Running in the dark

Chapter 75

It was too quiet. Even with the people rushing around, the sound of apparating, crying, talking and so many over noises, it was still too quiet. St Mungo's was too quiet without Marlene.

Mary had been trying to accept her absence here but it seemed impossible, two months since she had lost her best friend and it didn't seem possible to ever get over it.

It was all too quiet. She was so used to Marlene laughing beside her or grabbing her arm to tell her about a recent patient. Coffee breaks were now spent alone and jokes were no longer shared.

She still did her best. She fixed up patients quickly and with ease, but the joy she once had here seemed long gone.

At home, it was better, with Lily there she had joy, and she had that reminder she wasn't always going to be alone. Even after a long tiring day, Lily was always there waiting for her.

Lily was always happy to see Mary, not a day passed when she wouldn't smile when she arrived home. Mary was the light in her life and losing Marlene made her want to hold onto Mary even more.

It always used to seem unrealistic for them to be together, but after both pulling out the courage to ask each other to Hogsmeade they knew that a life with each other was possible.

But now they were coming to terms with the fact that losing people was also possible. Lily has suffered badly from Regulus' death, she had lost a really close friend and then after losing him the deaths piled up.

It was fear and grief that brought the two even closer together, wanting to be with each other forever was what they both wanted.

...

Sirius was a mess when Regulus died and he was again after Marlene and again after Dorcas. He had always had a confusing fight with his emotions throughout his life so losing the people close to him was a big loss to him.

Remus was very understanding and Sirius couldn't have learned to move past it without him around, Remus was there for him even when Remus was struggling himself.

It was probably what made Sirius love that man, even more, the knowledge that even when he was in a fight with his emotions that Remus was still there, still there to hold and comfort him.

Remus wanted to always make sure Sirius was ok, he didn't want to see Sirius hurt, the losses around them made him the fear of what could happen to Sirius, Sirius who was always reckless and fought with bravery and no fear, it scared Remus that he would never be completely sure that Sirius would be safe. With the war, there was no way of knowing if any of their friends were safe.

The moment they had joined the order they had signed up for a life of not knowing if they would be safe if they would get out of this unscarred, but leaving now would make no difference so Remus swore that making sure they would all survive was his biggest goal.

...

James loved being with others. Being around people and being the emotional support of others was something he was very used to.

But with the losses he had had, he found himself hiding away from others. Whenever he used to be sad he wouldn't show it to anyone, anyone other than Regulus. So that's why he was talking to a star in the sky about his worries and sadnesses, it was what he was so used to, talking to a star.

A year and a half it had been since he had lost his star and he was still broken from it, wishing each day that it was a mistake, that he hadn't believed that the man he loved was bad. That he knew that his star was working against the same threat he was.

Regulus had told James in his letter to find love again but James was rather sure he would never be able to do that.

Regulus was the one and only person for him.

He was sure Dorcas felt the same about Marlene and that was why she went to confront Voldemort herself. James wondered if that could have been him if he could have been the one to chase down the man responsible for his lover's death, but he was not as brave as Dorcas was, he couldn't face death like that.

It was also a horrible thing to remember Regulus' last words to him, he had asked James to kill him, and the last time they had been face to face he had asked James to do something. Something that could have ended his suffering in the world in a much easier way, but James was not brave enough to do that.

James was sure he would have ever been brave enough to do that.
...

That cave. The cave with that Locket. Pandora didn't like that cave from the moment she stepped in it, it was cold and eerie. She had been beside her best friend and his house elf as they sailed on a small boat across to the centre. She had been beside him as he drank water which made him scream in pain and yell out how sorry he was.

Watching Regulus' head be tortured like that seemed like it would be the worse part of that horrible cave, but it was not. It was when those creatures came from the depths of the water trying to grab them and Pandora had to watch as they pulled Regulus under the water and seeing him not resurface after a few seconds.

That was the worst part.

But now here she was looking down at a body in front of her, its eyes, lifeless. A whole plan had led to this.

"What now?" Evan muttered.

"We bring him to Dumbledore, of course, tell him this stupid war is over," Barty said.

And so they did.