The assistant | Remus Lupin (on pause)

This is the beginning

(trigger warning: details of wounds and blood)

"NO!" I screamed.

Even if Harry wasn't my favorite student I wouldn't watch him die before my eyes. Especially since I knew I could stop it.

In a panic I threw himself onto the boys body. I pushed all my weight onto his frame although it didn't do much.

Harry went forward then he fell backwards, crushing me in the process. His elbow dug into my rib cage with spite.

Everything in my body stung, but I could swallow this pain.

He tried to wiggle out of my grasp to the window. But I wouldn't ever let go. We rolled around for a few seconds in glass shards, then he got to his knees and punched my nose.

I felt it crack the wrong way and blood trickled down from inside it.

I gasped and grabbed the sides of his head, I wasn't sure what I was doing.

Harry got out of that grip and glared at me. Then his hand slapped my face. The imprint of his small hand stung into my face, and my involuntary tears didn't help.

I grabbed his arms and pulled him back, but he got out of my now very bloody hands.

We were both covered in blood. From each other's own wounds.

I could see his scars gushing was becoming worse. He looked like a small pasty ghost trying to fly out of the window.

Harry stood up and ran through the glass. The glass leading up to the window. The same window that would kill him if he fell through it.

But, frankly, I was smarter. Even when I couldn't think properly.

"Loco... Locomotor Mortis!" I pointed my wand, with both hands. One with bones snapping as I did so, and the other mocking my good arm.

Harry went down and screamed. Harry screamed as if something was leaving his body.

His legs tried to break free but they both attached themselves to each other.

I rushed over, over the glass, and I grabbed his collar. Some of the glass stabbed into my leg as I knelt in it, but I could swallow it.

None of this would catch up to me, right?

"What did you do with Harry?!" I yelled in his face.

I knew it wasn't him. It wasn't.

Regulus coughed loudly, turning me away from the boy who lived. I couldn't see what his expression conveyed but it didn't look good.

He looked awkwardly between us and sighed.

"I'm sorry." He smiled softly and pointed his wand to the door.

He muttered something I didn't hear and suddenly the door broke open.

The clouds outside the window began to move and a gust of wind hit my salty face.

A cluster of yelling teachers ran in. They all had their wand out and horror struck almost all their faces.

Especially Remus's.

He looked over to where I knelt, all bloody, by a bloody Harry. I could see he tried his hardest to keep his face emotionless, but I saw the terror all over his body.

Remus then looked over to Regulus, who's hands were above his head. A rage overcame him and his wand was by Regulus's throat.

Remus pushed him back to the wall and shouted, "What the bloody fucking hell did you do!?"

"It's classified information." Regulus winced as Remus pushed the wand deeper into his throat.

"She's covered in blood!" Remus yelled and grabbed Regulus's neck. Not choking him but holding him tight.

"Regulus!" I shouted involuntarily.

Dumbledore ran over to Harry as I stood and a bit of blood rolled down into my eye.

Remus glared from me slowly back to Regulus. His rage melted away and something else appeared on his face.

"Are you—" Remus began but he was interrupted.

"Yes." Regulus let out a breath.

"And not—" Remus asked but again he was interrupted.

"Yeah .. I'm not." Regulus shakily smiled.

They both stared at each other for a few seconds. Lost in something I couldn't tell.

Remus then hugged him knowing this information.

Everything slightly swayed as they talked.

Then he turned away from the freckled boy to me.

I was never held that close and fast.

Remus's arms squeezed around me, that wall he built up crashed. Finally. There was something about this hug that didn't make me feel trapped. I felt safe.

He would be covered in my blood but it was like he didn't care. Remus stepped back a few times. To stay away from Harry and Madam Pomfrey, as she examined him.

"I thought I lost you. I was listening in the door and you .. you sounded like you .. you died." Remus's mouth pressed onto my scalp. Although he probably only tasted blood.

"You all were there? I thought there was a sound blocker on the room?" I asked quietly.

I thought I had stopped shaking, but then I realized I wasn't the one shaking up a storm.

I took my good hand, which was really my bad hand, and I reached up to caress Remus's cheek. He seemed terrified.

"No there wasn't. After Harry left and never came back I went to check on you, but then I heard ... stuff." Remus pulled away to look down at me.

From caressing his cheek I left a splotch of blood on his face.

"When I gathered everyone here, Stepha— Regulus suggested he go in with a time stopping spell he knew. To calm down the situation before we came in. And before the whole school found out." Remus continued.

I leaned forward and planted a kiss on the bridge of Remus's nose. "Please go to him, he needs you right now." I whispered.

Remus reluctantly left me to see Harry.

Or Harry's body.

I wasn't sure when I left him that he was himself again.

I stumbled a bit back and forth before I walked up to the guy standing in the corner.

"What is your name?" I asked Regulus.

He stood behind and watched everyone gathered worriedly around Harry's body. It was almost like he expected everyone to see him as a fly on the wall, so he played the part.

"Regulus." He answered with little thought. His eyes stayed on Harry as his limbs were being fixed one bone at a time.

I had a suspicion.

"No .. your full name." I wiped more of the blood off my forehead. And Regulus swayed even more than Remus did.

"Regulus," he paused and looked around, "Black."

My suspicion was correct.

So all I said was, "Do you know how much your brother talks about you?"

Before the effects of 'swallowing it' caught up to me.

Then it was all a black and fuzzy blur.