Letters from Home
A/N~ This is the cry-sob-use-up-ten-Kleenex-boxes chapter, so be warned.
Chapter Five Dear Deceased
Dear Charlie,
I guess its stupid to right you now that you're… you know, but it might help ease the pain some. At least, that's what Luna said.
Charlie, why did you volunteer to go to Wales? You knew Voldemort was there, and gathering strength and you went anyway. You knew that you might be killed, and you went. Charlie, why couldn't you have let Jim go? He was an only child, Charlie, and you had all six of us, plus six in-laws. And Mercy? Mercy was overwhelmed, Charlie. She wanted to be with you so bad that she took her life, Charlie! For you!
Mum thought you were insane for working with dragons in Romania. She cried every time you were in the hospital, every time we might not see you again. Charlie, she was ruined when she found out about you. Percy still wasn't talking to us after so many years and it was like losing a second son when we lost you. When he found out, he came back to us, but at what price? Should we lose a brother to gain one?
I'm crying now, and Hanna's probably going to wake up soon. I still love you, Charlie, and always will. When another baby comes, we will name him Charles, but you will be the one and only Charlie.
Ginny
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Dear Mum and Dad,
I've been writing letters to you since I was at Hogwarts, but then I had some hope of getting a reply one day. Now I just write out of habit.
Maybe you're out of your misery. I don't know, maybe you are worse than before. But you're still gone. No more silly candy wraps for presents, no more wild rages where you think I'm Voldemort. I would gladly trade in a million wild rants for you to be alive.
Gram told me that you had gotten worse after the Attack, but I didn't realize how dire it was until the letter came form St. Mungo's. They only send you a letter for three reasons: Someone's better, someone's drastically worse, or someone dies. I got two letters in three weeks, Mum.
Dad, they told me that you passed away first. I wasn't too surprised; you tried to protect Mum and me, so you got the worst of the blow. I used to wonder sometimes why you did it, but now I understand: If I and Mum had a fraction of a chance of living because you protected us, you would have died in a heartbeat. I know because if Luna were ever in trouble, I wouldn't even think about it.
The strange thing was, Mum, that you seemed to realize he was gone. You would look over and sigh, then look at me and grin. In a few weeks you were gone too.
I'm sorry that you're gone, but I realize that had it been any different, the Loss would have hurt more. If you were sane, and had been in St. Mungo's during the Attack… Merlin knows what would have happened. So, in a way, your lives prepared me for your death.
I realize now that I've come to terms with the demons that your illness presented. Don't worry, though, Mum and Dad, Bellatrix Lestrange will not get away for hurting, destroying, and murdering so many families.
I hope that wherever you are, you're proud.
Love always,
Neville
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Dear Sirius,
Even after so many years, it hurts to think about you. I believe that this letter is a way of coming to terms.
Sirius, when Lily and James hooked up, we were really the only two Marauders left. Peter was all to often in tutoring lessons, and even when he wasn't, we know now that he wasn't really a Marauder. We hung out, and for the first time in seven years, I realized you were more than a flirtatious, mischievous prankster that would get into trouble for the fun of it all. You became the closest thing to a best friend I've ever had.
Then summer and Lily and James' wedding came. They got married and had Harry, while I was searching for a job. The bigotry I had occasionally felt at Hogwarts had come out at me full force. Then on Friday nights we would go get drunk and curse our brains out at the narrow-minded, intolerant, biased freaks that wouldn't hire me because of my condition.
Then James, Lily, and Harry went into hiding. You were the Secret-Keeper, so I wasn't worried about them at all.
Halloween struck with a vengeance.
I was overwhelmed. My friend from school, my buddy, had betrayed one friend and killed another. That couldn't be the Sirius I knew. But (as it seemed) it was.
A few years later I got a job at Hogwarts. And I found out you were innocent. That one moment was… enlightening to say the least. You met Harry for the first time since he was a baby.
Then you lived two more years, and were murdered. Murdered by the filth of Bellatrix Lestrange. Your cousin. Your… family. No, she's not family. I am family. Harry is family. James was family. Bellatrix and Peter are traitors.
On the anniversary of your death, I can't help but think of the things we could have done. But, then I realize that were you are now is so much better than what you could ever find here.
Your friend till the end of the age,
Remus
A/N~ So sad. I almost started to cry when I was writing it.
Kudos and thankfulness for all my reviewers! *MWAHH!* I am eternally grateful!
