AN: And so (because I kept you all waiting for the last chapter but you know why) here is the epilogue to this rather epic story of mine! Bloody buggering hell did this one take a while lol! But I wanted to say thank you to all of you for following this story so adamantly with me, and for sharing the moments with me. So without further ado:
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Chapter 63 – Epilogue: Eras End
Remus placed his mug of tea back onto the low coffee table and let the silence that followed wash over him. After he leant back in his seat he looked up at the suspiciously shining eyes of Harry and the sympathetic ones of Cara Potter-Faolan.
"And that's our story." He said in a low voice and shared the sentiments when Harry let out a shaky breathe.
"Bloody hell Remus. I mean…I…I didn't know." He said and after taking a moment to look at his guardian he stood up and moved round the table to hug him. Remus held him back just as tightly.
"You've lost so much…how do you keep going?" Harry's voice inquired into his shoulder and he gave the younger man a tight squeeze.
"I have a family to look after." He said in explanation and Harry pulled back to smile at him.
Cara placed his own mug on the table and simply watched the pair quietly. He and Remus were terribly alike and he took a moment to imagine losing Harry and their own son Sirius. It made his heart clench.
"You went through so much, and that isn't even the end is it? I mean there was Azkaban, Harry's third year…" He said and Remus nodded at him as Harry moved to sit on the floor beside his chair.
"Yes, me and Sirius were reunited in Harry's third year. At first I'd thought everything was of the past that we could never be together again the way we once were and in a way that's true, we weren't together like how we used to be. We were barely adults then, on the cusp. But our newfound relationship wasn't any weaker; no it was far from that. It was stronger than ever. We'd survived so much and we'd be damned if this would pull us apart too."
Harry grasped his hand tightly in his own as Cara nodded. Just as Cara opened his mouth he was cut off with an excited "DADDY!"
All three looked up when the four year old black haired, amber eyed Sirius Potter-Faolan came charging into the room, caked in mud and with a couple of leaves in his hair.
"Sirius, what the hell?" Harry asked jumping up to grab the boy before he traipsed mud all over the living room.
"I was fighting Basilisks Dad, and Dragons too!" The small boy rubbed his sleeve over his nose causing a brown smear to run across the bridge of his nose but he smiled a disarming smile at his parents. Remus caught himself smiling lop-sidely as the boy placed his hands on his hips looking proud of himself. He smiled even wider when Harry crossed his arms over his chest and quirked an eyebrow.
"Is that so?" The young father asked.
Sirius nodded and placed his hands clasped behind his back.
"And Dementors but I fought them off with a Patr…Pats…Paron…"
"Patronus Sirius." Remus said smiling at the boy. Sirius grinned back and gave a cheeky tongue poke.
"Thank you Remez, You always know everything!"
"Apparently so." The man chuckled reaching for his tea again. Harry made to grab the boy but Sirius had already leapt across the room into Remus's lap.
"SIRIUS!"
"It's alright Harry, no harm done. It's just a little mud. I'll go clean him up." Remus said standing with the boy perched on his hip. Harry looked at him questiongly but after a minute nodded. He started to pick up the mugs and cutlery they had used as Cara moved to help him.
"You remember where the bathroom is Remus?" Cara asked and Remus winked.
"I practically live here Mr. Potter." Sirius giggled in his arms as Cara smirked and nodded.
"Come on trouble lets get you cleaned up." Remus said as he and Sirius made their way up the stairs.
"Ugh, bath time sucks." Sirius said matter-of-factly making Remus chuckle. He placed the boy on the sink counter as he filled it with warm water. Helping the boy to remove his t-shirt he quickly grabbed a towel.
"Remez?" Sirius asked in a small voice.
"Yes Siri?"
"…You and my daddies were talking about something downstairs…you kept mentioning my name but the things you said I've never done…"
Remus's hand stilled as the towel rested on the boy's cheek, curious eyes just poking up over the top of his hand. He looked at the boy silently for a moment and mutely thanked the Gods for not giving this boy blue eyes…it would be too much like…no, best not to think of that.
"…Yes, you're right. Sirius, did your Dads ever tell you why they called you that?"
Sirius shrugged a little as Remus resumed his cleaning.
"Just that it was after my Grandpa Si."
Remus found himself smiling again as he briefly chipped dried mud out of the boy's hair. After he'd finished that he watched the boy again.
"Grandpa Si was my…" He tried searching for a word when Sirius helped.
"Honey?" he asked in a voice that was even more childlike than ever. Remus laughed and nodded.
"Yes, Honey it is. Anyway, your Daddy Harry loved my Honey like he would his own father and so asked me to tell him about when we got together."
"Like Daddy and Dad? Only Daddy says that you're a werewolf like him and me so wouldn't Grandpa Si be like Dad?"
Remus brushed the boys hair tenderly as he smiled at his surrogate Grandchild.
"Yes, if you like…Sirius would you like to go meet him?"
Sirius cocked his head in confusion.
"But I thought Grandpa Si is in heaven? That's what Daddy said."
"Yes, that is true but I'm talking about where we buried him. Would you like to visit him?" Remus said and Sirius nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes please!"
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Remus looked up the path leading to the Graveyard and shielded his eyes from the low sun setting in the far distance. He glanced down to his right where Sirius was gripping his hand looking around at the trees on either side of the path. He squeezed the tiny hand in his making Sirius glance up at him and grin as he too shielded his eyes.
"Almost there Pup." He said and winked at the boy.
"What was Grandpa Si like?"
The question startled Remus into looking back down at the boy with a stunned look on his face.
"What?" He asked quietly and Sirius looked slightly more bashful.
"It's…it's just when I try asking Dad about him he gets a sad look in his eyes and I don't want to hurt him so I tell him it's ok, I didn't really want to know. But…But I do and you said he was your Honey so you'd know him best right?"
Sirius was kicking small stones out of his path nervously and after a moment Remus bent down and lifted the boy to rest on his hip once again. Once again curious wide amber eyes stared at him.
"Sirius was…beautiful in every way. He was mischievous, brave, loyal, strong, loving and kind all at once. He had a tendency to get us into trouble but he'd also get us out again. Despite everything he tried his hardest no matter what. He was my savior, many times over."
Sirius looked off to a point for a while before looking at him once again with a determined look on his face. He hugged Remus around the neck tightly.
"I'll be your savior too Remez! I won't let you get hurt." He buried his neck in his Granddad's neck as he shut his eyes tightly.
Remus felt his heart give a lurch and hugged the boy back. Eventually Sirius pulled away and squirmed a little as though wanting to be put down. Remus obliged him and Sirius instantly took his hand dragging him up the path towards the sun lit graveyard.
"Lets go see Sirius Remez!" He cried and walked quickly.
Remus watched the boy momentarily and smiled as he thought that maybe Sirius had lived on in more than just his Godson. This little boy did have similar characteristics after all and could easily resemble his own Sirius when he reached adulthood. It would seem Sirius Potter-Faolan would be a heartbreaker too.
He allowed himself a little smirk at that.
They walked for about another ten minutes until finally they walked under the shade of a weeping willow. There, at the base was a silver plaque glistening in the daylight. Sirius stood in front of it looking down at it before looking up and behind him at Remus.
"Is this him? Is this Sirius?" He asked and Remus nodded as he knelt beside the boy, his fingers running over the words he knew by heart inscribed into the silver:
Sirius Orion Black1970 – 1996
Devoted Parent, Beloved Friend, Treasured Lover
"I am the soft stars that shine at night so do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there I do not sleep"
"Yeah, yeah this is my Padfoot." He whispered as he continued to stroke the engravings. His vision was becoming mistier and he blinked harshly against the tears threatening to fall. He looked at the two graves to the left of this one and tried to fight back the tears again. At least James, Lily and Sirius were together again. Further to the right was his father's resting ground, a space in between him and Sirius for…for…
A warmth covered his hand that rested on the plaque and looking down he say a tiny tanned hand spread out like his was only on top of his rather than on the silver.
He looked up to see Sirius staring down at their hands, mesmerized by the silver words and again he fought back tears. He closed them when he saw Sirius begin to look at him, not wanting the boy to see him cry. However, he couldn't help opening them when he felt a small hand on his cheek.
"Don't be sad Remez…I'll protect you."
Letting out a chocked laugh he held his arms open for the boy and instantly Sirius crawled into them hugging him tightly. They stayed like that as the sun cast a red hue over the sky, embraced in a warm hug.
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"Do you think he's ok?"
Harry glanced up from the sink where he was washing the dishes. Cara was leaning against the counter on one hip with a bowl and a dishcloth in his hands, slowly cleaning them as he looked at Harry.
He thought about what his husband had just asked him and a small thoughtful crease formed between his eyebrows.
"I think he needed to speak about it. He's held it in for so long and well…he needed it, more than I did apparently."
Nodding Cara returned to cleaning the bowl then placed it on the dish-rake. Carefully placing the tea-towel on the counter he walked over to Harry and slipped his arms around his waist, resting his head against the back of Harry's neck.
"I don't know how he does it Harry…if I…if you went away I don't think I could…" Harry turned in the circle of his arms and returned the hug.
"Eww! Daddy, you don't know where he's been!"
Both looked up at a smirking Sirius standing with his hands on his hips with Remus stood behind him chuckling quietly.
"In the sink with all these bubbles. Here let me show you!" Harry scooped up the bubbles in his hands and Sirius gave a laughing yell as he ran out the door, Harry on his tail.
Silently Cara and Remus listened to the racket the two were making, smiling to themselves as they finally heard Harry catch his son. Then they looked over at one another.
"Are you ok?" Cara asked and Remus nodded slightly.
"Yes, I'm feeling better for it actually. Sirius helped a lot. Have an urge to visit my mother though." Both smiled, and then chuckled when they heard Harry give a yelp when Sirius apparently choose to retaliate.
"Remus?" Cara asked again and Remus nodded at him.
"How…how do you find the strength to go on? I know you said family but…"
Remus smiled at him in his typical charming way, his eyes scrunching up slightly in fondness as he answered.
"Because if Sirius taught me one thing it was to be proud of who and what I am, to not throw it away even for him. He'd never let me live it down if I took my own life and left his Godson here, with a carbon copy of himself may I add."
Both laughed as Sirius at that precise moment charged through the kitchen grabbed the tea towel, ran out and then listened to the resounding smack as the towel was whipped at his dad. Harry's cry echoed.
"So he taught you to accept yourself." Cara said turning back to Remus.
"More than that…he taught me to embrace the moon."
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AN: And there we have it! Embracing the Moon is finished, my longest story yet! There is no sequel to this one as it was in a way a prequel to Little Wolf and Autumn Skies. That and I don't have the time to start another one. Full Circle will be the one I focus on now, still at Silver Snitch (I have decided not to update it here, as it's obviously not well liked by the moderators. It is still going though, just wanted this one done before it). It has been an emotional road, especially where Ethan Lupin was concerned (but hey, at least you didn't see him die) but I would never regret this!
Also, I have a space on Photobucket dot com where I will be putting some of my images. When I've done them I'll add a note on the Full Circle story and if you want, email me and I'll post you the pictures of your favorite characters from this series of stories (yep, that's including a grown up Sirius Potter-Faolan and Elena Weasley lol)! Maybe in the far and distant future when my time isn't taken up with life I will consider doing another story to this series featuring Sirius and Elena as I know many requested it.
I may add the occasional one off as they are easy and quick for me so feel free to place requests and I'll see what I can do (no promises mind, and the next two months of my life are going to be heavy so try to understand my dilemma).
But to each and every one of you, and I mean ALL of you, thank you for everything! You're encouragement is what made this story as long as it is lol! And until next time I say Toodle Pip!