Chapter 1
Hundreds of images flashed through his mind. Images of his past, of his youth at Hogwarts, of his group of friends who had disappeared too suddenly, James, Lily, Sirius and even Peter. He was the last one. He had often wondered why, why him, the poor old werewolf. Still alive, still having to endure the full moons that became more and more difficult to bear every month.
Images of Harry, James and Lily's son. Tears had come to his eyes the first time he had seen him in that train attacked by Dementors. He recognized Lily's eyes and James' facial features immediately. His heart clenched for a moment and the next moment he promised himself to protect that boy as if he were his own, until his last breath. He had become the most important person to him.
Then other images appeared. Sharper, more colorful, more joyful images. The first day he had seen her, their first mission together, their first evening alone at Grimmauld Place one night when Sirius had fallen asleep half-drunk on the couch. Their first fight, their first kiss, their first time, their marriage and finally that little boy with green hair. Without warning, they had taken the most important place in his heart. Nymphadora Tonks and Teddy Lupin had become the most important people in his eyes. The moment his son had caught his finger between his own, so small, for the first time, he had felt his heart explode with happiness. He couldn't stop the tears from flowing. He would never have believed it, he would never have imagined such happiness, he never thought he had deserved it.
As for Nymphadora, Merlin! How he had blamed himself for having made her suffer, for having wasted all that time, for having been afraid. Because that's what he had been, afraid. Afraid of hurting her, afraid of condemning her to a life she didn't deserve, afraid of not deserving her. And yet when he had finally accepted, when he had let go, all his fears had vanished. To be honest, he was still a little afraid, but Tonks' love and his love for her seemed to protect them, to form a shield that made them invincible. And the birth of their son had only strengthened that shield of love.
One last image passed slowly before his eyes. Nymphadora sat on the floor, Teddy in her lap, watching him approach as he returned from asking Harry to become their son's godfather. Her hair was scarlet, her eyes sparkled and her smile dazzled her face. She had changed after Teddy's birth. She had become even more beautiful, more courageous, more confident in herself and in the love that now united the three of them.
It was with this memory that he slowly came back to reality. The smell of grass had given way to that of fire, earth and blood. The baby's babbling had turned to crying, to screaming. His whole body was aching and tired. Images of war came to mind, wizards and witches falling to the ground, walls exploding, giant spiders, centaurs galloping and stopping only to collide with the enemy. His head hurt and his ears were ringing. He didn't know exactly where he was or what was going on around him. With an effort of will, he slid his hand beside him and it struck an inanimate body. He closed his eyes even tighter, holding back the tears that grew against his eyelids. He prayed it wasn't her. It couldn't be her, she couldn't die. She couldn't die! Their son needed her. He didn't need him, he could go, but not her. After a few moments he managed to open his eyes and turned his head to the right towards the body. He sighed as he discovered that it was not Nymphadora. But he knew very well that there were many other bodies all around him. She could be anywhere.
He decided to try to stand up. He rolled onto his side and tried to support himself with his arms, but his muscles were too weak and he fell heavily to the ground. Once again on his back, he opened his eyes. The sky was grey, full of clouds. He was surprised that he was not cold despite the lack of heat, the pain and his injuries. His left leg was injured, he could feel the stabbing pain but he couldn't tell how bad it was. Was he bleeding to death? Was he going to leave to join his friends? No, not yet, he wanted to know if she was alive first. He wanted to hug her one last time with their son. He wanted to thank her for everything she had done for him. He wanted to tell her one last time how much he loved her with all his being.
The tears won the battle and ran down his cheeks. He closed his eyes again and took a deep breath. He took advantage of these last moments to recall other memories of the intense happiness he had finally been blessed with.
Slowly the fatigue became more and more present, his mind seemed to leave his body. His ears were no longer ringing but he could not hear anything. He thought it was all over, then he heard something in the distance. A sound, a word, a shout.
"REMUS!!!"