A Dance Through Thyme (Harry Potter)

Bitte

Finally, an update! I think this is the longest one yet, and I hope you enjoy it. Can't wait to hear what you all think :)

Chapter 11: Bitte?

Please?

James Potter and Sirius Black strode into the Hogwarts library like they knew exactly where they were going. The truth was that they had absolutely no clue. The library was not a place which they frequented over the course of their day. Occasionally it became a place they visited at night; or more specifically, the restricted section of the library was more familiar to them as they tiptoed around the piles of books under the cover of darkness with only James' thin cloak of invisibility to protect them.

Now, everything looked completely different in daylight. Previously dimly lit, hostile-looking corners and crevices looked oddly cosy and welcoming as the late afternoon light shone through the stained glass of the windows and refracted off the dust particles which seemed to create a film across almost every surface in view.

Quiet as they were, the pair of seventh-years did not go unnoticed, and Madam Pince immediately narrowed her eyebrows together as soon as she clapped her eyes on them. James watched from the corner of his eye as she craned her neck in every direction from where she sat at her desk, observing them as they made their way around the shelves as she made sure they were not befouling what she deemed to be her domain.

"This place gives me the heebie-jeebies during the daytime," whispered Sirius to James as they continued to search amongst the books, travelling up and down the aisles, peering through gaps in shelves. "Remind me to never come back, if I can possibly help it."

James nodded his assent, keeping his eyes peeled.

"Where is he?" James finally said, after they had spent a good ten minutes wandering around looking utterly and completely out of place whilst the other students gave them slightly wary looks.

Finally, the pair found themselves at the far end of the library, and they turned towards the last aisle of books. There, nestled in the deepest and darkest corner, they found Remus curled up with his nose in a book.

"Always in the last place you look," Sirius sighed as he and James approached their fellow Marauder. James would have retorted with some kind of clever quip if he had not been so worried at what he saw.

At the sound of their footsteps Remus looked up from what he was reading, and James and Sirius could not help but be a little shocked at what they saw. Remus was as pale as ever, and this only served to highlight the deep purple rings around his eyes that made it seem as though his eyeballs had sunk into his skull. He also looked as though he would do well to have a few good meals in him. Although he was one of those guys who were naturally slender, James noticed that his school shirt seemed to hang off him a little more than usual.

Stopping a few footsteps short of their friend, James and Sirius stood back in shock as though this were the first time they had seen Remus as clearly as this. There was still a week to go until the full moon. How much worse would Remus look after he had undergone his transformation?

Deciding that an open confrontation would not be the best way to approach the matter, James kneeled down to be at Remus' level.

"Hey, mate. What are you up to today?"

Remus seemed to clutch onto the book even more firmly as though James' words would be able to take it away from him, the knuckles on his hands blanching with the added pressure.

"I was just going to catch up on some studying... you know, because of what's going to be happening next week..." his voice trailed off, already slightly raspy from disuse.