A/N: Title of this collection inspired by "The World Is Mine" by Alex Day.
For: The forum-wide competition on HPFC.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
House: Ravenclaw

Week: One
Word Prompt: Mark
Task: All participants were given different word prompts, which we had to use with at least two different meanings throughout our entry.
Summary: Remus isn't feeling too well, and Sirius isn't going to let him suffer.

The Gryffindor Common Room was a hushed place, filled only with the noise of scratching quills and flipping pages, drowning out the whispers of younger students. When anyone dared to speak up or enter the room in a noisy fashion, the Fifth and Seventh Year students would immediately snap at them to shut the hell up. When anyone decided to be annoying, to kick the table or tap their quill on the desk, they'd soon be sorted out. Why, you may ask, is this environment so?

In one word, one simple word that even the dumbest of people could understand: exams.

OWLs and NEWTs were coming up, stressing the Fifth and Seventh Year out immensely. Even students like Peter Pettigrew and Mary McDonald were caught studying after lessons, desperate to make their final mark higher at the end of it all.

The portrait opened and a messy, ill-looking Remus Lupin stumbled through. Trying to make as little noise as possible, he shuffled through the room and fell with a sigh next to Sirius, who sat cross-legged on the floor, frowning over a book. However, he looked up as his friend collapsed beside him.

"What's up with you?"

"My head is killing me. I can't concentrate."

"You look like you've been chased by a dragon or something."

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if I ripped half of my uniform in stress."

"And you've got chocolate on your..." He trailed off, licking his thumb and swiping it over the side of Remus's mouth, like a mother would to a small child, cleaning the chocolate off. It was only after he'd done it, and was in the process of licking it from his thumb, that he'd realised what he'd done. He froze, and Remus blushed, as an awkward silence settled between them.

It lasted a few minutes as Sirius watched Remus carefully and the younger boy kept his eyes on the floor. Eventually, Remus broke it with, "Yeah, um, I stained my shirt quite a bit, too."

"I noticed," Sirius said, smirking.

Remus sighed and ran a hand through his hair, sticky with sweat, before rubbing his bloodshot eyes. Sirius closed his book in an instant, stood up, and held out a hand. He couldn't watch his best friend suffer.

"Come on, you're going to bed."

Remus looked at the hand for a moment under hooded lids, before taking Sirius's hand and pulling himself up. His hand slipped out of Sirius's, but Sirius kept hold of his wrist and he led him up the stairs to their dorm room.

"Sit." Remus sat on his bed obediently, shifting restlessly as Sirius retrieved him a pair of grey pyjamas, throwing them on the bed beside them. Wordlessly, he crouched down and started to undo Remus's shoes, pulling them off. He looked up to see Remus watching him.

"You'll be more comfortable in pyjamas, you know."

"I can change myself, you know," Remus retorted.

Sirius held up his hands in surrender and shuffled away, still sitting on the floor. "Okay, okay. I'm no where near you now."

"Don't look," Remus warned, standing up slowly and reaching for the top buttons of his shirt.

Sirius snorted. "Like I haven't seen it all before." But when Remus glared, he sighed and turned around. "I'm not looking. Happy?"

Remus merely grunted in response, started to unbutton his shirt. He turned his back on Sirius, just missing Sirius turning around and peeking. His shirt dropped to the floor, and Sirius bit back a sad sigh at the scars on Remus's back, each one a memory, a sign, a mark, reminding him of what he was every time he looked in the mirror or glanced down at himself. It upset Sirius, knowing how much pain Remus went through every month, but not truly understanding because he'd never had to experience it himself.

"Hey, don't peek!"

Sirius apologised quickly and turned around, starting to throw his book between either hand in order to distract himself. Remus changed quickly, keeping his eyes on Sirius's back, sure to stop him from peeking again. Sirius flirted with Remus a lot, a joke between two close friends, and it was obvious how much he cared for the Marauders, but he had never been as mothering as he was acting now, what with the cleaning and the changing. It was weird, even for Sirius, to show such affection.

"Done," Remus said, falling back onto the edge of his bed.

Sirius caught his book one final time and twirled around, spinning his way onto his feet. He stood there for a moment, looking at Remus's exhausted face as he perched carefully on the bed. "Moony, just get into bed," he said simply when Remus showed no sign of moving. Remus glanced at him curiously for a moment before obeying orders and crawling up the bed, under the covers. He followed Sirius with his eyes as the Black made his way up to his bed, sitting beside him. Sirius ran his hand through Remus's hair, smiling slightly as Remus closed his eyes at the touch.

He pulled out his wand and waved it at the windows, muttering a spell Remus had taught him to darken the glass. Remus opened his eyes blearily at this, smiling his thanks at Sirius before closing them again. Sirius rested his hand on Remus's cheek, who leaned into it instantly.

"You need to stop pushing yourself, mate," Sirius said quietly. "Get some rest." He sat there for a while, watching Remus as he drifted off, waiting to hear the quiet, tell-tale signs of slumber. As Remus started snoring softly, Sirius knew he was finally asleep, and so he leaned down and placed a kiss upon his forehead.

He hesitated for a moment, leaning over his friend, before standing up and crossing the room, sitting on his own bed. He opened his book again, knowing that he didn't really have to study to pass at least half his NEWTs, but admitting it would help get a couple extra marks.

But even as he tried to study, even after James and Peter had joined him in the dorm to avoid the eerie, hushed atmosphere of the common room, he couldn't stop his eyes flickering to Remus's sleeping, snoring, peaceful figure across the room.

Word Count: 1,067
Number of meanings used: Three

Reviews are greatly appreciated (: