Chapter 25: Long Night (part 3).

Today.

He listened carefully as they walked down the deserted hallway towards his chambers. The castle was quiet and calm, unaware of the latest developments in the dark lord's plan. Or was it only the calm before the storm? Remus wondered briefly before averting his eyes to his right and watching his wife as she walked beside him. They walked in silence and the echo that came from their feet hurt his ears.

The storm was already there, and they were right in the middle...from a distance he heared Rose saying something and shook his head.

"I'm sorry?"

"I was saying that this entire thing looks ridiculous. Why would Voldemort do such a thing? And how come no one can see the house?"

"It's probably some kind of a ward." He said. "Maybe similar to the one Dumbledore uses to protect headquarters."

They left Dumbledore's office after looking at several pictures of the old manor. Severus explained to them that no one could see the house unless he thought about the house owners. The potion master wasn't inside and sounded quite confused about the Dark Lord's intentions. They could only hope that he would find out before something happens.

"I should get to Ollivander's as soon as possible." She said.

"It's too soon, you need to rest." He answered. Glancing sideways at her face.

"Rest? I don't need to rest." She answered, annoyed. "I was in a hospital bed for the last sixteen years, Remus."

"I know you did but I don't think you're strong enough." He sighed. "What's to hurry?"

She stopped walking and stared at him with wide eyes. "What's to hurry?" She echoed. "Have you heared nothing in the past hour? Something big is about to happen and I feel like I need to be a part of the order again and if you won't help me, Remus, then I'll find someone else who will!"

"Part of the order?" His voice was suddenly hursh, very different from his normal quiet tones. "Or perhaps, you seek for some kind of revenge?"

She narrowed her eyes and looked at him. "Wouldn't you?" She spat.

"No, I wouldn't." He hissed. "I'd be happy to be here."

She observed him for a while and then spoke. "I may not know what happened to you in the last years but I do know that you are not the man I knew, Remus, the man I knew would not have sat on his ass while his friends are fighting!" Remus eyes widened. "So why won't you get off your high moral horse already! Look me in the eyes and tell me why you fake ignorance while the rest of us see what you ignore so well!"

With a loud growl he grabbed her wrists and slammed her against the nearest stone wall, she gave a startled cry but it only made him hold her tighter. "You have no idea, Rose…" He whispered, eyes glowing with faint gold. "So don't persume that I'm blind as I may appear to you. Like you said, I'm not the man you knew."

"Then why can't you understand that I need to fight?" Rose fought the urge to look away from his face and they were now inches apart, gasping for air.

"Because you seek nothing but revenge! You remember nothing from that night and yet you seek revenge! Against who?" He growled. "Who will you blame for what happned?"

"I don't know!" She screamed. "But someone will pay, Remus! Soemone will pay for the years I was trapped inside myself."

Remus smiled sadly and wiped a few tears from her cheek with his thumb. "Will you blame me?" He asked softly.

"Why would I blame you?" She gave a frustrated cry. "This is it! You take all the blame on your shoulders as you always did. Remus, the world doesn't stop turning cause you did or didn't do something."

"You'd be surprised." He laughed a bitter laugh.

"Then surprise me! Tell me why you're afraid to fight."

"I've been fighting forever, Rose, and maybe, just maybe, I'm tired of loosing everything I have!"

"You don't own me." She sneered and fought against his hands. "Let me go!"

"NO!" He shouted. "You have no right to judge me, Rose, so don't you dare!"

"Tell me what happened!" She screamed. "What happned to you that night? Tell me, Remus!"

"The wards collapsed!" He shouted, his eyes burning with unshed tears. "The wards I built with my own hands…I felt it too late! The house was already in flames! Nothing good came out of that bloody night!"

"You think it might have been better if I had died that night." She whispered, it wasn't a question but she still needed to hear it from his own mouth.

He broke his grasp and his gaze and she caressed her wrists slowly, wincing at the red bruises. "I hurt you." He whispered, reaching out for her hands. She folded her arms around herself and gazed at him, still waiting for him to speak. "I don't know." He said eventually. "There were times when I wanted to die and then they told me you were alive I was so happy…but you suffered so much…" He breathed for a moment. "I don't want to see you loosing yourself in some useless search for revenge."

"Why? Is it because you did the same?" She whispered.

Remus lowered his gaze. "Yes."

"I'm sorry but I have to do this. I have to do this for James and Lily and Sirius…and for me." And with those words she walked away from him, heading towards the main doors.

Remus sighed as he gazed after her. "Then parhaps you should start from me…I carry the blame for the death of them all."

Then. 30 July 1980.

"Remus? A word, please?"

Remus raised his grey eyes and nodded his head, following the old wizard to the large library. Dumbledore closed the door behind them and motioned Remus to sit on a chair across from him. Dumbledore cleared his throat and gazed at him for a moment.

"Is everything alright, Remus?" The old wizard asked.

"Of course, sir, why wouldn't it be?"

"Is Rose still ill? She missed the last two meetings."

Remus nodded. "Yes, she was quite sick lately, but she no longer have a fever. I hope she'll be better by next week."

Dumbledore held his gaze for a while and Remus had the horrible feeling that his old headmaster can see right through his lies. But the old man soon averted his eyes and sighed. "Please, give her my best regards. I hope she'll get better."

Remus smiled. "I will, is there anything else?"

"As a matter of fact, there is. I hate to be bearer of bad news, Remus, but unfortunatly bad news tend to find me first." The old wizard chuckled. "We have reasons to believe that Voldemort seeks new supporters."

"More death eaters?"

"No…we have received information, it is vague, but…we believe he is trying to gain support from several dark creatures."

"Dementores? He is trying to take over Azkaban?"

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "You proposed an interesting theory, one that never crossed my mind." The headmaster frowned. "But it's not what I'm talking about."

Remus gazed at him, waiting for an explanation. A strange feeling spread in his lower stomach, causing his abdominal muscles to clench painfully. He groaned a little as he shifted in his seat.

"I'm afraid I was talking about werewolves, Remus." Dumbledore said gently.

"Werewolves?" Remus echoed quietly, his eyes widening as sharp pangs of pain attacked his side. He groaned loudly, startling the headmaster that stood on his feet and rushed towards him.

"Remus?" The headmaster clutched his hand and Remus tried to breathe slowly. Alarm bells ringed all over his mind but the fog infront of his eyes wouldn't let him analyze them properly. What was wrong with him? From a distance he heared Dumbledore calling someone and opened his eyes to see Sirius rushing inside.

"There's been an attack! The dark mark is floating over the village."

"Where? Is it close?" Dumbledore seemed even more alarmed now. Godric Hollow one of the most safest wizarding village, guarded with strong magic. If someone attacked too close to their headquarters…

Remus leaped to his feet. "The wards!!" He shouted.

He pushed Sirius away from his way and run towards the front door. "Remus, don't!" James rushed after him. "They might still be around!" The auror tried to grab his arm but Remus nearly paunched him when he got to the front door.

"Leave me alone! The wards crashed!"

He fled down the road and James glanced sideways to Sirius. His best friend pulled out his wand and started walslowly in the direction of Remus and Rose house. In the middle of the street he stopped and inhaled deeply.

"James?" Lily rested her hand on his shoulder but her husband didn't meet her eyes as he scanned the street around him. It was quiet…too quiet…

He made a step forward when Sirius gasped and turned to face him.

"Fire!" He shouted. "Something is burning…James, we have to help Remus!" Suddenly the sense of panic consumed him and he shot forward, running faster and faster. Behind him, Sirius could hear James footsteps as he caught up with him and he heared Lily's cry for James.

"James! What are you doing?"

Behind her, Wormtail shuddered.

********

Remus ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Those five minutes of running will forever be the longest, horrible moment in his life and eventually he got there…only to see his life shattering infront of him. He stood frozen for a moment, gasping for air, having trouble to comprehend what he was watching. He clutched his wand in his right hand, his entire body shaking.

One shuddering breath broke the dam.

"NO!!"

He shot forward, towards the burning flames, droping his wand to the ground.

"ROSE!!"

"Remus! NO! What are you doing!"

Four hands grabbed him from behind and pulled him away from the burning house. But he didn't care, he had to get inside…he had to get Rose out of there! Fighting against the strong hands he tried to break free but they wouldn't let him go.

"NO!" He screamed. "I HAVE TO FIND HER!"

"No, Remus, you can't do anything now!" James pulled him away, Sirius helping him. "We have to go! The house is about to collapse…"

Remus struggled but couldn't break free. "No!" He screamed. "Let me go! She can't be dead! NO!" He sank to his knees, Sirius and James next to him. They looked at each other helplessly as their best friend sobbed and still continued to fight them.

"James!" someone cried from behind them and they turned to see Wormtail standing behind them, his face pale in the light of the flame. "Oh, Merlin…" He mumbled.

"What?" James asked, his eyes watering.

"Lily…Lily…" Wormtail stamered. "Lily's water broke!"

James swallowed. "What? It's too early!" He whispered and removed his hands from Remus' shoulder.

With a cry of pain Remus shot forward again, towards the flames. He'll find her! he had to find her…they have to be at the hospital tomorrow, the doctor will be waiting and he couldn't wait to show her the nursery he built with his own hands. Anger shot through him, why is she playing games with him? this is not funny…this entire fire and dark mark are most certainly NOT funny!

"Remus, NO!" Sirius pulled him backwards just as the sound of breaking wood could be heared and to his horrified eyes the entire house collapsed to the ground with a sickening noise.

He fell backwards on his back, his head hitting the ground. Sirius groaned beside him and from the corner of his eyes he saw James and Wormtail running towards them. Closing his eyes, he started laughing, a loud, hollow laugh, empty of all emotion.

"Remus?" Sirius face came in his line of vision and he shot forward, his palms closing on his best friend's neck.

"Is this some kind of a sick joke?" He spat.

"Remus! Let him go!" James cried, trying to free Sirius from his grasp.

Sirius caughed hard but managed to talk. "Moony, let me go…let me go, mate…"

Remus glared at him for a moment before removing his hands. Sirius struggled for air and then eyed Remus who gazed at the still burning debris with wide eyes. "Remus…"

"No…" He whispered. "It's a dream…nothing more…it can't be happening…it can't be happening…"

James and Sirius shared a look of worry when Remus started sobbing quietly, his face twitching with agony and his body shaking. Sirius immediately pulled him to a hug, trying to offer as much comfort as he could while his own eyes watered.

"James…Lily…" Wormtail reminded him. James gave Sirius a helpless look and Sirius shook his hand.

"Go to Lily, James, He'll be alright now." He whispered.

James gave one last look at the two of them before running back towards his house. Wormtail ran after him. Sirius gave them one last look before he started sobbing himself, Remus still clinging onto him like a lifeline.

"No…" The werewolf whispered. "No…NOOOOOOO!"

Sirius shuddered when he realized the cry didn't sound human anymore and he helplessly looked at his friend as he howled his pain to the night sky.

*************

Swallowing hard…God, I have to start writing happier stuff…

Don't worry about 'Today' Rose and Remus they'll be better son. I just didn't think that everything should get back to normal after 16 years…

So, please REVIEW and give me your thoughts of this chpater…

Thanks, Bell.