Good evening/morning/afternoon to you all. I must once again apologise for the horrific delay, if I went into detail about the reason for it I'm sure you'd all be extremely bored, so I won't. Thank you to my formidable reviewers, favouriters, followers and readers. You don't know how happy you all make me.
Disclaimer: You're in the middle of the woods- No. Do you know what? I'm sick and tired of making up ridiculous scenarios just to prove that I'm not JK Rowling. I'm not by the way. Look if we all agree that I don't own Harry Pot- *door bursts open and three masked men enter pointing pistols at me* "Get on your knees and put your hands in the air, JK Rowling." One shouts. I look around confusedly as I contemplate what is happening in my home. "I'm not JK Rowling" I say exasperatedly. The men look at each other in confusion. "Oh." They remark and leave somewhat embarrassed at the whole event.
Early the next morning Sirius set off early to visit Harry at Grimmauld Place. It was around three weeks before he would be due to return to Hogwarts and Sirius wanted to make sure that they spent at least a bit of time together before Harry's departure. Remus supposed that there wouldn't be much in the name of entertainment for the both of them at Grimmauld Place, for it wasn't exactly Diagon Alley. He sat for a while and smiled as he imagined what kinds of adventures the two of them would have. Knowing the both of them, they'd come up with something.
Suddenly Remus gasped and sat up straight in his chair as he remembered the hippogriff that Sirius had been keeping. Dear Lord, he hoped somebody had fed and watered it. A dead hippogriff would surely not be a welcoming sight.
He looked down at Severus on the bed next to him. The man was still asleep. After Remus had stormed out of the room yesterday evening he had realised abruptly that he did not know where he had intended on going. After unsuccessfully attempting to find something with which he could occupy his time, he had settled for sitting in a chair in a nearby waiting room and hoping that the three of them would be discussing something else by the time he got back.
And they had been, admittedly. Well, Sirius and Dumbledore had been. Severus had been sleeping and therefore incapable of participating in any sort of conversation. And all for the better, Remus surmised, for the other two had been cheerfully discussing the amount of times Gryffindor had won the House Cup, and Severus would surely not have been entirely enthusiastic about that.
Feeling slightly bored, Remus glanced at a clock on the wall and noted that the time was a little over ten o' clock in the morning. That meant that Severus had likely been sleeping for around seventeen hours, give or take. That was rather a long time. He didn't want to wake the man. He seemed perfectly well enough, well as well as he could be, for his chest rose and sunk, as it should, and the bleeping machine had not tired from its endless bleeping either.
It was rather odd, Remus thought, to see Severus sleeping. He had never truly considered that the man indeed slept. It seemed an action rather foreign in regards to Severus; he had always seemed too... intense for this most common action. If Remus had ever given Severus' sleeping pattern a moment's consideration, he would have almost believed that the man never actually slept at all.
Almost as if he could hear his thoughts, (another assumption which might have at one time also entered Remus' mind) Severus opened his eyes with a sudden intensity. He looked around slowly, for a moment or two, as if attempting to decipher the location in which he had awoken, before remembering with a look of slightly annoyed realisation that he still found himself in a Muggle hospital bed with a werewolf as his only companion.
"Aren't you bored of babysitting me, yet?" Severus asked hoarsely.
Remus smiled. He'd grown to find Severus' bluntness rather endearing over the past couple of weeks.
"Despite your infamous lack of tact, Severus, you're one of the least boring people I know." Remus replied.
Severus narrowed his eyes and Remus held his gaze, maintaining a cool exterior. He was quite amused. Before long, Severus broke their eye contact and looked upwards to the ceiling with a smirk.
"Where's Black? Chasing cats?" He asked. Remus outright laughed at that. It might well have been true.
"Witty." He said. "He returned to Grimmauld Place earlier this morning, to spend some time with Harry."
Severus nodded and Remus turned to hear feet stepping through the door. Dr Roberts was entering the room with the surgeon, whose name Remus could not quite remember in tow.
"Good morning," Dr Roberts said with a smile as he walked over to Severus, "How're you feeling?" Severus nodded curtly in response and Dr Roberts was hopefully able to understand Severus' meaning of 'not-too-shoddy-given-the-current-circumstances'. Dr Roberts smiled once more and took hold on a strange looking device which had previously been hanging around his neck. He placed part of it into his ears whilst placing the other end on Severus' chest. Severus winced almost imperceptibly as the rather cold looking object made contact with his bare skin.
"He'll definitely have to go in today." Dr Roberts murmured to the surgeon, who was standing on the opposite side of Severus' bed, reading the contents of a piece of paper. The surgeon nodded and moved his gaze towards Severus.
"We believe there is a great necessity for you to have further surgery to improve your heart's function. I would like to insert what is known as an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, as I believe that this is the best course of action for you." Severus listened in silence at what the surgeon was telling him. Remus recalled Dr Roberts informing him and Sirius of this a few days ago. He did not possess an inkling of knowledge about the wonders of Muggle health care, but he could not deny that it sounded promising, very promising.
"We'll take you from here to be prepped for your surgery and if all goes well, we'll be cutting you open before lunchtime." Said the surgeon. Remus raised an eyebrow at the surgeon's use of the phrase 'cutting you open'. The way that the surgeon had described it reminded him of Sectum Sempre, Remus realised with horror. He looked down and noted that Severus' widened eyes presented sentiments known only as fear to an objective observer. Dr Roberts laughed.
"It isn't as horrific as it sounds, it's a common procedure which Mr Singh has performed many times in the past. There's really nothing to worry about."
The surgeon – Mr Singh – smiled kindly, "Yes, my words were not perhaps the most tactfully chosen," he said, "This type of surgery has a very high success rate and I am confident that today will be no different."
An hour or so later, Remus once again found himself joining Severus on a trip to surgery, holding some unease at the fact that it would be so important. Severus also seemed to sense this and routinely looked up at Remus with widened, serious eyes. Remus swallowed and placed his hand atop of Severus'. They continued to walk down the dingy hospital corridor in perfect silence, save for the wheels of Severus' bed scraping softly against the linoleum floor and the gentle footsteps of Remus and the accompanying medical professionals.
Finally they reached the destination from where Remus could go no further. He leaned down with his hands on the side of Severus' bed and said,
"I'll see you soon, Severus."
Severus nodded, "I'll see you soon, Remus Lupin." He replied.
Remus walked slowly back to Severus' room, quite lost in thought. Numerous times along his journey he found himself lost in one of the hospital's many maze-like corridors and had to stop for a moment to regain his bearings. He passed many ill and weary looking Muggles, some attached to wires and bags of fluid like Severus'. He wondered how it felt to live in their world. What problems they might encounter in their everyday lives. He realised suddenly that he was not even aware of who their leader was, if they even had one. Surely they must have a leader, Remus concluded. He hoped whoever they were, that they were not as inept at leading a country as one Cornelius Fudge.
Finally he managed to locate Severus' room. He stepped inside and remembered with slight ire that Sirius had taken his wand in order for him to apparate safely to Grimmauld Place. He moved towards Severus' cloak which was folded neatly on a nearby chair and rifled through its pockets for a second before thankfully finding Severus' wand. Remus held it in his hands, turning the cool dark wood over in his hands. He did not feel entirely comfortable borrowing it. But he would need it if he were to contact Dumbledore and inform him of the recent extrapolations in regard to Severus' health care. He could not send a patronus without a wand, he knew that much. For it was one of the only spells that could not be performed wandlessly.
It still felt rather odd though, like an invasion of privacy. Wands were unique, you see, they were a part of a wizard's core; they were a part of their soul. There was a reason that every wizard used their own wand and it was not solely for convenience's sake. A wand was pure and reflected the wizard in every way; if a wizard was brave, their wand was brave, if a wizard was immoral, then their wand was immoral as well. A wand was the heart of every wizard.
However this was surely an exception. It was vitally important that Remus got in touch with Dumbledore. He finally made up his mind and stored the wand inside the sleeve of his shirt, its tip balancing between his first two fingers. He walked briskly through the hospital making his way, without needing to even look where he was going, towards the alley of growing familiarity. It would not have been so very detrimental for him to send the patronus from inside Severus' hospital room. He had done it before, upon Sirius' orders, and no Muggles would likely enter the room to witness the affair. Nonetheless, Remus preferred to perform his spells away from public sight in this alley way. It was neatly out of the way. The risk of anyone seeing him were almost nil. And Remus appreciated the fresh feeling of outdoors from time to time.
When he arrived at the alley way, he stopped for a moment to breath in some fresh air. The wind was slightly breezy and it made for a wonderful mode of relaxation.
He looked carefully around him, hearing Moody's beloved mantra 'constant vigilance' playing harshly in the back of his mind, despite his certainty that he would not be seen. When all seemed to be clear, he took out Severus' wand and formed a Patronus. It took him several times to form his corporal wolf as the wand simply felt foreign in his hands. Its wood too thin, its touch too cool. It was strange. But luckily after several attempts, he was successful.
"Take this message to Albus Dumbledore," Remus told it, "Severus has been taken to surgery once more. The surgeon appeared rather confident about it. I just thought I'd let you know." He finished and the wolf ran away from him, on his way to deliver the message. He strolled back towards the hospital, lacking the unnerving haste of earlier. Once inside he bought a bar of chocolate and a newspaper from a joyful looking vendor. Unlike many other times, today he did not stumble when it came to delivering the correct amount of Muggle change. He had spent many minutes over the past couple of weeks deciphering which coin meant what, and now he was able to deposit his money onto the vendor's desk with an expression of pride.
The vendor smiled graciously at him and wished him a good day, he smiled once more and walked back towards Severus' room. He wondered how Sirius and Harry were getting on. He hoped they were not annoying Molly too much.
Remus stepped into Severus' room lost in his own thoughts, not noticing the added presence of a certain Hogwarts headmaster.
"Hello, Remus." Dumbledore said.
In a fit of shock, Remus took hold of Severus' wand and held it out in front of him, ready with a particularly vicious jelly legs curse right on the tip of his tongue. After a second, he realised much to his own embarrassment that he was about to attack Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore laughed jovially and Remus lowered the wand, blushing a furious shade of red. He took in the headmaster's attire and could not help but raise an eyebrow.
"That's an interesting choice of clothing, if I don't say so myself, Albus." He said. Dumbledore was wearing a long sleeved shirt of a rather loud shade of purple, and a pair of loosely fitting black slacks, patterned with shining stars and crescent moons. Dumbledore looked down at himself and chuckled,
"I never can quite understand how one can successfully adhere to Muggle fashions. They lead a very interesting life. Yet rather bizarre, I must admit." He laughed a little, appearing to be lost in his own world for a moment or two. "I came immediately upon receiving your Patronus message." He said, once he had regained his composure, "Let us hope that Severus' condition gains some progress from this… what was it that you said was going to be fitted inside of him, Remus?"
"An implantable cardioverter defibrillator." Remus replied. "The surgeon believed it was the most appropriate course of action, given the problems that Severus has had with his health."
Dumbledore nodded and sat calmly as he seemed to ponder, "I must remind myself to do a bit of research on the matter."
Remus also seated himself and placed his newspaper on the floor next to him.
"I have with me a Portkey for your, Severus' and Sirius' use, should its need be warranted. If this is ever the case it will bring you right into the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. Ensure that I am notified immediately upon your arrival." Said Dumbledore. Remus smiled graciously as relief entered his mind. Dumbledore continued, pulling out a white cloth handkerchief. "I have placed anti-apparition wards around the hospital, to avoid any undesired visitations. Therefore it is of vital importance that this Portkey is kept on your person at all times. It will activate on the utterance of a specific word." He said seriously. He paused, looking around the room slightly bewilderedly. "Where is Sirius?"
"He's at Grimmauld Place, most likely being more irritating for Molly than a garden gnome." Remus replied with a laugh. Dumbledore smiled fondly.
"Oh yes," Said Dumbledore, "Very probably. The activation word is 'escape'." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled behind his crescent moon spectacles. "Of course, Remus you must not at any cost say the activation word unless you want to be immediately transported to the bustling kitchen of Grimmauld Place, along with some added side effects of nausea and disorientation. I trust, of course that you will pass on the relevant information to Sirius, upon his return?"
"Of course." Remus repeated as Dumbledore handed him the handkerchief, upon taking hold of which, Remus rather hoped it was clean. He folded it gently and placed it into his jacket pocket.
"Well, seeing as though everything appears to be quite in order, I shall make my way. I have much too many appointments to uphold, for a man of my age." Dumbledore said and with that he left with a brisk agility which Remus did not believe even he, a man with only a third of as many years as Dumbledore, could possess.
He picked up and unfolded his newspaper and began to read it. It would be a long day.