FIC - 'The End is Heaven' - Part 03
The End is Heaven
by Myka
Part 03 - 'dangerous secret'
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairings: Sirius/Remus, Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny
Spoilers: Books 1-7
Genre: AU, drama, romance, angst, tragedy
Beta: charletnarouh
Summary: Remus Lupin survives the Second War and is left to raise Teddy alone.
---
Hermione didn't waste a second and, without saying a word, grabbed both Harry and Ron's arms and apparated them to the front of Remus's house.
The door was wide open and they could hear shouting. Teddy was screaming.
Harry ran ahead into the house and was momentarily disoriented by the brightness inside. Every single lamp in the house was lit, as if in an attempt to kill the darkness from the night outside.
Andromeda Tonks stood almost twenty feet away, near the kitchen. Teddy was in her arms crying as loud as he could, his hair turning various shades of red, blue and green intermittently. He seemed to struggle against Andromeda's hold, like he didn't want to be held by her. Remus stood ten feet away and to the side, his hands open and his arms extended like he was trying to reach something.
Neither of them noticed the teenagers coming in.
It was an odd sight. Harry still couldn't shake just how much Andromeda looked like Bellatrix. If he hadn't know any better, it would have seemed that Bellatrix was still alive and that she was trying to steal Teddy.
But it was far from that.
“Give him back to me, Andromeda,” Remus said, his voice unusually cold and demanding.
“No!' she shrieked, scared and angry, as she held Teddy closer, whose only response was to scream louder.
“He's my son, Andromeda. Give him back,” Remus said again, but this time his voice held a warning, a threat.
Andromeda's eyes widened slightly. “Don't you dare come near me, you monster!”
“What's going on here?!” Harry yelled suddenly.
Andromeda turned towards them, her eyes brimming with tears of relief when she saw them. Remus stood very still his eyes never leaving Teddy who was still crying.
“Harry, dear, thank goodness.” Andromeda said, holding Teddy tight, petting his hair softly.
“Remus?” Harry asked with uncertainty, and Remus slowly turned his gaze towards Harry as well. He didn't speak.
Andromeda gave a step towards Harry, and Remus suddenly moved closer. He leaned forward slowly with calculated menace, eyes glaring, his fingers curled against his palm, his body language screaming danger to Harry and the rest. Andromeda stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes fiery with anger, her resemblance to Bellatrix even stronger now.
“Tell them what you did,” she spat accusingly at Remus. “Tell them what you've been doing for all these months.”
Remus body language changed instantly. He straightened up, arms unmoving at his sides, his eyes looking at Harry, Ron, and Hermione carefully.
“What is it?” Hermione asked from where she stood by Harry's side, glancing questioning at Remus and then Andromeda and back to Remus.
Andromeda spoke. “For months I've offered to take care of Teddy during the full moon, and for months he's refused. He told me he's been going to the center. Somewhere where he can transform safely and where someone would take care of Teddy in the meantime.” Her voice grew angrier as she told the story. “I let it go against my better judgment, because it sounded like he really meant well, but I still wanted to take care of Teddy so I sent an owl to the center today to see if I could volunteer. I wanted it to be a Christmas present.” She took a deep breath. “And what do they say? They told me that no one by the name of Remus Lupin has ever been there, much less with a baby. So I come here to celebrate Christmas, sure that something got miscommunicated. I ask him, and he lies to me! Says he's going to the center when I know he hasn’t! And then I found them! Bottles and bottles of wolfsbane hidden on one of the kitchen shelves! Do you have any idea what he's been doing!” Andromeda clutched Teddy closer to her, giving her back to Remus so he couldn't see his son.
Hermione's eyes were the first to widen, the first to realize. “He wouldn't!” she exclaimed indignantly. She paused before turning to look at Remus and add softly, “Right, Remus?”
He avoided her eyes.
Hermione gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.
Ron and Harry looked at her, still confused.
“What's wrong?” Ron asked.
Hermione's eyes were suddenly sad as she looked at both boys. “He's been using wolfsbane to transform here,” she said. They blinked blankly at her. Still not fully understanding. Hermione sighed in exasperation. “He's been transforming here while Teddy is still in the house.”
“It's perfectly safe!” Remus suddenly snapped, his eyes half wild.
“Remus how could you?” Hermione said sadly.
Remus shook his head. “What else can I do? Everyone's gone! I'm the only one left!”
“That's not true, Remus-” Hermione started to say.
“I can't let Teddy live here.” Andromeda cut her off. “It isn't safe!”
Remus turned angry eyes at her again and Harry finally noticed the pattern. It was almost like the time back at Grimmauld place when he had seen the shadow of the wolf underneath Remus's face. Whatever that had been, it was back, hiding underneath his eyes. Getting worse every time Andromeda threatened to take Teddy away.
“You're not taking him anywhere,” Remus half snarled.
“Monster,” Andromeda whispered under her breath, but still loud enough to be heard. Harry watched as her eyes suddenly hardened, her mouth forming a sharp frown of disappointment. “I will never understand what Nymphadora saw in you, but she was so happy that I-” she bit her lip, tears stung in her eyes. “She's dead, my Ted is dead, you-”
“Ms. Tonks!” Hermione warned. Her voice was unheard.
“You should have died as well!” She gave Remus one last anger filled glare and stepped quickly towards Harry and the others, towards the door. Her movement made Remus’ head snap towards her. Wild and furious. His legs moved. He leapt.
Hermione shrieked. Harry and Ron moved in unison, raising their wands high and shouting the same spell. Remus was sent flying, landing hard against his small desk. The parchments rolled, the ink spilled, and the pictures fell and broke at Remus's feet. Remus slid to the floor slowly, his knees pressing against the broken glass of the frames, his head turned downwards in defeat.
Harry and Ron slowly lowered their wands while Hermione took a deep breath. The silence was suddenly broken by Teddy's cries. He struggled harder against Andromeda's hold, his tiny cries followed by weak, but understandable 'da-da's'. It was clear that Teddy wanted to be with his father. Remus was the only thing Teddy knew. But it wasn't safe. It just wasn't. Andromeda walked past them, ignoring Remus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Her quick steps carried her fast across the living room and soon, she and Teddy were outside the house and gone.
Hermione was the first to try and approach Remus. She moved carefully, slowly. Remus's shoulders shook slightly, but there were no tears in his eyes. His knees bled where they were cut by the glass, his fingers gingerly touching the broken frames of the pictures.
Hermione felt Harry and Ron behind her. They stood silent, not knowing what to say. What could they say? Remus had just lost his child and it had been the right thing to do. There were no words for this.
Ron moved closer and slowly took Hermione's hand, squeezing it tightly.
“Remus,” Harry dared to call.
At the sound of his name, Remus suddenly half gasped, half sobbed, his body shaking again like it needed air. He spoke to himself, a small phrase, whispered words directed at no one in particular, his voice choked and pained.
“Why am I alive?”
-
Part 04
by Myka
Part 03 - 'dangerous secret'
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairings: Sirius/Remus, Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny
Spoilers: Books 1-7
Genre: AU, drama, romance, angst, tragedy
Beta: charletnarouh
Summary: Remus Lupin survives the Second War and is left to raise Teddy alone.
---
Hermione didn't waste a second and, without saying a word, grabbed both Harry and Ron's arms and apparated them to the front of Remus's house.
The door was wide open and they could hear shouting. Teddy was screaming.
Harry ran ahead into the house and was momentarily disoriented by the brightness inside. Every single lamp in the house was lit, as if in an attempt to kill the darkness from the night outside.
Andromeda Tonks stood almost twenty feet away, near the kitchen. Teddy was in her arms crying as loud as he could, his hair turning various shades of red, blue and green intermittently. He seemed to struggle against Andromeda's hold, like he didn't want to be held by her. Remus stood ten feet away and to the side, his hands open and his arms extended like he was trying to reach something.
Neither of them noticed the teenagers coming in.
It was an odd sight. Harry still couldn't shake just how much Andromeda looked like Bellatrix. If he hadn't know any better, it would have seemed that Bellatrix was still alive and that she was trying to steal Teddy.
But it was far from that.
“Give him back to me, Andromeda,” Remus said, his voice unusually cold and demanding.
“No!' she shrieked, scared and angry, as she held Teddy closer, whose only response was to scream louder.
“He's my son, Andromeda. Give him back,” Remus said again, but this time his voice held a warning, a threat.
Andromeda's eyes widened slightly. “Don't you dare come near me, you monster!”
“What's going on here?!” Harry yelled suddenly.
Andromeda turned towards them, her eyes brimming with tears of relief when she saw them. Remus stood very still his eyes never leaving Teddy who was still crying.
“Harry, dear, thank goodness.” Andromeda said, holding Teddy tight, petting his hair softly.
“Remus?” Harry asked with uncertainty, and Remus slowly turned his gaze towards Harry as well. He didn't speak.
Andromeda gave a step towards Harry, and Remus suddenly moved closer. He leaned forward slowly with calculated menace, eyes glaring, his fingers curled against his palm, his body language screaming danger to Harry and the rest. Andromeda stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes fiery with anger, her resemblance to Bellatrix even stronger now.
“Tell them what you did,” she spat accusingly at Remus. “Tell them what you've been doing for all these months.”
Remus body language changed instantly. He straightened up, arms unmoving at his sides, his eyes looking at Harry, Ron, and Hermione carefully.
“What is it?” Hermione asked from where she stood by Harry's side, glancing questioning at Remus and then Andromeda and back to Remus.
Andromeda spoke. “For months I've offered to take care of Teddy during the full moon, and for months he's refused. He told me he's been going to the center. Somewhere where he can transform safely and where someone would take care of Teddy in the meantime.” Her voice grew angrier as she told the story. “I let it go against my better judgment, because it sounded like he really meant well, but I still wanted to take care of Teddy so I sent an owl to the center today to see if I could volunteer. I wanted it to be a Christmas present.” She took a deep breath. “And what do they say? They told me that no one by the name of Remus Lupin has ever been there, much less with a baby. So I come here to celebrate Christmas, sure that something got miscommunicated. I ask him, and he lies to me! Says he's going to the center when I know he hasn’t! And then I found them! Bottles and bottles of wolfsbane hidden on one of the kitchen shelves! Do you have any idea what he's been doing!” Andromeda clutched Teddy closer to her, giving her back to Remus so he couldn't see his son.
Hermione's eyes were the first to widen, the first to realize. “He wouldn't!” she exclaimed indignantly. She paused before turning to look at Remus and add softly, “Right, Remus?”
He avoided her eyes.
Hermione gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.
Ron and Harry looked at her, still confused.
“What's wrong?” Ron asked.
Hermione's eyes were suddenly sad as she looked at both boys. “He's been using wolfsbane to transform here,” she said. They blinked blankly at her. Still not fully understanding. Hermione sighed in exasperation. “He's been transforming here while Teddy is still in the house.”
“It's perfectly safe!” Remus suddenly snapped, his eyes half wild.
“Remus how could you?” Hermione said sadly.
Remus shook his head. “What else can I do? Everyone's gone! I'm the only one left!”
“That's not true, Remus-” Hermione started to say.
“I can't let Teddy live here.” Andromeda cut her off. “It isn't safe!”
Remus turned angry eyes at her again and Harry finally noticed the pattern. It was almost like the time back at Grimmauld place when he had seen the shadow of the wolf underneath Remus's face. Whatever that had been, it was back, hiding underneath his eyes. Getting worse every time Andromeda threatened to take Teddy away.
“You're not taking him anywhere,” Remus half snarled.
“Monster,” Andromeda whispered under her breath, but still loud enough to be heard. Harry watched as her eyes suddenly hardened, her mouth forming a sharp frown of disappointment. “I will never understand what Nymphadora saw in you, but she was so happy that I-” she bit her lip, tears stung in her eyes. “She's dead, my Ted is dead, you-”
“Ms. Tonks!” Hermione warned. Her voice was unheard.
“You should have died as well!” She gave Remus one last anger filled glare and stepped quickly towards Harry and the others, towards the door. Her movement made Remus’ head snap towards her. Wild and furious. His legs moved. He leapt.
Hermione shrieked. Harry and Ron moved in unison, raising their wands high and shouting the same spell. Remus was sent flying, landing hard against his small desk. The parchments rolled, the ink spilled, and the pictures fell and broke at Remus's feet. Remus slid to the floor slowly, his knees pressing against the broken glass of the frames, his head turned downwards in defeat.
Harry and Ron slowly lowered their wands while Hermione took a deep breath. The silence was suddenly broken by Teddy's cries. He struggled harder against Andromeda's hold, his tiny cries followed by weak, but understandable 'da-da's'. It was clear that Teddy wanted to be with his father. Remus was the only thing Teddy knew. But it wasn't safe. It just wasn't. Andromeda walked past them, ignoring Remus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Her quick steps carried her fast across the living room and soon, she and Teddy were outside the house and gone.
Hermione was the first to try and approach Remus. She moved carefully, slowly. Remus's shoulders shook slightly, but there were no tears in his eyes. His knees bled where they were cut by the glass, his fingers gingerly touching the broken frames of the pictures.
Hermione felt Harry and Ron behind her. They stood silent, not knowing what to say. What could they say? Remus had just lost his child and it had been the right thing to do. There were no words for this.
Ron moved closer and slowly took Hermione's hand, squeezing it tightly.
“Remus,” Harry dared to call.
At the sound of his name, Remus suddenly half gasped, half sobbed, his body shaking again like it needed air. He spoke to himself, a small phrase, whispered words directed at no one in particular, his voice choked and pained.
“Why am I alive?”
-
Part 04