Disclaimer: First, I would like to credit Joanne Rowlings for her marvelous work, and thank her for bringing the Harry Potter-series into our lives. I do not own any of the characters, the universe or current events, which may be recognized. I would though, like to claim events happening in later chapters as my own, as they may be disgraceful or somehow offend younger readers.
This Fanfic is very much AU. Also I would like to apologize for eventual spelling errors, as I am not currently resident in any English-speaking countries, shifting a lot between Denmark and Sweden, and even though I do own my own laptop, which I bring everywhere outside my home In Denmark, sadly it corrects it after Danish or Swedish spelling standards. This happens, in despite of ´Word´s language options, because I use the same computer for ALL my studies, so it automatically corrects everything to Danish. Even this. Sadly, but I would very much like to correct all the errors which I may discover.
I hope no one gets offended. I love everyone.
He did not know why. He certainly should not know. He was in the middle of a war, not just a war, this specific war. He was surrounded by dangers 24 hours a day, and so was she. He would soon be a father. He had a wife, currently out there spying on death eaters, while he, sat in the living room of 12 Grimmauld place facing three of his former students, after a rather, he sought for a word, Stirring conversation.
Nevertheless, she just sat there, looking at a crack in the floor without anything particular to say. Harry Potter himself, still looking at him with flaring nostrils after his speech. Remus got it. He did. The little sense he might have maintained through the years, now got company, thanks to an only seventeen-year-old boy. Remus had to be honest; the boy was a lot wiser, than Harry might admit to himself. This is not a time for adventure; you should be home, caring for Tonks! Remus knew that much, but god, he was a marauder for Christ sake. This was happening, this was his element.
Moreover, that was when it hit him, Miss Granger's unusually apologetic look.
"Excuse me," he said, and rose from the sofa. "I believe some tea would do us good." It actually made him sick, that the young woman whom never really cared to shut her mouth for an opinion, on a subject she had thoughts of, just shot him an apologetic look.
"I agree some tea would be great, but please professor, let me help you." She too rose, and followed his way into the kitchen. He only looked down at her, and gave her a smile in response. They both heard Ron and Harry in the living room, turning their heads to each other.
"I am sorry Professor, he should not have jumped upon you like that, and he is just really, I don't know, moody, for the time being. Believe me, he shout at us too, not like that though, but still…" He cut her short.
"Please Hermione, I can take it. Compared to a flying cruciatus spell, that was like a blissful nap on my couch." He assured her, and turned in the familiar kitchen to open the cabinet, which contained the tea, and other supplies, which Mrs. Weasley had filled in there, the last time she concurred the kitchen as hers. He heard her giggling behind him, and his mouth turned in a small smile.
"I suppose, but hearing that from someone who you care for, cannot be nice." He took the chamomile tea, and turned for her. He had a concern, she no longer spoke of himself.
"Hermione, you can't allow whoever it is you are speaking of now, to talk to you like that either. What are you implying?" He looked at her with genuine concern.
"Nothing Professor. I suppose I only am thinking too much of the matter." She smiled with closed eyes, and gently squeezed his upper arm as she walked to put the kettle on.
"Aguamenti" she said and cold water purred down into the kettle, and she turned on the heat.
He looked at her. She looked tired and exhausted. Her delicate body was skinny, and she obviously had not put much effort into her looks. He had to admit, she had grown beautiful over the years. You could see it in her eager face, when she was only in her third year, that she would someday grow from her obscenely large amount of untamed hair, and the wicked teeth. She still had a lot of hair though. However, untamed was the exact opposite. Around the teeth, she now had full lips, to compliment the still large teeth. Still, now it only looked inviting. However, he could not.
She stood and watched the water boiling, and he walked besides her. It took a moment for her to realize, before she looked up at him.
"You haven't really slept, have you 'Mione?"
"Not really, but it is okay I suppose," She turned her body to face him correctly. "I know I am not the only one who haven't! The Weasleys have had so much trouble with the wedding, and now I cannot imagine them, without worries. And then there is Tonks, fighting off Death eaters with a baby," He felt guilty at that. "And poor Neville, Professor McGonagall, Lavender, Parvati, Seamus, Dean. All my friends, how they are back at Hogwarts, with death luring everywhere in each corner. And you, Remus, you must be awful. With you and the moon, every single month, especially now!" She almost cried. He pulled her in for a hug, telling her not to bother.
"I am fine, don't you think more of it."
"We're chasing horcruxes, Remus. Don't tell the others, not Mrs. Weasley in specific!" She cried into his shoulder.
The kettle screamed for them to come back into reality, as the boiling water made a mysterious cloud of damp.
Stone walls fell everywhere besides them, bodies lay everywhere. The golden, the green, the red spark from curses and blocking spells were cast everywhere besides them. He stood side by side with his Dora, with the Death eaters approaching still. They fought, he could see. Everyone he knew or might have known. She screamed for him, only. She screamed for Teddy, and the love they shared. Dora.
She was the most perfect woman, she was brave, kind and smart. She was the best mother, he could imagine. And she fought for him only, their son. Remus acknowledged, the day he gave him into care for Dora's mother, that his hair was blue. A happy blue. Remus was crying that day. It might be the last minute he held his son in his arms. Dora never said goodbye, she could not get herself to do it.
He threw several spells, curses and hexes in every direction he could. He cared not less, he did not survive this war, but Teddy needed his mother, and Remus would protect her for everything.
Another curse, if he did not mistake hit, nearly stroke both of them, but she sent it back in the exact direction. She looked upon him, with love in her eyes.
"Kiss him from me, will you sweetheart?" She almost cried.
"Dora, shut it up, if anyone is going to survive this, it will be you. Whatever it might cost me!" He shouted at her. She took his hand, and pulled him with her.
Half a minute later, they were no longer in their original position above the Grande clock, but instead they stood in the entrance hall, behind what appeared to be a wall, which had fallen from the first floor. Stoned, broken wands, wooden doors, bodies were laying everywhere, as people continued to battle. He cast an expelliarmus at a young, black hooded man a few feet before them, who appeared to be preparing to cast a curse. The man fell to the ground, and did not get up at instant.
Dust were everywhere, and it made it hard to even see. He made sure not to let go of Nymphadora's hand. He heard screams from pupils all around him. Students of the school, who haven't even crossed the legal age of 17, had given their lived for the course of this. He felt sick.
The smell of blood and dirt was undeniable. He still held on to the delicate pale hand, as he pulled his wife alongside the walls, into the great hall. People were dueling on the long tables, the malicious intentions, gave him Goosebumps. They were children and old warriors battling. He recognized some of those he had had as pupils, from his time. A strange proud feeling overwhelmed him, well knowing this was not exactly the time.
"This is nothing more than obscure, twisted and sinister!" He told his wife, who now turned to fight of yet another black hooded statue. These were not people, he ought to think. He was more scared than ever.
After yet 15 minutes of dueling off Death eaters, casting curses in every believable direction, killing not so innocent people, but yet people, Dora again dragged him into the entrance hall. Screaming, she cast a leg-lock spell, right front, and some man he had recognized from the night, they transported Harry to the Burrow, fell face front, into the floor.
"I love you!" Remus managed to tell her, before she sprinted up the stairs. He of course followed her up, running alongside the halls. Everywhere, there were ruins of his beloved castle. It was not a sight he ever wished to see again.
The corridors were dark as ever, even when half the walls missing. The sky was dark, and really wands, spells and whatever else were used to battle off the enemy were the only which lighted up the scene.
They battled for a time, him and Dora, running everywhere they could, but it was only when they once again found themselves above the Grande Clock, they looked at each other for a moment, Dore screamed her heart out, falling to the floor. Green sparks still lingering in the air, he saw Bellatrix looking at him with a devious smile.
"You wicked witch!" He cried out, casting yet another expelliarmus at her.
Bellatrix jumped beautifully aside, avoiding the spell.
"Transmofrifian torture!" She yelled at him, but Remus blocked it.
"Expulso!" He shouted back, and the wall beside Bellatrix exploded. He quickly checked his wife for life signs. Given none, he held her head up, kissing her for the final time. He cried silently, but this was not a time to weep. He had to fight for Teddy. And therefore, hearing Bellatrix getting back onto her feet, he ran again.
He ran, as fast as he could, down the stairs, avoiding any flying spells, through the hall, and out into the courtyard. It was wicked. What he thought to be a disaster inside the castle only turned out to be worse and more disastrous outside.
A red spark flew just above his head, and Remus turned in it's direction, facing Antonin Dolohov.
"Confundo!" Remus spoke, and greenish bluish sparks, flew to Dolohov. It gave Remus a few seconds to think again, before casting the next curse.
"Locomotor mortis!" He yelled again, and Dolohov's legs was glued together.
"Cruciatus!" Dolohov then shouted, getting his mind back, and red sparks targeted Remus.
"Impervious!" Remus blocked it, and then shouted, "Incarcerous!"
Dolohov ducked and the curse hit a student only a few meters away, and the girl was bound up in ropes. This made Dolohov smile in a sinister way, to Remus, who now stood exhausted, by the hours how running. He knew very well, he was no way fit for this any longer, who only just turned 38 in May. Dolohov was him far superior.
"Binding up your students, do you know, little Professor?" Dolohov teased. "What would the headmaster Dumbledore say?" He continued. Remus sighed. He did not have the patience for this. He was still fairly shaken, by the occurrence of his Dora's death.
"Petrificus totalus!" Remus answered as response, but again, Dolohov blocked it completely, sending it back Remus' way, but passed. He was so tired by now. It took a few seconds for him to breathe properly, and in those few seconds he saw Ron and Hermione cross the courtyard heading their ways for the greenhouses. It somehow gave him a small hope back, seeing those loose curls flying wildly in the air, followed by a clumsy redhead. It made Remus smile.
"Expelliarmus!"
The spell flew through the air, hitting Dolohov in the stomach, and he flew back, still holding his wand in his right hand, weirdly enough. Dolohov slowly got up from the ground, with a twisted grimace on his face, as Remus approached him.
Dolohov looked him in the eye, and started laughing.
"You werewolf scum. Bloody dog you are!" Dolohov spat. "Transmofrifian torture!" He yelled.
At sudden, a mortifying pain hit Remus in the chest, and all the bad memories came back to him. He felt the fear of starting school, at age 11. The way he had walked in through those great wooden doors, into the Entrance hall. He felt alone. Like he could hurt anyone. He remembered leaving school, feeling even more alone, than before. His friends, his dear friends would no longer be there when he woke up every day. No more Sirius and James, keeping him up at night, no more Lily cheering him up, even Peter. And then the day he found out his best friend was the killer, the murder of the Potters. He had seen Sirius' menacing laughing smile in the papers, knowing Peter was destroyed, and he remembered reading his betrayal to James and Lily, how he had revealed their secret to the Dark lord. He remembered leaving his profession as Defense against the dark arts-teacher. And Sirius falling through the veil, in the fight in the ministry. And Dora's pained expression, when she practically begged him to marry him.
And then the sensation of pure fire, burning through his body sat in. He screamed, but not a sound escaped him mouth. It was dreadful. His body twisted, he could barely breathe as Dolohov approached him.
"I almost hope for you, that the curse actually kills you. It will continue for hours, my poor Professor Lupin," Dolohov made a fake expression of sadness. "But not everyone stands the pain. Actually, I have not yet seen one of my victims survive the curse yet, and my dear friends have only seen a few. But I suppose you already knew this. Oh dear." And again he smiled deviously to Remus, and hurried away.
Remus was left there, cold on the ground, left in his misery and pain. Oh the burning pain, like needles making their way through his skin, every second there went by. Like pixies bites, all over. He was hoping Dolohov was right. He could never last hours of this torture.
He breathed barely, she noticed.
Harry had gone to the woods, she was almost certain. Right now, she need not to be selfish. She knew Professor Snape could not be saved, but many others could perhaps. And therefore she started searching the courtyard for any potential survivors.
It was a horrible sight. About 30 other people had started searching as well, but she came along so many beloved faces. She had seen Poor little Colin Creevey, cold on the ground. He still was a tiny fella, but he was always so incredibly nice towards anyone he ever met. He never deserved to end a scarred, dead child, killed at Hogwarts, a place he was supposed to be safe. And she noticed, she started crying. She really cried. A man came over to her, and held her.
"You knew him well?" He asked her politely, and she nodded in response. The man closed Colin's still open eyes, and levicorped Colin's body inside, where she knew they has set up a room for the dead, in the great hall.
She sat a couple of minutes there at the ground, getting over her crying. She could not believe any of it. She knew this was a war, but never had she imagined it being so cruel. And the Death eaters so sardonic and wicked. After all, she still believed them to be human. She stood up, and began again, to search for loved ones, in the chaos.
She saw many she recognized, but was determined to search for friends first. And there she saw him. Alone, in the far corner of the now very open courtyard, she recognized the raggedy clothes, and sandy blonde hair. He did not move, so she ran. She ran to him, and kneeled before him. And she screamed. Remus Lupin was cold and pale, not moving. She took his head, and pulled him up in her lap, holding him like a child. She kissed him on his forehead and pleaded.
"They are gone, Professor. The horcruxes are gone. Please wake up. Please do." She cried to him, and buried her face in his neck.
"We have won. Harry has gone into the woods to kill him. I actually believe that we have won. He will kill Voldemort, I know it Professor Lupin!" She practically screamed. She could not afford to lose more people, not right now. And she sort of loved Lupin, as an authority figure. He was the best teacher she had ever had, and he had cared for so many people. And he had a son, in need of his parents. A parent. She had herself come across the lifeless body of Nymphadora Tonks, when she ran from Amycus Carrow two hours ago. It was painful. But she needed Remus now, she did.
Then he breathed barely, she noticed.