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

Chapter One Hundred-Twenty-Six - A Long Day

Author's note: Guys... I have finished writing book three !!!  (where will be 148 chapters). I AM SO HAPPY! It's hard to believe I'm finally here, finished with book three and starting on book four. Book three was a long process for me to write. All the trauma and hardships connected to it made it slow and also made me go on a lot of hiatuses. I really feel that moving forward I'll be able to write the future books a lot faster, like I did books one through four.

Also... since I have an enormous backlog... I am going to change the posting schedule! Until further notice, my new schedule is going to be one chapter a week, two chapters the next week. So a 1, 2, 1, 2 schedule. Even though I got a bonus out last week, I'll start this week so there will be another chapter posted on Wednesday.

CW emetophobia, unintentional self-harm, references to child abuse, as well as a lot of era appropriate negative things said about mental health

-x-

"I'm sorry about our last meeting."

Remus stood still, trying to figure out what Miss Fawley meant. It took several long seconds for her words to match up with the previous time they met up, when Sirius had told her the truth about himself. It had been two weeks ago, due to the full moon, though it didn't feel anywhere near that long. Had that really been when all the Sirius stuff occurred? He told her he understood, then shuffled over to sit on the couch.

"How is Sirius doing?" she asked.

He began scratching at his wrists though his nails were extra stubby from when he had clawed at the stone earlier. Werewolf rapid regeneration did not seem to include nails, which was a good thing. He didn't want long claws as a human. "I think he's doing as well as he can be. We've... we're all sort've... ignoring it, I guess. No. I don't mean ignoring it. Just not—erm—acknowledging it. Unless he does." He scratched harder. "Which he doesn't."

Fawley nodded. "I can't imagine he would anytime soon. Did you talk to James and Peter?"

"Yes, they're in agreement that we're going to do what we can to be there for him." Remus finally sat on his hands so he wouldn't scratch anymore. He was still uncomfortable from the day, and pretending to be Fine all day had worn him out. "Miss Fawley, is being..." He trailed off and bit down on his tongue.

"Is being what, dear?" she asked.

He squirmed, wanting to scratch again. "Never mind. It's nothing." He slid his hands out from under him and rubbed at his eyes. "It's been a long day."

"Do you want to take a nap...?"

"No! Sorry. No," he said again, this time gentler. "I want to practice Occlumency. It's been too long, and we only have a few weeks left. Though before we do, I do need to confess." He looked up at her, waiting for her to prompt him to continue; she merely gave him a gentle, sweet look, waiting as well. "We did something awful to Snape."

"Ah."

"We took him out of his dorm and put him outside. In the middle of the night." He watched her, trying to gauge what she'd say from her expression. Her brow had furrowed and now her mouth sort of pinched up like she had sucked on a lemon. "I know what we did was bad and we shouldn't have done it."

"I can't say much."

"I know, it's bad—"

She shook her head. "It isn't that. In our fifth year, two of my girlfriends and I did the same thing to someone."

Remus's eyes bugged out in shock. "Miss Fawley...?"

The pinched look turned into a sheepish smile. "There was this boy who would not stop bothering Lucy. One of my close friends back then." She let out a sigh and began twisting her cane around. "One night he charmed several papers to fly up into our dorm professing his undying love to—to... well, her bosom." Remus went quite red at that. "It was as awkward as you're probably thinking, and annoying. So that night Lucy, Eudasia, and I snuck into his dorm, put the full body bind on him—"