Chapter 164

Bad Dog

Sirius' whining was more annoying as a human then it had been as a dog.

"Ew," Sirius flicked the mud off him, making a mess on the floor.

"Stop it, if there's mud all over the floor Pomfrey might think he's been outside." James looked at Remus, human now, mud dripping onto the bed as he slept and that was a problem. "We should have brought our wands."

"You're the one who said it was risky to have anything in our pockets," Sirius argued as though he'd forgotten in the last twelve hours. "The less stuff we have on our person the less chance of an accidental transformation."

"Yeah well, next time at least one of us has to have their wand." James looked around in the hopes that a solution would jump at him out of the woodwork.

"Peter's probably the safest bet, Remus isn't going to be wrestling him into the mud. Though I doubt he'd be much help."

Peter protested but Sirius just ignored him.

"Can't we just like rub him down with the blanket or something?" Sirius shrugged, he shivered, though James had a feeling it was more because of the mud in his hair than any chill. "The mud could have been there before he turned into a wolf."

James looked down at Remus again, his voice so soft it was almost a whisper, "I don't want to wake him up."

"I do," Sirius smirked, "he threw me in the mud."

And without warning Sirius grabbed the mangled mattress and flipped it over, throwing Remus off the bed and dropping the mattress on him.

Remus didn't scream, but wrestled his way out from the tangled bedding and mattress like his life was in danger.

Remus swore loudly at Sirius, and James thought it was hilarious that Remus just knew who had done it. "What was that for?"

"You threw me in the mud," Sirius pouted, if he'd had a little less pride James thought he'd have stomped his foot. "Also you're covered in mud and we need to get you cleaned up before Pomfrey shows up."

Remus groaned, swearing again just for the feel of it.

"C'mon you can sleep in the hospital wing," James pulled the last of the blankets off him and helped him to his feet. "Here, wipe yourself off."

"My clothes are over there," Remus pointed at the only thing in the room that was undamaged, no doubt only because it was a cabinet too high for the wolf. Sirius grabbed the pajamas, trying very hard to keep the mud dripping off his robes from dirtying them too.

"Do you usually get dressed before she shows up?" James asked.

"Sometimes, when I can manage," Remus ran the blanket over his hair like a towel, it wasn't very good, but James thought he was clean enough that she might not ask any questions. "I can always tell her I fell in a puddle on the way here. It was kinda wet last night."

James nodded as Sirius handed him his clothes. "We've got to go."

Remus thanked Sirius for the clothes, his blanket still wrapped around him.

Sirius chatted wildly as they took a roundabout way back to the castle, not wanting to run into Madam Pomfrey on the way back. James decided that they'd have to risk bringing the invisibility cloak next time too. If anyone saw them near the whomping willow the morning before a full moon Dumbledore would catch on fast. Snape was a problem too. He knew Remus' secret, and he'd immediantly assume that James and Sirius had unleashed the werewolf on the school in the dead of night if he ever caught on.

Like they'd ever do something like that. No prank was worth that much risk.

Sirius went straight for the showers when they returned to the dorm, not bothering to even grab some clean clothes. No doubt he expected that James would grab him a set if he asked. James considered refusing, but that would be petty. And he didn't exactly want to see Sirius walk out of the bathroom naked to collect his things.

"I can't believe we actually managed to keep him from rampaging through the village." James raised his voice to be heard over the shower as he tossed Sirius' clothes over the curtain.

"I told you it'd be fine." Sirius' reply was nonchalant, and James could imagine him rolling his eyes.

"Yes, because I totally trust your judgment on what to do with our slightly murderous best friend."

"That was one time," Sirius argued and James felt his blood run cold. He hadn't been referring to Sirius' worst prank ever. In fact, he'd refused to even talk about it ever since Remus had forgiven Sirius. Realizing his friend had nearly killed Snape hit James hard, he had actively forced himself to forget about it.

The worst part was Sirius didn't sound guilty at all. He sounded like it was all a joke that had stopped being funny a while ago.

"I wasn't talking about that," James told him through his teeth, "I had happily forgotten that had ever happened."

"Oh," now, at least, Sirius sounded guilty. James knew it wasn't for the right reasons, but he was glad to hear it anyway.

There was an awkward silence before Sirius broke it like he always did.

"What do you think's in the forbidden forest? I still don't think there's anything that'll attack a werewolf."

Sirius was dead set on exploring the forbidden forest now that Remus had stopped arguing against them letting him out of the streaking shack.

After climbing out of the shower Sirius realized James had cleaned himself off with magic and changed the subject ranting that magic was not a proper substitute for a shower. James just let him rant, nodding and agreeing in the correct places automatically.

He wondered if it was the conversation or the sight of Remus' side of the room that set Sirius on his weekly cleaning spree. James looked at Peter, and they both chuckled at his predictability. Remus would be pouty when he came back.

James looked around, a little listless. He couldn't go and mess with Slytherin's or first years. Keth didn't get up this early on Saturdays and the rest of his quidditch team probably didn't either. He'd finished all his homework and the only person that could convince him to study was laying around in the hospital wing for the next hour or two.

He looked at his own stuff, it could use a bit of tidying, no doubt Sirius would clean it after he finished with Remus' stuff. He shrugged to himself and started picking up as well. It would save Sirius some time, and the sooner Sirius finished, the sooner Sirius could entertain him.

Peter watched him with a raised eye for a while, having decided to work on a potions essay James had finished two days ago.

"Shut up I'm bored."

Peter shrugged it off and returned to his essay.

Not even an hour after they returned to the dorm Remus came in a big grin on his face.

"You're early," James dropped the book he was holding on the bed, he was trying to remember where Sirius usually put it. If he returned it to the wrong spot he'd never find it again.

Remus was bouncing on the heels of his feet, looking as though he could explode. "I remember everything," he said door still wide open behind him. "From the moment we went outside and on, I remember everything."

James quickly moved to close the door. "That's a good thing right?"

"None of it hurt. Even the change back wasn't as bad as usual." He nodded and Sirius almost squealed as he threw his arms around Remus, squeezing harder than he normally would have. Remus winced, but James thought that was more because Sirius was crushing his lungs than because it actually hurt him.

"So it doesn't hurt? Like at all?" James asked poking Remus in the shoulder several times.

Remus' face fell a bit, "well I mean, I've still got a headache, and sore muscles and the like. But those are always there, so it's no big deal."

Sirius pouted and James thought it was, in fact, a big deal, but he said nothing. Remus was happy, and James wasn't going to drag him down.

"But no cuts or bruises or I dunno, bite marks?"

"No... well okay, I had a bruise on my side, but I think that's from one of the times Sirius jumped on me. Madam Pomfrey healed that up in like a second. I don't know how I'm going to keep convincing her I have no idea why I'm suddenly not scratching myself anymore, though."

"Eh, don't worry about her. She can harp about it all she wants, but patient privacy rules say she can't tell anyone but your parents if you don't let her. You'll be fine." Sirius waved his concern off, finally releasing his choke hold on Remus. "That was so awesome. You were so much faster outside, I couldn't even keep up!"

Remus chuckled moving to his bed before stopping and glaring at the floor. The area was only half clean, clothes were no longer everywhere and the bed was made, but a number of the books were still scattered anywhere and everywhere.

Remus' glare turned to Sirius, who at least tried to look apologetic. "I wasn't expecting you back for another hour."

Remus just glared and Sirius panicked.

"I didn't touch any of your chocolate!"

Still, Remus said nothing, just looked at him with that bone chilling stare. James inched away from the pup.

"It was driving me crazy, Remus! Dirty clothes on the floor, trash laying around, mud everywhere!"

Remus grabbed his wand from his bedside table and pointed it at Sirius. Padfoot immediately threw up his arms and stepped back. His eyes flickering to his own wand laying useless on his bed. It was within reaching distance from James, but James didn't intend to help him out. He just watched, not wanting to miss a thing.

"Look, you can't just- you know I can't handle-," Sirius tried but every time Remus stepped forward he stepped back.

"Aguamenti,"

A jet of, presumably, cold water crashed into Sirius' face soaking him though it only lasted for a second.

"Bad dog," Remus scolded. "Leave my things alone."

Sirius whined.

"No," again Remus used a sharp tone.

"But-"

Remus sprayed him again.

"Stop it."

"Promise you won't do it again?" Remus still held the wand to his face, water was all over the floor. They'd have to repair anything made of paper, but it was totally worth it.

"I make no such promises," Sirius crossed his arms and lifted his chin.

Remus sprayed him again, longer this time.

"Alright! Alright, I'll... I'll try, okay?" he tried glaring now.

"I suppose that's good enough for now." Remus lowered the wand, only for Sirius to grab it and throw it across the room, right beside James.

"Fetch," He said with a grin and Remus stiffened at the challenge.

James tossed the wand back to Remus and Remus sprayed him again, snickering. "Bad," he repeated. Sirius bristled at the betrayal.

"I hate you both."