Marauders - Always - Part One

Never Either Without Laughter

"Quite a lot of weirdos out today," muttered a muggle man who was sweeping the walk in front of his shop. He'd been at it just a few minutes, but been stopped no less than three times to be asked the way to Broomwood Road. It was just such an odd road for folks to be asking after - being a mostly residential street in the fairly quiet borough of Wandsworth. Especially for midmorning on a school date when the students were at their desks and the residents were hard at work. And they'd been funny people, too, dressed in cloaks, two of them, and one in a grey wool suit with no less than twenty-eight buttons cross the breast. The muggle man shook his head and went back to sweeping the walk before stepping into his shop and flipping over the open sign that hung in the front window. 

The Broomwood Road ended at Wandsworth Commons, a park where one would often see young mothers pushing their babies in prams and old men sitting on benches and reading the daily with their shaggy old dogs asleep at their feet while they took in their pipes. But the Wandsworth Commons had a secret. It housed within itself a plot of land disillusioned to the muggle eye, tucked just between the pond and Baskerville Road. This plot was a wizarding cemetery - the Broomwood Cemetery - maintained by the Ministry for Magic, where there had been buried many fallen heroes from over the past two centuries.

Aurors were posted by the entrance to the Broomwood Commons, seeing arrivals went smoothly, greeting guests who arrived on foot and disillusioning muggles who wandered past, keeping up the charms that would repel the muggles long enough for the ceremony.

"Constant vigilance, boys, remember," Mad-Eye Moody growled for the hundredth time that he'd made 'rounds to check on the aurors at the Commons gate. "Constant vigilance. You Know Who's struck less populated funerals than this. Top notch security must always be vigilant..." and he'd knocked them 'round the legs with his cane before clunk-clunking away, back for another 'round of the grounds, anxious as he moved without stopping.

Harold Minchum, the Minister for Magic had already arrived and been seated, and many members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement were doubling up as guests and aurors on duty in order to maintain safety.

October had stained the leaves on the trees of Wandworth gold, red, and orange sand brought with it a brisk coolness to the air that nipped and made the aurors thankful for the thick woolen uniforms. It also had Remus Lupin wearing two jumpers and a brown-and-burgundy plaid scarf that he wrapped twice about his neck. Two days before the full moon, Remus was doubly thankful for the baculum charm which had made his wand into a cane, which he leaned heavily upon, hand gripping tight on the bulbous end which contained a moonstone. Beside him walked his husband, stoic and wearing black trousers, a black shirt, and a burgundy vest which matched Remus's scarf quite nicely. Sirius's black leather boots were laced properly and all the way up, tight around his ankle instead of flopping about like he usually allowed them to do. He had his hand on Remus's back, gently guiding him, at the ready to help him stay upright should the cane be not enough and his knees chose to go out.

"Nearly there," Sirius kept muttering.

Remus nodded, his teeth grit. It was October's moon, and there was a pain in his jaw that had him grinding his teeth to exert pressure on and lessen the pain. He'd been rubbing under his chin and clenching his teeth all week and the closer it got to the moon, the worse it was getting so that shooting pain rode up through his temples.

Lily and James Potter and Peter Pettigrew were already seated at the gravesite, where hundreds of dark grey folding chairs had been put out surrounding two graves at the top of a hill overlooking the pond. Beyond, the skyline of London proper loomed, the Thames winding away in it's serpentine shape. James turned and got up to help Remus shimmey into the seat beside him as they arrived, holding onto Remus's left eblow and his wrist to keep him steady as Sirius helped him scoot in. Remus sank into his seat and groaned as his knees bent and the weight of his own body lifted from his feet. He winced and leaned back. "Oh gods damn," he muttered.