Disclaimer: Must we go over this again? I just play in J.K.'s world.
A/N: Finally something in the Requiem fic-verse that requires you read Requiem. It occurred to me that I didn't cover the aftermath of Lupin's decision.
The feeling was almost like Apparation. He had noticed that from the first time Lily had dragged him through voids, but this time the feeling did not leave him feeling queasy. His whole body felt as though it was aflame and his chest in particular ached as though Hagrid was jumping up and down on it.
He could hear the sounds of his wife and he could feel her tears as they landed on his inflamed cheeks, soothing him. He could smell the salt.
"Remus."
She wasn't addressing him, mumbling his name to herself, and Lupin tried to open his eyes but his lids were too heavy.
"Remus, don't die on me. Come on, don't die on me."
Desperately he wanted to assure he had absolutely no intention of doing so but it seemed as though none of his muscles would obey the messages he sent.
"Mrs. Lupin, come away."
Lupin felt panic gallop along his veins. They all thought he was dead. Christ, what if they buried him? What if he stayed this way forever? It sent chills down his spine that quenched the fire in his blood.
Slowly, his eyes adjusted and he realised he was in the Great Hall, staring at a starry sky, a balmy evening. Did the heavens not realise that tonight was a night for thunder? He slowly sat up, wincing as the bones in his ribs cracked back into place.
"For the love of God, someone get me something deep fried and covered in chocolate."
He met bright silver eyes. There was a moment of silence as the very air seemed to crackle. Lupin frowned slightly. He had had no idea it would be this awkward when he woke. Before he time to dwell on it, he felt arms around him and a warm body pressed tightly against him, squeezing his abused chest. He slowly pushed Tonks off.
"I'm not exactly in the bloom of health."
Tonks bit her lip. "Oh Christ, I'm sorry. Hey, look." She unclasped her robes and pulled down the lime green Weird Sisters t-shirt he had become so fond of.
"Dora, I really don't think that now is the time."
She slapped his arm and rolled her eyes. "Stop leering at my breasts then. Look." Lupin was horrified by the scars that marred her, a lattice pattern of red inflamed flesh. "We're the same." How she could be so cheerful about it was a mystery.
"Bellatrix," he hissed, the venom in his voice saying more than his words of comfort ever could. "If you get out there -and don't deny it, I know that's where you're going - don't go anywhere near her and don't expect me to let you out of my sight."
He met the gaze of the woman who had nursed him after full moons for seven years, a woman who knew just what he was capable of in this state.
"If you're telling me you're going out there, Mr. Lupin, I will be forced to send you into an induced sleep." Madame Pomfrey raised her eyebrows pointedly. "You are in absolutely no state to duel."
"Can you give me something?"
"A painkiller," Tonks supplied. "Poppy, there are children of sixteen dying out there. Now obviously, that's Remus' decision but I'd say he's made it." She met his eyes and smiled. "Or you know, it's up to you because it's pretty much over. We could…" she trailed off, meeting his gaze only through the corner of her eye.
"We could go and see what we're needed for."
Madame Pomfrey pursed her lips. "Well, you'd better take this." She handed him a small potion and a Chocolate Frog." Lupin smiled wryly. "And make sure you do take it, mind you. I know you too well. And don't go jumping into anything needlessly for Potter."
Lupin's eyes widened. "For Harry?"
Poppy rolled her eyes. "Who else? Go if you're going to go, you stupid man, you're making the place look untidy."
Lupin laughed, taking note of his ruffled hair, patched robes and scuffed shoes. "I don't dispute that." So Harry had lived? They had shared the same sort of experience, perhaps. If Harry had lived, and the battle was ending…he hardly dared to smile.
Which was just as well…
"Snape never beat Dumbledore. Dumbledore's death was planned between them."
Lupin raised his eyebrows and pulled his wife behind him, clutching her hand and squeezing.
"Remus, I'm an Auror."
"I don't care."
"The wand chooses the wizard."
He couldn't help but question Harry. Quoting Ollivander in front of large crowds would never be what Lupin would judge to be a good move, but he was a strange person on whom to rely when one's very life was endangered. Perhaps it was because he had missed a great deal of their pre-duel sniping due to his ongoing fight with his wife.
"I don't need your protection."
"Yes, you said that last time."
"The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy."
"Now look," Tonks hissed. "We've missed all that."
Had Lupin been less afraid and intent on keeping Harry alive, he would have laughed. "It's not Comedy Night on the WWN, Dora."
The jet of green light headed straight for Harry and Lupin's hands shook. Finally, his wife gave in and squeezed back, linking their fingers. "He's got it worked out," she whispered softly. "He always has."
"Expelliarmus!"
The Elder Wand flew toward his hand and Harry deftly caught it, after which several things happened to him at the same time, none of which Harry really took in.
Voldemort's own curse sent him reeling, falling to his death, the crowds erupted into cheers, squealing and embracing one another, and Harry felt as though every breath was about to be squeezed out of him. Half expecting to see Molly, he screamed when he opened his eyes to find sandy hair splattered across his glasses and smelt the distinct smell of Lupin - rain and Christmas.
Lupin backed off and held him at arms length. "That was incredible. We're so proud of you. You okay?"
Harry paled. "You…but…dead…Remus."
Lupin laughed. "You're not exactly looking like peaches and cream either. Thanks."
Harry frowned. "I don't understand."
"It's not considered terribly complimentary to tell a man he looks dead, Harry."
"I meant…"
Lupin smiled softly. "I'll explain later. You made your choice and I made mine." He raised his eyebrows pointedly, encouraging the thoughts whirring round Harry's head. "You need your rest. Come on."
Lupin didn't understand how their home could look the same as it did when he had left it when its inhabitants would never be the same. He didn't understand how his son had slept the whole evening through such carnage. It was another world to him, a world in which he had lost his parents once already.
He accepted the little blue bundle from his wife who needed her sleep, and felt the rush of air leave him as his muscles adjusted to the weight he thought he would never again take into his arms. He swallowed hard as Teddy's eyes fluttered open. He stared into bright silver before they mirrored his own and he had to gasp for his air.
"How's my little boy then?" His voice cracked and Teddy stared up at him, his now black eyes - wide. Lupin took a breath and calmed himself. "Is he awake for the duration, hmm?" This time, his son smiled and Lupin beamed back. "Shall I take that as a 'yes'? Don't tell Mummy, but I'm glad. I can't sleep either." He yawned. "Famous last words. Will you go to sleep with me?"
He had worried constantly when Dora had brought up the subject of co-sleeping, frightened that one of them would roll over in the night and smother him, but right now he had no desire to be parted from his son for an instant.
He had never worried about Tonks being in bed with the baby. When she slept, it appeared she had taken the draught of the living death. She was completely still and breathing quietly. Indeed, he had found himself waking her three times a night in the early days of their marriage, terrified that he was sharing his bed with a corpse.
But he became an Olympic gymnast, sleeping in positions he didn't think he could twist himself into when he was awake. His wife still refused to spoon with him after the night she had been kicked several times in quick succession. They had recently made up and he wasn't entirely convinced that she believed him when he explained that he had been asleep.
He frowned. This was different. This was sleeping with his five week old son. And he simply wouldn't let it happen. He could be still. He could restrain himself. He was a grown man for heaven's sake.
And so two o'clock in the morning found Remus Lupin creeping upstairs, closing the door silently behind him and laying the baby beside his wife. He climbed in beside them and wrapped a protective arm around Teddy, watching his eyes close and listening to him breathing softly, rhythmically.
It was incredible, watching him and knowing that he was sleeping because he was here with his parents. He could sleep because he knew they were there, could see them, smell them, feel their body heat against his. But crucially, what made the hairs on the back of Lupin's neck rise, he slept near his father, snuggling closer to him. Lupin sighed softly and slept soundly.
He woke to the sound of giggles and opened one eye, watching his wife and son play together as only they could, changing noses, hair colours and even, in Tonks' case, creating a lizard's tongue to poke out as her husband raised an eyebrow.
"Having fun?"
Tonks grinned. "Well, he can only copy at the moment. You wait until he's older."
Lupin smirked. "I sincerely hope we won't all still be sharing a bed."
The tongue returned. "Says the bloke who brought him up here." She morphed into him and said, "Oh no, Dora, that's our bedroom. That's where we go to get privacy. That's where we go to make love. By God, my child will learn to be independent."
Lupin sighed. "Oh shut up." He propped himself up, leaning on his elbow and smiling sleepily, shaking his fringe out of his eyes. "When did he wake up?"
Tonks assumed her natural form. "When I did. The two of you were just adorable." Her bottom lip trembled. "I shouldn't be here to see it."
"Let's not talk about that." He took her hand, massaging her palm with the pad of his thumb, running it along her lifeline. "Last night was last night. This morning is this morning."
Tonks smiled weakly. "I never thought I'd see the day you lectured me on living in the past."
Lupin chuckled softly and fluffed his pillow, nestling back into it. Peace reigned for all of three milliseconds as Teddy rather suddenly decided that it was high time to get up.
"All right," Lupin slowly eased himself out of bed, allowing both feet to hit the floor before he honestly contemplated lifting his head. "You feed Ted and I'll bring tea and toast."
And he kept his end of the bargain, making 'just-right' toast for his wife without using the same knife he had used to spread his marmalade, adding the tiniest splash of milk to her tea and an eighth of a teaspoon of sugar. He shuddered. How she drank that stuff was beyond him.
Although, upon returning to bed, he found them still clasping each other's webbed fingered, green hands.
"If I found the pair of you on the moors, I'd be tempted to keep you in tanks. It always starts that way though, doesn't it? And soon it becomes they can share my bed on Saturday mornings and before you can say slime-on-the-sheets, they're there all the time."
Tonks reached for him with the other hand, wiggling her eyebrows and laughing as he shuddered and pressed himself against the wall.
"You big girl's blouse. Pass the tea."
Lupin shook his head. "What happened to feeding the baby?"
Tonks sighed. "I really need to learn to use that express thing downstairs." She reached for her son, pushing her nightdress down one arm, and Lupin thought that if he had anything to do with it 'the-express-thing-downstairs' would never see action. Watching his wife run her fingers through their son's now auburn hair as he suckled, was one of the reasons he got up so early in the mornings - just in case he missed it.
They looked like the Madonna and child.
If Jesus had been ginger.
He laughed to himself, his smile lighting up his face and Tonks looked up at him, returning it. His happiness always had been infectious.
"What?" she asked, giggling along with him.
"This time last year," he told her, shaking his head, "I wished I was dead. I don't believe I ever thought I would get this in my wildest dreams." He grinned. "And I had some pretty wild dreams. I've got a request," he said, taking a bite out of his toast. "Can we just spend today in bed?"
"What happened to being busy, busy, busy all the time?"
Lupin rolled his eyes. "I've got the rest of my life to do things. I'm only thirty-eight."
Tonks raised her eyebrows. "What happened to you last night?"
Lupin smirked. "Darling, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."