Running in the dark

Chapter 63

"How are they all?" Regulus asked stopping Marlene in the hallway a week later.

She was staring daggers at him with her arms crossed when she responded. "Let me think, Dorcas well she's just lost all her friends in her house and Pandora because she for some reason doesn't hate you, Lily is constantly angry and nearly yelled at Mary, and Peter currently is running on a couple of hours of sleep every night too scared that they will all do something stupid, Remus hasn't been able to put on a sweater because they're made from his mum, Sirius is having night terrors and James is crying and not sleeping, so I'm going with there all good," she spat.

Regulus had been full of guilt but he hadn't shown it, when he was tucked away alone that's when he let it all out, the tears and the screams. He didn't sleep much either but they didn't know that. This news from Marlene made things even worse.

Regulus did not reply so Marlene just rolled her eyes and kept walking. It had been an awful week. They were all freaking out and it was making her freak out. Remus, Sirius and James were most likely the worse. Remus would not wear his sweaters anymore because most of them were made by his mum, this also meant that getting meals when he wasn't in uniform was hard because of how much access it gave people to see the scars on his arms.

Sirius was having nightmares whenever he slept, he wouldn't tell them what it was about but Remus often found himself trying to soothe Sirius as he yelled out for his brother.

This didn't help James who could barely sleep, his usually happy demeanour had disappeared and he was often crying. He had seen Regulus once in the Great hall at breakfast and now no longer went, whoever could go would go to the kitchens to get food for him and Remus.

Lessons weren't the worse, Remus was able to be in his robes then and there was little chance of Regulus showing up there only in the hallways there was a chance but they usually kept the map quite close just to make sure that did not happen.

McGonagall began to pull Remus aside at the end of lessons to check up on him, he would tell her he was alright even though he was sure she could see right through him.

Then a letter arrived it was from his grandmother, Hope's mother and he was asked to come to the church not far from his home for her funeral. McGonagall permitted him and he went by floo.

This meant without Remus around Sirius wasn't distracted. He kept himself distracted by caring for Remus or by just talking to him, but now without him, he wasn't able to hold it all back and it all came crumbling down.

He had lost the brother, the one he swore to protect the one who he had left with them and now he was a death eater, a killer.

James a boy full of love had lost it, the thing he held onto most dearly had slipped through his fingers and gone to a place he was sure he would never be able to find again.

Remus wasn't fond of the funeral, he wasn't fond of saying goodbye. He was left to stay alone at his home while his grandmother was staying at a nearby bed and breakfast. He would be there for a week helping with preparations.

Being in the house felt wrong, it had never felt so quiet. Most of the things had been cleared out of it except for a few items that Remus chose to keep, a few photo albums and many of the books kept around the house.

It had lost its meaning long ago, it was a house but not a home. Hope made it as much of a home as it could be but was never really one, not with Lyall around. Lyall. His name felt bitter to think about. He was a killer, he'd beat his mother to death in this very home.

His grandmother and grandfather were aware he was a wizard, but any other relatives believed he was at a boarding school for intelligent students and that Lyall was in a normal prison.

The day before the funeral the will was read. Lyall's items were already passed to Remus as soon as he was put in Askaban even if Lyall didn't get the choice, Remus was his spouse and closest relative so there was no choice in that.

Hope left Remus her share of the house and all the Muggle money she had. So Remus now had the house and Lyall's money at Gringotts and Hope's money at the bank, he would be sent the key to Lyall's vault by the ministry but wouldn't receive access to Hope's money until he was eighteen next month.

The funeral itself was sad, it was outside and they were met with rain, it seemed a bit dramatic, a funeral outside in the rain, Sirius would find it dramatic, this made Remus cry more he knew they were all struggling and he had been stuck with silence from them this week, not a single letter was exchanged.

He had developed James' habit of not sleeping while at home, he couldn't, just knowing his mother had been killed here made it feel horrible. He planned to sell the house.

The funeral ended shortly after the casket was put into the ground and Remus shook many hands before disappearing to his house and then to the floor network appearing in McGonagall's office.

He was glad she wasn't there, talking to her didn't feel that appealing. He left quickly and made his way to the dorms it was a Thursday afternoon and dinner was close. He stopped at the top of the stairs after hearing a soft chuckling.

When he pushed open the door he found Peter wheezing and Sirius chuckling and even James had his lips turned up in a smile, he knew things would get better.