kat: Thanks. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Sirius, but I don't think he'll be
alright anytime soon. (Nevermind, it's just that your Pen Name reminded me
of my fav-charakter of that book.)
Sunny: Sure I will, thanks for Reviewing.
Woop: Hehe, at least you tried. Everything clear now?
Healing
Closing the door with a swift kick behind him, he gently laid the dog on the couch next to the fire place. He needed to get him in human shape first. Kneeling down beside the couch he pulled his wand out and waved it at his friend, muttering "Enervate!" under his breath. Padfoots eyes opened into slits and he gave a soft whimper. "Sirius? Hey, do you understand me? You need to transform Pads, come on." He was talking in a quiet, soothing voice, stroking his friend's head lightly. "It'll hurt even more if I do the spell. Just try." Padfoot closed is eyes again, seemingly trying to concentrate but nothing happened.
Probably too weak, Remus sighted and pointed the tip of his wand towards the dog once more. A blue-white flash of light erupted from it and hit the Animagus. Padfoot made a screeching noise and the next moment Sirius was lying on the couch. His face was contorted in agony and he was breathing hard, trying to suppress a cry of pain.
Sirius was numb with cold. The voices were distant and unclear, as if he was under water. He only understood bits and pieces, some loud and clear, others muffled by the fog surrounding him. ".to transform...even more...spell." Without thinking he did as he was told. Or tried to. Still his body refused to act. He only succeeded in stirring the pain up again. The throbbing was dulled by the chill but the next thing he knew, was, that it sparkled brilliantly to life.
"Sirius? Do you hear me? Come on, just give me a sign!" It was Remus' voice, he realised, and it was much clearer now. He opened his eyes and peered up at him. Remus laid a hand on his face and smoothed his hair back. It felt hot against his cold skin. "We need to get you warm, you're ice- cold." Sirius enjoyed the feeling of the werewolf's skin against his own and his eyes slid shut. He heard soft whisper, probably some spell. He found himself not caring about it.
The hands shifted to the nape of his neck and gently lifted his head. He felt a glass being placed at his lips. "You need to drink this, Padfoot. It'll bring some warmth into you." It was difficult to swallow, but as the thick liquid slid down his throat into his stomach, it left a hot path, spreading slowly through his body.
Remus removed his cloth magically, sparing Sirius more pain. He could heal scratches, maybe some of the deeper cuts, but that was over his head. He spread a blanket over his friend's naked form and stroked his cheek reassuringly. "It's alright, everything's going to be ok. Try to stay awake, I'll be right back, ok?" The Animagus nodded slightly.
"Incendio!" The wood caught fire and the flames leaped up. Golden light illuminated the room and the warmth of the fire spread quickly. Taking some powder out of the small pot on the mantelpiece Remus threw it in the flames and they turned bright green. "Professor Dumbledore? You there?" The headmaster's head appeared in the hearth, a look of concern on his face. "Remus! How was the full moon? Is Sirius back?" Remus nodded grimly. "Yes Sir, and not in very good shape, I'm afraid. I found him lying unconscious in the snow. He's hurt rather badly and I fear he has gone into shock from the pain and the cold. He needs to see Madam Pomfrey." ,he said and peered over to the Animagus, whose pale face looked sickly green in the light of the magical fire. Dumbledore stayed silent for a moment then nodded. "I'll be there with Poppy as soon as possible. Do what you can in the meantime." "Sure. See you then."
With a pop the old wizard's head and beard disappeared and Remus went back to his friend. He conjured up a bowl with hot water and a few towels. Wetting them he laid the compresses onto Sirius' chest and stomach. Dark eyes opened and Remus began stroking his face once more. The skin was still clammy, he was shivering slightly. Pulling the blanket tighter around him Remus leaned down and started talking to him so he wouldn't fall asleep.
"Better now? Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey will be here soon and then we'll take care of your leg. You have to stay awake, Sirius, at least until Madam Pomfrey arrives. Do you understand me?" The black-haired wizard nodded weakly und sunk deeper in the cushions. Remus carefully cleaned his face with a wet cloth and went on: "I'll send Harry an owl, he's probably worrying himself sick." Sirius eyes snapped open once more and he looked at the werewolf shocked. The thought hadn't occurred to him and a wave of guilt swept over him. It wasn't Harry's fault all this had happened, he shouldn't suffer from it.
Feeling that he had hit a nerve Remus smoothed his hair back and laid a warm hand on his shoulder, preventing Sirius from moving too much. "It's ok, I didn't mean to upset you. Harry's fine I'm sure." Sirius still made an attempt to sit up, but gave a cry as the pain shot through him again. "Lay back, you're only making it worse. Here." He rearranged the blanket around him.
The wards gave alarm. Someone had apparated just outside and was now approaching the door. "Lie still, I'm right back.", he told Sirius and went to answer the door. He pulled out his wand, just to be on the safe side. Flinging the door open Remus aimed it at the intruder.
Albus Dumbledore and a very pale Madam Pomfrey stood on the doorstep, the snowing having become a storm and white flocks were racing through the air. The old wizard gave a small smile that didn't reach his concerned eyes. Feeling a bit stupid Remus lowered the wand and bate them to enter. "Can't be careful enough these days.", he murmured. "He's over there.", he added, interpreting the Headmaster's frown correctly. Madam Pomfrey, abandoning her slightly scared expression, rushed over to Sirius.
Remus was about to ask if she knew about his friend's innocence, when he heard a screech. Spinning around he saw the mediwitch stumbling backwards and Sirius trying to sit up, his face contorted in pain, fear clearly shown in his grey eyes. "That murderer! Remus, are you mad to keep this traitor in your house?! Don't you remember what that monster did to Lily and James?!" Sirius, distressed by the screaming woman in front of him, tried to scramble away helplessly.
"Poppy, NO! Calm down, I will explain everything to you!" The Headmaster strode over to her. "You said the injured was an agent from our side!! Don't you know a Death Eater when he stands in front of you?!" Dumbledore took the witch by the shoulders while Remus rushed to Sirius' side to prevent him from moving any further. His eyes had gone blank and he was shaking, if from the chill or from shock Remus couldn't tell. Blood was streaming from the open wound now. The Animagus was obviously distraught by both pain and panic.
Holding Sirius the other man spoke up to Madam Pomfrey. "Listen, he's innocent, you have to believe us. It's a long story and we'll explain it to you. But first you have to help him, he needs medical attention." She turned to look at Dumbledore, who nodded and loosened his grip on her shoulders. "It's true Poppy, Sirius isn't the one to blame for the events of that Halloween-night and all those deaths that followed. I can assure you that he has been a true follower of our side, and not just since we learned of his innocence."
Madam Pomfrey looked over at the two friends then back to Dumbledore. Taking a deep breath she nodded her head and said: "Alright, I'm sure you know what you are talking about." She observed Sirius with a strange expression on her face. He was staring right back, uncertain what to think, blanket only covering his lap now.
The mediwitch's eyes fell on his leg and went wide. Suddenly she seemed to have forgotten about him being a murderer, instead she ordered Remus to get clean bandages and began rummaging in her bag. While she pulled out several bottles and vials, Dumbledore went over to Sirius. "How are you doing?", he asked, gently pushing him down and pulling the blanket around his trembling form. "Did you find Pettigrew?" Sirius nodded his head weakly. "Nearly had him, bu' his companion cam' back 'little ta earle." The words came out slightly slurred and his throat sounded sore. "Hid me with a Sdunner an' I broke m' leg when I fell." He tried to go on but a sharp cough-attack cut him of.
Dumbledore carefully lifted his head and let him lean to the side to sooth the coughing. Madam Pomfrey looked up worried and started to clean the wound. It looked rather scary with that piece of bone sticking out and she was sure it was hurting like hell. Sirius confirmed her thoughts as he winced and tried to suppress a whimper. He made a faint attempt to speak again, but this time Madam Pomfrey mildly forced him down.
"Whatever you want to discus, it can wait. You need to rest." She pushed the long bangs out of his face and felt his forehead. The Animagus was developing a fever. She made sure he was lying still and went on washing blood and dirt from the wound. Remus came back with the requested bandages. Placing them on top of the mediwitch's bag, he knelt down beside Sirius to comfort him. After some minutes the dark-haired man drifted to sleep.
Sirius looked up at the woman suddenly standing over him. Wasn't that .....Madam Pomfrey? Funny, she looked exactly like she had in his Hogwartsdays. But before he could think any further her scream awoke him rudely out of his thoughts. He tried to sit up and the pain began to pound through his veins once again.
"That murderer! Remus, are you mad to keep this traitor in your house?! Don't you remember what that monster did to Lily and James?!"
Murderer. Traitor. Monster. The words rang in his ears painfully. His chest tightened as he thought of Lily and James. The pain those simple words brought back was enough to distract him from the physical torture his leg was practicing on him. He felt panic rising in him and his mind swept back to Azkaban. Back to the screams, the cold, the horrible nightmares. They would take him back, they wouldn't believe him! He wanted to get up, to run, to simply get away.
Only faintly realising the pain radiating from his leg he felt arms wrapping around him, holding him in a warm, comforting embrace. Hands soothed and stroked his face and rubbed his back, shooing away the wave of cold settling over his heart. Slowly his racing mind calmed down and he tried to focus on reality. Remus was there, holding him. Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey stood over there, talking. He realised that Remus was talking, too. The mediwitch was looking at him. Confused and still anxiously he looked back.
His senses still didn't cooperate rightly. It was hard to understand what they were saying and his head started to hurt. He noticed that the arms around him disappeared and instead of Remus' he heard Dumbledore's voice next to his ear. "How are you doing?", he asked quietly and Sirius felt something warm sneaking around his torso. The mere presence of the old wizard soothed his nerves and calmed his fevered mind.
"Did you find Pettigrew?" The name sent a jolt through his brain. He remembered that he needed to tell Dumbledore. Nodding his head he started to speak but his tongue felt heavy. "Nearly had him, bu' his companion cam' back 'little ta earle." He tried to swallow to get rid of the burning in his throat. A lump was forming in his lunges. "Hid me with a Sdunner 'n I broke m' leg when I fell..." he tried to speak clearly but his tongue didn't obey. Irritating his bronchus too much as he drew a sharp breath the cough broke loose and it felt like his throat and lunges were on fire. He was eased on his side and the fit subsided, leaving his respiratory passages burning.
Catching his breath he tried to relax as Madam Pomfrey carefully applied some purple liquid on the wound. It began to smoke and was stinging. Sirius winced and tried not to let the whimper out that was forming in the back of his throat. He shifted and opened his mouth to speak again but Madam Pomfrey cut him of. "Whatever you want to discuss, it can wait. You need to rest." She laid a hand on his forehead, that felt nicely warm against his clammy skin.
Remus was back soothingly started to stroke his face again. The candles that had been lit seemed to blink at him friendly and the warm was finally getting through his cold flesh. His eyes grew heavy and lost himself in the pleasant sensations.
After nearly an hour Madam Pomfrey was done and Remus levitated his friend in the bedroom next door. Pulling the covers over Sirius sleeping form he made sure that the door was slightly ajar so he would be able to hear him. A sight escaped his lips. Sirius had been living with him for a half year now and still the intensity of the nightmares he got frequently hadn't lessened. Azkaban still hadn't lost it's grip on him and it tore Remus heart apart to see his friend in such distress.
Sunny: Sure I will, thanks for Reviewing.
Woop: Hehe, at least you tried. Everything clear now?
Healing
Closing the door with a swift kick behind him, he gently laid the dog on the couch next to the fire place. He needed to get him in human shape first. Kneeling down beside the couch he pulled his wand out and waved it at his friend, muttering "Enervate!" under his breath. Padfoots eyes opened into slits and he gave a soft whimper. "Sirius? Hey, do you understand me? You need to transform Pads, come on." He was talking in a quiet, soothing voice, stroking his friend's head lightly. "It'll hurt even more if I do the spell. Just try." Padfoot closed is eyes again, seemingly trying to concentrate but nothing happened.
Probably too weak, Remus sighted and pointed the tip of his wand towards the dog once more. A blue-white flash of light erupted from it and hit the Animagus. Padfoot made a screeching noise and the next moment Sirius was lying on the couch. His face was contorted in agony and he was breathing hard, trying to suppress a cry of pain.
Sirius was numb with cold. The voices were distant and unclear, as if he was under water. He only understood bits and pieces, some loud and clear, others muffled by the fog surrounding him. ".to transform...even more...spell." Without thinking he did as he was told. Or tried to. Still his body refused to act. He only succeeded in stirring the pain up again. The throbbing was dulled by the chill but the next thing he knew, was, that it sparkled brilliantly to life.
"Sirius? Do you hear me? Come on, just give me a sign!" It was Remus' voice, he realised, and it was much clearer now. He opened his eyes and peered up at him. Remus laid a hand on his face and smoothed his hair back. It felt hot against his cold skin. "We need to get you warm, you're ice- cold." Sirius enjoyed the feeling of the werewolf's skin against his own and his eyes slid shut. He heard soft whisper, probably some spell. He found himself not caring about it.
The hands shifted to the nape of his neck and gently lifted his head. He felt a glass being placed at his lips. "You need to drink this, Padfoot. It'll bring some warmth into you." It was difficult to swallow, but as the thick liquid slid down his throat into his stomach, it left a hot path, spreading slowly through his body.
Remus removed his cloth magically, sparing Sirius more pain. He could heal scratches, maybe some of the deeper cuts, but that was over his head. He spread a blanket over his friend's naked form and stroked his cheek reassuringly. "It's alright, everything's going to be ok. Try to stay awake, I'll be right back, ok?" The Animagus nodded slightly.
"Incendio!" The wood caught fire and the flames leaped up. Golden light illuminated the room and the warmth of the fire spread quickly. Taking some powder out of the small pot on the mantelpiece Remus threw it in the flames and they turned bright green. "Professor Dumbledore? You there?" The headmaster's head appeared in the hearth, a look of concern on his face. "Remus! How was the full moon? Is Sirius back?" Remus nodded grimly. "Yes Sir, and not in very good shape, I'm afraid. I found him lying unconscious in the snow. He's hurt rather badly and I fear he has gone into shock from the pain and the cold. He needs to see Madam Pomfrey." ,he said and peered over to the Animagus, whose pale face looked sickly green in the light of the magical fire. Dumbledore stayed silent for a moment then nodded. "I'll be there with Poppy as soon as possible. Do what you can in the meantime." "Sure. See you then."
With a pop the old wizard's head and beard disappeared and Remus went back to his friend. He conjured up a bowl with hot water and a few towels. Wetting them he laid the compresses onto Sirius' chest and stomach. Dark eyes opened and Remus began stroking his face once more. The skin was still clammy, he was shivering slightly. Pulling the blanket tighter around him Remus leaned down and started talking to him so he wouldn't fall asleep.
"Better now? Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey will be here soon and then we'll take care of your leg. You have to stay awake, Sirius, at least until Madam Pomfrey arrives. Do you understand me?" The black-haired wizard nodded weakly und sunk deeper in the cushions. Remus carefully cleaned his face with a wet cloth and went on: "I'll send Harry an owl, he's probably worrying himself sick." Sirius eyes snapped open once more and he looked at the werewolf shocked. The thought hadn't occurred to him and a wave of guilt swept over him. It wasn't Harry's fault all this had happened, he shouldn't suffer from it.
Feeling that he had hit a nerve Remus smoothed his hair back and laid a warm hand on his shoulder, preventing Sirius from moving too much. "It's ok, I didn't mean to upset you. Harry's fine I'm sure." Sirius still made an attempt to sit up, but gave a cry as the pain shot through him again. "Lay back, you're only making it worse. Here." He rearranged the blanket around him.
The wards gave alarm. Someone had apparated just outside and was now approaching the door. "Lie still, I'm right back.", he told Sirius and went to answer the door. He pulled out his wand, just to be on the safe side. Flinging the door open Remus aimed it at the intruder.
Albus Dumbledore and a very pale Madam Pomfrey stood on the doorstep, the snowing having become a storm and white flocks were racing through the air. The old wizard gave a small smile that didn't reach his concerned eyes. Feeling a bit stupid Remus lowered the wand and bate them to enter. "Can't be careful enough these days.", he murmured. "He's over there.", he added, interpreting the Headmaster's frown correctly. Madam Pomfrey, abandoning her slightly scared expression, rushed over to Sirius.
Remus was about to ask if she knew about his friend's innocence, when he heard a screech. Spinning around he saw the mediwitch stumbling backwards and Sirius trying to sit up, his face contorted in pain, fear clearly shown in his grey eyes. "That murderer! Remus, are you mad to keep this traitor in your house?! Don't you remember what that monster did to Lily and James?!" Sirius, distressed by the screaming woman in front of him, tried to scramble away helplessly.
"Poppy, NO! Calm down, I will explain everything to you!" The Headmaster strode over to her. "You said the injured was an agent from our side!! Don't you know a Death Eater when he stands in front of you?!" Dumbledore took the witch by the shoulders while Remus rushed to Sirius' side to prevent him from moving any further. His eyes had gone blank and he was shaking, if from the chill or from shock Remus couldn't tell. Blood was streaming from the open wound now. The Animagus was obviously distraught by both pain and panic.
Holding Sirius the other man spoke up to Madam Pomfrey. "Listen, he's innocent, you have to believe us. It's a long story and we'll explain it to you. But first you have to help him, he needs medical attention." She turned to look at Dumbledore, who nodded and loosened his grip on her shoulders. "It's true Poppy, Sirius isn't the one to blame for the events of that Halloween-night and all those deaths that followed. I can assure you that he has been a true follower of our side, and not just since we learned of his innocence."
Madam Pomfrey looked over at the two friends then back to Dumbledore. Taking a deep breath she nodded her head and said: "Alright, I'm sure you know what you are talking about." She observed Sirius with a strange expression on her face. He was staring right back, uncertain what to think, blanket only covering his lap now.
The mediwitch's eyes fell on his leg and went wide. Suddenly she seemed to have forgotten about him being a murderer, instead she ordered Remus to get clean bandages and began rummaging in her bag. While she pulled out several bottles and vials, Dumbledore went over to Sirius. "How are you doing?", he asked, gently pushing him down and pulling the blanket around his trembling form. "Did you find Pettigrew?" Sirius nodded his head weakly. "Nearly had him, bu' his companion cam' back 'little ta earle." The words came out slightly slurred and his throat sounded sore. "Hid me with a Sdunner an' I broke m' leg when I fell." He tried to go on but a sharp cough-attack cut him of.
Dumbledore carefully lifted his head and let him lean to the side to sooth the coughing. Madam Pomfrey looked up worried and started to clean the wound. It looked rather scary with that piece of bone sticking out and she was sure it was hurting like hell. Sirius confirmed her thoughts as he winced and tried to suppress a whimper. He made a faint attempt to speak again, but this time Madam Pomfrey mildly forced him down.
"Whatever you want to discus, it can wait. You need to rest." She pushed the long bangs out of his face and felt his forehead. The Animagus was developing a fever. She made sure he was lying still and went on washing blood and dirt from the wound. Remus came back with the requested bandages. Placing them on top of the mediwitch's bag, he knelt down beside Sirius to comfort him. After some minutes the dark-haired man drifted to sleep.
Sirius looked up at the woman suddenly standing over him. Wasn't that .....Madam Pomfrey? Funny, she looked exactly like she had in his Hogwartsdays. But before he could think any further her scream awoke him rudely out of his thoughts. He tried to sit up and the pain began to pound through his veins once again.
"That murderer! Remus, are you mad to keep this traitor in your house?! Don't you remember what that monster did to Lily and James?!"
Murderer. Traitor. Monster. The words rang in his ears painfully. His chest tightened as he thought of Lily and James. The pain those simple words brought back was enough to distract him from the physical torture his leg was practicing on him. He felt panic rising in him and his mind swept back to Azkaban. Back to the screams, the cold, the horrible nightmares. They would take him back, they wouldn't believe him! He wanted to get up, to run, to simply get away.
Only faintly realising the pain radiating from his leg he felt arms wrapping around him, holding him in a warm, comforting embrace. Hands soothed and stroked his face and rubbed his back, shooing away the wave of cold settling over his heart. Slowly his racing mind calmed down and he tried to focus on reality. Remus was there, holding him. Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey stood over there, talking. He realised that Remus was talking, too. The mediwitch was looking at him. Confused and still anxiously he looked back.
His senses still didn't cooperate rightly. It was hard to understand what they were saying and his head started to hurt. He noticed that the arms around him disappeared and instead of Remus' he heard Dumbledore's voice next to his ear. "How are you doing?", he asked quietly and Sirius felt something warm sneaking around his torso. The mere presence of the old wizard soothed his nerves and calmed his fevered mind.
"Did you find Pettigrew?" The name sent a jolt through his brain. He remembered that he needed to tell Dumbledore. Nodding his head he started to speak but his tongue felt heavy. "Nearly had him, bu' his companion cam' back 'little ta earle." He tried to swallow to get rid of the burning in his throat. A lump was forming in his lunges. "Hid me with a Sdunner 'n I broke m' leg when I fell..." he tried to speak clearly but his tongue didn't obey. Irritating his bronchus too much as he drew a sharp breath the cough broke loose and it felt like his throat and lunges were on fire. He was eased on his side and the fit subsided, leaving his respiratory passages burning.
Catching his breath he tried to relax as Madam Pomfrey carefully applied some purple liquid on the wound. It began to smoke and was stinging. Sirius winced and tried not to let the whimper out that was forming in the back of his throat. He shifted and opened his mouth to speak again but Madam Pomfrey cut him of. "Whatever you want to discuss, it can wait. You need to rest." She laid a hand on his forehead, that felt nicely warm against his clammy skin.
Remus was back soothingly started to stroke his face again. The candles that had been lit seemed to blink at him friendly and the warm was finally getting through his cold flesh. His eyes grew heavy and lost himself in the pleasant sensations.
After nearly an hour Madam Pomfrey was done and Remus levitated his friend in the bedroom next door. Pulling the covers over Sirius sleeping form he made sure that the door was slightly ajar so he would be able to hear him. A sight escaped his lips. Sirius had been living with him for a half year now and still the intensity of the nightmares he got frequently hadn't lessened. Azkaban still hadn't lost it's grip on him and it tore Remus heart apart to see his friend in such distress.