Chapter Two
Remus Lupin opened his eyes suddenly, squinting them closed again when the bright infirmary lights hit him full on. Every time, he thought to himself, opening his eyes more carefully and glaring at the white reflective walls that seemed to emanate light of their own. How can bloody torches be so bright?
Madame Pomfrey bustled over as soon as she saw him awake.
"Oh, good, you're up. You slept a bit longer than usual this time; I think you had some bad dreams," she remarked casually as she prepared a syringe. A sudden flashback hit Remus with the force of a runaway bludger. The scent of a human, intense ferocity, the taste of blood... Remus sat up with a start, his eyes wide and fearful.
"Now, don't you go getting yourself worked up-" Madame Pomfrey began, gently pushing him back onto the bed.
"I bit someone!" he hissed, slapping her hands away. "I-I got out last night. I think I bit someone..." he trailed off, mumbling incoherently and throwing back the covers. Madame Pomfrey clucked disapprovingly and tried to force him back onto the bed.
"Don't be silly," she said angrily, wrestling him to the mattress. "You didn't bite anyone." But Remus was wild now.
"I did! Maybe they didn't know.they might not have come to see you! I remember it...I usually don't remember anything, but I remember this! I smelled a human, and went tearing off..." Remus struggled to remember the flashback and to get out of bed. He'd bitten someone, passed on the curse...unforgivable, unimaginable! He'd be expelled, Dumbledore would be fired, and another person would have to suffer. All because of him...
"Remus Lupin!" Madame Pomfrey yelled, catching him by surprise and using his moment of shock to force him onto the bed again. "A girl came in here around midnight last night, saying she'd been attacked by a large gray wolf. Of course I looked her over, but she was fine! Her hands were covered in blood, but not her own. Her robes were torn to shreds, but she was fine otherwise. Now if you will please just lay down..." A wave of relief washed over Remus, and he melted onto the mattress. She was fine...nothing would happen... He felt like crying for pure joy and relief, but that was quite unnecessary, and he didn't feel like going to breakfast with puffy eyes.
Half an hour later, Madame Pomfrey had given Remus his usual shot, checked him over for scrapes, of which there were many, and healed him to her liking. He was free to go. The fifth-year wandered in the general direction of the Great Hall; he had about fifteen minutes before breakfast, and although he was hungry, he was feeling rather weak from the shock of the morning.
By the time Remus got to the Great Hall, it was nearly half full of yawning, laughing, and bickering students. The owl post had come and gone, but Remus hadn't gotten a letter anyway. He spotted his friends, Sirius Black, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Lily Evans. The two tall, black- headed boys were deep in conversation. Their faces lacked the usual excitement of a prank, laughter at a joke, or general happiness that often lit them up. Peter was looking rather disgruntled and was eating in silence; Lily had a look of intense disapproval on her face: her lips were a thin, colorless line, and the color was rising in her cheeks. James and Sirius, immersed in their conversation, didn't notice Remus until he plopped down next to James. He was surprised to see his friend looking so pale.
"What's up?" he asked casually, reaching for sausages and toast. Remus always had an incredible appetite after a Change; he usually refrained from eating dinner directly beforehand, to reduce the possibility of throwing up while going through the already painful and disgusting process. James slapped on a wan smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Not much. How are you feeling?" he asked in what he hoped was a nonchalant tone. He ran his hands through his untidy hair, a motion that showed his nervousness. After last night's events, he had a right to feel a little nervous around his friend; he'd never seen Moony lose control like that, and it scared him. A lot.
"I'm okay, no better or worse than usual," Remus replied, pausing to shovel food into his mouth. James and Sirius exchanged glances. Remus rarely remembered anything about their nighttime romps, and they'd been debating whether or not to tell him what had happened. It was Remus' worst fear, to bite someone else, and they knew he'd get very moody and depressed if he knew he finally had. As Sirius said, it was possible he hadn't bitten that girl at all, or that she'd been smart enough to go to the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey would have know what to do right away, and it was a matter of hours before the infection really took hold...
But, as Lily had put in for her boyfriend, what if the girl had been bitten, and hadn't gone to see Madame Pomfrey? It took only the smallest bite to infect someone, and third years wouldn't learn about werewolves until the end of the year. She might not have realized how serious the situation was.
James wanted to say something, too; he worried that the girl would pass it off as a dream. He certainly would have. To see a big black dog, a white stag, and a wolf charge at you... No, two wolves. The memory of that small black wolf came back to him as he recalled the previous night's events. Who had she been? For his sensitive stag's nose had discerned that the third-year's savior had been a female, and that there was something strange about her. She wasn't quite natural somehow, but not in the way Remus wasn't a natural wolf. There was something decidedly human about her scent. Could she have been a dog?
James' thoughts were interrupted by a loud burp from Remus. A few Gryffindor boys chuckled, while the girls looked away in disgust, thinking the boy was showing off. James patted his friend on the back, putting on his amiable face again.
"You all right there, buddy?" he said with a laugh. Remus smiled sheepishly and took a long drink of pumpkin juice before continuing to eat, albeit more slowly. James glanced at Sirius again, but the boy wasn't meeting his eyes. He looked into his girlfriend's bright green eyes, and knew what he had to do.
"Remus?" he said tentatively. The boy glanced up at him.
"Yesh?" he mumbled around a mouthful of sausage. Sirius glanced at James sharply but did not interrupt. Peter found great interest in the color of his pumpkin juice. James took a deep breath and continued.
"Do you, ah, remember anything from last night?" he questioned, his voice squeaking a bit on the last word. Lily, behind him, couldn't help but smile. He sounded like his voice was changing again. Remus, however, found nothing to laugh at. His jaw slackened, and he swallowed whatever was in his mouth.
"I, well, sort of..." he said slowly, studying his friend's reaction. James was looking positively terrified. "Look, James, if this is about that girl.I know what happened. I asked Pomfrey about it, and she said I didn't bite her skin. Just tore up the robes a bit, that's all." James was looking as relieved as Remus had felt that morning.
"That's...that's definitely a relief," he said lamely. Remus shrugged.
"I guess we'll have to be a lot more careful now, that's all," he said, going back to his food with considerably less avidity. Lily's jaw dropped.
"You're still going to do this?" she whispered harshly. "Even after such a close call?" Her cheeks were as red as her hair. She looked to James for help, but her boyfriend was looking more cheerful and was concentrating on his breakfast.
"Of course, Lil," he told her with a smile. "You heard Moony. We just have to be more careful. It won't happen again." He grinned at her reassuringly.
"I can't believe you guys! Why are men so stupid?" Lily fumed. James was looking offended. "You could have infected that girl! You could have been expelled, and gotten Dumbledore fired, and-"
"I know that!" Remus yelled, standing up suddenly. The hall got quiet for a moment, as everyone turned to see what was going on. Remus looked around, getting red in the face, and began getting his books together. The rest of the students went back to their breakfasts. When his book bag was put together, Remus crouched next to Lily to talk to her quietly.
"You can't-" she began. Remus put a hand up to cut her off.
"I know it's dangerous Lily, but you don't understand. The wolf," he lowered his voice and looked around, "needs to run around. I can't explain it, but no matter how much exercise I get beforehand, the wolf is restless. When I'm confined to that shack." he paused and pulled up his left sleeve, revealing one of his many scars. "You've seen what I do to myself." He looked at her pleadingly; whether Lily liked it or not, he'd continue to go out into the forest as a wolf-he just preferred not to make an enemy by doing so. After a moment of thought, Lily nodded.
"Okay, I get you. But please," she paused, catching the eyes of all the Marauders, "please be careful." All four of them, who'd been listening to the argument, nodded briefly before going back to their food. Remus headed off to class, grabbing a piece of toast as he walked out.
Remus Lupin opened his eyes suddenly, squinting them closed again when the bright infirmary lights hit him full on. Every time, he thought to himself, opening his eyes more carefully and glaring at the white reflective walls that seemed to emanate light of their own. How can bloody torches be so bright?
Madame Pomfrey bustled over as soon as she saw him awake.
"Oh, good, you're up. You slept a bit longer than usual this time; I think you had some bad dreams," she remarked casually as she prepared a syringe. A sudden flashback hit Remus with the force of a runaway bludger. The scent of a human, intense ferocity, the taste of blood... Remus sat up with a start, his eyes wide and fearful.
"Now, don't you go getting yourself worked up-" Madame Pomfrey began, gently pushing him back onto the bed.
"I bit someone!" he hissed, slapping her hands away. "I-I got out last night. I think I bit someone..." he trailed off, mumbling incoherently and throwing back the covers. Madame Pomfrey clucked disapprovingly and tried to force him back onto the bed.
"Don't be silly," she said angrily, wrestling him to the mattress. "You didn't bite anyone." But Remus was wild now.
"I did! Maybe they didn't know.they might not have come to see you! I remember it...I usually don't remember anything, but I remember this! I smelled a human, and went tearing off..." Remus struggled to remember the flashback and to get out of bed. He'd bitten someone, passed on the curse...unforgivable, unimaginable! He'd be expelled, Dumbledore would be fired, and another person would have to suffer. All because of him...
"Remus Lupin!" Madame Pomfrey yelled, catching him by surprise and using his moment of shock to force him onto the bed again. "A girl came in here around midnight last night, saying she'd been attacked by a large gray wolf. Of course I looked her over, but she was fine! Her hands were covered in blood, but not her own. Her robes were torn to shreds, but she was fine otherwise. Now if you will please just lay down..." A wave of relief washed over Remus, and he melted onto the mattress. She was fine...nothing would happen... He felt like crying for pure joy and relief, but that was quite unnecessary, and he didn't feel like going to breakfast with puffy eyes.
Half an hour later, Madame Pomfrey had given Remus his usual shot, checked him over for scrapes, of which there were many, and healed him to her liking. He was free to go. The fifth-year wandered in the general direction of the Great Hall; he had about fifteen minutes before breakfast, and although he was hungry, he was feeling rather weak from the shock of the morning.
By the time Remus got to the Great Hall, it was nearly half full of yawning, laughing, and bickering students. The owl post had come and gone, but Remus hadn't gotten a letter anyway. He spotted his friends, Sirius Black, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Lily Evans. The two tall, black- headed boys were deep in conversation. Their faces lacked the usual excitement of a prank, laughter at a joke, or general happiness that often lit them up. Peter was looking rather disgruntled and was eating in silence; Lily had a look of intense disapproval on her face: her lips were a thin, colorless line, and the color was rising in her cheeks. James and Sirius, immersed in their conversation, didn't notice Remus until he plopped down next to James. He was surprised to see his friend looking so pale.
"What's up?" he asked casually, reaching for sausages and toast. Remus always had an incredible appetite after a Change; he usually refrained from eating dinner directly beforehand, to reduce the possibility of throwing up while going through the already painful and disgusting process. James slapped on a wan smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Not much. How are you feeling?" he asked in what he hoped was a nonchalant tone. He ran his hands through his untidy hair, a motion that showed his nervousness. After last night's events, he had a right to feel a little nervous around his friend; he'd never seen Moony lose control like that, and it scared him. A lot.
"I'm okay, no better or worse than usual," Remus replied, pausing to shovel food into his mouth. James and Sirius exchanged glances. Remus rarely remembered anything about their nighttime romps, and they'd been debating whether or not to tell him what had happened. It was Remus' worst fear, to bite someone else, and they knew he'd get very moody and depressed if he knew he finally had. As Sirius said, it was possible he hadn't bitten that girl at all, or that she'd been smart enough to go to the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey would have know what to do right away, and it was a matter of hours before the infection really took hold...
But, as Lily had put in for her boyfriend, what if the girl had been bitten, and hadn't gone to see Madame Pomfrey? It took only the smallest bite to infect someone, and third years wouldn't learn about werewolves until the end of the year. She might not have realized how serious the situation was.
James wanted to say something, too; he worried that the girl would pass it off as a dream. He certainly would have. To see a big black dog, a white stag, and a wolf charge at you... No, two wolves. The memory of that small black wolf came back to him as he recalled the previous night's events. Who had she been? For his sensitive stag's nose had discerned that the third-year's savior had been a female, and that there was something strange about her. She wasn't quite natural somehow, but not in the way Remus wasn't a natural wolf. There was something decidedly human about her scent. Could she have been a dog?
James' thoughts were interrupted by a loud burp from Remus. A few Gryffindor boys chuckled, while the girls looked away in disgust, thinking the boy was showing off. James patted his friend on the back, putting on his amiable face again.
"You all right there, buddy?" he said with a laugh. Remus smiled sheepishly and took a long drink of pumpkin juice before continuing to eat, albeit more slowly. James glanced at Sirius again, but the boy wasn't meeting his eyes. He looked into his girlfriend's bright green eyes, and knew what he had to do.
"Remus?" he said tentatively. The boy glanced up at him.
"Yesh?" he mumbled around a mouthful of sausage. Sirius glanced at James sharply but did not interrupt. Peter found great interest in the color of his pumpkin juice. James took a deep breath and continued.
"Do you, ah, remember anything from last night?" he questioned, his voice squeaking a bit on the last word. Lily, behind him, couldn't help but smile. He sounded like his voice was changing again. Remus, however, found nothing to laugh at. His jaw slackened, and he swallowed whatever was in his mouth.
"I, well, sort of..." he said slowly, studying his friend's reaction. James was looking positively terrified. "Look, James, if this is about that girl.I know what happened. I asked Pomfrey about it, and she said I didn't bite her skin. Just tore up the robes a bit, that's all." James was looking as relieved as Remus had felt that morning.
"That's...that's definitely a relief," he said lamely. Remus shrugged.
"I guess we'll have to be a lot more careful now, that's all," he said, going back to his food with considerably less avidity. Lily's jaw dropped.
"You're still going to do this?" she whispered harshly. "Even after such a close call?" Her cheeks were as red as her hair. She looked to James for help, but her boyfriend was looking more cheerful and was concentrating on his breakfast.
"Of course, Lil," he told her with a smile. "You heard Moony. We just have to be more careful. It won't happen again." He grinned at her reassuringly.
"I can't believe you guys! Why are men so stupid?" Lily fumed. James was looking offended. "You could have infected that girl! You could have been expelled, and gotten Dumbledore fired, and-"
"I know that!" Remus yelled, standing up suddenly. The hall got quiet for a moment, as everyone turned to see what was going on. Remus looked around, getting red in the face, and began getting his books together. The rest of the students went back to their breakfasts. When his book bag was put together, Remus crouched next to Lily to talk to her quietly.
"You can't-" she began. Remus put a hand up to cut her off.
"I know it's dangerous Lily, but you don't understand. The wolf," he lowered his voice and looked around, "needs to run around. I can't explain it, but no matter how much exercise I get beforehand, the wolf is restless. When I'm confined to that shack." he paused and pulled up his left sleeve, revealing one of his many scars. "You've seen what I do to myself." He looked at her pleadingly; whether Lily liked it or not, he'd continue to go out into the forest as a wolf-he just preferred not to make an enemy by doing so. After a moment of thought, Lily nodded.
"Okay, I get you. But please," she paused, catching the eyes of all the Marauders, "please be careful." All four of them, who'd been listening to the argument, nodded briefly before going back to their food. Remus headed off to class, grabbing a piece of toast as he walked out.