Disclaimer : Not mine. Not now, not ever.

The Innocents' Revenge

A/N - I'm right in the middle of my very last trip for this summer, which happens to be for my cousin's wedding. Boredom struck and I finally managed to get this chapter edited. I might let you know that this chapter was hard for me to write and edit, and I don't think It's perfect yet. I'm sure you'll see why when you read it.

Chapter Twenty

Sirius entered the hospital room tentatively to find that Remus was laying in the bed looking worse than Sirius had ever seen him before, which was saying something considering how many years they had been friends and how many full moons they had spent together. It only added to the scene that Teddy was asleep on his chest. Remus was stroking Teddy's back rhythmically, as if he were desperately hanging on to the normality that it brought.

"Remus?" Sirius broke through the silence softly.

Remus' head jerked up and Sirius was faced with a startled expression. At seeing Sirius, Remus' face darkened slightly, and he stopped stroking Teddy's back abruptly.

Sirius stepped further into the room, lowering his eyes from Remus' pale face, suddenly ashamed.

"I only just heard you were in here," Sirius said.

Remus said nothing, just watched Sirius, his eyes alert, almost like a predator stalking its prey.

Sirius bit his lip, not being able to think of what else to say. He never had been very good at being coherent when speaking in tense situations. The silence was awkward and Sirius found himself wishing for Dora and Ginny to show up.

"I...How's Teddy?" Sirius asked, looking down at the sleeping baby.

Remus, too, glanced down, his gaze softening as it landed on Teddy. Sirius immediately felt guilty. How could he reject the child he way he had?

"He's fine," Remus finally replied, though gruffly. His voice was harsh, and Sirius couldn't tell if it was from anger or from something else entirely.

"Are you okay?"

Remus frowned. "When is Dora coming?" he asked.

Sirius hesitated, knowing that Remus had purposely avoided answering, but replied all the same, "Ginny went to get her. She's tied up at the Ministry right now, but she should be able to come soon,"

Remus moved to sit up, but then winced at the slight pressure it put on his arm. "I need to see her," he said.

"She'll get here before too much longer,"

Remus stilled, his face pensive. He coughed suddenly, violently, and Sirius grimaced as he saw the blood that appeared in Remus' hand. It didn't even faze Remus as he wiped it on a rag that had seemingly been placed nearby for that exact reason.

"It's getting worse, Sirius. I just need to see her one last time before..."

Sirius felt his heart skip a beat. It was close now, Sirius could tell. Remus would be dying, and there was no way to stop it. His death had been coming inevitably closer every day, and Sirius knew that it had to arrive one day. Sirius once again cursed Voldemort and his retched horcruxes.

"Remus..."

Remus coughed again.

"I'm sorry, Remus. So sorry," Sirius pleaded.

Remus leaned back against the pillows, his face somehow paler than before. His breathing was no longer steady, and his breaths sounded unusually raspy and loud.

"Take Teddy," Remus said, holding out the baby. Teddy's eyes blinked open at the movement and he stared at Sirius.

Sirius only hesitated a moment before he accepted the child into his arms. Teddy immediately cuddled up to Sirius, still mostly asleep.

Remus was coughing again, and he didn't seem able to recover as well this time. He looked up at Sirius with wide eyes. "Take care of them, for me, Sirius. Promise me," he requested.

"Remus..."

"Promise me!"

Sirius glanced down at the baby in his arms. "We should get a healer in here," he said.

Remus reached out then, in a move that startled Sirius completely. Grasping Sirius by the front of his shirt, he pulled him closer.

"Sirius, promise me!"

"I...Yes, Remus, of course. I'll take care of Teddy,"

"And Dora?"

"And Dora," Sirius promised.

Remus lay back then, looking relieved. He closed his eyes.

"Remus!" Sirius felt panicked at the sight of Remus lying so still, but Remus' eyes flickered open and he gave Sirius a weary look.

"I'm so sorry I refused Teddy, Remus. I'm sorry for yelling at you and Dora. I'm sorry for running out on you. I should have been there for you," Sirius rambled, watching Remus.

"Will you forgive me?" Sirius asked, his voice faint.

Remus coughed harshly.

"Remus?"

Remus opened his eyes again and held out his hand.

Sirius took his friend's hand and gasped at how cold it was. In his arms, Teddy shifted and let out a small cry.

Remus half smiled at the sound of his beloved son. He spoke softly, then, "Of course I forgive you, Padfoot. You're my best friend."

Remus stilled and his eyes closed. His expression revealed his absolute pain. Then, all at once, Remus let out one last raspy breath, his hand fell limp, and his face relaxed into a peaceful expression.

A loud alarm blared outside the door and panicked looking healers rushed into the room.

Sirius was pulled away from Remus' bed and he found himself shoved into the corner as the healers surrounded Remus. He clutched Teddy close as the baby started crying at the loud voices in the room.

"He's gone," one of the healer's said, and Sirius felt his tears overflow as he sobbed for the loss of his best friend.

"Dora!" Ginny called out, seeing the auror. Dora turned and saw Ginny rushing up to her.

"Ginny? What are you doing here? Where's Teddy?"

"With Remus. He wants to see you, but Sirius said that you didn't get my message earlier, so I had to come find you," Ginny said, breathing heavily from running through the Ministry to find her.

"Is everything okay?"

"I don't know. He seemed fine when I last saw him. We should hurry, though," Ginny replied.

Dora looked torn as another person called her name and requested her help. Turning away from the person, Dora murmured a "Let's go," and led the way to a nearby apparation point.

Soon after, both women were hurrying down the hall towards Remus' room at St. Mungo's. The hallways was abnormally busy and it was only as they arrived that they could see Sirius sitting on the bench outside the closed door. His hands hid his face as he slouched wearily in his seat. Teddy was sitting on the floor at Sirius' feet, playing with a small toy. The baby was the first to notice them and he smiled widely at his mum.

"Sirius?"

Sirius looked up and Ginny knew immediately that something bad had happened. Sirius' face was streaked with tears and his expression was one of despair.

"Remus?" Dora asked softly, her eyes wide and pleading with Sirius.

He shook his head and tried to reply, but only managed one garbled word, "Gone,"

Dora stared at him in shock for a long moment, then she crumpled, the shock of everything that day plus the news of her husband's death overwhelming her. She fell to the floor, but neither Sirius nor Ginny helped her, both living in their own misery.

Healers came forward and helped Dora to her feet and sat her beside Sirius, who handed Teddy to her silently. Dora held him close, finding small comfort in her son's presence as she wept.

Ginny felt her own tears start to fall as well as she watched Dora. "I should..." she paused. "I should contact Dumbledore,"

Sirius nodded without a word and Ginny left, not wanting to exaggerate her own pain by being near the aching sadness that surrounded Sirius and Dora.

Gone. His absence was like a painful hole had been ripped in her heart, and it couldn't be filled with anything, not even Teddy. Time was a blur, now, and she didn't care that she was simply sitting at a table, staring into space. He was gone. Dead.

Faintly, in the fog that was real life, she could hear crying. Teddy's, she knew. She didn't react to it. Someone else would tend to him. There were plenty of people around. She had been forced to accept all of their condolences, all of their small gifts, all of their sad expressions. None of them felt the way she did. He had been her husband, her one true love, the father of her child. He was now non-existent.

She felt herself start sobbing again, but she didn't bother trying to stop. A gentle hand rubbed her back soothingly, though whoever it was didn't say anything. She heard other voices in the fog, and then Teddy was quieted.

Something was pressed into her hands. A cup of tea, she realised. She didn't drink it. It wouldn't bring Remus back. Nothing could do that.

"Dora, Teddy needs you," a soft voice informed her.

Dora didn't reply, nor did she attempt to find Teddy to give him her attention.

"Take care of him for her, Miss Weasley. She's not up to anything right now," a different voice - Dumbledore? - replied.

There was a grumbled reply, but Dora didn't pay any further attention.

Someone took the untouched teacup from her hand and pulled her to her feet before scooping her into their arms, supporting her back and under the knees. Dora realised it was Sirius.

He carried her out of the room and up the stairs to a bedroom that she knew as the one in Grimmauld Place that she had often used in the past. She was momentarily confused. When had she been brought to Grimmauld Place?

She was laid down on a bed and covered with blankets.

"I'll take care of you, Dora. Just as I promised," Sirius' whispered voice said through the fog of shock, but then Dora registered no more, as she gave into the weariness and fell asleep.

A/N - Reviews make my boredom dissipate, and inspire me to write the next chapter, which will finally have Harry in it again.