Chapter Text
Do you remember when you were a kid and Halloween was usually about candy and costumes? You and your friends would dress up and run around the town, competing for who could get the best and most candy? Life was simple. The horrors were found in the skeleton decorations, the stories of witches eating children, even the people who would hide in the dark yard between the decorations and jump out to scare you when you went to knock on the door of a house. Those were the horrors of Halloween as a child.
But when you get older? Things happen that are scarier than Halloween, there are things scarier than decorations and haunted houses, scarier than the dark night filled with people trying to scare you. Death happens, having to face life alone without support is scarier than anything Halloween could ever offer. Being alone and stuck in your thoughts and the demons inside of you while everyone else is laughing and running down the streets is worse, and Harry knows that now.
~~~~~10:23 pm, October 31~~~~~
“Hello, is this the home of Harry Potter, son of James and Lily Potter?”
“It is,” Harry answered slowly to the two officers on his porch.
“There’s been an accident,” the second officer continued. “We need you to come with us.”
~~~~~8:30 am, October 31~~~~~
“Okay,” Lily begins as she walks into the kitchen, sitting down at the table with the other Marauders. “James and I need to run some errands this morning and then we will start the drive to Manchester tonight. Tomorrow-”
“We know,” Remus interrupted with an eye roll. “We’ve gone over this every day for the past two weeks!”
“So you just want to hope that our husbands will remember what’s going on?”
“Carry on,” Remus sighed with a frown. “They won’t remember so we might as well go over it one last time.”
“We aren’t that bad!”
“Then what is happening tonight at 8:30 pm, James?”
“The four of us are meeting up for drinks at… uh...”
“The bar across from the hotel,” Sirius finished with a smile as he high fived his brother.
“No,” Remus sighed in disappointment. “Nothing is happening at 8:30, you idiots. Lily?”
“You two are leaving this morning because Sirius needs to bring his motorbike so that he and Harry can go for some rides and you two are going to pick up the gifts we ordered from the little store there no later than-”
“3:30 pm!” Sirius exclaimed in excitement, earning him a high five from James and an eye roll from his husband and sister-in-law.
“Yes, no later than 3:30,” Lily nodded. “James and I will arrive in the city around that time, so we will meet up with you both at the hotel and then we will decide where to go for supper from there.”
“After supper,” Remus continued, “James and Lily are going to watch a movie so I will go over with them off and hang out around that area until they pick me up wherever I happen to be and then we will meet back up at the hotel.”
“And are you going to tell us why you won’t tell us why you refuse to let anyone go with you or tell us what you’re doing?”
“No,” Remus smirked. “I told you guys, it’s a surprise for when we are all together as a family, Harry included.”
“Pads? What are you going to do?”
“Who knows,” Sirius shrugged. “The night will be young, the full moon will be bright, and I am a free man! I could do anything and everything-”
“You’re going to watch the TV in the hotel room, aren’t you?”
“It’s better in a hotel!” Sirius exclaimed in frustration. “Everything is better in a hotel, of course I’m going to watch TV!”
( Harry / Remus / Sirius / Lily / James )
10:02 am: I can’t wait to see you guys tomorrow! You’re spending the night in Manchester tonight, right?
10:03 am: We’re excited too, love! Yes, we are spending the night and we will pick you up tomorrow around 5 pm for supper and you can tell us all about how your final year of University is going!
10:04 am: It’ll be so much, it feels like it’s been so long since I last saw you guys!
10:05 am: If you didn’t decide to move 8 hours away for university then it wouldn’t be so long…
10:06 am: I agree!!
10:07 am: Shut it, you two!
10:07 am: Play nice, idiots. He likes it out there and we support him.
10:08 am: Thanks mum and Uncle Moony.
10:09 am: Favouritism? Wowwww. That’s low.
10:10 am: Just being honest, dad *shrug emoji*.
10:11 am: Ouch… Ron is my favourite nephew now!
10:12 am: Can you buy me a pet? - Ron.
10:13 am: Am I only used for my money?!
10:14 am: That’s why I married you.
10:14 am: That’s why Rem and I married you and James.
10:14 am: Yep.
10:14 am: Pretty much - Ron.
10:14 am: Remus is the wisdom, you’re the income for us - Hermione.
10:15 am: I hate you all… I need a new family…
10:16 am: Good luck with that, Pads. You’re stuck with us.
10:20 am: So I’ll see you all tomorrow?
10:21 am: You will, son. Have a good day, we miss you and can’t wait to catch up.
10:21 am: See you tomorrow, Pup.
10:21 am: We’ll text you when we are on our way to pick you up for dinner. I love you so much, love.
10:21 am: You can’t get rid of us that easily, Prongslette. We’ll all be together again by tomorrow night.
10:22 am: I miss you guys and I’m so excited to be with you again. Drive safe <3
10:23 am: We’ve never left you, dear. Even when we are separated, we are always with you.
10:24 am: We will see you soon, okay? After all, we love you and we’re with you until the very end.
10:25 am: Until the very end.
10:25 am: Until the very end.
10:25 am: Until the very end.
10:25 am: Until the very end.
~~~~~11:30 am, October 31~~~~~
“Are you sure we don’t need to buy anymore?”
“Lil’s,” James laughed as he took the box from her hand and placed it back on the shelf, “we do not need a fifth box of cookies. If we need more cookies, I’m sure they will have them in Scotland.”
“But… are you sure?”
“Babe, you’ve got jam cookies, Jaffa Cakes, shortbread, and those weird mint and chocolate things! You have all the areas covered except for maybe normal-”
“Normal chocolate chip cookies!” Lily exclaimed, reaching to the top shelf and knocking a box down with her purse and putting it in the shopping cart. “You’re so right, thanks for reminding me!”
“No! That’s not what I meant-”
“But it’s what I heard,” she smiled innocently as she began walking out of the aisle and into the next, James following behind her. “What else do we need? Maybe some crisps? Maybe we should pick up some stuff so we can make french toast and pancakes-”
“Lily!”
“Yes, James?”
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” she shrugged dismissively. “Maybe some soda or Halloween candy-”
“Something is obviously going on,” James interrupted again with a small frown and he ran his hand through his hair. “Talk to me, love. Why are you freaking out so much about this?”
“It’s stupid...”
“I’m sure it isn’t, come on, Lily. What’s going on?”
“He didn’t come home this summer,” Lily answered quietly.
“I know, he was given an opportunity to work in the field as an officer. We knew he wouldn’t be coming home...”
“See? I told you it’s stupid-”
“Well, it sounds stupid when you refuse to tell me everything,” James retorted with an eye roll. “We’ve been married for more than 20 years, I know when you’re not telling me everything. So, are you going to continue?”
“He’s my baby boy,” Lily finally sighed as she stopped walking and looked at her husband with a sad smile. “He’s my baby boy and I haven’t seen him since February and it’s almost November… I haven’t seen him in almost nine months and I just… I’m...”
“You’re his mum,” James smiled, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. “You want everything to be perfect, don’t you?”
“Yeah… I just, I miss him and he’s got his own life and his own schedule and I just want to be a part of it. I don’t want to just show up while he has his own life and plans.”
“You are part of it, you’re such a big part of his life! You’re his mum, he calls you and Moony the most and that’s at least once a week and he’s busy. He asked us to come see him, remember? He called us and asked us to come up and see him. Yes, he has his own life, but we are part of that life.”
“So it’s not stupid that I want it to be perfect?”
“Not at all,” James smiled. “It may not be perfect, but we will see him tomorrow and it will be just like the last time we saw him. We will hang out, play games, laugh and joke around with each other. He will say things that Sirius and I will pretend not to hear because he’s an innocent child while you and Remus roll your eyes at us and Harry makes fun of us. It will be perfectly normal, Lil’s.”
“Okay,” she laughed, kissing her husband. “I guess we should leave the store before I buy anything else?...”
“Are you saying that we aren’t getting any soda or Halloween candy? Okay, let’s just go and check out-”
“I forgot about those! Okay, soda and Halloween candy and then we can leave!”
“I shouldn’t have said anything...”
“But you did,” she shrugged.”Now, let’s finish up so we can leave sooner than later. I love you, James Potter.”
“And I love you, Lily Potter,” James whispered.
“Moons?! Ready to go?”
“I’m right behind you, Pads,” Remus laughed, locking the front door behind him. “No need to yell.”
“Sorry, love. Do we have everything?”
“Luggage is already in Lily’s car so all we have to remember is ourselves and anything in Manchester that we need to get.”
“Like the thing you’re picking up that is...”
“I’m still not telling you, Pads.”
“But I’m your husband!”
“And?”
“And you love me?!”
“So what’s your point?”
“You’re so mean to me...”
“You love surprises,” Remus retorted, rolling his eyes at his husband’s antics. “Don’t pretend that you don’t.”
“But I want to know,” Sirius whined with a pout, making Remus laugh loudly. “I want to be in on the secret!”
“Sorry, love, I guess you’re going to have to wait,” he shrugged.
“Please? I’ll do anything!”
“Anything?” Remus whispers with a small smirk.
“Yeah,” Sirius nodded slowly, biting his lip as Remus turned to stand in front of him.
“You would do anything,” Remus repeated lowly as he placed his hands on Sirius’ hips. “Would you really do anything to know the secret?”
“Anything, Moons… Please, I’ll do anything, my love...”
“Maybe,” he began, pressing a soft kiss on his partner’s cheek, “there is one thing...”
“I’ll do anything,” Sirius whispered quickly. “Please?”
“How about...”
“We don’t need to leave right now,” Sirius whispered with a smile. “We have time for anything, Remus!”
“How about,” Remus began, placing one last kiss on Sirius’ neck before pulling away and patting Sirius’ cheek, “you behave and get your mind out of the gutter?”
“You’re a tease, Remus Lupin!”
“Remus Lupin-Black,” he corrected with a laugh as he walked toward the motorbike. “Hurry up, Pads!”
“I don’t like this side of you!”
“You chose me!”
“And I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” Sirius mumbled under his breath. “Alright, let’s go...”
“Maybe you’ll get a reward if you hurry your ass up so we can get to the shop before 3:30!”
“Okay, okay,” Sirius laughed, jogging over to the bike. “I love you, Moons.”
“I love you too, Pads.”
~~~~~12:15 pm, October 31~~~~~
“It feels like it’s been too long since it was just the two of us, doesn’t it?”
“It does, usually Sirius and Remus are with us in the car when we go on a trip… It’s so weird.”
“They’ll be with us on the way home possibly,” Lily laughs. “Well, Remus might if he can sneak away, but that’s highly unlikely. They are glued to each other.”
“I can’t believe how long it took them to finally start dating,” James agreed with a nod. “Sometimes when they’re arguing I think back to when they weren’t dating but they both liked each other.”
“Oh my gosh, right?! They were so oblivious for so long!”
“And all it took was you being pregnant with Harry and those two being stuck in silence for hours together.”
“And then we had to wait even longer because your dumbass decided to interrupt their moment!”
“Harry was born,” James exclaimed in offence through his laughter. ”Sorry for wanting my brother and your brother to come meet our son.”
“You should be,” Lily teased with a matching laugh. “Harry could have waited to meet his godfathers!”
“But could you have waited to introduce Harry to them?”
“You cannot blame me, James Potter! This is all on you!”
“But-”
“Nope, there is no proof that I was part of you interrupting the conversation we wanted our friends to have for years.”
“Fine,” James sighed in defeat, “I’ll take the blame.”
“It’s crazy to think of how much our lives have changed since high school...”
“I know,” he agreed, holding his wife’s hand. “Every dream I ever had has come through and...”
“James?”
“And our lives are nowhere close to being over,” he finished with a small smile. “I have a beautiful wife and a family, people I would die for in a heartbeat. I’ve watched my son grow up and find love, I’ve seen my brother grow and learn to love and find someone who loves him as much as he loves them. I’m happy with my life, Lil’s. Everything I could ever want has happened and we’re still young. I guess… what do we do next?”
“That just means that we need to find new dreams to follow,” Lily replied with a smile that made James feel all of his worries and fears melt away. “New dreams and new adventures, my love. Anything you want to dream about, you know I’ll help you get there.”
“Help us get there,” James corrected. “I don’t want to make any more dreams if you aren’t reaching them with me.”
“Then let’s make some more dreams,” Lily whispered, squeezing James’ hand. “Because we’re in this together for the next 40 years.”
“Until the very end?”
“Until the very end,” she nodded. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
~~~~~3:00 pm, October 31~~~~~
“We made it just in time!”
“Moons, we have 30 minutes-”
“Which means I don’t have time to look around and buy useless shit!”
“Oh no,” Sirius mockingly dragged out. “What a shame for your wallet… oh darn...”
“Oh, shut up, you idiot!”
As the two men made their way to the till, Sirius couldn’t help but think about how much his life had changed since high school. All the comments of his family and the fears he had growing up, they all seemed like nothing now that… now that he was happy.
“Pick up for Lily Potter,” Remus said as he approached the counter. “It should already be paid for, here are the receipts and order confirmation.”
“Okay,” the cashier nodded with a smile, pulling out a box from the shelf behind her. “The Maze Runner box set for Lily Potter. This is a good series, I’ve been dying for this box set!”
“We love the series,” Remus replied with a fond smile as he looked at the gift. “Lily’s son, our godson, keeps taking our books so when we heard that the new set was coming out, we thought that we would buy it for him on our way up to see him.”
“That is so sweet! Family trip?”
“Yeah, we haven’t seen him since the beginning of this year so we’re driving up to him for the next week while he has some time off from work and school.”
“Well, I hope it is an amazing time,” the cashier smiled again. “Have a wonderful day!”
“You as well.”
“Sirius?”
“Hmm?”
“I asked if you were okay,” Remus repeated with a concerned look as they began walking down the street to the hotel.
“Oh yeah, just thinking.”
“What’s up?” he asks, reaching out and holding Sirius’ hand.
“I don’t know what I would do without you, Remus.”
“You’ll never have to find out,” he reassured quietly. “I love you, I always have and I always will.”
“Even when we’re old and I’m not young and hot?”
“Pads, you’ve already got grey hair… you’re not young and I still love you.”
“Rude!”
“It’s love,” Remus shrugged. “I’m glad you didn’t let me push you away when we were younger. You’ve made life worth living for.”
“And you’ve taught me how to love someone and how to be loved,” Sirius whispers. “I want to grow old with you.”
“You stuck with me for many more years, Padfoot. Our life together isn’t over yet.”
( Harry / Remus / Sirius / Lily / James )
5:15 pm: We’ve made it to supper! Your father and I will go to watch a show, Remus is doing something he won’t tell us about, and Sirius will be watching TV if you need anything. So excited to see you, dear <3
5:16 pm: I might not watch TV! Don’t make me sound so boring!
5:17 pm: Don’t lie.
5:17 pm: Lying isn’t a good influence on me…
5:17 pm: Don’t lie to us, love.
5:18 pm: You guys suck…
5:19 pm: But you chose us, love.
5:20 pm: Yeah… and I surprisingly don’t regret it.
5:21 pm: Have a good dinner, I can’t wait to see you guys!
5:22 pm: Less than 24 hours, bud. Have a good night!
5:23 pm: I love you guys.
5:24 pm: We love you too, Harry.
5:24 pm: Love you, son.
5:24 pm: I love you, Harry. Take care of yourself and I’m so excited to see you, thank you for inviting us up <3
5:24 pm: Love you, Pup.
~~~~~6:25 pm, October 31~~~~~
“This is perfect,” Remus whispered as he paid for the items. “It looks amazing...”
“I was excited to make it when you called a couple of weeks back,” the man admitted as he packaged them up. “I’m glad you like them!”
“I love them...seriously, thank you for spending so much time on it.”
“Family is important, you never know what’s going to happen, but it’s always good to have a reminder of who has your back and who has gotten you to where you are now.”
“Family is one of the most important things in life,” Remus agreed quietly. “I don’t know what I would do without them.”
“They’re lucky to have you.”
“No,” Remus sighed sadly with a small smile. “I’m lucky to have them. Thank you again. My friends are going to pick me up so I should get going.”
“Be careful out there,” the man called. “The roads are pretty bad tonight!”
As Remus walked out of the shop and towards the main road, he realized how right the storekeeper was and how much he wished the man was wrong.
“James? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he answers in an unsure tone. “I don’t think anything’s wrong...”
“James?” Lily asks in worry, looking between him and the road ahead of them. “That’s not helping me worry less...”
“It’s just a weird feeling,” he shrugged. “And it’s really dark, the road lights aren’t turning on.”
“Do you want to pull over?”
“No, we should be fine. It’s just a couple more minutes-”
“James!! Watch out-”
( Remus / Sirius )
“Sirius!”
“ Remus? What’s wrong?! ”
“You… the car...”
“ Moons, what’s going on? ”
“I- I can’t-”
“ Take a breath, Remus! I need you to tell me what’s going on! ”
“It’s Lily… James… Sirius, I can’t-”
“ Remus, where are you?! ”
It all happened in slow motion. The child ran, the car swerved and the brakes were applied, but the car didn’t stop.
“I heard it all… I…”
“ Breathe, Remus! ”
The loud sound of horns was the only thing that could be heard in the quiet night, right before the deafening sound of metal on metal filled the air.
“I saw it happen, Sirius! I-I can’t do this!”
“ Where the fuck are you and what happened?! ”
“They were in a crash, Sirius… it doesn’t look good… I saw everything...”
“ Remus… who was in a crash?... ”
All Remus could do was stand there outside the shop as people pulled out their phones and called the police. People started running towards the vehicle but Remus couldn’t move. All he could do was stare at the vehicle, stare at the back window he could see after the car had crashed. Stare at the window decal on the back windshield.
“James and Lily… You need to come to the hospital now, Sirius...”
The decal that read until the very end.
~~~~~8:05 pm, October 31~~~~~
“Family is important, you never know what’s going to happen.” The words of the man at the shop repeated over and over again in Remus’ mind and he sat in the hospital waiting room, his head down as he held the boxed items and the letter he wrote in his hands. Two hours ago, the family was texting that they would all be together again… they were texting about how they couldn’t wait to see each other. But now? Now all Remus had to hold onto were the things in his hands and the fact that his husband would be with him soon.
I can’t do this alone, he thought to himself, tears falling down his face. Please… I need them to be okay.
Every time he heard the doors open or doctors walking into the waiting room, Remus would stand and hope it was Sirius or it was a doctor telling him that James and Lily were okay. All he wanted was for his husband to be there with him and to know that his family was okay. It was a night of dressing up and eating candy, it was one of his favourite holidays, but it was quickly becoming one of his least favourite holidays.
“Family of James and Lily Potter?”
“That’s me,” Remus cried as he dropped his items on the chair and walked over to the doctor with tears in his eyes. “Are they okay?”
“Come,” the doctor said with a look Remus never thought he would be able to forget, “let’s go somewhere more private.”
“No… no...”
“Sir, I-”
“My husband is on his way, he should be here by now,” Remus stuttered as he felt his eyes burn and his throat close up. “He should be here and then you’ll tell us that they are fine, right? That’s… they’re okay...”
“Mr Lupin-Black,” a nurse whispered as she rose from the seat she had been in beside Remus when he first came in so he wasn’t alone and stood beside the doctor. “When your husband comes, I can bring him to you, I promise.”
“No,” Remus trembled, shaking his head and covering his mouth with his hand.
“Mr Lupin-Black,” the kind nurse tried again, “can I get you some more water?”
“If I go with him,” Remus whispered through his tears and broken gasps for air, “he’s going to tell me that they aren’t okay and I… I can’t live without them… I’m not leaving this room until he’s here, I can’t!”
“Okay,” the nurse nodded quietly as she passed the man another bottle of water. “Do you want to wait until your husband is here?”
“No,” Remus laughed bitterly, “Just… are they okay?”
“I’m sorry,” the doctor shook his head sympathetically. “Mr Potter was pronounced dead at the scene and Mrs Potter-”
“James and Lily,” Remus interrupted as his voice broke. “Their names are James and Lily...”
“Okay, I’m sorry,” the doctor apologized with a sad look in his eyes, the nurse sharing the same look. “James was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident and… and Lily’s injuries were too severe. We did everything we could, but there was nothing more we could do. I’m very sorry for your loss, Mr Lupin-Black.”
“No...” he whispered as his body trembled and he sat back down in his chair and cried into his hands. “Lily… please… you told me that you wouldn’t leave me alone… James, you can’t leave me here, your brother needs you...”
It felt like hours before he heard the name he had been waiting to hear.
“...Sirius Lupin-Black...”
With weak knees and blurry vision, Remus stood from his chair and turned towards the voice before confusion took over.
~~~~~7:45 pm, October 31~~~~~
“They’re going to be fine,” Sirius whispered to himself as he stopped at the red light, refusing to think of the worst possible outcome. “They are fine and we will laugh about this in a couple of hours. They will be fine and tomorrow we will see Harry and we will be together again.”
If it were any other given situation, Sirius would have found the ride funny. He was wearing a onesie that he had changed into that the other Marauders had matching ones and he was riding his motorbike with his leather jacket and helmet. If James could see him, he would take a picture and hold it as blackmail for years to come.
“Please let there be more years with him,” Sirius breathed out, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. “He and Lily are fine… everything is okay and nothing is changing.”
As the light turned green, Sirius started to go but after taking a moment to look at the young child on the sidewalk who was dressed as a black dog, it was a moment too late for him.
~~~~~8:15 pm, October 31~~~~~
“...Sirius Lupin-Black...”
“That’s my husband,” Remus whispered in confusion at the paramedic standing at the nurses' station. “Where… where’s my husband?”
“I’m sorry,” the paramedic whispered as a doctor came over to Remus.
“You’re Mr Lupin-Black’s husband?” The doctor asked with the look Remus knew to be the same look the other doctor gave him before telling him about James and Lily.
“I can’t do this again,” Remus shook his head, holding his breath. “Where is my husband...”
“Your husband was hit by a drunk driver-”
“And he’s okay,” Remus interrupted with a look of hope that the nurses and doctor felt their hearts breaking with, all of them knowing the news he was given about his friends less than an hour ago. “Right? He’s okay… he has to be okay...”
“I’m sorry,” the doctor answered with a shake of his head. “The impact of the truck was too much, he was gone before the paramedics had arrived.”
“I...” a broken sob left his throat before he could say anything as he dropped to the floor. “I can’t do this without them! I-I need them! Please...”
“I’m so sorry-”
“I just want them back,” he wept loudly. “Please… I can’t go on without my family… We were all going to see Harry tomorrow-oh...”
“Mr Lupin-Black-”
“He’s gone,” Remus whispered, covering his trembling lip with his hand. “My husband… he’s actually gone?...”
“He is, I’m sorry.”
“He told me we were going to grow old together,” Remus laughed sadly. “He told me that we would grow old together and we would have so many more years left...”
“Is there someone you would like us to call?” The nurse offered gently, kneeling down to meet Remus’ eyes. “You mentioned Harry?...”
“Harry,” Remus gasped in horror, staring at the nurse. “I… I should have called him… I gotta… I need to call him...”
“Okay,” the nurse encouraged. “We can call him-”
“No, no he’s my godson! I’m responsible for him because his parents are gone! My husband is gone! Everyone is gone so… so it’s my responsibility! I… I have to call him and tell him that everyone is gone and that we are the only fucking people left in this family and that everyone is gone and we will not be all together tomorrow!”
“I’m sorry,” the nurse apologized sincerely. “Would you like me to hold on to your items while you call him?”
“Yeah… I’m sorry...”
“It’s okay, dear,” she whispered sadly. “You don’t need to apologize, it’s okay. Go make the call, I’ll be behind the desk if you need anything.”
~~~~~8:35 pm, October 31~~~~~
Sometimes when things seem dark and impossible, we forget the basics. We forget to call people right away, we forget how to breathe, we forget to watch where we’re going, sometimes we even forget to look both ways when crossing a street.
But sometimes, these things that we forget are the breath of air we needed. It’s the moment where we can forget everything except what is right in front of us. For some, it’s the moment where they know they will be okay.
~~~~~10:23 pm, October 31~~~~~
“Hello, is this the home of Harry Potter, son of James and Lily Potter?”
“It is,” Harry answered slowly to the two officers on his porch.
“There’s been an accident,” the second officer continued. “We need you to come with us.”
~~~~~2:39 am, November 1~~~~~
“I’m very sorry for your loss,” the police officer nodded as he gave Harry the bags of belongings of his four family members.
“Losses,” Harry corrected in a broken and monotone voice. “I lost all of them, it’s not just one loss.”
“My apologies,” the officer apologized. “Everything should be in these bags. Someone will be by in a little while to discuss… options.”
“You mean what I want them to do with the bodies and… the funeral?”
“Exactly,” he answered awkwardly. “If there is anything else you need, you have my card as well as the resources I’ve given you.”
“Thank you,” Harry nodded stiffly.
He closed his eyes and wished he had more tears to cry, but he had run out. All he knew was that his entire family was gone and they all died because he wanted them to come see him. If he hadn’t asked them to come see him? They would probably still be alive, he would probably still have a family. He thoughtlessly made his way to the doors, stopping when he heard his name. Every ounce of him wanted to believe that it was his mother, but he knew it wasn’t because he had seen them all.
“I’m Harry Potter,” he whispered.
“Your godfather,” the nurse began as she handed him a small box and letter, “asked me to hold onto these when he went out to call you before, well...”
“Before he got hit by a vehicle,” Harry finished numbly. “Just like everyone else...”
“Yes,” she nodded sadly. “He told me that they were the surprise for you all.”
“Oh...”
“There’s a garden outside if you would like some peace,” she whispered. “I’m here if you need anything, dear.”
“Thank you,” he mumbled, his throat closing as he looked at his uncle’s handwriting.
This is the surprise. It’s not much, but each of us have one because no matter how far away we are, we are always with each other. They are individual pieces but they come together to make one star; one family. We’re always together even when we’re apart, until the very end.
Harry held the necklaces close to his heart and looked up at the stars from the bench in the garden.
“I don’t know how to do this without you guys,” he whispered. “I don’t want to do this without you all...”
You’ve been so brave, he could have sworn he heard his mother say, the air around him growing warm.
“I didn’t mean for any of you to die… I’m so sorry...”
We’re proud of you, son, he thought he could hear his father say.
“I want you all back… I can’t do this alone, please...”
We’re part of you, the whisper of his uncle Padfoot said in the trees.
Until the very end, uncle Moony whispered as the air slowly turned colder.
“I don’t want to do this alone, but I’ll make you guys proud,” he whispered. “Just… stay with me.”
This was the Halloween Harry would always remember. This was the Halloween where the monsters under the porches and the witches in the forests were no longer scary but the thought of having to do life alone was the true horror of Halloween. Harry knew what was scary now, and he wished he could go back to before The Halloween to Remember.