The End is Heaven
by Myka
Part 07 – 'the source of happiness'
Pairings: Sirius/Remus, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione
Spoilers: Deathly Hallows
Genre: AU, drama, romance, angst
Summary: Remus Lupin survives the Second War and is left to raise Teddy alone.
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Harry stared silently at the two bodies in front of him. His eyes knew what he was seeing, but his brain just wouldn't believe it. Suddenly, Harry became very aware of the others beside him: Ginny, Ron, and Hermione. He felt their presence like a strong anchor that attached him to the reality of the situation. It was because of all of them, because of what they had done, that they were seeing Sirius Black lying motionless beside Remus Lupin.
Hermione was the first to move. Silently and slowly forward just a few steps. She was careful not to touch the circle, which was still seeping the mysterious mist, as she pulled out a large cloak from her handbag and threw it over Sirius, who was quite naked.
Harry tried to say something once Hermione had returned to their side, but no words would come out.
Sirius stirred then, claiming their full attention. A soft, long groan escaping from his lips. Harry and the others watched silently as Sirius slowly opened his eyes, blinking quickly at first as he became less disoriented by his surroundings. His eyes eventually settled on Remus who was still unconscious in front of him. A loving smile appeared on Sirius' face as he watched Remus, apparently not even noticing they had an audience.
Very slowly, Sirius raised a hand towards Remus' face, his fingertips gently touching Remus' forehead, pushing his hair away from his face. Remus suddenly moved as he took a deep breath, his head leaning towards Sirius' touch. He made a sound low on his throat as he regained consciousness, his eyes slowly opening.
Remus stared at Sirius for what felt like an eternity, feeling the soft fingertips against his skin. Then suddenly he closed his eyes, held his breath, slowly opening them again as he released it. His eyes widened slightly when they met Sirius' again and he gasped.
"Did I die?" Remus asked.
Sirius now reached with his other hand, cupping Remus' face with both hands, his smile widening. "No," he said.
Remus released another gasp that turned into a sob as tears appeared at the corners of his eyes. "Then how?" he asked as his voice broke.
"Magic," Sirius answered simply.
A couple of tears fell from Remus' eyes as his body started shaking out of his control. Sirius reached forward, wrapping his arms around Remus and pulling him close until Remus' body pressed against his and Sirius could place a soft kiss on Remus' forehead.
Remus whispered Sirius' name as he gasped, like a wish, a prayer. Sirius kissed him lower, over his eyelids, wiped his tears away, one hand trailing a soft brush of fingers against Remus' face, his thumb across Remus' lips.
Harry was suddenly yanked backwards, a strong grip on his arm pulling him away. It took Harry a moment to realize it was Ginny, who walked intently forward without looking back, her hands tight around Harry's arm. A small sound of protest came from beside him and Harry turned to look to see Ron in a similar position as Hermione gripped his arm.
They settled further down the hill, at least fifty feet away. Hermione and Ginny looking rather flushed. Harry and Ron just looked confused.
"Why did we leave?" Ron asked and Hermione looked at him with incredulous eyes.
"You don't honestly think we were going to keep staring like idiots," she said as she looked at Ron, "Let's give them some privacy."
"It's Sirius!" Harry exclaimed with delight, his eyes surprised and bright.
Hermione smiled a genuine smile. Ginny joined her. Harry's happiness was contagious, his eyes attentive towards the area where they'd left Sirius and Remus.
"I thought Tonks was supposed to show up," Ron said and Hermione and Ginny both rolled their eyes at him. Never underestimate a boy's ability to miss something even when it's staring him right in the face.
"It could have been anything or anyone, Ron," Hermione told him.
"Tell me how the spell works again," Harry demanded, his expression thoughtful.
Hermione looked towards Harry. "The most important part is that it brings forth whatever that person needs to be happy."
"So, Sirius?" Ginny asked.
"Sirius is what Remus needs to be happy," Hermione answered.
"Does it have anything to do with the fact that they're probably snogging right now?" Ron said, his face looking a little pale.
Hermione tried to stifle a chuckle as she imagined what Ron must be picturing. "It doesn't have to be," she said. "They just are. Is anybody actually surprised that they're, you know," she blushed, "together?"
"Not me," Ginny said with a grin. "You guys should have paid more attention when we were at Grimmauld Place."
"I feel like I should have known, but didn't." Harry said a little melancholic.
"I'm still having mental pictures," Ron said, grimacing a little.
They stopped talking and turned toward the sound of approaching footsteps. Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione looked up and watched as Sirius walked towards them with Remus in tow beside him, their hands clasped together between them.
"Breaking the rules again, are you?" Sirius said with a grin, stopping just a few feet from them.
Harry took a deep breath and ran forward, wrapping his arms around his godfather's waist like a lost child, hiding his face in the cloth of the cloak. Sirius looked at Harry a little surprised, but it quickly morphed into a soft smile as he petted the top of Harry's head with his free hand. Harry slowly let go and gave a few steps back, his head bowed in embarrassment, stopping when he felt the others behind him.
Hermione was smiling like mad, her face bright. "Hey, Sirius," she said.
Ron nodded at him, "Hey," he said, clearly happy as well, but still looking quite confused.
Ginny looked happy too, happy for Sirius, for Remus, for Harry.
The questions of how and why stuck on Harry's tongue, wanting all the answers. But he forced them down, suddenly realizing that they didn't matter. He looked up to see Sirius' face more clearly. He studied Sirius, noting subtle differences. Sirius' hair was a little longer than he remembered, his face clear of the lines Azkaban had given him and more youthful. In fact, he looked much the same as when Harry had used the resurrection stone.
Harry didn't stop looking as he felt Ginny quietly take his hand. The touch made Harry notice Sirius and Remus' own intertwined hands, then he looked at Remus whose other hand was wrapped tight around Sirius' cloak, being as close as he could possibly be without it looking too odd. Harry had the instant feeling that this was for their benefit, that Remus burned with need to be closer. It was all too clear by the way his eyes wouldn't leave Sirius' face. Harry also noticed that Remus seemed different too, his face a distinct contrast to his pale, drawn, sickly appearance when he had arrived at the Willow. He, too, looked younger, his hair darker, his face less lined.
"It's great seeing all of you," Sirius said. "All grown up and paired up to too," he added with a grin. Hermione was the only one to blush.
Sirius tried to give a step forward, but was held back by Remus who clutched at him tighter preventing him from moving. Sirius met Remus' eyes and gave him a reassuring and understanding smile. "We need to go now," he said to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. Harry looked disappointed so Sirius patted him on the shoulder, "I'll send you an owl, and I'll come visit, ok?"
Harry nodded slowly, his smile suddenly back. Sirius smiled too and without another word turned to look only at Remus, holding his face with his free hand. Remus leaned instantly towards the touch, like a magnet. "Ready?" Sirius asked. Remus nodded and with a loud crack they dissaparated together.
"Well," Hermione said, breaking the silence and startling everyone a little. "We better start cleaning up."
Ron groaned loudly, but was the first to head up the hill when Hermione glared at him. Harry and Ginny followed close behind. There was an extra bounce to Harry's step, a bounce of happiness. The dark cloud of worry had finally dissipated, and even if things hadn't gone exactly as they'd imagined, Harry thought the future looked brighter than it had for a really long time.