A/N: Golly, sorry about that. I've fixed up this chapter (two years later!) and finished it off. Woop! To anybody that's bothering: sorry about my grammar in the last chapters, I was younger then and my Word was broken—but that doesn't account for that 'hot off the presses' thing. You wouldn't believe the mistakes I fixed in this cough (dare I say it?) chapter.
Chapter 3—Help?
James was at the hospital wing door when suddenly Sirius began to toss and turn wildly.
"NO! Don't leave me!" Sirius's eyes burst open and he sat bolt upright in his bed. James ran over to his side.
"Please James, don't go," he shouted. Although still not conscious, Sirius had a desperate and terrified look in his eyes. "Help me James," Sirius's eyes closed, as he fell backwards onto his bed. A trickle of blood, from a mysterious gash on his forehead, ran down the side of his face, and tears down his cheeks.
"Shh, Sirius I'm here," James cooed softly, stroking Sirius's long black hair and pulling it away form his wound.
"What's wrong? I heard screaming..." Madam Pomfrey hurried over. "Oh my! What happened?" Madam Pomfrey called a cloth over to her and mopped up the mess on Sirius's face. "Well, I've never seen this before!"
"The wolf will miss him," commented Remus remorsefully as James sat down across from him and Peter.
"It's tonight?" James inquired.
"Oh no! I haven't done my homework!" Peter squealed. He looked panicked for a moment, and then he asked, "You'll help me? James, Remus?" They told him that yes, they would help him, and, with a look of relief, Peter went back to eating.
James decided that if he told them his experience with Sirius just now it wouldn't do any good, so he stayed silent throughout the rest of the meal.
Remus, who had the moon to worry about that night, sat in silence too. Just like James, he was thinking about Sirius, only Remus was trying to find a cure.
"Merlin's beard!" Remus stood up rapidly. "Guys…" he packed up his stuff and started to head towards the exit. "I'll be in the library," he shouted over his shoulder as he ran off.
"What's up with Moony?" Peter asked as the last two Marauders sat down. James didn't respond and soon got up and followed Remus's path out the door.
"What've you got so far?" asked James as he through down his bag in the chair across from Remus. James knew Remus by now, he knew where he sat in the library, he knew how he researched, and he knew what was on his mind.
Remus pushed a sheet of paper to James. It was Remus's first and second research steps: list the problem and break it apart. He had the problem: Sirius is sick, and he had down the list of symptoms. Next to each symptom Remus was going to write things (illnesses, curses) associated with it.
"You're working fast," commented James as he noticed that Remus was already one third of the way down his list.
"This is important," he replied shortly and grabbed his paper back to write something else on it. James wasn't taken aback however, he understood.
James took another glance at the list then went to get some more books.
Four hours, in between two classes, later found them still at their table. Having sufficiently plugged away at their list, they were now trying to put the pieces together.
"Cross that off," James commented as he pointed to one possible cause. "He hasn't eaten any bad cabbage; we'd know." Remus crossed 'bad cabbage' of their list of causes everywhere is was.
They then proceeded to cross off over studying, dust bunnies, laziness, led-based paint, oil paint, and, after James made a quick run to the kitchen, house-elf spit. But their list was still long. They researched every causes a bit further until they were able to get their list down to four possible causes, three of which were advanced potions.