Chapter Eleven
When Sirius awoke, it was in darkness, and he was surrounded by soft bedsheets. He tried to sit up, but the sensation that his chest was being crushed caused him to gasp aloud in pain.
"Sirius?" a voice called from his left. Sirius widened his eyes, trying to see, and felt around for his wand.
"Who's there?" he asked.
"Lumos," said the other, and Remus' face lit up. He was in the hospital bed adjacent to Sirius.
"What's going on?" Sirius asked quietly, using his arm to shield his eyes from the light. "What am I doing here? What are you doing here?"
"You took three Stunners to the chest," Remus explained in a raspy voice. "You've been unconscious for four days. Madam Pomfrey said it wasn't safe to wake you up using magic. I'm glad you're alright."
"I feel like a troll sat on me," Sirius said flatly.
"Well you probably shouldn't try so hard to talk," Remus said with a smile.
"Why are you in here?" Sirius asked. "Did you get those cuts on your face from the riot?"
"No," Remus said quickly, lowering his wand and obscuring his face.
"Lovely, you're awake," Madam Pomfrey said, bustling in and adjusting Sirius' pillow. "Now lie still! You've got no business moving about right now." She used her wand to perform a few cursory tests on him. "I'll fetch your mother," she said as she finished. "She will want to know that you're awake."
"My mother?" Sirius said to no one, his stomach sinking. Did she know about his participation in the strike? He glanced at Remus, who had tucked his wand away, pulled his blankets up to his chin, and put one finger up to his lips.
The door to the hospital wing burst open. "Sirius!" Walburga cried, throwing her hands in the air and coming up to the side of his bed. "My boy," she said, wrapping her arms around him. Sirius winced; the pressure she was applying was not easing the pain in his chest. She released him from her hug and caressed his face. "Did the Mudbloods do this to you?" she asked.
"No Mum," Sirius said, leaning into her touch even as his ribs pressed sharply into his lungs. "It was the Hit Wizards."
Walburga froze in place. "Hit Wizards?" she asked slowly. He nodded.
As if on cue, Professor Dumbledore entered the hospital wing. "Ah, Mr. Black," he said. "Fortune smiles upon us, you are conscious."
"Dumbledore," his mother said in a voice that was suddenly icy cold. "Adult Hit Wizards with questionable blood status damaged my twelve-year-old son. This is unacceptable."
"Mrs. Black, I understand your concern," Dumbledore said calmly. "I have addressed this with the Magical Law Enforcement Squad and reminded them of the laws which state that they may not enter the premises without the headmaster's express permission. However, young Sirius took part in a Squib rights protest that became a hostile situation, and the Hit Wizards responded in the manner which they were trained."
"Is this true?" Walburga said to Sirius. He nodded. She snatched him by his hair and jerked her hand up so hard that she lifted his torso off the bed. Sirius cried out as pain exploded in his chest and black spots blurred his vision. "After everything that has happened this year, you still insist on being a filthy blood traitor," she said in a steady voice. "You are worthless." She flung his head back onto the pillow, turned with a swish of her cloak, and exited.
Ignoring Dumbledore, Sirius grasped the goblet of Sleeping Draught from his bedside table with a shaking hand and drained it. Breathing raggedly, he briefly caught Remus' eyes, wide with shock. Then a blissful calm came over him and he fell asleep.
It was daytime when he awoke to the presence of his friends, whose arms were laden with an assortment of candy.
"Sirius!" James shouted, eyes alight with genuine happiness, his volume earning a disparaging look from Pomfrey. He and Peter poured their horde of snacks over Sirius' legs. "Thought you were going to skip the rest of the year, eh?" he said, ruffling Sirius' hair.
"The semester hasn't ended yet?" Sirius said incredulously. "Why'd you wake me up?" Peter chucked a Chocolate Frog at him.
"You'll be lucky if you're well enough in time to take exams," Remus said. Sirius saw that the cuts on his face had been healed.
"Tell me what I missed," Sirius said, opening the Chocolate Frog.
"It was mad," said James. "Dumbledore showed up right after you were hit – and he was livid – he did a spell that froze everyone in place and started telling off Crouch for being on the property without permission. He said the situation had been under control before they showed up."
"He ordered Crouch and the Hit Wizards to leave, then he, McGonagall and Dawlish sent the injured to the hospital wing," Remus explained. "Madam Pomfrey had her hands full, but she was able to patch Peter right up."
"Snivellus, on the other hand, was another story," Peter said with a satisfied grin. "You and James hexed him so hard it took four Professors to undo it. He's still hopping on one foot."
"Dumbledore made a speech in the Great Hall and said that there would be no detentions for the events of the last few days," James continued. "But he warned that school is not a place for our politics, and that every person with magical abilities would always be accepted at Hogwarts."
"I don't see Marlene in here," Sirius said. "When did she get released?"
"Pomfrey let her out right before the riot broke out," Peter said. "She missed all the fun."
"What about you, Remus?" Sirius asked. "When did you leave?"
"What?" James said. "Remus wasn't in the hospital. He visited his mother, didn't you, Remus?"
Remus stared at the floor. "I didn't visit my mother. I wasn't feeling well, so I came by here, but then I felt better this morning, so I left," he said very quickly.
"What about the cuts on your face?" Sirius pressed. "You didn't explain how you got them."
"Cuts?" James said. "What is going on with you, Remus?"
"V-Venomous Tentacula," Remus sputtered. "I was doing extra credit for Professor Sprout and the Tentacula took a swipe at me."
Sirius cocked an eyebrow. "So you went to the hospital wing because you simultaneously felt ill and were attacked by the Venomous Tentacula," he said.
"Even though you told Peter and I you were visiting your mother," James finished.
"I can't see any flaws in that story," Sirius said.
"I've got to go," Remus said, flushing. "Forgot something – library." Before anyone else could speak, he dashed out of the hospital wing.
James let out a puff of breath and drummed his fingers on the bedside table. "Do you reckon he's hiding something?"
Sirius was released from the hospital wing just in time for end of term exams. He hadn't studied much, but he wasn't worried. He'd probably fail History of Magic, but what did he need that for, anyway?
Even so, exam week passed in a haze, and in the blink of an eye, they were receiving their grades for the year. Sure enough, James had easily bested him in Transfiguration, but Sirius was at the top of the class in Charms. He and Remus tied scores in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and all four of them had only barely managed to pass Potions.
The boys spent their free time flying on the school brooms and tossing around the Quaffle when they could access it. Sirius at last beat Peter in chess, although the match was extremely close to a stalemate, and he won the game with only two pawns, his king, and a castle.
Sirius was having so much fun he forgot to dread the return home. It hit him when they were suddenly at the end of term feast and he couldn't remember where the time had gone. He dropped the custard he was eating and stood up. He crossed the hall and found Andromeda in her graduation robes.
"Good work on graduating," he said. "Heard you did well on your N.E.W.T.s."
"Good work on pissing off your mother right before you go home," Andromeda said. "That should keep things interesting for you for a couple months."
"I don't want to go home," he admitted. "I'm sorry I was such a berk to you. It was nice knowing you were here if I needed you."
"Nice having a Slytherin on your side, you mean," she said, grinning. "I hear my House isn't too fond of you and your friends these days."
"You know as well as I do that I'm better at pissing people off than making friends," Sirius said with a grim smile.
"You know you'll still see me at Grimmauld Place," Andromeda said. "I'm not going anywhere, so buck up. Things will be okay. You'll be back here in two months."
"Yeah, alright," Sirius said. "Good luck!" He returned to Gryffindor table.
"It's only two months, mate," James said, eying the look on Sirius' face.
Sirius had been watching Hogwarts disappear through the window of the train. "Two months is a long time," he said.
"Well you're all coming to my place for at least a week," James insisted. "We've got a huge backyard that will be perfect for playing Quidditch."
"I might be able to convince my parents to let everyone come over for a day or two," Remus said with a half-smile.
"And meet your mother?" Sirius said. "I would never miss an opportunity like that!"
"Do you fancy Remus' mum?" Peter asked slyly.
"She is a beautiful Muggle woman," Sirius said with a dreamy look on his face, earning a swat from Remus. He stood up. "Speaking of beautiful women, I have a favor to ask. I'll be back in a tick."
He found the compartment with the Gryffindor girls. Mary and Alexis were sharing a magazine, Lily was reading a book, and Emmaline and Marlene were playing Gobstones.
"Which one of you lovely ladies knows how to cut hair?" he asked.
"Oh Sirius," Alexis said. "Why do you want to cut your hair? All the girls like it long, you know." She giggled.
"Nevertheless, I prefer there to be less to hold on to," Sirius said.
"I can be of assistance," Lily said, smiling. She gestured to the bench beside her. "Sit."
Ten minutes later, Sirius returned to the compartment of his friends and lounged on the seat, propping his feet on the wall. "So you keep going on about your mother's baking abilities," he said to James. "At this point, I expect that there will be muffins and bundt cakes waiting for us upon our arrival. Honestly, I will be severely disappointed if I walk through the door and a custard isn't immediately spooned directly into my mouth."
"You have no idea," James said. "Your pathetic taste buds aren't prepared for the sort of delicacies my mum can create. I guarantee you will fall over dead the first time you encounter a morsel of her creation."
"She created you, and we've survived so far," said Remus.
Sirius and Peter laughed, and James flicked a Cauldron Cake at Remus' head.
"So we'll meet back at this same compartment when summer's over, yeah?" asked Peter as the train began to slow down.
"Course we will," James said. "This is our compartment now."
"Lucky I carved my initials in the seat then," said Sirius, indicating the letters SAB freshly chipped into the wooden panel.
"You rapscallion," said James.
"Sirius, people will know that was you!" said Remus.
"And they'll know this is my territory," Sirius said. "C'mon, Remus, are you afraid McGonagall will show up to my house in the middle of summer and make me do lines? Plus, playing with knives is fun." He punctuated his sentence with his knife as he spoke.
Remus rolled his eyes. "Well I can't wait for another year of this," he said, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. The boys began gathering their things and exiting the train.
James grabbed Sirius' arm. "Wait," he said. "I've got something for you." He rummaged through his trunk and handed something small and square to Sirius. "It's a two-way mirror," he explained. "This way we can talk to each other over the summer."
"This is brilliant," Sirius said, smiling. He slung his arm around James' shoulder as they exited the train. "Once more into the breach," he said.