Chapter Three: House Visit

Remus's house was very small so he had a cot conjured for me beside the fireplace to keep me warm. The old me would have sneered at the puny size of the house and the measly cot. now I grinned and bowed my head in thanks. Remus was uncomfortable with me there, I knew; so I made myself as useful as I could. In the mornings I made the tea and helped with the breakfast. I cleaned the house and tidied the yard. Remus usually sat in his tiny study and read, or wrote. When i peek my head in he was always slumped over something in the dark with only a little light beside him to see by. I think he misses my cousin Sirius, who died in the war. The sorrow in that room was so rich you could taste it as a heavy aftertaste on the back of my tounge. I didn't go in there often.

We became accustomed to each other and time passed more quickly. We had settled into a comfortable routine and were enjoying our early morning cup of tea at the kitchen table when a absolute bizerk owl flew into the window and crashed onto the table, sliding along and dropping off the other side. Before we even got the letter off the ruddy birds leg the fire sputtered to life and a red eyed McGonagall crowded the tiny grate. I assumed bad news right then.

I could tell Remus wanted to cry; I certainly did. But as we drew on our coats and headed out the door he held in place a stony cold mask that made him look cruel and rough.

When we got there he banged on the door till you could hear the thuds of someone coming to the door. He pulled me closer and told me to stay quiet. A large fat, red faced muggle in a argyle sweater appeared in the door way. He took one look at Remus and slammed the door. Remus banged on the door again.

" Let us in Dursley! before I let us in for you." he called through the wood. This time a slim horse faced woman opened the door and held it open for us. We walked in and stood awkwardly in the middle of the hall. Or at least i felt awkward, Remus looked thunderous.

"Where is he? I know he's here, he has to be here."

The fat mans faced turned even redder,

" Hes in the shed, along with all the rest of his crap." he hissed with angry beady eyes.

Remus swept around and stormed out of the house, I trailed after.

He blasted open the locked door on the front of a decrepit, moldy shed that was shoved in the back of the tiny yard. It burst open and banged around releasing a cloud of dust. We squinted through the darkness and once the dust had settled we could see a mound of something shoved in the back corner.

"Oh Harry..." Remus breathed, his mask slipping as he rushed over falling to his knees. He grabbed the mound and turned it over.

Potter was wrapped up in a old sheet with a gaudy, yellow print on it, with blood stains everywhere. He looked as pale as death. A large red, gaping hole ran through his forehead right over where his lightning bolt scar was. Used to be.

My stomach turned and I looked away from Remus's mask disappearing and him bending over the body shaking with pent up sobs. I closed my ears to his wails of grief.

The horse-woman stood beside me and watched as Remus rocked back and forth holding Potter's limp body.

" We came home after our cruise to our house empty and him on the floor." She said hugging her sweater closer to herself. " We- at first i thought it was a joke a-and Vernon kicked the bo- Harry to see if he would move...." She gulped and turned away from the shed.

" He-hes been dead a week yet he hasn't decayed. We tried to burn the body a-after we realized he was dead but he wouldn't burn i-i-" She shuddered and looked as if she would cave in on herself at any moment.

" I just want it gone." She breathed then walked back into the house.

After a few minutes to collect myself I turned back to see Remus still broken. He was whispering over and over again, " he was supposed to be safe, it was supposed to be over."

I couldn't handle the pain that was crashing in on me and I went back to the house to see a mini whale with blonde hair wave me over and I followed him upstairs. He took me into a small room with bars on the window and a rag for a blanket on the bed. The boy stood awkwardly inside the room as if he was uncomfortable being in it. I sat on the bed.

" I..." he began then stumbled, " I saved his stuff from dad burning them, they're in the closet. His bird flew away when I opened the cage I'm... I'm sorry I....." He shifted from foot to foot. I couldn't see his eyes but I think he was close to tears. " I tried to stop her I really did but she bit me and just took off."

Realization hit when I saw the birdcage beside the window. I was in Potter's room. On his bed. The boy left me there and the second he was out of site I sprang away from the bed and looked in horror around the room. This is where Potter went every summer. This horrible home with these horrible people is where he had to go after he had ended the war.

Why? Why was he even dead? Did these muggles kill him? Why was all their stuff gone? What kind of weapon could make such a wound as the one on Potters head? Where had his wand been when it happened?

I backed up till I hit the door frame and sank down to the ground. My head became heavy and I felt the pressure build in my eyes till I let out a little sob. This isn't how it was supposed to be at all.

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We took the body to Hogwart's Hospital wing. I wasn't allowed to be in there so I had to sit in a chair outside the large door way and watched as people rushed in and rushed out all in absolute hysteria. Sitting there hadn't been to bad, it let me get a grip on how I was feeling, but the worst part was listening to the screams as they saw the body through the door. Mrs. Weasley screamed so loudly I had to clamp my hands over my ears to keep myself from screaming along with her. All the pale faces, shaking hands, red eyes became a blur and it wasn't until Remus was setting me down on my cot in the living room by the fire did I realize that I had fallen asleep.

Remus swiped a cloth over my cheeks and pulled the covers over my shoulders. I felt like a child and closed my eyes from the thought that Remus was putting all his attention onto me so that he felt useful. He took off my shoes and stoked the fire. Then he took a seat in one of the large comfy chairs and I drifted off.

I woke to a cup of tea being put beside my head on the coffee table and I sat up rubbing my eyes. Remus was still sitting in the chair, staring into the fire. I couldn't hold myself back.

" Is he... is he really dead?" I asked.

" We don't know... I don't think so." Remus said and I took the cup of tea from the table.

"Well the what do we-"

" I don't know."

Yasiko: sorry if theres punctuation mistakes i don't have a good spell checker.