The Marauders: Year Four

Wild Thing

Wild Thing

Remus Lupin's eyes had never looked darker. The bruising crossed his nose, and he limped about, favoring the leg he'd broken the year before profusely, having to pause quite a lot to catch his breath. He sat several times trying to go up all the stairs from the Great Hall to Gryffindor Tower, riding the moving staircase sometimes two or three rotations before gathering up the strength enough to walk on. He clutched the bannisters and tripped over his own two feet more frequently than he'd ever done in his life.

"You're a mess," muttered James sympathetically.

"I'm a monster," Remus said.

"You aren't," Peter said.

But Remus couldn't help but think it just the same.

The night of the full moon, he sat on the bed, sick to his stomach from all the smells in the castle - there were so many smells! Girls had been buying loads of perfumes and there were all sorts of seasonal dishes being made by the house elves and new clothes coming in from strange places and boys using gobs of Sleekeazy trying to look nice for the girls they were trying to ask out and Remus was dizzied by all of it.

Sirius was packing the bag, therefore. Peter came back from the kitchens with some some venison jerky ("Seriously?" asked James, pretending to be offended, "Venison?") and several packs of water crackers and a large raw steak. But the smell of it made Remus sicker than ever, causing him to literally gag. "We'll skip the food," Sirius said.

"You'll go hungry," Remus pointed out. "I'll manage. Bring it."

Sirius shook his head, "It's alright, Rey... I'm sure I'll put on a couple stone from the holiday meals anyway, I could use to lose a bit in preparation. It's important if I want to stay looking good." He winked.

Remus clutched his knees, too sick to argue any further.

When he'd got the bag all put together, Sirius pulled Remus to his feet and saluted the other two goodbye and they made their slow way along. Remus kept pausing to press a palm against the wall to regain equilibrium, swaying as they walked. Sirius put his arm 'round Remus's back, trying to support him up, and it seemed to help a bit.

"Blimey. This is a really bad one, huh Moony?" Sirius commented, trying to cheer him up a bit, but Remus could only wince as a pain shot up his leg as he stepped wrong upon it and nod slightly as he paused, sinking to the carpeted stair halfway down to the entrance hall. Sirius sighed. "I'm sorry. I wish I could make it better. If I could, I would." He reached over and slid Remus's finge out of his face - it had grown so that it sort of half hung in his eyes if his face aimed downward.

"I know you would," Remus murmured.

Getting through the tunnel was the worst of all for the only option to take a break was to lean against the packed-dirt walls and the dirt was cold, half frozen, or else crawling with creepy crawlies that had moved further into the earth to avoid the cold outside above ground and Sirius kept having to sweep his hands over Rey to get the bugs and dirt off him. "We're nearly there," he said a load of times - but the tunnel had never seemed longer.

When they got to the trap door, Sirius shoved it open and pushed Remus up. Remus crawled along the floor of the Shrieking Shack and leaned against the wall, exhausted, as Sirius pulled himself up and closed the door behind them. Sirius said, "We've got several hours before the moonrise. Do you want to go upstairs so you can sleep?"

Remus had his head against his knees, "More than anything."

"Alright." Sirius bent down and slid his arms under Remus, lifting him up awkwardly.

"What're you doing?"

"Carrying you upstairs."

"Carrying me?"

"Because you're tired... so you don't have to walk those steep steps. I know it's taking a lot out of you..."

Remus leaned his head against Sirius's shoulder and he thought it wasn't so bad being carried, really, and he closed his eyes. "I would've carried you all the way out here, but you're taller than me and... it's harder than it looks," Sirius said, carefully trying to balance Remus as he made his way staggering toward the stairs. Remus's arms around his neck and his face pressed to his shoulder was enough to weaken Sirius - not to mention that Rey really was taller and heavier than he looked like he might be, considering how scrawny he was in circumference. But they made it up and Sirius carried him to the bed and plopped him down gently.

Remus stared up at him as his head hit the pillow, tears in his eyes from the pain - or maybe from the swell of gratitude that was flooding up in him. "I've been so terrible to you," Remus said thickly, "And you're still being so nice to me. I would've run away from me by now if I was you."

"I told you, Rey, I'm not going anywhere," Sirius said, and he smiled down at Remus as he tugged a blanket over him.

Remus turned his head and saw the 8-track stereo, still sitting on the table exactly where he and Lily had set it up a month ago, the big red bow a bit dusty now, the cassette cartridges sitting beside it. He looked up at Sirius. "Your birthday present's over there."

"My birthday pres--" Sirius had turned and seen the stereo and his eyes widened and he stood up, drifting toward it with awe.

"It's an 8-track stereo," Remus murmured, "And some cassettes. I couldn't get all of them... but... I got what I could afford. Said it's top of the line, exciting stereo sound." He smiled sleepily at Sirius.

"Bloody hell, Moony," whispered Sirius, standing before it and running his fingers across it with love. He stared at the way his face reflected in the plastic cap over the storage compartment on top and his fingers slipped over the buttons with their embossed symbols - rewind, play/pause, stop, fast forward... He could barely breathe, it was so beautiful. "This is too much."

"After everything you've done for me... and do for me... Sirius, this might've been the first time you've literally done it, but you've carried me for nearly four years... a stupid stereo's the least I could do."

"But how'd you -- how?"

Remus smiled, "I'll never tell."

"I can't believe this, Rey."

"We were supposed to have a party," he replied, "I got the Dylan song. The one you sang in the woods. Forever Young. And Lennon and the Beatles. Your favorites."

"All my favorites."

"But if you hit play," Remus said, "I picked the one that's loaded up for you special."

Sirius's finger pressed play - and the notes filled the room... the clearest, most incredible audio that Sirius had ever heard in his life, his skin crawled with goosebumps over how perfectly clear the sound was.

"Wild thing...
You make my heart sing
You make everything groovy
Wild thing...

Wild thing, I think I love you
But I wanna know for sure
So c'mon hold me tight
....I love you."

Sirius felt his heart constrict.

Just like that, he had a new favorite song.

"Wild thing...
You make my heart sing
You make everything groovy
Wild thing...

Wild thing, I think you move me
But I wanna know for sure
So c'mon hold me tight
....You move me."

If he hadn't been kneeling already to look at the player, he would've fallen to them then. He closed his eyes and clutched the sides of the stereo, the song playing on... and as the notes faded away and the cassette clicked to silence, he felt like he couldn't move, frozen in place.

This was exactly the sort of moment that he'd hoped for.

He drew a deep breath, "Remus, I ---" Sirius looked over, expecting to meet Remus's eyes...

But Remus was fast asleep.