Chapter 29: Second Year: December Moon
Chapter Text
The Hogwarts Express left Hogsmeade station for Christmas on Saturday 16th December that year, meaning that once the full moon had passed, James, Sirius and Remus had to find other means of getting to the Potters' family home.
McGonagall, after lecturing Remus on not letting any other students in on his secret, was sympathetic to the marauder's wishes, and allowed them to use the floo connection in her office 'just this once'. Remus didn't mind the lecture so much, but he was terrified of using the floo network for the first time. He'd heard all sorts of horror stories from fellow students, and it didn't help that he was usually queasy for a few days after the full moon anyway.
Sirius received a howler every morning after the 16th demanding that he come home at once, but he simply tossed the scarlet envelopes into the fireplace, where Walpurga Black's screams echoed up into the chimney stacks. James was clearly unnerved by this behaviour, but didn't say anything. Sirius was always up for a fight lately, and it was just better to steer clear. Unfortunately, as the full moon drew nearer, Remus also had a very short fuse. The two boys bickered over anything and everything, and poor James had to step between the pair more than once.
"Just write back to her for god's sake." Remus groaned on the morning of the 20th, throwing a pillow at Sirius from his bed. He'd been woken early for the third morning in a row by a howler,
"IF YOU THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE YOUR BIRTH RIGHT IN THIS COWARDLY FASHION THEN YOU HAVE ANOTHER THING COMING!" It wailed, echoing through Gryffindor tower like a banshee.
"Stay out of it, Lupin," Sirius flung the pillow back at him.
"How am I supposed to stay out of it when it's in our bloody bedroom every morning?!" Remus growled, getting up now.
"I'm so sorry to inconvenience you!" Sirius retorted, dripping with sarcasm. He looked rough, as if he hadn't slept properly at all, but Remus was in too much of a bad mood to care, and his transformation was only hours away.
"How about not acting like a spoilt brat for five minutes?!" He snapped, "You're so bloody selfish."
"I'm not asking her to send them! At least I actually get post, at least people care enough about me to-"
Remus threw himself on top of Sirius and began thumping him as hard as he could, incandescent with rage.
"SHUT. UP." He grunted, landing a decent punch right on Sirius's left cheek. Sirius, though extremely adept at caustic insults, was not much of a fighter. He gasped and tried to push Remus away, eventually grabbing for his wand,
"Mordeo!" He hissed, aiming at Remus's face. At once, Remus let go, tumbling backwards onto the bed, clutching his forehead. A horrible stinging sensation radiated from the spot Sirius had cursed,
"You wanker!" He yelled, feeling his face tightening and swelling up.
"You deserved it!"
"Sirius!" James had clambered out of bed too late. "You cursed him?! You bloody cursed him?!"
Sirius was looking less sure of himself now,
"He started it!"
"He didn't even have his wand on him!"
Remus had climbed off the bed and was staring at himself in the wardrobe mirror. He looked as though he had rolled through a stinging nettle bush backwards. His skin was red and shiny, taut and swelling at a worrying rate.
"Does it hurt?" James asked, tentatively.
Remus shook his head, though it did - a lot.
"I'm going to the hospital wing." He said. "Don't come with me." He snapped, seeing James pulling on his dressing gown. As he marched out of the room still in his pyjamas, he heard James mutter,
