The Last of the Four Chapter 5
The Best Medicine
By Lillian Evans
Remus got no sleep the night of his transformation, and so by the time Madam Pomfrey had come to collect him the next morning, he was feeling very sleepy indeed. Once she had brought him back up to the castle, Madam Pomfrey told him to drink what looked like a mud potion, but turned out to be a chocolate milkshake.
"Chocolate is the best medicine"; Madam Pomfrey smiled at Remus. "Always remember that, Lupin. Now, what else can I do for you? Any scratches?"
Remus nodded and rolled up the left sleeve of his arm, revealing a long cut from his wrist nearly to his elbow. Madam Pomfrey clucked her tongue sympathetically. She didn't need to ask where it had come from. She pulled her wand out of her robe pocket and muttered some spell Remus couldn't hear. A jet of blue light hit Remus' arm and the pain, and the cut, vanished.
"Thanks," he muttered, still marveling at the rapidity of the healing, "You know, you would make a great healer at St. Mungo's."
"Thank you, my boy, but dealing with students is hard enough. Lie back and close your eyes now, you look very tired. I'll be in my office, you just call me if you need me."
She pulled the white curtains around his bed, and Remus lay back into the pillows, almost immediately falling into a deep sleep.
It was such deep sleep in fact, that he didn't wake up until well past dinnertime. Remus suspected that his rude awakening probably had something to do with the fact that his stomach was growling very loudly. A few minutes later, Madam Pomfrey hustled up, carrying a tray of something that was giving off a delicious smell.
"Thank goodness you're awake! I was about to come and wake you. I've brought you some food, you must be starving! Feeling any better?"
Remus simply nodded, his mouth too full of the roast chicken to do much else.
"Good. Oh! I nearly forgot, I promised Professor Dumbledore I would let him know when you awoke. He was in to check on you around 1 o'clock. I'll be back in a minute, Lupin."
By the time Remus had finished the chicken and potatoes, Madam Pomfrey had returned with Dumbledore. Dumbledore smiled at the boy, who smiled back.
"How are you feeling?"
"Much better, sir."
"Good. I trust everything when smoothly last night?"
"Yes, sir."
"And are you ready to return to your common room now that you've been able to catch upon some sleep?"
"Professor, I must insist that the boy stay here for another night. He is still behind on his sleep, and I daresay his friends will keep him awake well into the night," Madam Pomfrey interrupted.
"This is true, Poppy, however, I think Remus should be the one to make the choice."
"But Professor," Madam Pomfrey began exasperatedly.
"Remus? What do you think?" Dumbledore looked over at Remus, his blue eyes twinkling merrily in the candlelight.
"I think that Madam Pomfrey is right, Professor Dumbledore, sir. I think my fr- the people in my dorm would keep me awake." Remus didn't think Peter would keep him awake, but was sure that Sirius and James would have a lot of tricky questions to avoid.
"Alright then. Poppy, would you please make sure Remus makes it down to breakfast in the morning? We wouldn't want him to be late for any classes. Pleasant dreams, Remus." Dumbledore stood up and left the room with a swish of his cloak, the door closing softly behind him.
Breakfast the next morning was difficult to manage, as it was apparently known to all of the Gryffindors that Remus had spent the previous few days in the hospital wing.
"But when we came down to say hello, Madam Pomfrey told us you were spending the night elsewhere. We were really worried about you, but she said it would be fine, and you'd be back soon." Ashley had told him after Remus had said he had been in the infirmary the past few days.
Remus nodded in response, and didn't say anything. Instead, he began to butter his toast. He hadn't thought that lying to his friends could be so difficult. He had lied to his muggle friends often enough, but he supposed he didn't share as much of a bond with them, as he did with his Hogwarts friends.
"Oh, I nearly forgot! Here are the class notes from the past few days"; Ashley reached into her bag and pulled out a thick stack of parchment. "You chose a very inconvenient time to fall ill."
******
Remus got no sleep the night of his transformation, and so by the time Madam Pomfrey had come to collect him the next morning, he was feeling very sleepy indeed. Once she had brought him back up to the castle, Madam Pomfrey told him to drink what looked like a mud potion, but turned out to be a chocolate milkshake.
"Chocolate is the best medicine"; Madam Pomfrey smiled at Remus. "Always remember that, Lupin. Now, what else can I do for you? Any scratches?"
Remus nodded and rolled up the left sleeve of his arm, revealing a long cut from his wrist nearly to his elbow. Madam Pomfrey clucked her tongue sympathetically. She didn't need to ask where it had come from. She pulled her wand out of her robe pocket and muttered some spell Remus couldn't hear. A jet of blue light hit Remus' arm and the pain, and the cut, vanished.
"Thanks," he muttered, still marveling at the rapidity of the healing, "You know, you would make a great healer at St. Mungo's."
"Thank you, my boy, but dealing with students is hard enough. Lie back and close your eyes now, you look very tired. I'll be in my office, you just call me if you need me."
She pulled the white curtains around his bed, and Remus lay back into the pillows, almost immediately falling into a deep sleep.
It was such deep sleep in fact, that he didn't wake up until well past dinnertime. Remus suspected that his rude awakening probably had something to do with the fact that his stomach was growling very loudly. A few minutes later, Madam Pomfrey hustled up, carrying a tray of something that was giving off a delicious smell.
"Thank goodness you're awake! I was about to come and wake you. I've brought you some food, you must be starving! Feeling any better?"
Remus simply nodded, his mouth too full of the roast chicken to do much else.
"Good. Oh! I nearly forgot, I promised Professor Dumbledore I would let him know when you awoke. He was in to check on you around 1 o'clock. I'll be back in a minute, Lupin."
By the time Remus had finished the chicken and potatoes, Madam Pomfrey had returned with Dumbledore. Dumbledore smiled at the boy, who smiled back.
"How are you feeling?"
"Much better, sir."
"Good. I trust everything when smoothly last night?"
"Yes, sir."
"And are you ready to return to your common room now that you've been able to catch upon some sleep?"
"Professor, I must insist that the boy stay here for another night. He is still behind on his sleep, and I daresay his friends will keep him awake well into the night," Madam Pomfrey interrupted.
"This is true, Poppy, however, I think Remus should be the one to make the choice."
"But Professor," Madam Pomfrey began exasperatedly.
"Remus? What do you think?" Dumbledore looked over at Remus, his blue eyes twinkling merrily in the candlelight.
"I think that Madam Pomfrey is right, Professor Dumbledore, sir. I think my fr- the people in my dorm would keep me awake." Remus didn't think Peter would keep him awake, but was sure that Sirius and James would have a lot of tricky questions to avoid.
"Alright then. Poppy, would you please make sure Remus makes it down to breakfast in the morning? We wouldn't want him to be late for any classes. Pleasant dreams, Remus." Dumbledore stood up and left the room with a swish of his cloak, the door closing softly behind him.
Breakfast the next morning was difficult to manage, as it was apparently known to all of the Gryffindors that Remus had spent the previous few days in the hospital wing.
"But when we came down to say hello, Madam Pomfrey told us you were spending the night elsewhere. We were really worried about you, but she said it would be fine, and you'd be back soon." Ashley had told him after Remus had said he had been in the infirmary the past few days.
Remus nodded in response, and didn't say anything. Instead, he began to butter his toast. He hadn't thought that lying to his friends could be so difficult. He had lied to his muggle friends often enough, but he supposed he didn't share as much of a bond with them, as he did with his Hogwarts friends.
"Oh, I nearly forgot! Here are the class notes from the past few days"; Ashley reached into her bag and pulled out a thick stack of parchment. "You chose a very inconvenient time to fall ill."
******