Half-Breed [ON HOLD]

seven

1975;
THE MORNING AFTER

The next morning Remus Lupin woke up in the shrieking shack with a smile on his face. His body ached terribly and due to the pain that emanated from his wrist he was sure at some point during the night had sprained it, but there was no blood pooling around him, nor would there be any new scars.

He looked up from his place on the floor to see three animals- a stag, a large black dog, and a tiny rat -curled up in the corner of the room, asleep. Remus grabbed the blanket from the bed and used it to cover himself; if his clothes weren't locked up in the cupboard outside the room they'd never survive the night.

"Prongs," Remus hissed, he didn't want to get up and physically wake them but Madam Promfrey, the school healer would be here soon, "Padfoot!" The stag started to stir.

"Wormtail! Prongs!" Remus reached onto the bed once more, only to grab a pillow, "Wake up!" He threw the pillow at the three animals with such a force that the rat fell from the spot on the dogs head and onto the wooden floor with a high pitched squeak.

Suddenly the animals were awake, and then, in the blink of an eye, they were no longer animals. Instead, three disheveled Gryffindor boys stood there. Remus sat up and leaned against the bed.

"What the fuck Moony?" Peter grumbled as he rubbed his eyes.

"The sun's up! Madam Pomfrey will be here soon!" Suddenly the boys were more alert. If the healer caught the three boys here before her and without a scratch on them she'd wonder just how they managed to evade a werewolf. And if she got her answers it'd meantime in Azkaban.

"Alright, before we get going do you need anything? Water?" James wondered. Remus shook his head.

"No, no, just go-and be careful." The three boys nodded, only to stop short of the door when Remus called out for them to wait.

"Thank you," the werewolf said earnestly. Each boy smiled at him, James gave a large lopsided grin and Sirius pulled back his top lip so that his top row of teeth were showing and Peter beamed at him like a small child getting recognition from their parent.

"'s no sweat Moons," Sirius told the boy, "Happy to help out a friend. You do the same for one us." And then with a nod of the head from Remus boys were gone, only to shortly be replaced by a middle-aged healer.

She didn't comment on his lack of cuts or that the room, for the first time in five years, was still the same way he'd left it before his transformation. Instead she helped set him on the bed and slowly helped him change into his pants.

"Now Mr. Lupin," the woman fussed as buttoned his pants. "What hurts?"

"My wrist," Remus told her shyly as he held out his arm to her. The woman delicately took hold of and pressed the pads of her fingers against the skin; Remus hissed in pain as she turned it over so his palm was facing up.

"It seems to be you've sprained your wrist Mr. Lupin." Remus nodded his head.

Thought so. Madam Pomfrey pointed her wand against the skin of his wrist.

"Episkey," the healer said clearly. The skin was still swollen to the touch but the pain had disappeared instantaneously.

"Thank you Madam Pomfrey," Remus said after he slipped on his sweater. Thankfully it had been a Sunday which meant all he had to do was go to breakfast to maintain the air of normality and then pass out in his dorm.

"You're welcome Mr. Lupin." Remus wondered, as they existed the Shrieking Shack and walked the underground trail, Would Madam Pomfrey ever not call me Mr. Lupin? If there would be a day she'd address him as Remus-he had been under her care more times then he'd ever care to admit, and the woman at times did act like his mother, asking him, as they wandered up to the school, how his grades and friends were.

"Well Mr. Lupin," the healer said as they came to a stop at the large Hogwarts entrance, "This is where I tell you to go eat and then take it easy for the rest of the day. We don't need you falling asleep in another potions class, do we?"

And then, with a kind smile, she left, leaving Remus to wonder, as he walked towards the Great Hall, just how she'd known he'd fallen asleep in Slughorn class earlier that week when he hadn't told her.

As Remus approached the Great Hall he noticed both Meadowes and Leonie quietly arguing outside the doors of the Hall, something which unsettled him because the two never fought. While he and Leonie were a team, two halves that completed a whole well-oiled machine that yes, at times broke down momentarily, Leonie and Dorcas, in the five years they'd known one another never had that problem, they never fought.

"-ore careful-," Dorcas hissed.

"Is everything okay here?" Remus questioned, his eyes narrowed suspiciously at Meadowes who, like she always had, had given him a cold look. Leonie jumped at the sound of Remus's voice.

"Yes!" she squeaked, only to register a few seconds later that it was Remus she was talking to. The half-Veela jumped into the werewolf's arms, which he didn't hesitate to wrap around her middle in order to catch her.

She tilted her head back and smiled widely at him, "You're okay?"

Remus looked down at her and noticed that she was wearing an old green jumper of his, that once he'd grown out of, he'd given her. Or maybe it was one of the ones she stole. Half his wardrobe was probably in her trunk.

"Great," he told her tiredly. Her smiled slightly dimmed. Leonie let go of Remus and turned to Dorcas,

"I'll meet you inside, save me a seat next to you, okay?"

"You mean you're going to go sit next to Lupin and his mates," Dorcas crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back on the heels of her platforms.

Leonie frowned, "No I mean I'm going to sit next to you." Dorcas huffed at her friend but said nothing, and instead stormed into the Great Hall.

Remus looked at Leonie worriedly, "Is everything okay?"

"Of course," Leonie waved him off, "Now how are you, really? I haven't seen the boys yet-did it work?"

Remus knew she was lying, that she'd changed the subject on purpose, but as he looked into Leonie's sad, worried eyes he felt compelled to reassure her that he was okay. That for once everything was okay.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't," Remus said. Leonie's hand cupped the side of his face and her thumb traced under the bags under his eyes.

"I-," Even though he had never studied in legilimency he knew Leonie well enough to practically hear the words she wasn't saying.

I'm so happy. I'm glad you never have to go through another full moon alone. I'm proud that the boys managed to pull off such advanced magic. I'm so happy.

Instead of saying verbally anything Remus pulled Leonie closer to him and rested his chin on her head and wondered just how he got so lucky to have all these amazing people in his life.

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word count: 1231
a/n: hey guys so wht'cha think? like i know its short but im sick atm so...
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