Selfless

9

REMUS LUPIN

She was shaking in my arms. She didn't look like Mallory. She had a split lip and a black eye. Her ribs were bruised and there were dark red ligature marks on her wrists. I wish I killed them.

We arrived at Madame Pomfrey and Lily burst in. "Madame Pomfrey! Help us!" she yelled. Madame Pomfrey rushed over and her face filled with concern. "Merlin! What happened?" she asked. "Fucking Slytherins" Peter yelled and he kicked a chair. Lily looked at him in shock. Peter rarely if ever gets mad. I don't think he's ever yelled before, that I've seen. I laid Mallory down on a bed and Madame Pomfrey started to tend to her wounds. I pressed my hands against the wall and tried to calm down. I know what Mallory would say. "Look at me, it's alright. Just breathe" she would say. I tried to breathe. "Moony-" Sirius started. I turned around and pushed him away from me. "This is your fault!" I yelled. "Moony stop-" James started. "If you hadn't said that bullshit to her, she wouldn't have left. She wouldn't have been alone and this never would have happened." I yelled, grabbing his collar. He just stood there and his eyes watered. "I know." he choked out. I couldn't be mad at him. James pulled me away. "It's not his fault Moony, We shouldn't have let her go. None of us should." he said. I just sat down in the chair across from her bed. Madame Pomfrey was layering blankets over her to try and warm her up. She was still shaking. I took her hand. "I'm so sorry Mal" I whispered.

MALLORY STEVENSON

"I'm so sorry Mal" he whispered. I opened my eyes. It was bright and cold. Really cold. Peter sat and his leg bounced up and down. Sirius was pacing back and forth. James sat holding Lily's hand while she cried. Am I dead? Remus held my hand. I could feel his pulse. "Not your fault" I said weakly. He sat up and moved closer. "What? Mal, did you say something?" he asked. James and Lily rushed over, Peter stood up and Sirius stood in front of me. "Not your fault" I said again. He tried to nod but a tear fell. I wiped it. "It's alright." I said. Madame Pomfrey pushed through. "Hello Dear, how are you feeling?" she asked. "Fine," I said. "I have an idea of what happened but I need to know from you how you sustained these injuries, if you feel ready to talk." she said with a smile.

"Or you and the rest of the Marauders die"

"Or you and the rest of the Marauders die"

"Or you and the rest of the Marauders die"

It rang through my head like a mantra. I looked at Remus. "It's ok Mal." he said. "I fell off the stairs. There was a party last night and I had too much to drink. I walked back and fell. That's how I got hurt." I lied. Madam Pomfrey's face changed. "What?" Remus exclaimed. "You're joking right? This is a joke?" James said. "I'm sorry dear, but I heard a very different story from your friends." she said. "They were all drinking last night too. It's possible they got confused." I said. "Mal, what are you talking about?" Lily said in shock. "I don't know what you mean." I said. "We mean when we found you tied up by those fucking Slytherins. We mean when you were beaten and bloody. I saw him raping you! That's what we mean!" Remus yelled. I held back tears. "That's not what happened." I lied. "What?! What do you-" Remus started. "Moony, calm down." James said. "No! She is clearly fucked up. What did they do?" he asked. "Mallory, did they threaten you?" James asked. "No." I lied. Yes, they did. Please help. "Why are you lying?" Remus said. "I'm not." I lied. I am, I am, they did. Please help me. "Mallory, we all saw it last night. You and Rodolphus. He was-" he started. "No, he wasn't." I said quickly. Yes he was. Please help me. Remus's face dropped. "What?" he said. His voice was shaky. "You're saying you wanted to do that?" he asked. I just nodded. "I don't believe you." James said. I stared at the floor. "The Mallory I know would never do that, any of that." James said. "The Mallory you know? The Mallory you know is just some girl right, she's not even a Marauder." I said. "Mal I didn't mean that I just-" Sirius started. "I just help you with your homework, and help design your pranks. I listen to James talk about Lily for hours. I listen to Lily talk about James. I listen to Sirius complain about his family and the Slytherins, I listen to Peter talk about his ex girlfriend, and I take care of Remus, always. I do everything for all of you. But I'm still not enough so just go." I said. They were stunned. "I said leave." I said again. "Fine." Remus said. He walked out. Peter followed. Then James and Lily. Sirius just stared at me. "What did they do to you?" he asked. "Does your family know you're gay?" I asked. His face fell and he ran out. I buried my face in my hands and I cried. "What was that?" Madame Pomfrey asked. I ignored her. "That was not the same Mallory that stays with Remus after his transformations or brings James in after he gets hurt during Quidditch." she said. "Can I go now?" I asked. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" she asked. I said nothing. "You may go," she said reluctantly.