Brotherly Love

Soft As a Summer Shower - The Conclusion

After we left school, I moved out of my parents house and moved in with Sirius. During the first year, everyday was a like a holiday. We never quarreled; oh of course, we bickered like an old married couple now and then, but we were in love, so very deeply in love. And everyone who knew us, knew it. One of his favorite things to do was to take long walks, hand-in-hand, during the summer rains; it was easy to do because we lived outside the city where the air was cleaner, and the skies brighter. It was a fairly quiet area, lots of trees and grass, and kids and other dogs for him to play with. He loved it so much that he smooth-talked me into adopting a white wolf/hybrid pup; this was way before it became popular to do this. We called her Luna and she was beautiful and she lived and played and loved with us both every day until that evening in November when Sirius was taken away from us. When everything turned into absolute madness.

Sirius had known that his brother had joined the ranks of the Death Eaters. Regulus came right out and told him and begged his forgiveness. Sirius was torn as to what to do: should he come out and tell his superiors? Should he cover up for his brother, with whom he had forged a loving relationship again? Sirius didn't want to lose him. He lost control when he was informed that Regulus had died. He tripled his studies toward his education in the occupation of auror-extraordinaire and spent his free time looking for the Death Eaters he knew were responsible. He always said that he'd just bide his time and when they weren't watching, BAM! It was an extermination he was truly looking forward to.

But they were always watching, ever aware of his presence. No wonder everyone thought he'd become a staunch supporter of Voldemort. Hell, I did as well. I had no one, save my dog, Luna to keep me company and help keep me sane. It wasn't the same without Sirius.

Luna remained with me until the day she died, living to be a crotchety old lady of twelve. Her ashes will go with me when I finally leave this world. I'm ready, I think. No wait, that's not true. There's Harry to look after...Sirius would never forgive me if I gave up on Harry.

You see, Sirius was one of the few people in my life who had always taken me at face value. He was always in my corner, never shying away. Never. Even when I thought he had. I've never forgiven myself for that...He always believed in me, even when I lost my faith in him...I should have known better.

That's how I like to remember Sirius...forever young, in the prime of his youth. Not the bitter, scarred, slightly more than a tad-bit mad man he had become toward the end. I begged Albus to allow us to perform glamour spells on him, just so he could get out of that god-forsaken house every once in a while; he hated it so! Albus maintained that it was far too dangerous, in fact, he insisted on it. According to Harry, he still deeply regrets that...In trying to keep Sirius safe from harm, he had inadvertently condemned a free spirit. Please don't misunderstand me, Sirius wasn't perfect...Oh no, far from it. But he was mine and he loved me.

I like to think that where ever he is, he still does. And I'm a far better man for it. Even now, I still hear him in my dreams...

"Remus?"

"Hmm?"

"How do werewolves play?"

~fin