One Last Try [HP Jamione fanfic]

53. All You Had to Do Was Stay

A/N: The chapter name feels like a little bit of a giveaway...

14th March 1979

Remus closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the fluffy pillows behind him. Sirius' grip on his hand was strong and warm, and for once after a transformation Remus only had lingering aches and no new scars or slowly healing injuries.

He wanted to live in this moment forever, comfortable with the man he loved – his mate – holding his hand tightly.

Where there was no distrust forming and fermenting between them. Where their budding relationship, fragile and still new, wasn't threatened with every argument that sprung between them. Where every time Remus had to leave for the missions Dumbledore wouldn't let him tell anyone about, he didn't have to see the seed of doubt, of distrust, grow in Sirius' grey gaze. He wanted to be able to open his mouth and confess everything to the other man every time Sirius sent him that look, but he couldn't and he didn't know how to fix the small cracks in their relationship which were quickly becoming chasms.

But every good moment ended, that's what life had taught him so far. He hadn't even been able to celebrate his birthday days ago, they'd all been so busy with Order business and missions.

The door to the room at Potter Manor, which he shared with Sirius and sometimes Lily whenever they stayed, creaked open and Remus reluctantly opened his eyes and turned to look. Hermione and James stood there. They both looked worried, though Hermione was hiding it a lot better than James – by virtue of being raised by Iphemia, no doubt.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked softly, preceding James into the room. She settled into the chair placed beside the bed – Sirius had completely ignored the chair and instead climbed onto the bed and curled against Remus' side.

"Sore." Remus croaked through a throat made dry from his screams last night. "But I've not got any new scars and I'm not bleeding, so I count it as a win." He scoffed an unamused laugh out.

James' lip quirked up on one side, morbid amusement fuelling the expression for a moment.

"Why was I so tame last night?" Remus asked quietly when James had flopped on the end of the bed.

"Last night was actually pretty wild, Moony. Wormtail is still sleeping it off. You just didn't hurt yourself for once." Sirius said with a laugh. "You ate a rabbit." He grinned at the utterly horrified look Remus sent him.

"I ate a raw rabbit?!" Remus' voice rose with panic, still croaky even though he took a deep gulp of cool water from the glass Hermione conjured him.

"No, you stopped to bake it in your little werewolf oven." Sirius retorted sarcastically, lifting his head from where it had been resting on Remus' shoulder to send his boyfriend an amusedly scathing look.

"Of course you ate it raw." James said with a loud bark of a laugh that was more suited to Sirius.

Remus pulled a disgusted face, and Hermione finally let out a laugh she'd obviously been holding back, "Yes, that was my face when you did it."

"So eating a bloody rabbit raw stopped me from tearing myself up?" Remus asked incredulously. When his three friends shrugged and nodded, he dropped his head back to rest against the headboard, letting out a quiet, disbelieving chuckle.

"Apparently so." Hermione shrugged when he rolled his head to look over at her. "Well, don't look at me, it's not like I've studied werewolves."

"No, but if anyone's gonna know the answer, it'll be you Hermione." James pointed out and raised an eyebrow when she sent him a look.