House: Ravenclaw

Position: Transfiguration

Standard

Prompt: [Object] Water Lilies

Word Count: 1,497

"I'm sorry," he whispers as he stands in front of the fresh grave. "If only I had known of his betrayal, then you guys would still be alive and Harry wouldn't be with your sister, Lily."

He clenches his fist as tears well up.

"It's not fair that you had to leave so soon. You had your life ahead of you. To think it all ended because of that traitor."

He takes a deep breath, using his worn coat to wipe the tears away.

"I wish that I could take Harry in. But Dumbledore is right, he wouldn't be safe with me. Especially on a full moon. Although I do wish that he could have found someone else to take him in."

Remus looks up at the cloudy sky, wishing for the rain to fall already.

"I won't be there for his childhood. But I promise that when we do meet, I'll protect him."

He looks back at the grave and smiles sadly. Remus waves his wand and two water lilies appear. Then he apparates away, knowing that he is needed elsewhere.

A blanket of darkness covers the land as a lone figure walks through the graveyard. The stars twinkle above on the new moon night. The figure looks around, before pulling something out of their cloak. With a small whisper and swish of the wrist, a dim light appears. The light softly lights up the surrounding area and the stranger's face.

The man has a large hooked nose, sallow skin and shoulder-length greasy black hair. Held in his left hand is a bundle of white, light and dark pink flowers. A cobalt royal blue ribbon ties the bundle of water lilies together. The man stops in front of a grave. He bends down and carefully places the flowers at the base of it.

"Hello, Lily. It's been a while," the man murmurs as he gently touches the grave. "I brought you some flowers. I hope you like them. Sorry I didn't come earlier, I had to teach. Yes, I teach at Hogwarts. Ironic isn't it? Dumbledore has somehow entrusted me with teaching a bunch of bumbling idiots how to make potions."

Taking a deep breath, he moves some fallen leaves off of the top of the gravestone. A sad smile graces his lips.

"Sorry, but I have to go now. I wish that I could stay and tell you more, but those essays won't grade themselves."

He then stands up and makes sure that everything is perfect. Once done, the man turns and leaves the graveyard. For he, Severus Snape, has papers to grade and students to torment.

The man looks around nervously. His hands twitch as he scurries through the graveyard in the middle of the night. He stops as he hears a sound off to his left. His breath hitches as he patiently waits, hoping that it was just an animal and not a human.

After a couple of seconds, he continues to make his way through the graveyard and towards a particular grave. It doesn't take long for him to reach the grave, even in the dark. Swallowing the nervousness down, he stops in front of his destination.

"H-hello, Lily. James. I-I'm not staying here long. J-just long e-enough to say sorry. And to s-say goodbye," the man stammers. "I-I got you guys some f-flowers. I-I remember that water l-lilies were at your wedding. So I got you s-some."

He quickly places the flowers on the grave and takes a step back.

"I-I know that I b-betrayed you. A-and that you hate me. A-and I'm sorry that I threw your f-friendship away. I know that I'm a c-coward. A-and that I shouldn't a-ask for forgiveness. Y-yet here I am asking for it."

He takes a second to look left and right, making sure no one has snuck up on him.

"A-anyways, I-I'm here to say goodbye. G-goodbye to my old l-life and the o-old me. T-there's no going back now. S-so, g-goodbye, Lily. G-goodbye, James."

Peter Pettigrew then turns around and hurries away. He can't be spotted and he needs to find a new home. Seeing that everyone thinks he's dead.

She shifts her coat once again, making sure that it's perfectly straight. She still doesn't know why she decided to visit her sister. It's not like they were close or anything. Looking into her bag, she makes sure that the water lilies and petunias are still good.

Taking a deep breath, she walks into the graveyard with her head held high. She passes four rows before reaching the correct one. Counting the gravestones as she walks down the path, she stops in front of her sister's.

"Hello, Lily. It's been a while," Petunia says as she grips onto her purse. "To be honest, I don't know why I'm here. But, I feel like I should… visit, at least once."

Taking a deep breath, Petunia removes the flowers from her purse and places them on the gravestone.

"There. Some flowers. Now, then, I have to go back to my Dudlikins. He should be coming back from his first day of school soon and I want to hear everything he has to say about it."

Taking a deep breath, Petunia looks down at the grave.

"Goodbye, Lily. Maybe we'll see each other in the afterlife."

With that said, Petunia turns and leaves the graveyard. She has to hurry home to welcome back her precious Dudley. Oh, and her nephew as well.

A large, black dog walks through the streets with a water lily in his mouth. The dog ignores the people he passes by as he continues to his destination. It doesn't take long for him to reach the entrance to the graveyard.

The dog stops for a second to look up at the looming black iron gates. He then pads forward to his best friend's grave. As he gets closer, he looks around to make sure that no one else is there. Luckily, no one is in the graveyard right now.

Reaching the grave, the dog places the flower on top of it before shifting into his true form.

"Hello, James, Lily. Sorry that it took me so long to visit. Was a bit preoccupied being trapped in Azkaban for all these years. Hope you guys have been doing well and watching over Harry," Sirius says as he shifts some of his shaggy black hair out of his face. "As much as I would love to stay and talk to you about what I've been up to. I've pushed my luck this far and don't intend to push it any farther. I'll come back and visit when I can. Maybe I'll bring a snowdrop or a rose next time. Until then, old friends."

Sirius stands up and shifts back into Padfoot. He takes one last look at the grave before turning and walking away.

The laughter of children fills the air. A young boy dressed as a pirate runs past a tall man with black hair, green eyes, and round glasses. The man side steps as a little girl almost runs into him as she chases the boy.

"Brother, wait up! Mum said that we need to be together," she yells, as she fixes the crown sitting on her curly blonde hair.

The man smiles softly as he shakes his head before continuing towards his destination. He tightens his grip around the water lilies he is holding as he gets closer and closer to death. He steps through the entrance to the graveyard. The man passes a couple of rows of gravestones before he reaches his parents' grave.

"Hi, Mum, Dad. Sorry I couldn't get here earlier. I was helping Ginny get the kids ready to trick-or-treat," Harry Potter says as he bends down. "I brought you guys some water lilies. I would have brought roses like I usually do, but the flower shop I went to was out of them. So I got the lilies. Hope they are alright"

He carefully places the flowers on top of the grave, before standing up.

"The kids and Ginny are doing well. They are growing so big. I wish that they would just stay young for a little bit longer." The silence stretched as Harry looked at the cold graves. "I better go. I promised Ginny that I'd be home before they get back from Trick-or-Treating. I'll see you guys soon. Say hi to Remus and Sirius for me," Harry says as he smiles softly before turning and heading home to greet his family.