The Marauders: Moony

Remus And Broken Bones

They awoke the next morning and found Remus huddled on the forest floor, his eyebrows hunched in pain as he growled and groaned.

"Remus? What is it?" Peter asked, used to seeing Remus in pain, but not to this extent.

"My ankle!" He managed through gritted teeth, wincing and hissing through the pain.

From one glance, they all knew that his ankle was broken. The bones looked ready to poke through his skin.

"Come on, we'll get you up to Poppy and she'll fix it." James said cheerily.

As the three boys lifted Remus, pain rippled through his body and he let out a scream before the pain took over his senses and his vision slowly began to fade.

The boys grabbed James's cloak, which he always had with him, and placed it over Remus as they carried him through the castle so that he would not be seen.

They uncloaked him when they reached the hospital wing, where Madam Pomfrey had already been anticipating their arrival, knowing that the full moon had been the night before.

"Quickly, put him on the bed!" She shouted, hurrying towards him.

***

Remus began to drift into consciousness. He looked down and noticed Sirius's head on his lap, asleep. He gently stroked Sirius's mass of black hair with his long thin fingers, a smile starting to grow on his face. Peter and James were sat at the bottom of his bed too, James sleeping and Peter eating a chocolate frog.

"What's the verdict Poppy?" He croaked as Madam Pomfrey walked past.

Sirius awoke at the sound of his voice and lifted his head, rubbing his eyes.

"It will take a couple of days to heal, but other than the ankle you seem to be in good shape Mr Lupin." She said, applying a little more ointment and beginning to bandage up the ankle.

"Does that mean I can leave? I seem to be spending half my life here in the hospital wing!" Remus complained.

"That's down to your head of house." She said, wandering off to deal with a first year who was spewing up slugs.

"Oh, Minnie loves me, leave it to me." James said, standing up, a smirk gracing his face.

The wait for James to return took an eternity. To break up the time Peter pulled out his wizard chess board and the three boys took turns playing. Remus looked out the window and noticed that it was getting dark when James finally walked back through the large wooden doors.

His eyes lit up at Potter's arrogant walk and smirk, knowing that it was good news.

"Well, as long as you can find a way to transport him around the castle I don't see an issue Mr Potter." He said, in his best imitation voice of McGonagall.

Madam Pomfrey's face lit up and she swished her wand, conjuring up a wheelchair, which Remus practically flew out of the bed into.

As the four boys reached the grand staircase, Peter got his wand out to levitate Remus's wheelchair when Remus's eyes lit up.

"Guys! I've had an idea!" He said, with the excited look of a five year old in a sweet shop.

***

The dummy didn't take long to make. The boys stuffed some of Remus's clothes with pillows from their dorm, and the house elves were more than happy to make a replica of Remus's head at Peter's request, and they didn't care to ask what the purpose of it was.

The four boys waited patiently at the top of the staircase, the dummy sat in Remus's wheelchair while Remus sat at the top of the stairs, barely able to contain his grin. 

Up close the features weren't very similar, but from far away, all anyone would see is a figure in a wheelchair, wearing Remus's favourite jumper, and hence guess that it was Remus. The anticipation began to build as they waited for their victim.

"She's coming! She's coming!" Peter whispered, at which point Sirius jumped up and grabbed the handles of the wheelchair.

"Are you ready Remus?" He bellowed, causing McGonagall to look up the staircases. However, by the time she noticed what was happening, it was too late, and the wheelchair was hurtling down the staircases, narrowly missing her on its descent towards the ground.

"MR BLACK!" She screeched, pointing her wand at the wheelchair and attempting to stop it.

"I MEANT LEVITATE HIM!" She shouted, her eyes wide in disbelief.

She began marching up the staircase towards Sirius, when she noticed Remus sitting on the floor, weak with laughter.

"Oh, Mr Lupin. Glad to see you're alright."

"It was just a dummy Minnie." James managed through fits of laughter.

"You boys! You... You... Marauders! The bunch of you!" She shrieked, before turning and marching away, a faint smile gracing her lips.

***

Remus wheeled himself along the corridor back towards the Gryffindor common room, when he came across Freya walking with a pile of books in her arms.

"Freya." He smiled.

"Oh Remus! What happened?" She asked, eyeing up his bandaged ankle and wheelchair.

Remus hadn't really thought up a very good excuse.

"Umm... I tripped."

"You tripped?" She asked, cocking her head to one side with a faint smile.

"Uhh... Yeah. You know me, very clumsy." He laughed.

She smiled and nodded and Remus let out a breath.

"Whatever will we do with you." She laughed, readjusting the books in her arms.

"Need some help with those?" Remus asked her.

"I'm just returning them to the library." She noted.

Remus reached up and took them from her arms and placed them on his lap, before spinning his wheelchair around and heading back towards the library. He was getting very good at controlling the wheelchair.

Freya relaxed her shoulders and stretched her aching arms before following Remus.

Once the books were returned the two began to wander, or in Remus's case wheel, around the castle, chatting and generally just enjoying time being in each other's presence.

Remus pondered over how it felt like he had known Freya a lot longer than he actually had. She felt safe, familiar, gentle. Sadness filled him when he realised that she was far too gentle to hang around with a werewolf. She would feel betrayed if she ever found out what he was. 

He decided then and there that she could never find out.