Something Wicked This Way Comes

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

My head... throbbed. How?... I was dead, or at least I believed so... Unless what they said about the afterlife was bullshit... I groaned as my eyes opened, I could feel them ache and stick a bit. The sun peaked through the tall windows that surrounded me, the hall being quite long. My eyes slowly adjusted and I realized where I was by the light and strong smell of potions alone. I had never been in the other spot in Madam Pomfrey's hospital wing.

And I certainly wasn't expecting Harry to be the one sitting beside me with his elbows on his legs, one of which shook and bounced rather quickly. I tried to speak but at first all I could get out was a choked grunt. Harry's eyes shot up and he sat forward, shooting up like a rocket, "Oz!"

"Oz is awake?" Was that Hermione? I tried to glance around, but unless I was looking at Harry, my head throbbed harder from the light. I hissed and held my head with one hand.

"Yeah!" Harry called out behind him. He turned back around and muttered, "Don't worry, here take this," He handed me a glass of water from the small, white nightstand. Hermione came into view, kneeling by my bedside and picking at the sheets, "How are you feeling?" She asked gently.

"Like the Express ran me over...." I croaked and rubbed my head before taking that drink of water, gulping it down quickly. I heard Harry lightly laugh.

"It's not funny Harry!" Hermione smacked his shoulder. I watched as he bit his lip, trying to keep himself from doing do again. I rolled my eyes at the two's antics, "What happened?"

"A lot..." They both simultaneously said. Hermione smiled brightly, "The gist of it is, we were able to save Hagrid's Hypogriff and Sirius!"

I felt my chest lighten and I shot up with a groan, "They're alive?!"

"Lay down Oz!" Hermione chastised me, but I couldn't contain my happiness knowing two innocent souls were saved. Innocent souls... "What about Professor Lupin?"

Harry's face fell and he fidgeted with his sleeves, glancing down at them. It seemed they were quite intriguing to him as he spoke softly, "He's leaving... He's resigned as professor..." What?! I gasped and shook my head, he couldn't leave. Not yet. I needed to at least say goodbye.

"Where is he?" I sat up completely.

"In his office... Oz... Maybe you should–"

Harry and Hermione tried to get me to lay back down, but after this entire year, he, along with a few others, had been my guiding light through everything. He helped me get my mind off of home, or what was supposed to be that. I needed to at least speak with him before he left. My heart thumped loudly in my ears. I didn't mind the looks as I traveled down the halls, beelining to his classroom. Thankfully it was already empty, with no classes going on for him. I came up to the door, and my nerves finally set in. My heart skipped from how quickly I walked here, or that's what I would tell myself. I knocked on the hardwood door and waited, the seconds that counted by seemed to drag along. The door clicked and opened, across the room Lupin stood with his back to me.

"Harry, you can't convince me to–" He turned and stopped in his tracks, "Ozwald..." He muttered and he stared at me for quite a bit, and then looked away, without so much as saying another word, not even a 'Oh, it's wonderful to see you! I'm glad you're okay! Come on in!' I shook my head, "You weren't going to say goodbye?"

He tensed the same way he did when I almost pegged him for being a werewolf, the same way he reacted when I asked him about Sirius, and I knew my answer, "Why? Why wouldn't you say anything?"

"Because... I almost killed you..." He muttered, "Shouldn't you be in the hospital wing?" I could feel the guilt irradiating off of him in waves, overpowering like a tsunami of emotion. I took a few steps forward toward him, "I don't blame you Lupin!" his head shot up, his eyes wide, "Oz–"

"No! I don't blame you! You cannot control yourself when you transform right?"

"Well, no–"

"Then why are you being so hard on yourself?!" I interrupted quickly, before he could argue.

"Oz... I am because I cannot live with blood on my hands..."

Silence, yet again. It was a common denominator in our conversations, "And that gives you a reason to just leave?" He stared once more.

"I'm sorry Ozwald... That wasn't fair to you..." I sighed in relief, "Thank you! Now... you may continue..." I waved him on. He chuckled, "I suppose I owe you that much. I bid you goodbye Oz, you were a phenomenal student, I'm trilled to see where you will end up."

"Thank you," I gave a short curtsey, "You were a brilliant professor...and I think we will all miss you..." He smiled sadly. Lupin walked around his desk and patted my shoulder, "If it's alright, I would like to keep in touch with you after your time here at Hogwarts."

I smiled brightly, "Truly?" He chuckled and nodded, "I would appreciate that more than anything!"

"Wonderful, look for my owl," He pointed to the one in its cage with beautiful brown feathers. He paused and spun around once more, "Oh, and there was one more thing that I was told to give to you..." He stuck his hand out with an enclosed envelope. I frowned and stepped forward, taking it from Lupin gently, not to cut him with the paper. As I stood there I looked at the back.

To: Ozwald Emerson, read this when you have the chance.

From, S. Black

I gasped and beamed up at Lupin, "Truly? Did he really leave this for me?" The professor nodded, "Yes, he did, I was able to get it from him before he decided traveling would be a good option for him."

"Thank you.... For everything Professor...." I gazed up at him, his eyes gleamed with something I couldn't quite put my finger on, whether it be mirth or mischief.

"You're welcome Oz... Take care..." His voice soft, it gave me a glimmer of my own, of hope. It flooded my veins and as I walked out of the room called back to him, "I will keep an eye out for your letters! Farwell Professor!" I knew this was the leaf turning for me. As I travelled the empty halls I wondered what to do, and where to go. Who knew where life would take me.