Nymphadora Lupin sat bolt upright in bed, a cold sweat soaking her favorite cotton pajamas. Her body was sore, bruises and cuts marring her skin all over, in addition to the blood she was still loosing from giving birth twelve short days ago. The fear of the dream she'd had- more of a constant replay of the night previous- still plagued her. She could feel her heartbeat in her fingertips, her mouth was dry. For a moment, she was in sheer panic, alone in her bedroom.
The crib at the foot of the bed stood empty too, adding to her fear only for a moment. She sat for a moment and oriented herself. The sunlight pouring in the window past the crib was brighter than the normal morning sun, so she looked over at the clock on the nightstand; It was nearly two in the afternoon. She took a deep breath, holding her head in her hand, calming herself.
Then she heard it- Music. The faint sound of a piano was winding its way up the stairs and into the room. She blinked for a moment, part of her still adjusting to the light in the room, part of her thinking on the sound.
There is a small, sky blue piano down in their parlor- it had been Remus' mother's- But she'd never seen him play it. She tried to think of when he may have mentioned that he knew how, but if he had told her it was in passing and she no longer remembered, and she'd never seen him even touch it. The piano seemed more of a visual fixture, which she'd laid a lace runner across and added a vase of flowers to when she'd moved in. But she didn't know it was functional. Slowly, she eased herself out of bed, careful not to add to the pain in her back from being struck down by a Cruciatus the night before.
Her legs felt weak from blood loss, and she leaned on the wall quite a bit as she made her way down the hall and then eased her way down the stairs. She paused at the foot of the stairs, taking in the scene she found.
Sure enough, Remus was at the piano, no music book before him, gently stroking out something she was sure a classical musician had composed decades before. She couldn't help but smile, because of course Remus didn't need sheet music.
Their son, however, was curled up tightly, snuggled into the chest of his Godfather, who was stretched across their couch, staring at the ceiling and listening intently. She couldn't help but feel she was invading what looked to be the most peaceful time two of the three of them had enjoyed in years.
"Are you boys having a good morning, then?" She ask, still holding heavily to the handrail on the stairway landing. Remus immediately stopped playing and looked up, and Harry looked over, but was careful not to wake newborn Teddy. He stood up so quickly that the stool he'd been sitting on fell backward, and Harry lazily flicked his wand at it, putting it back right. Remus came and took her by the arm to help her walk.
"We are. Thought we'd let you rest as long as you could." He said, kissing the top of her pale purple hair. She smiled up at him, but looked sadly over at Harry.
"Alright, Harry?" She ask, looking over at the young wizard.
"We woke up this morning. That is the best I can ask for." He replied quietly, his arms slinking tighter around his tiny godson. Dora tilted her head and looked to her husband, who shook his in reply.
"Come on, kitchen. You need some blood replenisher and some tea." He gently guided her to the other room, moving slowly as she walked on shaky legs.
"Is he alright?" She ask, concerned. Remus sighed. He'd came home with them rather than the Weasley's the night before, for reasons unknown. And although he was always welcome in their home, something about him was off. It was over. They'd woken up to a Voldemort-free world. Harry's long and frightful fight was done.
It was not without loss, though. And maybe that was why Harry came home with them. Remus was all that Harry had left of his family, and the Weasley's had lost two of their own. "He just didn't want to intrude on them. And I think he feels a certain amount of guilt. Plus he's hogged Teddy all morning. He clings to him like an anchor."
"Has anyone checked in on Molly?" She ask, her voice a bit shaky as the night previous replayed for her yet again. Molly had killed her Aunt Bellatrix as she was herself mid-killing curse aimed at Ginny. While she was distracted, Arthur, who she'd been fighting back-to-back with, had been killed. After the dust settled, it was discovered that one of her twin sons had also lost his life in the fighting. Not to mention how many friends they'd lost.
"I spoke to Kingsley this morning." He said, pouring her potion into her tea, "He said she knew they wouldn't come out with them all together, but she was okay. She has lots of comfort." He handed her the cup, and she took a small sip.
"And George?" She questioned.
"Not even allowed to the loo alone, at the moment. But I'm sure he'll heal with time." He sounded so calm, but she couldn't help but hurt. Physical and mental pain that seemed only to twist tighter together. She wrapped her arms around herself, and Remus added his own.
"I can't believe it is over." She sighed, burying her face in his chest. "It doesn't seem real."
"That part takes time." He replied. She nodded against him, thinking about how different this time must be for him. The last time he'd woken up after Voldemort had been defeated, he had lost everything. He had no way to get to Harry. He was utterly alone to plan the funerals of his dearest friends. Now he was home safe with his wife, a newborn son, and Harry safely with them.
"Does it ever go away?" She ask. She felt him take a deep breath.
"No." He kissed the top of her head again, and she grinned in spite of herself. "But it gets better." She held him for a moment, before their son let out a silence shattering cry.
"He's hungry." She said, pulling out of their embrace.
"I'll go, drink your tea." He said, but as he moved away Harry came in, angry baby in one hand, wand out in the other.
"I have it." He said, standing at the kitchen doorway, pointing his wand to the cabinet they'd converted for bottles. He charmed the bottle and formula to put itself together and mix, then it flew into his hand and he quietly settled Teddy to eating and walked back out.
"Is he-"
"If I could have gotten to him, I'd have done the same thing back then. He needs him- Teddy is something he can focus all his attention on and only get positive back. Let him." He pushed the cup gently back toward her. "You need to rest anyway."
She nodded and took the teacup, letting him help her back into the parlor and over to Remus' favorite reading chair- an oversized and overstuffed one she could sink into. Satisfied she was settled, Remus moved over to the piano again and began to play once more. Nymphadora Lupin smiled into her cup. Her heart was broken, and outside their home the world was still a mess they would have to clean up. But if this was her new normal, and life was to be this fear-free, it was a good morning indeed.
Been in a mood to write one-shots here lately. So here is an AU from the morning after the war. Hope you enjoyed it, and thank you so much for reading.