A/N: At the time of his death, Remus' life flashes before his eyes. Wolfstar. I do not own Harry Potter.

Submission for:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments): Potions Assignment #5 - Write about character death

Romance Survival Challenge: Wolfstar

Stratego: Minimum 700 words - 712 words

He thought when you died, your life flashed before your eyes. He expected to see images of his parents, the few happy Christmases he had while his grandmother was still alive, getting his Hogwarts letter.

He expected to see Harry, who he hadn't had the chance to know when he was young but he protected like he was his own, who needed him now that he had no one else.

He expected to see even more recent memories of Tonks, their wedding, their first night together, finding out she was pregnant, Teddy's birth.

He expected to see more of his time as the wolf, experience the tiredness and anxiety that came with each transformation, month after month since he was five.

But instead he saw himself sitting alone in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, tugging at too-short sleeve of his pullover as he stared out the window at the bustling platform. He had gotten onto the train as quickly as possible to secure a seat without bothering anyone, still a bit self-conscious about being around so many people.

There was a noise behind him as the door to the compartment slid open and a boy his age stepped in and sat in the seat across from him, staring straight ahead. His black hair was slicked back and his robes were well-made and impeccable, though he still hadn't said a word.

The whistle sounded as the last few students boarded the train and it began to move. After a few moments, the boy said out of the corner of his mouth, "Are we clear of the platform?"

Remus leaned a bit closer to the window before giving the boy a nod. This caused a wide grin to spread across the boy face as he mussed up his hair and pulled off his outer robe. Then he held out a hand to him and said, "Sirius Black."

The images switched to those from his time at Hogwarts, his classes, eating in the Great Hall and bunking with his best friends. He saw Sirius leaning back in his chair, his hair falling messily over his eyes as he chewed on the end of a quill. He saw Sirius reading in the library but Remus could tell by the rise and fall of his chest, he was really sleeping behind the book.

He remembered the times they all ran beneath the moonlight, or maybe those memories were made up since he couldn't remember anything about his times as the wolf except the large black dog who nuzzled his side.

He remembered times spent in the Hospital Wing, Madame Pomfrey looking on with thinly veiled happiness at his friends huddled around his bed and the sunlight shining through Sirius' hair as they recounted the events of the night for Remus. James said something funny and then Sirius would let out a barking laugh as Peter noshed on sweets.

He even remembered that one night when Sirius had stolen Firewhiskey from the kitchens. The others had drank a bit more than he had so he had a wonderful time watching as they all made fools of themselves. Then Sirius had planted a slobbery kiss on his lips. Unfortunately, the next day he remembered nothing of it and Remus never mentioned it.

He remembered moments after Hogwarts: spending the days hanging with Sirius in the Muggle town near his home, seeing Sirius as James' best man, visiting James and Lily and even baby Harry.

He remembered feeling betrayed when he thought Sirius had killed James and Lily. Sirius and James were tighter than brothers and he couldn't believe that the boy on the train would do that to someone after so many years.

He remembered the relief when he finally learnt the truth. They went into hiding together and they became best friends once more. Remus felt whole again.

But then everything came crashing down. Sirius' face flashed through his mind as he fell backwards through the Veil. He saw that madwoman's crazed face as she laughed and Harry's look of despair which mirrored his own.

Sirius was gone. He would never see the man again in this lifetime.

It was in his last moments of consciousness that the memories finally made sense. Sirius Black was his life.