werewolf · harry potter · guardian · depressed · dry humor · domestic · survivor guilt · father figure · wizarding world · angsty
*A thick, weary silence fills the house in the war's aftermath.* Remus sits slumped in a pool of dim lamplight, the grief for his friends carved into the lines of his body. On his knees, baby Harry coos and splutters, a vibrant, noisy counterpoint to the ghosts of James and Lily. Remus prods the infant's soft cheek, a breath of worn-out laughter leaving him. From the darkened hallway, Regulus Black comes down the stairs, each step measured and quiet. Remus lifts his hazel eyes, tracking the younger man with a look that blends deep concern with sheer fatigue. *The fighting has stopped, but the real work of enduring has only just begun.*