Together Forever

A woman with a dark tan was brushing her son's hair, enjoying every minute of it. A few times when the hairbrush struggled to get through the boy's light brown hair she would say in a whisper, "Are you all right? I'm not hurting you, am I?"

The young man would always reply, "'Course not, Mum."

The mother smiled and rested her chin on her child's slim shoulder for a second or two. "You are so special," she murmured. "I can't believe nobody else can see that. The only person in the world who loves you is me."

"What about Dad?" the boy questioned.

"He won't come back. He won't come back," she repeated. "He has no intention of finding a cure."

Mother and son looked into the mirror in front of them. The seven-year-old boy glanced at an old, tatty photo framed in a rusty, silver frame. It was right next to the golden, metal hairbrush his mum had been using to brush his hair with a few minutes ago. She loved to brush his hair with that brush. She said it used to remind her of when her mother used to brush her hair with the exact same brush; but then things changed and her mother died. She never got to see her own unborn grandson, Remus.

"I gave a lot up when you found your destiny," the brown-eyed woman recalled, speaking softly. "When you became your true form - a werewolf - I told Mrs. Black about what happened. I knew she didn't like werewolves or vampires, but I still told her. Mrs. Potter told me that she was trouble, but I didn't listen. Instead, I joined Mrs. Black's group, then I found out what she was really like. She would sneer at people like your next-door neighbors - Muggles! - Anyway, do you remember her son, Sirius?"

"Yes," Remus replied, "I liked him a lot."

"I know you did," she answered. "You are very intelligent for your age, and so is Sirius. I think he can make his own choices when it comes to who he is friends with."

"Does he know what I am?" Remus asked.

"No, I don't think his mother would want him to know," she said, speaking very gently. "I wish my mother were here. Whenever I was upset or in trouble, I always used to speak to her. Even if it was only by owls."

Remus nodded. She reminded herself of memories, almost everyday. Small tears ran down her cheeks.

"And I never used to say thank you."

She frowned at Remus.

"You don't say thanks a lot either. But that isn't your fault - it's mine. What do you have to say thank you for? Your life is horrid. I would consider giving you up for adoption if you weren't a werewolf, but now no one will want you. But I love you, and it will only be me."

She lifted her son off the red, velvet stool and onto her lap and looked into her son's beautiful, incandescent, brown eyes that were identical to her own. "I love you, I love you so much," she murmured peacefully, rocking him gently. "Forever and always. Never forget that, darling."

***

Remus Lupin was now being held in a tight embrace by the one he loved, Sirius Black. Just now, he had told Sirius what happened between he and his mother, that particular scenario happening nearly every day until he attended Hogwarts.

"I can't believe your mother would say such a thing to you," said Sirius, outraged. "She always seemed like such a nice woman when I saw her."

"She had a personality disorder," Remus responded. "I knew of it when I turned twelve. Until then I just thought it was me being a horrid person to her, and that's why I felt so awful whenever I was around her."

"So you got the shock of your life when you found out it was her that was the problem, not you," Sirius said.

"Yes."

"At least then you knew that everything she said was a total lie," Sirius grunted.

"Not necessarily," Remus said. "There were two things that were right. She did love me, it was just hard showing it."

"And the other one?"

"That you would make your own decisions about other people," Remus continued. "I'll love you forever and always, Padfoot."

"Together forever, Moony and Padfoot."