Endings

by Tien Riu

Ever circling, ever intertwined. What begins will end and where it ends a new story begins. Remus Lupin, Harry Potter, Severus Snape.

Endings

By Tien Riu

Author's Note: alternate ending included at end of story with notes on full moon dates.

Disclaimer: all characters belong to JK Rowlings.

Warning: if you squint, you'll probably see a hint of Remus Lupin/Severus Snape and Remus Lupin/Sirius Black. Thus, I'm preemptively warning for slash overtones.

Summary: Ever circling, ever intertwined. What begins will end and where it ends a new story begins. Remus Lupin, Harry Potter, Severus Snape.

October the 31st, 1982

The door squeaked as it opened. The steady 'snip snip chop' did not hesitate. Severus continued at his work, not bothering to turn as he spoke: "Lupin."
"Severus -" a stop and the pause that followed stretched into silence.
Finally, the Potions master stopped and looked up from his work. The cauldron sent greasy streams of smoke that curled around his face, outlining the haggard hollows in his cheeks and eyes, "What is it werewolf?"
"He's dead. It's over." Remus left the room, closing the door behind him.
After a while, Severus took the cauldron off the flames and cleared up the various ingredients scattered across the counter.

July the 31st, 1995

Remus continued placing books into the floor-to-ceiling shelves that lined the room as the door opened. He knew - almost expected - that his first visitor at Hogwarts would be Severus.
When only silence followed, he looked up. There was a goblet of on the table, steam rising from the scentless liquid within. The room was empty but the door was slightly ajar.
He went back to the shelves - books, unlike clothes, couldn't be used from a suitcase.

March the 31st, 1996

This time, there was somebody when Remus turned.
"I would have thought you'd be ecstatic in your celebrations by now, Snape." Remus said flatly, and turned back to the bookshelves.
"As would I." Severus replied, there was a pause and Remus did not turn back, methodologically shrinking the books shelf by shelf and sending the resulting matchbox-sized stacks into the corner of his trunk they had come from.
"What I find curious, Lupin, is that you never unpacked your luggage." Severus said; the door clicked shut.

June 5th, 1997

The sun had still to rise over the horizon when the kitchen door of the little cottage was pushed open. Remus put down the book he had been reading over a cup of coffee and watched as the large, bear-like dog walked in.
He was standing when the man - haggard and thin - appeared.
"What happened?" Remus whispered, and breathed in the smell that clung to Sirius - wet dog, wet clothes, sweat and the outdoors all merging to be something strange and yet familiar at the same time.
"He's back."
And suddenly Sirius was in Remus' arms and Remus was in Sirius arms and - it was good, and it felt right. And it was familiar even though it was strange and unfamiliar after so many years.
"I've missed you."
It really didn't matter who spoke the words. It was true for both of them.

March, 1998

The fire cast shadows against the walls. Remus sighed and flicked his wand, lighting the room, "You can't mope for the rest of your life, Padfoot." He snapped.
Sirius glared from the depths of the chair he had been in, "I can if I want too." And stopped and sighed, "I wanted him to remember James the way we did." He whispered, Remus remained silent, "A boy should be proud of his father - and other people they just don't understand what it was like - what it was -" he stopped again and stared at his hands, "I didn't think it was wrong." He looked up, "Is it wrong?"
The fire crackled and turned green to reveal Severus Snape's head.

June 1998

He was gone. He was gone and Remus had gotten used to him being back.
And it hurt - because last time it had been like this. Supposed to be like this. Forever they had said. Sirius would be in Azkaban forever - as if forever was needed when a year would kill his mind and wasn't that all there was of a person. When the mind went, only a shell remained - a body, an animal that needed to feed. It had been forever last time as well - and he had survived. He had survived - but Sirius had come back and forever had ended.
And now, Sirius was dead - he had seen it himself. Dead - dead - and it was forever.
But - it had been forever last time as well and he couldn't stop hoping.
And it hurt.

When the door opened, it was to a dark room. Remus continued staring up at the ceiling. The wash of light from the corridor blanketed the cracks and marks he had been staring at.
Remus didn't need to look to know who stood at the door - he could smell Severus. A werewolf's sense of smell was more acute than that of a normal human - but that just meant he noticed smells. Werewolves didn't have a wolf's brain - not when they were human.
Sirius had been the only one of the Marauders he had been able to recognise by smell. Severus had spent so much time haunting their steps that Remus had learned his smell as well.
"Moody leaves in an hour for Potter."
Remus jerked upright - mostly from shock, "What?"
The door slammed shut.

"He'll be here when you leave." Severus snapped before walking out of the front door at the 12 Grimmauld and apparating away.
"Man hasn't left that room in two days." Moody grumbled, "Still - give Snape credit where credit is due, his potions could get a dead man walking again."
Molly reserved her judgement but placed an extra plate at the table nonetheless.

October 31st, 1998

It was long past midnight when the doors of the library was flung open. One side smashed against the wall hard enough to develop a crack. Remus looked up, eyes shadowed in the light of the torches lining the wall and took in Severus' appearance. Alarm made him stand up.
"They found Potter." Severus said; blood trickled from a cut in his forehead.
Remus stared at Severus and couldn't ask that last question - Alive?

November the 1st, 1998

The Infirmary was deserted but for one patient - November was generally a quiet month.
Remus sat by the bed and stared at Harry noting the too-thin, almost fragile appearance that might have been less frightening if not that a week ago, the boy had been as healthy and strong as a month of Hogwarts meals and magic could make him.
Travelling through the Veil of the Dead was not unknown - there were academics every few years desperate or curious enough to attempt it. There was an entire school of thought on walking, talking, conversing and generally entering the world of the dead - now of days the majority of those who tried came back, most of them with their sanity intact. Though sane or insane they all described the same landscape: mist, formless and empty of anything - ghosts or demons. The last scholar - a witch by the name of De Vere - had returned three years ago after vanishing for a day with the news that she thought she had heard something in the far distance. There had been plans for a new, longer attempt beyond the veil when the Department of Mysteries had confiscated the Veil and taken it away.
Harry had vanished behind the Veil for five days - Five days!
Nobody had come out after such a length of time alive and sane. (Five days.) That he had returned at all was testimony to his strength and power - and, Remus added silently: the abilities of Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Hermione Granger and Seamus Finnegan.
Five days.
Nobody returned both alive and sane - Nobody. But this was Harry Potter - Harry Potter. Remus knew that the legends were a lie and that the Boy Who Lived was just that - a boy. But he couldn't stop himself from hoping.

January the 15th, 1999

Remus was drinking tea in the kitchen when the door behind him opened, "You might have knocked." He said mildly.
"I did." Severus said, "Nobody answered." The words were spoken blandly.
They had, after all, had the opportunity to repeat this scene many times since November.
"There is tea in the pot if you're thirsty." Remus said, still not turning, gaze focused on the view of the back garden he had through the kitchen window.
There was a clink of glass as Severus placed the vial onto the table followed by the duller thunk of several books and scrolls.
"Well?" Severus demanded finally.
"Lycanthropy does not confer telepathy, Severus."
"We repeat this conversation once every week, Lupin -" Severus made an exasperated grunt, "Very well then: has there been any change in the boy's condition?"
"Harry is outside, why don't you see for yourself?" Remus replied.
Through the windows - enlarged for just this reason - a boy sat on a large rock in the middle of a tangled mess of vegetation.
"What happened to your vegetable garden?"
"He was at it all yesterday and today." Remus replied and took a sip of tea.
"The potion is to be taken before sleep and on waking." Severus said and swept out of the kitchen.
Remus mused that any other person would have attempted small talk. A mention of the weather, hopeful comments ("Well, he looks much better than he did back in November.", "Any day now he'll be back at Hogwarts.", "Be passing his sixth year exams with the rest of them - see if he doesn't -"). In a way, he was glad that Albus had set Severus to this task.
It was easier this way. Hope was painful when it became tangible.

July 31st 1999

It had been a hot summer - drought had gripped the muggle world. Remus was pouring water into the kettle when Severus entered this time. He was accompanied by Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley - both who cast apologetic glances at Remus before hurrying outside.
The empty vial was waiting on the counter, Severus pocketed it and placed a full one down in its place.
"Any changes?"
"The nightmares have stopped." Remus replied - it wasn't exactly a change, or at least one that mattered.
Severus stared out the window - the two students were standing beside the large stone at the center of the remnants of the vegetable garden.
"Has he started speaking yet?"
"No." Remus said, "He hisses a little in his sleep - I think it might be parseltongue." He waved his wand - the kettle glowed red and steam erupted from its spout, "Tea?"

They were at the table when Hermione burst in, eyes red as if she had been crying: "Professor! Harry - Harry -!"
Severus stood up and drew his wand, "Get out of the doorway you foolish child -!"
Hermione was blocking the door; Remus put a hand on Severus' shoulder and pointed to the window. The garden, a mass of weeds, dead or dying shrubbery and dried vegetation moments before, was - blooming.
"I was just saying how we should clear some of the mess up - and Ron was saying we should flatten everything and see if we could make a place to play quidditch and Harry waved his hand -"
"What did he say?" Severus demanded, "Did he speak?"
"No wand." Remus murmured.
There were flowers sprouting from the tangled mess of branches - they had large red petals with emerald green centers.

September 16th, 1999

Harry Potter did not begin his seventh year with the rest of his year mates. It was a fact that the Ministry - led by Minister Fudge - could not hide despite their attempts. The banner heading on the Daily Prophet was flashing on the kitchen table when Severus entered. Remus glanced up from where he was eating toast, the ever-present cup of steaming tea at his elbow.
"Do you ever do anything else but sit here and wait?" Severus snapped - but exhaustion tempered the words.
"Only when I know you'll arrive." Remus replied mildly, "Tea?"
"Has there been any changes?" Severus asked instead.
Remus shrugged to the window. The sight by now was all too familiar. The large stone in the center of the mass of vegetation, the boy - as healthy as their potions and regular meals could make him - seated cross legged atop it. The wind ruffled his hair - still as messy and uncombed as ever. The red and green flowers looked normal, the only sign of their abnormal creation the fact that they grew while the rest of the countryside went brown from the drought.
"Have you found a use for the flowers?" Remus asked as the silence stretched.
"No." Severus turned, robes swirling around him, "Albus wants both you and the boy at Hogwarts before October."
Remus nodded and neither mentioned that a year had almost passed since Harry had been found at the foot of the Veil.

September the 30th, 1999

It was the night of the new moon when Severus re-appeared - this time directly into the kitchen - followed closely by the Headmaster and Minerva McGonagall.
"What happened, Remus?" Albus asked as he took in the body-bound boy on the floor.
Remus looked up, expression confused, "I don't know. I - I told him that we were going back to Hogwarts and he - refused."
"He spoke?" Minerva asked sharply.
Remus shook his head mutely; Severus, taking in the remnants of glass, crockery and furniture in the kitchen, snorted: "Threw a temper tantrum in typical Potter fashion."
"Severus." Albus chided before kneeling beside the still body, "Finite Incantatum."
Minerva looked away as Harry scrambled up and backed away from the Headmaster - there were what might have been tears in her eyes. It was ever like this when visitors (those few allowed) came - Remus had witnessed it time and again. It didn't help that Harry looked so - normal. Or at least seemed normal till he refused to speak, till he was found, screaming soundlessly at night - Till something like this happens.
"Harry -" the Headmaster's voice was low, soft and calm, "Harry, Harry -"
Harry looked up and Remus forced himself to continue breathing. Harry responded to his name, he responded to many things. Sometimes.
"Harry - don't you want to come back to Hogwarts?" Albus asked, "Back home? To see all your friends?"
Harry shook his head frantically and Albus sighed and stood up.
"What shall we do?" Minerva asked quietly.
"If Harry does not want to leave then -" Albus paused, "Then we should not move him -"
"But - the danger of an attack -"
"We will increase the wards and perhaps - during Christmas at least -" Albus' gaze turned to Severus who merely looked resigned.

October the 31st, 1999

It was noon when Severus appeared, stepping through the fire directly into the kitchen.
"Where?" he demanded; Remus pointed out the window and Severus sighed, "That blasted stone. When this is over, I shall take a personal pleasure in beating it apart pebble by pebble - possibly with Potter's hard head."
Remus ignored him, leading the way out of the door into the garden. The grass was dry and brittle, the garden coated in leaves falling from the trees. Despite the fact that autumn was well and truly on the way, the tangled heaps of plants were still blooming - the red and green flowers still brilliant and as fresh as the day they had been created.
"Don't -" Remus started and then stopped and waited till after Severus stopped cursing to help pull out the thorns, "Since this morning. It won't let me any closer than this." He said as Severus ripped a vine - flower still attached - off his hand; the thorn was almost an inch long - it hadn't been there before, "They burn, can be ripped apart and destroyed using any number of curses but they grow back too fast for me to take more than a few steps." Remus added.
Severus cast a healing spell on his hand and judged the distance to the stone, "What's that boy doing?"
Harry was sitting cross legged on the stone, hair whipped by a wind - and this Remus realised for the first time - that did not actually exist.

November the 1st, 1999

It was midnight when a low sigh woke Remus. He had dozed off, leaning against the side of the house watching Harry's still body on the stone at the center of the maze. He had, he realised, been resting on Severus - but the other wizard was too busy watching to make any comments.
And after the first few sleepy blinks, so was Remus. The bushes - brought to singular life by an act of wandless, wordless magic - with their green and red flowers were dying. They turned brown and crumbled to dust before Remus' eyes - as if the turn of the seasons had finally caught up with their unnatural life spans.
Harry stepped through the dust, footsteps heavy and loud in the night. He stopped before them and Severus was already standing while Remus remained on the ground staring up in muzzled surprise.
Harry met his eyes for several moments, then walked around Remus and into the house.
"If you will not body-bind him, I will." Severus said; Remus only nodded.

November the 3rd, 1999

"This cannot go on, Headmaster." Professor McGonagall snapped, "Harry Potter or no it will do no good for the morale of the school to see one of their own stumbling about in this manner."
"Not to mention," Severus drawled, "His refusal to speak places a - hamper on his ability to pass any practical class."
The other staff members turned to glare at the potions master. Remus slipped out of the room - whatever it was Albus Dumbledore and the rest of the Hogwarts faculty decided, it had little if anything to do with him.
He found Harry sitting in the corner of the suite of rooms they had been moved into, reading - or at least staring at the pictures - a book.
"Advance Transfiguration." Remus remarked; Harry looked up and smiled hesitantly, "Bit of a stretch from sixth year Transfiguration isn't it, Harry?" at the boy's silence he sat down next to him, "For one thing the application of Goober's Theorem requires a far better understanding of the underlying structure of silicon based life forms -"
Sometimes he wondered why he spent hours sitting with Harry, teaching or reading out of books. Harry never showed any signs of understanding a word he said.
He didn't stop - the words were meaningless but they replaced the things that he would never be able to share with Harry. The things Sirius and James and Lily could never speak with you about either. And the sound - the endless flow of words: it was - comforting.

December the 24th, 1999

Christmas Eve that year was better than it had been in previous years. Hogwarts at Christmas was diluted of the darkness that pervaded everything else. There was no sinister underlying theorem to the classes on defensive and survival magic being taught in all the classes. There was no desperate edge to the way the children cast decoration spells - as if even they knew that the grading scale had been raised to mortal perspective.
More students remained within Hogwarts' protective wards than in previous years. It was - odd to hear laughter ringing about the halls on Christmas Day when in years past there had only been quiet contemplative silence.
Harry was waiting when Remus woke up; he normally ate in the quarters Albus had assigned them - served (though for a while, serving had included feeding) by Dobby the House Elf.
"Is not right -" the House Elf would cry at Remus, rubbing large eyes with skinny fingers, " - put such heavy burden on Harry Potter. Not right! Not right at all -!" and a heavy pop.
Severus had witnessed the tears once and remarked: "As if being completely useless were such a hard task."
All the teachers had received substandard food for weeks before Dumbledore had managed to placate the House Elves.
That morning - the second Christmas, a part of him counted quietly - Harry followed when Remus left the room.
"Should he be here?" Severus asked when his staircase from the dungeons met theirs, but said no more after that.
Christmas breakfast was cheerful with owls winging in throughout the meal with brightly wrapped presents and greetings. Hagrid made an appearance half way through, snow still melting on his broad shoulders.
"Why Harry - been a while since we saw you down here." Hagrid rumbled pleasantly, "Was going to drop this off to you later but -" and pulled out a round parcel, " - merry Christmas then." He said.
Harry took the parcel - it was a wooden snitch Hagrid had carved, Remus found out later - and reached out to take Hagrid's hands, cupping them before gesturing solemnly.
There was an odd bell-tone, drawing all their attention, and then a slow trickle of seeds appeared, drifting into the large hollow of Hagrid's palms. They formed a small pyramid before stopping; Harry put his hands over Hagrid's and smiled then walked out of the Great Hall.
"Unusual." Albus said.
"Atypical grandstanding." Severus snorted.

March 15th, 2000

"I planted them on the first. Talked to Professor Sprout about it and everything. We had a few in Greenhouse Twelve, couple in pots inside and a few out here." Hagrid explained.
In the weak spring sunlight, familiar green and red flowers climbed up wooden stakes or sprawled across the bottom half of Hagrid's vegetable patch.
"You planted the seeds Potter gave you?" Severus repeated incredously - he had been on the same vein for quite a while.
Hagrid looked hurt, "Couldn't very well throw them out - they were a present, Professor." He said, "Not very usual - don't quite recognise them from anywhere." He added.
Severus sighed and glared at Remus before stalking away.
Remus brought Harry out later. They sat on the fence and Remus read out loud from the seventh year potions' textbook about the influence particular phases of the moon had on the scents of certain magical flowers.

March 30th, 2000

Hermione and Ron came over at nights before curfew was called but after dinner. Hermione usually brought books and studied out loud to Harry.
The N.E.W.T.s were around the corner; Remus tried to help them as much as he could - but there was very little he could teach them in his speciality that necessity had not already forced them to learn. Sometimes Ron would give up, fingers stained with ink and parchment blotched and creased from the notes he took. Those nights, he played chess with Remus.
They were five moves from a checkmate when Hermione giggled, "Stop it Harry -"
Remus looked up; Harry was tugging at Hermione's hair.
"He does that sometimes." Ron remarked quietly, "Did that sometimes."
"Did?"
"Before." Ron said shortly, "The flowers are doing well."
Remus blinked: "Flowers?"
"Harry's flowers. They're blooming in the greenhouse now as well."
"Huh." Remus said and moved a knight.
"Can we take Harry out tomorrow?" Ron asked.
Remus looked up, "Where?"
"Just - down to his flowers. He spends most of his times indoors; Professor McGonagall says having him walking around the castle scares the younger years and it's probably good since it's dangerous - moving staircases and Peeves and all that - but -" Ron moved a pawn forward with a nudge of one long finger, "He's grown awfully pale."
Remus nodded and took the pawn with the knight, "Just to Hagrid's hut. Or Greenhouse Twelve. Nowhere else." He said.
Ron nodded - solemn in his awkwardly tall and thin body, "Checkmate."

March 31st, 2000

They came back breathless and laughing at four - before the other students returned from the new year's first Hogsmeade weekend. Hermione was wearing a little circlet of Harry's flowers - as they all started to call it from that day - and their fingers were stained green.
Remus, watching, found himself oddly glad the petals didn't leave a red residue.
"They make a dreadful tea." Severus remarked.
Remus didn't turn, "Not poisonous?" he asked.
"Not in the slightest." Severus said, sounding disgusted, "Completely useless as far as I can tell - I'd call them benign except they have no positive influence either."

April 20th, 2000

There were garlands of Harry's flower on the tables in the Great Hall. They were twisted into necklaces and circlets, made into tangled, twisted belts that fell apart and left red and green petals in the corridors.
"A fad," Professor McGonagall said, "As bad as chewing gum, yo-yos and flares."
"But it does no harm." Albus added gently.
"That's a matter of opinion." Filch sneered, armed with a broom and a disgruntled opinion; but Mrs Norris sported a large flower tucked into her collar till that night when it got lost during a particularly energetic chase.
"Its got a pleasant smell at least." Madam Pince sniffed, her nose red from a cold.
"Or none at all." Severus muttered, "Daft woman."
Remus brought a garland back to their quarters. Harry was sitting at the window, staring down at the green lawn below.
"They call them Harry's flower." Remus said; at the silence he added: "Some herbology today do you think?" he asked.
Some days Harry would respond a little to questions - a glance, a brief smile even. Today he continued staring out the window as Remus read from an old book about planting seasons for the blue-trimmed daisy (commonly called 'smurfs').

May 17th, 2000

Severus didn't return from a Death Eater meeting for three days. Remus covered his classes - pop quizzes for all the lower levels and research essays for the higher levels. Hagrid had Harry over - later telling Remus it had been no problem, all Harry had wanted to do was sit on one of the giant pumpkins growing on the edge of the vegetable patch and watch his flowers.
Severus returned midnight.
"He intends to attack London." Severus said when they had gathered at 12 Grimmauld Place.
As the room exploded into talk, Remus could smell the blood on Severus' robes. Metallic; it reminded him of meat.

June 23th, 2000

The N.E.W.T.s ended and as if that were the signal, the Death Eater attacks began. The Leaky Cauldron was blasted and the Hogwarts Express barely escaped though the station at Hogsmeade was a twisted wreck. There were reports as far as Greenland and the French Ministry had declared a state of isolation, locking itself away in the hopes of keeping Voldemort out.
The refugees came to Hogwarts - some out of fear, others out of hope but mostly because most didn't know where else to go. All the faculty stayed behind - and after a while, with children running around underfoot, it was almost as if school had been called back into session months early.

July 31st, 2000

Remus ran out of other subjects to read to Harry about and started on Defence against the Dark Arts. Harry spent most of his time twisting his flowers into chains, then twisting the chains together.
One day, Remus found half a blanket of Harry's flowers - the start dried and dying, the end fresh and bruised. He cast an ever last charm and woke Harry for breakfast.
"He turns twenty today." Severus said that afternoon.
"He was nineteen last year." Remus replied, "And eighteen the year before that."
"There was more hope last year."
"There is always hope." Remus said and walked away; he went to pick more flowers for Harry and ended up ripping half of the plants out of the ground.
The blanket was large enough to wrap twice around a person the next morning. When Remus went to Hagrid's vegetable patch, the flowers were growing twice as thickly as if to hide the gaping holes.

August 30th, 2000

Remus blinked back blood and tried to rise from the bed - stopped only by Albus hand firmly on his chest.
The Great Hall was chaotic - filled with beds and healers.
"Rest." Albus insisted, mouthing the words of a sleeping charm.
"Harry?" Remus asked, "Where's Harry?" but fell asleep before he could hear the answer.

September 1st, 2000

It was quiet when he woke up.
"Werewolf metabolism." Severus sniffed from the next bed over.
Remus turned his head to stare at the potions master, "I see you made it out."
Half of Severus body was wrapped in bandages and his head was shaved, the places the hex had struck were silvery-white where it had tried to eat away his nerves. His right fingers twitched slightly every now and then - an involuntary twitch.
"I've been better." Severus said, then, almost conciliatory, "Pomfrey says you'll walk again. The silver didn't do any permanent damage."
Remus nodded and wiggled his toes, "How is Harry?"
"Still not talking." Severus said.
"And Voldemort?"
"If I could move the left side of my body I'd show you my arm." Severus said and barked out a laugh - a bitter, almost hysterical sound that had one of the medi-wizards hurrying over to quiet him.
"Where?" Remus asked as the medi-wizard pulled the blankets into place and turned to Severus.
"Where else?" Severus asked, "Oh stop your hovering you fool -" he snapped, "They're all drugged to the gills anyway -"
"Why you aren't. . ." the medi-wizard muttered but walked away after one last warning to keep their voices down.
"Amongst his flowers." Severus said, "They tore the bastard to bits." He added with much satisfaction.

September 15th, 2000

Walking with a cane took time but there was no longer any shooting pains up his spine. Pomfrey had said the last of the silver was out of his system and that he was as healthy as could be expected.
Remus found Harry on the edge of Hagrid's vegetable plot. He looked thinner but the summer sun had tanned him and put brown streaks in his hair. The flowers were a vibrant mesh of red and green.
"It's lunch time." Remus said, one hand on Harry's shoulder, "We still haven't finished the Defence textbook."
Harry smiled; some days, Remus remembered, he responded to his name.
A vine had wrapped itself around one of the fence posts. Feeling slightly foolish, Remus patted it as he walked past and then wondered if he should have said "Good flower".
He looked up to find Harry watching him.

October 30th, 2000

Hermione and Ron came early, and stayed throughout the day - talking with Harry about what they had been doing since school had ended. Ron was travelling Egypt with his older brother Bill - apprenticing in curse-breaking since Bill needed an assistant till his left hand was as flexible as it had been before a Death Eater had crushed it. Hermione was thinking of entering the Auror apprentice program but had postponed her final decision until she finished visiting other magical cities around the world. Other students - full grown witches and wizards now, Remus reminded himself - came throughout the day. None of them mentioned why they had come though a few made time to find and talk to a few of their teachers.
"Two years." Severus said at dinner when the faculty (those that had remained behind to help with the clean up or simply to heal) bemusedly overlooked a full table of chattering ex-students, "Since he walked through the veil."
"Tomorrow it'll be two years since he came back." Remus said quietly, "And two months ago it was twenty years since he was born. And five months ago it was seven years since he finished his first year at Hogwarts -" he glanced up at Severus, "And less than a month ago it was the first day of Voldemort's death."
"And what are you trying to explain with this retention of dates?" Severus asked, one eyebrow arched.
Remus took in the man seated beside him - his hair was growing back in curly. They made a sleek, black cap against his skull.
"No meaning." Remus replied and continued eating.

October 31st, 2000

Harry had been quiet all that day, sitting by the window twisting flowers into the blanket he had made. Most of it was brown - dried rather than rotten in the heat of summer. It crackled as he added fresh green strands and every movement scattered dried petals across the floor.
Remus gave up reading from the old Defence text book and set it aside as the sun set. The rays cast red shadows into the room - and it made him shiver as he sat in the armchair across from the window and watched Harry.
Dinner came and went and when Harry stood up, gathering the blanket with him and walked out of the room, Remus followed.
They met Severus in the Entrance Hall and made a strange procession out of the Castle.
"Have you found a use for Harry's flower?" Remus asked quietly.
The curls clinging to Severus' head lifted in the slight wind, "No. Though it doesn't matter since he has found one for them."

Remus wasn't surprised to find that the mesh of flowers growing on the edge of Hagrid's vegetable patch had parted somewhat, creating a path to the center as well as a slight circle. There was a large rock there.
Severus made a snorting noise, "There is always a rock."
They watched as Harry made his way through the path, climbing onto the rock and sitting there, cross-legged.
"Going to try to make it to the center?" Remus asked.
"I value my blood too much." Severus responded.
They sat instead on the giant pumpkins.
"How familiar." Severus said then pulled out a flask, "Brandy?"
"Almost traditional." Remus replied, "Yes please." He took a sip from the flask, letting the liquid burn down his throat.

"How many years will you continue coming out here with him?" Severus asked sometime later.
Remus, watching Harry as he sat on the rock, the blanket of flowers in his lap, didn't turn, "For as long as I need to."

The End

Author's Note:

Strange fact – I wrote this knowing that I'd have to go through at a later point and change the dates around to make sure they corresponded properly with the full moon of each month. With the first draft complete I started searching for full moon dates and found that every single one of the dates I'd used throughout this entire piece landed before or after the full moon. Most, I discovered, landed four days after the full moon, and the ones that didn't landed the day. Don't believe me? Check here:

The inspiration for "Endings" came from the original Swan Princess fairy tale (wherein the princess spends years sewing shirts out of thistles for her seven brothers who were all transformed into swans).

When I first began this story I had an intended ending. But when I began to write the ending I found that stopping it where I did seemed to suit – far more. However, for the sake of comparison, find the alternate ending that starts right after the last line above.

Alternate Ending

Midnight came; the tolling of the bell in Hogsmeade rolled over the Great Lake - faint and vaguely ominous.
"Two years." Remus said quietly.
"Bit late." Severus remarked, pocket watch in hand.
The wind grew stronger, ripping flowers and sending them dancing across the lawn towards the Dark Forest.
Then - the flowers began to die, withering away and turning to brown husks as if rather than planted, they had been plucked and twined back into the bushes earlier that day.
"At least it'll be easy to determine when a clean up will be required." Severus murmured.
"Every year, on the thirty-first of October." Remus said, "All Hallows."
As if the title opened the door - and perhaps it did - the wind grew stronger, ripping at their robes, shredding Harry's flowers. It whirled, twisting and twirling till a tiny hurricane surrounded the rock Harry sat upon.
"That is not natural." Severus stood up only to be stopped by Remus' hand.
"Some days he responds to his name." Remus said.
"What?"
"Sirius."
"What are you talking about -"
The light was white - and the breeze smelled of lavender and lilies and dust.
When it was gone, there was a large dog on the ground and there was no sign of Harry's flowers.
"A dead grim?" Severus asked, somewhat mystified.
Remus shook his head. Harry jumped off the rock, he left a trail of petals behind him as he threw the blanket of flowers over the dog.

Even from where they stood Remus could see the holes in the blanket where the wind had pulled away dried husks. But there was enough to cover the body. And the glow - when it came, because there would be a glow, Remus knew - was diffused beneath it.
He ran - pulling away from Severus though whether the other man was holding him he didn't know - skidding to a halt next to Harry. Then there was the hard sensation of dirt hitting his knees as he pulled away layers of flowers - dried petals crackling into dust and flying away around him, drifting upwards in a cloud.
And suddenly there were fingers meeting his, movement and warmth beneath his hands. And Sirius sat up, hair streaked with brown, confusion in his eyes.
"Sirius," Remus whispered, "Sirius."
Severus sniffed, "Atypical melodrama."
And Remus laughed, almost hysterically, "Sirius."
Severus turned to Harry, "Well?"
Harry coughed and said: "It's over."