Well here's chp. 4 for those people out there who care.
Disclaimer: I have nothing but a secret…
Chp. 4: Friends and Fires
Remus opened his eyes. Sunlight was streaming in though the window above him. He was in a bed with white sheets, in a very clean smelling room. He hated anything that smelled clean. It just wasn't natural. Sure, normal would be fine, things could smell normal, but, no, they had to smell clean too. If he had his way at home, the words "Clean your room" would never be used in a sentence together.
He tried to lift his head, sending pain shooting through his jaw. Winching, he let his head fall back onto the pillow and closed his eyes.
What happened? Why can't I remember? Ok let's start at the beginning. I was at flying lessons. I was on a broom and some other people were flying around me. Then something hit me. The Whomping Willow? No, it was too far away. It must have been a person. But who?
Remus opened his eyes and quickly sat up.
It was James. Somehow, James Potter had knocked him off his broom.
Remus put his face in his hands.
I'm so stupid! Even if it was an accident, James would hold a grudge. James had gotten hurt.
He looked around as his head slowly cleared. Beside his table, he saw a bottle of Bone-Heal, which most likely tasted as bad as it smelled.
"Don't worry; you won't have to take any more."
He looked up at Madam Pomfrey, who was carrying a cup of something. He tried to open his mouth to ask her what had happened, but could barely open it more than a few centimeters, his jaw protesting to this movement.
"Best not do that, dear. It will heal faster if you try not to say anything. I've healed it most of the way, but it will have to heal naturally the next couple of days, unless you want to live your life with a crooked jaw."
So that was it. I broke my jaw. Remus sighed and leaned back against his pillow.
"Here, you can't take anything solid right now." Madam Pomfrey said, handing him the cup and walking away.
A milkshake. Well, better than coffee.
Madam Pomfrey came back carrying his things. "You can leave now, dear. No point in missing anymore classes."
Remus sighed again. He would have to face James. So much for being friends.
…………………………….
"It was amazing! That Hufflepuff boy, Jake Williams, was trying to get away from his friend and rammed into James. So he flew off his broomwhat was it, Sirius, twenty feet?—and slammed right into you. You were looking at the Whomping Willow so when Sirius yelled you didn't have time to move. So both of you fell. James got up almost immediately, but half the class thought you were dead till we turned you over. I've never seen Madam Hooch look so scared. So Sirius and she started dragging you up the steps and James and I followed. James was okay, I think, he only bruised his arm, but he seemed too shocked to say anything. So when we got into the hospital wing, we put you on a bed and you passed out. Madam Pomfrey put some stuff on James' arm and he went up to go to bed. When we came back, he was asleep and he left early this morning so we didn't get to talk to him."
Remus was sitting in the common room with Sirius and Peter after the classes that afternoon. He still couldn't talk, so he had to write everything down in a notebook.
"You gave us a right good scare, mate." Sirius said gravely.
Where is James? Remus wrote with nervousness.
"Library probably. He's avoiding us, I think. Doesn't want to talk about it." Sirius said with a sigh. "I'm going to bed. G'Night"
Remus and Peter watched him leave. "Think I'll go too, see ya." Peter said with a yawn, getting up from his chair and shuffling off towards the dormitory.
Remus turned and looked at the fire crackling in front of him. Fires were a mystery. They were unpredictable. For something that could cause such destruction, they were things of beauty; things that people wrote about and seemed captivated by. Remus slowly fell asleep as the flames quietly went out and the room was flooded with darkness.
……………………………………………….
Creak…
Remus' eyes fluttered open. Someone was in the common room. Turning slowly in his chair, he squinted in the direction of the common room entrance. A dark shape was slowly closing the portrait door. A dark shape with very messy hair.
James.
He was walking quietly passed the chairs around the fireplace. Remus eased himself out of the chair and followed silently. James paused and turned around, sensing the presence of someone behind him.
"Lumos." James said in a whisper, the light illuminating the small space between the boys just as Remus grabbed his arm.
James gave a jump. "Oh, its you."
Remus braced himself for what was coming.
"Look, I'm…sorry about what happened. It wasn't your fault."
Remus was shocked. He had expected, after the accident, that James was going to hate him even more. But now he was…being friendly. Remus was glad he could talk at the moment, because he wouldn't know what to say in reply to this unexpected remark.
"Well, aren't you going to say anything?"
Remus turned and walked quickly over to his chair. Finding his notebook and quill, he scrawled I can't. I broke my jaw. and held it up for James to read.
"Oh. Look I really am sorry. Friends?"
Friends.Remus wrote with relief. James grinned and walked up to their dormitory.
Apparently, Remus thought, people, like James, were a lot like fires. Simply unpredictable.
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Sorry this was such a short chapter, but if I went on, it would be weird and unbalanced. So review anyway 'cause I REALLY like reviews.
Thanks to lightdragon1987 for reviewing.
Again, if you have any prank ideas, say them in your reviews and I may add them.
