The air smelled of blood and smoke and death. It was thick with dust from the debris, from bodies being pulverized, from magic sparks flying in all directions. Remus stood in the middle of it. Rather, he floated above it all. His heart was pounding in his chest, though he wasn't sure it was still there. He wasn't sure he still was. He looked down at his hands; they were pale, almost translucent.
His vision focused on the scene hidden by his hands. It was illuminated by a sickly light and everything became sharper, more grotesque. Two bodies, motionless on the ground. Himself, pale and broken, crumpled alongside a woman's whose hair that used to be so bright, was now dull and lifeless.
He tried to scream, to call out to her, to himself, but no sound came out of him. He surged forward, desperate to reach them, to touch her, to touch himself, but something was holding him back, pulling him away. He tried to fight it, to claw at it, shouting now- he was sure of it.
His panic was cut short by something warm and inviting. Coffee. Pancakes. Was that syrup? A trick, he thought. A cruel trick. Was this what death smelled like? Then came a pressure on his chest, something small and insistent. A weight pressing against his ribs. The weight...giggled?
"Dada?"
The scent of coffee and pancakes grew stronger. The weight on his chest shifted and pressed harder, tiny feet digging into his ribs.
"Dada? Wake up!"
Remus gasped and his eyes snapped open. The world was violently bright. For a moment, he couldn't process what he was seeing- a small blob of blue hovering over him, wide eyes staring down at him.
"Dada! You're awake!"
Teddy, Remus thought. His beautiful boy with wild blue eyes that matched the oversized Weird Sisters he was wearing as a pyjamas. Remus let out a shaky breath. He was home. Alive.
"Dada, you were making weird noises," Teddy said.
Remus blinked again. His chest was still heaving. "I...I'm fine, Teddy," he said in a groggy voice. He reached up and brushed his fingers through Teddy's soft hair. "Just a bad dream. That's all."
"Teddy, love! Tell your dad that his pancakes are going to be cold if he doesn't get up soon," a bright voice came from the other room. There was a clatter of plates, and then the voice added, "Oh, and tell him he's going to miss the presents if he doesn't hurry!"
Teddy's face lit up at the mention of presents, and he scrambled off Remus. "Dada! Pancakes and presents!" he exclaimed as he mustered all the strength a toddler had to tug insistently on his father's hand.
Remus managed a faint chuckled, though his body still felt heavy. He could hear Dora's laugh from the kitchen. His Dora. Warm and alive. The sound was enough to ground him. She was alive. He was alive. Teddy was alive.
"Alright, alright," Remus said as he sat up slowly. Teddy bounced on the bed, clearly impatient. His mother's energy, Remus told himself.
"Mummy says you have to hurry!" Teddy declared as if it was some important decree. "She says your presents will be cold and you will miss the pancakes...or uh..." he shrugged.
Remus chuckled and shook his head. "Well, we can't have that, can we?" He scooped Teddy into his arms and pressed a kiss to his son's temple. Teddy giggled and wriggled in his father's grasp. The man was too slow for him. Mummy was faster. Much faster.
Remus carried Teddy to the kitchen and caught sight of his wife standing by the stove, her wand in one hand and a spatula in the other. She turned, smiling at him.
"Took you long enough," she teased. "Merry Christmas, sleepyhead."
She set the spatula down and crossed the room, wrapping her arms around her two boys. "I made too many pancakes, and Teddy here already tried to eat half the batter."
"Merry Christmas," Remus murmured before pressing a kiss to Dora's temple, and then another to Teddy's forehead.
A loud crack came from outside. Teddy wriggled out of his parents' grasp and dashed to the living room window like a little jet of blue light.
"Uncle Sirius! Uncle Sirius!"