The Space Boy and The Red Head

18 - ARSEKISSING

Thursday - 15th February 1996

"Fred, tell her you don't agree!" Lee shouted at him. Glaring daggers at the pair.

"No, Lee, drop it ok. She's right Lupin was dangerous."

"We get it Fred you want Angelina to see that you agree with her. But this isn't the way to do it." George tried to reason.

"Stay out of it. This is between Lee and I." Fred turned to his brother.

"And I'm not taking it back. I stand by what I said. We wouldn't be learning how to kill them if they weren't dangerous!" Fred tried to defend his argument.

Apollo was definitely crying now, George wiped away one of his tears. "What's wrong?" He asked gently. "I know, I hate seeing them fighting too" Apollo just shook his head, unable to bring himself to speak about what was really upsetting him. George held him closer and began tracing patterns on his back to soothe him.

"Fred take that back NOW!" Lee practically roared stomping up to Fred.

"NO. BACK OFF LEE, WEREWOLVES ARE BLOODY MONSTERS, WE'VE ALL READ THE TEXTBOOK! YOU KNOW WHAT THEY'RE LIKE!" The corridor had gone quiet, everyone watching the exchange.

"FUCK YOU FRED WEASLEY! YOURE AN ARSEKISSING, COWARD!" And with that Lee took the final step. Slapping Fred across the face. George let go of Apollo, immediately going to stand in between his twin and his brother. Drawing his wand against Lee.

"Apologise, that was too far. He's just trying to impress his crush!" George said, voice steady and unwavering. Lee's glare turned to him.

"George if you really cared about anyone else you wouldn't defend him right now" Lee spat. Turning away and striding down the corridor. He grabbed Apollos robe and dragged him down the hall with him. Pushing through the crowd that had stopped to watch.

"GO RUN AWAY WITH THE CRYBABY!" Fred yelled. George smacked the back of his head.

"Leave Apollo out of this. I'm only here now cause I'm your brother. I still think that that was a shitty thing you just did" George said.

"Everyone back to class!" A prefect called out. Angelina, Fred and George all walked to Astronomy. They didn't see Lee or Apollo for the rest of the day, the pair never returning to the Gryffindor tower.

In his rage Lee hadn't noticed where he'd led Apollo. They were stopped outside the door the kitchens. Solemnly, they made their way inside. Figgy rushing to get hot chocolates started when she saw their sad faces.

"Tell Figgy how to help. Figgy hates seeing friends so sad" she was close to tears herself.

"It's ok Figgy, I think Lee and I just need to chat for a while, where other students won't hear us" Apollo said. Figgy nodded, leaving them in peace for the most part. Only popping over to replenish their hot chocolates.

"So I guess you know then?" Apollo started.

"About the werewolf thing? Yeah I mean I sort of knew, and you'd accidentally told me back in January. You were so sad, I didn't think you'd remembered so I thought I'd wait till you were ready to tell me for real" Lee explained. Apollos eyes widening when he realised he'd been the one to let it slip, and not just Lee figuring it out by himself. That was careless of him.

"Thank you, for not telling anyone. And for taking care of me around the full moons."

"Is it alright if I ask you some questions about it? Only if you're comfortable I mean. It's just, I don't trust anything I've read in the textbook, I'd like to know what it's really like" Lee said, surprising Apollo.

"Of course. Can I skip a question if I don't want to answer it?" Apollo asked carefully.

"Duh. I don't want you to feel pressured into this" Lee said. Taking a moment to think of his first question.

"How long have you been like this? I mean when were you bitten? Do you know who it was?" Lee asked, technically it was multiple questions wrapped in one but Apollo didn't mind. He saw Lee trying to figure out how to ask in the most sensitive way.

"I was seven. I was tidying up Cormac and I's kids quidditch set. It was getting dark and I saw him standing at the end of the garden. Then he ran at me, I don't really remember the rest. It was Greyback though. Only two months before Mad-Eye caught him. Mum and dad wouldn't let me tell anyone. Don't want to end up on the registry. I'd never get work if I did." Apollo explained to the best of his abilities.

Lee sat for a minute processing.

"So the whole time you've been here, and none of us noticed. We're supposed to be your friends, we should've been able to piece it together. We'd have been able to help more. I'm sorry." He said.

"No, don't apologise, please. I've been trying my best to hide it from you. It's been so difficult. I've owled my parents so many times asking if I could please just tell my friends. They always said no though." Apollo said.

"Ok. Another question. Where do you go to, you know, wolf out?" Lee asked, Apollo let out a bark of a laugh.

"Wolf out? I mean I stay in the shrieking shack when I transform. The tunnel from the Whomping willow leads straight into the basement of it."

"Does that mean, the howling spirits the townspeople hear.."

"Yeah that's me, I'm the monster that haunts it. Probably why I also have a sore throat in the morning, the bloody beast won't stop howling" lee smacked Apollos hand when he said this.

"You are NOT a monster! You're a the furthest thing from it." Lee scolded him.

"Okay, okay. Ask me another question." Apollo smiled. His mind briefly taken off of the fight that had just split his friends apart.

"This one's a bit more intense, you don't have to answer it" Lee said, waiting for approval before continuing. "After the last full moon, in the morning, we saw Hagrid carrying you into the infirmary. Is that what it's usually like?"

Apollo didn't really know how to say it, instead he nodded his head.

"And all the blood and cuts, that's normal?" Lee asked again. Once again Apollo nodded.

"Yeah. I mean you should see the state of my skin without scar covering lotion." He sadly joked.

"Can I? Can I see what you really look like? Your scars" Lees voice was very quiet as he asked this of Apollo.

Apollo agreed. Taking a moment to wipe off the magical lotion, it couldn't fully conceal werewolf scars, but it made them appear fainter. Now they stood out on his face, a muted red tone cutting through his otherwise very pale skin.

"Do you still have the bite?"

"Yeah. Give me a second" Apollo turned to take his school shirt off. Exposing the jagged skin on his back and chest. Scars crisscrossing over each other in varying shades of pinks and reds.

"Here" Apollo said , tracing the outline of the bite across his upper torso and shoulder. There were other (self inflicted) bite marks on his body, but this one was the biggest scar he had. The silver used in the sealing of the wound remained. Making the scar shimmer like jewels. Though it made Apollo feel anything but glamorous.

Lee stepped closer, tears in his eyes as his gaze gently wandered over all the scars. Apollo felt very exposed at that moment.

"I'm so sorry you have to go through this Apollo" he whispered, fighting back sobs.

"Don't cry please, you've helped me so much. It means so much to me that you defended werewolves like that today. I don't know if I deserve it but I'm very grateful for your kindness" Apollo was fighting back his own sobs now.

The pair hugged for a while, trying to process their emotions. Eventually they decided to spend the night in the kitchen, asking Figgy to get them some pillows and blankets, setting up a temporary sleeping cove in the corner.

Apollo didn't sleep peacefully that night. Thinking about what Fred had said left him with nightmares that he would jolt awake from, drenched in sweat. He wished George was here to calm him down, like they used to do for each other when they were younger.