ARC I
- 10 -
Inevitable
Flames to dust
Lovers to friends
Why do all good things come to an end?
- All Good Things, Nelly Furtado
He didn't know who he was. The voices said his name was Remus. That he was a monster and that he would lead all those he loved to death. He hadn't wanted that. Yet he was trapped. Suddenly his body moved, out of his control, out of his will. He conversed with the black haired man and the red haired woman again. He didn't remember them. Not an iota. All he knew was pain and the funny man with blond hair. The one who would lead him into the burning cage that he had learned to stay away from on the nights the beast took over.
Still he was here at last, the voices said the pain would end now. He just needed that one scrap of information; for the voices. The blond man waved at him again with that wooden stick.
"Remember only you are Remus "Moony" Lupin for an hour my dear Beast. Remember that you are a Marauder. Remember to get the location of the Potters on a slip of paper. Remember only that you must meet me by the graves." The blond man whispered.
A change took over his body and for a few blissful moments as he blinked his eyes he remembered who he was. The blond werewolf knew something was wrong. He was wearing his usual clothes but felt grittier than usual. He also smelled something off about his body.
He closed his eyes as he stared around him in the tiny home he had managed to live in outside Hogsmeade. He knew time was coming up and he would have to meet the Potters. Yet there was another break I his memory. He pulled up the leather bound journal he owned from its hidden place in his trunk. He quickly wrote down his thoughts. He note down the time and everything to do with it. He didn't know what was happening to him, he had to be crazy. He wrote his observations down before the time changed and chimed. A sense, sixth or otherwise made him bring the journal with him to his appointment with the Potters.
"Moony, almost didn't make it!" James grinned. They had decided to meet at the graveyard of Godric's Hollow. Remus could tell the man was nervous so he did his best to reassure one of his best friends. He was ushered into the sitting room but he could not in good conscious go through with the ceremony. He even said as much.
"Why not Moony?"
"James, I – I don't think I am the right choice for this." Remus ran a hand through his hair.
James' face went dark. "What do you mean?"
"I mean exactly that." Remus stated.
James got angered. "Moony, why is today of all days are you getting cold feet?"
"It's a valid concern." The werewolf sighed. "I've been getting blocks in my memory and I fear I could be compromised."
James saw the look of concern and fear. He mistook it for the usual nerves that the blonde usually received at major events. He had had it during their final exams in Seventh Year and the symptoms were the same now. "You won't betray us. Come, we have to do this soon."
The feeling of dread hadn't left Remus even after he was blind folded and the Fidelius Ceremony conducted. Before he left he took the redhead aside and gave her his leather bound journal he whispered.
"I fear I might truly betray you both. Please, for your sakes read this and stay safe as long as you can."
Those would be his last words before he returned to the blond man in the grave as his mind fizzled back to nothingness. He forgot even his last actions as Lupin fizzled into the background and the voices returned. The blond man asked for the sheet of paper and he gave the item to him.
"You did well my Beast," the blond man chuckled. "Come, back to sleep."
Yes sleep and back to the endless darkness.
October 31, 2001 – 20:57
The Last Homely Cottage
Godric's Hollow, UK
Viola Iolanthe Potter was a darling child of nearly three months old. Her eyes were still in that murky phase of infantry of not settling between green or hazel. Unlike her brother who came out of the womb with blue eyes that slowly settled into the most brilliant pigment of green.
Still she cried only when she felt fussy about noise and over stimulation. She was also a fairly magical child who kept her parents up at night at times. Harry was the only one who seemed to be able to calm her somewhat.
"They're asleep." Lily whispered as she joined her husband in their new lounge. It had been only about a week since they had moved back into Lily's old haunt. It was also close to Potter's Hall, James' family home that was currently being updated in terms of wards. He had been updating the family house wards for a while now since his parents' deaths.
However, it was taking a while as he had also wanted to implement some runic schemes that had yet to be tried or tested; something he had commissioned Gringotts to help him with initially. James and Lily were now working on an extremely important ward they would work as the last line of defense should the Gringotts' wards fail upon Potter's Hall. It would take some time before that could happen unfortunately and for now them being protected via Fidelius for the cottage would suffice as the extra precaution.
The afternoon persisted quietly as it had for some time. The couple soon fell asleep in front of the fire, their children warm and safe.
000
21:58
They awoke with a start to the rapid chime of a tell-tale bell. James knew what he must do as upstairs the oldest Potter child woke with a start. His right hand upon his little sister's still sleeping head. The air prickled with bad.
"Lily, it's him! Get Harry! Viola, I'll hold him off!"
Their door blasted open as Lily clambered shakily up the stairs to the nursery. She didn't turn around even as she heard the sounds of battle behind her.
She knew she hadn't much time. She took the leather pouch she had taken to carrying from her pocket. She had read some of Remus' journal when James had refused to. She understood now the peril they were in. She had finalized the last pieces of magic she had devised upon a leather pouch she'd been working on. It was her last and true invention. The one that she hoped would help both her children understand their heritage.
It was a tricky thing but the pouch was really a mokeskin bag wrapped in dark leather. The contents contained the trunk that contained both her and James' research. It also contained Moony's journal, a box filled with envelopes (one for each of them) written by both her and James for every month of every year of their lives before they turned seventeen.
Without much time, she quickly cut her finger with a whispered word. She dropped her blood upon the pouch. She then turned to her children. Harry was awake, bright wide eyes turned to face her. She kissed his forehead as a way of greeting. She saw him do what babies did, lightly smacking his sister in the process of trying to reach out to her with a whine.
"My babies, dada loves you. I love you. You are loved." She said. With each calm word she pricked the skin of each child's hand with a word of her wand. Little droplets dropping on the leather pouch. She healed each tiny wound. She did her best to comfort Viola who had woken with the offense. Both were beginning to cry.
"Hush now my loves. Oh my sweetlings, I am so sorry." She heard footsteps upon the stoop. She kissed the foreheads of her children one last time, rubbing their cheek with one hand as the door behind her blasted open. To Harry she whispered one final phrase he would instinctively do come what may. "Take care of your sister my love."
000
20:59
"Step aside girl."
"Not on your life!" She screamed. "Not my babies!"
"Step aside!"
"NO!" In a flurry of wands and magic, she faced the most fearsome battle in her life yet. There was a flash of red before a flash of exploding light. She knew her end had come as the air turned electric with monstrous green energy. There was a rushing screeching sound that filled and vibrated the very foundations of the cottage. Viola woke with a cry just as Harry wailed as well. He was the only witness to his mother's demise.
"Quiet children, this will be over." A silence descended upon the still wailing children as the Dark Lord raised his wand. "Avada Kedavra." Pain hit the tiny child who felt in response to drive the monstrosity who did such evil away. Green and gold light filled the air.
A dark, screeching noise careened through the air. A fleeing shadow disappearing into the night and scraps of the Dark Lord's cloak fell to pieces on the ground.
000
21:03
He cried over the red-haired woman in his arms. He was too late, too very late. He saw the boy and the girl and waved them to calm. He disappeared, seeking the only one who could help him now. He knew things, knew deep and terrible things.
000
21:07
"JAMES! LILY! SHIT! Viola, Harry, blessed magic." He arrived just in time as fire lit the sides of the house. Due to the magical explosion, appliances inside caught alight. Everything caught on fire then. Dark thoughts filled him. They were betrayed and he knew who had done so. He knew. They trusted him. He had never – but – no, the bile rose in his throat. He had to figure out what had happened. He couldn't have betrayed them. One Marauder had already. The wolf was a canine like him; he couldn't have betrayed them. He just couldn't. Something had gone wrong, something must!
The eldest son of Black made his way out of the now burning home.
"Merlin's bloody beard," The rumbling noise of someone else
"Hagrid, Hagrid?"
"Sirius! Oh heavens, James! Lily!" The giant was crying buckets by then. Sirius was stirred from his stupor even as he struggled with his precious cargo. Time was precious, he knew this. He knew that he had this one chance to get the culprit.
"Headmaster Dumbledore sen' me," Hagrid said. "Are they?"
"James and Lily are gone. Here, help me Hagrid," Sirius placed Harry in the large hand of the giant who cradled the sulking boy gently. The Black heir cuddled Viola closer to his chest, rocking her slightly as he summoned whispered a number of spells. The fire had not gotten too bad yet so the items he summoned did not get singed. There was no time to combat the flames. However the basket and twin blankets he summoned would have to do to keep them warm. He kept both basket and blanket levitated as he quietly kissed Viola's head. He whispered a quiet charm for her to go to sleep. One of the blankets wrapped her up snugly.
"Here let me have him." Sirius said as Harry who had still sulked and kicked up a fuss calling for his parents wriggled back into his godfather's arms. His godfather noticed the blood upon his godson's forehead and whispered an Episkey on the wound. He then cleared the blood from the child's forehead with another wave. Sirius hissed, this was a cursed scar, he could feel the energy surrounding it but there was no time to further examine it.
"Paddy, Paddy!" Harry cried all the while. It made it difficult for Sirius to keep the basket levitating while comforting the finicky child. Hagrid seemed to notice the conundrum and took to cradling the basket even as Sirius waived his wand to wrap Harry up in the second blanket. He quickly used the same sleeping charm upon the tiny brunet who immediately fell to quiet slumber.
"Hagrid, tell the Headmaster I'll be back for them. Take my bike. I smell a rat." Sirius said hurriedly as he gently placed Harry beside his sister as he magically expanded the basket to fit them both.
He also placed heating charms and other charms to keep the cold and the wet winter rain off their bodies. He had this moment, this one chance. He kissed the wailing babies each on their foreheads. "I'll be back for you." He whispered.
Those would be his last words to them for a very long time.
000
"FIRE!" someone screamed in the town of Godric's Hollow. All watched as strange figures erupted from the cottage at the edge of town closes to the graveyard. Of course the non-magical folk were quickly turned away from the scene by those who were magical.
October 31, 2001 – Halloween. The Dark Lord Voldemort was defeated at last.
Author's Note: Couldn't leave it on that cliff hanger could I? Three chapters in three days – wow. Go me. Well now, let's just take a deep breath, I'm going to be traveling again soon so may not get into the second Arc of this fic right away. I hope this will satiate for now. Also, silly of me but I've been spelling Moony's name incorrectly – my sincerest and most humbled apologies.
To PappyOldGuy – thanks again for your review! You're quick on the uptake and yeah, it may be another while before I update again. That said. Thank you once again!
To stars90, bluestorm28, padfootl0ve, Elizabeth, Silvermane1 – yes Moony and yes he's the real one.