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Cheers.
Always and Forever
Forget me not.
He looks at the calendar. The date is circled—June 21st. Summer solstice. Sighing, he picks up his hat and walks slowly into the next room. He summons a box with his wand and it flies into his hands. It is tattered and worn, just like him. Putting on his hat he walks outside into the bright sunshine. It's a warm summer day, the first summer day, and all around him life goes on. For him, it doesn't. It stopped a long time ago.
He stops by the flower booth in the market.
"Good morning, sir. What can I do for you?" the woman vender asks. She wonders why he comes every June 21st. He always buys the same things, but she stills asks.
He looks around the booth. The colours are bright reds, greens, yellows, blues. Many more as well. The smell of freshness is in the air, and there are bows and ribbons everywhere.
"Two lilies. White and tiger. One yellow rose, de-thorned. And—" the woman is surprised when he hesitates. That's usually all he asks for. "—one bouquet of forget-me-nots."
The woman asks him if he would like to pick out the flowers himself, and he replies yes. Slowly and deliberately he looks over all the lilies, picking the most perfect. Then, he looks through the roses.
Why yellow, Lily?
Because they're so bright and cheerful. So much like summer, no? Laughter, smiles, good times. That's why I love yellow roses.
He finds a small yellow rose that has just begun to open.
"It should open by this afternoon," the woman tells him. He nods, acknowledging her input.
Perfect.
She then leads him over to the forget-me-nots. The little blue flowers with their five perfect petals seem to tease him as they laugh gently in the wind.
Forget me not.
Forget me not.
He picks out a small bunch of them, and she bundles them together with a white ribbon.
He pays her, gathers his precious flowers, and leaves the booth. Her eyes follow him, wondering why.
He decides to walk a bit because it's such a lovely day. Lovely on the outside, mocking on the inside. How can the sunshine mock him like this?
He walks past the children playing on the sidewalk. Their laughter is like a wind of emotions that are hidden. He tries to remember when he last laughed with such innocence. He can't. Maybe he never did. The mothers are like watchful hens, making sure their precious child doesn't get hurt in any way.
She would have been the same—given the chance.
He sees a group of young men and women sitting outside a coffee shop. There are six of them—four young men, two young women. They are smiling and joking around, looking full of life. Brimming with happiness. It's almost as if nothing in the world could hurt them at that moment. He looks a bit closer and sees that two of the men have dark black hair, and two have sandy brown. One woman has bright red hair, and the other has dark brown. He sees himself. Surprised, he blinks, and they disappear, replaced by the six people that were there before. Sighing, he shakes his head and continues. Will he continue to live in the past?
Yes. That was when I was happy.
He arrives outside a small cottage, and walks around to the back. There, he sees a small garden gate that is slightly ajar. He is wary—he is the only one that can see the cottage, isn't he? The cottage has honeysuckle climbing all over it, every direction. It is made of grey stone and the door is painted red. There are two small windows on either side of the door, each with white trims, and there is a cobblestone path leading up to the door. The garden is overrun with plants and tangled vines, and bees buzz happily in their new found paradise. Going across the emerald grass—so much like some eyes he used to know—he touches the gate. As soon as he does, he is transported back to a time long gone.
Let's go for a picnic, shall we? Sirius says, grabbing up the basket that Lily and Peter have prepared.
James hooks his arm with Lily's and Sirius walks on ahead with Remus, swinging the basket jauntily. Peter trails behind, talking with another woman. She has dark brown hair and blue eyes.
They open the garden gate and emerge onto the path to the woods.
I'll race you! James cries, and he and Lily take off. Sirius lets out a cry of no fair, but unless he wants to ruin his lunch, he can't catch up.
They run, darting after each other like goldfish in a pond. Lily's hair is like a beacon in the dark. Gasping they come out from the woods into a small grassy knoll by a stream. Here, Sirius and Remus set out the blanket and Lily conjures some pillows.
They dig into their lunch heartily, and jokes are flying all around.
After they have eaten their full, they sit back and relax among the pillows in the sunshine. The day is June 21st, one year after Graduation. They bask in the light, feeling the breeze tickling their skin.
Suddenly, a cloud blocks out the golden sunlight, turning the cheerful area grey and sad. They shiver. It's almost as if this is a foreshadowing of the days to come.
Lily sits up suddenly from where she was resting. We'll always be here together, won't we? She asks.
Sirius reassures her. Yes. Always.
James adds forever.
Why? The other woman inquires. Her name is Charlotte.
I dunno, Lily replies. I just had this feeling as if everything good will come to an end…and for us, it will be soon.
Lily, James says, we'll always be here for each other. Always and forever. When one falls, the others do too. Focus on the present, not the future.
But Remus disagrees. We need to focus on the future as well, James. After all, that's when we live and die. The past, present, and future are all equally important. The bit of knowledge we need to remember is that in the past, do not dwell on mistakes—rather, learn from them. In the present, live life to the fullest, and in the future, remember your past.
There is silence while the other five contemplate his words. Then Lily whispers.
Always and forever.
He blinks back tears. Those words have come back to haunt him. He opens the gate just far enough for him to slip through, and begins his slow walk through the woods.
I'll race you!
He hears James call. Up ahead, he thinks he sees a flash of red, a beacon in the darkness, and he hears the sound of laughter—Sirius' laughter. He hurries, thinking that if he can just catch up, he'll talk to his friends again.
Walking through the cool woods, he sees the oaks, counts the strawberry bushes. He breathes in the clean smell of moss, and watches the chipmunks scurry about. The flowers in his hands haven't wilted yet. He has placed a charm on them that will keep them fresh until next June 21st.
Soon, the well-worn path comes to an end, and grass takes its place. He steps into the June sunshine, letting the warmth touch him. His amber eyes are closed, for he is feeling the past. When his eyes are closed, he can see them all standing before him, as clear as day.
Opening his eyes, he sees birds flitting about, green grass, and a gurgling stream. There are no people. No young men and women. Just him and nature. He walks over to a tall oak tree that is right by the stream. This is where they had eaten, right at the base of the tall giant, those many years ago. He runs his hands over the trunk, feeling it's roughness, and then, he comes to a patch of smooth wood. He stops there and gazes at it.
Do you think we should carve our words on a tree? Charlotte asks, her brown hair glinting in the sun. She stretches her arms and legs like a cat.
You mean so we can come back and read them later? Peter asks.
Yes, Charlotte replies. So that, if Lily is right, we will have something good to hold on to, something from when we were happy. We'll be able to escape the world and retreat here, if only for a little while.
James agrees. We can bring our children here as well.
Lily glances at him. What children?
James grins and doesn't answer.
Sirius gets up and walks up to the tree Peter is leaning against. How about this one? He questions, touching the oak.
The others nod, and they all gather around Sirius as he peels back the bark in an area. Not enough to kill it, but enough to write their message. Then he pulls out his penknife, the one that unlocks every door. He carefully carves in some words, and then hands the knife to his friends to add their names. After they are all done, they stand back and gaze at the message.
We'll be back, Remus says, looking around the secret place.
Everyone else is quiet.
No, we won't, Lily says.
Everyone stares at her.
She explains. Not all will come back. I just know. We will never be back complete. This is our last time as six.
We will protect to the end.
Always and forever.
Forget us not.
-Sirius Black-
-Remus Lupin-
-Charlotte Donahue-
-Peter Pettigrew-
-Lily Evans-
-James Potter-
June 21st, 1979
He reads the carving, and now, tears do run down his weathered face. Lily was right. She was always right. They never did come back as a group of six. Lily and James were married one month later and died two years and three months later. They couldn't come back on the other June 21st's because they were in hiding. Sirius was locked away. Peter turned traitor. And Charlotte, darling Charlotte with the sky blue eyes, remained loyal to the end. She helped say goodbye to them all, and came back with him until she died. And then there was one. Him. Left alone to grieve.
He places the lilies at the base of the oak. Two, one white, one orange.
Lily, love, you remind me of a white lily. Your namesake. Pure and beautiful, James compliments. You should use white lilies as your bridal bouquet.
Lily laughs it off. You flirt.
Sirius grins at Lily. Nah, you're more of a tiger-lily; you know, the bright orange ones with the brown freckles? He winks. You have lots of sprite, and your hair is ora—red. Yup, you're definitely a tiger-lily. Use those orange flowers in your bouquet.
Lily laughs at the two of them. Men giving me flower advice, she teases. I still like yellow roses better. I'll use those.
He looks sadly at the two flowers. James' lily and Sirius' lily. Lily was evident in both. Then, he carefully places the yellow rose in between them. It is starting to unfurl its soft petals, opening up to the warmth and light. The lilies surround it, creating protection—it has been de-thorned and no longer has its own. He starts, for he has noticed that the rose has a really tiny bud branching off. It is also yellow, but is not going to bloom for some time yet. He smiles. Harry.
This is our son, Harry James Potter, Lily tells them proudly from the hospital bed. James stands beside her, grinning broadly. Harry is swaddled in red and gold blankets.
Raising a Gryffindor already, Potters? Sirius asks smirking.
But of course, James replies. And, he's going to play quidditch as soon as he can walk.
Lily frowns. I beg your pardon?
James hastily fixes his statedment. Err, I mean, when he's older.
Lily smiles. That's better.
What time was he born? Peter's voice comes out strangled.
They all look at him strangely.
James answers for them. 11:57 pm, July 31st.
Peter visibly gulps. Congratulations.
He stays lost in his memories. Then, noticing the setting sun, he rises from his spot on the ground. Flexing his hands, he realizes that he is still holding the bouquet of forget-me-nots.
All things must pass.
We'll always remember each other, Charlotte says. Our children with never forget what great friends we were, and they'll hope that they will have a bond as tight as ours.
Forget me not.
Forget me not.
The flowers mock him again.
None of life's dreams can last.
Forget me not.
Forget me not.
Let's make a pact, Sirius says. In 10 years, we will come back here, on June 21st, and we will share and swap stories. We will have a picnic just like this one.
But what if we're not all here? Peter asks.
Sirius regards him quietly. Then those who are left will come back. We need to hold onto this. Make sure it's not just a dream.
But 10 years later, it was just him. The dream had ended. Sirius was still in Azkaban, and couldn't come. Lily and James…Peter…Charlotte was in a coma. Peter was believed dead. But he came. And he had a picnic. And he lived in memories.
So, I must be on my way
He dropped the blue bunch on the ground, right in front of the rose and lilies.
I have not forgotten. I will not forget.
Lily, James, Sirius, Charlotte, ….Peter…, he thinks, I miss you so much. Peter, I miss the old you…not the new one. Back when you lived in white, not black, not shades of grey. Lily, James, I love you two so much. It's hard you know, to see your son. He looks so much like you. Sirius….my old friend. Padfoot. I hope you know I was sorry about not believing you. I hope you know that I love you. My brother. Charlotte, you stood by me to the end, honouring our promise. But you paid dearly for that. I owe you my life. Thank you.
He takes in the setting sun, the stream, and the grass. If he looks carefully, he can see a red checkered blanket on the grass with food on it. He can feel the softness of pillows and here the voices of time. Then he turns around and walks into the woods.
Going through the cool trees, it's as if he's leaving them all behind. He's going back to the world, leaving his past in the secret spot. But he will see them again. Later. And he will be back. He will be back to their spot in the trees, beyond the cottage. Back to the sunshine. Next June 21st. But now, he must go back to his life. He must return to the bustling, busy world, where the five of them have been left behind and forgotten by others. But no, not by him. But he will be back. Always and forever.
To face another day
Fin.
A/N:
Thank you for reading my story.
All characters excluding Charlotte Donahue belong to JKR.
The plot of this particular story belongs to me, based off of JKR's books.
The song
"All Things Must Pass"
by the Beatles
is in the story.
All things must past.
None of life's dreams can last.
So, I must be on my way,
To face another day.
Please review. It means the world to me.
FYI:
For those who didn't quite understand, here is more info.
POV: Remus Lupin
DATE: June 21st, 1999 (20 years later)
OC: Charlotte Donahue
CHARACTERS WHO ARE DEAD: Lily & James Potter, Sirius Black, Charlotte Donahue
Peter is still on the loose.
R
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Cheers,
Liadan