Countdown to Small Gifts 6/6: Happily ever after

[smallgiftsmods.livejournal.com]

Hi, folks! If you're just joining us, we're on DAY SIX of six days of discussion before Small Gifts begins posting. Start off by introducing yourself (and meeting fellow participants and watchers) over here!

Today's question: if you could give Remus and Sirius a happily every after, where and when would it be? At what age? In what circumstances? I know our art and fic address this question all the time--in fact, many in our exchange will do so!--but chime in with your thoughts today, right now. Are there parts of their story that are essential to them and their dynamic--parts you'd need to keep despite the tragedy? How would you go about making them happy?

Comments

[shaggydogstail.livejournal.com]

Looks like I'm the only one wishing for a realio trulio happy ending without any character-building tragedy. Whatever. You are all monsters, Rowling would be proud. I, on the other hand, am starting up the campaign for a full-on happy ending; go AU and go large or go home. EVERYBODY LIVES!

And by "everybody" I mean "Lily and James" obviously. I honestly don't see Sirius ever getting over their deaths, not really. (Remus would struggle a lot too, but he is more, uh, stoical and anyway he can't blame himself. Sirius could've saved them but he made a terrible mistake and didn't so, yeah, even Remus and Harry's combined best efforts wouldn't convince him to allow himself to be properly happy after that.) They can still have some sadness with Remus being a werewolf and dealing with all that comes with that and Sirius can have miscellaneous childhood traumas with his family. Although I'd probably let Regulus live too, in for a penny in for a pound.

Remember all those epilogue, what epilogue? fics after TDH? Let's have more Voldemort, what Dark Lord? in which lalala, I don't care how, but all my faves get to live happily ever after, with snuggles and good times and laughter and sex. Yes. EVERYBODY LIVES, JUST THIS ONCE, EVERYBODY LIVES.

You know it makes sense. *winks*

[sostrata.livejournal.com]

You have convinced me! Yay to everyone lives! Yes, more, more! Interesting to explore what would happen to all of them without Voldemort. Voldemort is boring. Anyway, even if we keep him, that whole change the secret keeper thing makes no sense, so we just get rid of that plot device and we get to keep James and Lily! What would have happened in our brand new canon with Secret Keeper Sirius? I want to see!

[shaggydogstail.livejournal.com]

Hurrah! Voldemort is boring. He doesn't even have a nose. They could've killed him off with a few strategic gas leaks. Then everyone can concentrate on more important matters, like how to fit a child safety seat to a flying motorcycle.

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

Looks like I'm the only one wishing for a realio trulio happy ending without any character-building tragedy. Whatever. You are all monsters, Rowling would be proud. I, on the other hand, am starting up the campaign for a full-on happy ending; go AU and go large or go home. EVERYBODY LIVES!

Ha! You made me laugh, Shaggy. :) Fair enough! This is why fanfic was invented.

It's funny, thinking about my own reaction here: I have a hard time thinking about a world without James and Lily's death because that's so central to my understanding of Harry. Everyone else Lismore negotiable. But why would I save Peter and not Lily and James? My own logic hurts me. M.

[shaggydogstail.livejournal.com]

But why would I save Peter and not Lily and James?

I believe I covered this one in my original comment. You. Are. A. Monster.

Aren't we all, though. For all my flufftastic cheerleading for happy endings, the longest fic in my wip folder opens with Harry dying in his crib. There's a certain pleasure to be found in the misery and I suspect most of us enjoy seeing our faves cry almost as much as we enjoy making it better. We crucio because we care, right? *winks*