The Collision Theory | Remus Lupin

52. Claws

"It's ready."

"What is?" I frown as Sirius vaults over the sofa to land beside me. Honestly, I've just got used to this.

"The Moony remedy." He produces a small vial out of his jacket pocket and hands it over. We spent quite some time last night brewing it up again, this time without the part that made it explode.

"You think he'll take it?"

"We'll see." Sirius pockets it again, and checks his watch, "I saved you the trouble of acquiring the stuff you needed like last time, it's in my bag upstairs. Anyway, we'd best head off."

He gets up just as Remus and the boys come down from the dormitories, and I follow them to the portrait how, "You all behave yourselves, alright?"

"No promises." James laughs, "we'll see you around four thirty?"

"Of course." I force a smile and wave as they disappear down the stairs, but the facade drops quickly when they're out of sight.
This is going to be one Hell of a long night.

*

JAMES

Remus hurriedly takes his jumper, shirt and shoes off, despite the icy chill of the shack. Peter takes them from him, shoving the bundle into the wardrobe.

"Re, drink this." Sirius kneels in front of him, holding out a vial that holds a murky lilac substance.

"What is it?"

"Pain killer." He pushed it into his hands, "Me and Novak have been working on it. Johnny boy, trust us."

"Call me Johnny one more-" Just then, something in Remus cracks, and he yelps in pain. He groans, quickly downing the potion, "God I hope this works."

*

AYLIN

I attempt to sleep, but after a weird nightmare of sorts where my parents turn into beasts and devour me chunk by chunk, I decide that three hours worth is more than enough.

Lily mutters into her pillow as I pass her, "Call me Ginger one more time..."

I descend the stairs, and instead of having straight down, take a sharp right into the boys' stairwell, climbing steadily up the steps. Out of the window, I think I spot a few dark figures, but upon second glance, decide that it was probably my imagination, "You're going mad, Novak."

As promised, everything I had last time around is in the rucksack on Sirius' bed. There's a little bit folded by its side, and reads in Sirius' slanted handwriting:
Novak,
This is my favourite bag, under no circumstances do you hurt it.
Comprende?
Yours with all the brotherly love in the universe (unless my bag isn't in tact),
Sirius

"Idiot." I roll my eyes, taking his bag. With no-one bothering to patrol the halls in the early hours of the day, it's much easier to sneak down to the Herbology side of the castle and jump out of my usual window.

"Hello?" A rustle stops me in my tracks. It's not my pyjamas, it sounds more like a cloak of some kind, "Who's there?"

Nothing.
What did I think was going to happen?
If anybody was there I wouldn't have been answered.
It was probably just leaves, what else could it have been? Shrugging the thoughts off, I hurry down to the Whomping Willow before it gets too light outside, using immobulus to get past its murderous branches.

"Oi Potter!" I pull myself out of the trapdoor, finding myself seemingly quite alone, "Black?.. Peter?"

A few thumps resonate from above, which I guess are the boys. Peter's voice pierces the silence just as I'm halfway up, "What's wrong with him?!"