Marauders - Always - Part One

Furry Little Problem

Lily knocked on the door to the spare room.

"Go away, Remus!" Spencer's voice was weighted and fraying.

Lily hesitated, then called, "It isn't Remus."

There was a pause and Lily bit her lips, listening, and after a moment or two, the door cracked open. Lily stepped inside and Spencer looked her over. "You were Wonder Woman."

Lily nodded, "At the party, yes." She lingered by the door. "My name is Lily. I'm Remus's friend. My husband is James. He was Superman at the party. And every day really, at least to me."

Spencer's tone was sour. "And I suppose you and James are werewolves too?"

"Well, no," Lily said. "I'm a witch and James is a wizard."

Spencer shook his head in disbelief.

"I'm very sorry, everything must be so overwhelming for you. It's a great deal to have happen all at once..."

"I'll say," Spencer scoffed.

Lily took another couple steps into the room and lowered herself into a chair gingerly. "I think you're handling it rather well, I mean, all things considered. You're standing up, for one, which is a world better than I'd be if I were you right about now. I'd have collapsed entirely. Probably have flung myself down and just dissolved into a blubbering mess of tears like they do in the movies."

Spencer said, "I'm not sure I believe it still. You don't need to make me fly again or anything," he said quickly, looking at her wand.

"Oh Spencer, I'm so sorry! Remus told me what he did, he panicked. What an awful way to be introduced to the wizarding world. I hate that spell he did." She shook her head. "I knew some bullies once who used it when we were in school --"

"In school?" Spencer said, "They used magic at a school? Weren't they found out? How does the entire world not know about wizards and magic and all if they were using magic to bully others at school?"

"Oh it was a magic school," Lily said gently.

"Of course it was," Spencer said miserably.

Lily said, "We were all very worried about you, you know, especially Remus. He was simply torn to pieces."

"I believe it's me who's been torn to pieces, rather," muttered Spencer bitterly.

Lily nodded. "Do you need a fresh bandage?"

"Can you heal it?"

"I'm afraid not. Wounds like you've got can't be healed by magic," she said.

"Then what good is magic?"

"Well its very good and quite a lot of things that can't be healed the, er, conventional way can be healed by magic. It's just your wounds were inflicted by a magical creature and so the magic has its limits."

Spencer sighed.

Lily motioned for him to come over and sit by her, which Spencer did, crossing his legs as he settled onto the carpet. Lily used her wand to carefully remove the bandage from his shoulder. The bite was raw and torn, oozing slightly with half-clotted blood, pink where the muscle showed through and deep. She pictured the long teeth of Remus's wolf, which she'd seen and petted only a month ago, and felt a chill go through her.

"Accio salve," she whispered, and from the dresser came a squat pot of a healing salve she'd learned to make, similar to one that Madam Pomfrey used to give to Remus after the full moons. Remus used it often. Being careful not to touch the wound - being so raw, there could be some lingering venom, Remus had warned when they'd originally bandaged the wound - Lily used magic to carefully smooth the salve over the torn flesh. Spencer gasped and winced at first touch, but the sting gave way to a cooling, soothing sensation that had the tense muscles in his shoulders relaxing. He closed his eyes as Lily's magic worked, gentle and loving. When it was properly smoothed over, she applied fresh bandages over the bite, and set the salve to smoothing over minor cuts and abrasions, covering over the slices in his chest, his arms, back, and even his face.