stomach. It's a wonder he doesn't know. Even if he did, he would probably never care for me, not in that way. I don't think I'm exactly his type.
Remus almost stopped here. He almost couldn't bear to read any more. But he continued.
I spoke to Hermione today, she's always sensible, and I knew she wouldn't laugh. Anyway, I managed to speak to her after Defense Against the Dark Arts class. She told me that the best thing to do would be to tell him how I feel. Tell him how I feel? How could I do that? Just come out and say it? At first, I thought she was crazy. But then, I realized, if I ever want a chance with him, then I had better do something about it.
I've resolved to tell him tomorrow night. During the celebration at headquarters. I'm still not sure how exactly I will tell him, but I will. I have to. I'm going to tell Remus Lupin that I love him.
Remus reread the last sentence several times. A single teardrop landed on the paper, smudging the ink a little. He closed the diary, and put it in the pocket of his threadbare cloak.
Without warning he began to sob uncontrollably. His sobs were silent, and from an outsider, the only giveaway would be the heaving of his shoulders.
She'd never had the chance to say anything… the war… I was going to tell her! Remus thought. He'd planned the same thing. To tell her he loved her, right after the Dark Lord was defeated. Neither of them had had the chance. He remembered that day, only two weeks ago, so clearly.
The entire Order had gathered at Hogwarts. Most of the students had been locked into their respective common rooms, forbidden to try and get out. Everyone looked terrified, as they waited for Fawkes's warning in the Great Hall. He'd watched her from across the hall. She looked determined, but her determination was barely masking her fear. He wanted to go over and comfort her, but he knew that would be inappropriate. They worked together.
The group of students that Harry had organized were all huddled in a group in the far side of the hall, also terrified. The plan to defeat Voldemort had come to Harry in a dream. He couldn't defeat him with the killing curse, obviously. Voldemort had worked for years to become immortal; it would be far too easy a job to shoot one curse at him and be rid of him forever. No, they needed something more powerful. The plan was this; When Fawkes's warning came, they would go out to the grounds and confront the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord. Then they would take a portkey, prearranged by Dumbledore, to the Ministry of Magic. The Ministry would be empty because Dumbledore's warning would be heeded by the new Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt. Voldemort would know exactly where they went and would lead his Death Eaters there. Harry and the Order would them move quickly to the Department of Mysteries, and find the room in which Sirius Black had been murdered just two years previously. They would then get Voldemort into a position where they could knock him into the veil. He would be gone forever. Of course, it all sounded so easy said. Doing it was the difficult part.
Fawkes's warning came, a single red feather in a burst of orange flame. The group acted quickly, exiting the castle and moving onto the grounds outside. Once at the ministry, they had to act quickly so as to have the upper hand. Those who could apparate and disapparate apparated to the Department of Mysteries immediately. Most of them could. Those who couldn't cast Disillusionment charms on themselves, and stood in the corners of the main entrance room. When Voldemort and his Death Eaters arrived they would cast a spell on a small coin, which would say the exact time of his arrival, and would heat up. This method was similar to the one used by the D.A. two years ago.
Voldemort was not as quick as they all had thought. It took around ten minutes for him to arrive at the Ministry, by which time the Order and the students were all in position, having found the correct room on their third try.
Of course, not all of them were in the same room. That would be too conspicuous. The others were spread out in other rooms, pretending they were lost. This way, they could take out some of the Death Eaters before they got to Harry. That was the Order's goal. Protect Harry. They wanted him to have a cleat shot at Voldemort. They would duel around the dais, and Harry would force Voldemort onto the dais. Then, Remus would shoot a random spell towards Voldemort to distract his attention from Harry, and in that infinitesimal space where Voldemort was not paying attention, Harry would strike. A simple disarming spell would knock him backwards through the veil. Of course, things went differently.
Voldemort burst through the door, followed by a group of his Death Eaters. He laughed, a cold, high pitched laugh that none of them would ever forget, and started down the steps. He and Harry began to duel, in the center of a ring formed of Death Eaters and Order members. They'd been dueling for about fifteen minutes when it happened. A flash of pink and green was all anyone saw. Tonks's limp body hit the floor with a sickening thud. She had saved Harry. Remus was overcome with a fierce hatred like he had never known. He screamed the first spell that came to his mind; Expelliarmus. Voldemort had not been expecting it, and neither had the Death Eaters. Because of his intense rage, Remus's spell had been three times as powerful as it normally was. Voldemort was thrown back, and his wand launched across the room. Hermione quickly picked it up, and used Wingardium Leviosa to lift Voldemort up and on to the dais. An enraged Harry confronted Voldemort and shoved him into the veil with his bare hands. The Death Eaters scattered, terrified to see their Dark Lord fall. The other Order members chased after them, but Harry, Hermione, and Ron all stayed behind, too shocked to do anything else.
Remus fell to his knees next to Tonks' pale form. He cradled her into his lap, saying her name again and again, wishing that by some miracle, her eyes would open and she would smile at him. But she never did. Pressing his forehead to hers, he cried.
Remus brought his mind back to the present. He was still in Tonks' bedroom. He left quickly, finding it difficult to stay in her house one moment longer. On his walk back to his apartment, he was reminded of her everywhere he looked. A pink flower, a smiling child. He just wanted to forget her.
That night, Remus sat on his small bed, looking at a photograph that had been taken only three weeks ago. It was of he and Tonks, they were at headquarters, laughing and smiling. Remus had his arm loosely around her shoulders; a friendly gesture. He wished that he could have said goodbye, wished he could have told her how much he loved her. He wished that they could have had time to say all the things they should have said.
"You don't know where you're goin'
You don't know what your doin'
Hell it might be the highway to heaven
And it might be the road to ruin
But this is a song
For strangers in a car
Baby maybe that's all
We really are
Strangers in a car
Just strangers in a car"
-Marc Cohn, Strangers in a Car
FIN
If you actually lasted all the way through this fic without wandering off in boredom, I thank and applaud you.
That's the first time I've actually killed a character in one of my fics. What really surprised me about it though was that it was actually really easy to write.
So, please tell me what you think because I am nothing without reviewers (hint, hint).
-E.O.