Run With Me - Remus Lupin

13: The Christmas Stick

Time seems to slip away when surrounded by constant darkness and/or unconsciousness. Sirius had become convinced that we were on day seven, I didn't say anything to refute him. I hadn't been awake long enough to know what day it was anyway.

Moving was nearly impossible. My back was stiff with dried blood and broken flesh. Sirius was in a similar position to me, but he was fighting through any amount of pain he was in to make sure that I was alive.

"Drink this," he told me, holding up a glass of water to my mouth. I let the water fill my mouth and slide down my throat.

"How long have I been out?" I asked him.

"I wouldn't know," he told me, forcing a laugh.

"Did he hurt you?" I asked, reaching out to touch his arm.

"Not as much as he hurt you," Sirius assured me. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've got knives in my back."

"I'm so sorry, Cassie."

"Don't be sorry, I'm okay."

The door of the closet clicked opened and our father's shadow shielded us from the light outside.

"What did I tell you about talking?" he sneered, pulling his belt from his pants. "Oh, dear Sirius, how disappointed I am in you. Influencing your innocent baby sister to join the side of blood traitors and mudbloods. Didn't we raise you any better?"

"Don't hurt him!" I cried out as Father raised his belt. Sirius covered his face with one arm and my hand with his other. His cries became nothing but deep intakes of breathes as Father struck him over and over and over against.

"Orion!" called Mother from another room. "Train leaves in an hour."

"The train back to Hogwarts?" I asked. "We've been in here for twelve days?"

"You're lucky we're letting you out at all," he said, spit flying from his mouth. "Now, upstairs! Clean up, put on your clothes on, pack your things. And do make it nice and snappy, yeah? Wouldn't want you to miss the train."

I forced my body to ignore the pain long enough to get Sirius' bleeding body off the floor and upstairs.

"I'm fine," he told me, pulling away from me and leaning against the wall. "I'll meet you out here in a couple minutes, okay?"

I nodded nervously and pushed open the door to my bedroom. Inside I found that my window had been opened every snowy and rainy day in London since we'd gotten home. Not only had the elements soaked half of my room, but it'd invited owls inside without my permission.

There were letters and boxes scattered randomly around my room. To my surprise there were six packages waiting for me and over a dozen letters, mostly from James.

I opened my door to find Sirius about to do the same.

"James is wondering why you haven't answered him," I told him.

He held up a stack of letters thicker than mine.

"I'm aware. Although four of these are from Remus asking if you're okay."

I let him in and took his bag of clothes that he'd never gotten around to wearing as we were locked in a closet for the entirety of our Christmas break.

"I should really clean your back before we go. The blood will soak through your shift if I don't and then people will really have some questions."

I sat him at the end of my bed and started to clean and wrap the dozens of slashes, some newer than others, that covered his back. Sirius started to tear the wrapping paper off of the four gifts that were laid out in front of him.