Four To The End (prev Shifting Lines) Book Three (Marauders Era)

Chapter One Hundred - The Book Of Admittance

Author's note: CW facial burns, brief mention of picking at scabs

-x-

Everyone else in Hogwarts moved on. There was almost always some new big gossip to spread around the school, and by Saturday evening the gossip had changed from the Ravenclaw girl dropping out to a Gryffindor boy who had been turned into a cactus during a duel over some girl that Pomfrey was having trouble turning back. James and Sirius were going wild with puns.

"Seems he got himself in a prickly situation," James giggled.

"It's because he was so stuck on that girl," added Sirius.

"Oh, your jokes are very sharp!"

"I'm on pins and needles to know how this turns out."

But Remus couldn't get Locke out of his head, or the tear-stained face of the Hufflepuff girl. Or the smell of the two Hufflepuff boys. The adrenaline over what they did. Thankfully, Remus more or less forgot what they looked like; however, he knew when Tuesday came that it was going to be one of the memories they'd go into. He didn't want to remember what they looked like; he didn't want to see them and know it was them, and maybe react.

He was distracted when he, Jha, and Theodore met up to work on sign language. Theodore was coming along very well; Remus, not so much. Jha asked if he was okay and Remus fingerspelled that he was tired. Jha awkwardly asked if he wanted to know the signs for 'tired' and 'sick'. Remus agreed, since those two fit him most of the time, and then Jha admitted he wasn't sure if it had been offensive to ask or not. Remus shook his head, saying it was fine. Theodore frowned during all of that, but also happily learned the signs for 'tired' and 'sick'. After that, Remus's mind began wandering again, back to Locke.

At least he had Magical Theory that night to keep his mind off things, and it was a very interesting lesson. One that definitely took his mind off of Locke. They discussed how doing magic used up energy within oneself, and the connection between one's physical self and magical self.

"This is why you need foundation first," Chang said as he paced back and forth. "If you try to overreach yourself... if you try to grasp onto magic that is advanced and beyond your level... it takes it out of you. It hurts you. You could pass out. Or worse."

"Dying?" asked one of the Slytherins.

Chang smiled. "As far as we know, no. Though there are rumors about it. However you could become debilitated. There are permanent patients in Saint Mungo's, those who tried things they shouldn't." Chang clasped his hands behind his back. "It could even cripple your ability to do magic."

As everyone left, Remus walked slowly, in his own little world as he wondered how it affected him as a werewolf, if he was able to do advanced magic like he did because of that. Was he talented? Or was it because he was a werewolf? It consumed his mind;he barely paid attention to where he was going and kept bumping into things. Finally, his friends found him and he absorbed himself into the group, allowing his mind to wander while he followed them.

They eventually noticed he was distracted and when they asked what he was thinking about, he told them though he knew what they'd say.

"Of course it's your own talent, dummy!" Sirius snapped. "How can you be so smart but so stupid?"

"You're the smartest, most talented kid in our year," said Peter.

"It's definitely got nothing whatsoever to do with your furry little problem," put in James.

Remus shrugged. "It just makes me wonder."

Sirius reached out, rubbing his knuckles hard over Remus's head. "It doesn't make us wonder."