The Light Has Gone

Moony

JK's characters, my story.

He sat on the couch in his small apartment. He sat calmly, with the old photo in his hands, though his heart and insides were crying and screaming madly. It was as if his whole life was shattered. He stared at the photo. It was a picture of the four of them... in their Hogwarts days, when life had been a blissful blur of fun, Hogsmeade trips, full moons, taunting Snape, and trouble. None of them had to worry about Voldemort or trust or betrayal. They all knew they could trust each other. The four of them were standing together. James seemed to be poking Sirius and playing with bunny ears, while Sirius had been jabbing him in the ribs and Peter was giving James pokes as well. Those days of the Marauders...

The Marauders, it meant so much to him. When they had been known as Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. Those full moons, when he knew he had true friends, they who learned Animagi and transformed just to keep him company. And as a werewolf surrounded by his animal friends, he did not regret anymore that he was a hideous monster. What did he care? He had friends. The best friends in the world. He loved them, and they loved him. The Marauders were his shining light, the light that led him from his dark world of an outcast. The friendship gave him hope. So close they had been. Like brothers. All those summers, all those years, all those holidays... they trusted each other. Told each other everything. All the secrets. He had treasured his light, his beacon of hope.

And now his light had blown out.

His heart was sobbing loudly, wailing. How could it have gone? It couldn't be. He needed the light to survive. With a shaky voice, he spoke to the air.

"Sirius... James... thank you for being there. Thanks for all the fun times and summers. Thanks for just being you guys. I'll always remember you as the brothers I chose."

He couldn't talk to Peter. He couldn't. It was all that traitor's fault. How could he?

Remus sat quietly. Somehow, he wanted to believe it was all a dream. Somehow, he wanted to believe none of it had happened, and that the three of them would come bursting with laughter and they would have fun. To believe that the light was still burning, still alive. But it was not.

"The Marauders are dead, Remus," he said softly to himself. The four words had a great impact on him. It was final. "The light has gone. You can't bring them back. You are the last one, and you have a life to live and owe to the four best friends of Hogwarts. You have to move on. Your light is still burning softly inside you. The dead truly never leave us. Sirius and James are still there, and will always be there. But you can't bring the Marauders back. Not those happy days."

It was so defiant. So final. His joys were to be replaced by the fears and worries of the world. He sat, crying silently. The photo slipped from his hand and fell to the floor, not stirring.

"The Marauders are dead, Remus."

In Memory of the Marauders

Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs – Best Friends of Hogwarts