A.N—A lot of people wanted me to change the outcome of this story because of Belle's death, however this is the way I wanted it to end. Sorry, but if you don't like it, don't read it. Please drop me a review.

Disclaimer—I own nothing except for Belle, Stefan and Arya.

OoOoO

Chapter Fifty
And the Rain Pours Down.

It was cold, sharp and gloomy the day of Belle's funeral. It was a short ceremony and Remus spent the entire time twisting his wedding ring around his finger, tears falling freely. He'd never known grief until this moment. It twisted in his gut and made him want to crawl away and hide somewhere. Remus had never faced a dementor in real life before, but he imagined that even they couldn't inspire the same misery that he was feeling now. He'd buried her with her wedding ring, but her locket was around his own neck, a lock of her hair tucked inside along with a picture of the two of them.
Belle had left everything to him. The cottage, her gold, even the money her father had bequeathed to her after his death. Remus didn't have the heart to look through the paperwork just yet to learn the specifics. This feeling was not new to him, he'd felt it before, but never to this degree of pain.

Lily and James stood to his left, baby Harry in Lily's arms and both dressed in black, crying. Sirius was on his other side, looking handsome as usual but so numb that he hunched over a bit, staring at his shoes. Mary had come over from Venice for the funeral and she was pale and thinner, almost sickly looking behind the lace veil she worse over her face, her hand clutched in Sirius's tightly. Peter hadn't been able to come today but Stefan and Cooper had attended. Many dancers from the company had turned up, mourning the death of one of the greatest dancers of the twentieth century. Belle's family was there too, all of them sobbing in a way that ripped your heart out of your chest.

After the ceremony everybody headed into the Potter home which was just down the road from the graveyard in Godric's Hollow. Remus stayed and so did Lily, who handed Harry to his father and took Remus's hand gently. Arya sat at Remus's heels, silent and her head drooping, her tail between her legs. She was only a dog, but she could sense that her mistress had died and since then, she'd been less playful, the life sucked out of the small dog as it had been sucked out of Remus when his wife had died.

Belle 'Tink' Lupin nee Grey
15 April 1960 – 10 August 1980
An athlete of God, a true friend,
a beloved daughter and sister as well
as a loyal and caring wife.
For longer than forever.

Remus sniffed and crouched down, placing a bouquet of daisies on her grave, which had a small picture of her permanently stuck to the limestone. It didn't move, but it had still captured the delighted laugh and joy on her face.

"Why did you have to go? Why did you have to leave me?" he whispered to her but he received no answer. "I'm going to get whoever did this to you, Belle. I'm going to avenge you and one day, I'll be able to join you wherever it is that you are."

Lily cleared her throat and put her hand on Remus's shoulder. "Remus, there's something that I need to tell you."

Remus stood up and frowned, half turning towards her. "What?"

"Belle begged me not to tell you but...given circumstances I think that you deserve to know."

Remus turned fully towards her and crossed his arms. He glared, starting to get impatient. "What is it, Lily? Spit it out, already."

"The night before you went on that undercover mission three months ago, you and Belle had sex, right?" she asked and Remus raised an eyebrow. "Well...you got her pregnant, Remus."

All the air in Remus's lungs was swept out and he swayed on his feet, blinking. "What?"

"When Belle...passed on...she was carrying your child. She didn't tell you because she knew you would freak out, rave on about how there was a monster inside her and try to convince her to kill the baby before it was born. She planned to go overseas for ten months, enough time to let the baby grow and for her to give birth. Belle said she was going to tell you that she found the baby abandoned and that she couldn't bring herself to leave it there. You'd think you were raising another man's child when really you were raising your own. She was so scared, Remus, but she loved both you and her baby too much to let both of you go without a fight. What she was going to do was so brave. I wouldn't have had the courage to do it. I'm…so sorry Remus. I don't know if telling you this makes things better or worse."

Remus gulped and staggered over to a bench, Arya jumping up to sit next to him, resting her soft head on his thigh, keening a little. "It's both Lily. Both." he breathed. "This is all my fault."

"You weren't the one who killed her Remus. You weren't the one who chose to be a werewolf. None of us have much control over what happens. We just need to learn to accept it and...and move on." Lily's lip was wobbling dangerously.

Remus looked up at her. "How far along was she? What was it? Do you know?"

Lily nodded, having overheard a conversation between the coroners' hours earlier. She sat down next to Remus and took his hand. "She was three months along. She'd picked out names and everything. It was a boy, Remus. She wanted to call him Xavier."

Remus began to cry then, putting his head on Lily's shoulder as he cried for all he'd lost. Arya began to howl again and Remus felt a little bitter, wishing he could do the same. Wishing he could howl at the heavens for taking his love from him too soon.

Rain started to fall down around them but neither cared, too taken with their misery to notice.