AN: Just wanted to thank the anonymous reviewer NikaSkywalker18 for reviewing as I can't privately reply to anonymous reviews. Also, I want to thank all my reviewers and readers! Really appreciate all of you - remember, reviewers get previews of the next chapter!
Remus wasn't entirely sure how or when he had ended up in front of the Hospital Wing doors but here he was. Along with everyone else. Well, nearly everyone. Severus wasn't. Snape, he meant. He shook his head. That didn't matter right now. Nothing mattered. He was numb. So numb. Albus... he was...
"Who's injured?" Tonks asked, her voice startling him out of his thoughts.
It was rather silly, but he had almost forgotten she was there.
Remus shook his head. He hadn't been aware anyone had been injured - just that Gibbon, the Death Eater, had died.
"Mr Weasley?" Remus asked the first person he recognised.
Not that it was difficult for a Weasley to stand out.
"Lupin?" Ron croaked out, his eyes red and Hermione clinging to him. "Tonks? You're okay?"
"Who isn't?" he asked, not wanting to draw it out.
Bad news was only made worse that way.
"Bill, it's Bill."
Remus' heart leapt to his mouth as he saw the savaged face of Bill Weasley staring at him. Those looked like-
"Greyback ..bi- ... he bit him," Hermione said with a sob as Ron shuddered.
"No..."
Remus took a step back in disbelief. Greyback couldn't have hurt someone else. He couldn't have. But he had. Bill's face was more than enough proof.
"Where are the twins?" Remus asked, looking around and not seeing the duo anywhere, needing to focus on something else.
They should be here too, surely?
"Fred and George have gone to wait on their parents by the Entrance Doors," Poppy said in a hushed whisper. "They couldn't be in the same room as-"
She sadly nodded towards the bed.
Remus and Tonks re-joined the vigil around the young man's bed, no sound coming from any of them. It just wouldn't be right.
At the sound of the doors opening, they all looked up. It was Harry and Ginny. Both of them looking far worse for wear. Hermione ran to Harry and hugged him; Remus moved forwards too.
"Are you alright, Harry?"
It had to be the stupidest thing he could say but what else could he do?
"I'm fine...how's Bill?"
Remus' stomach sank at the question. Did Harry already know what happened? He looked between him and Ginny. Had she told him? Remus watched as emotions played out across Harry's face. The same ones they had all already gone through. Madam Pomfrey explained again that there was no cure for werewolf bites. There was no cure. Remus traced a line on his arm, a scar that his sleeves always covered up. Now Bill would have those scars on his face.
"But he wasn't bitten at the full moon," said Ron, who was gazing down into his brother's face as though he could somehow force him to mend just by staring. "Greyback hadn't transformed, so surely Bill won't be a- a real -?"
That uncertainty in Ron's voice made Remus want to look away, as did the boy's questioning look. Why did everyone always think he had all the answers to do with werewolf related things? He didn't know, okay? He didn't know. Not that he could say that.
He tried to explain that Bill wouldn't be a true werewolf but those bites were cursed. And curse always left their mark one way or another. Ron didn't seem to want to accept that- he was going through the stages of grief, asking if Albus could do something-
"Ron - Dumbledore's dead," said Ginny.
What?
"No!" Remus looked wildly from Ginny to Harry, hoping the latter might contradict her, but when Harry did not, Remus collapsed in a chair beside Bill's bed, his hands over his face.
He didn't care that everyone was now staring at him. That he lost control. Albus? Dead? No, it couldn't be...
"How did he die?" whispered Tonks from beside him. When had she moved beside him? "How did it happen?
Harry began to recount what happened. Or, at least that's what Remus thought was happening. He didn't know for sure; he was all in a daze.
Which was broken by Ginny saying, "Shh! Listen!"
Something was singing in a way only one creature could. A phoenix. Singing in a way that his grief turned magically to song that echoed across the grounds and through the castle windows. It went on for a long time or perhaps not long enough. Only broken by Professor McGonagall entering the ward, telling them that Molly and Arthur were on their way. For their son...
Again, Harry had to explain what happened and irrationally, Remus felt anger well up inside of him.
"Snape was a highly accomplished Occlumens," he said, his voice uncharacteristically harsh. "We always knew that."
It's what made the man good at his job. Too good.
"But Dumbledore swore he was on our side!" whispered Tonks.
And a fat lot of good that did him. He was dead. Albus was dead. Remus still couldn't process that never mind them talking about Snape.
And they were still talking about him. They were all wondering why...how? Why did Albus trust him? How did Snape get away with doing something like this? Nothing made sense. Even less so when Harry said why Albus trusted Snape.
"And Dumbledore believed that?" said Remus incredulously. "Dumbledore believed Snape was sorry James was dead? Snape hated James..."
Sorry? Snape sorry about James dying? As if. Just...no. No. Remus buried his head in his arms trying to digest the monstrous truth of what had happened.
They couldn't. They really couldn't. As much as Snape was disliked... but this? How could this happen? McGonagall tried to blame herself, saying she sent for him.
"This isn't your fault, Minerva," said Remus firmly. "We all wanted more help; we were glad to think Snape was on his way..."
Glad. That word twisted like a knife to the gut. Hit far too true. Snape had killed Dumbledore. Albus Dumbledore. Betrayed him. Remus was only coming around to the idea. Somehow beginning to accept it.
Harry was past that point and was now trying to make sense of the events around tonight. Something that Remus didn't think he could help with. It was all so quick and confusing. He remembered it as a myriad of bodies, bright lights and smells of blood and burning. What had burned?
They were taking in turns, describing what happened, Harry clearing up how the Death Eaters had come in. Vanishing Cabinets? Any other time and Remus would have been interested in that but not now. Now it was time for him to take up the tale, from the children finding him and the twins to discovering the Death Eaters and the ensuing fight.
"- he came running back downstairs to re-join the fight and was hit by a Killing Curse that just missed me."
Remus thought he felt Tonks shudder beside him at that pronouncement. He wanted to comfort her, assure her that he was okay but that was a lie. None of them were okay.
Hermione and Ron now had their turn. Harry had apparently stationed them outside of Snape's office and he had tricked them over Filius.
Which is where Tonks took over - telling him of how hopeless things had seemed. How they thought Snape would turn things in their favour. Though, it was the ceiling caving in that did that for them. They thought so anyway.
"We all ran forward- those of us still standing, anyway - and then Snape and the boy emerged out of the dust - obviously, none of us attacked them -"
"We just let them pass," said Tonks in a hollow voice, "we thought they were being chased by the Death Eaters - and next thing the other Death Eaters and Greyback were back and we were fighting again - I thought I heard Snape shout something but I don't know what -"
"He shouted, 'It's over,' " said Harry. "He'd done what he'd meant to do."
There was an aching tone of finality to his voice that Remus felt in his bones, the phoenix's lament was still echoing over the dark grounds outside.
It was over.
