A/n: Major, huge apologies. I moved at the beginning of October and just got my internet up and running. This is the next chapter, and I kind of like it for no apparent reason. Its a good size chapter, I think, so I hope everyone likes it. Please note I also updated Keeper's Heart and have two new one-shots to help make up for my long absence. Enjoy.

Chapter 8

"He's… alive… isn't he, Poppy?"

"Oh, alive! Gracious, yes. Of course he's alive." Madam Pomfrey sighed heavily. "He's awfully banged up though, Minerva. Its going to be a long hard recovery for the poor dear.

They were quiet for a moment. Movement could be heard.

"And the Pettigrew boy?"

Another heavy sigh from the school nurse. "I don't know. He woke up once, gasping and rambling incoherently, but then he fainted again. I don't understand what's happened to him or how to fix it. I'm trying everything I know."

More quiet. Then Professor McGonagall said in a small voice, "Shall we tell the other two then?"

"I suppose we must."

The pair moved towards the door and Sirius moved so he wouldn't get hit when the door opened. Really, did they not realize he and James could hear everything they said? He glanced over at James a moment before the door opened. His friend was sitting on the floor like Sirius was, only James was leaning forward with his arms wrapped around his knees and his head resting on his arms. James sniffed and Sirius knew his friend was as deeply worried about Remus and Peter as he was.

The door leading to the hospital wing opened and Professor McGonagall leaned out. "You boys may come in now." She said gently, and the look in her eye suggested she knew the boys had already heard the conversation between herself and Madame Pomfrey.

Sirius jumped up. James looked up with red eyes and also stood quickly. As they had already heard the conversation, like McGonagall had guessed, no time was wasted peppering the school nurse with questions about their friends' conditions. They rushed straight to their friends' bedsides.

"Rem! Remus! Oh my gosh…" Sirius went to Remus first and in the light of the hospital wing, his friend look far worse off than he had in the near dark outside. Remus' face was bloody and swollen and much of his body was in bandages. A large lump rose in Sirius' throat at seeing his friend so battered. He softly clasped Remus' hand, like a brother would hold the hand of another brother, and it was more of a comfort to him than Remus. "Aw, Moony…"

James saw Sirius heading for Remus and so he instead moved to Peter's bedside. Peter had bruises and cuts all over. He looked unusually pale and sweaty and James desperately wished Peter would wake up and tell him what happened.

Professor McGonagall placed a hand on Madame Pomfrey's shoulder. "I think they already heard us, Poppy." She whispered. "Professor Dumbledore will be here soon, so let's give them a few minutes alone."

Madame Pomfrey looked as if she did not like the idea of leaving the two biggest troublemakers in school alone in her hospital wing, but given the circumstances, she would allow it just his once. She nodded solemnly and left the room with Professor McGonagall.

"James, is he awake?" Sirius asked.

James shook his head and reluctantly came around Peter's bed to be on the other side of Remus. The sight of Remus made James look even paler than he already was. "He's hurt real bad." He gulped and felt choked on emotion. He'd always thought of Remus as the strongest of the four of them. Not physically, perhaps, but mentally. Remus would outlast them all, despite his monthly full-moon transformations. To see Remus lying there, all bloody and broken, was almost more than James could bear.

"Wake up, Moony." Sirius said and swallowed. "Tell us what happened."

Sirius and James stared at Remus' face for another second or two before James gently grasped Remus' other hand and gave it a tiny squeeze. As if awakened by the tiny pressure on his hand, Remus shifted slightly and groaned.

"Moony?" said Sirius eagerly.

"Remus?" James leaned forward.

"Pad…foot?" Remus mumbled slowly through swollen lips and squinted blearily through even more swollen eyes at Sirius.

"Yes! And Prongs is here too."

Remus slowly managed to turn his head enough so he could see James. The corners of Remus' lips twitched enough to give the impression that he would smile if he could. "I knew… you guys would… come." He said weakly.

"Moony, what happened to you?" Sirius asked urgently.

"Where's Peter?" Remus' very hoarse voice asked.

"He's here. He's in the next bed." James answered quickly. While Remus was awake, they needed to find out what had happened above anything else.

"What happened? Ya gotta tell us, Rem." Sirius begged.

Remus coughed a little and winced as pain shot through his numerous injuries. He sharply inhaled until the pain had mostly subsided, then he relaxed. "I'm so tired… let's talk… later…" It was hard to tell because they were so swollen, but it became apparent that Remus was letting his eyelids close.

"Wait, Remus! What happened to you? Tell us!" Sirius shook Remus' hand a little.

Remus exhaled and attempted to lick his lips. "It… he…" Remus swallowed and tried again. "That thing…" he stopped and lay quite still for a few seconds and Sirius and James were worried he had dozed off. But then in a slow, raspy voice, Remus added, "Its coming… for you."

"Who? Which one of us, Remus?" Sirius waited with baited breath. When Remus didn't answer, Sirius lightly shook Remus' hand again. "Stay with me, here. Coming for who?"

Remus moved a little and sighed as he said the name, drifting to sleep. "James…"

James paled even more instantly. He looked as white as paper as he sat up a little straighter.

Sirius looked at James then at Remus. "What's coming for him?" he asked, but Remus' rhythmic breathing told them he was already asleep.

Sirius' shoulders sagged. He didn't know what to think. How could something try to kill Remus with the Whomping Willow and now be coming after James? Who or what was it? And most importantly, why?

James grabbed at his hair. "Sirius…"

Before he could say anything more, however, Peter suddenly gasped loudly behind them. Immediately the healthy pair whipped around, Sirius rushing to be on the opposite side of Peter's bed that James was on. Peter's eyes were wider than saucers.

"Pete! You're awa – "

"James!" Peter reached out and grabbed James' shirt with on hand. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I just – "

"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked, getting Peter's attention.

Peter's face was streaming with tears. "It made me tell! I'm not brave like you – "

"Who made you tell, Pete?" Sirius demanded, but Peter kept his eyes on James and no longer acknowledged Sirius' presence.

"Its all my… fault." Peter hiccoughed pitifully. "I hurt so much… I don't know what it did to me!" Peter began shaking uncontrollably and released James' shirt. "Hide, James! Hide!" he shouted the last part suddenly, causing both Sirius and James to jump.

What was going on?

"Madame Pomfrey…!" Sirius stood and called.

Peter latched onto James' wrist and was now shaking violently. "He – tried – to – k-kill me – " he gasped. " – k-kill – you – t-t-too – "

"Madame Pomfrey!" Sirius shouted louder and more panickedly.

"Peter! What's happening to you?" James tried to take a step back but Peter's grip on James' wrist was white-knuckled.

"Goodness, I heard you the first time, Mr. Black – Oh gracious!" Madame Pomfrey bustled in at top speed and Sirius moved out of the way at once. "What's going on here?"

"I don't know! He just – " Sirius was ct off as Peter began yelling through partially clenched teeth.

"S-s-so – s-s-sorry – d-don't – hat-te – m-me – " Peter's eyes rolled back into his head and James yelped.

"He's breaking my wrist!" James tried desperately to break away from Peter as Peter continued convulsing. Normally Peter was unusually weak, but at that moment, the strength in Peter's grip was increasing and truly felt that James' bones were about to start snapping if the hand was not removed in the next second.

"He's having some sort of seizure." Madame Pomfrey said, then hollered to McGonagall who was standing further back away from the shaking Peter, "Minerva! The green bottle on the counter!"

Professor snatched the desired bottle off the counter and handed it to Sirius who was standing closest, who shoved it hurriedly to the nurse. She twisted off the cap faster than anyone could blink. Then she had her left had forcing Peter's mouth open enough so her right hand could jam the end of the bottle into his mouth.

Less than five seconds later, Peter's body stopped shaking and completely relaxed and James pulled his hand away. There was a clear purple and white area where Peter's hand had been squeezing, and deep nail marks that were bleeding. James' eyes filled with tears, though Sirius knew it was much more because of what had just happened than because of the pain in his wrist.

"What just happened?" Sirius asked so quietly he hardly heard himself.

"I'm not entirely sure." Madame Pomfrey shook her head grimly and replaced the cap on the green bottle in her hand. "I don't know how this boy is injured. This tonic is designed to stop seizures as they're happening, and heal internally."

"Heal internally? Do think there's a possibility all of his injuries are internal?" Professor McGonagall questioned.

Madame Pomfrey sighed wearily. "Best guess I've got so far. I really don't know."

"Do you have any idea why he went into convulsions like that?" McGonagall asked, lightly placing a hand on her hip.

"I tell you, I don't know." The nurse repeated, but not snappishly. "He'll stay asleep for at least twenty-four hours, now." She turned her attention to the two shell-shocked looking boys standing nearby at the foot of Peter's bed. "It has been an awfully rough night. You boys ought to head back to your dormitory."

James dropped his head to examine his wrist and said nothing in response.

Professor McGonagall smiled smally. "Would you like me to go with you?"

Sirius swallowed hard and shook his head. "No thank, Professor."

"Alright. Go on then. Professor Dumbledore will sort you out later." She walked over to them, gently placed a hand on each of their shoulders, and gave them a tiny push in the direction of the door. "You can come back tomorrow. Everything always looks better in the daylight anyways."

Sirius numbly began to plod forward and James slowly followed. The pair said nothing to each other the entire walk out of the hospital wing, through the darkened hallways, up to Gryffindor Tower, past the empty Common Room, and into the boy's dormitories. Sirius and James crawled into their respective beds, put out their lights, shut their bed hangings, and were quiet for some time before either of them finally spoke. All the others were long asleep.

"Padfoot?" James said shakily into the dark.

"Yes, Prongs?"

A long pause. "Something's coming to… kill me?"

Another long pause. "I guess so."

A third pause, longer than the first two. "Padfoot?"

"Yes?"

Another few seconds of quiet. Then, "What am I going to do?"

A/n: How was it? Let me know and review me. New chapters will be coming the moment I have time (I also have a job that is just a shave off of being full-time). Also, please check my bio often to see what's going on with me and my fics.