Morning came far too soon. Snow had fallen during the night and it rested in brightly glistening drifts on the windowsill, reflecting the sun's cheerful rays into the room. Remus groaned at the blazing color which lit his eyelids, and he rolled away from the window, groping momentarily for the scarlet bed curtains before managing to pull them closed. Immediately, he was shielded from the light.
"AHWOOOO AOOWH AOWWH OWROOO!" Remus cursed under his breath as the loud sound of howling suddenly began to blare from his bedside table. He yanked the curtains open again and slammed his hand against the alarm clock, which had started to sprout pointed, furry ears. With a whimper, it fell silent. Remus pressed his face against the thick white pillow wistfully for one more moment, then pushed himself up to sit at the edge of the mattress. "Thanks, Sirius," he grumbled, eyeing the clock grudgingly.
The room was still empty - Peter had not been there when Remus came back. This meant he was still staying in the hospital wing, and at that thought, Remus felt a twinge of unease. He had been so focused on Severus, he hadn't even noticed where Peter's cot was, or whether the activity had woken him. And if Peter had been awake, Remus wondered how much he had heard and been able to deduce.
At the thought of Severus, he felt another uncomfortable twinge in his stomach. It was almost a feeling of disappointment, though Remus knew he had no right to feel any resentment or anger. "What did you expect," he asked quietly to himself. "Did you think he would just fall into your arms?" It was foolish to have believed his presence could have been any comfort... still, he wished he had not been so unceremoniously expelled from the bedside.
There was yet another twisting feeling deep inside him, but this time, it was more a pang of hunger than anything else. Remus realized he had not eaten since lunchtime the day before, and even that had been a small meal. He glanced again at the wereclock - 9:23. It would be cutting it close, but he thought maybe if he hurried, he might still make it to breakfast.
Severus woke with a start. Longs streams of light were pouring into the large room, and he hardly even needed to look at the clock on the wall to know that it was already well into the morning. He had only slept a couple hours, and very lightly at that.
As he rubbed his eyes wearily, a sudden, soft flutter of wings to his left caused him to jump. Cinnabar, his owl, sat perched atop his suitcase, and the familiar yellow eyes brought him a momentary feeling of comfort. The corners of his lips twitched at her inquisitive stare. With some effort, he stretched himself towards the suitcase and unzipped a small pouch, extracting a bag of owl treats.
"You're in luck," he told the bird quietly as he gave her a couple mouse-flavored pellets. "And I am also in luck," he added, "to have an owl as trustworthy as you."
"I wondered who they brought in last night..." A tentative voice called out from a cot against the opposite wall. The wheezy, high-pitched tone was unmistakable. Sure enough, when Severus looked up, he saw Peter Pettigrew, sitting up and staring at him from across the room.
"So it is you." He gawked openly at the bruises on Severus' face and arms. "What happened to you?"
"I don't believe that's any of your business, Pettigrew," Severus replied coldly. He took note of the greenish tint and scaly pattern on Peter's ears and neck.
"But it's business enough for Remus, is it?" Severus was taken aback for a moment by Peter's insolence and he found himself at a loss for words. It seemed Peter took this lapse as a sign of weakness and he continued. "I thought you left for the holiday. Don't your parents even want you around? Did your muggle father drink one too many whiskeys? Those look like scratches on your arms - did he set the family dog on you, too?" Peter was obviously enjoying the feeling of empowerment as he watched a flush of red spread across Severus' frozen face. "I heard someone say they saw your owl in the Great Hall last night...couldn't fend for yourself? Came begging for help to Remus, no less. I always knew you weren't so tough. Wait until James and Sirius hear about how much you cried last night in your sleep, Snivellus."
Severus leapt from the bed and reached for his wand, which was resting on top of the suitcase. "You sick fuck, you'll be sorry-" Sparks flickered at the end of his wand as his fingers gripped its hilt. He raised his arm, weighing the different spells he could choose to use.
"Enough, both of you!" As Peter scrambled from his own bed and grabbed the wand which lay on the bedside table, Madam Pomfrey rushed into the room. She stood between them, looking rather cross and a tad bit worried. "Wands away!" Both boys reluctantly obeyed, a look of relief on Peter's face and a look of tormenting fury on Severus'. "Now what is the issue?" She demanded, looking back and forth at the two of them.
"Nothing at all," Severus replied curtly, reaching for his robes, folded neatly at the foot of the bed. Peter said nothing and simply sat back down. Madam Pomfrey watched as Severus pulled on his shoes and grabbed the handle of his suitcase. "Don't you think you should stay and rest a while longer?"
"No. Why?" He regretted the irritation in his voice, and tried to force a smile in her direction. "I'm fine, really. Thank you for housing me overnight, but I'd like to get back to my dorm. Lizard breath here is making me nauseous." He scowled at Peter as he walked past, muttering in an undertone, "I would be careful what you say." He snapped his fingers when he opened the door, and Cinnabar swooped once towards Peter menacingly as she followed Severus into the hallway.
He welcomed the familiar green glow of the Slytherin common room. It was empty, save for a snoring lump of blankets on one of the leather sofas. A few empty fire whiskey bottles lay scattered around on the stone floor, and as he approached, the student stirred and turned his head. "Mmfff. Some'n there?" It was Avery, who had evidently and unsurprisingly had too much to drink. Severus rolled his eyes and continued up the stone stairs towards the boys' dorm.
Once he had set down his luggage, he sat down on the edge of his bed. The other three were vacant - Rosier, Mulciber, and Baddock had all gone away for the holiday. Severus considered attempting to sleep for a couple more hours, but he did not want to be left alone with his thoughts. Instead, he decided to pay heed to the hunger nagging at his stomach, and to unpack his suitcase later.
Remus jumped down the last few steps of the marble staircase, but as he came into view of the long tables in the Great Hall, he was sorely disappointed to see the last of the baked goods fading from their platters. He groaned, and so did his stomach.
"I'm afraid it's a little late for breakfast, Remus..." Dumbledore's voice called from behind him, and he turned to see the headmaster descending the steps towards him. "However," he said, with a slight twinkle in his eye, "I am sure that the leftovers have not yet been disposed of. If you were to hurry down to the kitchens, I'm sure the elves would be happy to provide you with a couple blueberry scones, or perhaps one of those delectable cinnamon buns. I sent word that there might be a couple hungry students wandering the halls this morning..."
Remus, who had been imagining a cinnamon bun and a cup of coffee, glanced up nervously at the slight shift in tone. He knew it was inevitable that Dumbledore would want to talk about Severus, but Remus had no desire to think about what had happened, not now. Still, he waited obediently for Dumbledore to continue.
"Don't worry, I'll let you get to your breakfast. I will want to talk to you soon, though...and to him, as well. But I don't feel the main entrance to Hogwarts is the most discreet place to discuss such matters - do you?" Remus gave a half-smile and shrugged. "No, sir...these portraits listen a little too attentively."
"Very true. But I have only one brief concern, before you chase after those pastries. Madam Pomfrey has informed me of Severus' departure from the hospital wing this morning. She also mentioned you left sometime during the night. Did anything happen that I should know about?"
Remus shrugged again. "No sir, I was - I was tired, and I thought maybe it would be better for him to have his own space for a while." He felt awkward, thinking of the way Severus had exploded. He hoped Dumbledore was not reading his mind.
"Very well. I may send word for you later, but for now, it would be best for you to get to the kitchens." With that, Dumbledore nodded and turned. Remus stood still for a brief moment before also turning and making his way briskly towards the dungeon steps.