Figured You Out

4: Lycanthropy and Bathwater

Remus tossed in his bed, sweating profusely as he tried to return to his uneasy slumber. His stomach began to twist and churn, feeling seasick as he lay still on his bed and swallowed the threat of having to vomit. The full moon was a mere thirty-six hours away and he was dreading it ever more as each minute crawled closer to the loathsome event. Running a hand through his damp hair, he sat up feeling his head throb and joints ache in protest as he walked over to the window, displaying a view of the afternoon sky. Rain pounded in sheets against the glass barrier as gusts of wind tossed the barren branches of sickly looking trees from side to side. He let his forehead rest against the cool glass, closing his eyes while it soothed him, making the heat and pain subside for only a moment when he felt he could no longer hold it down. Sprinting to the door, he nearly tore it off its hinges as he threw it open and leapt towards the bathroom. Without heeding the thought someone else already occupying it, he charged in, propped up the lid and wretched into the toilet bowl.

All but jumping out of her skin, she yelped and sprung at the sudden intrusion, sending water and bubbles splashing out of the tub. She watched as the mans back arc with each heave and she quickly reached for the towel. Leaning against the wall, she stood quickly with much agony in her thigh, wrapped the large towel around her body and tucked the edge. She stepped out of the tub and sat on the side, hugging the towel tightly to her body.

After wiping his mouth off with his handkerchief, he felt a pair of eyes watching him closely and began to hear soft breaths of a woman. A hand lightly touched his back and he quickly turned to see Amber.

She intuitively pulled her hand back to her body, examining him with concern. His wrinkles were etched deeper into his face, darker circles beneath his eyes and he had obviously been sweating.

Suddenly his eyes grew wide when he noticed her wearing only a towel as water streaked down her legs, arms and shoulders. Her ebony ringlets were moist and slightly tousled as water trickled on to the floor. In the back of his mind, he could sense the beast trying to force him to do something completely barbaric to the woman before him. Therefore, he stood to leave her when the room began to spin, he grabbed onto the counter to steady himself and felt the need to retrieve back to the toilet. Again he heaved into it, however he did not move away when Amber gently placed her hand on his back.

"Are - are you alright?" She asked warily as she tucked a stray lock of his hair behind his ear and gently touched his back with the other.

Feeling as if he was finished, he stood as his knees began to buckle and his head once against started to spin. Noticing the change of expression upon his face, she stood and held onto his arm, fearing he was about to keel over at any moment. It was quite difficult to steady him and herself at the same time as her thigh objected to the abrupt weight put upon her. "Quite a situation we've got here, I've got a gimp and you can hardly steady yourself." She said lightheartedly as he let out a small chuckle.

"Before anything happens," he swallowed. "I suggest you throw your robe on. Being in this house with these kind of people, they'd think that we were up to something err - naughty if you know what I am trying to say." He said as he looked away from her.

"Oh! Sorry about that, but you did barge in on me. However I do agree with you, Tonks would have a field day." She released him for a moment, grabbed her robe, threw it on and let the towel drop to the floor from underneath her robes. "Better?" She asked with a grin as she tied it.

"Much." He replied, desperately trying to tear his eyes away.

*****

After helping Remus back to his bedroom she turned around and closed the door behind her. She heard a set of footsteps walking along the hallway towards her direction and stop. Not giving the person another thought she started limping back to her room when the person set their hand on her shoulder and spun her around, making her stumble into the wall. "What the hell was that for?" She said angrily as she pushed herself off the wall. Looking up from the floor she saw Snape towering over her with a deadly scowl upon his face. His knuckles slowly turned white as he clenched his fists tighter down at his sides and his eyes were as dark as the depths of Hell. Waiting for a reply, she leaned back against the wall to take pressure off her irritated leg. "You didn't answer me, why did you do that?" She stated plainly, glaring back at him.