Title: Forget, Though, We Won't

Author: Trickssi

Rating: T

Warnings: HUGEMAJORSPOILERS for Deathly Hallows. But honestly, if you call yourself a fan, wouldn't you have finished it over the weekend?

Dedication: To Puppyshippers the world 'round. Oh, you were fooled for a minute, but, you see, he regretted every second of his marriage and never let on that he actually loved her. The Resurrection Stone doesn't lie.

I claim no ownership of these characters, ever. Because if I owned them, Remus would have been dead long before the end (sorry, Tonks. Actually, not sorry, I looked up to you at one time, but now you just suck.).

We disappoint,

We leave a mess,

We die, but we don't.

Remus found himself lying face-down on an unidentifiable surface, naked and slightly chilled. He felt dizzy, but not nauseated; though, he rather felt like he should have been nauseated. He leaned on his elbows, opened his mouth, and willed himself to vomit. It was a clear, choppy sort of retch that made his discomfort disappear almost instantly.

Then, he stood up and opened his eyes. Ah, so he had been lying on the green grass. He wished suddenly that he were clothed, afraid of the openness of this place. He felt different in this skin—it was too unmarked to be his, certainly. Because…

Actually… This place, with its nearby lake, scattered trees, and sunny glow reminded him of the place he'd taken a friend once. It felt like yesterday, even, though he reckoned it was about eighteen years ago that it had occurred. What was his name?

"Sirius Orion Black," a voice said from behind him. Without moving, Remus could tell who was standing behind him, and felt silly for not realizing that the figure was there all this time.

"Remus John Lupin," he echoed mechanically. "Werewolf, born March tenth, Mapmaker, husband of…" He didn't remember being married. He tried to continue, "Father of…"

"You don't need code words here."

He turned around at last to ask something of his onlooker; he became stunned and mesmerized by this man's good looks. Youthful face, dark hair, grey eyes, a haughty stance…

And he remembered.

He stepped forward a few paces until the man thrust out his arm, which held a few items of clothing Remus knew to be his own.

"You'll get dressed, first," Sirius said, "because if you know anything, it's that I'm the one going around starkers all the time, not you."

Remus smiled, took the clothing, and dressed himself promptly. Meanwhile, Sirius watched him unabashedly—he had seen this routine before, and he so missed seeing a body with few scratches. When Remus was decent, Sirius opened his arms and drifted toward him. They fell into place, lock-and-key in each other's arms, just breathing.

Sirius broke the silence, asking, "So, you're all right with this, then?"

Remus looked back quizzically.

"Oh, come on. You mean I'm the only one who knows?" A pause, and an uncertain nod.

"Well," he continued, "you were dueling that Dolohov and someone hit you in the back with an A-K; I think it was actually one of us, but I couldn't see. Anyway, you're here, and I was thinking all this time you wouldn't…"

"You've been watching me?"

Sirius broke away, looking contemplative for a moment. "Two years. To the day. The sheer irony, Moony," he said sardonically. "I was getting bored waiting for you. But I couldn't have been prouder when you held Harry back that first time I glimpsed the real world. For that matter, I loved it when you hexed the shite out of Lucius in the Ministry."

"I remember that now." The reply was quiet and dreamy.

"I—I tried," he said with some difficulty, "I tried to communicate with you, you see, but I left my mirror at home, and… all those times I screamed in your ear, you didn't wake up. I stopped trying when you were with the werewolves. And then I watched as my cousin cried over you, I watched you reject her. I watched her… hold your hand. And I watched as you tied your tie on your w—hah, you know, before you threw up on it and had to give it a thorough cleaning spell."

Remus blushed deeply. "The notion made me feel queasy all of a sudden. I was still…"

Sirius made an abrupt noise of dissent.

"No, please. It's not fair that you wasted that day thinking about me. We couldn't have anyway. You should have…" He trailed off. "Anyway, you humungous liar, it was not a 'small' wedding like you told Harry, it was Mad-Eye having you affirm your vows and sending you on your way. Miniscule. What, no best man?"

"I thought it would be cruel."

"No, it's not cruel, and you should have at least invited Charlie Weasley and Andi and Ted like she wanted, because she loved you, you know, and it was…"

Sirius stopped talking, because the other man's hand looped around his and they began to stroll toward the lake's edge. Only once they sat in the sand did Remus finally ask, "So, I'm really dead?"

A bird overhead called out and circled a patch of trees. "Oh, she is, too."

"Then… why am I here with… I'm sorry—I'm sorry, that was inappropriate and rude," Remus apologized. The crestfallen look on Sirius's face spoke for his understanding.

"No, love, it's all right. It is only fair that you should have had a wife and child and happiness in life. See, when you die, you end up in the part of your life that you loved most anyway. I'm… flattered. But you did what you had to do, and I understand your attachments. Besides, Teddy is gorgeous," he said solemnly. One would never have guessed the terrible urge he had to cry like he did when Harry was born. "He does look like you, so shut it. And, well… we can always watch him up here. I do. I—I encourage him to keep his hair black!" he said with a laugh. Remus couldn't help but smile, and he leaned his head on the other's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he pleaded. "I didn't know you were watching. Maybe I didn't want you to, I didn't want you to see me like that, and I didn't want to have to fall in love all over again, and I didn't want to make her pregnant. I didn't want to, Sirius; I didn't know I could have stopped it…"

Sirius began to laugh, bark-like, feeling stupid and sane as ever. "Of course you didn't. We never needed contraception. Who were you to know? Ya… firewhiskey-drunk poofter on crack."

"I didn't have sex with her after that," Remus confessed.

"I know."

"I blamed it on the pregnancy and hurting the baby and…"

"I know."

"I missed you too much."

"… But did you have to chuck around my chair?"

"Yes," Remus said decidedly. He craned his neck and kissed Sirius's mouth very gingerly. Too gingerly, Sirius thought, and kissed him with more force. Remus lay back on the ground, followed by his eager companion. The sun beat down on them.

"You—wanna?" Sirius asked between punctuated pecks. His blood was racing already.

Remus made a most pitiful face. "Oh, you know I'd love to, but it's a little tiring, this dying thing. Sorry…"

So he backed off, but didn't seem flustered. "'S okay. You waited thirteen years until I was ready—I should wait more than thirteen minutes."

"Well, bloody buggering hell, you'll have to wait till I'm gone now!" a very familiar voice shouted. Over the hill, a young James Potter strutted his way toward them, Lily on his arm. "Took you, didn't it?"

The pair ran to the lake to greet them. "Remus! You're here! Oh, I was hoping you'd be," Lily exclaimed happily. She yanked him up by the hand and gave him a thorough hug, followed by James.

"Well done, mate, we saw what you did out there," James said, and patted him on the back.

Remus smiled sheepishly. "It wasn't anything…"

"What are you talking about? You fought so well, and took care of cousin Tonks…"

"… and had such a precious child. It made me so happy to see that you were happy…"

"… gave Harry the old one-two. Come to think of it, I would probably have wanted you wandering around with him, and Lils would have wanted you to stay home," James finished.

Sirius wound his arm round Remus's waist again, as it felt natural to do. "Er, well… It's lovely to see you all," Remus began, "but how are we all here together?"

James shifted and crossed his arms. "Oh ho, so Padfoot has been ignorant to tell you?"

"No—"

"James, dear, he wants to know how you and I ended up in the same place as him and Sirius, I think," Lily corrected hastily. "It's like the old concept of heaven, but different. You may stay here or move about our world or even dwell on earth incorporeally, all at will. We sometimes take walks and see other people just joining us. Some faces familiar—why, Bathilda Bagshot recently, we had a nice chat—others not."

"So," Remus posed. "You've seen…?"

"One by one. Hedwig, our son's first owl," James said. "Mad-Eye Moody, who we thought just couldn't die. Molly's son, Fred."

Remus looked toward Sirius again. "You said she was dead, too. Why…?"

"Why haven't we seen Tonks?" Sirius finished. "Well, I dunno. She didn't feel like talking to any of us. They sometimes take a while to get used to it here. Don't worry about her, Moony. If she needs you, she'll think of you, and a you will be there."

"A me?" he asked slowly. The click in his mind was a tad painful to think about just yet. "Are you just one of you?"

Lily shook her head. "We're all true spirits. You, too, even. But she won't know the difference. We can see it now—we can also tell because you came here first after you died. And because you're with Sirius—" who at that moment pulled him a bit closer—"but that doesn't mean she won't be taken care of."

He hated to add these strange new facts in his head, but it would have been senseless not to. He supposed, in a way, he knew he should have been here, in a young, whole, happy time of his life, not in his late thirties, so bereaved, so scarred, so very un-mended. Perhaps his latter version would stay with its wife forever. That's when she was happy. He kind of wished for it. Dora would never understand why he was so happy here—Dora never quite understood what his feelings were. Best this way, he knew, the bitterness gone from it. He squeezed Sirius's waist.

"I am so, so happy," he said simply. Happy for himself at last.

"We know," James said. Suddenly, Lily jolted in place.

"James, I think Harry needs us. I can tell it's almost his time," she said, barely a whisper. She began to filter out of the scene, James following afterward with his signature wink. Then, Sirius, too, began to leave. Although, instead of saying goodbye, he looked expectant.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" he called. "Harry needs us."

"I… Why me, though? His parents, his godfather, sure. But his Ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?"

"… Or did you forget that you love him as much as I do, if not more? Or, that since I love you, I'm bloody well bringing you along, you irresponsible other godfather? You have all of your rights here." He outstretched his hand. "I'll help you. C'mere."

Very gently, Remus reached for his hand, but did not quite grab it. "Together?" he asked meekly. His eyes were full of the uncomfortable questions he simply could not ask.

A bark of laughter, then Sirius grabbed Remus's hand fully. "I think so."

We disappoint,

In turn, I guess,

Forget, though, we won't

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review. If you're any bit decent, you'll understand how I'm struggling to stay alive on our not-quite-sunken ship. I'm not alone, right? Then, tell me so! I'm dyin' over here! Much appreciated.