Beauty and the Beast (Remus Lupin)

93.

Everyone sat together in the Great Hall. They were all recovering from the war. They mourned, they laughed, they reminisced, they were all trying to get through that horrible night together.

Rose however, sat alone in the corner.

Thinking about how to tell Andromeda that her daughter had died, but even that didn't do any more damage to Rose. She was numb to any other pain.

Rose looked across from her and there sat the Malfoy family. All together, as one. Remus and George were talking nearby, but Rose couldn't bare to look over there.

The Weasleys were all huddled together at the other end of the room.

But to Rose's surprise, Narcissa was walking over to her. Rose didn't understand why she was doing that, there was nothing for them to say each other. At least, she thought there was nothing.

Narcissa sat besides her, "Thank you...For keeping Draco safe."

"Yeah um...no problem." Rose sniffled.

"I'm sorry for your loss, I really am..." she rested her hand on Roses shoulder in sympathy and then she left.

That's the thing. She said your loss as if she didn't just lose her niece or one of her sisters. It was like she had felt absolutely nothing. But there was no more fight left in Rose either.

There was no anger to drive her to do something, their was just sadness. The one thing she did know though was that sympathy from others sucked.

She didn't want this. Any of it. What she really, truly wanted was Fred sitting besides her.

To see his smile once more, to hear his corny jokes and the laugh to follow behind them. She wanted everything she couldn't have anymore.

"Ro...?" Remus sat down next to her.

This was one of the many moments she was dreading. She was afraid he would ask questions that she couldn't answer. Not because she didn't want to, but because she wouldn't know how to tell herself the god awful truths.

Sitting there, Rose was able to imagine Fred trying to make her laugh. Even cracking a few inappropriate jokes along with George.

"Is this all still my fault...? Or...?" Remus turned to her.

A small smile that she thought was impossible had managed to form, "You're really bad at that, you know...?"

He shrugged, "I'm sorry."

"I miss him."

But that didn't account for just how much she missed him.

When's she said she missed him, she missed everything. His smile, his laugh, his voice, his jokes, his love, she had missed it all so much.

One second he was laughing, smiling and the next he was gone. His laugh echoed in the back of her mind as she remembered the accident.

"How do you do it?" She asked.

"I don't. Remembering them is enough. Remembering the times we were together outweighed the pain of their deaths. But it was never able to change the fact that they're gone. Because, they are. And there's no way to change that no matter how badly we want it."

Finally, she got enough courage to look at him. They both knew what is was like losing the ones they loved, that was true.

But she loved more than she'd expected to. That was the difference.

Before she could say anything, they heard someone come inside the hall. Harry, Ron and Hermione all came in.

"Hold on..." She told Remus before leaving.

She got over to the three of them and hugged Harry, Hermione, and hugged Ron to show him she forgave his comments over Fred. That there was no hate to give him. For the way she felt about Tonks and Fred, Ron grew up with Fred and that was the difference.

"I'm sorry." Ron hugged her tightly in return.

"Don't be..." Was all Rose can say.

They let go of one another and behind Ron, someone was rushing over.

Ron, Harry, and Hermione all turned around. It was Andromeda along with Oberon. 

Oberon.

Rose remembered Fred getting all excited to meet him after all of this. And he died never knowing him. Only through pictures, which never told the full story of who someone was.

"Oh, dear. Everyone alright?" Andromeda came over, "I've gotten a Patronus from Kingsley, said everything was safe and it was over with. Came here as fast as I could." She handed Oberon over to Rose.

Rose stood there holding her son as she was stunned more than anything.

"Now, where's Dora?" Andromeda smiled.

Remus came over and grabbed Oberon from Rose. Rose didn't even realize he had taken her, she felt paralyzed. Unable to form words to tell Andromeda her only daughter had died.

No one, absolutely no one was able to tell her about Tonks. It wasn't until Mrs. Weasley came over, "Dear, come here..." she took her towards Tonks.

Rose was unable to turn around and face seeing Andromeda seeing her daughter was gone.

"What...?" Andromeda cried, "where is she?! Where's my Dora?!"

"I can take him." Luna walked over to Remus with her hands out. Remus carefully gave her Oberon and she left to take a seat at a table with him.

Remus hugged Rose as Andromeda cried behind her, "how did this happen?! Why did this happen?!"

Hearing her screaming caused Rose to break down as well. Luckily, Remus was there to comfort her. But that was the problem. Remus was there comforting Rose who had lost a cousin.

But Andromeda lost her daughter. And for a mother, that's the hardest thing to lose. Rose couldn't even begin to imagine Oberon in the position, her whole world would've crashed right before her eyes.

Everything that had happened flashed right before her eyes.

Diagon Alley, Platform 9 3/4, arriving at Hogwarts, and the rather traumatic years that followed it all came flooding back. But all those years would never account for the pain she endured in just a few hours.

All those years meant nothing...