scars || sirius black

14 - ok, that's pretty bad

The next morning, Lily was the first one up. Still smiling at the memory of one James Potter in the Astronomy Tower last night where they whiled away the hours under the starlight, she tiptoed over to Emmy's bed and shook her awake.

Her friend was always up for an adventure, and she figured she wouldn't mind a trip back up the tower to collect Lily's shoes from where she left them the night before. She would never pass up the opportunity to catch the sunset.

What she wasn't prepared for the sight of Emmy's back. Her loose pyjama shirt had fallen off her shoulder and down her back revealing long ragged claw marks. Lily jolted and stumbled back. In hindsight she'd suspected it for weeks but the reality was jarring.

She whipped around as she heard a sharp gasp from the doorway. Marlene stood there, looking as if she'd seen a ghost. But before Lily could speak, the others awoke at the commotion and looked around.

Their peaceful faces twisted into shock as they saw Emmy's sleeping figure. And the scars.

All the scars.

Realising she no longer had a choice to keep Emmy's secret she optioned for damage-control. Lily hurried to the door and shut it, twisting the key in the lock. All she could do now was damage control.

"I can explain. But please, not a word. To anyone," she hissed.

"What the hell happened? How old are these?" asked Alice scrambling out of bed, but Lily held her back before she reached Emmy.

Marlene was stuck in the doorway still, motionless.  Dorcas and Mary stumbled forward, horror-stricken.

"Who did this to her?" asked Mary, a look of icy rage on her face. It was a startling contrast to her usual self.

Marlene spoke, her voice no more than a whisper.

"She did it to herself."

Lily winced as the others spluttered.

"What?" Alice yelped before she was shushed.

The last thing she wanted to happen was Emmy to wake up and have to confront this just as they were finding out.

"I've only seen scars like that on one other person. My uncle was-" she took a shuddered breath. "My uncle... was a werewolf."

Dorcas gripped the bed post and sat down heavily, face pale as a sheet.

"Not Emmy, surely?"

"That's why she keeps missing classes," murmured Mary, tears filling her eyes.

"I can't even imagine trying to keep it a secret for so long," muttered Marlene, sitting down heavily.

"Do you think Remus...?" murmured Alice.

"Yes, Al," she gritted out.

Suddenly Emmy stirred and nuzzled further into her pillow. They froze.

After a minute Lily spoke, voice no more than a whisper, "Look, I know this is a lot to deal with but for Emmy's sake..."

"We know, Lils," Alice murmured. "We won't say a word."

She crouched down next to Emmy's bed and stoked a trembling hand through the sleeping girl's hair.

"Let's just talk about this when she wakes up."

—————

Emmy awoke to a messy dormitory and an awful hangover. The sun she always loved to wake up to streamed through the windows, only made her headache worse.