AN: This chapter takes place the day after the battle. The prompt for this was Buoyancy.

With shaking hands Remus held the letter. He ran one finger over the swirling ink that formed his name, before grasping his wand as firmly as his trembling hand would allow and tapping it sharply on the folded yellow parchment, muttering the incantation Tonks had whispered in his ear two nights ago.

He set down his wand and carefully unfolded the parchment, smoothing it gently. My Dearest Remus, it began. Heart pounding and emotion rising in his chest, he felt himself begin to float away as her words of love and support washed over him, became part of him.

Remus read slowly, drinking in each beautiful word transcribed from her heart and etched into paper in the curling motion of her hand in control of a quill. When he reached the final line of the letter, breath held motionless, eyes skimming back and forth; his heart and soul filled with love, admiration and gratitude.

For the last twenty-four hours emotions had ebbed and flowed, joy and sorrow washed like tides under the pull of the moon. So much had been won and so much lost to so many. Just like the last war, this one had ended with unfettered joy from those who had not been tainted by the cruel hand of death and blessed relief from those not fortunate enough to have escaped the passing of one held dear.

The battle of the previous day had been one of untold bloodshed, on both sides. A family of seven children left prematurely fatherless by a flash of emerald from the wand of a tyrant. Remus wondered whether Arthur would have been proud to have died at the hand of the ultimate aggressor. For the second time in as many years, Hogwarts was to have a successor in the role of Head. The image of McGonagall's wounded body haunted him, stole the dreams of a fitful slumber. They had not been merciful; superficial slice after shallow cut, just deep enough to cause damage but not to bring about a swift and agony free death.

The swirling torrent of emotion pulled him down; he sank beneath the surface of grief for those who had shared his life, given him cause and reason.

There was only one thing that could pull him back to the surface, and her hand was now resting lightly on his shoulder.

'You read it.' she whispered.

'I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. I just wanted to know what you had said, what you would have wanted me to know.'

'You are a silly man, there was nothing in the letter that I haven't told you a thousand times already, I simply wrote is so that, if the worst were to happen you would have more than memories of speech to know how much I loved you.'

'I know, sometimes, it's still just hard for me to accept that I have you in my life, that I have some one to love and that I'm loved in return.'

She sat down in his lap and kissed him and it gave him buoyancy in what was now their river of dreams, open to explore. Her lips entwined with his, a tether to a reality as yet unrealised. Healing, soothing kisses help to smooth the scars of war that will fade with time.

Later, they lie in the bed they both feel will be hard to shed as their cocoon against cruelty and hatred. For it is in this place that solace has been found, loving support and transport from despair through physical pleasure. But fortifying arms wrapped tightly around trembling bodies, are sturdy support down the fresh path of freedom.

Remus woke in the middle of the night, fluid visions of passionate memories were the first to flood his brain. He turned his head slightly towards the clock in the corner and caught sight of the letter, her letter. He would be thankful for the rest of his life that he hadn't read it under the circumstances for which it had been intended, but the love and devotion weaved in her words moored him forever more to the wonder that was their partnership.

AN: Reviews would be much appreciated.

There are a number of drabbles that accompany this series. I'm not going to post them here, but if anyone is interested in reading them. They can be found at RTChallenge. There is a link to Challenge on my Live Journal which is the homepage in my profile.