When Moody knocked on Lupin's door the next morning, there was no answer. He knocked again, called his name a few times. Still no answer. Sirius called up the stairs to him.
"Problem?" He caught sight of Moody's puzzled face and came up to join him.
"I'm not sure," Alastor replied. Sirius rapped sharply on the door.
"Remus? Open up Remus!" He gave Moody a sharp glance and the two of them pushed the door open together and went in.
Their horrified eyes followed the trail of bloody pawprints to the far side of the bed. There sat Remus, propped up against the bedside cabinet, clutching at a blood-covered hand with one of his battered old robes. It lay, dark and sticky, on his arm and his shirt as he held it against his chest, rising and falling ever so slightly as he breathed shallowly. His eyes were closed but as Moody and Sirius drew closer he half-opened them.
"Cursed silver," he said, very quietly, nodding at the other side of the room. Sirius went and picked up the crimson-stained knife by the handle. He seemed to be lost for words. Moody, on the other hand, was prompt and businesslike.
"How bad is it?" he asked, kneeling by Remus' side.
"Oh, quite bad," Remus replied lightly. "It's not too large but it's deep and it's a silver wound. It won't stop bleeding. They don't," he added softly and removed the cloth that was applying pressure to the wound for Moody to see. The gash ran diagonally from the base of his left thumb to a little way along his wrist, narrowly missing the major arteries. It was indeed quite deep and swollen badly around the edges. Lupin noticed the glance.
"It's like an extreme reaction," he explained. "That's why a sliver of silver in the bloodstream will kill a werewolf when a normal weapon won't. It'll be a slow healer." Blood began to seep from the wound again and Remus reapplied the cloth, wincing a little as he pressed on the swollen tissue.
"Why didn't you show this to us last night?" Moody wanted to know.
"I couldn't. As soon as I realised what had happened I tried to pull the knife out. I heard you call once but I must have passed out after I removed it and I didn't hear you call again." His voice was alarmingly quiet and weak.
"Again it's a reaction to the pain of the silver. But thank heavens for Wolfsbane. If I hadn't been in my right mind I probably wouldn't have thought to try and remove the knife – a normal werewolf would just go crazy with pain but wouldn't think to do anything about it. I wouldn't have got it out before I passed out. It would have stayed in there while I was unconscious and I'd be in a much worse state now."
He paused from his explanation to take a moments rest. Personally, Moody doubted that Lupin could look much worse. His face was pure white from loss of blood, his hands shook from exhaustion and he looked liable to faint again at any moment. But his voice and eyes were as clear and calm as ever. Strange how he could do that.
"I couldn't staunch the blood," Remus muttered guiltily. "Not with… paws. I tried, I couldn't do anything. Then I fainted and I don't think I woke up until I transformed back again. And by then I was just too weak to really… Sirius? Are you alright?" Moody turned to see Sirius, frozen to the spot, gripping the knife in white knuckles, a murderous expression on his face.
"I'll kill that house-elf," he forced through gritted teeth. "I swear I will. I'll-" With a sudden ferocity he turned towards the door.
"Sirius! Don't!" Lupin exclaimed and tried to get up and go after him. He staggered but Moody caught his elbow and steadied him, at the same time roaring after the man swiftly striding out the door.
"SIRIUS BLACK!" Sirius stopped only yards outside the door and turned round slowly and deliberately. His face was nearly as pale as Remus', but with cold fury.
"I'll kill that vicious little beast," he said ferociously. "I'll-
"Yes, we know Sirius," said Moody.
"It was an accident," Lupin said faintly, leaning on Moody's arm. "Even he couldn't have planned it like that. It was at least partly my fault."
"Don't you believe it," Black told him. "He's a vindictive little monster. He wouldn't think twice about turning any of us in if he could."
"That's as may be," Moody interrupted. "But at the moment we have some more immediate problems. Come and help Lupin, Sirius. We need to get this seen to." Sirius seemed to be struggling to control himself but with a wrench of will he returned to the room and stood next to Lupin, supporting him from his other side.
"Ready, Remus?"
"Yes. But could you just pass me that packet on my desk please?" Moody did so. Remus took it in his good hand and broke it with a SNAP.
"Chocolate," he said, putting a piece in his mouth.
"Helps, does it?" asked Moody. Sirius gave a wry smile as Remus replied.
"Yes. Yes it helps."
