Just the little things - Marauder Oneshots

Mary's Endline

TW: Suicide

(This is also an old View from me of what happened, and I headcanon now something complete different)

An owl crashed into the glass of the Lupin's, piquing Mary's interest. She laid her son back in his crib and opened the window. The Daily Prophet was carefully wrapped around one leg of the creature, and a small pouch hung from the other, into which she placed 5 Knuts. Afterward, she retrieved the newspaper, unrolling it. She didn't pay any further attention to the bird. And right away, the headline caught her eye:

"The Great Battle of Hogwarts

On May 2nd, 1998, a battle took place on the grounds of Hogwarts. Voldemort and many Death Eaters were eventually defeated after a great effort, but the side of light also had to endure 57 losses."

So Remus had gone there, but he should have returned, shouldn't he? Mary's heart began to race, and she flipped frantically to the page listing the 57 victims, searching for his name:

Colin Milow Creevey (16)...

Roger Levin Malone (17)...

Megan Fey Jones (17)...

Selene Lyanna Longbottom (26)...

And there it was. Mary felt a big lump in her throat as she read the name through teary eyes:

Remus John Lupin (38) killed by Death Eater Dolohov

There it was, printed on paper, the finality of death, her last friend. Tears streamed down her cheeks at an overwhelming speed, blurring her vision, and her knees gave way. She slid down the wall she had been leaning against. As if sensing her pain, the baby started crying. The cries were like those from another world.

Remus, Remy, her best friend since they were five, was dead. The simple words felt like knives in her heart. Remus Lupin is dead, Remus Lupin is dead. All of her friends were dead.

First, Marlene McKinnon, the girl who had been her first love, died. How often had there been a near miss or close call for her? And no matter what happened, they had been inseparable. No matter how many times they had fooled around, no matter how often their gazes were more than just friendly. Neither of them took a step forward until the feelings faded. And yet, the pain when Marlene's death appeared in the Prophet: "July 15, 1981, Marlene McKinnon and her family were killed by Death Eaters."

And then James and Lily died. Oh, Lily, how she had loved her. But even here, the pressure of the seventies against lesbian relationships had been too great for it to ever work out anyway. Lily chose the easier path, marrying a man, Potter, instead of staying with her. But how could she ever hate James? He had always been there for her, always able to bring a smile to her face. Of all the people she knew, James deserved Lily's heart the most.

Then Peter, well, she knew he didn't really die on October 31, 1981, but for her, he is dead. The Peter who joined Voldemort is not her Peter. Not the one who was always the calmest of the Marauders, always had a snack to share, and let Mary cry on his shoulder.

Sirius, God, how could she ever have believed he betrayed her? She could still remember the little boy who did everything to be different from his family. How she had seen his heart break in his eyes when James shouted in anger during a fight, "After everything you claim, you were and will always be a Black." Sirius, who despite everything done to him, still went out there and risked his life for his friends.

And lastly, Remus. She had known him since they were five, both discriminated against at their Muggle primary school - he because of his scars, she because she had dark skin. They supported each other since they were toddlers, and Remus was almost like a brother to her. She would have done anything for him.

Finally, she composed herself, stood up, and walked over to her child. To be precise, it was the child of Remus and Sirius. After Sirius escaped from Azkaban, they got back together and tried to resume their relationship as it had been before. They even planned to have a child together, although there was a problem: Both of them were male, neither of them could give birth. So, she offered to be their surrogate mother. She had wanted to be a mother for a long time, and together with Remus and Sirius, she knew they could handle anything. Even raising a child.

They had everything ready, they had the potion, and Remus provided the sperm donation. But then it happened, Sirius was dead. Yet they went through with it anyway, to avoid suspicion, Mary and Remus got married. It wasn't often seen that best friends raised a child together. And now, here she stood, holding Teddy Remus Lupin in her arms. But there was no sign of Remus; he was permanently gone. Teddy smiled at her, with such an innocent smile, and that was the moment when Mary realized she wouldn't be a good mother, not under these circumstances. Not so torn apart by the war as she was. Teddy deserved someone who wasn't so tainted.

Decisively, she took her wand and Apparated to a man she knew would undoubtedly be a better father than she could ever be a mother. She rang the doorbell. With a final glance at her son, she said, "I love you, Teddy. I always will. Don't forget." The door opened, and Harry Potter stood right in front of her. "Who are you?" he asked suspiciously, his wand pointed directly at her, and Mary immediately knew what Remus had meant-Harry truly had Lily's eyes.

"You have Lily's eyes, just as Remus said!" "What, you knew my mum and Remus?" Even though his wand was still pointed at her face, Harry's demeanour seemed more curious than suspicious now. "Oh yes, I'm sorry, I'm Mary Lupin, Remus' wife, and the mother of your godson!" Recognition filled Harry's eyes. Mary knew that Remus had asked him if he wanted to be Teddy's godfather. She knew that Harry, even though he had never met her, knew her name. She gave Teddy one last kiss on the forehead before handing him over to Harry.

"I can't do this anymore, please Harry, take care of him as best as you can." Tears streamed down her face again. He nodded and took Teddy with trembling hands. After a brief pause, she handed him the key to her apartment. "Yorkshire, the exact address is on the tag. I don't need it anymore. But there are many albums there about your parents and their friends."

Again, Harry nodded. He seemed lost for words. And without looking back, Mary Apparated away once more. Her mind was in turmoil, and when she landed at her desired location, she screamed. She knew it was the right thing; raising him would only bring more pain. The house she stood in now was the one she had grown up in, where she had often played and laughed with Remus. But now she knew she would never laugh again, no matter what. And that wasn't something Teddy deserved. She took her wand, the voices in her head telling her not to do it.

But there was no way out. She pointed her wand at herself and whispered the tempting words that promised her peace, "Avada Kedavra." And with a green light, Mary was reunited with her friends in Heaven.