Harry Potter

A Wizards War

Chapter 7

Suspicions Sickness

January 30, 2018

"Ah but it's all in good fun Minerva, Valentines day isn't that far off you know." Professor Slughorn said in as he sat next to her at dinner.

"I bet you anything my house or more specifically four of my first years did that." McGonagall said as she waved a hand over at the Slytherin table.

"No harm was done Minerva, just leave it be as a fantastic practical Joke that we have no idea who perpetrated." Slughorn said with a laugh, he'd always had a good sense of humor even if it was at the cost of his own house. All of the Slytherin Students hair and clothes were pink with little red and white hearts all over them. Not just that their entire common room and all of the dorms were the same way but with the addition of dung bomb smell.

"How can you be so forgiving Horace?" McGonagall asked curiously as she frowned at her house table.

"Lighten up it's all a bit of fun. I am curious as to why they pulled it a few weeks early. It would have been amazing on Valentines day here in the Great Hall." Slughorn said with a far off dreamy look, imagining what the entire school would have looked like.

~*~*~*~ Gryffindor Table ~*~*~*~

"Remus are you sure you are alright? What time did you guy's get back into your dorm last night?" Marie asked curiously beside him, she was worried about him he looked tired almost like he hadn't slept for days. Marie was sitting with the guy's because Lily wasn't talking to her either after catching her with the guy's yesterday coming up from dinner.

"Look at that isn't it amazing, it only took us an hour past curfew." Peter said happily as he laughed at the Slytherin table, which was being quite and salty to the rest of the school.

"Mate you may need to go to the Hospital Wing, you look like you've caught something." James said worried.

"I'll go after dinner." Remus said tiredly as he looked at his friends and gave them a weak smile.

"No you're coming now." Marie said as she stood up then pulled him out of his seat.

"I second that." James and Sirius said also standing up intent on dragging him up there if they had too.

"Alright I give, but I can go on my own I don't' need an escort." Remus said as he went to step over the bench at the table. He didn't pick his back foot up high enough and it caught making him stumble and nearly face plant into the floor.

"Bloody hell Remus." Marie said as she caught him then her cheeks turned red as she looked down and saw where his hands had braced himself. Naturally James and Sirius had stupid lopsided grins on their lips busted out laughing.

"I'm so sorry Marie..." Remus said as he realized where his hands had landed on her chest trying to keep his balance and he suddenly let go also turning red in embarrassment.

"Wow Remus moves faster than you James." Sirius said elbowing James in the ribs then began laughing hysterically again with James.

"Shut it Sirius." Marie said as she glared over at him then turned and helped Remus out of the Great Hall with the two cackling Hyenas behind them.

"I didn't mean to do that..." Remus said as he looked away from her under the pretense of watching the stairs as they climbed up to the Hospital wing.

"I know Remus it was an accident, no worries." Marie said with a sweet smile over at her friend as she used her shoulder against his to get him to look up at her.

"Ah Mr. Lupin I was wondering...if you were going to come see me you looked a little peaky today at lunch." Madam Pumphry said changing her track of thought when she saw that several other students came in with him. She had caught the terror that flashed across his face when she had started speaking to him.

"He's seemed weak the last two days, we wanted to make sure he came to see you." Marie said as she nudged him forward towards Madam Pumphry.

"Well come along deary lets see." Madam Pumphry said with a small smile with an arm out to lead Remus farther into the Hospital. After several minutes she looked up from examining him to see his friend were still there waiting anxiously. "It seems Mr. Lupin has a nasty virus, he will be staying here in the Hospital wing for the next few days without visitors if you please so he can recover. Head on back to your house and I'll inform Professor McGonagall." she said with a shooing motion.

"Alright bye Remus hope you get to feeling better." Marie said with a sweet smile and a wave before she turned to leave.

"We'll take notes for you. See you when you're feel better." James said as he waved and followed Marie out of the room.

"It's not going to be the same without you. We'll have to plan the next big one when you are feeling better." Sirius joked and laughed as he turned and followed the other two out of the Hospital room.

Madam Pumphry followed them to the door to make sure they were gone then sighed. "Well that was a close one Mr. Lupin." she said slightly reproachful as she turned and made her way back to him.

"I know I'm sorry I waited too long to get here." Remus said and sighed sadly as he fell back onto the hospital bed. "Tomorrow's moon is in the day time..."

"Yes it is. We'll have to get you out of the castle rather early Mr. Lupin so get some rest." Madam Pumphry said as she pulled the screens around his bed to give him privacy and to keep nosy friends from being able to see him from the door.

"I hate this! Why can't I be normal?" Remus asked agitated as he rolled over and buried his face into his pillow.

"It'll be alright Mr. Lupin." Madam Pumphry said softly as she patted him on the back trying to comfort him with a frown on her face. It tore at her heart when there was absolutely nothing she could do to ease his suffering. Such a young boy shouldn't have to endure such heartache and pains as Lycanthropy. "Get some rest dear." she said softly before turning and walking into her office.

~*~*~*~ The Next Day ~*~*~*~

"James what do you know about the Lupin's?" Marie asked quietly late next morning over in the boy's normal corner by the fire place.

"Just what Remus has told us why?" James asked curiously as he looked up from his homework, now that it was Sunday morning they had to get it done before returning to class tomorrow. They had to take notes for Remus and couldn't put off their homework like they unusually did.

"Just curious. He or someone in his family get's sick quite often." Marie said as she looked out the common room window it was nearing lunch time and she frowned lightly the moon was starting to rise which she thought was odd, moon should rise at night as far as she was concerned it didn't make sense to be up in the day time the sun was already up.

"What's up?" Sirius asked curiously looking from her to out the window wondering what had made her frown.

"Nothing just the full moon, silly thing should be up at night the sun comes up during the day." Marie said with a dismissive wave turning back to the fire where she was warming her feet. "It's colder than normal today." she said distractedly as she leaned up and put her socks and shoes back on so she could go down to the Great hall and eat lunch.

"Yeah well it is winter." James said as he continued to stare out the window, something about what Marie had said was bothering him. 'Remus or a family member is sick quite often...actually it seems to be about once a month...' he thought then shook his head this was just a stomach bug.

"I heard Remus is sick how is he?" a faint shy female voice said which caught all of their attentions suddenly.

"Evans!" James said shocked as he looked at her confused. She hadn't spoken to them in several days so far he was unsure of what to say to her after her explosion on him.

"He's fine Lily Madam Pumphry has him in the Hospital Wing." Marie said as she raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"Oh maybe I'll go see him." Lily said then turned to leave to go down to lunch.

"You can't Evans." James said as he stood up to follow after her.

"Oh really and why is that Potter?" Lily said angrily as she turned to glare at him.

"Lily calm down Madam Pumphry said he's not allowed to have visitors, that he needs rest." Marie said with a frown at her friend, she always seemed to jump to the worst conclusions when it came to James. She was absolutely sure that the Snape boy in Slytherin was the problem with that.

"Oh sorry." Lily said glancing at Marie then back to James.

"Evans what is it with me that you're always jumping down my throat?" James asked confused as he just stood there and stared at her.

"Why couldn't you have said he's not allowed to have visitors? No you told me I couldn't go see him like your my boss Potter." Lily said defensively as she glared up at him again.

"Oy lets not do this nonsense again shall we, I'm tired, actually all of Gryffindor is tired of listening to you Lily yelling at him for no reason." Marie said as she stood up irritated then looked over at Sirius and Peter and nodded towards the door in a lets get out of here before they continue move. "I mean really three times in three days is enough already." she said irritated as she turned and walked around the chair she was sitting on to go towards the door.

Sirius had a huge grin on his face as he stood up and followed. "She's right it's gotten a bit old already. You two quarrel like an old married couple." he said with a shrug as he passed the two.

"Sirius Black you take that back, I'm not married to him." Lily said angrily as she spun around to face him as he was leaving.

"Too bad mate you got the worse end of that stick all the bickering without the perks." Sirius said with a wink before leaving the common room laughing at how pink they both were at his insinuation.

"He's your friend do something about him." Lily said as she rounded embarrassed on James.

"What do you want me to do Evans? Tie him by his feet in that mad tree outside, that Whamping Willow?" James said as he looked at her with wide eyed shocked.

"That's not a bad idea Potter." Lily said then spun around and left him standing there shaking his head at her laughing.

"You're not going to do that are you James?" came a squeaky voice beside him.

"Of course not Peter." James said with a roll of his eyes at his small kind of talentless friend that they had taken pity on since no one was willing to be friends with the boy. "Come on lets go to breakfast before she decides to have another go at me." he said with a shrug then headed for the door.

By Tuesday there had been no more arguments in the Gryffindor common room luckily enough, now Lily was just ignoring the boys or spending time in the library to do her studying. Remus had just returned from the Hospital wing in time for dinner. "You still look a little peaky to me mate." James said as he slapped Remus on the back of his shoulder lightly.

Remus hissed lightly and cringed, James just had to hit the one sore spot on his back. "I'm fine just hungry and tired." he said pulling way from James quickly.

"You sure you're alright that seemed to hurt." Marie asked concerned about him.

"I just barely touched you mate. What made you flinch like that?" James asked looking at his hand then over at Remus sure he hadn't touched him hard enough to hurt him.

"I... uh...apparently fell out of bed last night and got a bruise there or something." Remus said trying to make his way over to the portrait hole to go down to dinner.

"Let us see then." Sirius said curiously as he poked at his shoulder lightly.

"No it's alright lets just go eat." Remus said trying not to act hurt, he had lied to them he didn't fall out of bed and gotten a bruise he had been injured during his last transformation and it hadn't healed all the way yet.

"Stop it Sirius that's just rude, leave him be." Marie said with a frown as she slapped Sirius' hand away from Remus' shoulder. "Come along lets go eat." she said and smiled brightly as she took Remus' other arm and wrapped hers around it like he was escorting her down to dinner.

"Uhm...right..." Remus said embarrassed as he looked away from her towards the floor but began walking towards the portrait hole to leave the common room to head down to the Great Hall.

"See he moves a lot faster than you do Jamesy!" Sirius said then laughed so obnoxiously it caused the whole house to turn and look at him.

"Oh shut it Sirius!" James said with a frown as he shoved his hands into his pockets and followed after them to go down to dinner.

"Oy look the little sickly one's back." Severus said from the Slytherin table, he had started sitting by Avery, Mulciber, Rosier, Wilkes, and Malfoy. All older and wrapped up in the dark arts heading straight for the Death Eater status, the oldest being Malfoy a 6th year prefect of Slytherin.

"Oh look Sirius the Slimball git can speak, I wonder if he can read too." James said loudly as he glared over at the Slytherin table daring Severus to say something else.

"More than hex's, jinxes, and curses of the Death Eater variety I doubt it." Sirius said as he also glared over at Severus, that boy knew more hex's and jinxes than most seventh years he was dangerous and heading down the path of evil.

"Would you two leave him alone." Lily said exasperated as she looked down the table at them.

"He started it Evans." James said as he flopped down in his seat across from Remus.

"I know, I heard..." Lily said sadly as she looked over at Severus who was now in deep conversation with the boy's around him glancing at James, Sirius, and Remus several times.

"Then tell him to leave us alone." Sirius said mater of factly as he sat down beside James across form Peter.

"I can't... He won't listen or talk to me because of you two." Lily said as she glared over at them.

"Not this again..." Marie whispered with a sigh beside Remus looking towards Lily several seats away. "Lily please look at the people he is associating with... all dark magic users they flourish in the dark arts there's no saving him, he's gone, the boy you knew is no more please stop before you get hurt." She pleaded with her friend.

"I won't! He's my friend we've been friends for years. I won't let these two miscreants bully him. How can you defend them Marie?" Lily said shocked and hurt as she looked at her friend.

"I'm not defending anyone Lily, you're being unreasonable. Snape attacks these two and you yell at them like it's there fault. That's not fair and you know it, you just saw Snape verbally attack Remus here and these two defend him yet you get onto them instead of the one who instigated the whole thing. A friend should put their friends in their place when they are being jerks you just make excuses for him and blame these two for all his bad choices." Marie said pleading with her friend to see through to the truth.

"Humph." Lily said as she turned away from her friend sadly, she knew she was right that she had no reason to get on to James and Sirius when Severus starts it. But she can't help wanting to defend her friend all she can see is the small unkempt boy that had befriended her when her sister had abandoned her as a freak.

"I don't understand her it's like we are the dark magic users not that slimy git over there." Sirius said irritated with Lily Evans for the hundredth time this year.

"I don't get what I'm doing to piss her off so much...I really do like her, you're supposed to be helping Marie." James said sadly as leaned over the table at Marie pleadingly.

"I'm trying James. Like I said she's being unreasonable, for the smartest witch in our year she sure doesn't make much sense." Marie said with a frown as she looked over at James. "Besides you've seen lately that's as much of a conversation we've had since your row the other day where she broke your glasses." she said sadly and shook her head.

"You're tearing girlfriends apart." Sirius said as he elbowed James in the ribs.

"Oh shut it." James said knocking Sirius arm away from him with a shake of his head then began eating.