Well, thanks to my English teacher, I've been finding myself hooked on Poe. This is a post HBP oneshot, which is Mr. Poe's poem about his lost love transfered into Remus's sense of loss. The wording is still the same, as to remain faithful to the original author, who actually owns it, but I hope that it will be appreciated the way it was meant to be. Please pardon the drawn-out events that lead up to the main attraction. Slight AU, in the sense that Mr. Poe doesn't exist in this fanfic. RL/SB and slight HG/RW. This is my first oneshot, so please bare with if it isn't that good. Arigato!
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Harry Potter or Edgar Allan Poe. But I do own copies of their works if that counts! (it doesn't count, does it? (gloom))
And now, without further ado, I present
My dog, Ebony
Summer. Hermione was now in the wretched house of Black, which was now Harry's. Even though it had been decontaminated and sterilized enough to be livable, it was still dank and morbid, even more so since Sirius died. It was now night three in Harry's new manor (which he still didn't see as his), the first time she'd stayed there sense Christmas two years ago, and she couldn't stand it any more. The new pain caused by the loss of Dumbledore, the wounds from the loss of Sirius that hadn't even started to heal yet were bad enough. However, the sight of her one of her dearest friends was struggling with the same emotions, intensified probably ten fold, but trying to deal with it by focusing his energies on finding Voldemort's Horucruxes, was unbearable. To top that off, whenever she tried to talk to Remus about it, she would clam up. The last time she tried to talk about Sirius with Remus, it exploded in an argument, where Hermione called him cold-hearted and unsympathetic. "Just like a werewolf!" she had shouted, before storming out of the kitchen, and getting a few aghast looks from Harry and Ron. Remus had shut himself in his room for the last two days. Hermione had to talk to the lycanthrope about this strange behavior.
It was day brake, and Hermione looked as if she was the only one awake in the house. As she went down to the kitchen, hoping to run into him after his roaming in his wolf-form, she felt dread swell in the pit of her stomach. But no matter what, she needed to get this off her chest. When she got down there, it looked as if Remus still hadn't returned from his monthly romp. Hopefully, his mood would be less heavy now. Quietly, she wandered the kitchen, checking to see if he really wasn't back yet.
"Remus?"
She was still slightly uncomfortable with addressing him so informally.
"Just a minute!"
The voice come from the downstairs toilet, startling Hermione. Remus Lupin came out, his robes reduced to rags, as was typical after a transformation.
"Hermione?" He called, numerous scratches on his face, a change of clothes in one hand and bandages in the other. He did look a mess.
"Please forgive me!" she said, realizing that she had disturbed him again. she didn't want another argument like the last time. "It can wait until your done, I just need to talk to someone about this."
Remus gave her the all-too-familiar look of concern.
"Are you sure?" he asked sincerely. "It must be important if your up this early."
"Um, no. I'm sure it can wait." she said.
"Don't worry, this won't take me too long," said Remus, heading upstairs to his room. Hermione noticed something shiny fall out of his torn pocket.
"Um, Remus? You dropped something."
But the werewolf had already closed the door.
She went to pick it up, and was surprised at it. It was a large silver locket with a crescent moon and a star. Despite her knowledge of the consequences, she couldn't resist the temptation of seeing what was inside. she sat down, and pried it open with her thumbnail. It opened, reviling a photograph of Remus and Sirius, back when they were still students at Hogwarts. However, there was something strange about this picture. This was the first photo of Remus and Sirius by themselves, and they were behaving differently from the other ones that she'd seen, with James and Pettigrew as part of the subjects. It looked like spring, with flower petals falling like leaves in autumn, and Remus and Sirius were acting unusually playful for seventeen-year-olds. It started out as if the younger, more lively and cute Sirius was pestering the younger, more hansome Remus, who looked as if he was trying to study. But then, Sirius started touching Remus, the same way that she and Ron had touched each otherin private. Then they kissed.
This was the greatest shock thus far, because the kiss wasn't just some friendly peck, but a passionate, romantic kiss that only lovers shared. Hermione could tell that they shared a bond that they didn't have with the other Marauders, but this! She had no idea that Remus or Sirius were homosexual, or even that they had that kind of relationship. Not only did this shock Hermione, but proved her accusations highly wrong. Then she noticed a piece of parchment, dated on the day of Sirius's death, the handwriting all too familiar.
It was many and many a year ago,
In a castle by a lake near the sea,
That a beauty there lived whom you may know
as my dog of sweet Ebony;--
And this wonder, he lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
He was a pup and I was a pup,
In this castle by a lake near the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love--
I and my dog, Ebony--
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted both him and me.
And this was the reason that, not too long ago,
far from the school by a lake near the sea,
A dark spell blew out of a cloud by night
Cursing my dog, Ebony;
No friends, nor his godson could come to stop it,
but the Grim bore him away from me,
To shut him up in a void of nothing,
far from our school by the lake near the sea.
The angels and Death-Eaters, not half so happy in both worlds,
Went envying both him and me:--
Yes! that was the reason (as the Order does know,
far from the school by a lake near the sea)
That the dark wind came out of a cloud, cursing
And killing my dog, Ebony.
But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we--
Of many far wiser than we-
And neither the angels in Heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of my beloved dog, Ebony:--
For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful dog Ebony;
And the stars never rise but I see the dark eyes
Of the dog that was my Ebony;
And so, when I change, I lie by the empty gravesite
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my love,
by what should be his tomb by the sea--
near his grave by the side of the sea.
Tears fell from her eyes, onto the parchment that the poem was on. So this was why Remus didn't want to talk about Sirius. The memories were hard enough to handle, that he was afraid that she would show his true feelings. How could she have been so wrong? How could she mistake their first embrace after twelve years of separation for brotherly affection? How could she not see the true reasons behind the long intervals of time that Remus and Sirius shared in his room? She hated herself for being the inconsederate one. When Hermione finally looked up from the paper, she saw Remus, his wounds bandaged and his clothes changed, and for the first time, he looked scared. Hermione just looked at him, crying. The ten seconds of silence were unbearable.
"I never even knew!" she cried, rushing to the lycanthrope and hugging him as hard as she could. "How could have been so foolish!?"
Remus stood there, shocked, but then embraced her in return. "It wasn't your fault, we didn't tell anyone except the other Marauders."
Hermione didn't stop crying. "Can you ever forgive me?" she sobbed.
Remus's eyes welled with tears as well, greatful for her understanding of what he and Sirius had.
"Of course I can," said Remus, staring at the opened locket on the table. "Padfoot would have understood."
-- THE END --
Okay, I know, I should be cast into the pit and die by the Pendulem, as well as have the Bat-Boggy Curse put upon me, but hay, You gotta admit, not half bad for a first attempt at a oneshot and slash.
I beg and emplore you, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease review! I need feedback for future fics, so that they won't be as gastly! (although, I'll deeply appriciate it if I actually get good reviews) Please give honest opinons, I don't mind flames (just don't be too mean, or I'll cry) Thank you for readint this, though, and I appologise profusely if this was a disapointment. Gomenesai, to Domo Arigato Gosaimasu. (I'm sorry, and thank you very much (formal))
Sincerely,
Tsuki-Chan