CHAPTER 3: SILENCE BEFORE THE STORM

Lift not the painted veil which those who live

Call Life;

(E.A. Poe)

Sirius and I arrived on Diagon Alley and met our friends in front of Gringotts. To our surprise, James was accompanied by Lily Evans. I cast Sirius a "don't-laugh" look and said hello.

We spent almost an hour buying everything and finally decided it was time to all go back to Padfoot's place so we could all leave together for the Express tomorrow. James said goodbye to Lily, who gave him a kiss on the cheek. His face turned pink and I could have sworn in a court of law that it was radiating like a neon light.

'WHAT!' he asked grinning when we all smiled meaningfully at him.

'NOTHING!' we chorused.

'You three better keep quiet! I want it all to be perfect!'

'Well, I think your image has all been spoiled since you and Siri decided it was fun to bully people around.' I say smirking.

'Well, it seemed to be fun! Can you blame us for it?' Siri said smiling innocently and fluttering his dark eyelashes at me.

'Don't you give me the puppy dog eyes routine, Sirius, it won't work! You know it was wrong to pick on people just because you could!'

Damn you and your beautiful eyes! I stare back at him and feel the urge to open his mouth with my tongue, right here, right now; I don't care how many people see us! Apparently, Sirius shared and guessed my intentions, as he starts licking his lips (almost as if to tease me) and moves over next to me and discretely slips his hand in mine.

'Oh, get a room, guys!' James said grinning.

'You know, Prongs, you should keep your mouth shut and be grateful Moony here restrained me from laughing my ass off when I saw you and your girlfriend holding hands.'

'Blah blah!' came the response.

'Ooohh, look everybody! Lily and James sitting in a tree K I S S I N G! First comes love then comes marriage then comes Potter with a baby carriage!' Sirius starts laughing his bark-like laugh and James just reached a new level of face coloring.

Wormtail is confused as to who's side to take and moves his head from Prongs to Padfoot as if watching a tennis match.

'Honestly! You two are acting like five year olds!' I see myself faced with the challenge of putting an end to a possible argument between the two silly oafs.

'Well I'm sorry but I think your pet needs some proper training, Moony!' James smiles, so I understand that the whole thing is forgiven and forgotten.

Siri opens up the door and lets us in. He holds me back and gives me a furtive kiss. Making sure our two friends aren't around, I slid my hands around his neck and press my lips against his, for longer this time. Sirius gently pushes me against the wall and continues with his favorite pastime until Wormtail appears in the hallway to get his things.

'Sorry!' was all that he could mumble and rapidly disappears up the stairs to his room.

'Oops! Better hold the thought 'til after curfew, Remy.'

The thought of nightfall runs an unhealthy chill through me, as I watch the twighlight turn into ever feared darkness. Sirius puts his leg over mine and pretends to be concentrating at the poker game, which makes it even harder for me to maintain the neutral look that poker players have in movies. Of course, I'm not really complaining.

'Alright, gentlemen, show your cards… what? Wormtail wins again! Say, are you cheating?'

'Me? Cheat?' he asks in a squeaky, bewildered voice.

'You did win five times in a row, Peter. It could be luck but if you did cheat you could come clean with us at least now.'

'But I really didn't cheat!'

'There are techniques to make people tell the truth, Peter!' Sirius grins widely.

'C'mon, I don't think he cheated! Besides he always has lucky cards and we weren't playing for money.' I interfere.

'It was a good game though! Two more rows and I could have won… Well, it's beginning to be that time again, folks! That's right! Bedtime! See you guys tomorrow!' said James yawning.

'Yeah, I better be getting some shut-eye myself. Goodnight!' said Wormtail sleepily.

'Goodnight!'

Only I and Siri were left in the living room.

'I should get you to bed as well.' He casts me caring glances.

'I suppose.' I say smiling.

Passing through the corridor, I notice the lights flickering and my wounds begin burning my flesh.

Sirius hugs me from behind and kisses my neck.

'Nothing will happen to you as long as I'm around.'

I admire his courage! He'd rather stay and protect me, although I can feel his heart pounding.

I open the door to my room, turn on the lights and pull Sirius inside. We pick up where we left off and I heave him on the bed, on top of me. As he undresses me, my breath gets cut off from all the excitement. I caress him and unbutton his pants, sending shivers all over his body with my fingertips.

After the consumption of our love, I lay in his arms with my eyes wide shut, listening to his breath falling from the edge. I fall asleep in the sweet sanctuary that is my lover.

I find myself in a strange place, at night. There's no trace of Sirius or any other being around, only a harsh, hot wind that nibbles on my already tainted, naked body. I can see something profiling on the…what seemed to be the sky. A shiny, misty orb, radiating down on me. The moon. I expect a transformation but nothing happens. Yet.

I hear millions of tiny, disgusting creatures circling me, I hear their ugly wings flapping, their teeth gritting. They kept getting closer and closer, they were now biting every bit of me and finally, one of them grabs me from behind and enters me, adjusting itself on my spine.

I wake up moaning and I jump up from the bed, startling Sirius from his snooze.

'Sirius! Help me! Oh God, it's in me! It's in me!'

'WHAT'S IN YOU! REMUS, CALM DOWN!'

'GET IT OUT! IT'S ON MY SPINE! OH GOD!' I say scratching my skin in desperation.

'REMUS! Calm down! If there really is something on your spine, I'll take it out, but it'll hurt.'

'Just get it out!'

He takes out his wand and points it at my back.

'Accio parasite!' he pronounces clearly.

And a moment later, I feel an excruciating pain spreading from the back of my neck throughout my entire body. I fall to the floor and am unable to scream, I just curl up and tears are rolling down on the wooden floor. In the end, I feel something breaking my skin and revealing my spine and ribs. I hear it land in Sirius's hand, where it evaporates, leaving behind its ashes.

I turn to face him and he looks back at me horrified. He was gasping out of shock and I taste the blood coming out of my mouth. The 20 cm slash that the parasite left when it was being forced out of me was closing up right in front of Siri's widened eyes.

'What the hell was that?'

'My nightmare…'