Telly: Chapter 9!
Vaness: Unfortunately, Sirius isn't very happy with what you did to him.
Sirius: x.x You perv, Telly.
Telly: You're the perv, Sirius. I had to clarify things so that some readers wouldn't get dirty thoughts of a Sirius/Remus because this story does not have gay pairings! (For now, anyway)
Vaness: We got no reviews... :S Are the Marauders really that unpopular now? Ah well.
So, let the chapter begin!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter... damn it, if it was mine, there'd be more Blaise Zabini in it. I mean, underdeveloped character alert! Every other Slytherin has been at least slightly described! Unless, of course, JKR meant it to be on purpose... -rubs hands shiftily- I mean, the name Zabini was never called out at the end of GoF, when Voldemort and his Death Eaters reunited...
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James woke Peter up and they rushed towards the staff room. They hammered on Professor McGonagall's door, and after the fifth knock, McGonagall answered it. She looked disapprovingly at them, and began, "Why, Potter and Pettigrew, you should know better than to be out here at such an hour," but James opened his mouth and interrupted her, saying simply, "Remus." She looked at his panic-stricken face, and understood. Dumbledore was contacted, and all four of them rushed to the Forbidden Forest, still clad in their pajama robes.
Every one of them had their wands out in front of them protectively as Dumbledore's Lumos led the way. Dumbledore felt very guilty that such a thing had happened, as he was headmaster of Hogwarts and wholly responsible for anything that happened. He knew Sirius' family history and wondered tiredly how they would react.
"Professor," he heard James say for what seemed like the thousandth time. The boys were jittery and every small buttress root of a tree was thought to be the body of either Sirius or Remus. Dawn was breaking, and the boys' disappearances would be noticed soon. "Professor," James said again, and Dumbledore felt an urgent pull on his robes, "Look." Dumbledore pointed his wand towards where James pointed, and the four of them could just make out the broken and battered form of Sirius.
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Sirius looked terrible. There was no mistaking that. James felt bile rise into his throat as he looked at his fallen ex-comrade. He was barely clothed and there were four large, bloody gashes on his back. Despite knowing that Remus was no longer prowling those woods (as the moon had disappeared), at least in his werewolf form, James could not suppress a shiver. He heard Peter cry out softly beside him and saw Professor McGonagall stiffen, then cautiously reach out, concern on her features. Professor Dumbledore appeared as calm as ever, but as James looked closer, he could see the worry lines wrinkling his forehead.
Then suddenly, from a barely noticeable path, burst a disheveled Remus, with blood trickling from his mouth. He gave a small wail as he saw them, and stumbled over to them brokenly. He stayed about a meter from the assembled group, and refused to meet any of their gazes.
The sun rose, and the Forbidden Forest became illuminated with light. It was now possible to distinguish every leaf and every root from another, and to see the holes where animals slept for the night. There was an awkward silence in the clearing. Dumbledore was the first to speak.
"You should head back to your dormitory, now, boys. And as for you, Mr Lupin, I think you and Mr Black could use a visit to the Hospital Wing."
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What's... that smell...
It smells bad...
Like rotten... eggs...
Wait, wasn't I supposed to be dead?
Sirius woke up with a start, throwing the sheets off the bed and sitting up in haste. He checked his surroundings and frowned, then pinched himself. Wasn't he supposed to be dead, not lying on a bed in the Hospital Wing? He winced as his body fully realized his injuries, then set about checking out his surroundings. A fat boy from Hufflepuff was in the bed opposite his, and Sirius realized with a small jolt that Remus, who was eating something with wooden and mechanical movements from a bowl, was next to him. Sirius bit back his initial instinct: to cringe away (after all, this seemingly harmless boy had caused the three large welts on his back), and swallowed. Then he said, trying to keep his tone casual,
"Remus, are you poisoning yourself with rotten eggs? You don't have to kill yourself, you know, even if you feel guilty about injuring yours truly."
Remus looked up and the look in his eyes shocked Sirius. Remus' eyes were dull and vague, and inside a mist of confusion swirled. A small silence settled between them, until finally Remus spoke.
"No, Sirius. Why would I care about a person like you?" and they grinned at each other tentatively. Then Remus' face became somber again and he turned away.
"Remus," Sirius began, but Remus cut him off.
"No, don't talk to me!" he cried, agonized. "I caused those nearly fatal injuries on your back! I treated you with no respect! I nearly killed you!"
"Your mind wasn't clear—," began Sirius, but he was interrupted again.
"I wish I'd never been bitten by that wolf! I wish when I was five I'd never been rash and wandered into the forest beyond our house! That way, all this would never have happened!" Remus continued, his eyes blurring up with tears.
Sirius was dumbfounded. He had no idea what to do. Here was a sobbing Remus, in front of him, telling him personal details he shouldn't even be hearing. And Sirius was there, doing nothing. So Sirius decided to do something.
Sirius decided to slap Remus.
Remus rubbed his cheek and fell silent, and Sirius decided to ram home his advantage.
"You idiot." Remus flinched. "You complete and bloody utter idiot. We were all rash at five! When I was five, an accident with chopping knives nearly killed me! And I expect James and Peter have their fair share of accidents too! It's not your fault you were bitten! It's not your fault the wolf turned out to be a werewolf! It's not your fault that I nearly died!" Sirius paused.
"The fault... was all mine. If I'd known... I could've helped you ease the pain. If I'd known, I wouldn't have provoked you. If I'd known... I'd never have done that, a month ago."
Sirius looked at the pale, shaken Remus.
"I'm sorry."
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Telly: Go Sirius! Super Sirius angst... well sort of.
(A big gap here, because of lack of reviewers. XD)
Vaness: Geez. Stop being self-piteous and listen to some Naruto music!
Please r/r!
