Love Like Rockets

Remus POV

In the seven years I have been at Hogwarts, I have been in the Hospital Wing more times than I can count. The day and night after every full moon, everything a prank goes wrong, classes gone wrong, after every quidditch match – either I get hurt playing, someone spikes my drink or I find myself in an inter-house brawl – and every time one of my friends gets hurt. And here I am again, in the Hospital Wing. Only this time, there is no laughter. There are no happy voices.

A few reporters are waiting on the benches in the front, desperate for an interview. Professor McGonagall, Professor Dumbledore and Flitwick are discussing something a few feet away. And I am sitting on the chair next to Dora's bed. Each time I glance at her sleeping face, I feel a twist of guilt. I should have been there to protect her. But I also know that I did what I had to in order to ensure the safety of helpless students. Her skin is paper white, and she has the darkest rings around her eyes. If it weren't for the shallow breaths that came from her dried lips, it would be easy to mistake her for dead.

Apparently, from what they could get off Lily, Dora had been struck with a couple curses, but still battled on. How can someone so small be so strong?

Idly playing with a piece of her hair, I look at the others. Jane is in the bed next to her. She hasn't opened her eyes since she appeared in Hogsmede, so no one knows where she was, and why she arrived to so late. The mediwitch just said Jane was completely mentally and physically exhausted, along with peculiar burns that covered one side of her body. Next to Jane was Sirius, who refused to have anyone inspect him for injury until Jane wakes up. He said he found her as she collapsed, right on the outskirts of Hogsmede.

James was sitting on the edge of Jane's bed, heavily bandaged. His lip had split, his nose was broken, his skull was fractured, three broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, fractured jaw and a bruise the size of Russia was on his hip. Madame Woodhouse had managed to fix him up mostly, but white bandage still made him look like he had taken a rather bad fall down the stairs. Or gotten beaten up by a couple of bad guys...

Lily was fine. Aside from what turned out to be a partially broken ankle and the start of an infection in a cut on her wrist, she was the picture of health. Except her face was lined with worry as she sat between Jane and Dora. Peter was about somewhere. He didn't do well when it came to being in the hospital wing, so he left to go wherever he goes when he has nothing to do.

"Still not up yet?" A voice with a typical cockney accent asked. Madame Woodhouse bustled over to the six of us. Caroline Woodhouse was a small woman. Probably about Dora's height, she had mousy brown hair that only just brushed her shoulders, hazel-green eyes and positively the smallest mouth I could imagine, a mouth that was home to the straightest, whitest teeth I have seen in my life. She was a friendly witch, who worked as head healer at St Mungos for a couple years before deciding that Hogwarts needed her more. So she was by no means young, but she was just one of those people would looked to be anywhere between 25 years old and 50.

"The poor dear. I'll just check on Miss Meadows before I try wake Miss Potter here." I watched her mutter a few spells over Dora before smiling. "Looks like this one was lucky. She is responding to treatment well. She'll be eating solids in no time!"

Her smile was contagious, and I found myself calmed by the fact that Dora would be awake and eating and be her normal self in no time. The little mediwitch bustled over to Jane. "Mr Potter, I will need you to get off the bed if I am to help your sister." She said firmly, waving her wand again to levitate James to the ground. "Your parents should be arriving soon. Do you really want to have to explain to them that their only daughter is still unconscious because you refused to cooperate?"

I resisted the urge to smirk. That was a low blow. The only thing I had ever seen James scared off was the time he had magically locked Jane in the basement. His parents had gotten home earlier than scheduled and well... James has never done anything bad so far as Jane goes again. So no sounds of protest came from James, who had paled even more and was staring at Jane as though willing her to wake up.

To be honest, I can't blame him for this moody behaviour. He had already sworn at every reporter who dared come near his sister, even tried to attack one, and nearly got a law suit filed against him for assault. But it was all because of how worried about Jane he was. It had taken two senior aurors to stop him from apparating back to find Jane, and when he saw her being carried to them by Sirius, we saw the James Potter cry.

Yep. Cruel bully of Slytherins actually cried.

But anyway, now Madame Woodhouse was arranging potions next to Jane. "Now Miss Potter has some burns on the one side of her body. Can anyone tell me what caused these?"

We all looked at each other mutely. Must be from after everyone else left. "Mmmm. Well it don't look like the normal burn potions are working. Peculiar." The matron straightened herself up. "Professor Dumbledore!" she called out to where the professors were still talking. "I think you should see this."

Now I personally think that phrase should be banned from any infirmary or medical place. Nothing stresses people out like that stupid phrase. Seriously. Nothing good comes from that. When I was... When I was bitten, that is what the nurse said when my mum took me to St Mungos to get it checked out. And well... Nothing good did come from it.

So what was so special about her burns not healing? Did that mean Jane would permanently be scarred? She'll spazz out when she finds out.

I watched as Dumbledore leaned over her, holding his beard so it wouldn't land on her – which is funny, regardless of the circumstances – and peering at her over his glasses. "Interesting, Madame Woodhouse. Very interesting."

"With all due respect, Sir." James interjected, his face pulled tight and made him look years older. "But we don't care how interesting it is. It needs to be fixed."

"That, Mr Potter, I cannot do."

"But –"

"Mr Potter, what I mean what I say. That I cannot, not that I will not."

James shut his mouth with a loud click. To be honest, I don't blame him. I am also worried. Jane is a dear friend of mine. Wow, listen to that. I sound 40. But she is. Jane never seemed to care about my condition. Be it because, like many things, she refused to acknowledge its existence, or just because it wasn't an issue to her, I don't mind. Even from James, Sirius and Peter I get pity. I see it in their eyes. I even see it in Lily's eyes, no matter how kind she is. Dora... doesn't know. And I don't want her to. Not yet.

But Jane... it didn't bother her. It was like any pity she could feel for me was instead anger for who bit me. Which is fine with me. So of course I am worried. Jane, out of everyone, is the only one who is always strong and never falters. Sirius lets his emotions rule him and enjoys a fight too much to thing logically. Peter... relies too much on everyone else because he doesn't trust his self anymore. Lily cares too much, if that is possible. Dora... gets upset sometimes. James will easily falter when someone he cares for is hurt. Jane? She gets angry. And her anger makes her stronger, I think.

And it is what makes her a great friend. And what makes this whole situation suck. I rest my head on Dora's bed, letting my eyes focus on nothing. But I was still listening to Dumbledore.

"See, our young Jane has been burned not by normal fire from a candle, or from someone else's wand, but fire from her own magic." Dumbledore was saying.

"So she did this herself?" Lily asked doubtfully.

"Not intentionally, Miss Evans." Dumbledore answered. "I would say that the magic Miss Potter used was in a moment of desperate need. Now I do believe it is time to wake her, Madame Woodhouse?"

I sat up quickly, probably too quickly. It took a small moment for my vision to settle, and I watched as the matron waved her wand over Jane's head, muttering a few words that even I couldn't hear. Jane moved a bit before her eyes opened.

She just lay there motionless, as if no one else was there.

"What is wrong with her?" Lily whispered, her eyes brimming with tears.

Worried, I stood up and moved around Dora's bed to look at Jane.

"Janey?" Sirius whispered, uncertainty and fear reeking off of him.

James just stared at her. "She is fine." He said after a moment before pushing past everyone to look at her. "What is it Jane?"

Her head moved slowly toward James. "I feel tingly." She said in a very soft whisper that I only heard with my... werewolf hearing.

Dumbledore nodded his head, obviously also knowing what she had said, and gestured to her exposed flesh, the flesh that had been burned.

Slowly the burns were fading and I could feel the magic in the air. "That is her, isn't it Professor?" I asked Dumbledore. Lily's eyes grew wider with comprehension. We had both been discussing old magick about a week ago. I had done a bit of reading on it, and it was said that self-inflicted magical wounds healed with the magic that is in the person. And now that Jane was awake, her body had begun that healing process.

"Well I'll be damned!" Madame Woodhouse exclaimed, jumping towards Jane enthusiastically. In a second her wand was waving spells all over Jane, who looked to be a bit startled by the small matron. "Your parents will be happy with this Miss Potter!" the Matron was beaming.

"Happy with what?" Came a stern voice, coming from the tall man approaching. Mr Potter looked stern but joking at the same time. His mother had been Spanish, and it showed. His skin slightly tanned, his hair dark and his eyes deep brown. His normally amused expression was now one of worry as he approached the beds in long strides.

Emily Potter walked next to him, her face as expressionless as a statue.

"Your daughter is making a particularly speedy recovery, Harold and Emily."

"What happened? No one will say." Mrs Potter asked politely, but under her words I could sense the temptation to swear, yell and demand information. Jane gets her personality from somewhere.

"That is what we would like to know." Came the gruff voice of the head Auror as he pushed past a professor and ignored Madam Woodhouse's glare.

"Mr Potter, Black and Lupin, and Miss Evans, would you mind following Madam Woodhouse to another section on the hospital wing so we may question Miss Potter?" Dumbledore asked in a tone that suggested it was less of a choice and more of an instruction.

After a bit of protest from Sirius and James, we mutely moved a few beds down, whilst Madam Woodhouse fussed around, checking for any injuries she might have missed. I sat on a chair and leaned against the wall, closing my eyes and focusing my hearing on the conversation on the other side of the ward.

"Tell us what happened." I heard the Auror ask in a rather rude tone.

"Don't you dare speak to her like that, you hear me?" The unmistakable voice of Emily Potter interrupted.

"Ma, it's fine." Jane said hoarsely. "Sirius and I were duelling some of the... bad guys. And one of the was trying to get a book on the ground. And Sirius and I thought it would be of worth, so we also grabbed it."

There was a pause, silence. Then –"It was a port key and we were in some room. And we fought with him there for a bit and he said he wanted to use Lily and Dora and – James... as examples."

A sharp intake of breath interrupted her, and I could only assume it came from Emily. "And so..." Jane continued, "We fought him and I stuck him on the ceiling..."

"You what?" The Auror demanded and I couldn't help but smirk. Of course... But this wasn't the part I wanted to hear... I wanted to know what happened after everyone left.

"Permanent sticking charm. I'm the best. Trust me, it will take ages to get him down." Jane spoke only the truth there. "And so then I fl—" Jane tactfully coughed, hiding her blunder of nearly revealing being an illegal animagus.

"I went out to try find where James was. And Sirius and I found them in a dungeon thing. And we got them out. Looked terrible, they did. Poor Dora. Thought she was going to slip into a coma—" Once again, Jane broke off. "She's okay, isn't she?" And I could imagine her looking at the little blond girl in the bed next to her.

My stomach twisted. Poor Dora. She didn't deserve any of that. "So we got them out and... found their wands with accio. Then when we went into the court yard—"

"So it was a house?" The Auror interrupted.

"Yeah. Big one. There was snow on the ground, so it wasn't too far south. And anyways, there were... the bad guys. And the really bad guy."

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" The Auror once again interrupted.

Jane scoffed. "That sounds so stupid. Why shouldn't he be named? Isn't like having a name will kill someone. So yes, Voldemort was there. And we blasted through a wall and the others apparated whilst James and I made a distraction. Then he reached the spot and apparated."

I held my breath. This was it. "But they got in my way, so I quickly drew a few runes in the snow, and made them full of magic and they blew up."

"Janey that is wonderful!" Emily's voice sung as though her daughter hadn't just faced a dark wizard. "I always knew you were a natural at Runes."

"Mrs Potter, may we continue?" The Auror once again cut in rudely.

"Talk like that to my wife or daughter again and I will end you." I nearly snorted. Mr Potter hated violence. We all knew that.

"Da, let me carry on?" Jane reprimanded her father. "So then I ran through the bad guys and apparated away and woke up here. The end. Can I see my brother now?"

I opened my eyes. And saw three faces staring at me expectantly. "You were listening?" Sirius demanded.

"Of course, Padfoot."

"What did they say? Is she all right?" Lily asked, her face full of curiosity. And I knew that as soon as she could, she would interrogate Jane on how she did what.

"They are done now. They just wanted to ask her version of events." I answered, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Mr Potter?" Dumbledore said, approaching. "You may go see your sister now. We have sectioned off her bed for privacy."

James nodded and rushed back to Jane. Dumbledore turned to Lily and Sirius, the latter of which looked to be ready to bolt to Jane's bed too. Peculiar... "You two, please go and speak with the Aurors over at the door. But be careful to mind the media. You don't want to be in the papers."

Sirius and Lily nodded, both wanting to be elsewhere, but did as they were told. "Mr Lupin." Dumbledore said to me. I looked at the wizard I admired. He had done so much for me, so much for so many people. "Firstly, I would like to thank and congratulate you on the way in which you behaved and lead the other students to safety."

Feeling a bit awkward, I nodded my head. I just did what I felt was right, and what I was best at. I am good at duelling, but it was due to be a full moon in a couple of days, so I was feeling a bit... off. And feeling like that in a duel would endanger my friends. Besides, the other students needed my help... Yeah, I do feel like absolute crap that I wasn't there when my friends needed me the most.

"Secondly," Dumbledore continued, "you may go see Miss Meadows now."

Smiling slightly, I walked over to Dora's bed. "Remus?" I heard her voice ask and pretty much feel my stomach melt.

I sat next to her bed and took her hand. "I'm here, Dora."

Her face settled and her breathing became slower and deeper; sleeping.

Feeling a bit at peace myself, I squeezed her hand a bit and lay my head on her bed. Such a beautiful angel.

I let my thoughts drift, catching little bits of conversation happening. Talk of death eaters. Talk of some sort of order. Talk of death. But I was with my blonde haired angel. And I smiled.

"I'll always be here, Dora."

A/N

Soooooo sorry for the long wait. I had written this, and the last few chapters. But I hated how I had ended it, so I rewrote it. This is such a hard chapter to write, just because writing after the major climax in a story always is hard and you have to deal with the repercussions of the action etc. So I am still not happy with it, but maybe one day I'll come back and fix it. Sorry if it is absolute crap.

Also, the title is a song from Angels and Airwaves, arguably the best band in the world. The lyrics are amazing. And I think they suit Remus. I have also listened to it 157 times on itunes...

Also, small disclaimer since I keep forgetting to do one, I own nothing that you recognise.

-x-