chapter 12

(a/n- heyheyhey peeps! i just wanted to say a few things. 1-no bloody flames! 2-Mary did not have her wand when she was being beaten; it was up in her room. thanks for sitting through that. i just have been getting a few complaints about me not following the storyline or something. Pfft! oh and by the way, if you didn't figure this out, Mary isn't currently in the Order.)

(disclaimer- i own nothing cept Mary)

Lupin looked at Mary and gasped.

"Remus?" Mary said in her extremely weak slurred voice. "Exs-lent to see you." She was a bit delirious. The pain finally caught up with her, and she uttered a quiet scream and fainted.

Lupin stood there for a few more seconds and finally snapped out it. He picked Mary up, brought her into the house, and laid her gently on the couch. He looked on his hands and noticed the blood. "Oh god," he said. His face had a worried look on it as he went to wake Sirius.

Harry was just finishing his long walk and was not looking forward to going back to the Dursleys. Well, at least Mary would be there. He opened the door and was shocked at what he found.

"Bloody hell," he whispered. The walls were smeared with blood, and chairs, tables, cabinets, and pretty much everything was either broken or overturned. He walked into the living and found Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley sitting on the couches and watching television.

"What happened in there?" Harry asked, gesturing toward the hallway.

"Just taking care of your sis," Uncle Vernon grunted.

"What?!" Harry exclaimed. "What did you do to her? Where is she?"

"Just taught her a bit of a lesson," he said impatiently. "I don't know where she is; probably out on the streets, half dead or something."

Harry felt a sudden insane anger. The way Uncle Vernon was saying these things. He sounded so calm about it. No, not calm- bored. Harry stormed upstairs and wrote a quick letter to Sirius. Knowing Mary, she probably went to his house.

Dear Sirius,

Do you know where Mary is? Is she with you? Is she okay? Vernon hurt her very badly. She's out on the streets somewhere if she's not with you.

Love,

Harry

"Here," he said furiously to Hedwig. "Please take this Sirius right away. It's very urgent."

She flew off with the letter, and all Harry could do was sit and wait.

Lupin went into Sirius's room and shook him awake.

"What is it, Moony?" Sirius asked sleepily.

"Please, Sirius, come quick," he said urgently. "It's Mary-she's hurt really badly."

Sirius jolted up and was suddenly wide awake. "Where is she?" he said blankly.

"Out in the living room," Lupin replied.

Sirius followed Lupin slowly out into the living room. He saw Mary and his eyes welled up with tears. "Mary..." he whispered, "What have they done to you?" The blood alone nearly made him pass out. No to mention the bruises and the strange angle her legs stuck out at. He knelt down next to her and brushed her dark hair out of her face.

Her eyes suddenly burst open. Sirius jumped back a little in shock. She let out a cry when she saw him, and a terrified look grew on her face.

"Sirius," said Lupin slowly, "I-I think she's scared of you."

Mary looked at Sirius with absolute horror on her face. It was like she didn't know who he was.

"Mary?" he said quietly.

"Be careful," Lupin said. "She could try to hurt you. Just back away. I don't think she trusts you yet."

Sirius backed up a little, the look of sheer horror on Mary's face beginning to sink in. Suddenly, she picked up a nearby book with her good arm and threw it at him. It missed his head by inches. Lupin came over and tried to settle her. Ignoring her screaming legs, she grabbed Sirius's wand, which was sitting on the end table, jumped on top of Lupin, and pressed it against his throat.

Sirius made a move to come over. "Don't!" Lupin said softly, stopping him. "I can handle this."

He looked at Mary. "Do you know who I am, Mary? Do you know who that man is?"

Mary said nothing for a few seconds. "Yes," she said, trying to hold back tears, "Your name is Chester, and his name is Bradley. You're both part of Katie's gang, and you both tried to kill me that night in the warehouse."

Sirius sat down and cried into his hands.

"Mary," said Lupin softly, "It's me, Lupin, and that's Sirius over there. Do you remember us?"

Mary's eyes welled up with tears, and she dropped Sirius's wand. She got off of Remus and whispered, "I could have killed you." The guilt was so bad she nearly threw up. The pain, once again, caught up with her and she yelped. Sirius, still sobbing, walked over and picked her up.

"Sirius, I-"she started weakly, trying to stay conscious.

"Shh..." he whispered. "I know. It's okay."

She fell asleep in his arms, and he stroked her cheek.

Sirius went back into the living room and saw Hedwig tapping on the window. He let her in and unrolled the letter.

"It's from Harry," he told Lupin, reading it over. "He wants to know how Mary is."

Sirius grabbed a piece of parchment, scribbled a reply to Harry, and sent it with Hedwig.

"Are you alright, Padfoot?" Lupin said.

"Yeah, I guess so," he replied, sniffling and wiping his eyes. "I think I'll stay with Mary tonight."

"Okay," he said, feeling pity for his friend.

Sirius walked into Mary's room and sat down in a chair next to her bed. He held her hand and shivered. It was so cold. A pool of blood was forming on the sheets where Mary lay. Sirius let his tears fall freely onto the blanket while he cried.

(a/n- yay finally done!!!!! school is getting in the way of my writing. humph! i guess its not so bad. my english teacher rocks! anyway, hope you liked this chapter. i think its cute and sad at the same time. awwwww!!!!! poor siri!!! please keep reviewing and no flames!!!)