Ch. 27 - The Aftermath
Thanks to James' patronus, the group was able to find their way out of the cellar and back up to the surface. Emmeline had to cover her eyes as they emerged into the cold December sunlight, blinking a few times as her vision adjusted to the aftermath of the battle: Ministry aurors were either taking death eaters into custody or levitating people away on stretchers. Some had sheets covering the bodies.
The very jumpy Minister of Magic approached, scowling at his damaged property as Sturgis escorted him back up to the house. Minchum was a pale, thin man, with thin lips that curved up disapprovingly at the destruction.
"Minister, are you alright?" Frank inquired.
"Fine Longbottom, just fine thanks to Mr. Podmore here. It's fortunate he arrived when he did - we were able to make it out of the house just before they broke through my security." He trudged over to his scorched topiary, taking one of the seared branches between his index finger and his thumb and frowning as it crumbled into ash. "Bollocks. Five years of growing gone to waste."
Emmeline rolled her eyes discreetly. Voldemort had nearly killed her friends, and this pumpkinhead was worried about his trees.
"Someone help!" a woman shouted from their right. Everyone turned to see Dorcas running towards them with tears streaming down her face, and cries punctuated by sharp, shuddering breaths escaping her throat.
Alice caught Dorcas just as she flung herself into her arms. "Doe! What's happened?"
"It's Benjy! He's...He's…"
Though she never finished her thought, they all knew how the sentence might end.
"Oh my God...Doe," Emmeline began, reaching her arm out towards her and laying a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Where is he? Take us to him," said James. Still clutching Alice for support, Dorcas began to lead them back in the direction she'd just come from, and James motioned for the rest of the group to follow.
"You go on," said Emmeline, squeezing Remus' hand. "I'll stay here with Lily. I want one of the healers to look at her."
"Really Em, I'm fine. We should go with Dorcas."
"No, she's right Lily. We'll take care of Dorcas, don't worry," Remus called over his shoulder as he caught up with the rest of the group.
Dorcas led them into the nearby orchard and stopped in an area where the mangled trees showed signs of a struggle. They did not see a body at first. Still unable to articulate Benjy's fate, Dorcas, her lip quivering, pointed shakily at the ground before collapsing back into Alice's arms.
"...Oh sweet Merlin," Frank breathed.
That's when Remus noticed that the stones on the ground were not stones at all.
They were Benjy Fenwick's body, blasted into pieces.
"Merdasse!" Sirius swore in French, jumping back after realizing that he had been standing on top of an ear.
Everybody stared at the scene before them in disturbed silence. "I didn't know how to carry his body back," Dorcas sobbed.
Peter stumbled backwards and wretched violently behind a tree. James patted his back as he tried desperately to keep his own lunch down.
"This is...this is just sadistic, even for a death eater…." Sturgis remarked. "This lacks all honor."
Regaining his nerve, Frank shed his jacket and laid it on the ground. "We'll gather him on here so that his family has something to bury."
…
Several minutes later, most of the scavenging group returned to where they had left Lily and Emmeline, but looked considerably more ill at ease than when they left.
"Where's Doe?" Lily asked as a healer continued diligently examining her.
"Alice and Frank took her home with them," James replied. He turned to the healer. "How is she?"
"By the looks of it, just fine."
Emmeline cupped Remus' face in her hands. "You're pale as a sheet."
"...Benjy's dead," he muttered, choosing to omit the details of his demise. Benjy had been their classmate at school, and Remus was simply too shocked to fully process that he was gone. He would tell her another time - once his hands stopped shaking - about how they'd just cleaned up his remains bit by bit.
With her suspicion confirmed, Emmeline heaved a devastated sigh.
"Poor Dorcas," Lily muttered as the beginnings of tears prickled the corners of her eyes. She noticed Peter looking disoriented. "You okay, Pete?"
Peter continued to stare off into space, as his mind had retreated somewhere else; somewhere safer.
"...Mate?" Sirius clasped his shoulder, causing Peter to jump back and whimper. He looked as if he would fall over if you blew in his direction.
"We'll take him home," James offered, putting his arm around Peter. "I think we all could use some rest."
…
The sun was beginning to dip towards the west by the time Remus and Emmeline apparated home. Fatigued from the battle, Emmeline kicked off her shoes and trudged upstairs with Remus following behind. It wasn't until he saw the half-packed suitcase that he recalled what they'd been fighting about before they left.
They both stared at the luggage uncomfortably. After a torturous pause, Emmeline started towards it, and Remus feared she would continue packing. Instead, she began removing all of its contents. Remus sat silently on the edge of the bed and watched her return every article of clothing to the wardrobe until finally, she picked the empty suitcase up off the bed and put it back in the closet. Only then was he able to relax.
When everything was put away, Emmeline crawled into Remus' arms and wrapped her legs up around him. "I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean a thing I said. Not a word."
"I didn't mean to scare you by packing, I feel terrible. And Benjy and Doe...If something had happened to you this afternoon, I never would've forgiven myself for letting that stupid argument be our final interaction."
Thankful to be holding her, Remus buried his face in the space between her neck and her shoulder. "I'll think about that the next time I'm about to blurt out something hateful."
"So will I...Are you alright? I know you and Benjy weren't best mates or anything, but he was in your dormitory…"
"...I suppose I'm still wrapping my mind around it."
They remained there until they eventually fell asleep in their clothes, with the light of the sunset streaming through the windows and their wands still in their grips.
