Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Forever and Always	By : cls2256 Category: HP Canon Characters paired with Original Characters > Het - Male/Female Views: 6832 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter or any of its characters or details, nor do I make any money from this fanfic.

Chapter List
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Getting ready for John’s funeral felt like an unpleasant dream; not quite a nightmare to where Mia would wake up in a cold sweat, but like a dream that made her feel unsettled and anxious upon awakening. Mia looked at herself in the mirror, smoothing the creases of her dress, feeling the texture of her freshly healed scars through the fabric. The black dress looked modest and respectful, perfect for attending such a stately event. She was happy to be out of her arm sling, but her range of motion was still not 100%, wincing as she overstretched her arm to reach a pearl necklace draped over the side of her jewelry box. She fastened it around her neck, her heart sinking as she looked at herself in her funeral attire.
I can’t believe I am burying my father.
She hadn’t been to a funeral since Miranda died; with Sirius, there was no body to bury. She had been just 13 when Miranda had passed, just a child. Now, as an adult, was there an expectation to not cry? An expectation to stay poised and calm during the whole service? She didn’t know how she was supposed to feel today— was she even supposed to feel at all? She took her vial of calming draught from the dresser, packaged in a small dropper bottle, and tucked it in her bra, just in case. A soft knock at the door caught her attention as Remus appeared in the doorway of her bedroom.
“You ready to go?” he asked, leaning his cheek against the doorframe
She looked to him, his crystal blue eyes and soft expression making her feel a little more at ease; maybe she could get through this day a little easier with him by her side. She was thankful to have him back, to let him to comfort her through this instead of lashing out and pushing him away. Visions of the night before danced in her mind’s eye; their bodies pressing together rhythmically as they made love for the first time in months, the whisper soft circles he drew on her back as she buried her face into his neck, sobbing over the events of the day she watched her father die, and the soothing words of affirmation he murmured into her ear as she drifted off to sleep. She felt a wave of affection for him, wishing to herself she would’ve allowed him to take care of her like this after Sirius.
“Yeah” she said softly, brushing her over the skirt of her dress one more time, sneaking another look at herself.
The Air Force had allowed Susan, Mia, Remus and Penelope a black limousine to transport them from the funeral home to the hanger where the service would be conducted. His body was being flown back to America, where Miranda’s parents would lay him to rest privately. Mia sat close to Remus in the car, his hand on her knee reassuringly. He was dressed in his only good suit, the smell of his mahogany and teakwood cologne something familiar and grounding for her. She allowed herself to lean against him, feeling the stiff wool of his winter coat sticking to her coat like Velcro. Penelope kept Susan and her distracted with small talk, trying to keep the mood light as they drove directly behind the Herse.
Arriving at the hanger, they were escorted by an airman in dress uniform to an altar they had set up not too far from the plane that would be carrying the casket. Mia felt comfort in seeing that many of the members of the Order of the Phoenix had turned up to show their support. Kingsley and Tonks were standing with their arms linked, Tonks’s hair a very plain shade of brown. Moody was behind them in a large black trench coat, a black bowler hat pulled over his magical eye. Molly and Arthur looked very different to her in muggle dress clothes; she was comforted by the warm expressions on their faces. Fleur was attracting attention from a few airmen that lingered around, as she hung on tightly to Bill’s arm. Miranda’s parents were also already there, dressed in their thick black dress coats, somber expressions plastered to their mature faces.
“Mia…” the woman said, walking over to her when she noticed her.
“Hi, Brenda” Mia said weakly, hugging the graying woman. “Hi, Paul” she said, breaking the hug with Brenda to shake Miranda’s father’s hand.
“Hi Mia, I wish we were seeing you on better terms. I’m so sorry for your loss” Paul said, his facial expression making Mia want to start crying already.
“Thank you” She croaked hoarsely, trying to muster up a smile.
“You are so grown up, so beautiful” Brenda whispered to her, giving her another hug. “We’d love to have you back to the US to visit; it’s been too long”
Susan came over to them, placing a hand on Mia’s shoulder.
“I think we’re getting ready to start” Susan said softly.
The group nodded, and found spots around the wooden altar. There were candles lit on gold posts around the area where the casket would be placed, the flames flickering in the soft breeze. A large headshot photograph of John sat on an easel; he dressed in his Air Force dress uniform, and a golden plaque at the bottom reading Lt. Colonel John W. Roswell, 1951-1996. Mia couldn’t help but think how handsome her father looked, his rank pins sparkling in the photo as if he were sitting across from her, able to be touched if she just reached her hand out.
It was crisp and cold as they stood waiting, almost as if dementors were nearby, sucking all the happiness and warmth out of the air. Mia wrapped her coat around her tightly, shoving her hands in the pockets firmly. Penelope looked at her with a somber expression, linking arms with her and shoving her hands into her coat pockets as well, both of them shivering as they watched their breath fog in front of them.
The sound of snare drums tapping made everyone’s attention turn to the group walking towards them with a casket draped with the American flag being led by a group of airmen carrying rifles. The airmen with rifles stopped a few yards from them, while the airmen carrying the casket continued, placing the casket on the altar gently. There were eight men serving as pallbearers, all donning their dark blue dress uniforms that were pressed to perfection. Mia only recognized two of them— one being Kyle, the very tall buff airman from the night at Top Hats the previous month, and Eric. The airmen congregated on the other side of the casket, Eric’s eyes flickering to Mia for a moment as he stood across from her. She felt odd looking at him, knowing he witnessed John murdered in cold blood, but had no recollection of the event. His memory was modified along with the other witnesses, He thinking he found John unconscious in his office.
The funeral service started with Brenda’s eulogy, followed by a few airmen speaking about working with John and his life in the military. Mia listened intently to the words being spoken by those close with her father. Around 70 airmen of all different ranks were there to pay their respects to her father, making her heart ache for them as well as for herself. The airmen with rifles performed the 21 gun salute, and Mia felt Remus flinch behind her at the first round of gun shots. He had his hands on her shoulders reassuringly, his presence comforting her immensely. Eric’s eyes flickered from him to Mia to the casket during the whole service, trying to hide his dissatisfaction at seeing the two of them together. By the end of the 21 gun salute, Mia had tears streaming down her face. She took deep breaths, trying to maintain as much composure as she possibly could in this moment.
Two airmen removed the American flag draped over John’s casket and began folding it into a neat triangle.
“The United States Air Force is presenting our country’s flag to Lt. Colonel Roswell’s only daughter, Amelia” Said the pastor leading the funeral.
One of the airmen took the flag and kneeled in front of Mia.
“On behalf of the President of the United States, The United States Air Force, and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for your loved one’s honorable and faithful service” the airman said, holding the neatly folded flag out to her.
Mia held her chin up as she accepted the flag, clenching her jaw to keep her chin from quivering. Remus squeezed her shoulders gently as another tear ran down her cheek. Each pallbearer came and saluted her before taking their place around John’s casket, Eric last in line. His facial expression somber and firm, but had gentleness to the way he looked at her as he slowly saluted her. She blinked a few more tears, feeling Remus’s hands tighten on her shoulders. Eric’s eyes darted to Remus, for just a second, before he turned and took his place around the casket. The pallbearers lifted the casket off the altar, and marched it towards the plane a few yards away, disappearing inside the cargo hold. A lone cornet, audible but hidden, began playing TAPS as the guests started to disperse. The slow, stately sound of the horn’s song gave an odd tranquility to the scene around them.
Susan was sobbing profusely, her face patchy and red as she furiously wiped her face, smearing her mascara and trying to hide her tears. Molly came around and wrapped her arm around her shoulders to comfort her as they turned to exit the hanger. Mia and Remus turned to leave as well, she clutching the American flag to her chest as he wrapped his arm around her waist.
“You ok?” he asked softly.
“Yeah” she whispered, not sure if she believed herself.
Remus squeezed her softly in reassurance, but turned to look over his shoulder back at the funeral altar. He saw the airmen exiting the cargo hold of the plane, and locked eyes with Eric for a moment. Eric’s face was now scowling as he shot an unpleasant stare at Remus. Remus smirked at him, then turned his head back and pulled Mia tighter to him.
The wake at Susan’s house was crowded with many people there to pay their respects to John’s family. Mia was growing tired of having the same conversations with everyone; sorry for her loss, and how much they liked John and would miss him, how they never knew his heart was in such bad shape for a man of his young age. (“45— it’s just so young!”). She had tried to stay near Penelope and Remus, receiving sideways glances from Eric every time they were in the same room together. She wanted a few moments alone to collect her thoughts, so she grabbed a bottle of gin from her mother’s liquor cabinet and made her way upstairs to her old bedroom. Remus was in deep conversation with Penelope, Tonks and Kingsley, so she felt it was the perfect time to sneak away.
She entered her old bedroom, feeling comforted by the white shaggy rug and teal walls that she had called home for so many years. She admired the photographs she had pinned to a corkboard on her wall, images of her and Miranda at the beach in Florida, a photo of her and her mother at Kings Cross before her 2^nd year at Hogwarts, and a photo of her and Penelope in front of the Clearwater’s Christmas tree, Penelope’s braces she donned at age 14 on display for the photograph with her wide, cheesy adolescent smile. She kicked her heels off and sat down on the rug and leaned her back against her old bed, uncorking the bottle of gin. She lifted the bottle to her lips and drank right from it, the liquid warming her belly as she swallowed. She felt guilty for retreating into her room with the bottle, having promised herself she wouldn’t use alcohol as a coping mechanism anymore. Just for today she told herself this is the last time. She took a few more swigs of gin before resting her head back and closing her eyes.
“Want some company?” a voice spoke from the doorway.
Mia opened her eyes to see Eric standing in the doorway to her room, his dress uniform hat in his hands and his black dress shoes shining like mirrors, reflecting the entire bedroom.
“Hi Eric” Mia said softly, taking another swig of gin.
Eric entered the room and sat next to Mia, albeit a little closer than she wanted, making her scooch an inch over.
“Listen, I’m really sorry about your dad. I mean, a heart attack at 45, it’s almost unheard of…” he started, but she put her hand up to silence him.
“Please— everyone has been saying that to me today” she said flatly.
He nodded, his attention turning to the bottle of gin in her hands.
“Care to share?” he asked, giving her a slight grin.
Mia handed him the bottle without saying anything, beginning to pick at her fingernails as Eric took a big swig.
“So I see your sugar daddy is back” he said frankly, setting the bottle between his legs.
“My what?” she snorted, turning to look at him incredulously.
“Your sugar daddy, the old guy you hang with.” Eric shrugged.
“Remus? He’s not my sugar daddy.” She rolled her eyes and scoffed at him, feeling irritation rise in her.
“Ok, not sugar daddy then” Eric muttered, taking another sip then sighing. “I tried calling you a few times, where have you been?”
“I was, er— indisposed” she said awkwardly
Eric looked at her concerned. “Penelope said you were sick when I called”
“Yeah, yeah I was…” she said quickly, her brain swimming with what to say— she hadn’t prepared an airtight alibi for her time in St. Mungos.
“But you can’t use a phone when you’re sick?”
“Eric…” she was cut off by Eric cupping her face with his hand and kissing her.
Mia pulled her head away, her hand flying up to Eric’s mouth to keep him from kissing her again.
“I am with Remus” she said firmly.
His eyes darkened as he clenched his jaw.
“What can that old guy give you that I can’t??” he growled.
An orgasm Mia thought, but figured it would be unwise to say that in this moment.
“Remus and I have a lot of history. Hooking up with you was—shit.” She swore under her breath, trying to think of what to say, but was struggling; she had no idea what to say. “I just— I just want to be friends. I’m sorry if I led you on; I was in a different place that night”
“What’s changed since then? Because you seemed pretty into me that night” Eric sneered, fidgeting with the bottle of gin.
“I—“Her voice caught in her throat; she knew she screwed up by sleeping with Eric, and it was coming back to bite her. She grabbed the bottle out of Eric’s hand, taking a large swig, the burning sensation making her cough.
“Listen Mia, I want this. I want you…” Eric said softly, leaning back in to kiss her.
He ran his hand up her leg under her dress, his face puzzling when his fingertips hit the large raised scars.
“What is that?” he asked, furrowing his brow.
“Nothing!” she squeaked, scrambling to get up.
“Wait Mia, what happened?”
“Nothing— you should go” Mia choked
She was starting to panic; she wasn’t going to be able to lie her way out of the giant scars on her legs, let alone she didn’t want him anywhere near them. She felt like everything around her was spinning, she was dizzy from her shallowed breathing. The flashback of that day began to flood through her mind as she squeezed her eyes shut.
I’m going to break every bone in your body as your bitch mother watches!
Dolohov’s voice rang in her head, as she remembered the feeling of her arm snapping in half. Her ears began to hum as she recalled the feeling of Fenrir Greyback slicing through her legs like butter. She broke into a sweat; she realized she was having a panic attack as the edges of her vision began to haze.
“Hey, hey, talk to me” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist.
She put her hands on his chest, feeling extremely claustrophobic by his presence. She felt a strange tingling in her palms as she pushed him away, almost like an electric shock. She wouldn’t meet his gaze, her chin quivering as she held back panicked tears, making him look at her more intently.
“Did he do that to you?” Eric asked, his eyes narrowing as he reached for waist again.
“I believe she told you to go” Remus said in the doorway, his eyes flickering dangerously at Eric.
Penelope and Remus entered the bedroom, Remus holding the door open for Eric. Eric let go of Mia’s waist, his eyes burning into Remus’s.
“Sure, sugar daddy, I’ll go.” He said sharply.
Eric turned back to Mia, his expression softening.
“If you need anything, anything at all, you know how to find me.”
Mia didn’t answer him, but watched him as he exited the bedroom and listened to his footsteps decent down the stairs. She yanked the vial of calming draught out of her bra and dropped a couple drops on her tongue, feeling her heartbeat slow as the draught kicked into effect.
“You alright?” Remus asked stiffly.
She didn’t answer, but gave him a small nod. Her shaking hands moved down to where her scars were, thinking about what Eric would’ve thought had he seen the scratches.
Let me give you something to remember me by.
She shook off the memory of the sinister grin that followed that sentence. What would she have said? Would there have been a good way to explain large slashes on her body to a muggle? She sunk onto the bed, hunching her shoulders.
“That bloke is asking to get his dick hexed off” Remus growled, looking back at the doorway where Eric had left just a moment before. “Has he gotten that fresh with you before?”
Mia started picking at her fingernails; she hadn’t wanted to tell Remus about what had happened with Eric at Top Hats, but she knew she couldn’t lie when he asked her a direct question like that.
“I fucked him in the bathroom at a bar a couple weeks ago.” She said flatly, not meeting his eyes.
“You— you did… what?” Remus hissed, his temper rising.
“It was a bad night, she was drunk and you two weren’t together. Let’s not talk about this today” Penelope jumped in, trying to deescalate.
“I’ll kill him” he said through gritted teeth, making to exit the room.
“Remus!” Penelope snapped, blocking him. “No. Not here. Not today. It’s her father’s funeral for heaven’s sake.”
“I don’t like that cocky little shit; he reminds me of that Andrew Flint” he growled, wagging his finger at the air with one hand as he ran another through his graying hair. “Complete disregard for needs other than their own, easily able to win one’s trust with their charming smiles—“ Remus turned to Mia, looking stern. “You are too friendly with these boys; it gives them the wrong idea”
“I’m sorry!” Mia squeaked, her eyes leaking hot, salty tears
Mia slunk back feeling shameful, but she reminded herself that one kiss with Andrew should not have given him the impression that she wanted to date him, But Eric— she did more than just kiss him. But Eric wouldn’t force himself on her; she felt Eric was a better man than Andrew ever was. Despite him completely ignoring the fact that she was with Remus, she knew he would never take it if she didn’t consent. She took another swig of gin, hoping just another sip would take the edge off the rush of emotions flooding though her.
“Remus— how dare you! How dare you slut shame her!” Penelope hissed, rounding on him and poking his chest as she spoke.
“No— I didn’t mean—“
“This is nothing like the situation with Andrew.” Penelope’s eyes burned into Remus’s. “You will not make her feel like she is to blame. Andrew was a foul git who got smashed out of his mind and went on an angry power trip. Eric didn’t force himself on her— yes, he probably should respect that you two are back together now, but in his defense, Mia and you weren’t together the night they shagged. What’s done is done— punching him in the face will do no good””
“You’re right, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t’ve said—I didn’t mean— I’m sorry” Remus stopped abruptly, realizing he put his foot in his mouth and wasn’t going to be able to recover well from his comment. He took a deep breath and rubbed his face vigorously before speaking again. “Mia, how are you doing? What can I do for you?” he asked, trying to recover from his bruised ego.
He kneeled on the ground in front of her, looking at her apologetically.
“I want to go home” she said softly, looking at the two of them with a bleak expression. “I don’t want to be here anymore”
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently “I’ll go tell Susan we’re leaving.”
He stood up and gave Penelope the same apologetic look, for which she returned a scowl. He ran a hand awkwardly through his hair as he exited the bedroom, Penelope’s eyes burning a hole in the back of his head until he was out of sight
“You ok?” Penelope said to Mia after Remus was gone. “I don’t think he meant to hurt you by any of that, I think he was just caught off guard, and well— we know he gets a little jealous.”
“Its fine, I don’t hold it against him” she said as she wiped her tears. “I can’t say that I wouldn’t be a little upset if the roles were reversed.” Mia took a hearty swig of gin, coughing slightly as the liquid burned her throat “Thanks for ripping his ass for me, though”
“Of course” Penelope said as she plopped down next to her “Now give me that bottle— we agreed no alcohol to subdue feelings, remember?”
Downstairs, Eric made his way over to Kyle and his group of friends that were congregating in Susan’s kitchen. Jason and Pat had attended the funeral along with a few other men in their unit. They were all standing around with plates of food in their hands, turning to grin at Eric as he walked up.
“Where were you, Richardson?” Kyle asked with a sly smile.
“I saw him follow Mia upstairs” Pat jeered, winking at Eric.
Eric let out a cynical laugh, leaning against the kitchen counter and looking out at the rest of the house that was visible from the kitchen.
“Dude, you tapped that? Just now?” Jason asked, raising his hand to give Eric a high five.
“Nah, the sugar daddy got in the way.” Eric said flatly, feeling a little loose lipped from the few swigs of gin.
“Who?” Pat asked, looking puzzled.
Eric turned to the bottles of alcohol that Susan had set out on the kitchen counter and poured himself a glass of scotch, taking a hearty sip.
“The geezer that hangs around her; I think he hits her, or something”
“What the fuck are you going on about” Kyle snorted incredulously.
“I’m not sure, but there’s something going on. She was really weird today.”
“Uh… her father died?” Jason suggested.
“Nah, it’s something else.” Eric said, taking a sip of his scotch.
He looked out to the rest of the house to see Remus walk over to Susan, whisper something in her ear, and then turn to walk back to the stairs. Eric set his glass down and made his way over to Remus, his ears burning hot and anger surging through him.
“Going to smack her around up there?” Eric snapped as Remus had started up the stairs. “Punish her for talking to me?”
He turned around and rolled his eyes, stepping back down onto the landing.
“You don’t know what you are talking about” Remus said flatly.
“I felt those marks on her thigh; I find it strange that she got an injury she couldn’t explain”
“Not only does she not have to explain herself to you, but I find it strange that you tried to slide your hand up another man’s girlfriend’s dress.” Remus took a step towards Eric, the shadow of the wolf inside him sweeping across his expression. “She is mine, you hear me?”
Then men stood glowering at each other, ready to strike if the other struck first. Eric was maybe 6 inches shorter than him, but not intimidated by Remus towering height.
“A little possessive, huh sugar daddy?” Eric sneered “Bet it drives you mad to know I was balls deep in her a couple weeks ago?”
“Maybe” Remus smirked, his eye flashing dangerously. He stepped closer his face just inches from Eric’s. “But it’s my name she’ll be moaning tonight—“ he leaned in to whisper in Eric’s ear, speaking with a slightly threatening undertone “—Bet that drives you mad.”
Eric watched him intently as Remus turned and went back up the stairs, not looking back. Eric let out a huff and stormed back into the kitchen, his friends looking at him with puzzled expressions.
“Fucking woman beater” Eric grumbled under his breath, pouring a glass of scotch and downing it in one gulp.
He slammed the glass down on the marble counter, shaking his head furiously from the burn of the scotch. There was something going on, and he was going to figure it out.
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Forever and Always