Scars
Remus Lupin crawled gingerly into bed very late that night after he had finally convinced Madam Pomfrey to let him out of the Hospital Wing after a particularly rough transformation. He laid on his back and let the full pain of his wounds wash over him. He could feel the blood pulsing through the veins in his legs, and it only took the slightest touch for one of his many wounds to cry out in pain. Remus attempted to adjust himself into a slightly more comfortable position, but he let in a sharp intake of breath when he felt his shredded robes rub against one of his more sensitive wounds. He closed his eyes and mouth tight trying to hold in the scream he desperately wanted to release.
"Remus?" Remus heard a tentative voice say from across the room. He heard the light scraping of metal against wood, which signified that one of his roommates had pulled back the curtains on his four-poster bed. Remus did not have the strength to shift his body to face the voice and he did not want to risk any movement that may irritate his injuries. As Madam Pomfrey had warned him, he had wished he'd stayed in the hospital under her watchful eye and powerful potions that always reduced his pain after the full moon.
When Remus did not answer his caller, he heard the heavy padding of feet across the room and then saw a shadow cover his bed.
"Are you alright, mate?" Sirius Black's deep but soft voice whispered.
"Fine," Remus said. He attempted to mask his pain but was sorely disappointed when his voice sounded much weaker than he had wanted it to.
"You don't sound fine," Sirius replied sitting as softly as he could on the edge of Remus's four-poster. Remus winced and prepared for the pain he was about to feel. Sirius was careful, however, not to move any part of Remus's body. "I'm surprised Pomfrey let you leave the hospital wing in this state," he said. His voice sounded sarcastic, but when Remus stole a glance at his friend's face, he could see the worry etched across his aristocratic features.
"She didn't want to," Remus said agonizingly. He wished Sirius would leave him alone so he would not have to make any effort to move or talk, but it didn't seem Sirius would be leaving his side any time soon. "It took quite a bit of persuasion."
"Did she give you anything for the pain?" Sirius asked.
"She gave me a calming serum to put on the open wounds, but…" Remus looked as his bag at the foot of his bed. Sirius understood. Remus was too weak to apply the ointment to his wounds himself.
Sirius grabbed the bag and began rooting through its contents. When he found a tube that he assumed was the calming serum, he twisted off the cap and said, "You know, you really should have stayed in the hospital wing." He gently lifted one of the arms of Remus's robes. Remus clinched his jaw at the feeling of the material on his wounds but was instantly relaxed when he felt Sirius dabbing the calming serum onto some of the more nasty looking cuts on his arm.
"I know," Remus gasped out. "I just hate it in there."
"Understandable," Sirius replied as he continued to tend to Remus, moving on to his next arm. "But Remus, you're clearly in extreme pain. I think a stay in the hospital wing is worth it."
"You don't have to do this," Remus said as Sirius opened the front of his robes and exposed the gruesome gashes across Remus's chest and stomach. Sirius shivered slightly at the sight of the wounds but then squeezed some of the calming serum onto his fingers.
"Well, I wouldn't," Sirius said. "But the last thing I want is to hear you crying all night. I need to get some sleep." Sirius smirked, and Remus was extremely thankful. He knew Sirius would normally never get this close to one of his mates, but he also knew that Sirius was always very concerned about Remus after his transformations. Remus's body was feeling better already as a result of the serum, but he didn't want Sirius to feel like he had to continue.
After several minutes of silence while Sirius applied the calming serum, almost all of Remus's wounds were soothed by Madam Pompfrey's potion. Sirius put the tube back into Remus's bag and looked at his friend. "Better?" he asked.
"Much," Remus sighed. "Thanks."
"Well, no more whining. I've got to get my beauty sleep." Sirius got up from Remus's bed and moved onto his own. He laid on his back, and Remus listened to his breathing. He never heard Sirius go into the deep, slow breathing that sleep brings, and he knew that Sirius was waiting for him to fall asleep first. Remus could still feel his high blood pressure, but the calming serum had significantly reduced his pain. Remus closed his eyes and let sleep come. A few minutes later, Sirius allowed sleep as well.
