Remus's exam schedule is a bit different from everyone else's due to a full moon falling on the week of the exams. James, Sirius, and Peter spend their time studying in the Hospital wing with the recovering werewolf.
"Wait, so slug can't substitute snail for our potion?" James asks Remus one morning. James, Sirius, and Peter are scheduled to take the hands-on portion of the Potions final later in the day, and their written exam is tomorrow morning.
"That would be a strict 'no', James," Remus chuckles. He holds his side a little when he laughs and James frowns at him. Remus catches the frown. "I'm fine, James. Don't worry."
"How much longer until Madam Pomfrey releases you?" Sirius asks.
Remus lowers his voice just in case Madam Pomfrey is listening, "Two more days, I can't stay in here two more days. I'll lose my mind."
"Is two more days really necessary?" Sirius asks in a whisper.
Remus shakes his head, "She's just worried I've been pushing myself too much after my transformations. After she realized how sore I still was after healing my cuts she refused to let me go."
"You know your limits," James says. "You'd go home if you'd needed to be in bed all these days."
"Thank you!" Remus says with a gesture that could only mean 'that's what I've been saying' and an eye roll.
Madam Pomfrey calls from across the room, "Boys, you best be off to your exams and let Remus rest."
Remus shoots his friends a pleading look for help as they leave.
Despite being told to go to bed early Remus stays up reading by candle light. Madam Pomfrey's small living space and bedroom are just off of her office, so she can quickly come to anyone's aid if they are ill in the middle of the night. Because of the layout of the wing Remus must pass her room if he wants to leave the wing. He learned his first night she's a very light sleeper when he tried to sneak out.
It's nearing midnight before Remus's eyes finally start to get heavy. He sets the book down and blows out the candle before settling as comfortably as he can into his bed. His eyes aren't closed for five minutes when there's a sudden loud crash off in the corridor attached to the Hospital Wing. He sits upright in bed, his heart racing. Moments later Madam Pomfrey is rushing out of her room, wrapping a robe quickly around her nightdress. She startles a glance back at Remus, makes out his thin figure in the faint moonlight, then rushes out the doors.
There's another loud crash and Remus climbs out of bed, he reaches down toward his bag to get his wand out then walks slowly toward the door.
"AAHH!" Remus jumps violently when something grabs his arm. Laughter erupts out of nowhere. Remus quickly grabs at thin air and rips the Invisibility Cloak off of James right before James doubles over with laughter. "Bloody hell, that wasn't funny!" Remus shouts.
"Then why are you grinning?" James manages to say through his laughter.
"What where all those noises?" Remus asks.
"Just Sirius and Peter," James claims, like that's suppose to explain everything. "Come on, this is a breakout isn't it, we can't stand around here all day. She has to come back sometime."
"Breakout?" Remus asks, he's face scrunched in confusion.
"Of course. Come on get your stuff."
Remus quickly turns and grabs his bag. James tosses the cloak over them both and together they head out the door. Faint crashing sounds suggest Sirius and Peter have moved farther down the corridor.
"They won't get caught right?" Remus asks.
"Who do you think we are, amateurs? Seriously Remus," James shakes his head slowly and tisks. "They're taking the Sleeping Fox Passage back up to the sixth floor then from there going up the Two Headed Gargoyle passage to the seventh floor where we will be waiting to conceal them in the cloak and take them safely back to the common room."
"Brilliant," Remus grins. He and James reach the grand staircase, where a Ravenclaw Prefect is making his rounds. James and Remus wait a flight down, and when the Prefect finally moves on they quickly take the stairs up to the seventh floor. They beat Sirius and Peter back and wait for them outside the passageway. James checks his watch.
"Suppose something happened?" Remus asks.
James opens his mouth to say something, but falls short of actually speaking when the sound of footsteps come from down the corridor. Moments later the light of a lit wand materializes into view. James groans when he sees Madam Pomfrey, a curly haired Gryffindor Prefect, and the other two Marauders.
"Busted..." James says quietly. Remus and James know better than to reveal themselves just yet, so they let the four pass. As they do James reaches out and touches Sirius's arm. Sirius doesn't jump, just turns his head and nods discreetly in understanding. Once the light from Madam Pomfrey's wand fades away James and Remus take off the cloak, stow it quickly in Remus's bag,then start the walk back to the Gryffindor Common Room. When they climb through the portrait hole they see Madam Pompfry and McGonagall standing by the lit fireplace. Sirius and Peter are sitting on the couch both looking extremely guilty.
"Potter, Lupin, it seems the two of you have lost track of the time. It's nearing 12:30," McGonagall declares.
"Did you think I wouldn't notice my only patient missing?" Madam Pompfry asks.
James shrugs and through a sheepish smile he says, "we had hoped."
"Mr. Lupin, upstairs for bed rest, now," McGonagall says. Remus stands still and glances at James.
"It's my fault just as much as theirs. I deserve whatever punishment they are getting too."
"An essay. Three feet," McGonagall says breezily. "On the importance of proper medical treatment for human bodies going through strenuous transformations. I expect all four individual copies on my desk in two days."
"But Professor, our exams," James says.
"If you were more concerned about your exams you'd be asleep in your beds so you are awake for your Potions, History of Magic, and Defense Against the Dark Arts exams tomorrow."
"Yes Professor," James says.
"Too bed," Madam Pomfrey says promptly. "Remus, I do hope you aren't pushing yourself. Please continue coming to see me. I promise not to keep you longer than you feel you need. Unless I think it could be seriously vital to your health. Understand."
"Yes ma'am, thank you," Remus says.
"Good, now as I said, to bed."
The Marauders obey and climb the stairs up to their dorm. As they settle into bed James starts laughing to himself.
"Shush, James," Sirius grumbles into his pillow.
"I forgot to tell you, Remus. You missed it today," James laughs a little more and Sirius finally join in as well. James is able to compose himself long enough to explain. "I switched out Snivellus's snails for slugs."
Sirius starts laughing so hard he has to catch himself on the bedpost to stop from rolling out of bed.
"You didn't?" Remus says. "His potion exploded didn't it?"
"Yes," James laughs. "He's redoing the exam later this week. Slughorn chalked it up as nervous because he claims Snivellus would never make a mistake like that."
"There was slug all over him," Sirius laughs.
James starts laughing again too. "His clothes are going to smell for a week!"
"You two are idiots," Remus grins. "Also thanks for breaking me out of the Hospital Wing."
"We really need to work on that," Sirius says, settling down. "Imagine if we ever had to breakout of somewhere major. We'd be awful at it."
Peter finally decides he isn't going to get any sleep and joins the conversation, "Why would we ever need to break out of somewhere major?"
"Things could happen," Sirius shrugs.
"Hypothetically say one of us were to be kidnapped," James starts. "The rest of us would need a solid way to break them out."
"Assuming the other three are out free," Remus points out. "Chances are if one of us were kidnapped another would be at the same time."
"True," James ponders. "If Sirius and I were kidnapped what would you two do to break us out?" He asks Remus and Peter.
"Nothing," Remus shrugs. "The kidnappers would spend five minutes with each of you and be begging us to take you back." This earns Remus a pillow hurtling at his head. He ducks away easily and the pillow hits the headboard with a solid thud. Remus leans back onto his new acquired pillow.
"Rude," James says. Rather it's toward the comment or the stolen pillow is beyond Remus, but he smiles and settles comfortably into bed.
