The Sun and Her Moon- Remus Lupin

Pranks from the grave

Despite the brashness of Sirius's statement, the friends fought back smiles in the form of head shakes and eye rolls.

"I told Lyall we'd make lunch," Aveline told the group.

When James immediately took out his wand to wave  a spell and food to appear, Lily pounced on him, bringing down his wand arm before he could get the magic out.

"No," Lily said firmly. "Hope loved to cook the muggle way. She never let Lyall or Remus use magic in the kitchen. We'll do it the muggle way."

No one argued to this, even Sirius who usually complained about doing anything the muggle way.

"What about the mess?" Sirius asked genuinely.

James answered by picking up a broom leaning against the wall, tossing it the black haired boy.

"We better get to work then," James added. "No magic."

The group fell into action, Dorcas, Mary and Lily in the kitchen, cook books open on the counter and pots boiling on the stove.  The rest of them were spread around the house, various muggle cleaning instruments in their hands as they scrubbed, dusted, and swept, falling into a rhythm.

A music suddenly filled Aveline's ears, and she looked up from where she was scrubbing the carpet stains to see Peter standing by the record player with a sheepish look on his face.

"Everything is better with Music," Peter quoted. "Isn't that what Hope always told Remus?"

James patted him on the back, the rest kindly smiling at the boy before falling back into their tasks.  A hum took over the room, as the music of Bob Dylan— Hope's record of choice filled the space, and smells of a broccoli cheddar soup filtered through the air from the stovetop.

The door creaked open, Lyall Lupin coming into grab a glass of water, the sight of the kids cleaning and cooking, the sounds and smells stopping him in his tracks.  For a moment all he could was watch, unnoticed by the group of teenagers as he looked down at Aveline Rosier, humming to the song under her breathe.

The scene moved him to tears,  but in a different way from the grief drops that has overtaken him in the past couple days. This was different, this was happiness in his chest as he let out a laugh that was half tears half happiness.

Remus would be okay. Remus would be okay, if these were the people who were taking care of him.

"Dad is everything okay—"

Remus had followed his father into the house, pausing next to the man in the doorway.

"Broccoli cheddar soup," Remus muttered sadly under his breathe, staring at the stove where Lily was adding a sprinkle of salt.

Lyall turned to look at his son, an expression of pure love filling the man's eyes.

"You've done good for yourself Remus," the man choked patting his son on the back. "You've found yourself a real good group of friends."

For the first time in weeks, Remus felt a genuine smile tug on his lips.

"I know."
_____

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of Hope Ivy Lupin..."

The burial took place in a wide open field, in a graveyard full of pretty flowers and the golden sun beaming down on the group, the perfect hour of sunset to send Hope off into  peace. Aveline sat next Remus, in the family row next to Lyall and the rest of the Lupin family, the rest of the marauders  sitting in the back rows, supporting Remus from a far.

The entire time the boy clutched onto Aveline's hand, so tightly it was borderline cutting off circulation. She squeezed his hand back just as hard, willing to take anything if gave the boy even a fraction of comfort.

It got to the point in the service, where each guest was invited to place a flower on her grave. Starting from the back row, before moving to the front.

Aveline watched as her friends emerged with the back rows.  Lily, Marlene, Peter, James, Dorcas, all stepping forward with a flower in their hand.

As Sirius stepped forward, as if he was in slow motion, they watched as the boy seemingly tumbled over something invisible, hitting the ground with a loud thud and practically eating a mouthful of dirt.

The group went silent, not even the funeral director knowing what to say.

In his haste to turn around and help Sirius, James had nudged a vase of flowers with his shoulders, sending it clattering to the ground with a clatter.

"Oh Mer- I mean Oh god," James rambled, apologizing under his breathe and reaching forward to attempt to pick up the flowers.

Though at that exact moment Peter had also reached forward to pick up the flowers off the ground, and the two boys hit foreheads with a loud clunk, before both hitting the ground with equal strength.

Aveline's hand flew to her mouth, and it wasn't to hide shock,  but the laughter that was threatening to spill from her mouth.

Though from beside her, she heard a loud chuckle escape Remus's lips, before it was followed a parade of laughter that ran through the crowd like an instrument. The boys stood up sheepishly brushing themselves off, unable to hold back their own giggles at the sheer stupidity of it all.

"Sorry," James announced to the group steadying the vase back in its position. "I promise we usually aren't this much of a mess."

"Hope must have tripped me from heaven. She is Remus's mother after all," Sirius muttered, and another round of laughter parades through the group.

Remus away laughing so hard tears started to form in his eyes, and as he tilted his head back to draw a breathe the sight a white blur caught his eyes—

A dove flying in the sky.