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Remus
A streak of purple flame erupted from his opponent’s wand, it hit him squarely in the chest before he had a chance to do anything else. That was the last thing Remus remembered before he crumpled spreadeagled on his back, on the cool grass on the Hogwarts grounds underneath the night sky.
Dora
She ran as fast as she could out of the castle, tailing Aberforth. Her calves were seizing up, while her lungs felt like they were on fire, but she didn’t slow down. Her mind had only room for one thing; her husband, the love of her life, the father of her son. Where are you my darling?
At long last she reached the Hogwarts grounds. She scanned the vicinity for Remus, hexing and jinxing Death Eaters whenever she got the chance. She finally laid eyes on him. But alas, her greatest fear was confirmed. There he was, lying on the ground underneath the night sky. His wand lay on the ground a few inches away from his pale, limp hand. Streaks of dirt and dried blood covered his face, while his robes clearly bore the signs of battle.
Her heart stopped. No, this can’t be, he’s just unconscious, Dora tried to convince herself. Everything suddenly went silent, the only thing she could hear was her heart thumping in her ears. Dora had no idea how or when her legs decided to carry her towards her husband. When she reached him, she collapsed in a heap next to his chest. She seized his collar and started shaking him, not unlike that time in the hospital wing last summer when she professed her love to him after Dumbledore’s murder.
‘Remus! Sweetheart, wake up, please’, tears started streaming down her face, and some of them fell onto her husband’s lifeless form. Her actions were futile, Remus remained the way he was. Dora took in a few deep breaths to calm herself. You’re an auror for Merlin’s sake, and crying won’t change a damn thing, only magic could, she chided herself.
She pointed her wand at her husband before casting rennervate. Nothing happened. She tried again several times, before trying all the other spells she could come up with, to no avail. Frustrated, she even slapped his face a couple of times.
‘Remus, wake up….please...I need you, Teddy needs you...Don’t leave me’, her eyes betrayed her once more as tears started to fall again. Her heart began to sink, while her mouth went dry.
‘Don’t worry my dear, I’ll see to it that you’re reunited soon’ said Bellatrix full of glee as she began to cackle.
Dora scrambled to her feet with her wand aloft. She hated the fact that her aunt looked so alike to her mother, this was what caused her to hesitate a little during the battle of the department of mysteries, which ultimately caused Bellatrix to triumph over her.
Dora casted hex after hex at her aunt, who retaliated with just as many hexes, most of which were far more lethal than Dora’s, and inhumane for that matter. The air was filled with shouts of spells from those who were not adept at non-verbal spells as hexes and jinxes rained all over the Hogwarts grounds.
She tried not to think of her husband, or their baby son who was home with her mother. It was of utmost importance that she paid undivided attention to Bellatrix and their duel. Dora knew Bellatrix would love to end her life just as she did Sirius a few years ago. The fact that they were related meant nothing to Bellatrix as they were both blood-traitors, and spouses of half-breeds in Dora’s case.
She alternated between casting spells and deflecting or blocking them, and she noticed her aunt was doing the same. Dora was starting to grow tired, she did give birth to her son only three weeks ago, after all. But she gave it her all, even a moment’s weakness would give Bellatrix the edge she needed to do her in.
A loud blast erupted merely inches away from Dora. It was probably a stray curse from another pair of duelling wands. Dora was thrown backwards before she suddenly felt her body turn rigid as a chill swept over her, numbing her senses. Her vision began to tunnel as darkness began to engulf her. Whether it was the blast or a curse from her aunt which caused it, she would never know.
The in-between
Remus woke up in a seemingly unfamiliar room. It looked like someone’s sitting room, he thought to himself. He also realised he was naked, but as he looked down, he noticed his clothes weren’t the only thing that was absent. His scars were missing too, along with the cuts and scrapes on his face and hands which he got just recently in battle.
Remus caught sight of a set of robes on the sofa next to the fireplace. He put them on gingerly as he wasn’t sure who they belonged to. But, it was better to be fully clothed when in a stranger’s home rather than starkers. Surprisingly, the robes fit him perfectly, and they were rather comfortable too. After looking around a little more, this place became more and more familiar to him, as if it were from a dream he once had.
As he stood in the sitting room, realisation dawned on him; this was his childhood home. But of course he had many of those since his family moved quite often due to his affliction. It wasn’t exactly the same though, everything seemed so grey, and it felt so airy, like he was up in the clouds somewhere.
This home however, was the one Dumbledore himself had graced when he gave Remus his Hogwarts letter all those years ago. Remus smiled as he remembered playing Gobstones with the old wizard as they snacked on his mother’s homemade crumpets. That was one of the happiest days of his life.
His father had told him all about Hogwarts, but Remus never thought he’d be able to attend himself, due to his furry little problem. But then came Dumbledore who made it all possible. He was also the reason Remus was able to secure a job which he wasn’t over-qualified for, even if it was just for a year.
‘Moony!’ he heard someone call as he was engulfed in two pairs of arms.
‘Pads? Prongs? What are you doing here?’Remus managed to utter. He was still in shock at seeing his two best friends, who were, well, dead. He noticed a witch with red hair and green eyes walk into the sitting room.
‘The million dollar question is what are you doing here Remus?’ she asked kindly.
‘Yeah, we hoped we wouldn’t be seeing you here for a long time, although we do miss you of course,’ piped in James.
‘But my baby cousin needs you more, and you’ve got a little tyke of your own now too!’ said Sirius.
Although he partly knew this, Remus didn’t fully believe it yet. Tears filled his eyes as he thought of Dora and Teddy. But at least they were safe at home with Andromeda. Hopefully the battle would be won, and they could finally be free. Maybe their lives would be better without a werewolf husband or father.
‘I missed you too, all of you, so so much. I wish you could meet Dora, she’s amazing, you’ll love her. And Teddy, Harry’s his godfather,’ gushed Remus.
‘Well, seeing as she’s my cousin, I’ve already met her plenty of times Moony,’
‘I meant these two Sirius,’ Remus said with a smirk. Same old Sirius, he never changed.
‘Hey Moony, Pads and I were wondering, if we were still alive, who’d you pick as godfather? Me of course, right?’ asked James. ‘And Lily could be godmother, it’d be perfect’,
‘Get over yourself James, we both know it’ll be me.’ scoffed Sirius.
‘I could be godmother alone James, let’s just forget about these two dolts, Remus,’ said Lily with an eye roll.
‘I quite agree with Lily actually. However, seeing as Sirius is Harry’s godfather, I suppose it’d be James,’
‘Ha! Told you so Padfoot,’ said James gleefully as Sirius shoved him. Remus just smiled. It was just like the good old days when they were still at Hogwarts, without a care in the world.
‘Hey Padfoot, Dora and I realised something about you, and our baby,’ said Remus. At this Sirius suddenly became attentive and stopped pummeling James immediately.
‘What?!’ asked Sirius. He seemed like a dog who had just picked up the scent of a rabbit.
‘Well...since you and Andromeda are first cousins, it could also mean that Dora is technically your niece, and...that would make Teddy...your grandnephew,’ said Remus with a grin. He remembered having this conversation with Dora as they slow danced at Bill and Fleur’s wedding last August.
James and Lily roared with laughter as Sirius’ mouth hung open.
‘Wow! It's barely been two years since I’ve been gone, and you two are already speaking ill of the dead. I let you snog in my library for Merlin’s sake,’ huffed Sirius as he folded his arms in mock-anger.
‘Oh c’mon grandpa, don’t be like that. It’s bad for your blood pressure,’ said James.
‘You’ll pay for that Prongs,’ said Sirius as he launched himself once again at James.
Lily wrapped an arm around Remus’ waist as they both watched the other two, with smiles on their faces. Remus had almost forgotten how much fun they used to have together. Sirius was never like this during their days at Grimmauld place after he escaped from Azkaban.
‘Hey! Hang on,’ said Sirius untangling himself from James. ‘So, Moony, married my cousin’, he ignored James’ retort and continued, ‘so that means, Moony and I , not you two , are officially family,' he finished with a triumphant smile.
‘Whatever, I’m still hypothetical godfather,’ said James with a sneer worthy of Severus Snape.
‘Oh come on, you two know full well we’ve been brothers ever since Hogwarts. Godfather, granduncle, those don’t hold a candle to what we have,’ said Remus with a smile. This wasn’t the first fight between James and Sirius he had to break up. In fact, dealing with James and Sirius’ antics gave him plenty of practice at being a parent.
‘Yeah, and I’ll bet the little tyke loves me more than James. It’s too bad we’re all dead-’ Sirius was cut off when James elbowed him with a furtive look on his face.
The air suddenly changed. The laughter and joy suddenly turned to sadness. Dead. Thought Remus to himself. He sat on the sofa as he buried his face in his hands. This past year was the happiest he had been in a long time, but it was snatched away just as quickly as it came. It was similar to losing Sirius again, but this was different, worse in fact. The hurt he was denying finally swept over Remus, and he couldn’t stop the silent tears streaming down his face.
‘I’m never gonna see him grow up. Never hear his first words, watch him take his first steps, see him off the Hogwarts Express….none of that. I only had three weeks with him’, said Remus sadly. ‘How’d it feel? Leaving Harry so soon.’ He said as he looked at James and Lily.
‘It feels terrible. But we had a little more time with Harry at least.’ answered Lily with a sad smile.
‘Yeah… But seeing him become the man he’s become couldn’t make us any prouder. I just wish we could be there for him. He’s been so brave, and strong. And he’s had to face so many things alone.’
Remus flinched as he felt a sharp tug, it clearly wasn’t his companions doing as they seemed surprised too. The sitting room began to fade, and in its place, trees and shrubbery began to materialise. Remus realised he was back at Hogwarts, in the Forbidden Forest. The other three were there too. He couldn’t help but smile as he remembered all their past adventures.
His eyes landed on Harry, he looked so battleworn, and there was a sadness in his eyes as he spoke. Remus' heart hurt for the boy before his eyes, he didn’t deserve this life. He deserved to be happy, and free. But there he was, walking to his own death. Tears filled Remus’ eyes once again when Harry apologised to him. It wasn’t his fault, and Remus would never blame Harry for this.
The four of them accompanied Harry in silence as he walked towards the Death Eaters. They didn’t get to be there very long as Harry had dropped the Resurrection Stone. Once again, the Forest began to fade, and the sitting room rematerialised in front of them. Maybe it was better like this, Remus couldn’t bear to watch Harry get killed by Voldermort.
The air was sombre once again, James put his arms around Lily who seemed to be crying while Sirius hung his head in silence. Although it would mean they would be reunited with Harry soon, Remus would much rather not see him for at least fifty years. Harry deserved a happy life, after all the hardships he’d been through. What felt like hours passed, and there was still no sign of Harry.
‘D’you think something’s wrong? Or right I suppose, since he’s still not here?’ asked Sirius finally.
‘I don’t think he’ll come here, since this is Remus’ party,’ said James, ‘I dunno, it wasn’t like this for me, I was never in the in-between,’
‘Me too,’ said Sirius, as Lily nodded in agreement.
‘What d’you mean the in-between? Is this not the...the final destination?’ asked a bewildered Remus.
‘Heaven’s no Remus, surely you didn’t expect your parents' old sitting room to be it,’ said an amused Lily.
‘But-but why are we here then? Why can’t I- we go forward? Asked Remus, his features arranged in a look of pure confusion.
‘Well...just like how we were whisked away to the Forest, we were whisked away here Remus, to you’ answered Lily.
‘But I’m dead right? What else could this mean?’ asked Remus.
‘I dunno if you’re dead dead Moony, I mean for me- us, we never had this...you might just be alive,’ said James tentatively.
‘“ Dead dead”?’ Remus was even more confused now. Did this mean he was still alive? Could he go back? He loved being with his friends again, but his desire to be with Dora and Teddy triumphed over that.
‘I think what Jamesie means is that you’re in limbo, I think you could choose to go back. Was it a killing curse that brought you here?’, said Sirius, seriously.
‘No… I dunno what exactly it was though, but it definitely wasn’t Avada Kedavra, the jet was purple, not green.’ answered Remus.
‘Do you want to go back, Remus?’ asleed Lily gently.
His eyes betrayed him as tears streamed down his scar-free face. ‘I do...I’m sorry guys, it means the world to me to be able to see you again, all of you. But...Dora, and Teddy, I-,’ Remus choked back a sob.
‘Then go...We’ll always be here waiting Moony, you deserve your happily ever after, and not just in the afterlife,’ said James.
‘Yeah, go make my two baby cousins happy. When it’s finally your time, we’ll be right here. At least one of us should die of old age,’ said Sirius with a smile.
As if on cue, flames in the fireplace erupted. Remus looked searchingly at his friends' faces. ‘This isn’t goodbye, it’s just see you later, okay?’ said Remus as he stood up. He hugged all three of them, and they remained in each other’s embrace for a few moments before finally letting go.
‘I love you all, so, so much. You are, and always have been my family, and I was so blessed to have you two during our days at Hogwarts,’ said Remus.
‘Tell the little one plenty of stories about us okay? Although, maybe exclude the rat,’ said Sirius.
‘You know I will,’ said Remus with a smile.
‘See you later Moony,’ the three of them chorused.
He stepped into the fireplace. He felt the warm flames lick his skin pleasantly, as he looked at his three friends, their slightly sad smiles was the last thing he saw before he felt himself return to his body.
Hogwarts again
Somehow, Remus knew he had returned to his body. He could feel the aches creeping back in, and he felt tired again. But it didn’t matter, as long as he got to be with Dora and Teddy again in just a few moments. Hopefully things were okay now. Slowly, Remus opened his eyes, he was expecting to see the night sky, but he was now, in what he assumed was the Great Hall. The Hall was filled with light, and there were pieces all walls missing, he presumed they were blasted apart during the battle. The air was filled with excited chatter, and he could smell food, although he wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe I’ll stop by for a snack before heading home, he thought to himself.
Remus found it slightly difficult to get up, he wasn’t as young anymore, and he did fight in battle not too long ago. He let out a groan, as tried to lift his torso up. Everything felt sore. He heard a shriek, and the next thing, he was surrounded by a band of red-heads.
‘Oh, Remus, you’re alive, I can’t believe it!’ said Molly through sobs.
‘Blimey Remus, it’s good to have you back, we thought we lost you,’ said Arthur, helping him sit up.
‘Well, at least you’re alright,’ said Molly cupping his face. She had clearly been crying, her face was all swollen and blotchy.
‘So, I take it we won, right? Did we suffer much losses? Oh, I can’t wait to go home to Dora and Teddy,’ said Remus with relief.
Molly and Arthur exchanged furtive looks, and the Weasley children shifted around nervously towards his left side, they were hiding something. Through the gap, he noticed the still form of one of the Weasley twins, it had to be Fred, he has his left ear. Remus’ eyes widened in shock.
‘Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn’t know about Fred,’ said Remus, still in shock.
‘It’s okay dear, you had no way of knowing. Besides, our side’s won, and Harry’s alright,’ said Molly. ‘Shall I fix you something to eat, the house-elves have cooked up a small feast,’
The news of Fred made Remus lose his appetite, right now all he wanted to do was to go home to Dora and hold her close for as long as he could. And Teddy too, if he was awake of course. Remus had learnt his lesson for waking him up from his nap time before.
‘No thank you Molly, I best be going back to Dora. Has anyone sent word to her? I sure hope nobody told her I’d snuffed it,’ said Remus trying to stand.
‘Remus...there’s something you need to know?’ said Arthur tentatively. His hand was still on Remus’ shoulder, however the amount of pressure had increased, as if he was holding Remus down.
‘What’s wrong? Don’t tell me we’ve lost more people? Who is it, Arthur?’ asked Remus, his voice quivered with fear.
‘Remus, dear…’, began Molly, but she couldn’t continue as she began to sob again.
‘Remus, I’m so sorry, but...Tonks-’ started Arthur
‘No, Dora is home, like she said she would be with Andromeda and Teddy,’ answered Remus, although without much conviction. Was it possible she came into battle? Remus knew how stubborn she was sometimes, and she was an auror through, and through. Remus prayed there was some sort of mistake.
The Weasleys on his left shifted slightly at their father’s non-verbal instruction, and Remus’ heart stopped. His brain couldn’t register what his eyes had witnessed, his heart was caught in his throat, and he could hear it thumping in his ears. He began to hyperventilate before he mustered all his strength and threw himself across his wife’s chest, breaking down in noisy, anguished sobs.
His nose was on her sternum as his tears began to soak her robes, her limp form shook with each of his sobs. Remus took in her smell as he cried, he could get the faint whiff of his infant son, who was now motherless. Why couldn't it have been him instead, Teddy would be so much happier with Dora instead of him. How could she leave him like this, she was supposed to stay home, where she would have been safe.
Their side winning meant little to Remus if the love of his life wasn't in the world anymore. Dora the one who showed him he was worthy of love, and she took him back, twice for that matter. She was the one who made him feel beautiful, despite all the scars he had. She was the only one he believed when she said that he was a kind, intelligent man, not a monster. Remus felt a pair of consoling hands stroking his shoulder and back, but he continued to sob into his wife's chest.
'Remus, dear. It'll be alright, you've still got Teddy, and Harry too. And don't forget all the Weasleys.'
'N-no it won't Molly, how could I live without her...how am I going to raise Teddy without Dora?'
Molly was stroking his hair now, apparently lost for words. Remus felt selfish as he knew Molly had just lost a son, but was still comforting him. Remus turned his head, so that the side of his head was now on Dora's chest. He took in a few gulps of air as his sobs began to subside, but tears were still streaming down his face. Part of Remus wished he had just stayed with his three friends, but he couldn't do that to Teddy, he deserved at least one parent. Which was ironically the reason why he insisted Dora stayed home while he went into battle.
Remus' tears had almost stopped now, Molly was right, he still had Teddy to live for, and Harry, wherever he was. And then suddenly he heard it, a faint 'lub dub' in his wife's chest, Remus sat bolt upright. He knew he heard it. One of the perks of being a werewolf was that even as a human he had heightened senses.
'Remus? What's wrong?' Asked Arthur, his voice full of concern. Remus just shushed him as he placed his ear on Dora's chest again. And he heard it again, there was no mistaking it, she was alive! My Dora is alive, Teddy, dada’s gonna make sure mumma comes home to us. Remus knelt down by Dora's side where he tucked one arm under her knees, and the other around her shoulders as he picked her up.
'She's alive, I heard her heart, I know it,' said Remus, full of conviction.
'But Remus, Kingsley, and Poppy both said-' said Molly
'Molly I know she is, trust me on this, please. I've got to take her to St. Mungo's, help me up will you Bill. Not a word to Andromeda until we know for sure, I’ll send you a patronus when I can.'
Bill helped Remus get up onto his feet. He bid the Weasleys goodbye before turning on the spot and disapparating with a pop. All the wards preventing disapparation within Hogwarts were long gone as a result of battle. Remus was reminded of a similar situation a couple of years ago after the battle of the department of mysteries where he had to take Dora to St. Mungo's
Reunited
Remus arrived at St. Mungo’s stumbling slightly, he barely remembered what he told the mediwitch in charge, but they assured him they would do their level best to take care of Dora. He slumped down into a chair in the waiting room, his heart beating a mile a minute. After calming down slightly, he decided to send a patronus to Molly and Arthur, informing them that Dora was currently in treatment. He knew Andromeda would be worried sick by now, so he finally decided on sending her word too.
To his pleasant surprise, Andromeda materialised in front of him just a few moments later, but she was accompanied by both Teddy, and Ted! For once, Remus forgot his worries as he set eyes on his father-in-law. They hadn’t had word from him as he was on the run since last August. He looked much thinner, and pale, but his spirit remained unchanged. Remus was lost for words as his parents-in-law engulfed him in a hug, he couldn’t stop the tears now. Ted was home, but Dora’s life hung in the balance, he wished over and over again it was him lying unconscious instead of her.
Teddy’s presence brought him comfort as he held his son in his arms, he thought of Sirius, James, and Lily. They would have absolutely adored Teddy, just as how Remus and Sirius adored Harry. Andromeda and Ted asked Remus to head home first to get cleaned up a little, and to have something to eat, but he refused. Although his robes were covered in dried blood and dirt, and was singed in places due to the battle not too long ago, he couldn’t bear to be away from Dora, not at a time like this. Teddy was the only thing keeping him sane at this point, had it not been for him, Remus would have broken down hours ago.
After hours of waiting in agony, a healer finally arrived to speak with them. She had informed them that Dora would be okay, however, she would need some time to recuperate, and would be best if she stayed home for a few weeks. That was like music to Remus’ ears, he would even tie Dora to their bed if he had to, he wasn’t going to let a repeat of last night happen. The healer informed that she was currently asleep, but they could see her just for a few minutes to say goodnight.
The three of them, and Teddy of course, traipsed in silently, careful so as to not wake her. Dora looked so peaceful as she slept, her hair was brown, however not the mousey brown it had been before. Remus supposed pink would have been a bad idea during battle, especially since her aunt was so hell-bent on killing her, and pink hair would literally be like holding up a target for Bellatrix. He stroked her hair and kissed her on her forehead, her parents did the same. In the end, Andromeda decided she would spend the night with Dora so Remus could rest up a little with Teddy. Remus knew there was no point in arguing, so he obliged.
They decided on taking the Floo network instead of disapparating as Remus was exhausted, and didn’t want to run the risk of splinching himself. Once they reached Andromeda and Ted’s house, Remus got Teddy ready for bed, before he had a bath himself. He was just too exhausted to eat, and collapsed into the bed in Dora’s old room, dressed in only his towel. His cuts and scrapes from battle were back, but they weren’t life-threatening, he’d deal with them in the morning.
Remus woke up with a start, it was the absence of Teddy’s crying which had done it, he was usually bawling by this time in his cot, but today he was strangely silent. He looked into Teddy’s cot next to him, but found it was empty, he bolted out of the room, and headed downstairs, only to find Teddy snug in his grandfather’s arms. Remus still hadn’t fully registered that the war was finally over and his family was whole again. Ted just laughed at Remus' unnecessary panic, and then went on to serve him breakfast. Andromeda has sent word saying Dora was now awake, and they would be going to see her in a bit.
At this, Remus decided to wolf down his breakfast as fast as he could before heading back upstairs to get dressed. He decided to send word to his father too, saying that they were all okay, and that he should come and meet Teddy, and Ted of course someday soon. Once he was dressed, Remus, Ted, and Teddy stepped into their fireplace to head to St. Mungo’s. Teddy was wide awake now and fussing, so disapparating would not have been a good idea.
Dora was wide awake too, and sitting up with her breakfast tray in front of her. Her hair was a shade of violet, which reached her shoulders. She looked tired, but was absolutely overjoyed at the sight of her father, husband, and son.
‘Dad!!’ she squealed as Ted made to hug her. ‘I missed you so much, you’re finally home. So, how do you like our Teddy?’
‘I missed you too Dora, and of course I love the little tyke, it feels like only yesterday you were a tiny tot with changing hair colour.’ said Ted with a smile.
Remus placed Teddy in Dora’s arms as he sat down next to her on her bed before kissing her.
‘How’re you feeling sweetheart?’, he asked.
‘I’ve been better, but now that we’re all together again, I’ll be just fine.’ Answered Dora with a smile.
Andromeda picked Teddy up, before she and Ted excused themselves from the room to give Remus and Dora some privacy. Remus climbed into bed with her as he held her in his arms, and took in her scent. All he wanted to do was lie in bed with her for as long as he could. There would be plenty of time to berate her later for showing up into battle when she was supposed to be staying home, and he had to tell her about his little adventure into the in-between, and to threaten to tie her to bed if she refused to stay in bed. But for now, nothing else mattered except that they were together again, as they should be.