He's Gone
Remus was woken up a loud incessant banging on the front door. Remus yawned as he checked his watch and saw that it was two o’clock in the morning.
What could be so important at two o’clock in the morning?
Maybe one of the Order were in trouble, the Lupins were one of the main Order family that weren’t in hiding, and Remus also visited both the Potter and the Longbottoms regularly so people called around a lot with news and updates.
Or maybe, shuddered Remus, it wasn’t the Order at all. Maybe the deatheaters had finally come for them!
The knocking on the door get louder and more frantic.
Stefan shifted in his sleep as Remus pulled his dressing gown on.
‘What’s going on Remus?’ mumbled Stefan sleepily.
‘I don’t know,’ said Remus trying to keep calm for Stefan’s sake.
‘I’m going to go and check.’
‘I want to come with you,’ said Stefan quietly summoning all his courage.
‘Stay behind me at all times Stef,’ said Remus bending down so he could look Stefan directly in the eye.
‘Ok,’ nodded Stefan.
‘Good boy,’ said Remus grabbing his wand.
‘Da!’ called Remus as they came out into the corridor.
Lyall had already come out into the corridor as pale as death holding his own wand out, and Hope was holding Ophelia protectively in her arms. They had clearly all thought the same thing.
The frantic knocking echoed throughout the quiet house again.
‘Come on,’ whispered Lyall indicating down the stairs.
The family crept down the stairs, and Stefan picked up a frying pan from the kitchen as they walked through so he could have a weapon if it was deatheaters.
They lined up by the front door, Remus and Lyall with their wands out, and Stefan with his frying pan ready. Hope hovering by the emergency portkey in the corridor with Ophelia.
As Hope was a Muggle, she couldn’t defend herself. But they had a plan, if the deatheaters did come she would take a portkey to a safehouse with Ophelia. The coat button by the coatrack would transport her to the Pettigrew house, and the others would meet her there later.
Lyall opened the door a fraction of an inch, and called out in a clear firm voice.
‘Whos there?’
‘Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore,’ said the man from the other side of the door.
‘How do we know it’s you?’ asked Remus suspiciously.
If the deatheaters were going to try and impersonate anyone, it would be Dumbledore.
‘Ask him something only he knows,’ whispered Hope
‘Why was the whomping willow planted?’ asked Lyall.
‘The whomping willow was plated in the Hogwarts grounds in August 1971, so a new student, Remus John Lupin, could attend Hogwarts,’ answered Dumbledore calmly.
‘The tree led to a tunnel, which led to the shrieking shack where you transformed into a werewolf once a month.’
‘He’s good,’ nodded Lyall opening the door quickly and letting Dumbledore in.
Lyall checked that nobody had been listening or watching, before slamming the door shut again. Dumbledore came into the house, and Remus and Lyall put their wands away. Dumbledore was holding something carefully under his robes. Stefan though, still didn’t know who this strangely dressed, even by wizard standards man was, so had not lowered his frying pan.
‘And this must be Stefan,’ said Dumbledore smiling genially and holding out his hand to shake it.
WHACK!
Stefan had walloped Professor on the arm with the frying pan. He didn’t care if Remus and Lyall trusted this strange man or not, he wasn’t going to let anyone hurt his family!
Remus rose his eyebrows so high they nearly reached his hairline, and he was running his fingers through his hair. Lyall on the other hand, was trying not to hard.
‘You should try out for Quidditch Stefan,’ chuckled Dumbledore rubbing his arm.
‘You’ll make a very good beater with a swing like that.’
As Dumbledore rubbed his arm, he moved his cloak, and it was clear to the Lupin family that Dumbledore was carrying a very drowsy Harry on one of his hips under his cloak.
‘Unca Moony!’ cried a tired Harry.
‘Come here little one,’ said Remus taking him Dumbledore, and hugging Harry.
‘Excuse me Professor,’ said Hope still not moving away from the portkey.
‘But what are you doing here, at two o’clock in the morning with baby Harry?’
‘And without Lily and James,’ muttered Lyall.
‘I’m afraid it’s rather a long story,’ said Dumbledore, folding his hands and staring down at them.
‘I’ll get out the firewhisky,’ nodded Lyall seriously.
‘I’ll take the little ones up,’ said Hope starting to try and usher Stefan up the stairs to bed.
‘No I want to know!’ protested Stefan.
‘Why’s Harry here!’
‘It’s two o’clock in the morning!’ said Hope in a voice that said no arguments.
‘He had a right to know,’ interjected Dumbledore.
‘The whole world will know by the morning.’
The four members of the Lupin family looked at each other confused, but decided it was just faster to go along with Dumbledore.
They placed Harry and Ophelia in the playpen in the sitting room. Ophelia ignored the excitable older boy and went straight to sleep with her teddy bear and her blanket. Harry though, thought that as he was awake, he should make the most of it. He played with the little foam bricks and zoomed the tiny cars around the pen haphazardly avoiding his younger cousin.
Lyall had gotten out four large glasses of firewhisky, and a bottle of butterbeer for Stefan. Stefan sat next to Remus on the sofa feeling very grown up and special. He had been invited to take part in an adult conversation, he had been given a drink, and it was nearly three o’clock in the morning!
‘The first thing you need to know,’ started Dumbledore, ‘is that Voldemort is gone.’
‘He’s gone?’ stammered Hope. It sounded almost too good to be true!
‘Do you mean he’s disappeared or he’s dead?’ mused Lyall.
‘I’m not quite sure,’ said Dumbledore straightening his glasses.
‘I think he’s somewhere in between. He’s not dead, but he’s not alive, he’s somewhere in between.’
‘What?’ asked Remus.
‘How can you be dead and alive at the same time?’
‘His body has been ripped from his soul,’ said Dumbledore solemnly.
‘Which means, that for now he might as well be dead. But I fear that there will come a day that he will come back. It might be tomorrow, or it might be in a hundred years, but I doubt it.’
‘But for now.’
‘We’re safe?’ finished Remus.
Dumbledore nodded and smiled slightly.
‘Don’t let this be an excuse to let your guard down though,’ said Dumbledore.
‘I’ve gotten so used to redoing the wards, it’s become routine,’ laughed Lyall.
Dumbledore nodded satisfactorily.
‘Good, good,’ he beamed.
‘Professor,’ said Remus.
‘I have told you many time Remus, please call me Albus.’
‘Right,’ muttered Remus.
‘Albus, I still want to know, why you’ve come here at this time in the morning, with Harry.’
‘Where are James and Lily?’ he stammered fearing the worst.
Dumbledore straightened his glasses on his nose again. They had to know.
‘James and Lily were betrayed,’ sighed Dumbledore.
Remus tightened his grip on Stefan’s shoulder who was sitting next to him on the sofa.
‘Voldemort came to Godrics Hollow tonight and killed them.’
‘Lily and James are dead?’ rasped Remus.
Hope had tears flowing down her cheeks, and Lyall was shaking his head in disbelief.
‘I’m afraid so,’ said Dumbledore.
‘But somehow, when Lily died, and sacrificed herself for young Harry, her love formed a shield. When Voldemort tried to kill him, it didn’t work. Instead of killing Harry, like it was intended, the curse ripped Voldemort’s soul from his body.’
‘The only sign that the curse seems to have left, is that lightning bolt scar on his forehead,’ said Dumbledore indicating the scar on Harry, who had started to curl up to sleep hugging his cousin Ophelia.
‘So,’ said Lyall counting on his fingers as he wanted to get all his facts straight.
‘James and Lily are dead, Voldemort doesn’t have a body, everyone’s now going to think Harry defeated You Know Who, and Harry is now living here?’
‘I think that’s everything yes,’ said Dumbledore, ‘I couldn’t have summarized it better myself.’
‘You ok Remus?’ asked Stefan looking up at Remus.
Remus just stared into space, with a blank expression on his face. He didn’t quite know how to feel, Voldemort was gone, but Lily and James, two of the people he had cared for most out of his own family were dead, and they were never coming back. He felt empty inside like he had done when Marlene had died.
Peter and Sirius didn’t even know about it! God, he had to tell Peter and Sirius!
‘Peter!’ said Remus, ‘Sirius!’
‘I have to tell them!!’
‘Remi son,’ said Lyall, ‘it’s the middle of the night they’ll be asleep.’
‘We can call them first thing in the morning Cariad,’ said Hope patting Remus’ hand affectionately.
‘I think you need some sleep Remi,’ said Lyall.
Remus was too tired physically, and emotionally to argue. He headed back up to bed walking like a zombie as he went to his room. Hope was putting Harry in with Ophelia in the nursery as they already had a crib there.
Remus flopped onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling as he laid back. He was so tired, and confused emotionally that he couldn’t sleep, but also somehow he couldn’t cry.
‘Remus!’ whispered Stefan after half an hour turning on the light as he came into the room.
‘Have a nightmare Stef?’ asked Remus.
‘No,’ said Stefan.
‘You said we were going to get through this together,’ said Stefan hopping into bed next to Remus.
‘You just lost your best friends, so I’m staying in here tonight.’
‘Thanks Stef,’ whispered Remus.
Stefan snuggled up next to Remus, and Remus finally dropped off feeling fully safe for the first time in years. For now, at least, Voldemort was gone.