3 January: St. Mungo's.
Remus opened his eyes to bright light shining into his eyes, a shadow came in between but he couldn't see its face. Panicking he backed away and held his hands in defense. But his heart melted seeing his favourite person in front of him.
"Meredith??" He grinned and quickly pulled the girl into a hug. Meredith happily hugged him back. "Am I dreaming?? What is this??" He mumbled into her hair not yet wanting to break the embrace.
"It's real. You are not dreaming." Said a different voice. Remus broke apart from his girlfriend and saw Josette by their side.
"Merlin!!" He gushed, his happiness was over flooding. He saw his best friend intact after so many days and the dead girlfriend, which was weird but he didn't questioned it. Just lucky to see her one more time. He wasted no time in embracing her too.
"What is all this?? Are you okay? Is Meredith live?? Where the hell am I??" He attacked them with questions.
"I will have a round around the house while Meredith will explain everything to you..." Josette said and left the couple alone to relive the moments she had in this house.
"To answer your questions. Your are between the dead and living but don't worry nothing will happen to you. Josette is okay but not for long, you need to get her out as soon as possible. I am not live, still dead." Meredith answered his questions one by one.
Remus's eyes teared up as she said 'she's still dead'. "I'm so sorry. You shouldn't have gone through this. I miss you so much." Remus sobbed.
"Hey. No crying please." Meredith wiped away his tears. "I told her to connect your souls because I wanted to meet you one last time. Not everyone gets this chance so, don't ruin it by your silly weeping." Meredith chuckled but the tears kept falling from his eyes.
Meredith pulled him into the couch and rested his head on her lap while running her fingers through his hair. Remus cried for few minutes and soon stopped but stayed in the same position.
"Now." Meredith said as his sobs finally died down "Promise me, you'll never crying again over me, ever."
"Mere-"
"Promise me!!" She demanded.
"I Promise." Remus gave in.
"Good." She smiled widely. "Then let's make the best of the time we have left."
"So tell me, what do you do here all day?? Is there someone else here with you or are you alone??" Remus asked curiously. The most he loves about her is their long talks, he thought it would be the best way to say goodbye even though he wasn't ready to do so.
"This is my heaven and yes I am alone here but once my time is up I will find peace." Meredith answered.
"Peace??" He raised an eyebrow.
"Well I was not supposed to die of that maniac's hand so, I will have to wait till my day comes."
"So, you had a future, we had a future." Remus immediately sat up.
She nodded "Actually that's the reason why I wanted to meet you." She looked up at the ceiling and his eyes followed hers. He saw figures moving as clouds formed around it.
"That's what I do everyday, watch the future I never had." She mumbled.
Remus's eyes again teared up as he saw himself in the reflection with Meredith at their graduation. Both were sitting side by side, holding hands and with a big smile on his face.
"We can't have that." Remus mumbled as he quickly wiped the tears not wanting to break the promise.
"Why are you showing me this?" He asked.
"To show you Remus. No matter who you are, you can always have everything evey other normal person has." She explained.
The scene changed again. Remus was sitting on a bed with Meredith between his legs and his arms wrapped around her, both were talking and laughing and were happy. A small date was written on the right corner '6 October 1979'.
The scene changed. Remus was on his knees with a ring in his hands and Meredith standing in front of him with tears of happiness in her eyes. Date '2 April 1980'.
"I proposed you?? And you said yes?" Remus asked.
"Of course. What does it look like." Meredith chuckled.
"But-"
"Lile I said before, Rem. You deserve nothing less than anyone else." She cut him off and he smiled widely as he again rested his head on her lap, watching the reflection.
As Meredith said yes and Remus placed the ring on her finger, all their friends came into view, happy and celebrating the proposal. But what caught the werewolf's eyes was Lily's baby bump.
"Is Lily pregnant??" He laughed.
"She is." She smiled.
"This is awesome!!" He commented.
Some of the scenes were just some sweet moments between the couple but the next one was one of the happiest. Meredith walking down the aisle in white dress while Remus waited for her at the end. James as his best man standing by his side. While Lily was sitting at the front with a baby sleeping in her arms. Date '28 February 1981'.
The real Meredith eyed Remus as he started crying "These are happy tears... you can't stop them." He sniffed, grinning though the tears. Meredith smiled and pecked his lips.
"That's baby Harry." She informed.
"He's so cute!" Remus gushed. "But where are Sirius and Jo??" He asked.
"Flapdoddle coffin."
"What??" He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"He doesn't want me to tell you that or it would disrupt the current future. I can only show as much as he allows." Meredith explained.
"Who allows??"
"The God of the afterlife. Everytime I try telling you something from the future that you are not supposed to know it will come out as-" Meredith tried to tell the real reason why Josette and Sirius are not there at the wedding but again it came out as "falpdoddle coffin."
"Wow!! Now that's giving me relief!!" He commented sarcastically. Now he was worried about what the future holds that his two best friends would miss his wedding.
"From here onwards you'll just watch and listen. No questions asked, understand??" Meredith demanded.
"Okay." He agreed immediately.
In the reflection, Remus and Meredith were standing in the living room if their home. They were yelling at each other, fighting and angrily Remus left the house with loud bang on the door. Date '14 April 1981'
"That day I told you I'm pregnant and instead of being happy you walked away on me, leaving me alone. No was there with me not Lily, not Josette, alone." Meredith said.
Remus didn't know how to feel about this. He just stood still, watching as the scene again changed.
Meredith opened the door to see Remus standing on the other side. He was crying and saying something as Meredith caught him into a hug and invited him in. Date '23 June 1982'
"Two months later you came back. James had to put some sense into you on how amazing being a father feels. Still you were unsure and took two months to realize your mistake."
"It's not a mistake. That baby-" Remus finally spoke.
"See, you're yelling."
"I'm sorry but I can't watch this. It's not my future anymore." Remus shook his head.
"Don't even want to see your daughter??" Meredith asked as a small smile made its way to her lips.
Remus's heart swelled up, didn't know if it was because of happiness or shock. "Daughter??" He croaked. Meredith nodded and again looked up.
They were in the hospital. Meredith was sleeping on the bed and Remus sat by her side with his daughter in his arms. He was happy and talking to her. Date '18 October 1982'.
"You named her Grace." Meredith said.
"She's so pretty." Remus mumbled his eyes never leaving the reflection. "Grace." He whispered.
"Now, do you think you still don't deserve any of this??" Meredith asked.
"I don't know." Remus said "This is you and me but you're not there anymore. What future can I have??"
"I'm not the only girl in the whole world. Fall in love, again."
"No, no, no." Remus shook his head vigorously. "I can't."
"I know it's hard but promise me you'll try." After a few minutes of arguing he finally agreed.
"Is she... a...a-" Remus couldn't get himself to finish the question.
"A wolf??" Meredith asked and he nodded. "Flapdoddle coffin." She blurted out.
"Ohh come on!" He groaned "Just a yes or no."
"Flapdoddle coffin."
"I hate you, who ever you are." Remus yelled looking up, directing it to the God.
Then the continued looking at the reflection. It was Grace's 3 birthday. A small birthday party only the close ones invited. Sirius, James, Harry and the family of three. Date '18 October 1985'.
"Sirius gave them their 'marauders name.'" Meredith aircoted the last part. "Prongslet and Litte Wolf."
Remus chuckled "I expected nothing less. And Harry already has glasses!!" He exclaimed.
"Goes on his father." Meredith laughed.
"Where are Lily, Jo and Peter??" Remus asked seeing their absence.
"Flapdoddle coffin." Meredith laughed at the situation.
"Oh not again!!" He groaned and now he was so sure that something bad is coming their way.
Even though she shouldn't have but Josette watched most of it from a floor above. She blamed herself for the future the couple didn't get. Voldemort went after her family to use them as a leverage to get what he wanted. Though she granted everyone else protection but couldn't protect her sister.
Josette made her way towards the couple. "You should go now or you'll never be able to leave." Meredith said. Josette and Remus looked at eachother and nodded.
"No, I can't come." Meredith said reading his mind.
"How??" Remus furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"I can read your thoughts. My world My rules!" She chuckled and led them towards the main gate of the house.
"Remus, always stay close to your loved ones or you'll end up alone in the end." Meredith advised. Remus didn't get her words but knew it has to do something about the future.
"Jo, put yourself first before the others. At least once. Watch your back. Don't trust anyone." Meredith looked at Josette and pulled her into one last hug.
Meredith and Remus shared a kiss with some goodbye tears. "It is going to hurt Jo." Meredith said looking at the girl and then turned to the werewolf "That's why you are here. Help her through or she won't survive." Remus nodded.
"I love you." He whispered and took Josette's hand as the doors opened and bright light came into view.
"I love you too." Meredith whispered back as she saw them walk away.
It was complete white background, they didn't knew where they were going. Just kept walking straight. Suddenly sharp pain went through Josette's stomach and she fell onto her knees.
"No, no, no, Jo. You have to keep walking." Remus mumbled and caught her into his arms, helping her stand up. Josette started walking slowly. Soon her whole body started to hurt.
"Agrrrhhhh!!!" She shouted "I can't, please." She cried.
"Don't give up just a little more. You can do it." Remus encouraged. "Come on." And just like that they kept walking.
~☆~
Josette's heart rate started to go down suddenly and everyone started to panic.
"What is happening!!" Sirius yelled.
"For the last time, I. Don't. Know!!" Jenna shouted back.
"Shouldn't we get the healers??" Lily questioned.
"Don't get them involved they don't know anything."
Josette started to shake in her sleep. "What the fuck!!" James shouted and grabbed her hands holding her in place while Sirius took care of the legs.
"Jenna, do something!!" Mia said. Jenna placed her hands on the girls forehead and started muttering some spell.
"No, no, no, Jo. You have to keep walking." Remus mumbled.
"They are coming back. She's waking up." Jenna grinned and the rest sighed in relief knowing that it's not something bad.
"Don't give up just a little more. You can do it." Remus mumbled again "Come on."
"Mortis is using his help for waking up." Jenna said "Smart move." She smiled proudly.
"Why him??" Sirius questioned. Why always him?? He thought. Josette, of everyone told Remus the truth not even him. In her unconscious state first thing she says is his name and now taking his help not her in boyfriend's. It would be simple to say that he was jealous of the werewolf.
Remus and Josette woke up gasping. Everyone's face instantly lit up seeing them. Josette was breathing heavily from the sudden jump she had into the body. Her eyes landed on Sirius and she forgot everything, the pain, the sadness, everything.
"Sirius." Her eyes teard up.
"Hey." he whispered sniffling slightly, his hand cupping her cheek and tucking her hair behind her ear.
Feeling his hand on her cheek, Josette felt something she hadn't felt in a long time; safe, she felt safe.
Once he saw the tears in her eyes, he wasted no time in pulling her in a hug. Climbing into the small hospital bed, he pulled her into his lap and held her as tight as he could, still careful of the scars on her back.
Remus got up from his chair and briskly left the room. "Remus!!" Josette called out but he was already out of the room.
"Welcome back." James said planting a kiss on the girl's forehead "We missed you."
"You have no idea how much." Lily grinned and they group hugged.
Josette's eyes then fell on Jenna and everything about Meredith came crashing down to her "I'm so sorry." She sobbed.
Jenna nodded slightly. "I saw her. I met her one last time. She's happy." Josette smiled slightly.
"Her heaven??" Jenna asked and she nodded. "I knew she would find one. She was nice girl never done harm to anyone." Jenna wiped the few tears which escaped her eyes.
"Gald you're okay." Mia said.
"Mom!!" Josette gushed and quickly hugged her.
"James, please go after Remus, he is hurt." She said and James immediately left to find his friend.
"What happened Mor??" Sirius asked.
"I was between the living and dead and Meredith was there too she asked me to met her and Remus one last time. And now he's broke, again." Josette mumbled.
Now Sirius got his answer to 'why him?' And he was not angry on him anymore but his anger on Josette's behavior followed soon."You have a death wish don't you??" He snapped "Making an unbreakable vow!! Are you mad!!?" He shouted as his anger rised more.
"I was going to die anyway why not use it for our own benefit??" She shrugged.
"So, you were willing to die??"
"So the rest of you could live, yes!" Josette said.
"You think I was alive?? You think the last month I was just having fun?? Newsflash Josette, I wasn't. I was worried sick and now you tell me you had a chance to leave and you didn't take it!!" Sirius snapped.
"And then what?? He would have killed you all and you expect me to be okay with that??" Josette snapped back, feeling her own anger rise.
"If that means you are okay, then yes!!"
"Voldemort offered me a deal. 1 life for 12. And whatever you may think it's a great deal so, I took it."
"We don't trade lives Jo. You're an idiot." Lily shook her head.
"Alright kids, no fighting now." Mia said "Jo, you need to rest, go back to sleep." She ordered. "Rest of you out of the room."
"But-" Sirius tried to protest but one look from Mia and he got off the bed. "I'm still angry at you but I love you. Thank God you're okay." He smiled slightly and kissed her forehead.
"Love you too." And just like that she drifted off to sleep.