Remus wandered aimlessly among the bodies that still littered the lawns. He was no longer afraid of them, seeing as he was one himself, lying cold and pale inside the castle. He was not sad for them either, he knew that if he cared about them, he would see them soon, and if not, then he hoped that they were at peace, wherever they were.

He did not really know what to do with himself. He knew that he still had something to do, some task that needed completing before he went on, but he did not know what it was, or indeed when he would be required. He was sure that the opportunity would present itself to him at the right moment.

He watched as Neville and Oliver returned and picked up another body, a tiny body, surely one of a student, he thought. His suspicions were confirmed as the light from the castle windows fell on the small face. It was a boy Remus thought was called Creevey. He remembered him from his year as Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Colin was his name, he looked older now than he had been then, but his face still clung onto the round freshness of youth. He had been in the year below Harry at that time. Remus quickly did the maths. He was too young to be of age, he should have left with the other students, but evidently had found a way back. Remus felt a shot of sympathy for his poor family, now that he was, or at least had been, a father, he could imagine the pain of losing a child.

His thoughts now drifted to his son. He felt slightly emotional as the ppor boyno longer had both, or any parents, but he had a loving grandmother in Andromeda and a godfather in Harry, who would understand his situation, and hopefully Teddy would one day understand why both he and Dora were gone. And anyway, it was not like he would never see Teddy again. They would meet once more, when Teddy, after hopefully what was a long and fulfilled life, passed away.

'Moony!'

His thoughts were disrupted by a painfully familiar voice, a voice that he had not heard in nearly two years, and it filled him with happiness. Prickling with anticipation, he turned to face the owner of the voice, only to be greeted with a pleasanter surprise that he could have ever hoped for.

'Prongs!' he exclaimed in delight. 'Lily! Sirius!'

'Remus, what the hell is going on here?' Sirius exclaimed.

Remus looked at each of their faces in turn. Confusion, pain and worry lingered there.

'Hogwarts is making her stand.' Remus said.

'Against the Death Eaters?' James asked, gripping his wand. Remus vaguely wondered why. He couldn't be of use in that way.

'Yes, and Voldemort I believe,' he said.

'Then what the hell are you doing wandering out here?' Lily sighed in exasperation. Remus looked at her. After all this time, he'd forgotten just how bright those eyes had been.

'We want to find Harry,' James said.

'There's nothing we can do.' Remus told them.

'Why not?' Sirius interjected, crossly.

'We're dead,' he replied simply. 'Why else are we all back here together?'

'I'm not dead!' Sirius replied, indignantly. 'You aren't dead! Prongs and Lily are, and Merlin knows why they're here, but they are.'

'You are dead, Sirius,' Remus said. 'You died in the Department of Mysteries. Two years ago.'

'I- I what?' Sirius stammered, recoiling from his friend in shock. 'I can't have! Why do I not remember dying? It's rather a big event, you think I'd remember some of it!'

'Padfoot,' Lily said gently. 'We didn't know either. We don't remember.'

Remus watched as Sirius stopped to consider this fact.

'I'm dead,' he said quietly after a while. 'How did I die? Was it that veil? What happened to everyone after?'

'You fell through the veil,' Remus confirmed. 'Everyone was fine. Well, not fine. Harry was rather distraught.'

'How is he?' James asked softly.

'He's okay,' Remus said. 'How much do you know?' he added to Lily and James.

'Sirius told us everything.' James replied. 'But if it's been a couple of years since... Well, we won't be up to date.'

Remus nodded, wondering how to begin to tell them how their only son had been hunted like a wild boar this past year, the danger he was in.

'He's been on the run for a year. Voldemort is after him. He has some sort of quest, I don't know what it was, that he has to complete. Something Dumbledore gave him.'

'Dumbledore?' Sirius asked. 'Why can't he do it himself?'

'Dumbledore's dead, Padfoot.'

The shock of his words echoed around the small group as each member tried to digest this new piece of horrible information.

'Dead?' Lily repeated in horror. 'How?'

For a second time, Remus hesitated, unsure of how to break this delicate news. He knew that Lily and Snape had been friendly at one time, and even though she had ended their friendship, she would still not take the news that her former friend had turned into a callous murderer too well.

'Snape,' he said after a pause, glancing at Lily, whose eyes widened again in shock.

'Snape?' this time it was not Lily who sounded so disgusted, but Sirius.

Remus nodded.

'That filthy grease-ball murdered Dumbledore?'

Remus nodded again.

'Last year. He was a spy. A secret Death Eater.'

'Oh my god!' Sirius exclaimed. 'That unimaginable git! And to think, we let him give Harry Occlumency lessons!'

'You let that fiend at my son?' James shouted.

'He's a teacher here, Prongs.' Remus said in a calming voice.

'Can we leave Severus alone for a moment?' Lily raised her voice to override James. 'You say we're all dead? What about you?'

'You're dead too?' Sirius exclaimed. Evidently he was too preoccupied with the news of his own death earlier to notice that Remus had confirmed that he too, was dead.

'I died in this battle.' Remus told them. 'I saw my body in the Great Hall. I'm dead.'

'So why are we all here?' Lily asked, looking round at her husband and friends.

'There's something we have to do.' Remus said. 'Can you not feel it?'

There was silence around the group as each person collected their thoughts. As they let their senses wander from their bodies, they felt things that they had not been there previously. Perhaps it was due to the fact that their minds were on other things, clouded with worry and confusion, or the fact that they did not realise what they were, but they felt a clarity coming over them, like a morning mist lifting to reveal the shining sun.

They remembered things, or a place more specifically, a bright sunny landscape, dotted with familiar landmarks, with white light illuminating everything it touched, and a feeling of great contented happiness. Each of them remembered that they had met before in this beautiful place and the reunion had been joyful and full of tears, a reunion after many long years of separation and sorrow for those left behind.

They remembered heaven.

And as they remembered this place, a sense of purpose descended on them, and they knew that they had been brought back here for a reason, their loved one's intention had called them, and they had responded, and now a resolution had been made, they were allowed to remember, they had been granted clarity, all they needed to do now was wait.

Just then, the heavy wooden doors hiding the castle's Entrance Hall swung open, but there was no visible person that had caused this, and they knew their time had come.