Hall for the Hallowed

Remus Lupin was a sensible, compassionate man. He had an infinite love for justice and humanity, (the Sorting Hat even considered putting him to Hufflepuff because of that feature.) He was smart and talented, barely behind James and Sirius, though he admittedly had to work more on his grades than his mates did. (That being said, Remus actually enjoyed learning; a fact that almost got him into Ravenclaw, and a fact that got him constantly teased by Prongs and Padfoot.)
He was a courageous, talented wizard who lived with a constant guilt over being a werewolf, over failing James and Lily, over not living up to his mother's expectations, over betraying Dumbledore's trust...

Constant guilt did no good to Remus Lupin, but it made him a more tolerant man. He learned to accept that Severus Snape was not really the worst person in England, he learned not to judge others for judging him. The only thing Remus J. Lupin did not find easy to learn, was to forgive himself.
And that was why he fought with all he had not to let Dora in, because being a werewolf was not much of a hindrance in causal, one-night stands, and he was careful to push everyone away after a couple of dates at the latest, never allowing himself to feel anything deeper than adoration. He did not seem to be aware of the injuries he inflicted upon others during the process, and even if he was, he convinced himself that is was for the best, that he saved them from the worst.

Remus was brave on many levels. He was not afraid to fight, he was not afraid to face unknown dangers, he was not afraid to protect those he loved. The only thing Remus J. Lupin ever feared, was himself, and the damage he could do.
But he was also brave enough to admit when he had done something wrong. He could muster the courage to confess to Dumbledore, he was brave enough to accept that Harry had been right to be angry with him.
True, he needed a little bit of nudging and pushing here and there, but Remus would always do the right thing (sooner or later. Sometimes it took time to realize what exactly was the "right thing".)

Remus Lupin was an infinitely patient man. Being constantly looked down upon, being distrusted all the time taught him to endure even the cruellest of circumstances with humility. He had learned at the early age of eleven, what it was like to live constantly on somebody's good graces, and even though he hated it infinitely, his gratitude overpowered his resentment. Because he also had to learn at a tender age that people were not always what they seemed, and the while the most tolerant-looking ones would run in disgust when he revealed himself to them, sometimes the less likely ones accepted him with ease. And he learned to appreciate it, especially after he married Dora and ceased to be alone. (After all, at some point in his life, he really did need to stop obsessing over himself.)

When Sirius came back, he admitted to himself that he should have trusted him. He admitted to himself that Sirius had flaws, but he should have trusted him nonetheless. (And he convinced himself that he should not expect to get back his childhood friend, because twelve horrid years of Azkaban did change a person for good, no matter how strong said person was.)

He had learned to be grateful for what he had been given. He had learn to accept everything and everyone. He was never as trustful as James or Sirius, and when he saw how blindly faithful Harry could be, he could not quite decide whether he should be proud or angry at him, or just freak the hell out, because he was sure he would not survive watching Harry die of the same fate his father did.

Remus Lupin was a wonderful teacher. He understood people in general and that gave him a natural advantage over other professors. He was patient enough, he was knowledgeable enough. And he was also wise, wiser than his friends, and a lot more careful.
He inspired others to be tolerant and wise. He could not inflict much of his wisdom upon Harry, as James' son seemed to be just as decidedly reckless and impulsive as his father always was. But Harry respected him enough to at least think about what he said, and that, in the end, was good enough.

Remus Lupin did not hesitate to give his life to the right cause. After witnessing the reign of the Dark Lord not once, but twice, and having his own son, Teddy, he understood that some things in life were worth fighting for, and ultimately dying for. And he would make sure that it was understood. And he would inspire others to do the same, to fight relentlessly for humanity and justice, but be accepting and wise at the same time.

o.o

Sirius Black was haughty and overconfident all his life. He was born into a family that was respected (and feared) by the entire magical world. His name itself was enough to attract attention, not to mention his good looks. He was used to being always in the centre of everything, surrounded by admirers. He did not care much about people in general, he only loved those selected few he called his friends. But them, he loved completely, with a desperate sort of passion, because he had a never ending hunger for love, a hunger that should have been satiated when he was still a child.
He believed in all the great things; in courage, loyalty and wisdom, but his temper often got the best of him. He was dangerously passionate and foolishly independent at the same time. He could not always live up to the image of a "great man" as he called it, but he was not aware of that incapability, he failed to see his own faults in general, while he was especially keen-sighted concerning the faults of others.

Once he had decided to do something, he did not think again, he jumped head-first into whatever chaos he had unleashed, and he did it with a constant laugh in his eyes.
He took life easily, always taking it for granted, but never really feeling the particular need to stay alive. He took whatever life had thrown in his face, he laughed at it and lived through it, with the same graceful ease and appealing haughtiness with which he did everything else in the world.

He had sex before any of his friends, and he was an instinctively fantastic lover, and of course, he was barely aware of it. He never felt love, not in a way James did towards Lily, his devotion only lasted till the night, though it burned fiercely through it. He did not bother with love, he could not fully comprehend it, he was too busy being cool, and a rebel. He got bored quickly with everything he did. He did not have the time to really grow into a man, that time when he should have been exploring himself, he spent in a cell, staring at blank walls, devoid of emotions and memories.
Unlike James, he was capable of feeling downcast for long periods, his emotions ranged from utter depression to complete, blissful happiness. After twelve years of misery, his genetically unstable mind was finally messed up for good, but he tried to hold the pieces together nonetheless.

Sirius Black was his best as Padfoot, he felt best as Padfoot, driven more by instinct than by logic, feeling utterly free, freer than any other way (perhaps because even after fourteen years, the guilt never really left him, and Padfoot was less capable of feeling that particular emotion than Sirius.)
He was incredibly talented and surprisingly fast at both moving and thinking. He showed an unusual creativity in magic; while most of the time James was behind the ideas of their pranks, Sirius would find, or invent the actual charm that did the tricks.
He worshipped James like nobody else, in his eyes, James was undoubtedly the better person.

Sirius Black was strong, stronger than any of his friends, thought none of them were aware of this fact, he himself the least.. But he had to be stronger than they were, after all he had to cope with emotional situations that none of them understood.
That is how he survived Azkaban; he was stubborn enough to hold onto something when everything else fell apart. He was strong enough to believe in one purpose only, to believe he could do it, because he needed to do it, because he needed to get that one thing right, after getting everything else wrong, after destroying his whole world.
And when he failed even to do that, he had miraculously found a new hope to hold on to, because Harry was every bit James, and for James he would have sat through another twelve years in hell; for him, he would relive his entire horror of a life once more.
And he went through the guilty apologies with Remus, he rebuilt their maimed friendship from the utter ruins. For James' son. For Harry.

Sirius Black had many faults, but he was a good man; he was courageously smart, he was infinitely loyal, strong and unbreakable.
And Sirius Black inspired loyalty and strength, he inspired courageous, instinctive thinking and adamant bravery. He was proud and stupid, and he planted the same insanity and pride onto Harry. He lived on in Harry. For better or worse.

o.o

James Potter was not the kindest of people nor the most open-minded. He had grown up receiving all the greatness of the magical world, and he had grown overly used to them. He sincerely loathed prejudices regarding blood-status or family names, but he believed that one's worth was highly determined by one's abilities. (He would have strongly denied that, if anyone would have accused him of such beliefs). Once his good opinion was lost, it was lost forever, he did not believe that people could change (which was incredibly ironic, if someone looked at how much he himself had matured while growing up). And since he did not believe in change, once he decided he liked someone, he would not alter his opinion, not even in the most dire circumstances. He was not a particularly observant person, after all he had no need to be one, as things always worked themselves out around him. Lily Potter was the first person who enlightened him of this particular insufficiency in his otherwise perfect self. (And Lily was the one, for whom he actually learned to listen. Turned out, he wasn't that bad of a listener after all.)

Regarding muggles and women James could be ridiculously ignorant to the point of annoying Lily to death, but for an only child, he was surprisingly great with kids.

He was a man of no faith, or rather he had only faith in himself, and in those he loved.
He loved deeply and utterly, giving all he could to those he deemed worthy of such devotions. He was absolutely shitty at expressing his love with words, but he would always be there, whenever they needed him. He would go at great lengths to make people (especially Lily and Harry) laugh, because he sincerely believed in a better world where problems were solved with laughs and pranks.

He was generally incapable of feeling depressed and cast-down for long, and he was absolutely incapable of tolerating said emotions around him. His eyes would sparkle constantly with mirth and mischief, even as a grown man, a husband, and a father, he kept everyone around him constantly on their toes. With James there was no knowing what to expect and when to expect it. He had a blatant disregard for rules in general, but he had very strong sense of morale that he wouldn't overrule, ever.
His genetic distaste for quiet did not stop him from admiring the most precious moments of life in silence. Despite being talented, and generally the centre of attention, he tried not to look down on others, who weren't. (He was not always successful in trying. But he did not give up.)
His hope was everlasting, and so was his energy, and smile. He loved chaos and thrived on it, feeling brave enough not to need any kind of rules or stability. (But only feeling so, because he was born into an incredibly warm and stable family, and he had found his anchor in Lily once his parents were not there to stabilize him any more.)

James Potter inspired people to cause pandemonium and disturbance. He inspired people to be reckless, to enjoy life while it lasted, in a world where life – apparently – did not last for long. He lived life to the fullest and he lived on in his son. As a natural leader, he inspired courage, loyalty and admiration, and he continued to inspire through Harry, long after Lord Voldemort stepped over his pale, laugh-less, lifeless body.

o.o

Lily Potter loved easily and radiated warmth. She mesmerized everyone with it, and her additional wittiness only increased her likeability. It was no wonder she captured the eyes of James Potter, really. Lily Potter was an outstanding girl, and James was used to getting the best of everything.

Lily Potter was tolerant and honest, and trustful to the point of foolishness. She gave love carelessly, even in those dark times, when love and faith should have been guarded like a fragile candlelight in wind storms. She was compassionate to a ridiculous extent; she felt sorry for owls that they had to carry letters during snowfall, she once felt bad for hours after accidentally stepping on a snail. She would cry over books, and feel bad for Peter whenever one of James' or Sirius' "ironic" comments regarding him went a little over the line. She could not even be thoroughly angry with Petunia for calling her a freak, and refusing to meet James or to come to the wedding. Because Lily Potter simply understood people, and she found she rarely had it in her to hate people, once she understood them.
She loved bicycles and missed them in Hogwarts (and could have kissed James to death when he had given her an electric blueone as a birthday present. Her eagerness lessened somewhat when she learned it was enchanted to fly. Turned out James Potter could not imagine how any means of transport could possibly be fun without flying... "Really, James?...Really?!")

Lily Potter was – despite her outer appearance – not much of a hothead. Her anger was slow in coming, but when it did, it had the power of a thunderstorm. She did not believe in fighting, but she did not shy away from it either. Direct confrontation was never her strong side though, but she – as her roommates often teased – could possibly charm the robes off of even the Bloody Baron if she tried.
Understanding and generally liking most people did not stop Lily from loving her close friends with a special, fierce determination. She wore her love and utter devotion as an armour and a weapon as well; none fought with more fire than she did, whenever her loved ones were in danger. (Lily's skills as a dueller came as a surprise even to James. Not as if he did not know that his wife was the best possible woman on earth, but still... The way she stood her ground against even Voldemort himself, was astonishing.)

Lily Potter inspired love in others. Even after her trustfulness turned against her for once, and she left the boundaries of this world, Lily Potter continued to inspire love and loyalty.

She inspired Snape's lifelong sacrifice, she inspired Sirius not to give in to desperation, to stay alive for Harry, she inspired Dumbledore to keep fighting and keep believing in the most wonderful, deepest kind of magic. (It helped him a great deal, for the inspiration came shortly after finding one of the Hallows and facing the terrible temptation of power once more). Lily Potter lived on in her son, more so than what would have been expected after spending only such a short time with him. But Lily Potter continued to inspire through Harry, inspire others to fight for love, for courage and loyalty. For Harry. And for all the things that were worth fighting for.

The End

And so it ends. For me "The Hallowed" are the ones who returned for Harry in DH, the ones who earned that title...

I'd like to thank Cassandra Lane, Chamelaucium, Creampuff21, Laerthel, Natto'n'aliens, The Girl Who Loved '62442, qmione,Snowflake99D, for favoriting or following the story, I hope you enjoyed it all the way through!

Special thanks to Cassandra Lane, Chamelaucium, Laerthel, Natto'n'aliens and Creampuff21, KELLYNTOMM1120 for reviewing! You don't know how much each of those reviews mean! I can't thank you enough for taking the time!

Thank you lurking readers, I hope you enjoyed it too, and I'd love to hear from you as well! ;)

And last but not least: Thank you dear Laerthel for the amazing cover image!

I really, really hope you enjoyed this, and I'd still LOVE to hear what you thought (especially about the epilogue)!