The Daughter of Sirius Black

Chapter 119

The group of four had been lucky enough to see all their family alive, bruised and scarred, but alive, inside the Great Hall as people sought medical attention and the dead were claimed. What was left of the Great Hall anyway.

But despite the relief Rosalee felt as she hugged the Weasley's, she was still anxious because she had yet to reunite with her godfather and his wife.

Her cousin, however, was alright. He'd completed his mission of finding Rosalee and informing her of the destruction of the Horcrux, then going on to explain how Harry, Hermione and Ron had gone to track down Voldemort and the last Horcrux, the snake.

So, she was beyond relieved even more when she saw Harry, Hermione and Ron walk in relatively unscathed, hugging all of them tightly.

"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly as they all noted her puffy eyes.

"Are you?" Ron asked.

"Have you been crying?" Hermione questioned and Rosalee had to turn over to where Fred was standing with his twin in order to calm her racing heart.

"Yeah, well, crying is the main reaction one has when they watch their fiancé die and then unconsciously blows up the Astronomy tower," she muttered nonchalantly.

"Fiancé?" Hermione asked.

"Died?!" Harry worried.

"You blew up the Astronomy tower?" Ron marvelled in disbelief.

Hermione only smacked his arm.

"You would think you'd be more worried about your brother than a stupid building."

"He's right there! I can see him! I know he's not dead, so my question still stands," Ron defended but Harry and Hermione were only concerned with Rosalee when they watched her grow still. And then they followed her line of sight.

She made no sounds.

She cried no tears.

Rosalee merely dropped to her knees before hugging her body to her godfather's dead one.

Remus Lupin lay, at rest, covered in dust and scratch marks, on a stretcher, eyes closed and hand reaching out to the body next to him.

The body of Nymphadora Tonks.

They were so pale.

He'd never been this pale.

Not even after the most vicious of full moons.

Surprising though, when the Weasley's noticed what had happened, it was Arthur that made his way over first.

And as Harry slipped out of the Great Hall, the vial full of Professor Snape's tears clutched rightly in his hand, Arthur knelt at Rosalee's side.

"He's too cold. He was always cold, it was a side-effect of the Wolfsbane potion, but he was never this cold. Why is he cold?" she asked as her voice broke, but the tears refused to fall.

"Lena-"

"Rosalee. It's Rosalee. That was the name of his goddaughter and that should've been my name all along," she croaked as Remus' vest became soaked with saltwater. "Why does everyone keep leaving me?"

Arthur's heart broke for the girl he considered his daughter.

"Rosalee," he began, realising how long it had truly been since he'd said her first name. "I can't promise you that all of us will be around by the time this war is over, but I can promise, that until that time comes, none of us are going to leave you."

And just like that Rosalee went from hugging her uncle's dead body to hugging the only living father she had left.

But even as Arthur hugged her, it couldn't fill the gaping hole inside her.