Lunar: A Marauders novel

Chapter 66

Remus watched Sirius carefully through dinner, and then again as they went back up to the dorm to hang out. He was awfully quiet, which was incredibly strange for Sirius. And for him to be so quiet for that long....Remus knew there was something wrong, but Sirius insisted that he was just tired after three nights of barely any sleep.

Remus would have believed him if he didn't know he'd been just fine up to the potions class.

Peter had said that Sirius hadn't smelled anything, but Remus had watched him when he'd smelled the potion. Had seen his face soften, and then the look of shock and mild horror cross his face as he reeled back from the love potion. Had seen the dread in his eyes and saw his face pale.

It hadn't been nothing and Remus knew that, but he wasn't going to say anything. Sirius would tell them whenever he was ready.

What had been even more concerning was how silent he had been when he came back from music without Dysis. He'd said she'd gone for a walk, but his jaw had been clenched and he refused to look at any of them in the eye through dinner.

Now he was sitting on his bed, leaning against the headboard as he threw a ball from one hand to the other, staring at the opposite wall.

Remus watched him carefully from where he was reading on his bed, then glanced at James and shared a worried look with him and Peter.

If he was still like that tomorrow they'd talk to him, but Sirius liked his space sometimes. Maybe it was better to leave him.

Remus went back to his reading, but was interrupted just a few minutes later when the door to the dorm opened and Dysis slipped in silently.

"Ah, there you are!" James grinned from the desk, where he was watching the Marauders Map. "How was your walk?"

"Fine," Dysis replied, her voice a little hoarse.

Remus frowned, but Dysis didn't notice as she crossed the dorm to the window and cracked it open. She dropped her school bag to the ground and pulled a packet of cigarettes from it, which she lit and took a long draught of, staring down at the dark grounds with a distant look on her slightly pale face.

Concern clenched Remus's stomach as he watched her, noticing that she seemed very....small. Dysis wasn't standing as straight as usual, and her shoulders were curved in a little, as if she were trying to make herself appear smaller. Cool wind blew in through the open window and Dysis shivered a little, running a hand up and down her arm, scratching distractedly at the inside of her wrist.

"You alright, Dy?" Remus asked, turning his body towards her as her head twitched to the side to look at him, blinking in a slightly dazed manner.

"I'm fine," she replied, giving him a small, wobbly smile. "Just thinking."

She turned back to the window, grasping her elbow with her free hand as she smoked with the other, the smoke drifting around her in a dark cloud.

She remained silent even as Remus watched her. He knew she could feel him watching her—she always could. She always tended to look at him when he did, but now....It was as if she was avoiding him. As if she was avoiding everyone.

Another gust of strong wind howled through the window and Dysis winced, quickly extinguishing her cigarette before reaching out to close the window.

"I'm going to go to bed," Dysis announced, although she said it quietly, her voice oddly weak. She cleared her throat, shook her head and tugged her robes closed, folding her arms over her chest. "I'll see you all in the morning." She strode towards the door quickly, her head bowed.