Chapter Text
“Papa, watch me hold my breath!” Rosie yells and then promptly sticks her head where she’s barely under. Remus, of course, is amazed.
This is the best thing he’s ever seen. Obviously.
Sirius grins.
He always makes their girls feel completely special.
He’s Mr. Lupin to everyone else.
Papa to their girls…
But still kind of Mr. Lupin too.
It’s amazing.
Remus’s phone rings, it’s You’ve Got A Friend In Me, which Lily drunkenly made her ringtone when she was visiting them in college.
Remus has never changed it.
“I’ll answer.” Sirius yells to Remus, who’s still in the pool with Rosie and Daisy. “She’s probably calling for me anyways.” He clicks the green button. “Remus’s phone, his better half speaking.”
“Sirius…” Her voice sounds broken— he’s known Lily for years and has barely heard that voice.
“Lily? What is it? What’s wrong?”
“It’s Minnie… she’s… oh, God, Sirius. She died. She’s dead.”
She died.
She’s dead.
Minnie.
Minnie—who held his hand through the entire adoption process.
Minnie—who saw a broken kid who needed help and actually did something about it.
Minnie—who saw and found the absolute best in him.
Dead? No.
“What—I—no. I… I literally just talked to her… she was fine. It was fine. We—we were talking about the girls starting camp this summer.” He heard a choked sob on the other line. “How—how do you know?”
“Well, Ahmed lives right by Poppy and Minnie. He called James… Poppy went to get him for help when… it’s awful. The service is going to be out by Hogwarts. On Saturday.”
“Cariño?” Remus’s voice cuts through the static in his brain. Sirius turns to face him, he must be crying or look like something’s wrong because Remus’s face immediately changes. He pulls him into his chest. “Cariño, what? What’s wrong?”
“I… Minnie’s dead.”
Final.
“What?” Remus’s voice sounds horrified, probably exactly what Sirius’s face looks like. “How— she was in remission! She was…”
“Service is on Saturday. Lil… I’ll—talk to you later, Ok?”
“Ok. Love you.”
“Love you.”
Sirius puts his phone in his pocket and stares at Remus for about .5 seconds before collapsing into his arms, sobbing. Remus is crying too and they just hold each other. Sirius is devastated, but being in Remus’s arms makes even the hardest things just a bit better.
“Daddy, papa?” Rosie walks up in between their hug. “What’s wrong? ¿Por qué estás llorando?” Remus sniffs and kneels down.
“I’m sorry, love bug. We just… we got some sad news from Aunt Lily.” Rosie quirks her brows— she’s really too cute to be allowed.
“Remember papa, you don’t need to say sorry for being sad. That’s what you always say.” And then Remus picks her up and hugs her tight.
“You’re right, love bug. Tienes toda la razón.” He says into her neck, still squeezing her.
You don’t need to say sorry for being sad. Remus and Sirius lock eyes over Rosie’s head.
Remus is constant.
But Minnie is still dead.
“Papa?” Daisy asks as they sit down by James, Lily and Harry.
“Yes, sweet pea?” Remus responds. She sits just a little closer to him and puts her head on his arm.
“I’m sorry you lost your friend.” Remus smiles at her, then looks at Sirius, Sirius is already watching him. He feels a surge of love so strong for her that he almost wants to cry.
“That’s nice of you, sweet pea. Gracias. Minnie was pretty great.”
“Eres una niña increíble, Daisy. Te quiero mucho.” Sirius says quietly.
“Yo también te quiero, daddy.”
“I remember meeting her. She was nice! And funny!” Rosie adds. “Uncle James, didn’t you say that she told you to be nicer to Auntie Lily?” She continues. Lily laughs and James does too. How can he not? Rosie is too cute.
“She did. She… was pretty awesome.” James eyes Sirius. He knows James is thinking what he is. He always is.
Minnie was pretty awesome.
And now she’s dead.
Sirius looks down the line, their friends are all sitting in this row and the row behind. He notices Barb and Fiona sitting up front with Poppy and Minnie’s friends.
“Alright all.” Poppy is standing up at the front, next to a picture of Minnie. The chattering stops immediately. “This is gonna be hard. So all of you just don’t make eye contact with me.” That earns a few chuckles. She looks at the picture of Minnie and then back to the crowd.
“What do you say about someone like Minnie, huh? She was… well, most of the time, she was a little shit wasn’t she?” More laughs. Poppy smirks. “But she was special, yeah. She was. She made the world brighter and vibrant. But just because she’s gone, that doesn’t go away. It’s shown in everything and everyone she ever loved.”
Remus grabs Sirius shoulder around the girls backs, Sirius looks over at him, eyes filled with tears. “Everyone in this room meant something to her. And that’s how she’ll be remembered.”
After the service, the friends all gathered out front of the chapel. It felt quiet even though they were by a busy street.
“Minnie gave me a chance.” Ahmed says. “I was the first in my family to go to college and it was because she was the first adult who made me feel like I could.” He’s holding hands with Monica, his wife, who squeezes his hand reassuringly. Peter is standing near Daisy and Rosie, they’ve always loved him, and he’s rubbing Daisy’s back reassuringly.
“Minnie loved a fixer upper, that’s for sure.” James says. Lily is holding onto his arm, like that’s what’s keeping her up. “She’s the reason I’m not a total asshole anymore.” The group laughs.
“Well, I think Lil needs some credit for that.” Marlene says with a smirk.
“You know,” a new voice startles Sirius. It’s Poppy, walking down the steps from the chapel. “All you kids keep talking about what Minnie did for you.” Remus stares at Poppy, waiting for her to say more. She doesn’t.
“Well, yeah, Poppy. She—both of you— gave us, well, safety. Everything.” Sirius adds, the group nods and makes noises of agreement.
“She made us be a part of something.” José adds, gripping Michael’s, his husband’s, hand tighter.
“Now don’t start with that bullshit. You made yourselves be part of something. Me and Minnie were just there to help you. You gave Minnie just as much as she gave you all… she would be—she was—so proud of all you kids.”
“We’re all almost 40 and she’s still calling us kids.” Frank adds with a smirk, everyone chuckles and Poppy shakes her head fondly. Alice playfully shoves him, Neville clinging onto her leg.
“Every single camper that ever came to Hogwarts will always be our kids. Especially you all.”
That hits Sirius hard.
Poppy and Minnie gave him stability during a time he had none.
“Poppy, can we go to Hogwarts?” Asks Sirius. The group chatters like they agree with this idea. Remus squeezes his hand.
“As if we weren’t gonna go there anyway.”
•••
This dock has seen every version of Remus— emotionally drained child, emotionally constipated teenager and now— emotionally secure adult. (It also used to be bigger… but that’s beside the point.)
His life feels full, meaningful— he loves his life.
So why is he sitting here feeling so miserable? Minnie would be pissed at him. Because not only had this dock seen every version of him but this entire camp. Minnie’s camp, because let’s face it, she might not have been the founder but she made camp what is was—what it is. And that can’t be in vain.
No dejará que el trabajo de Minnie sea en vano.
He feels movement next to him and looks to see Lily plopping down beside him, her feet dangling next to his over the dock.
“I just heard Rose tell Harry that she found a cool hideout in the woods.” Her voice is so calming. So centering. It’s amazing that after all this time Lily is still that person for him.
“Could it be…”
“Has to be our spot, right?” She says with a grin. “We’ve left them our legacy, I guess. I think Harry’s just pissed because he’s been at camp for 2 years and didn’t find it and Rose found it within a day.” Remus smiles.
He looks over to the sandy shore— James has Daisy on his shoulders as she’s cackling madly. Sirius is showing Harry and Neville The Proper Form for rock skipping, Peter, Ahmed and Monica are in the lake with Rosie and Emerly, splashing loudly. José and Michael are sitting on the sand with Marlene, Dorcas, Frank and Alice— talking, laughing, reminiscing.
“It’s kind of crazy to think that Minnie built all of this from practically nothing. We’re all here because of her.” Remus says and Lily stills. She takes a deep breath. “She gave us this.” Lily nods and takes Remus’s hand.
“If she knew we were sitting here being sad while all the people we loved were over there having fun she would kill us.” Remus laughs. Of course Lily would narrate his thoughts out loud— some things never change.
“I know.” He glances out toward the lake, the sun is halfway down glistening on the lake, the ripples making it seem much bigger than it is. “You know what she would love though?” Lily looks at him expectantly “This.” And he takes their joined hands, forcing them both into the cold water. When she emerges and catches her breath, she splashes him.
“Remus Lupin you are so lucky that I didn’t have my phone in my pocket!” But she’s smiling.
“Papa!” Daisy’s voice carries from the shore. “You’re swimming in your clothes!?” She sounds delighted, like it’s the most magical thing in the world. Sirius locks eyes with him, he’s smiling too.
The dock had seen every version of him.
It isn’t done yet.