Okay, here it is, the ending. I hope you enjoyed it. And I want to specifically thank Silverdanica for the nice things you've said about my story. And everyone else who reviewed. Thanks to much! Without farther adieu….
Chapter 12
Amere Via
"You do not frighten me, old man," Voldemort said with a trembling voice.
"Then why do you tremble, Tom?" Dumbledore asked firmly. Both stood in duel stance, neither one making a move. The rest of the group stood, waiting for something to happen. Waiting for hundreds of Death Eaters to show up. Waiting for Dumbledore to tell them to do something.
"When did he get here?" Remus asked, setting Sirius down.
"It was all a set up, taking Sirius. Dumbledore got here and then immediately You-Know-Who showed up." Ron Weasley said.
"Where's Harry?" Sirius said, making an incredible effort to stand.
"He's safe. He's inside with the rest of my family." Ron didn't take his eyes off Dumbledore.
"I can't imagine he can fight the Killing curse." Remus said out of the corner of his mouth.
Dumbledore's eyes no longer held their benevolent twinkle. They held fury. Voldemort had destroyed more lives then Dumbledore wanted to imagine. He pointed his wand directly at Voldemort's heart and shouted, "MORTIFICUS." But nothing happened.
Voldemort cackled with laughter. "You can't kill an immortal." He had a sort of triumph in his eyes. "Avada Kedavra", Voldemort shouted, so loudly the trees shuttered.
Dumbledore fell to the ground. He was dead.
"No!" Shouted Sirius. He tried to run to Dumbledore, but his legs wouldn't work.
Voldemort had a fierce look on his pale face. It would give the strongest man nightmares. He started to move toward the rest of the group, wand pointed, when there was an earth-shattering scream and he was gone. Seconds later all the Dementors were gone as well.
"What happened?" Ron asked after a moment of silence.
"I don't know," Remus said, shaken. He walked to Dumbledore's body. He couldn't believe he could be dead.
"Everyone, let's get inside," Arabella said. Her voice shook, and her eyes were on Remus as he examined Dumbledore's body. Hesitantly, everyone except Remus and Sirius followed Arabella inside.
Sirius still couldn't walk. He felt stronger then he had earlier, but he was still too weak. "Is he…" Sirius couldn't finish the sentence. He saw the answer as Remus looked over at him, tears streaking down his cheek. "We can't win without him," he said, defeated.
~*~
Without Dumbledore, Hogwarts seemed to have forgotten how to operate. Professor McGonagall tried to fill in as Headmistress and still teach Transfiguration, but it was nearly impossible. Her mind was with the poor students, but her heart was in the school. It almost seemed blasphemous to keep the school running. She couldn't bring herself to move into the Headmaster's quarters, and since she hadn't been officially named Headmistress, the office lay empty. It was left to Remus, Sirius and Arabella to go through the files in Dumbledore's office. It was not a small task either. They each took a section of office and tried to organize things, so when Professor McGonagall did finally take over officially, she wouldn't be overwhelmed with all her new responsibilities.
"Remus, look at this," Arabella held a piece of parchment out. Remus took it and read it outloud.
Several years ago, just after the time I was made headmaster of Hogwarts, I had a spell put in my body. The Aslyum charm. It was done in complete secrecy. Hogwarts and it's students are the most important things to me. As long as I was living, the school couldn't be harmed. However, this charm also assured that should I be killed by something other then a natural cause, any person who may have caused harm to me was banished. When I die my spirit will leave my body and form a protective shield around Hogwarts. It will be impenetrable. This way, my spirit will always reside there.
Remus swallowed. "He would have died to save Hogwarts. And that's what he did."
Sirius put a hand on his shoulder. "So we do have him helping us, then. And we can make it out of this war." Remus met his eyes and smiled. Maybe they could.
~*~
Remus stayed in the office after Sirius and Arabella had gone down to dinner. Sirius, still awaiting an official pardon from the Ministry after they discovered Peter's body, had to eat alone in his room. The somber mood of the castle, however, made it feel more appropriate.
Remus rubbed his forehead. Many of these old files in Dumbledores office were written in ancient Latin. How was he supposed to know if they were important? As he pushed the last file onto a shelf he noticed something. In the back of the shelf, halfway hidden in a secret compartment, he found a diary. He thumbed through it, feeling it was important. The pages were blank. There had to be something written in this, he just had to find a way to read it. He turned it over and over, sure he recognized it, but not sure from where. He put it in his robes and left the office.
He returned to his quarters and found Sirius sitting at the table. His plate filled with food. He glanced up at Remus and smiled. "Done finally?" He asked.
Remus sat down across the table, and his plate immediately filled with food. Chicken and mashed potatoes. Corn and peas. He picked up his wooden goblet that magically filled itself with pumpkin juice.
"I found this," he pulled the diary out of his robes and tossed it across the table at Sirius.
Sirius' eyes examined it for a moment, then lit up, and he laughed out loud. "Where did you find it?" He asked.
"It was in the back of one of Dumbledore's shelves. I can't figure out how to work it." Remus took a bite if his chicken.
"Do you know what this is, Moony?"
"It's a diary, love." He said after swallowing his chicken.
"It used to be my diary. Mine and James. We called it the Marauder's Diary. We enchanted it in our third year and meant to tell you and Peter, but then we got hacked off at you for something, I can't even remember what," He chuckled at the memory. "Anyway, we wrote some not so nice things in there about you and Peter, and once we were on good terms again we decided not to tell you. It would be something that just James and I would share. We used it until sixth year, when James started pouring his heart out to Lily instead of this," he rolled his eyes playfully as if he was annoyed with Lily. "I haven't seen it since." He thumbed through it.
"What things did you write?" Remus asked.
"Just stupid things. Thoughts that we would only want each other to know but couldn't say. And some other things, like I think we put some Quidditch moves in it, so the other teams couldn't find our strategies."
"What sort of things did you write about Peter and me?" Remus asked, an amused tone to his voice.
"I can't remember." He held up his wand. "Here, I'll show you." Pressing his wand to the book he said, "Our thoughts will not betray. Our words will never say." The diary opened to the first page. It was dated November 19, 1973.
This is our first entry in the Marauders Diary. Messers. Padfoot and Prongs will use it to aid in mischief….
Sirius smiled, then thumbed through it more. The pages now were all full with words and symbols.
June 12, 1974
We are devising a new language. It will be a code used only between Messers. Padfoot and Prongs and mostly to discuss the happenings of Messers. Wormtail and Moony. Once Prongs has completed it, we will put it in here as a reference.
Sirius read aloud.
"What sort of things are in there about Peter and me, then?" Remus tried to grab for the book, but Sirius jumped up and walked to the other end of the room.
"I cannot say, Mr. Moony. The things in this diary are top secret. I would have to kill you if I told you," he said with a smirk on his lips.
Remus shot across the room and pounced on Sirius, taking the book from his hand and holding him playfully on the floor. He opened it and started reading. "You didn't use it much did you?" He asked sarcastically. Each page was full. Some with words some with Arithmancy problems. "Look, you even have a schedule of the cycles of the moon," Remus said.
"I think we did that in our fifth year. About the time the Animagus transformations were complete." Sirius was still pinned to the floor, but he seemed not to mind having Remus sitting on his torso. "I stopped using it a while after that. I guess life got too busy." He sounded regretful. "Clearly James did, though. Look how many more pages are full."
Remus hesitated. It was on thing reading Sirius' private thoughts, since he was there with him. It was something else to read James'. He turned the next page.
October 31, 1976
Tonight Lily kissed me. All I could think of was why it took us so long to get to this point. Why had we been just friends for the past 4 years when this felt like heaven? And it took her to make the move. She kissed me. Me. The captain of the Quiddtich team, prefect. And I still didn't have the nerve to make the first move. She does that to me I guess. She's incredible.
Remus sighed trying to hide his embarrassment for intruding on such private things.
"See when he quit using it," Sirius said, now resigned to not being able to move.
Remus read aloud.
"October 24, 1981
The Mater Caritas spell is complete. I just have to wait until James is gone to perform it. I hate that I can't let him know about it, but he would never let me sacrifice myself for my son. And he wouldn't understand that it has to be me that does it, not him, not Sirius, me. I've written it all down here. Someone like Voldemort who only knows power from greed can never understand the power that comes from love. "
He looked down at the bottom of the page. "Mater Caritas," he mumbled, now unaware of Sirius looking over his shoulder. He stood up, entranced with the spell. It took him a moment to realize what he'd found. What Lily had found. It was a spell that would ultimately destroy Voldemort. He glanced at Sirius and felt hope for the first time in days.
~*~
It was months later. They had gotten through that school year in grief and disbelief. It was summer now. The school was still in shock from losing Dumbledore but determined to start picking up pieces. Harry, Hermione and the whole Weasley family had joined in the fight to bring down Voldemort. With the Ministry in disbelief that Voldemort was back, many wizards were hesitant to help.
The group, plus Snape, sat in one of the dungeons at the bottom of the school. Papers and spells were spread all over a table. The organization that used to come in these meetings was gone.
"If Harry dies in a duel with Voldemort, it will destroy Voldemort," Mundungus said. He glanced quickly at Harry, who nodded. They had previously discussed this venture but felt it would be best for Mundungus to bring it up, as it would be less likely for Sirius to refuse it since it would sound more concievalbe.
"What? Absolutely not," Sirius said, amazed he even brought that up.
"Sirius, we've already talked about it," Harry said. "When Voldemort used my blood and part of Peter to revive himself he made himself bound to me. If I live he lives. If I die…" Harry broke.
"No. We won't sacrifice Harry," Sirius said, looking to Ron and Hermione for support.
"What if there is no other way?" Arabella asked painfully.
"Excuse me," Hermione said, as if she were just an unwelcome student, not one of the brains behind the operation. "If Voldemort dies, will Harry then die too. Does it work both ways?"
"I don't believe so," said Mundungus. "He may loose the parts of him Voldemort gave him, like Parslemouth, but I don't think he will lose his life. Voldemort's life was dependent on Harry and Peter, who had a life debt on Harry. Harry's life is not dependent on Voldemort."
Ron sighed. It made sense, but he couldn't watch Harry die. As Ron glanced around the room, from Harry's contended eyes, to Sirius' determined eyes, to Hermione's worried eyes, he hoped it wouldn't break the strength this small group had. His thoughts were broken as Remus broke his silence.
"I know of another way," he said quietly.
"What?" Arabella asked. He threw the diary entry in front of her.
"Lily knew how to do it, she just couldn't get all the components before she died. Here, I've made notes."
Harry's eyes flitted from Remus to Sirius. He had no idea what he was talking about. "My mother knew what?"
"She was brilliant, Harry. She figured it out. While she was standing in front of you, protecting you as it were, she was charmed. She put the charm inside herself then performed the charm on you, so when she jumped in front of Voldemort to protect you, the charm caused Voldemort's wand to rebound on his next victim." Remus was so excited to get all the information out he hadn't realized he wasn't making much sense.
"Wait, tell me more about this charm," Arabella said intrigued.
"The Mater Caritas. It only works in someone like a parent. Someone who has unconditional love, a nurturing, and a love that can only come from a parental figure. She knew when she did this she would have to sacrifice herself. But there is another component to it. That is why Voldemort didn't die. The victim, the person who was being protected, has to perform a spell that will destroy the soul of Voldemort"
Severus' eyes shone with comprehension. "I know the potion for that spell. It's illegal. It's very difficult."
"Can you brew it?" Sirius asked.
"Wait," Hermione said. "I still don't understand. What do we have to do with the potion? You- Know -Who can't drink it if he's merely a soul."
"Say Voldemort, Hermione," Harry retorted.
"You pour it on him. It's like what the Muggles call," Remus stopped and tried to think of the word, "petrol. The spell that accompanies it is like the match that lights the petrol."
"I don't know why she didn't tell us. We could have helped her," Arabella said.
"So," Harry said, "let's do it."
Remus shot his eyes from Sirius to Harry then said, "Do you understand what this means?"
Harry looked at him blankly.
"Harry, he has to do the Killing curse on you, this way it will rebound on him, and kill his body. I have no doubt he will use this, but if the Mater Caritas isn't precise, you will die instead."
"Absolutely not," Sirius said. "He can't do it."
"There is no other way," Harry said to Sirius. "I've survived that curse twice so far. Why not one more time?"
"I cannot willingly expose you to that curse." Sirius banged his fist on the table.
"Sirius," Remus looked into his eyes, "it has to be him."
Sirius was quiet for a moment. Numb.
"Is there really no other way?" Sirius asked.
"I'm sorry," Remus said feeling his pain.
"Alright, what do we have to do?" Sirius closed his eyes and accepted it.
"Since Voldemort has regained his body, we will have to have a sacrifice." He stopped and looked at Sirius. "I will perform the charm on myself. I will be the sacrifice." Remus said softly.
"No!" Sirius said forcibly. "There has to be something else." He sighed. "Let me be the sacrifice."
"Sirius, you're the stronger of the two of us. You will be more beneficial to them."
Sirius seemed to have forgotten that the room was full of eyes watching their every move. "Me? You're the one that's come up with all the charms. You're the one who's got the logic."
"I've already accepted it. It's going to be me," Remus said with a force that he rarely used.
Sirius pulled a wild card, one he hadn't used in 15 years. "I'm his godfather. I'm doing it."
Remus knew he was serious. There was no talking Sirius out of this.
~*~
It took Snape a full two weeks to brew the potion, and then it took the intelligence another month to discover where Voldemort was hiding. But eventually they did.
"We know where he is," Sirius said, fear in his voice. His face looked pale. His eyes met Remus'. "McGonagall and Snape seem certain he will be there tomorrow, and it would be more beneficial to attack during the day, as most Death Eaters are up all night. So that's the plan."
They looked across the room at each other, both knowing this would be the last night they spent together. As if they had no legs, just magnetic pull, they floated into each other's arms. There were no words spoken. Sirius looked into the brown eyes of the person he loved more then anyone else in the world. Then he realized he'd never told Remus that. So tonight he would show him. He would show him that when he looked in his eyes, he saw a love that frightened him sometimes. He would show him that his body does things to Sirius the nobody else's has ever done. He would spend his last night alive with his lover. Getting so familiar with his body that it would make up for the years he would miss. The thought tugged at his heart. He would miss the rest of Remus' life. He would miss seeing his already flecked gray hairs turn grayer. The lines in his beautiful face become more definite. He traced his finger across the lines, hoping to etch them in his mind. His rough fingers traced the soft lips that had given him so much pleasure in the past. He replaced his fingers with his lips, hoping that maybe he could get lost in the kiss. Hoping maybe it would last forever.
Their bodies moved in sync. Like they understood that they would never be with this body again. It was gentle, it was beautiful, and unlike anything they had done before. It was always beautiful with they made love, but this night it seemed the cosmos were helping them. The universe was on their side, making it a night neither hoped to forget, even in the few hours they had left.
They lay together, their eyes locked. "I love you," Sirius said, tears forming in his eyes.
"I love you," Remus said, wiping the tear from his own eyes. They stayed this way until they drifted to sleep, faces still turned to each other, tears still staining their cheeks.
The next morning Sirius and Remus met with the gang in a field just outside London. There had been a Portkey prepared to take them all to the place Voldemort was rumored to be, and they would destroy him, once and for all. Nobody dared speak as the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, Mundungus, Arabella, Snape, McGonagall and Sirius and Remus held on to a deflated rubber ball. Moments later they were whirling into space and then they landed on a dark mountain. They were alone, and they looked around at each other. Still afraid to speak, Snape pointed uphill and they followed.
When they arrived at the top of the mountain the site that met them was enough to stop time. Voldemort and 40 Death Eaters stood in a line, wands pointed, ready for battle. Obviously, they were expected. Before another wand could be raised curses were shouted. There was confusion as hexes went everywhere and people tried to duck them.
"Anathema," Someone shouted, and a Death Eater was flung over the cliff of the mountain.
"Crucio," a deep voice said, and there were deafening screams.
Remus looked up the rocky mountain. If he could move the rocks from the top ledge he would be able to take out several Death Eaters. The problem would be trying not to get their guys. He concentrated his thoughts and waved his wand. "Cadere". The ledge jarred a little at first, then fell. Rubble and dust everywhere, it was impossible to see who was still standing. Remus hoped he'd done the right thing.
When the cloud of rubble cleared Harry stood face to face with Voldemort. Of the many times he'd been in this position before, he felt most confident now. He never took his eyes off Voldemort. Even as Sirius and Remus joined his side. He knew what was about to happen. He knew he was going to lose his godfather. The closest thing he had in his memory to a father. He wanted to call the whole thing off. To just let Voldemort finish him off.
Voldemort got a look of triumph on his face as he raised his wand. Sirius stood, ready for what he had to do. Trying to keep the image of Remus in his mind. He wanted that to be the last thing he saw. As Voldemort opened his mouth to form a word it happened, almost like slow motion. Sirius bounded and threw himself in front of Harry. Harry screamed, Remus screamed. And then Remus bound in front of Sirius.
"Remus, NO!" Sirius shouted.
The words "Avada Kedavra" came out of Voldemorts mouth. As a flash of green light flew out of the wand a third figure jumped in front of Remus out of nowhere. Remus tried to push the man out of the way, but it was too late. The third man fell to the ground. Voldemort had a look of confusion and fury on his face only seconds before his body disintegrated. A cloudy orb floated where he stood.
Sirius and Remus looked down at the fallen man, trying understand what just happened. Harry, as almost by instinct took a potion out of his robe walked to the cloudy orb and poured the potion on it. The orb flinched as if it were in pain. Then Harry heard something. "You don't want to kill me," the orb said. "Harry you know you don't. I'll help you." Voldemorts soul had a wispy voice to it. A pleading voice. It entranced Harry. He almost lost sight of his goal. Almost.
Harry raised his wand. Disgust on his face. "Non Vita," he said pointing his wand to the orb. There was a hideous scream that seemed to fill every inch of earth and then the orb was gone. It was silent.
Sirius and Remus still had their eyes on the figure in front of them. A tall dark haired man who had been their enemy since they were 11. Severus Snape was dead.
"Why did he do it," Sirius asked
"He loved my mother," Harry said bending down to look at Snape's body. "He did it for her." Harry put a hand over Snape's eyes and gently pushed them closed.
"What happened?" Ron asked, exasperated at what he'd just seen. "That's not what the charm was supposed to do, was it? Wasn't it supposed to rebound off of Harry, not the sacrifice?"
"He changed the spell," Remus said as if it were a revelation. "I thought those weren't the right words he said when he performed it on Harry. He knew he was going to do this. He put the charm in himself. Sacrificed himself, and it rebounded off him. He must have known Voldemort knew we would do this. Yes, it would make sense. It worked once before, why not try it again. So Severus altered it so it would rebound off the sacrifice."
"I guess we can't hate him anymore can we?" Ron said in a light tone.
Harry stood up and walked to the place Voldemort's soul had floated. It was peaceful. The world seemed different now. Somehow it seemed brighter. All Harry could do now was cry.
The beginning of Harry's sixth year of school approached just as Harry was starting to get used to the idea to life at Hogwarts without Dumbledore. Just one month earlier a very peeved Minister of Magic had cleared Sirius. He had wanted nothing more then to keep his belief that Sirius Black was a murderer. Harry was going to spend his summers and holidays with Sirius and Remus. He smiled at the idea. When he was younger he thought about Sirius marrying a woman and taking him in, but he thought this was just as well. Remus was also like a father figure to him. It would be the family he'd always wanted.
He adjusted to life with Sirius and Remus very quickly. Remus took on his old job at the Muggle factory, and Sirius would be the new Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts. They sat quietly at the small end table in the living room, drinking tea and eating crumpets.
"Harry, what's this?" Sirius asked picking up the tattered leather book off the table.
"Oh, that's just a photo album Hagrid gave me of my parents," Harry replied.
"I helped contribute to that. Can I take a look?" Remus asked. Sirius handed it to him and looked over his shoulder interested.
They sat down on the couch, Remus in the middle, Harry on his left and Sirius on his right, leaning in close. Remus opened the book. They were quiet at first, as a sort of reverence to Lily and James, but a few pages in the laughter grew.
"Moony, do you remember what we were doing then?" Sirius asked, smiling at a picture of Lily and James on the grass eating a picnic. In the picture James leaned in and kissed Lily, then took a bite of his sandwich.
Remus blushed, "Yes, I remember, but since Harry is here, I don't think I'll comment."
Sirius looked pleased at successfully embarrassing him. He turned the page. It was Lily and James at their wedding, Sirius smiling next to them. Their happy expressions dropped.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"That's when it all started," Remus said. Sirius turned his face down and looked at the floor. "That's when your family was attacked," he looked at Sirius, "that's when Sirius lost his father."
There was silence. Awkward silence. Finally Sirius looked up and smiled, as a hope to break the tension. He stood up and opened an old cupboard. He pulled out a box.
"Would you like some new pictures, Harry?" Sirius asked.
"I've got loads." Remus said, then his face fell as if he suddenly remembered something. "Sirius will have to look at them first, there may be some incriminating pictures in there." He turned red.
Sirius laughed, "You kept those? You told me you were going to burn them?" He shuffled through, hoping to find the pictures of which Remus spoke.
Harry just tried to get the past minute out of his mind, and he surely didn't want to hear more about those pictures.
The rest of the evening was spent in reminiscence over Lily and James and their adventures at Hogwarts. Hours later Harry journeyed down the hallway to his room.
Sirius pulled out a picture and handed it to Remus. Then laughed as Remus blushed. "Wanna try that again?" Sirius asked, winking. Remus didn't say anything, but the expression on his face said it all. He turned and walked down the hall, Sirius behind him, when they stopped in front of Harry's room. He had fallen asleep on his bed, still fully clothed.
"He looks so much like James," Remus replied. "Maybe that was his gift to us."
Sirius was quiet for a minute, staring at the boy he was responsible for. "It's hard to imagine that it's all over. This whole thing with Voldemort. I don't know what to do with my life now."
Remus smiled, "Maybe we can be a normal couple now. You know, barbecues on Sundays, walks in the park."
"So we'll just live happily ever after?" Sirius said, a tone of amusement in his voice.
"Of course we will." Remus said. He smiled and looked into Sirius' eyes.
Harry Potter was safe. He stirred briefly in his bed, still sleeping. And Remus and Sirius didn't even notice. They were locked in the sweetest kiss. Their journey had taken them to places they never could have gone. They lived a life most never get to. It's their love journey. Their amere via.
The End