Mischief Managed Year One: Mayhem of the Moon

Chapter Forty-Two- Memory Madness

TWs: Mentions of Kidnapping and Traumatic Experience

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Detention with McGonagall was much less confusing and worrisome than detention with Professor Blavatnik. That being said, Remus still did NOT appreciate being there. Even if it was in the company of his dumb roommates, Patricia, and Dorcas who had joined in at the last minute.

"Of all the irresponsible..."

On and on went the lecture from their reasonably stern Professor. A week from now was the full moon but it could have been tomorrow for how irritated Remus was with all his so-called friends.

A total of fifty points from Gryffindor, which put them last in house points, and a week of detentions for all of them. Of course, after detention, Patricia seemed a little put-down. But by the time they reached the common room declared proudly it was "so worth it." Dorcas wasn't much better, and of course, James and Sirius found the whole thing outrageously funny.

Remus did not. He did not find the public humiliation of one Severus Snape remotely funny, and even less funny was when upon entering the common room he was yanked to the side by an irate Lily. True to her word, she wasn't about to ignore Remus again when mad at him, but he almost would have preferred that.

"It got in his eye...stained pink...unbelievable...irresponsible...Dorcas...too but I'll deal with her later...expected better..."

He found himself drifting in and out of focus of her stern lecture, quite lectured out by Professor McGonnagal and feeling rather off today.

"Remus, are you even listening?"

He almost said no but nodded instead, casting his eyes on the floor.

"Lily, I'm sorry I didn't...I didn't want to."

"Then why did you? At least Dorcas seems to think Severus is some sort of bad person. But you're his friend, Remus!"

That was the problem, wasn't it? The reason why he felt so annoyed at his roommates, why he felt particularly awful about this. Severus really had become a sort of a friend...sort of.

"I don't know...I didn't know...I wasn't feeling good today and they dragged me into it," he finally muttered. It was the truth!

During a break from classes and before lunch when the prank had occurred, Remus had gone back to the library and poured through old newspapers from around the time he was found from being kidnapped. He wasn't sure of the exact dates but he knew, vaguely remembered, that there had been a big argument with his father and a ministry official about not posting Remus' picture.

In the end, his father had won and Remus' name hadn't even been released, the picture instead of being of him, being just of Greyback. At least that's what he was hoping for. He'd be at a dead-end if the picture was only of a wolf.

He had been scanning through paper after paper of that year for weeks, as Remus had forced himself not to get upset and paranoid about it. He still had class and friends and blowing off steam with them which was partly why it was taking so long. Also, he knew he was dragging his feet, more than a little afraid to see the picture, afraid it may make him remember things he tried to forget.

So he wasn't really expecting a different outcome earlier during the day. But had found, at last, Greyback's picture.

Of course, his response to Lily that he went along with the prank since he felt off sounded more like an excuse, and it probably was one. Since him being in a fog the rest of the day really didn't excuse what had happened to Severus.