Anything you recognise here,
(and let me just make this crystal clear)
belongs to JK Rowling- not me;
so let the one shot begin in
1, 2, 3…
"To Severus" Harry says quietly raising his glass. He chinks it against Remus who echoes Harry's words, sounding slightly lost to Harry's ears. He takes a sip absently, the dry wine barely registering in his mind as he watches Remus, who does not raise the glass to his own lips, but is instead starring vacantly out of the window.
"He was 38 when he died you know." Remus asserts suddenly, turning to Harry, a look, bordering on wild in his eyes.
"Yes I know, Remus" Harry says soothingly. "It's been 10 years."
"I miss him" Remus voice is hoarse now, as though something were lodged in his throat. Harry nods, tight sensation constricting his chest. He rests one of his hands on Remus, squeezing firmly.
"Me too, but we'll see him again one day," reassured Harry "and he would have been glad that we still have each other." Remus allows Harry to semi-embrace him, but he appears unable to feel the comfort for long. He squeezes his eyes shut tightly, the hand holding Harry's clenching suddenly, as though looking for an anchor.
"It's been 10 years" He chokes out, repeating Harry's earlier words, "how can it still hurt so badly, after such a long time?"
Harry shrugs, unable to answer. It hurt him too, even though so much time had passed; he still felt the dormant grief well up in him from time to time, the brief emotional suffocation. Sorrow not only for Severus but the others they had lost in the war. He ran a thumb gently over each of Remus' cheeks, dry the tears that had leaked unchecked.
"Don't cry," He said softly, heart clenching at the sadness in the normally warm, amber eyes. "This was his birthday," Harry kissed the top of his forehead, "let's celebrate the Severus we knew, not his loss." Because for Harry that would be easier: Wishing their Sev was not gone was something that always hurt his heart too much, and he hated to bear it.
Slowly Remus nodded, and, with a watery half smile, topped up Harry's glass and settling down onto the sofa, pulling Harry into his lap.
"D'you remember the time…?"
fini
