The Unexpected Love [Rewrite]

Chapter 6

"Nothing, sir. Just that." Severus replied stiffly. He forced himself to put up his walls and distract his mind in case Dumbledore tried using Legilimency. 

"Alright, Mr. Snape. I have to ask you to never tell anyone what you saw, or there will be consequences."

"Yes, Professor." Severus replied, hanging his head. 

"That is all, Mr. Snape."

"Yes, Professor."

~

James and Remus lie on soft beds in the comforting warmth of the hospital wing. James's eyes drifted toward Remus, who was tossing and turning in his sleep. He sat up in bed slightly, and felt bandages on his face and ankle. James felt goosebumps form on his arms as he remembered what he'd had to endure to save Snape. The doors of the hospital wing opened, and he saw Sirius get in. James looked away. 

"Get out." he spat coldly. 

"I know I made a mistake." Sirius stated, shaking with nerves. He'd never fought with James before. 

"Yeah, you did." James said, taking a deep breath and trying to remain calm. 

"I'm sorry."

James's head snapped up, and he stood, ignoring the pain on his ankle. "Sorry? Is that all you have to say for yourself? Sorry doesn't make up for what you did. Not only did you risk Severus Snape's live, but you risked mine, too. And you risked exposing us. Have you forgotten already that we are doing something illegal to help our friend? Or well, maybe I should say my friend, because you're not his friend at all. Friends support each other; they don't risk exposing each other's secrets for a laugh. I could have died saving him, you know. I could have lost my life saving your sorry arse."

Sirius gulped and stepped forward. "James, I--"

But he was cut off. James slapped him with all his might and glared at him, full of anger. "Get out!"

Sirius took several steps back, almost falling. He swallowed and pressed a hand to his burning cheek. "What does this mean?"

James's eyes were burning with anger, and he had to force himself not to slap Sirius again. "It means we're through, Black."

And Sirius felt that even if James had slapped him a million more times, it could never match the pain he felt at the moment. 

His face trembled as he nodded and stepped out, closing the door behind him. 

James exhaled, and he placed his head in his hands as tears escaped his eyes. He couldn't believe that after six years of being best friends, Sirius was capable of doing such a thing. It was as if he'd torn out James's heart and ripped it to shreds. He felt betrayed, hurt, angry, but mostly sorry that Remus would soon find out that he had almost taken a life. 

Remus's eyelids fluttered open, and James sniffed, trying and failing to make his tears disappear. 

"James?" Remus asked weakly. "James, why are you crying?"

And then all of the tears rushed out all at once, and his crying became much louder. "Remus, there's something I need to tell you."

And between tears, James stammered through the story, and once he was finished he saw Remus's eyes filled with tears. 

The two sat staring at each other, not saying anything else, only crying.

~

Remus lie on his bed a few nights later, wide awake. He wasn't sure if he felt angry, like James, sorry, like Sirius, or too shocked to feel anything, like Peter. He figured it was probably a mix of all three, though. No matter how disappointed and frustrated he was with Sirius, he knew James had been affected the most. Both Remus and Peter had noticed, and they tried to help James, but he refused to talk through it. Remus sat up in bed, suddenly feeling nauseous. He couldn't bear to see his friends angry any longer, so he threw off his covers and got out of bed. 

The floor of the dorm was freezing cold, but he knew he couldn't put any shoes on yet. He had to be as quiet as possible in order to keep the other three boys asleep. Remus slowly walked toward Sirius's trunk and cracked it open, digging blindly until his hands closed around a thin plastic object. He pulled it out and grinned triumphantly. Remus tugged a few of Sirius's hairs from the brush and then returned it to his trunk, wincing as the lid dropped. He hid the hairs in the pocket of his pajama shirt and snuck out of the dorm, heading toward the dungeons. 

Remus hated lying; the guilt always tore him apart and haunted him for days. But he knew it was necessary if he wanted James to forgive Sirius, and he'd do anything for his friends. Remus knocked on Slughorn's door and waited patiently. 

Professor Slughorn opened the door, and Remus silently prayed his acting skills would be enough. 

"Why hello, m'boy. What brings you here so late?" It was clear the man hadn't gotten any sleep, either. 

"Sorry to disturb you so late, Professor, but I was too embarrassed to mention this before." Remus said, his heart pounding. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. 

"What's wrong, Remus?" the man asked, a concerned look taking over his face. Remus sighed and knew he was taking advantage. He was a favorite of Slughorn; of course he would say yes. 

"You are aware of my condition, right sir?"

"Yes, m'boy, yes, Albus told me at the beginning of your first year."

Remus shifted his weight from foot to foot. He knew he needed to choose his words carefully. "Well, sir, sometimes I feel that missing class so much puts me at a disadvantage. Although my friends take my homework to the hospital wing, I always miss important things."

"What do you mean?" Slughorn asked, his eyebrows knitting together. 

"You assigned us an essay on Polyjuice Potion a while back." he said slowly. "And I've searched through all my books but I don't quite understand it."

"I'd be happy to give you lessons--"

"No! I mean...I don't want to waste your time. I know you're a very busy man. Just...if I could have a sample of it, for educational purposes only."

Slughorn frowned, thinking carefully for a long moment. 

"Sir, you've known me for five years. Would I ever use the potion for malicious purposes?" Remus asked. Every word pained him, and he felt disgusted with himself for lying. But then he remembered James's suffering, and he shuddered. 

"N-no, I-I suppose not."

Slughorn left for a few minutes, and when he returned, he handed Remus a vial of the potion. Remus smiled, thanked him, and rushed away before Slughorn questioned him. 

~

Remus awoke to Peter staring at him. He looked up, confused, and then realized he'd fallen asleep on the floor of their dorm, clutching the vial beneath his shirt. "Err...I can explain..."

"No need." Peter laughed, shaking his head. "I won't ask questions if you don't want me to."

Remus sat up, blinking. "Where are James and Sirius?"

"Sirius left really early because he didn't want to talk to the three of us, and then James left an hour later because he didn't want to talk to the two of us."

Remus sighed and rubbed his eyes. He wished Sirius could take back what he did so they wouldn't have to suffer for it. 

~ 

Remus dropped Sirius's hair into the murky liquid and sighed, trying to shake off his nerves. The potion turned navy blue, and Remus pressed the vial to his lips. He squeezed his eyes shut and downed it all. Remus dropped the vial, and heard it smash on the ground before him. He ran into the bathroom and shut the door behind him, feeling as if he were about to throw up. He fell onto the ground and feel his skin begin to bubble. He felt his legs get slightly longer, his hair grow to his shoulders, his feet widen, and he saw his skin grow paler. Once the pain was over, Remus lifted himself off the ground and looked in the mirror. 

Sirius Black stared back at him.