Meet You There

Now you're gone,

I wonder why,
You left me here,

The wind whipped around in the air and he wiped a tear as it made its way down his face. He looked down at the small plaque mounted in the earth at his feet. His stomach twisted into a knot. His face screwed up in pain with grief as he stared at the plaque.

"I hate you," he told the grave. He rocked slightly on his heels as he remembered an old, forgotten memory. A small smile crossed his thin lips.

"No, I don't hate you. I could never hate you, ever," he said again, the smile still resting on his lips. He twirled the white rose he held between his fore finger and thumb, watching it dance in his fingers.

"Remember that time you charmed Thalia Sydell's quill to sing a different song every time she tried to write? And McGonagall only found out it was you because you couldn't stop laughing. Then she had Filch chase you through the school when you ran away from her!" He paused as he examined the leaves at his feet. "Those were some great times, Padfoot," he said to his feet. He looked up into the cloudy sky and saw that it was trying very hard to snow. He would make his visit last as long as he could, regardless of the weather.

I know you're never coming back,
I hope that you can hear me,
I'm waiting to hear from you,

He sniffed quietly as tears began to slide down his face again. He suddenly remembered why he was here, who had talked him into coming.

"You should see him," Remus Lupin said, his voice shaking, "He's so tall now, so handsome. He misses you terribly, too." The man took a step back from the grave and kneeled down, never taking his eyes off the plaque, all which remained of his friend. He placed the rose delicately on the plaque, letting his fingers linger for a moment. As he knelt there, the wind picked up a little. It sounded to Remus like the wind was trying to whisper something to him.

Until I do,
You're gone away,
I'm left alone,

As the man continued to stare at the plaque, memories began to overwhelm him. It soon came to the point where he could hold it in no longer. He released a defeated sob into his shaking hands as he cried.

"I'm lying! I do hate you! You left me alone. I'm stuck here without you, without Prongs! Peter... Peter..." He never finished his thought on Peter. Remus wiped his eyes with the backs of his hands and sniffed loudly. It echoed throughout the empty forest. He looked around him at the bare trees and wondered why on Earth Dumbledore had chosen this particular forest to hide Sirius' grave in. His mind wandered quickly from this thought however as he continued to speak to his friend.

"I do hate you, Padfoot... Why did you have to go and fall through the veil? Why couldn't you have stayed in the Headquarters that night? Why do you always have to be the hero?"

A part of me is gone,
And I'm not moving on,
So wait for me,
I know the day will come.

The wind picked up again and now his cloak fluttered around him, flowing in the wind. He looked up into the sky above. A lone snowflake fell onto his nose. It caused him to smile for a moment, almost as if it had stolen reality away from him for a brief second. Once it had melted, he was back in front of his best friend's grave again.

"My time is coming, too, Sirius." He looked down at his shoes, which were covered with mud from his trek to the hidden gravesite. He gave a defeated sigh and tried to scuff the mud off with the bottom of his other foot.

"You and Prongs... left me here... alone. I'm alone, Sirius. Why?"

At that moment, a small field mouse ran in between Remus and the plaque, a sign. Remus nodded, as if to understand that the mouse meant something.

"You're right," he said to his friend, "I'm here for Peter now. Just me and Peter... and betrayal."

I'll meet you there,
No matter where life takes me to,
I'll meet you there,
And even if I need you here,
I'll meet you there.

"Once Peter is taken care of, Sirius, I'll be joining you all. We'll be together again, all of us, like when we were still kids... when we didn't have to worry about things like this... when we were carefree." The tears he had been holding back fell over his lashes, leaving streaks down his lined, crevassed face. He didn't bother to wipe them this time.

"I will see you again," he said earnestly. "I just don't know when."

Remus heard footsteps approaching. He sniffed one last time and rubbed his eyes free of any remaining traces of tears, then turned to greet his visitor.

"Moony, the Weasleys are ready to go," Harry told him. Remus nodded to the boy, and a quiet smile was returned.

"I'll be right there," he told Harry. The boy nodded and left the older man by himself once again.

"See, I told you he'd grown up." Remus straightened his robes and cloak.

"I'll be back soon Sirius. I'll see you again soon."