Chapter 198: Flying Among the Clouds
Wade’s words left Remus Lupin silent.
Lately, Sirius Black had been suffering in a way that was different from when he’d first lost his closest friend. Now, decades after Regulus’s death, he was only just beginning to truly understand the brother he’d never known—this realization was a new kind of agony.
The sight of his friend’s anguish made Remus Lupin feel, more than once, that he would have preferred to have died in prison.
Yet Sirius Black did not give in to uncontrolled grief. He didn’t even weep aloud. After sitting in silence for a long while, he emerged and told Remus Lupin that he wanted to hold a funeral for Regulus.
What could Remus Lupin say?
Seeing Sirius Black’s heartbroken state, he could only do his best to honor his wish.
But hearing Wade’s words, Remus Lupin found himself nodding in agreement. What struck him was that Wade wasn’t thinking only of Sirius Black, as he had been—his mind had turned instead to Regulus, now long dead, and considered the matter from Regulus’s perspective.
And that was precisely what Sirius Black needed to hear.
After a pause, Remus Lupin said, “I’ll ask Sirius first. If he agrees, then we’ll bring Regulus… home.”
Of course, Sirius Black couldn’t say no.
Those words—like something Regulus himself had whispered—how could he refuse?
…
But bringing Regulus’s body back meant they couldn’t just shove the coffin into the fireplace, nor could they Apparate with it—too impractical. So Remus Lupin had to run back again, this time to borrow a carriage from Hagrid.
The students had already departed by train, so Hagrid let the Night Kneazles return to Hogwarts on their own. He arrived at Sirius Black’s house with a carriage in tow.
Remus Lupin cast an Enlargement Charm on the carriage. Hagrid gently lifted the coffin and carefully placed it inside.
Thud.
The heavy wooden lid settled onto the panel with a dull, resonant sound.
Hagrid couldn’t hold back his tears. They fell like rain, splattering against the edge of the carriage.
“Regulus… I never liked him,” Hagrid choked out, wiping his eyes with a massive handkerchief. “I thought he was just like all those evil Slytherins… I never knew he was such a good person… If he’d been at school, I’d have invited him for a drink… I never even offered…”
Remus Lupin gave a wry, sorrowful smile.
He didn’t say that even if Hagrid had extended the invitation back then, the proud heir of the Black family might never have accepted.
He only thought: I never really saw him, either.
Despite being the brother of his closest friend, Regulus had always been seen first and foremost as a symbol—a Slytherin.
And he felt a quiet envy. Envy that Hagrid could grieve so openly. If only Sirius Black could cry like this… perhaps it would ease his pain.
Remus Lupin said nothing more. He gestured for Wade to climb aboard, then joined him. “Thank you, Hagrid,” he said. “We’re leaving now.”
“Yeah.” Hagrid nodded, eyes red-rimmed, waving weakly. “Don’t worry about Ari and Louis. Once we’re done, they’ll fly back on their own.”
“Got it.” Remus nodded.
Wade said his goodbyes too. Remus tapped the carriage with his wand—then, with a ripple of magic, the entire carriage, and everyone inside, vanished from sight.
The two Night Kneazles spread their bat-like wings and lifted off, soaring into the sky.
The winter wind at high altitude bit like ice. Wade immediately waved his wand, conjuring a hemispherical dome above the carriage to shield them from the biting gale.
“Good job, Wade,” Remus said, giving a brief nod. He steadied the coffin with one hand and gripped the reins with the other, guiding their course.
The Night Kneazles were intelligent. A slight tug on the reins was all it took for them to understand where to fly.
The carriage soared over fields and villages, above Muggle towns. Wade watched the Hogwarts Express race along the tracks below, trailing a thin, fading plume of white smoke.
To cross a mountain range, they climbed higher—so high that they began to pierce the cloud layer.
Wade looked up.
Thick, cotton-like clouds loomed just above him, so close they seemed within reach.
From this vantage point, the world felt upside down. The cloud layer looked like a soft, white bed, gently beckoning travelers to rest upon it.
“Can we fly through them, Remus?” Wade asked.
The high-altitude wind still roared in their ears, even behind the protective dome. Remus didn’t hear.
“Huh?” he shouted back.
Wade had to repeat himself, louder.
“No, we can’t fly through the clouds,” Remus finally called over the wind. “We’d be soaked in seconds… Oh—” He suddenly noticed the dome. “Wait—”
He tugged the reins sharply. The Night Kneazles flared their wings and plunged headfirst into the thick cloud.
The world turned white.
Everything vanished—only the carriage remained, surrounded by endless, shifting shades of white.
Wade felt his breath catch. The silence was absolute.
Look at this— he thought to himself.
I’m flying through the clouds.
It felt like only seconds before they burst through the other side.
The Night Kneazles were dripping with water droplets and ice crystals, glistening in the sunlight. As they flew, the ice melted behind them, leaving a trail like stardust scattered across the sky.
Remus Lupin, clearly no stranger to this sight, didn’t react with wonder. He simply checked their direction, gave the reins a gentle flick.
The Night Kneazles plunged downward, racing toward a vast, towering city.
Wade had never seen London from this height before. The skyline of glass and steel, the endless flow of cars—every detail screamed 1992.
It was a pity it was still midday. If it had been night, the city’s lights would have turned the scene into a dazzling spectacle.
After so long in Hogwarts—where even electric lamps were rare, and life felt like it belonged to the Middle Ages—returning to the Muggle world was always a jolt. The pace, the noise, the constant change—everything reminded him that magic was not the only reality.
And perhaps that was why so many Muggle-born students chose to stay in the magical world after graduation—not just for the secrecy of the Confidentiality Act or the comfort of their wizard identity, but because the outside world, so fast-moving and unfamiliar, was simply too hard to adapt to.
The carriage landed on a lawn. Though, at this moment, it was buried under snowdrifts—no green to be seen.
The magic dome vanished. Instantly, the near-zero temperature hit Wade like a slap. He shivered, gripping the side of the carriage as he stepped down.
Remus Lupin thanked the Night Kneazles, then used a Hovering Charm to lift the coffin from the carriage.
The two creatures stepped forward, flared their wings, and lifted the carriage back into the sky.
Whoosh!
Snow exploded outward in a blizzard around them, coating both men in white.
Wade wiped the snow from his face, blinked, dazed.
Then he heard a voice—low, rough, and familiar—coming from inside the carriage.
“Thanks, Remus. Thanks, Wade.”
“Give him to me.”
(End of Chapter)
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