The Darkest Star | Sirius Black |

6

Sirius could feel the horror slowly creeping through his insides. He was in the Hospital Wing, sitting upright and contemplating the looks of concern, slowly growing to terror on the faces of his three friends.

"Suiris! Suiris! Etam! Tahw's gnorw? Yhw era ouy gnikool ta su ekil taht?"

Sirius couldn't understand a word James was saying. He had in fact just woken up to the worn out faces of his three mates. When they saw him open his eyes, they brightened up and immediately began to speak to him excitedly. The only problem was that he couldn't understand a word they were saying.

This was further compounded by the fact that the right side of his face was heavily swollen and though Madam Pomfrey had administered the necessary treatment, it prevented him from moving his mouth thereby rendering him unable to speak. He couldn't even tell his friends that he couldn't understand them.

"Ebyam eh si llits yggorg morf eht llaf."

Remus moved closer towards him and crouched slightly so that he was eye to eye with Sirius. He placed his hands on Sirius' shoulder and spoke.

"Suiris! uoy nod't evah ot kaeps. Tsuj don ro ekahs rouy deah! Era ouy thgirla?"

Poor Sirius felt petrified. Had something happened to him during the fall? Had he been rendered mad? Why were his friends speaking gibberish? Was he dreaming? But the pain in his face felt very real so there was no chance he was dreaming. What in the name of Merlin was going on?

Then,

"You three! I told you visiting hours were over! What are you still doing here?"

An irate Madam Pomfrey loomed behind them. Sirius looked from Madam Pomfrey to his friends in shock and then it hit him.

James fell on to a nearby bed, laughing so hard that tears gushed out from his eyes. Peter, who hadn't taken part in the activity, was infected by James' laughing and he too broke in to fits of laughter. Remus was the only one who was seemingly composed but upon looking at Sirius' face once again, he too broke down.

Madam Pomfrey looked bewildered while Sirius looked on, enraged at the three Marauders, who were laughing their stomachs off.

"These boys! I'll never know what they are thinking! Just a minute ago, they were seriously talking and now they are laughing like mad! Merlin save me!" muttered Madam Pomfrey. "Five more minutes! After that you'd better leave or I'll hex you out of here."

"Under-understood, Madam Pomfrey," choked Remus, as he got up on his feet while the other two were still rolling around clutching their abdomens.

It was just as well that Sirius was unable to speak because the words that were on the tip of his tongue were by no means ceremonious.

Madam Pomfrey left them to their mischief, still shaking her head. Remus sat on the foot of Sirius' bed while a slightly weak in the stomach James, made himself comfortable alongside Sirius as he snuggled beside him and put an arm around his shoulders. Peter was left sitting on the adjacent bed.

"You should have seen the look on your face," said James, his eyes full of mirth. "It was priceless, I tell you! Bloody priceless!"

Sirius glared back and flipped the bird at him. He pointed it at Remus and Peter too. This only made them laugh harder.

Sirius gave James a woebegone look as if to say 'I can't believe you scared me like that! I was terrified.'

James snorted at him in understanding. "Serves you right, you nitwit! You almost lost the game for us trying to be a gentleman."