Title: Nothing truly dies
Author Notes: Dedicated to Mieko, without whom I would never have
discovered Velvet Goldmine. And for those who are slightly less VG obsessed, Brian is Brian Slade, a glam rock icon and Maxwell Demon is his persona.
Remus Lupin looked out of the kitchen window and pondered the end of
the war. There had been losses, to be sure, many of them. The
wizarding community was still recovering from the shock of Albus
Dumbledore's death, and the panic between his death and Voldemort's
had been widespread and unceasing.
Though Remus had viewed him as a friend, there had been others who
had suffered greater, more personal losses. The Weasleys had lost two
of their own. Percy, brilliant, loyal Percy, who had stood by Fudge
and his Ministry on every matter save that which counted most. Percy
who had died rather than serve a dictator. Poor Percy.
Poor Penny, newly wed, and, although she did not know it at the time,
six weeks pregnant. Poor Penny, who, having lost her parents so early
in the war, lost her husband at the very end. The last death, such a
bitter-sweet triumph.
Poor baby Arthur, named for his Grandfather because his father's name
was still too raw. At barely the age of a year, he did not yet
understand why his birth was such a double-edged sword.
And poor Bill, at the other end of the scale, one of the first to
fall. Leaving no dependants, no one save his family to even know his
loss, a lonely life, curse-breaking, and a lonelier death, his body
not even found for six months, and then identifiable only by magical
means. Poor Bill, looked upon as a god by his younger siblings, and
whose hair even in death had been as fiery as Remus remembered his
temper to be, in life his long hair had been a sign of his never
ceasing loyalty, in death, the only thing stopping his corpse
blending into the hillside. Bill, who had died to save the life of
his youngest brother, something for which Ron still had not forgiven
himself.
Yet they were recovering, the Weasleys. They had started to smile
again, to laugh even, and he had caught Ginny rummaging through
Bill's things with an odd determination. And they had gained, along
with their losses. Baby Arthur and Penny. Hermione too had officially
joined the ranks of the Weasleys - her wedding to Ron, one of the
first after the war, a celebration that served to lift the spirits of
all who attended.
Especially Mrs. Weasley, who had lost both her head boys, something of which she had been so proud. The organisation had done her good,
and the Burrow once again rang with outraged cries of Fred! George!
And the smells of Molly's cooking. Perhaps not so loud and frequent as
before, but they were recovering.
So too was his little family. The children, children no longer, he
reminded himself, but adults full grown, even little Ginny, whom he
still saw as the timid, shy second year he had taught, timid and shy
no longer, as she constantly reminded him. Loudly. But where had he
been? Oh, yes, the children had been remarkably accepting of the
nature of his and Sirius's relationship, even going as far as to imply
that they had been insulting them by assuming they didn't know.
And Harry was doing well despite his losses. Hagrid, another early
casualty, Snape, surprisingly enough, who had risked so much to keep
Harry safe, who had blown his cover to prevent Voldemort from killing
Harry. Who's bitterness and sullen hatred of Harry had slowly
dissipated as they were forced into almost constant company over a
school year framed by a summer either side. And Dumbledore. Harry's
mentor, and almost inevitably, friend. A loss to the wizarding world,
yes. But moreso to his friends. But the fact that his eyes lit up
whenever little Ginny entered the room, proved that he was
recovering. Perhaps he would eventually get around to asking her out,
they seemed to have reached some sort of understanding, but Remus
couldn't see how it could be particularly satisfying to either
party. Still, give him time. They had all been so afraid that they
would lose him that they would give him all eternity if he required
it.
Remus watched as the subject in question slouched into the room,
helped himself to tea, then deposited himself at the table with
Sirius. One down, one to go. Ginny was staying with them while the
Burrow was being renovated. They needed another room, now that
Charlie had moved back home. The Burrow had become a type of safe
house during the war. Only Hogwarts, and possibly the Ministry had
more wards. With Harry staying there every summer since his fifth,
Sirius and himself staying between missions and Snape going into
hiding there (a situation Ron had griped about endlessly at the time)
a number of rooms had been added. There had all been removed as soon
as the extra occupants had left, but with the Twins, Ron, Ginny,
Penny and Arthur Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Charlie now at home,
arrangements had to be made. Especially as Arthur Jr. really needed
his own room.
So Ginny was with them for an indefinite period as Arthur had
insisted on Muggle renovation methods, something Molly had despaired
over. And if the thumping from upstairs was any indication their
houseguest was stirring.
Remus was expecting Ginny to appear downstairs, he had even expected
her to be dressed. What he was not prepared for, was what she was
dressed in. The flares she had brought in town last week, those he
was not surprised at, she had hardly taken then off all week, it was
the glitter make-up and Venus in Furs tee-shirt that was unexpected.
Sirius looked as if he had seen a ghost. Not surprising really, from
the back she did look a little like Lily. Still he refused to be
ruffled.
"Ginny? May I ask why you are wearing '70's Glam gear?"
A moments pause, then, quite calmly. "They were Bill's."
Sirius had and odd expression on his face, somewhere, Remus mused,
between worry and puzzled curiosity. "May I ask why? I know you miss
him, but. . ."
"Bill loved Glam," She replied, calmly "You should know that, you lot
were the ones to get him hooked. And even when it went out of
fashion, he still loved it. He kept his long hair, always listened to
the music. Whenever he came over, you could hear him singing, playing
the same records over, and over. By the age of five, I knew most of
the albums by heart, even if I didn't quite understand what fairy
boys were. Mum nearly skinned him when she found him explaining. He
always claimed that my first word was glam, and almost every time he
left, you could find me for days after, sitting covered in glitter.
He never wanted Glam to die, and as long as one person remembers, as
long as I don't forget, it never will, because nothing truly dies,
unless it is forgotten. I will never forget Bill, I will never forget
Percy, and I will never forget Glam and so they will always live on.
Each left us a legacy. Percy left us Arthur Jr., Bill left me music,
and the music gave me something to remember Bill by."
Remus watched as Ginny helped herself to tea and toast, before
nodding. "Bill always was obsessive. Worse than Sirius. When Brian
staged the shooting, we all felt betrayed, that we obviously didn't
matter, but Bill turned around and informed us that it didn't matter
about the shooting, we knew that he had intended for Maxwell Demon to
die. What mattered was the music.'Your death couldn't kill our love
for you'. Whenever one of us complained, he'd quote that at us. An
oddly appropriate lyric, don't you think?"
Sirius shook his head, grinning wistfully, "Bill was a character. He
was as bad as us in his own way, and by the time we left, Bill had
taken charge. He was only a third year, but we knew that Gryffindor
was safe in his hands."
Harry had been silent, watching Ginny. "I didn't know Bill went to
Hogwarts with my Mum and Dad."
"He was going to tell you, but. . ."
Remus watched as Harry reached over and squeezed Ginny's hand and she
smiled and squeezed back. Yes, he thought, we are healing.