When the next full moon approached, Severus and the others believed that they had a good idea of what to expect when their friend returned. His wounds would be healed by Madam Pomfrey before he would return to their dormitory, but the pain of transforming and turning back, in addition to the injuries he would have sustained on himself while a werewolf, would result in a type of "phantom pain" and exhaustion that would linger for at least an entire day. Remus would spend that time in his bed, so tired and without an appetite that he would have to force himself to eat and drink the most basic of foods. He would recover most of his strength the next day, but the marauders understood that he would not return entirely to normal until after classes began.
The night before Remus would leave for the next couple of days, he was already looking rather pale. Only for the tenth time, they went over how to help him once he returned. They were all near to him, seated on his bed, but James had chosen one side of him, with an arm around his shoulders, and Severus on the other. Peter and Sirius sat a few feet in front of him.
As he was sitting cross legged, they didn't have to worry about his legs.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he said, only for the hundredth time, the evening before.
"Remus, kindly shut up about that," James told him cheerfully, tousling his hair briefly.
Sirius and Severus snorted.
"What he means is that we understand, and we're not angry," Sirius translated.
"And we'll help you when you get back," Peter put in.
"You don't have to do very much," Remus protested, weakly.
"Don't be a prat, Remus," Severus said, rolling his eyes. "We'll be regular mother hens. You won't be able to get rid of us."
"Sev's right," James put in, grinning, and placing an arm around Remus' shoulders. "You're just going to have to put up with the four of us trying to make your life easier after every full moon-"
"-For the rest of our time at school," Sirius interrupted, finishing James' sentence.
Remus chuckled, turning a bit red. "Well, as I said, I mostly just need rest..."
"You asked for extra blankets, and warm ones," Severus reminded him, gently. "I'll handle that."
Technically, he already had-he'd left a note for one of the house elves, and later spoken with her directly. They were, as always, all too happy to serve.
"Tockey will make Mr. Remus' blankets extra soft and warm!" the elf had promised.
"Will you be in pain?" Peter asked. "Or does Madam Pomfrey handle that?"
Remus' face darkened, just a bit. "She fixes my injuries, but I need to rest afterwards. It's all very...wearing on my body." He looked down at the covers. "I don't meant to complain. Anyway, you've already given me so much, simply by understanding."
James squeezed his shoulders. "We'll be right here when you turn back."
Remus nodded, and after a bit, they vacated his bed in exchange for their own.
Severus pulled the covers over his shoulders, burrowing under the warm blankets. He took a minute to enjoy the warmth pouring over his body before closing his eyes and allowing sleep to overtake him.
Remus was gone before Severus woke up, and he felt a pang of loss that he hadn't felt since his friend's first "trip home." This time, of course, Severus was not the slightest bit worried that James or Sirius would use Remus' absence as a way to reveal their true feelings towards him. Severus knew that his friends cared for him like a brother, and he felt the same way. No, this feeling came from a sense of pain at what Remus was about to go through. It had been easier to think his family overworked him when he spent a few days home. Now, they had to face the fact that, at least once a month, Remus' body and mind went through excruciating pain as the werewolf emerged. The same wolf made him tear his body nearly apart, because the wolf longed to bite and infect others, but chains prevented him from doing so.
They'd learned in DADA that most children who had been bitten by werewolves died within a year. Remus must have had access to healing potions during those early days. The ingredients that formed these potions were not very expensive, but they were difficult to brew. Untreated injuries became infectious over time, and the stress on a child's body took its toll before long. Remus' father must have been very knowledgeable to be able to keep him alive for so long.
Everyone seemed down that morning as they bathed and dressed in their school robes. It was even hard to eat, because Severus, at least, felt as though he shouldn't enjoy his food while Remus was suffering. He knew this was illogical, that Remus would want them to go about things as usual until he returned, but Severus was almost glad that his porridge tasted more like lumpy paste than the good and hearty meal he had grown used to.
"What's wrong with you lot?" Lily asked, glancing at them with concern.
Severus shrugged, looking at his roommates. To his surprise, it was Peter who answered with a plausible excuse.
"It's dreary outside, again. Hasn't snowed in a week, but it's not warm enough to enjoy being outside," he explained. "My mum says this is the worst part of the winter months."
Lily laughed. "She's not wrong, there."
They ate in relative silence, and when they rose from the table, Lily looked back at them.
"Remus is home again?"
Severus nodded, not looking at her, and James spoke this time.
"His dad's under the weather. Been ill for almost a week when he contacted Remus," he lied with relative ease.
This made Severus realize that, in all the times Remus had missed class, they had never seen a note from his parents expressing his need to return home. They wrote regularly, of course, but he had never drawn attention to them telling him to return home.
Should Lily know? She'd become friends with Remus, although not quite as good as Severus. On the other hand, she wasn't very fond of the other boys in their year. When Remus returned, Severus would have to ask him directly.
He worried-as did the rest of his friends-throughout the day and into the evening. No one could concentrate very well on studying. Severus kept imagining his friend as a werewolf, chained up, gnawing at his hands in an attempt to escape. He didn't even realize he was crying until the text in his Herbology book became blurred.
Embarrassed, Severus wiped at his cheeks, but Sirius looked up and saw. His face was dry, but his eyes were rather red. Then, James looked up from his work, and he took a deep, almost shuddering breath.
Peter looked up last, his face pale. He looked around at the others, miserably.
"Are we all thinking about Remus?" he asked, softly.
Everyone nodded, including Severus.
"I keep imagining him howling. Trying to break free," he murmured.
"Me too," Sirius agreed. "Plus, the agony of turning into the monster. And back."
Severus shuddered, and James walked over to him and put his arms around him. Grateful as he was, Remus needed the comfort more.
"I wish we could do something to make it easier on him!" he added, still squeezing Severus. "It's got to be so lonely. We could help him through the pain, too, if we were there."
Severus wasn't sure about the last bit, but he wasn't about to protest.
"You're not thinking of us getting bit, are you?" Peter asked, rather tremulously. "To be there with him?"
"Don't be a prat, Peter!" James said, laughing a bit. He gave Severus' shoulder a final squeeze before taking his seat at the table. "I mean... I dunno. Remember what McGonagall said last term about some witches and wizards who could turn into animals?"
"Animagi," Sirius answered, immediately.
"She also said that it can take years to become one," Severus reminded them. "Not to mention it's incredibly dangerous..."
"And we might end up as bugs, since we can't choose our form," Peter piped up.
But James and Sirius were grinning.
"Good thing we have over six years, eh?" James asked. "Mind you, I hope it doesn't take that long."
"Anyway, what are the odds of all four of us ending up as bugs?" Sirius added.
"Dunno, Sirius, your eyes rather match a spider's," James shot back.
Sirius pretended to be physically wounded.
"I reckon we won't all end up as," Severus allowed, a smile forming on his lips. "I certainly won't!"
"We'll never know if we don't become animagi," James pointed out. "How about we start while Remus is away?"
"Tomorrow, then," Sirius decided. "We'll pester McGonagall about the process."
Severus had to laugh outright at that. "What will we ask?"
"How we want to become them as soon as we finish school and we need to start preparing?" Peter asked.
"Best not," Severus advised. "We should take the angle of wanting to study the process. James, you're the best in class. She'd buy it from you."
"Better mind my p's and q's. Not lose any points tomorrow," he noted, with a knowing smile.
McGonagall was, as it turned out, rather in a bad mood the following day. James kept to his plan of not doing anything to lose points, but he vacated the classroom with the other first year students.
They were in the common room, catching up on the homework assignments they hadn't done the night before, when Remus entered, looking pale. He managed a small smile before heading to their dormitory. Despite Severus' promise to let Remus keep to himself-all of their promises, really-all at once, everyone put their books down to follow him to their shared dormitory.
Except, Remus wasn't in the room when they arrived, and they looked around uncertainly.
"You don't think he forgot where he sleeps?" Peter asked, glancing around.
"Let's check the bathroom," Sirius suggested.
"I'll go," Severus offered. "No need for all of us to surround him, if he's there."
The others nodded, and Severus entered the room. A pair of feet stood under one of the stalls.
"Remus? Is that you?" he asked, awkwardly.
"Yes, it's me," came his roommate, sounding tired. "Just a moment."
Severus waited until the door opened, and Remus emerged wearing a sleeping shirt much like Severus' (except his was rather shorter, reaching midway from the knees to the feet instead of covering the ankles), and holding his robes.
"I just wanted to change before resting," he explained, almost apologetically. "Is everything all right?"
"We wanted to make sure you were," Severus answered, giving his friend the once over. Gesturing to the robes, he added, "I can take those, if you like."
He half expected Remus to refuse, but he nodded, gratefully, as though the act of holding his school clothes was almost too much for him.
"Thank you, Severus."
Severus held the door open with one hand as he carried the clothes in the other. The way the robes were folded, Severus suspected they were covering undergarments (not that male wizards wore much in the way of those, usually), and he didn't unfold them. Remus took the steps to his bed slowly, as though he was in pain.
"Thanks for, uh, coming to check on me," Remus addressed the others, forcing a smile.
Everyone except Severus, who was still holding his clothes, pulled him into a very long hug. Remus laughed a bit, but Severus could see his smile was genuine.
"All right, then," James said, giving Remus the once over. "What do you need from us?"
"Rest," Remus answered, simply. Then, almost apologetically, "Perhaps, warm blankets."
"I took care of that," Severus reassured him. "And there's an extra one, in case you need it."
The look of gratitude on Remus' face was almost too much. "Thank you, Severus."
He made his way to the bed, almost hobbling, and Sirius and James pulled back the covers. Once he was laying down, they tucked him in, and made to go.
"D'you..." Remus began, then trailed off.
"What is it?" Sirius asked, sitting down next to him, his voice gentle.
Remus looked embarrassed. "Never mind."
Severus placed the robes on top of one of the chairs, then joined the others. "Go ahead, Remus. What can we do?"
Remus glanced around at the four of them, hovering over them. "C-could one of you stay with me? Just for a bit?"
"I'll do it," Severus offered, immediately.
"There's two sides of the bed. Dibs on the second!" James added, almost gleefully.
Sirius gave them a mock dirty look. "Well, Peter and I get the second shift, then."
Remus chuckled. "Thank you. All of you."
"It's no trouble," James insisted, tucking the covers around his friend. "My mum would card my hair when I wasn't feeling well. Shall I do that?"
Remus' face brightened, and he gave a small nod.
Peter and Sirius left, then, and James reached up and began stroking Remus' hair. The boy let out a small sigh, his face relaxing. Severus secured the blankets over him, wanting to keep in as much warmth as possible.
"Thank you," Remus murmured again.
James shifted his position so he was laying next to Remus, not dropping his hands from his hair. Severus didn't lie down, but he sat next to his friend, close enough to add to the warmth Remus must be feeling.
"Mmm," Remus mumbled.
"We're both quite warm," James said, only half teasingly.
"I'm being baked in an oven," Remus laughed.
Severus sniggered, immediately understanding the reference to Hansel and Gretel, but James looked horrified. Upon seeing Remus' smile and Severus' look of amusement, he relaxed a bit, then rolled his eyes.
"Muggle thing?"
"Yes. I'll explain later," Severus offered.
"Will you wait until I'm awake to do so?" Remus asked, softly.
"Of course."
After Remus was fast asleep, Severus crept back to the common room to retrieve his History of Magic book, as well as his Charms book. He wouldn't be able to write any essays, but he could certainly finish his reading assignments.
James was still stretched out next to Remus, and Severus wasn't sure if his friend was awake or not. He crept onto the bed carefully, and began to read.
Remus rose a few hours later, some of the paleness gone from his face. He didn't look like his normal self, but he also didn't look like he was moments away from...well, Severus didn't like to think about that.
"Hey, Moony. How are you feeling?" James asked, now awake and shifting to a sitting position.
Severus, who had been reading ahead, put his book down to study Remus.
"A bit better," he answered, after a moment. Then, he added, quickly, "Better than I usually feel at this time."
"We won't enter you into a duel just yet," Severus teased, and Remus smiled.
"Can we do anything for you?" James asked. "Are you hungry?"
There was another pause, and Severus wondered if Remus was trying to determine what his bodily needs were at the moment.
"A bit. Not very, but more than usual," he decided.
"It's about time for dinner," Peter pointed out. "Could we bring you something back?"
"I-I think some toast," Remus determined, "and tea."
"That's not very much," Sirius said, in mild consternation.
It was Severus' and Eileen's dinner more often than not...but that was in the past.
"I expect you need to start slowly," Severus pointed out, "and know what your body needs."
"You're right. Tell you what, Remus? We'll eat quickly, and stop by the kitchens for your tea and toast," Sirius offered. He reached over and gave Remus a squeeze.
"Unless you'd rather we do that first?" James added.
But Remus shook his head. "No, you go ahead, I'll be fine."
So they did, a bit reluctantly, although they ate quickly and stopped by the kitchen for Remus' food. It being the dinner hour, there was no need to sneak around. Not that the kitchens were strictly off-limits, but you did need a password to enter...
Severus had been there a few times since his first expedition under James' invisibility cloak, but it was quite another thing to visit during meals. The house elves were always hard at work, of course, but their work took on a new purpose when the students were actively eating.
James seemed to be thinking the same, and muttered something about coming back later to Sirius, when at least five of the elves saw them and gave them enormous smiles.
"It is James Potter!"
"And Sirius Black!"
"And Peter Pettigrew and Severus Snape!"
"What is it that we can be assisting you with?" several asked at once.
"Er, our friend Remus Lupin is a bit under the weather," Sirius began, grinning at them. "He'd like some toast and tea, if you have any."
"Of course we is having some!" one of the female elves assured them. "You must be sitting down and having something to eat and we is to be bringing it for you right away!"
"Yes, right away!" a male elf echoed.
Several minutes later, they headed back to the Gryffindor tower, holding not only a teapot and cups, but a various assortment of toast (some buttered, some covered with various types of jam), as well as various sugary treats.
"Remus isn't going to be able to stomach half of this until at least tomorrow," Sirius said, a note of sympathy in his voice.
"We'll save him some, but there's no sense in letting it go to waste," James decided, taking a bite of tart.
"Will he feel ill if he sees us eating them?" Peter wondered.
"We can always ask," Severus decided. He shook his head as James offered him an eclair. "Thanks, but I'm stuffed."
"Not everyone has your bottomless stomach, James," Sirius laughed, slinging an arm around his shoulder.
James started to talk, swallowed, and then said with more precision, "It's a rare talent."
Severus chortled. James could certainly eat enough to feed a small family.
Remus was awake when they returned, occupied with one of his textbooks.
"Food delivery!" James called, cheerfully. "How are you feeling, Remus?"
He put his book down and adjusted his position so he was sitting straight up. Severus caught the look of pain on his face.
"Would you like some extra pillows?" he asked.
Remus nodded, sitting stiffly, and Severus retrieved four from one of the wardrobes.
"I'll help," Sirius offered, holding out his arms.
Severus handed him two, and after fluffing them, they placed them behind Remus' back. The boy leaned back and sighed.
"Thanks, that's a lot better."
The pillows were stacked high enough to support Remus' back, and after straightening the blankets, James handed him the tray with the toast.
"The house elves went all out, as usual," he explained. "Eat whatever you like."
Severus poured out some tea from the pot, and placed one of the cups on the tray. "And here's your tea."
Remus looked like he might cry. "Thank you."
James took a seat next to him, then placed both arms around his shoulders. "It's no trouble, really. Want me to stay here?"
Remus nodded, and began to eat. The others, Severus included, sat at the table and began to work on their school assignments, not wanting Remus to feel like an exotic animal.
When he turned back, half the toast was finished and James was pouring a second mug of tea for Remus. It reminded Severus a bit of when he was a child and ill, and his mum would take care of him.
Except, Remus' illness was monthly, and tearing his body apart was nothing compared to a fever or sore throat.
He couldn't imagine what it must be like. And that was only the physical element. People feared werewolves, rejected them. Severus and the others wouldn't reject Remus, of course, but he must have experienced it before. Not that Severus would ask.
"Had enough to eat?" James asked, now, and his tone was even more gentle than usual.
Remus nodded. "Think I'll brush my teeth."
He tried to stand, and while he didn't fall, he clearly fought back a spasm of pain.
"Here. Hold onto me," Severus offered, standing by the bed.
"Well, all right," Remus managed, then laughed in a self-deprecating manner. "Good thing I'm not supposed to duel anyone."
He placed an arm around Severus' shoulders, a bit more firmly than usual, but it didn't hurt much. All the same, he was glad that it wasn't far to the bathroom.
Remus collected his toiletries and brushed his teeth carefully, all while keeping an arm around Severus. He kept his mouth over the sink, lest he get toothpaste on him. When he was finished, they made their way back to the bedroom, and Remus nearly collapsed into bed, falling against the cushions.
"You don't look very good," Sirius noted, having headed over and now fluffing one of the pillows.
"It's the worst the day I change back. I'll be better tomorrow, then back to myself-nearly-the next day. As it's a Friday, it worked out well, since I will be in top form for Monday," Remus explained.
James was still on the other side of him, although a foot a way from his frame.
"Is there anything we can do?" Glancing at Remus, his frame propped against the pillows as they physically held him up, he added, "I could rub your shoulders, if you think that might help."
"Really?" Remus asked, as though it was too much to hope for.
"Sure. Here, let me in..."
Severus watched, ready to help if needed, as James did a bit of maneuvering. He ended up leaning against the pillows, squatting behind Remus. Severus couldn't imagine how this position was remotely comfortable, but James grinned at Severus' look of incredulity.
"Don't look at me like I have two heads," he chided. "I am very flexible. Runs in the family."
Severus just shook his head. "As long as we don't have to carry you to the hospital wing afterwards."
James stuck out his tongue (causing Severus to laugh in surprise), then focused his attention on Remus.
"Are you all right, sitting like this?" he asked.
Remus was sitting upright, and he nodded. "Just a bit stiff."
"Not for long," James said, with confidence, and placed his hands on top of Remus' shoulders.
Severus was close enough that he could practically see the pain leaving his friend's body, as his face went from nearly contorted in pain to genuinely relaxed. He was glad for him. Remus deserved every bit of relief that James could provide.
He had finished all of his reading homework when James emerged, a smile on his face.
"He's fast asleep," he said, softly, closing the curtains around Remus' bed.
"I hope he does feel better tomorrow," Peter said, looking up from a textbook. "Poor Remus. He looked awful."
"He did," James agreed, flexing his hands and taking a seat between Sirius and Severus. "But he looked a lot better just now. Even tried to thank me."
Severus smiled, easily able to picture this. "It was good of you to do that, James."
He shrugged. "I'm just glad it helped. My parents give each other back and foot massages at least once a week. I might have asked for one on occasion," he said, grinning, "and they showed me how to give a good one. Rather think my mum benefited the most to have the two of us able to give her a good back or foot rub."
Peter squirmed a bit. "I expect a back rub would feel nice, but I wouldn't want anyone near my feet."
Severus shrugged. "When my mum was pregnant with my brother, her feet got huge. She still wore tight shoes all the time, and would have Kreacher-one of our house elves-spend hours on them. Then, she'd put on slippers that squeezed them almost as much before going to bed. Insane, women are."
James tousled his hair. "Your mum's in a class all by herself."
"No argument there, mate," Sirius relented.
"What are your parents like, Peter? You don't talk about them much," James asked him.
"Oh, I don't know much about my dad. He died of dragon pox when I was really young," Peter answered. "I think he was a muggle-born, because my mum's from a wizarding family and I am a half-blood. But my grandparents aren't alive on either side."
James nodded. "Dragon pox, too?"
Peter shook his head, then shrugged. "I think my mum's did. She doesn't like to talk about any of them. I didn't even know that they both met in Gryffindor until I sent her an owl that I was sorted there."
There was a silence for awhile, and then Sirius turned to Severus.
"What about your family, Sev?"
He shrugged. "My mum has a brother and a sister. Never met them, or my grandparents."
"What about you, James?" Sirius asked.
"My mum's are dead, my dad's are alive. We see them a few times a year," James answered, with a shrug. "They had Dad when they were on the older side, and my mum didn't have me until she was a bit older."
Severus thought that it was likely that his grandparents were alive. His mum wasn't even thirty. Surely, they couldn't be more than seventy, and probably closer to fifty. They were probably younger than James' parents.
"We're all only children, except Sirius," Peter noted.
"Well, your dad died early, James' parents had him old, Remus got bitten early so they probably didn't want to have more kids and put them in danger. And Sev's father..." Sirius trailed off.
"Having grown up with them, it's no wonder I am an only child. Mind, I wouldn't wish my father on anyone," he answered, a bit bitterly. "I reckon I only exist because I was born before I should have, strictly speaking."
James put a hand on his shoulders. "That's hardly your fault."
Severus nodded, but it didn't feel that way. Not after finding out from his mum. If she hadn't gotten pregnant, she might not have married Tobias...
Peter yawned and muttered something about going to bed, and Sirius followed him. Severus still had fourteen inches left to write for Transfiguration. It was tempting to put it off, but he had just read the chapters, and he'd rather do it when it was fresh in his mind.
James was still working, too, so Severus didn't need to leave the bedroom in favor of the common room.
Finally, it was finished, and Severus was sure it would receive a good grade, if not full marks. He stood and stretched, trying to get the feel of being upright again. How long had he been working? Glancing at his watch, it was only a little after 10, but they'd arrived back at the common room before 6.
Out of the corner of his eye-a skill he'd developed from years of being suddenly grabbed and beaten by his muggle father-he saw James was watching him.
"What?" he asked, a little defensively.
James raised his hands in the universal motion of surrender, and his face went pale.
"What do you mean, Severus?" he asked in a calm manner.
Severus sighed, realizing he was overreacting. For Merlin's sake, this was James. They hadn't fought since their first meeting. Even then, James hadn't even sent sparks at him with his wand.
"Sorry," he said, meaning it. "You reminded me of my father, just them."
Now, James looked confused. "What d'you mean?" At Severus' hesitation, he added, "I can't stop doing something that alarms you if I don't know what it is, Sev."
Severus nodded, realizing the validity of his friend's statement. And James was his friend-they all were. Sure, he was closer with Remus than James and Sirius, but he had come to think of them all as close friends. Maybe even brothers. Not that he would know, having never had a brother.
He sat down on the edge of his bed, and James joined him, placing a hand around his shoulders.
"You know my father beat me?" Severus began.
He glanced at James, who nodded, looked pained, and squeezed Severus' shoulders in a comforting manner.
"It wasn't just when he thought I misbehaved," he continued. "He got drunk fairly often, and could be violent towards my mum and me. More towards me, because she had magic, even though I'd never seen her use it on him. And when he was in the room, then, I couldn't just leave, because then I knew he would follow me and give me a real beating..." Severus paused for a breath, and James' grip on him tightened. "So, I got used to knowing when he was there and had his eyes on me without looking at him. And, by extension, whenever anyone else was."
This had saved him, or at least warned him, on several occasions. Severus couldn't do much to defend himself when his father took out the belt and pinned him down, but when he was just an angry drunk? He couldn't fight the monster his father had become, but he could deflect the blows.
He glanced at James, who had this look of understanding on his face, compassion even, even though it was obvious to Severus that his friend had never experienced worse than a spanking. If that.
James wrapped his arms around Severus, and he returned the hug gratefully. He didn't want it to end anytime soon, and James seemed to understand.
"Merlin, Sev. I'm sorry your father was such an abusive git," he murmured.
Severus forced a smile. "At least he's gone, now."
James let go of him, placing both arms around his shoulders, instead. "Yeah, but going through that...it's likely to mess someone up."
Severus snorted. "Even make them want to get sorted into Slytherin?"
James chuckled. "Exactly."
Not that they were all bad. Andromeda Black was one of the good ones, and even Narcissa (for all of her infatuation with the Prefect Lucius Malfoy) seemed more cold and proud than vindictive. Like her sister, Bellatrix. Not that Severus really knew much about the sisters except the stories Sirius told, and seeing them in the Great Hall for meals. Anyway, the best representative of the house was likely Professor Slughorn...
"I'm glad I'm here," Severus murmured.
James put a hand on his shoulder. "Me too, Sev."
A yawn escaped him. "Will you be up much longer?"
James glanced at Remus' bed. "Just a bit."
Nodding, Severus gathered a sleeping shirt before heading to the bathroom. As he'd washed earlier, he only needed to brush his teeth. Too bad-he would have enjoyed the head massage. But he didn't want to use up the shampoo and conditioner too quickly, and become reliant on Remus' good graces before more arrived via owl post.
James was reading at the table when Severus returned, depositing his dirty robes in the hamper that the house elves would collect before they woke up.
He looked up when Severus returned, then stood. Severus gave him another smile, albeit a tired one.
"Going to sleep?"
Severus nodded.
"You know, you're next to Remus and if he needs any help during the night, I reckon I could help him easier if I'm next to you."
Severus smirked. "You just want access to my mum's blanket."
James laughed, following Severus to the bed. "Added benefit."
James followed Severus, laying next to him, and placing his hands around his frame. Severus felt his mind begin to drift off into sleep.
Author's note:
Next up: The marauders consider adding the confidence of another to their newly founded secret. You can probably guess who.
As always, constructive feedback would be most welcome!