Disclaimer: Heehee, kinda forgot to do this on the last one…heehee. Check out Chapter 1.
Author's Note: Okay, should have done this in Chapter 1, and then Chapter 2 when I forgot to do it on Chapter 1, but hey…you all are smart, but just in case lemme get it down on paper for ya. The type between the ~'s are thoughts, and in chapter the big chunk of text that is Italicized takes place in dreamland…well, hope you enjoy!
Chapter 3
"The Lupins were a fine family. I can honestly say that it was a PLEASURE to work along side them…"
The words, although sweet, fell on deaf ears. He didn't care how long Mr. Edmund Black had worked on the speech he was giving with such heart right now. Why did he have to listen to the words? He already knew everything that was being said at the moment.
"The Lupins were nice people," "They didn't deserve to die so early on in life," "Athena and Orion had their entire life in front of them," "Perseus and Amanda didn't get a chance to see their youngest grow up and graduate from Hogwarts."
All they were, were words. They didn't mean anything because what was done, was done. No matter how nice the ceremony was, no matter how heartfelt the speech sounded, the people that counted weren't there to hear it. Perseus, Amanda, Orion, and Athena weren't there. His family wasn't there.
He was alone, now.
"Remus…You can't go through life alone. You need people, friends, bonds in order to give your life meaning."
If that were true then his life had no meaning, did it? What was the point of being alive? His family was dead, his friends had abandoned him, he had no one to care for anymore. Why had it fallen on him to be the last remaining Lupin? Why? He wasn't going to amount to anything. No matter how hard he worked in school, no one was going to hire him after graduation. There would be no opportunity to make "Lupin" an honorable name anymore.
No. That had been Athena and Orion's jobs. His was just to live, go to school, and…and…
"Remus?"
He looked up as a soft voice whispered his name. It was the priest. "Why don't you do the honors?" he asked while handing him four red roses.
He just nodded without a word and walked up to his father's coffin and laid a rose on top before standing on his tip toes to kiss the top of it. He did the same for his mother's and Orion's, but he paused on Athena's.
He hadn't cried up until then, but as soon as he stood before his sister's coffin, the tears started welling up in his eyes. They burned, but he blinked them back, not wanting to cry in front of all the people there. "I'll miss you," he whispered as he laid the rose on top. He didn't kiss the coffin, though, like he had the other three. He simply ran his small hand across the top where her face would be if the casket was open. "I miss you already."
Then it was his time to be the proper mourning family member. He dutifully shook hands with every single one of the guests that walked by, noting to himself that he'd have to send all of these people a thank you card of some sort. It registered in the back of his mind that Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall, as well as the rest of the Gryffindor house, were there. As if he were in a trance he shook each of their hands, nodding silently and giving small smiles to each of his housemates as they went by. Both Dumbledore and McGonagall whispered something to him, but he didn't hear it.
After what seemed like hours all the guests were gone, and he stood there alone as the diggers started to lower the caskets into the ground. Tears started welling up again, fighting to be released. It took him a moment to realize that someone was pulling on his sleeve. He looked over and saw that it was Lily standing next to him holding out a single white rose for him to take. For a moment he just stood there, not knowing what to do, until he felt the scalding hot tears flow down his cheeks. He quickly sniffled before taking the rose from his friend. "Thank you."
His voice was barely above a whisper, but Lily had heard it. She leaned in for a quick hug before mumbling into his ear, "I've got to go, but I'll see you back at school…I'm sorry."
Remus watched numbly as she ran off towards the large group of Hogwarts students and Professors waiting for her. After the group disapparated he looked back down at the flower in his hand. It wasn't beautiful like the red roses that had been left on top of the caskets. It was just simple with it's plain white petals that just begun to bloom. The simplicity of it was what made it so pretty to look at.
It reminded him of Athena.
A small smile graced his features for the first time in weeks as more tears started flowing down his cheeks.
***
If someone were to ask him just how it came to pass that he was sent to Dumbledore's office at that moment in time, Sirius Black would just give them a simple shrug and say that it was an act of fate. Even he didn't know exactly how the timing had worked so perfectly. Of course at that given moment the topic of conversation between McGonagall and Dumbledore was somewhat of a sore spot for him.
"Headmaster, you can't be serious! Justin Wallace is THE most vocal person in the fight to rid the wizarding community of dark creatures. Placing that boy under his care is the same thing as running a silver arrow through his heart. Uncle or not, you can't possibly think that the man will treat him with the love and care that a growing boy Remus' age needs."
"I know, Minerva, but there is really nothing that I can do. Justin is the only family member Remus Lupin has left, and it is either him or an orphanage. I personally don't think the alternative is very bright either."
"Can't he stay here? What better place to put him then the school? He's already got a place for himself to transform every full moon, and Poppy will be here to help heal his wounds…and the rest of the faculty adore him. It's the perfect environment, Albus…"
"Now, Minerva, you know that staying at Hogwarts is NOT an option. The boy needs FAMILY…"
"FAMILY?! Justin Wallace will probably start searching for a reason to have that child executed the moment he sets foot in that house! I will NOT stand by while he suffers at the hand of his FAMILY!"
"Minerva, I have spoken to the Ministry and they feel that this is for the best."
"The best? If I didn't know any better, which I'm not sure I do anymore, I would think that the Ministry is doing this on purpose…"
"Minerva…"
"FINE! BUT WHEN THAT BOY DOESN'T RETURN FROM SUMMER HOLIDAY ONE YEAR, DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!"
Sirius barely made it out of the way before the door slammed open with enough force to put a dent in the wall. He watched wide-eyed as McGonagall stormed past him without so much as a look. He'd never seen her that upset about anything before, and quite frankly, it was a bit unnerving.
"Ah, Mr. Black, come in and close the door behind you." Dumbledore's voice shook him out of his shock. Sirius shook himself physically before doing as he was told. "Now, what was it this time, Sirius? A dungbomb that went off mysteriously in the Slytherin common room? Supergluing the Slytherins to their chairs?"
Sirius would have made some argument on behalf of his innocence, but the twinkle in his headmaster's eyes just made him grin. "Now, I believe that it is my station as headmaster of this school to say a few words about how I will not condone pranks, practical jokes, or harassments of any kind, but I should think that a boy of your intelligence already realizes this. So, I shall skip that lecture. I will, however, have to write your parents about this, and you will be serving detention with Professor McGonagall. That will be all."
"Thank you, headmaster." Sirius stood up to leave when Dumbledore added one last thing.
"Just between us…I find those practical jokes of yours to be quite entertaining sometimes…"
Sirius just grinned back at him before walking out of the circular office. The smile quickly faded though when he saw the dent in the wall from when McGonagall had stormed out. Her last words to Dumbledore repeated in his head as he walked down the spiral staircase.
"FINE! BUT WHEN THAT BOY DOESN'T RETURN FROM SUMMER HOLIDAY ONE YEAR, DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!"
She surely couldn't believe that Remus' UNCLE would KILL him! Sure he wasn't a fan of werewolves, but killing Remus seemed like a bit much. Actually, he didn't like the idea of going through the rest of his Hogwarts years next to an empty bed that had once belonged to a friend…a very DEAD friend. On second thought, he REALLY didn't like that idea AT ALL.
His mind spun as he made his way up to the tower where his owl was. He quickly took out a quill and some parchment before hastily writing a letter to his parents.
Dear Mum and Dad,
I'm not sure if you've heard already, but Remus Lupin is going to be placed under his uncle's care. I overheard Professor McGonagall having an argument with the headmaster. (no, I wasn't eavesdropping…I just happened to be there for a meeting with Dumbledore…you'll be getting a letter from him soon. I would just like to state for the record that it was JAMES' idea!)
Well, it seems that she doesn't agree with Remus being put into his care. Actually she was flat out worried about him. She mentioned some things about Remus' safety and stuff. These were her exact words: "FINE! BUT WHEN THAT BOY DOESN'T RETURN FROM SUMMER HOLIDAY ONE YEAR, DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!"
Remus is my friend…(although at this point I really haven't been a good one to him…but I'll tell you all about that when I see you in a week or so) I was wondering what kind of a man Justin Wallace was. Apparently he's a real player in the fight against dark creatures…I think I'm starting to agree with McGonagall's view on this situation the more I think about it...
Well, I love you both. School is going as well as can be expected. I hope to hear from you soon!
Love,
Sirius
Sirius quickly sealed the letter, attached it to his owl's leg, and sent it on its way. He couldn't help but worry the more he thought about McGonagall's arguments.
~Lily was right…you really are a bigot,~ he thought with a sigh. ~Remus is Remus, and nothing is going to change that. You are such a bloody moron sometimes, Black, it scares me.~ Sirius snorted and rolled his eyes at his own insult as he made his way back to Gryffindor tower. He wasn't one to walk away from his mistakes, and he planned on fixing this one as soon as possible.
Ever since he'd figured out that Remus was a werewolf, he kept careful watch on the phases of the moon. He knew that the full moon was tonight. Luckily, he knew where Remus was going this time around. He'd stayed up all night next to the window in the common room the night he'd learned of Remus' secret. It was hard to fall asleep when so many thoughts were running through his mind at once, and in order to allow his roommates to get some sleep, he'd gone down to the common room.
It was pure luck that he saw what he did. The Whomping Willow didn't always flail about if you knew which button to press. He'd watched in amazement as she disappeared into the tree and moments later returned with an extremely tired and sickly looking Remus.
Unfortunately he didn't know exactly where to press on the tree trunk to make it freeze up, but he'd figure that out tonight.
"James?!" he called as he entered their room.
"What?" James' annoyed voice rang from behind the drawn curtains on his bed.
Sirius pulled back the curtains to see his friend sitting there surrounded by his homework. "I need to borrow your invisibility cloak tonight."
James' nodded dumbly as he kept working. "My…what? WHY?" His head shot up when he realized just what Sirius had asked for.
"I need to set straight some stuff." Sirius rolled his eyes at the look his friend was giving him. "It's NOT for a prank. I think one detention per week is good enough, thank you very much. I just have some personal things to take care of…please, James. You know I wouldn't ask you like this if it wasn't important."
James stared at him for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. "It's in my trunk over there," he said as he shook his head in the direction of his trunk.
"Thanks, James! You're seriously the best friend a guy could ever have."
Sirius grabbed the cloak from his friend's trunk before going down to the common room to get some work done. There was still a good three hours before the moon rose, so he figured he might as well get some work done. It didn't surprise him at all when Lily gave him a glare that would make even McGonagall proud. He didn't return it this time though, and just sat down in a chair by the fireplace.
About an hour later, after making sure that no one was following him, he left through the portrait hole and threw on the cloak. He sat on the stairs of the entrance hall for about another hour before he saw Madame Pomfrey and Remus walking down the hallway together. He hadn't seen Remus in a while, and it surprised him to see how small he looked now. True, he'd seen him at the funeral, but he hadn't actually LOOKED at him since that night a month ago.
He silently followed Pomfrey and his friend as they made their way across the lawn towards the Whomping Willow. He made sure he set in his memory the right knot to tap before he turned to head back to the castle for the night. He may have been known among the teachers, and most of the student body, as being reckless, but he wasn't stupid. He knew what would happen if he followed Remus then. So, it was decided that he would wait until the moon set before he made his way to wherever Remus was.
It surprised him just how fast the night flew by. He'd spent the entire time in the common room, pacing, and practicing what he would say to Remus. In fact, he'd planned out about a dozen different dialogues based on the many different ways his friend could react. He was prepared for absolutely every response he could get from Remus; anger, fear, absolutely no reaction at all, shock, everything.
He was still running the eighth possibility through his mind when he got to the willow. It was still a little dark outside, since the sun hadn't exactly risen yet, but it wasn't pitch black. He calmly reached over and found a long wooden stick before going as close to the flailing branches as possible.
He'd seen Madame Pomfrey do it before but it still shocked him when the tree just stopped moving altogether. What surprised him even more was the fact that the trunk opened up for him to enter. He hadn't been close enough to see it the night before, so this came as a new development. He quickly and quietly climbed down the hole and landed somewhat hard on the floor below.
"Lumos," he muttered as he held out his wand and started to brush himself off. Sirius found himself standing in an underground passage leading, from what he could make of it, off school grounds. The ceilings were low, but not so low that he had to crouch, the walls were set wide enough to fit maybe two grown adults side by side, and it smelled of earth.
Taking in a deep breath, Sirius forced himself to move forward, still practicing what he was going to say in his mind. He was so preoccupied by his thoughts, he walked into a wooden door. ~Way to go, Black,~ he thought to himself as he reached for the doorknob. ~Well, here goes.~
Sirius made his way into what turned out to be a house of some sort. What little furnishing was there was mangled and torn into bits and pieces. He swallowed hard as he made his way further into the house to explore.
"Remus?" he called quietly as he made a sweep of the ground floor. "Remus?"
Slowly and as quietly as he could he made his way up the stairs of the house to the second floor. He nearly toppled over when he heard the scream of pure agony that sounded from one of the rooms. "REMUS?!" Without even thinking he started running towards the voice. "Remus?"
He paused at the doorway and just stared at the sight before him. There he was; pale, completely naked, laying there in a puddle of what looked like blood, his own blood, and shaking uncontrollably. Sirius didn't know what was worse, the fact that his friend was in this state, or the fact that he was awake and fully aware of his presence.
Quickly shaking himself out of his shock, he threw off his winter cloak and wrapped it around his friend. He wasn't surprised a bit when Remus shied away from him, but he was somewhat hurt. But then again, what gave HIM the right to be hurt? He shook it off and helped him to sit up. He couldn't help but wince when Remus cried out softly and had to lay back down because of the pain.
After a few moments of just sitting there staring at him, Sirius finally found his voice. "Remus…"
"How long have you known?" His voice was weak, and shaky, but…stern all the same.
~Well, THAT was unexpected…leave it to Remus to say the ONE thing that I didn't prepare for,~ Sirius thought sarcastically. "About a month," he muttered as he looked his friend right in the eye.
"Is that why you, James, and Peter haven't been talking to me?" There was a hint of sadness in his voice that made Sirius just want to subject himself to a good harsh hex.
Sirius saw a look of pain cross his friend's soft hazel eyes. "James and Peter don't know. They were just doing what I told them to…Remus…I'm…"
"You'd better leave…Madame Pomfrey'll be here soon, and I don't think this is something you could easily explain," Remus said as he turned his head and started examining the ceiling.
Sirius sat back on his heals and stared at him for a moment. When he did start talking again, his voice was set, strong, and a bit angry. "What do you mean? You are my friend, and I…as a FRIEND, albeit a bloody bad one…am here to help you. If that's not a good enough reason, I don't know what is."
Remus turned to look at him again, before he shot up into a seated position despite the sharp shooting pain that flew through his body. His eyes were angry, and there was a fire burning in them that Sirius had never seen before. "Friend?" he spat.
Remus stared into his eyes for a moment, taking in deep breaths to calm himself. When he started speaking again it was calm, overly so that it made Sirius a bit nervous. "I HAVE NO FRIENDS. I lost all chance of that four years ago. Do you have any idea what it's like? Do you?"
Sirius couldn't help but whither under his friend's glare. He mutely shook his head. "You couldn't know, could you? I have no one. It is me against this world. For a while I had family to back me up and give me the support I need…but life has decided that I don't have enough to deal with, so it decided to take them away as well. Do you have ANY IDEA what it was like? To finally come here, and make some 'friends' just to have them walk out on you because of this?" Remus pointed to a jagged looking scar that ran across his left shoulder and chest.
"I hoped that maybe…just MAYBE, coming here could offer me an opportunity to live a semi-normal life. A large part of me knew that it would never be possible, and for the first couple of weeks, I decided that I wasn't going to make any friends, that I could get through this BY MYSELF. But then you and James and Lily kept going at it and trying to make conversation, you three just kept pushing until finally I had no choice but to let you in.
"I hoped that maybe Athens was right…maybe I had been stupid for thinking that I could get through life without ever making a connection…I fell for it. I fell for the trap that life sets up for me every single time, and I may only be eleven, but I'm tired of it…I'm already tired of it."
Sirius watched in muted shock as Remus' breathing became so labored that he had to lay back down. "Remus…"
"Just LEAVE."
For the first time in his life, Sirius Black did as he was told. He stood up, as if in a trance, threw on James' cloak, and made his way quietly back to the school.
***
Darkness.
It surrounded him; an endless sea of black lit up by the rare rays of moonlight that filtered through the tops of the trees. He was home, in the place he'd go to whenever he got upset or scared. This was his secret place that no one knew of. It was his sacred place, his sanctuary, where all else in the world did not matter. It was the one place where he could wallow in his pity, his anger, his hopelessness. It was the one place where he could humor the dark thoughts that would enter his mind.
How easy it would be to accidentally ingest a little too much wolfsbane. He could always have a small accident in the kitchen and be too weak to call a healer after he cut himself with a knife. There was also always the option of playing a little too close to the edge of the cliff that looked over the sea of rocks and boulders 20 or so meters below.
How easy would it be to end it all? Very…but every single time something stopped him. Every single time some unseen force held him back, kept him from swallowing, cutting, jumping. He didn't know what it was, and he supposed he wouldn't know for a long while. It wasn't cowardice that held him back. He wasn't afraid to die, never was. In fact he welcomed it, he wanted it all to end, but there was always that one thing that kept him from doing it.
He sighed as he took a look around once more. He knew these woods like he knew himself. The forest was his. Well, actually, it was his family's. He was home. But how did he get here? He wasn't supposed to be home, he was supposed to be at Hogwarts, at school. Something wasn't right.
That's when he caught a glimpse of something moving a couple of meters away from him. His sensitive hearing picked up a rustle of leaves, the swoosh of manmade fabric; there was someone else in the forest with him. Cautiously, he stepped forward towards the sound. His eyes grew wide at the sight, and he felt his jaw drop.
She was beautiful. Her long brown hair was down and fell to the middle of her lower back, her whole body seemed to glow with a divine light that was so white it almost seemed like there was a slight blue tint to it. Her eyes shone brightly, her smile was soft and genuine, but her expression was one of sadness.
"Athens?" he heard himself whisper so lightly that the name got lost in the warm breeze. She didn't say a word back, but just nodded slightly. He felt the slight pressure build up behind his eyes and his nose that was a tell tale sign of growing tears. "This is a dream, isn't it?" he asked sadly as he dropped his gaze to the forest floor.
"Yes, it is, Remus." Her voice was so soft, so soothing, just as he remembered it.
She moved with such grace and lightness, that even his sensitive hearing didn't pick up on her footsteps. He hadn't even realized that she'd made her way over to him before he looked up to see her standing mere inches away from him. Without even thinking, he threw himself into her arms and buried his face in her stomach. He whimpered slightly as the tears started flowing down his face. "I miss you."
"I know you do. But it had to happen…" Athena pulled away from him and knelt down so she could see into his eyes. "You've grown, I think," she said with a sad smile.
His eyes brightened at the words. "I did?" He watched as she nodded slightly, and gazed intently into her eyes. What he saw there made him think back to the last time he'd seen her. September 1, 1976. They were on Platform 9 ¾ at Kings Cross Station in London. He remembered the sadness in her voice and the pain in her eyes as they said goodbye for what would be the last time.
He hadn't realized it then, but there was something else in her gaze that he'd brushed off. Now that he thought about it, it was as if she was trying to memorize everything about him, as if she'd never see him again.
"You knew, didn't you?" he asked softly as the realization hit him. He didn't need an answer, he saw it in her eyes. They always were very expressive. "Why…"
"Why didn't I do something?" she asked for him. Athena reached forward and cupped his cheek in her hand, tenderly wiping away the salty tears with her thumb. "Who am I to change the course of history, Rome? Everything happens for a reason."
"That's overly cliché, even for you Athens," he muttered as he stared down at the forest floor.
"Maybe," she smiled, "but you know it's true. Deep down in your heart, you know that it was meant to be if it happened. Just like it was meant to be that you were bitten…you've accepted that, Rome, and you're more of a person because of it…"
"MORE OF A PERSON?!" he exclaimed as he jumped back from her reach. "Athens…I'm a monster! ACCEPTING that can only make me worse…"
"The only way you can be a monster is if you stop caring. You are far from that, Rome. You are far from the monster you believe yourself to be. If you truly were what you thought of yourself, you wouldn't have friends, but you do. You do, Rome, and if you can only realize how lucky you are to have people like that it your life…"
"Lucky? My friends stopped talking to me as soon as they figured out what I am…"
"Yes, but they are only human…After all, the girl stayed with you as a friend, and she's known for a year already. And the boy…he made a mistake, and he came back to you to ask for your forgiveness. That's what matters, Remus; the fact that he came back and chose to make things right between you. Don't push them away, Rome. They are your chance at having a normal life. They are what make you more than what the textbooks say; they are what make you human.
"As long as you have friends like them, you are more than the creature that created you. Believe me, Remus Joshua Lupin, the next few years with them by your side will be some of the best in your life…" Athens said with a smile and a twinkle in her eyes.
Remus looked at her quizzically. "Is that a hint? I would think that the powers that be had rules against telling us mere mortals what the future holds."
Athena's heavenly face broke into a grin. "There are, but I'm not telling you what the future holds, Remus. I'm merely giving my baby brother a nudge in the right direction…"
Remus snorted and rolled his eyes before his face grew serious again. "I miss you, Athens…and I don't think that Uncle Justin likes me very much…" He grew silent as Athena's expression darkened at the mention of their uncle. He felt her grasp his hand and look him straight in the eye. He knew what was coming. "Uh-o, should I brace myself for another painful cliché?" he asked as an attempt to make light of the heavy situation.
Athena smiled slightly. "Yes." Almost immediately her face grew serious again. "Remus, you know that we all loved you very much, right?" She waited for Remus to give her a nod. "No matter what anyone says, always know that is the truth and everything else is a lie. You were loved, and are still loved by all four of us." She paused as the tears started rolling down her cheeks.
Remus couldn't help but cry as well when she reached out and ran her hand down his face in the all too familiar way. "I love you, Rome, and I will ALWAYS be with you, no matter what…" her voice got muffled when she pulled him to her and buried her face in his small shoulder. She held on to him tightly in hopes that maybe she wouldn't have to leave him behind to fend for himself at such a young age. She pulled back reluctantly to look into his eyes again as she cupped his face with both her hands. "You are so strong," she said with a sad smile as she started wiping away his tears with her thumbs, "and I know you want to stay here with me, but you have to go back…You have to wake up, Remus…"
"No." It was the most pitiful sound he ever heard, and it had come from his own mouth. A fresh wave of tears started to roll down his cheeks as he felt his head start to throb from the pressure behind his eyes. He threw himself at her once again, and clung to her in desperation.
He felt her bury her face in the hallow between his neck and his shoulder, and he felt her tears soak his skin. "Be brave, Rome, and do not lose faith in your friends," she murmured as she her hand pushed his head slightly to rest on her own shoulder. "No matter how hard it gets, do not lose faith in those that you love, and those that love you in return…"
***
Remus woke to find himself clutching his pillow to his chest with tears streaming down his face. The dream…It had been so real. He'd seen her, smelled the light fragrance of her perfume, heard her soft, melodic voice. It had been real, hadn't it? He'd felt her heartbeat against her breast. She'd spoken to him…
"Remus?" came the soft voice just beyond the thick curtains surrounding him.
It was Sirius. What was he doing up? Why couldn't he just go away and leave him in peace?
~Don't push them away, Rome. They are your chance at having a normal life. They are what make you more than what the textbooks say; they are what make you human.~ Her words rung in his ears as if she were right next to him, repeating them for him to hear.
He furiously wiped at his tears and sniffled before clearing his voice quietly and mumbling, "What do you want?"
The curtains parted just enough to let Sirius poke his head through. His eyes were bloodshot, and he had dark circles under his usually bright royal blue eyes. He looked as if he hadn't slept at all for the past few days.
"I just…I just wanted to know if you were alright…" he mumbled as he stared down at Remus' sheets.
"Well, I am…" Remus looked at him and saw how miserable the boy looked. "What are you doing up anyway?"
It was a simple question, but to both boys it was a reconcile of sorts. It wasn't an "I forgive you," but Sirius didn't need to hear the words to know that his friend was willing to give their friendship another go round.
He parted the curtains a bit more and climbed onto the foot of the bed opposite from Remus, tucking his legs beneath him, Indian style. "Couldn't sleep," he mumbled after a moment of silence. His eyes glanced at the framed picture of the Lupin family that was resting on the bed next to Remus. "You miss them?" he asked softly as he nodded towards it.
Remus picked up the picture and slightly brushed it with his fingertips. "Yeah." He stared at it for a moment more before putting it back down next to him and resting his head back on the headboard behind him. "You know she knew it was going happen?" he asked quietly.
"Who? What?" Sirius' brow furrowed in confusion.
"Athens…she was blessed with the sight…she knew this was going to happen. It was why she was so sad the last time I saw her…I brushed it off, thinking that she was just sad to see me go, but now that I think about it, she knew she would never see me again. I remember seeing it in her eyes."
Sirius kept quiet as Remus hugged his knees to his chest. Tears started spilling out again silently as he rested his chin on them. He didn't know what to say to his friend, but he did know that Remus needed some sort of comfort. So, he did the only thing he could think of: he padded across the bed, settled himself next to the younger boy, and awkwardly draped an arm around him, pulling him close. They stayed like that until dawn; drawing comfort simply from being side by side, accepting the fact that mistakes had made, and a new, stronger friendship was forged from them.
***