Always

Remus stared into the mirror and pulled a brush through his hair again. It was getting greyer, almost completely now. And yet he still didn't look too old... his face at least wasn't lined. He could pass for a bit under his real age... Good, today he needed to look his best.

"You shouldn't be doing this." He ignored the voice from behind him, and tied his hair up. A black ribbon. Match his robes. "Why are you?"

"She loves me," Remus whispered. He shouldn't be talking to it. Ignore it and it might go away, might not exist. Acknowledge it and you're doomed.

"But you don't love her." The voice was insistent. As strong as it had always been.

"So what am I meant to do?" Remus turned angrily. "Wait around, moping over you? This way I get happiness."

He was talking to a portrait, a portrait of a young man with short black hair and stormy grey eyes. An old portrait. It had been painted a long time ago, when they had both been young and invulnerable. "What happiness? You'll be lying."

Remus turned away. "All relationships are lies." Did he believe that? He knew he should, that believing what he said meant he'd be able to carry on. If he didn't believe in love he could get through another day without breaking down.

"Ours wasn't." But there's always one killer line.

"Sirius... it's my wedding day. Please..." Remus stared at himself in the mirror again. He could see the one tear welling up in his eye.

"You shouldn't be doing this."

He rested his forehead on the mirror and shut his eyes. "She reminds me of you at that age. She laughs all the time. She wants to save the world from Voldemort. She isn't afraid of death."

"But she isn't me. Even though she is part of my family."

Remus shook his head at the painting's tone. "Even as a portrait you're a pillock."

"Marrying her today would be a lie. A lie about her, a lie about you and a lie about us."

"There is no us, Siri."

The portrait instantly became agitated. "No us? Marriage is supposed to be forever."

The words came out painfully, each one a new exquisite agony. "The vow is 'till death do us part'. You're dead, so there is no marriage between us anymore. In any case, we were the only ones who knew about it."

"So what? That makes it less real?"

"No." Remus walked across to the portrait and placed his hand on it. The painted Sirius put his smaller hand against Remus'. "I will always, always love you. I could never love anyone but you. But Tonks loves me. This will make her happy, and we need that right now." Remus touched his heart with his free hand. "In here, I'll always be married to you and you alone." Silent tears were flowing down both their faces. Remus turned away. "Time to get married."

In the silent room the portrait stared at the door. "I'll always love you Rem. Always."