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Becoming Moony: Eternal
There was so much confusion. There was blood and gore everywhere. It was in his skin even, gore hung from trees and dripped from bushes. It was truly disgusting but Remus paid in no mind. There was no time to think about what you were stepping upon or what was falling into your hair. There was no time to think of anything but battle.
Remus ducked and threw himself to the ground in hopes of the curse missing. It did, but not by much. He felt the Stinging Hex pass across his right shoulder and fairly howled in repressed pain.
The Death Eater fell to his knees, a dagger like piece of metal hanging from his chest. Neville Longbottom helped Remus to his feet, brushing blood from his face with a handkerchief.
"Be careful, Professor. They're out to get you." Neville ran past him in a hurry, wanting to help out as much as possible. Remus couldn't blame him, they were vastly out-numbered and it looked as though help wouldn't be arriving at all. He had been at this for three hours already and he was exhausted. There was no point to all this blood. How could anybody see anything?
Remus flung himself behind a tree; just missing a cutting curse flung at his neck. He hoped Dora was all right, he had lost track of her twenty minutes in. He sighed, hoping that she had gone home. Poor Teddy, Remus was so glad that he was nowhere near this catastrophic gore.
"Remus! Look out for god's sake! We don't need anymore deaths." Kingsley yelled as he ran by. Remus nodded and moved further into the forest. He had always felt at home here, no matter what form he took. Maybe the foliage would help distract him from all the death so that he might concentrate.
He snuck up behind a Death Eater who was urinating on a tree of all things. Remus shook his head and leant against the trunk of another tree. The Death Eater finished, turned, and was met with Remus's curse. The man fell to the ground, silent.
Remus moved further into the forest, it was getting much darker here. The trees were so dense that you could barely move. But Remus knew that a break in the trees would come soon. The trees would open up and reveal the Whomping Willow. His home away from home, snorted Remus.
There it was, and it was miraculously free of Death Eaters. In fact, it was nearly silent here. Must have been too far away from the castle. He could hear the battle going on in the distance, but time seemed to have stopped in this place. Even the Willow wasn't moving. It was easy to see why. The roots had been blasted away from the ground and a gaping hole could be seen from a great distance. The branches hung limply from their places, never to swing again. It was dead a long with everything else.
Remus moved into the ground, placing a hand along the rocky wall so as not to fall. He hadn't been down here in a long time. Well, it seemed like a long time. It had only been four years. Four long years, in which too many things had happened.
As Remus stepped further into the tunnel he never saw a flash of a black cloak, nor did he hear a whispered curse. A killing curse. He felt it hit his back, however, he felt it strike right between his shoulder blades. A true hit then. He would have turned to commend the Death Eater that he hadn't seen, but by then he was gone. His spirit floated quietly away, one word left upon his lip. "Teddy."
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Remus Lupin was a delicate five-year-old, small and golden. He was also being very naughty. His mama had told him not to go outside at night, but how could he, how could anyone, ignore such a warm and wonderful night like this? So Remus, being as quiet as he could, snuck out of his bed, stole down the stairs and out the back door. Now he wandered as freely as a bird, exploring his surroundings with the curiosity of a weasel.
The sudden snapping of a twig brought Remus's attention to a small alcove created by bushes. A pair of yellow eyes gleamed out from the darkness. Remus was not frightened, however, as it was, quite obviously, a dog of some sort and Remus loved dogs of all shapes and sizes. He approached the mass slowly, not wanting to scare the canine into running away.
"Here doggy, doggy. Come 'ere, I won't hurt you." cajoled Remus, putting his hand out towards the animal.
As the lumbering mass came stumbling towards him, Remus realized his mistake. This was no ordinary dog. In fact, Remus didn't even think it was a dog anymore. As the canine moved into the moonlight, Remus choked out a startled scream. It was no dog, it was a wolf. A giant, salivating werewolf!
Remus started to stumble away, another scream stuck in his throat. As the grey wolf lunged at him, the scream that stuck stubbornly to him came bubbling up and out of his mouth. As the moon began to set, Remus Lupin's tortured screams echoed into the night.
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"Gryffindor!"
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One boy was shorter than most boys, not including Remus, who was the smallest, had hazel eyes, black hair that looked as though it had been through a tornado, and wore glasses. The other was of average size, had grey eyes that sparkled with laughter. He also had black hair but it laid flat. They both had a haughtiness that came only with purebloods. They were, also, freshly sorted Gryffindors. Wonderful, thought Remus, life really wasn't fair
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"Remus?" It was Sirius, Remus thought as he slunk down the side of the tiled wall, praying that Sirius wouldn't start anything. That he would give up if Remus didn't answer him.
"Remus, I know you're here. I can hear you breathing. Can we talk?"
Remus sighed, "About what?"
"A little of this, a little of that. You know, bonding stuff." Sirius said, a small chuckle escaping him.
Remus rolled his eyes. Even when he was trying to be serious, he was a nut. Remus decided that talking couldn't hurt; maybe he was worrying about nothing.
"I'll be out in a minute Sirius."
"Okay. I'll meet you down in the Common room, alright?"
"Alright."
The door closed again and Remus sighed. Hopefully Sirius was just being silly and didn't really know anything.
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"I think I'm in love with you."
Remus couldn't move, he couldn't speak. Sirius had just confessed his love for him and he didn't want to wake up and find that it was a dream.
"And like you said, it shouldn't matter if you don't feel the same. I can deal with that. It's not like…"
"Sirius?"
"Huh?"
"Shut up and kiss me." Remus stated before pulling Sirius's face to his. He felt like being spontaneous and this was as spontaneous as he could get at the moment.
Their first kiss together wasn't perfect. It was nervous and full of teeth and awkward limbs, but it was theirs. It was a moment that they could share for, hopefully, years to come.
All Remus could think of was how well they seemed to fit together and how incredibly lucky he was. To find someone who didn't care about his furriness or any secrets he ended up keeping. As he ran his hands up into the black liquid curls, he knew this was what love was.
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Lily was absolutely stunning in her dress. The white silk charmuese dripped down her body and pooled around her feet, dragging behind her as she walked. The form fitting ivory bodice sat upon her like a second skin. The rouging that pulled the eye downward ended in a diagonal with bunches of tiny rosettes and lilies. They lay flat against her right hip and waist and only added to the beauty of the dress. The square neckline accentuated her graceful neck and collarbone and drew you upwards. The long opaque sleeves fell along her upper arms and cut at the elbow, draping and falling down towards the floor she walked upon.
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As Remus held the bundle of baby, he wondered how such a little guy could hold everyone under his thumb. Harry would soon develop his own personality and Remus wasn't sure how that was possible. For something so small, growing into himself was a miracle. The tiny body curled closer and whimpered. He quieted down and wrapped a miniature hand into the navy blue cashmere sweater Sirius had bought him for Christmas. A chorus of 'awes' came from around the room and made Remus smile. A baby was wonderful, they couldn't be racist and they didn't have any prejudices, they just were. This small creature didn't care that Remus was a werewolf, that he had next to no money, and that he wasn't the most handsome of people. Harry just cared that Remus had a warm body, a strong heartbeat, and would hold him till Remus's arms gave out.
"You can't have him back, Prongs. He's mine now," whispered Remus, still staring at the little body in his arms. Laughter erupted from the small hospital room. Sirius gave a whoop and started to do a little jig.
"That baby is going to have everyone so wrapped around his fist that he will get away with everything. And then some." said Lily, putting her arms across her chest. James smiled and put his arm around her, kissing her forehead.
"That's okay, for now at least."
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Remus stared at the wall, disbelief evident in his every movement. He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it! They couldn't be gone! Not all of them! They were all he had left!
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"Bye, Remmie." whispered Sirius, pressing a kiss against Remus's cheek. Remus gasped and pressed a hand against the spot as Sirius flew off to some unknown frontier.
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Remus opened his eyes and found himself in a room he would never have thought possible. His bedroom. His bedroom in Lupin Cottage. Remus stepped out of bed and walked down the same creaking stairs he remembered. He entered the kitchen and nearly fell over in shock.
"Hi, baby. Sleep well?" Helena Lupin turned from where she was making chocolate chip pancakes to give her son a smile. John Lupin looked up from his paper to grin at the gob smacked look on his son's face.
"Weren't expecting us, were you?"
"Huh?"
"We're here to help you, sweetie. All of the newly dead have guides. They're generally parents."
"Newly…dead?"
"Yes, baby. You didn't think that this was a dream did you?" Remus had in fact thought it was a dream. A very cruel dream at that. But then everything came rushing back to him: the war, the Death Eater he hadn't expected, Teddy. Oh, Lord…Teddy!
"What…how…I'm so confused." Helena smiled. She came around the table and wrapped her arms around her poor child.
"It's all right, Remmie. You'll be okay. But right now you have to go and help Harry. The poor thing is being beaten into the ground."
"Harry? How do you…?"
"How do I know about Harry?" Helena nodded, smiling; "Everyone here knows about Harry, we've been helping him out for years."
"Years…. how do I…?"
"Get to him? Don't worry Rem. Just think about him and you'll find him. Now go on, your friends are waiting for you."
Remus focused on Harry and felt his body fading away. He had a last glimpse of his parents before he was whipped away in a flash of white and gold.
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"You have to make a choice, Remmie. You have to decide whom to spend eternity with," said Helena, running her fingers through Remus's hair. The whole mess with Harry and Voldemort had frayed his nerves. He didn't want to have to make life-changing decisions!
"How do I choose? I can stay with anyone! I can't make that decision. Can I pick them all?" asked Remus, raising hopeful eyes to his mother. John laughed and patted Remus's hand.
"No, Rem, you can't. It doesn't work like that. I chose to stay with your mother and her with me. It has to be a unanimous choice. Both have to want to be with the other. I know for a fact that Nymphadora Tonks is with her father right now. And James is with Lily, of course. They're just waiting for Harry now. You get a choice, yes, but it isn't an easy one. There's no visiting either." John gave a sad smile.
"We were hoping you would stay with us, but I doubt you will."
Remus looked at his mother, "Why's that?"
"Because there's a very handsome young man waiting for you in a small London flat."
Remus felt his eyes fill with tears, "Sirius? He's waiting for me?"
"Of course, sweetheart. He came to us, you know. When he died…he didn't want to see his parents. We were so excited to see him; we hadn't seen anyone before him. He said that he wanted to wait for you. We sent him on his way and promised to tell you he was waiting."
Remus looked down at the worn carpet and thought. He started when his hand went see through. He looked up at his parents in alarm, surprised to see them smiling.
"What's happening?"
"You've made your choice, sweetie. Go on, we'll see you later."
"But you said…"
"Go, Rem. We love you."
Remus felt the tears roll down his face as his parents disappeared from view once more. He felt a couch rematerialize underneath him as he cried. He knew he wouldn't see his parents again and it made it hard, knowing he had lost them twice.
"No crying Remmie. We've got too long for you to be sad." Remus twisted around in shock, quickly taking in the flat. It was still dilapidated and strewn with books. He was still sitting on that horrendous velvet couch. Sirius was lounging in the doorway, looking better than he had in years. He was wearing a most delicious pair of black leather trousers and a white dress shirt, completely unbuttoned. He looked exactly like he had at twenty-one. Remus thought he must look a fright.
"No crying, got it. Anymore rules?'
"Just one."
"What's that?"
"You have to kiss me to find out." Remus smiled and stood. Sirius met him halfway and their lips met in the sweetest kiss either had ever had. As their lips met again and again, Remus had the presence of mind to ask about the second rule.
"You can't dwell on the past. Just the now. It's always about the now."
Remus knew he could agree to that.
A.N: Damn! I got that done in three hours! I'm so proud of me! This isn't over yet! Two more chapters! Hang on!
I realized that some might have an issue with the whole life after death version I've got going on. Just think about it in the way that you are meant to be with the one's you care for most. There will be a better explanation of it in the last chapter. So, bear with me, okay?