Disclaimer: I don't own them. I just make them sad. Hate me if you want.
The Jump
The wind whipped at my hair as I stared at the full moon.
I would not be able to be with my friends tonight, for the first time in years.
The astronomy tower was quiet. I came here often, just to get away from the noise, the idiocy...
And the thoughts.
The thoughts that sprung up every time Remus looked at me. Or maybe the right word was glare.
We had had a row earlier this month; I had been upset at him for something, and had made some random jibe against werewolves.
I really wished I hadn't.
James and Peter had tried to bridge the gap between us, without any success. Remus still hated me, and I still wished I were dead.
There they were again; the thoughts.
I realized too late that the astronomy tower was a bad place to come...
What if I jumped?
Was I brave enough to jump? Stupid enough? Desperate enough?
And if I did jump, would the fall kill me? Or would it just cause more pain?
They would find my body...what would they think of me then?
My family would probably be ashamed that a Black would succumb to such weakness.
Remus would think I was a coward.
That thought did it.
I pushed myself onto the ledge so that my legs dangled over the edge.
I looked up at the full moon, took a deep breath of the cool night air, and jumped.
***
I blinked at the sun that shone through the cracks in the boarded-up windows.
Last night's transformation had been a bad one. More painful than the others.
"Morning, Moony. How...how are you?" My eyes traveled and found James' face. He looked worried.
"Stiff, but I'll live." I grimaced and noticed the array of small cuts on my body. Usually, those were healed by Siri—
No. I wouldn't think of him.
"You were a bit...bored last night. You didn't like my horns, and Pete was scared, so...in the end, you just...left and goofed off in the forest."
I nodded.
"Pomfrey's coming. Thought you could use a patching up. I mean, usually...he...does that, but since...you know..." James swallowed. I realized that usually he would be in the great hall by now, stuffing his face with breakfast.
I grinned at him. "Go eat. I'll be fine by myself until Pomfrey comes."
He bit his lip. "You sure?"
"Go eat," I repeated.
He left.
A few minutes later, I heard hurried footsteps.
I was out of it when Pomfrey healed me, thinking only about my mutt ex-best-friend. How was he?
"Sausages," James moaned, shoving another into his mouth.
James, Peter and I sat around the table. We had asked around, but nobody had seen Sirius since before last night.
I laughed. "For someone who claims to be straight, you sure like sausages a lot, Prongs." Peter rolled with laughter at James' incredulous expression.
"Boys..."
All three of us turned around. Proffessor McGonagall stood behind us, a hanky dabbing at her eyes.
McGonagall was crying.
"Boys...there is something you should see."