Dedicated to Lucy, for listening.
"Sign here," The young man said, pointing his grubby finger at a spot near the top of the page. "And here. Lovely." He smiled and Remus winced at the state of the man's teeth. He thanked the deliveryman and sighed when the door was shut, leaning his back against it for a moment. Remus looked at the package that had just been delivered and took a deep breath. What on earth could this be?
He started to meticulously separate the brown paper from the brown tape, and untie the string until he decided 'sod it' and tore the lot off. Some rational part of him would later regret this, thinking it best to have kept the stuff in tact so he could reuse it later, finances being what they were, but that would be later, and this was now.
Remus turned the huge rectangular thing over. It was a large painting of Remus' old garden in his parents' country home. It had been passed onto him after their death, but he had sold it almost immediately. The pain of going back there was too much for him to face.
The painting was just of the garden, though, not the house. There was nobody in it, yet Remus had a strange feeling that there rather should be. To prove him right, a little person jumped out from behind the big elm tree.
Remus gasped and dropped the painting, which made a loud bang when it hit the floorboards. He clutched his chest and fell back against the hallway wall, his heart beating faster than ever and tears springing up in his eyes. He blinked them away and looked back at the painting. There was a pint-sized little Sirius running like a madman around the tree, now, and Remus recalled that he had seen this painting before.
OoOoOoO
"Boys, please stay in the garden! Please, so I can see you in the frame. Remember we discussed the frame? Off the flowerbed, Sirius!"
"Mother, why don't we just take a photo? It'll work just as well." Remus moaned.
"Because I won't have the experience of painting you." Mrs Lupin argued. "Now get back over there by that tree so I can finish this before it rains!"
"Mrs Lupin!" James yelled from somewhere behind the elm.
"What is it, James?" She asked.
"There's something wrong with your river." He answered.
"It's magical," Remus explained, dashing off to where James had been joined by Sirius and Peter, peering into the river.
"There's no reflection!" Sirius said, holding his arm out above the water to see its reflection, but there was nothing there.
"I can't see any water," Peter said.
"Oh, it's there," Sirius laughed, scooping a large handful of water and tossing it at Peter.
"Ai, it's cold! It's bloody cold!" Peter roared, running away from the river. He quickly doubled back and knocked Sirius head-first into the cold water.
"It's magical, you say?" James asked, staring at Sirius' antics as he flailed about complaining of drowning or some such.
"Yes," Remus told him, watching as Sirius jumped out of the water and began to run about. "We don't know what it is, exactly, but all kinds of magical animals come to drink the water. Also, mum boiled it for tea once, and it turned my hair violet. Why still don't know why."
"Purple hair, yellow eyes. You would have looked marvellous in a spandex suit." Sirius said, grinning as he approached Remus from behind.
Remus began to laugh before seriousness of the soaking-wet-Sirius-sneaking-up-behind-him situation fully registered. Remus yelped as he felt a freezing cold, wet Sirius chest press against him from behind, soaking Remus' shirt through and chilling his whole back.
"Bastard!" He yelled, and turned, ready to attack a hysterically laughing Sirius with whatever he could find. He swung around to see Sirius grinning, dripping from head to toe with his shirt clinging close to his torso. His eyes could barely be seen, so thickly covered were they by the water-soaked hair that dripped all around him. Sirius was smiling as he pushed back his hair and he winked at Remus who smiled quietly to himself, before pelting a handful of mud into that smug grin.
OoOoOoO
Remus sat down in the hallway beside the painting. He could see them all, now, running around the garden, soaked in water and covered in dirt. The tiny Sirius and Remus stole a kiss when they thought they were hidden behind the tree. Then the little Sirius ran up to the front of the painting, grinning, and blew a kiss.
"Hi Moony!" He said, and he winked before he ran back to play.
Remus choked to hear that voice. He would never hear it again, now. Before there had been a chance, but now there was nothing. The veil had stolen his last hope.
Each time Sirius ran around the tree, Remus' breath caught and he felt that cool water running down his back again, soaking him and reminding him what should be there but isn't.
He flipped the painting over and found a little letter attached to the back. He read it.
Dear Moony,
I enchanted this to send itself to you if anything ever happened to me, so I suppose something did, eh? Probably jinxed myself. Well, I'm sorry I hoarded this painting for all those years. Your mum gave it to me for my birthday one year and, well, you know. But my point is this: I love you. Heh, yeah, it's true. Do you remember when I soaked your back in water? That was when I first realised that's where I belonged. Not behind you, not like that! But that stuff is very nice. Especially when you used to do that thing, the shaking thing? But I mean with you, I knew I belonged with you (and sometimes behind you). It was really a matter of love-at-first-mudball-to-the-face, I think. So here's to you, my Moony.
Love always, S
Remus cried.