This Love

Chapter 5

1975 (Year Five)

Remus slowly clawed his way back to consciousness. But didn't dare open his eyes. He knew where he was, was just as familiar with the hospital wing beds as he was his own in the Gryffindor dormitory.

Remus took a deep breath. Trying to get his mind to focus. He took inventory of his injuries. They didn't seem any worse than normal, but they were still bad. Every inch of his body hurt, although in varying degrees.

And then the silence hit him. Remus shuffled through his muddled thoughts. Trying to remember what day it was. Right as he had settled on today being Saturday and wondering where his friends were, there was a commotion towards the front of the wing. Remus opened his eyes and slowly turned his head towards the noise.

Madam Pomfrey poked her head out of her office, looking first towards the entrance door then to Remus. Even from this distance, Remus could see the exasperation clear as day on her round face. Remus just shrugged in response to the unasked question. Pomfrey let out a huff and briskly disappeared. Remus closed his eyes, exhaustion and pain creeping back.

Remus let himself relax, hoping to get a little bit of sleep. Right as he felt himself drifting off, he heard voices moving closer to him. And then James and Peter were standing on either side of the bed. They both had the same wicked grin, and Remus knew they had been up to something. But this was normal. What wasn't normal was the absence of Sirius.

"Where's Sirius?" Remus's voice was barely a whisper, raspy from the night before. James and Peter shared a look that made Remus wish he hadn't asked. "He's in detention, isn't he?"

James started laughing. Remus couldn't see what was so funny. When the other boy calmed down, he looked at Remus with the same grin. "I imagine that's how he feels." Peter snickered. "But, no. He's not in detention. But I didn't think him presentable enough to see you. Poppy probably wouldn't have let him in. He's – ah – he's a little shaggy." James and Peter started laughing again. Remus started to worry about what had happened.

Sirius was a good person, but he had a quick temper, and tended to simply react when he was upset. Before Remus had the chance to question further, Madam Pomfrey hustled to the three boys, face red with irritation.

"You two, out!" She pointed to James and Peter, trying to shoo them away from Remus. "This is a hospital wing, not a circus!"

"Madam Pomfrey," She turned to Remus, an eyebrow raised. "W-would it be okay for me to go with them? I'm feeling alright..." Remus trailed away with the look Pomfrey shot him.

"Absolutely not. You can barely speak. You need rest and this is the only place you are going to get any on a Saturday." With that, Pomfrey turned back to the boys in front of her and ushered them out.

Remus relaxed back into his pillow and closed his eyes. Images of a 'shaggy' Sirius flitted behind his eyelids until sleep claimed him.

~

Madam Pomfrey let Remus go that evening right before dinner. But only when he promised to check in the next morning. There were a couple of spots the wolf had really taken its frustrations out that she wanted to check on.

Once he was out of the hospital wing, Remus debated even going to get food from the Great Hall. But he knew Pomfrey would be there, and she would ask all the other professors if he'd been in to get something to eat. So, he made the slow and painful trek to the Great Hall. Thankfully there weren't too many other students milling about in the halls.

Remus walked through the entrance to the Great Hall, pausing to look for the other Marauders. But they couldn't be found along the Gryffindor table. Maybe they're up to something. Remus started looking at the other tables, looking closely at each one. Before he could get too far, a shock of red caught his eye. Lily had stood from her seat and was walking to him. She shot him a smile. He returned it with a small one of his own.