black coffee | remus lupin [2]

102. the funeral

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THE FUNERAL WAS HELD AT THE BEGINNING OF JUNE. Claudia and Regulus were to be buried next to each other, so their funeral was also joint, which only resulted in an abundance of people gathering by the two caskets. People from the Black family, the Maple family, purebloods and death eaters were all there.

The funeral was strangely beautiful. Somebody, also known as Claudia's grandmother, had put their everything into spiting Charles by getting as many flowers as possible and spreading them all over.

Their caskets were black. The Maple seal was on Claudia's. It had been Nolan's job to deal with the caskets and the arrangements for their bodies being buried.

The ceremony was short. Sweet. Charles held a speech, which for most people seemed emotional and sad, but which for others only seemed like a big fat lie. Margaret too held a speech, and Regulus' mother said a few words. Their contribution to the funeral was were the real emotions were.

Remus was outside when they all walked out. He supposed that they were heading elsewhere to a wake or reception of some sort, since the funeral's many guests apparated away, one by one.

Soon enough, the only ones left were the Maples and Regulus' mother. Remus saw how Louisa and Walburga shared a stiff hug, before Walburga with her stern face too disappeared.

He wasn't going to do it so soon. He was going to wait, figure out what good timing meant and actually be careful.

But then Charles laughed. He stood with Nolan and Nicolas and laughed like a stupid fool. Nolan and Nicolas too were chuckling, but they didn't look all so amused.

And then Remus heard it.

"Glad that's over, aren't we?" Charles said, so loudly that Remus too could hear it from afar. "We haven't got to deal with her for the rest of our lives now. What a relief."

Remus' legs acted before his brain could think things through. But it didn't matter. He didn't actually care about anything anymore anyways, so why think rationally?

He walked up behind Charles. Margaret, being the first one to see him, let out a shriek of surprise as Remus used a disarming charm to get ahold of everyone's wands, bringing all the attention there to him out at the Maples sun see house, where the funeral was held. It was the only place the family owned that Claudia actually liked, and it was all because of the sea nearby.

Charles gasped as Remus' wand dug into his neck the moment he turned around. The man wasn't expecting to find that boy who he had seen everywhere he went for the past few days so close to him just yet. But he knew that it would happen sometime soon, so he only laughed.

"I've been waiting for this," said Charles, struggling under Remus grip, for the boy had one hand around his neck and the other around his wand that was still threateningly digging into Charles' neck. "I've got to admit that I thought it would take you longer."