Shaking his head, Gaius held up the crumpled mass of his own letter, giving a short laugh that held no trace of amusement. "I'm sorry, Faelan, but he could, and he did." He glanced at Harry, feeling his anger drain away, replaced by a crushing weight of despair.
Gone. Sirius was gone, and Gaius would never see him again.
Swallowing hard, Gaius blinked and held himself in check, taking deep breaths until he felt as though he could control himself. He'd been through this before, when his mother had died, although her death hadn't left him feeling abandoned.
"What do we do now?" he asked quietly. He knew what he wanted to do, to run out of the house, find somewhere safe to where he could break down and let out his anger and grief, but this wasn't the time or place. Harry and Faelen were his family, and he needed to be there for them. There would be time for his own grieving later.