Chapter Three
When I woke that morning, I still was a little shaken by the nightmare. The curtains to my bed were closed and I couldn't see a clock ,nor the sun, to tell me what time it was. I could hear Sirius softly snoring on the other side of my bed, and I remembered that he was there. I closed my eyes, something that was very out of character of me, and tried to fall back asleep. It was much more peaceful when he was there.
It was really becoming clear to me that I really did fancy him. It was a scary thought, considering that Sirius could have any girl in the school, give or take a few Slytherins, that he wanted. I had no chance. But I was happy with just friendship. That's what it had been up until now, right?
It must've been late, and the sun must've been rising because I heard movement around the room. I heard James first, "Now, don't go telling me that Padfoot pulled a Moony on us and went to the library early again." I could hear him pulling at the covers on, what I guess was, Sirius' bed.
Then Peter was knocking on the bathroom door. "Sirius? You in there?" He said, and I could almost see his pointed little face turning to James and shaking his head. I knew what was going to come next. And it wasn't going to be easy to get out of the sitiuation I would be in momentarily.
James poked his head through the curtains on my bed and said, "Moony, I was wondering if you heard--- er...." And he stopped mid-sentence upon spotting Sirius. I heard Sirius yawn and then he hit me in the head. "Ouch!" I said as he sat up. "What'm I doing here?" He asked, yawning again. "That's what I'd like to know." James said, a horrified look on his face.
"Oh... I remember... Remus had another nightmare and I was going to stay over here until he fell asleep, but I guess I must've dozed off for a moment." He said. James seemed to have believed him and he pulled the rest of the curtains open. "Well, unlike Moony, some people have to take classes on the day on the day of the full moon." James said, rolling his eyes and trying to get dressed.
"It's not like I choose it... I'd rather have double potions for sixteen hours straight than have to do this every month." I muttered to no one in particular.
Sirius gave me a sympathetic smile, positioned his bag on his shoulder, and left for breakfast with James and Peter. I really wasn't in the mood to eat anything right away. My stomach was growling, but I wasn't going to eat because knowing my body, when I was this close to the full moon, I couldn't keep anything down. So I lay back in my bed and rolled over to where Sirius had lain. The warmth of his body was still there and, because it was so cluse to the full moon, I could smell the scent of his hair on the pillow. I rolled back over to my side, disgusted that I was even thinking about my best friend that way again.
Why knows what he'd do if he ever knew?
It was lunch time, and I had gone into the Great Hall for no reason at all. As I sat, waiting for my fellow Marauders, I heard Lily talking to Alice something... I didn't know her last name. I'd just seen her with Frank Longbottom a few times.
"I'm telling you, Alice. He's an insufferable, intolerable prat! I can't believe he has the nerve to talk like that in front of me. You'd think, if he likes me as much as he says he does, that he'd actually respect what I want him to do and leave me alone for a change." She said.
"I think it's kind of dumb of you to break off your date to the Yule Ball, Lily. Who're you going to get to go with you the day of the Yule Ball? Everyone's taken." Alice said.
"I don't know. Maybe I'll ask Remus--" I pretended not to be listening "--he's always been the nicest of Potter's friends. And it's a cool name." She laughed, as did Alice, but I didn't get it.
"I think I like Lily Potter better than Lily Lupin... I'd say Lily Longbottom is pretty cool, but Frank is already taken." The two girls laughed and then quieted when James walked over and sat down across from me. He looked like a dog that had just been fixed.
"What now?" I asked. "McGonagall gave me detention for all next week because I tried to jinx Snivellus. He called Lily a...a you-know-what again and I tried to defend her and then she went off on how I need to stop and all that girl stuff. She should write a book. That way, I'd know what's going on in her head. I've never understood women.. They're so hard to understand. Right, Siri--- Oh my God!" James said, looking at Sirius, who, amazingly was scribbling down answers on the parchment in front of him.
'You're actually doing your homework. It's not due until next week, and you're doing it. I've lost you... Where's Padfoot gone?" He asked, amazed that Sirius was doing it and he wasn't copying mine.
I thought back to James' comment the day before. "The day Sirius Black can do his own homework will be the day he has no interest in girls."
I almost laughed, because I knew that Sirius was probably doing his homework to impress someone in one of his classes. I rolled my eyes. "He probably did something wrong in class today and he decided to finish before he gets in trouble. Did you set fire to someone's parchment?" I asked.
He grinned and shook his head. "No, I'm just doing my homework for a change. I don't have anything to worry about tonight because I'm not going to the Yule Ball so why bother?" He said.
James said, "I don't know if there's a point in my going anymore.. Lily cancelled on me because I went after Snape again. Remember in fifth year when she went off on me because we were having fun, and then she freaked out on my defending her when he called her a... a you-know-what then too.. Maybe this time I'll get a clue and let him harrass her... Nah... It's to much fun when she nags me." He grinned and looked down the table at Lily. "Evans! Just the girl I wanted to see..." He said, before getting up and going to sit next to her.
Sirius rolled his eyes. "I reckon she'll hit him with a hex in the next five minutes that'll land him in the Hospital Wing..." He said, looking down at his homework, and then said, "D'you think you could go over this for me?"
I took the paper. "Thanks. You can give it back to me later. I don't want to be here when you read it in case there's anything wrong with it." He said, grabbing his stuff and leaving. I didn't know what would be wrong with it, and then I saw the title:
Werewolves
An Essay by Sirius Black
It was probably assigned for Defense Against the Dark Arts class. I scanned over it. It wasn't as long as it probably should be, and Sirius probably just wanted me to put in thoughts and different facts that the professor would probably be looking for. I walked back to Gryffindor Common Room to read it. When I got there, I sat at a table with my quill and ink to make any corrections that were needed, and I began to read.
Werewolves are human beings that have been bitten by another werewolf and
infected with the disease known as Lycanthropy. The disease cause the body to shift and rearrange itself to
resemble a half-man, half-wolf creatre on the night of the full moon. Many werewolves have been executed, many killed
in the attack of a human being. The identities of these people is often kept a secret, for the person's fear of
execution. People who are infected often show several different signs. They often eat red meat around the time of
the full moon; The often widthdraw themselves; They become alot stronger than they usually are; The person will often be
haunted by nightmares of the person/persons
that he or she has attacked in the past. I can't be certain that this
happens to everyone, but I've seen it happen before. Werewolves can be killed, most commonly, by pure silver. A silver bullet or
knife could kill a werewolf on impact. It is also known that, as wolves often do, the people who are infected with
the disease often find a parter and stay with that person for life. If the other person dies, or if the other person
leaves the infected, it is likely that the
werewolf would not be able to go on. Meaning, that many people who have
Lycanthropy often don't generally marry
because of the fear of hurting the other person.
It surprised me that he knew that much, because he hadn't been reading it in a book on the table. Had he pulled all of that from his head? I made one or two spelling corrections and stood to take it to the dorm and put it somewhere where he would be sure to find it. Before I was to the entrance to the dorms, however, the portrait hole opened and in popped Sirius.
"How bad is it?" He asked, seeing me.
"A couple spelling things, but other than that I think it was very informative." I said, handing him the parchment.
"Really?" He sounded surprised.
"Yes. I think all of it is true." I said, as he took it.
"Which part aren't you sure about?" He asked, looking down at the few changes I'd made.
"Well, some of it I just haven't experienced." I laughed.
"Which? I know you have the nightmares... I know you know about the whole silver thing... ANd you don't let people near you and you don't go out with girls like the rest of us because you're either afraid of getting hurt, or you're afraid of hurting them..." He said.
Before I knew what I had said, I said "Or maybe I just don't like them."
"What?" He asked quickly. I guess he thought he heard me wrong, and I was happy about that. "I just don't like anyone here." I muttered.
"I thought you said something else." He said, and I thought I saw a hint of pink in his cheeks. I know there was probably alot of red in mine. "Uh... I think you should be heading down to the Hospital Wing so you can be ready. The sun looks like it's going down a little." He said, not meeting my eyes. I nodded and walked out the door.
From the way he'd looked so embarrassed by my comment, I had to wonder... Could this friendship be more?
When I woke that morning, I still was a little shaken by the nightmare. The curtains to my bed were closed and I couldn't see a clock ,nor the sun, to tell me what time it was. I could hear Sirius softly snoring on the other side of my bed, and I remembered that he was there. I closed my eyes, something that was very out of character of me, and tried to fall back asleep. It was much more peaceful when he was there.
It was really becoming clear to me that I really did fancy him. It was a scary thought, considering that Sirius could have any girl in the school, give or take a few Slytherins, that he wanted. I had no chance. But I was happy with just friendship. That's what it had been up until now, right?
It must've been late, and the sun must've been rising because I heard movement around the room. I heard James first, "Now, don't go telling me that Padfoot pulled a Moony on us and went to the library early again." I could hear him pulling at the covers on, what I guess was, Sirius' bed.
Then Peter was knocking on the bathroom door. "Sirius? You in there?" He said, and I could almost see his pointed little face turning to James and shaking his head. I knew what was going to come next. And it wasn't going to be easy to get out of the sitiuation I would be in momentarily.
James poked his head through the curtains on my bed and said, "Moony, I was wondering if you heard--- er...." And he stopped mid-sentence upon spotting Sirius. I heard Sirius yawn and then he hit me in the head. "Ouch!" I said as he sat up. "What'm I doing here?" He asked, yawning again. "That's what I'd like to know." James said, a horrified look on his face.
"Oh... I remember... Remus had another nightmare and I was going to stay over here until he fell asleep, but I guess I must've dozed off for a moment." He said. James seemed to have believed him and he pulled the rest of the curtains open. "Well, unlike Moony, some people have to take classes on the day on the day of the full moon." James said, rolling his eyes and trying to get dressed.
"It's not like I choose it... I'd rather have double potions for sixteen hours straight than have to do this every month." I muttered to no one in particular.
Sirius gave me a sympathetic smile, positioned his bag on his shoulder, and left for breakfast with James and Peter. I really wasn't in the mood to eat anything right away. My stomach was growling, but I wasn't going to eat because knowing my body, when I was this close to the full moon, I couldn't keep anything down. So I lay back in my bed and rolled over to where Sirius had lain. The warmth of his body was still there and, because it was so cluse to the full moon, I could smell the scent of his hair on the pillow. I rolled back over to my side, disgusted that I was even thinking about my best friend that way again.
Why knows what he'd do if he ever knew?
It was lunch time, and I had gone into the Great Hall for no reason at all. As I sat, waiting for my fellow Marauders, I heard Lily talking to Alice something... I didn't know her last name. I'd just seen her with Frank Longbottom a few times.
"I'm telling you, Alice. He's an insufferable, intolerable prat! I can't believe he has the nerve to talk like that in front of me. You'd think, if he likes me as much as he says he does, that he'd actually respect what I want him to do and leave me alone for a change." She said.
"I think it's kind of dumb of you to break off your date to the Yule Ball, Lily. Who're you going to get to go with you the day of the Yule Ball? Everyone's taken." Alice said.
"I don't know. Maybe I'll ask Remus--" I pretended not to be listening "--he's always been the nicest of Potter's friends. And it's a cool name." She laughed, as did Alice, but I didn't get it.
"I think I like Lily Potter better than Lily Lupin... I'd say Lily Longbottom is pretty cool, but Frank is already taken." The two girls laughed and then quieted when James walked over and sat down across from me. He looked like a dog that had just been fixed.
"What now?" I asked. "McGonagall gave me detention for all next week because I tried to jinx Snivellus. He called Lily a...a you-know-what again and I tried to defend her and then she went off on how I need to stop and all that girl stuff. She should write a book. That way, I'd know what's going on in her head. I've never understood women.. They're so hard to understand. Right, Siri--- Oh my God!" James said, looking at Sirius, who, amazingly was scribbling down answers on the parchment in front of him.
'You're actually doing your homework. It's not due until next week, and you're doing it. I've lost you... Where's Padfoot gone?" He asked, amazed that Sirius was doing it and he wasn't copying mine.
I thought back to James' comment the day before. "The day Sirius Black can do his own homework will be the day he has no interest in girls."
I almost laughed, because I knew that Sirius was probably doing his homework to impress someone in one of his classes. I rolled my eyes. "He probably did something wrong in class today and he decided to finish before he gets in trouble. Did you set fire to someone's parchment?" I asked.
He grinned and shook his head. "No, I'm just doing my homework for a change. I don't have anything to worry about tonight because I'm not going to the Yule Ball so why bother?" He said.
James said, "I don't know if there's a point in my going anymore.. Lily cancelled on me because I went after Snape again. Remember in fifth year when she went off on me because we were having fun, and then she freaked out on my defending her when he called her a... a you-know-what then too.. Maybe this time I'll get a clue and let him harrass her... Nah... It's to much fun when she nags me." He grinned and looked down the table at Lily. "Evans! Just the girl I wanted to see..." He said, before getting up and going to sit next to her.
Sirius rolled his eyes. "I reckon she'll hit him with a hex in the next five minutes that'll land him in the Hospital Wing..." He said, looking down at his homework, and then said, "D'you think you could go over this for me?"
I took the paper. "Thanks. You can give it back to me later. I don't want to be here when you read it in case there's anything wrong with it." He said, grabbing his stuff and leaving. I didn't know what would be wrong with it, and then I saw the title:
Werewolves
An Essay by Sirius Black
It was probably assigned for Defense Against the Dark Arts class. I scanned over it. It wasn't as long as it probably should be, and Sirius probably just wanted me to put in thoughts and different facts that the professor would probably be looking for. I walked back to Gryffindor Common Room to read it. When I got there, I sat at a table with my quill and ink to make any corrections that were needed, and I began to read.
Werewolves are human beings that have been bitten by another werewolf and
infected with the disease known as Lycanthropy. The disease cause the body to shift and rearrange itself to
resemble a half-man, half-wolf creatre on the night of the full moon. Many werewolves have been executed, many killed
in the attack of a human being. The identities of these people is often kept a secret, for the person's fear of
execution. People who are infected often show several different signs. They often eat red meat around the time of
the full moon; The often widthdraw themselves; They become alot stronger than they usually are; The person will often be
haunted by nightmares of the person/persons
that he or she has attacked in the past. I can't be certain that this
happens to everyone, but I've seen it happen before. Werewolves can be killed, most commonly, by pure silver. A silver bullet or
knife could kill a werewolf on impact. It is also known that, as wolves often do, the people who are infected with
the disease often find a parter and stay with that person for life. If the other person dies, or if the other person
leaves the infected, it is likely that the
werewolf would not be able to go on. Meaning, that many people who have
Lycanthropy often don't generally marry
because of the fear of hurting the other person.
It surprised me that he knew that much, because he hadn't been reading it in a book on the table. Had he pulled all of that from his head? I made one or two spelling corrections and stood to take it to the dorm and put it somewhere where he would be sure to find it. Before I was to the entrance to the dorms, however, the portrait hole opened and in popped Sirius.
"How bad is it?" He asked, seeing me.
"A couple spelling things, but other than that I think it was very informative." I said, handing him the parchment.
"Really?" He sounded surprised.
"Yes. I think all of it is true." I said, as he took it.
"Which part aren't you sure about?" He asked, looking down at the few changes I'd made.
"Well, some of it I just haven't experienced." I laughed.
"Which? I know you have the nightmares... I know you know about the whole silver thing... ANd you don't let people near you and you don't go out with girls like the rest of us because you're either afraid of getting hurt, or you're afraid of hurting them..." He said.
Before I knew what I had said, I said "Or maybe I just don't like them."
"What?" He asked quickly. I guess he thought he heard me wrong, and I was happy about that. "I just don't like anyone here." I muttered.
"I thought you said something else." He said, and I thought I saw a hint of pink in his cheeks. I know there was probably alot of red in mine. "Uh... I think you should be heading down to the Hospital Wing so you can be ready. The sun looks like it's going down a little." He said, not meeting my eyes. I nodded and walked out the door.
From the way he'd looked so embarrassed by my comment, I had to wonder... Could this friendship be more?
