Sirius burst through the doors to the hospital wing to see James and Peter already seated and laughing at the side of Remus's bed. All three of them looked up at his abrupt entrance, and James leapt to his feet when he saw Sadie's limp form. He rushed forward.
"What happened?!" He demanded as Sirius shouted for Madam Pomfrey.
"I don't know!" Sirius's voice cracked. "She was fine, and then, all of the sudden, she was vomiting and passing out!"
The color drained from Remus's face at his words, but the others missed this reaction as Madam Pomfrey came bustling toward them. "Oh, poor dear. If you'll lay her here, Mister Black." The matron gestured toward the bed next to Remus. "You just go ahead and tell me what happened while I have a look at her."
Sirius did as he was told, a look of deep anxiety on his face as he began recounting what had happened. "We were just walking down to the forest to check on our Care of Magical Creatures project. She was totally fine and herself for most of the walk. Then she just suddenly went pale and started shaking. She vomited and then passed out when she tried to stand up."
Madam Pomfrey was frowning as she scanned Sadie's body with the tip of her wand. "Did she eat breakfast?" Sirius shook his head. "What about dinner last night?" All four boys nodded. Her brow furrowed. "Has she been especially stressed? Sleeping poorly?"
"Not that we know of..." James answered. He was hovering over the healer's shoulder. She glanced back at him and shoo'd him away.
"I can't do my job properly with you right there, Mister Potter."
He reluctantly backed away and moved to stand next to Sirius on the other side of the bed. "Do you have any idea what's wrong with her?" He asked her anxiously.
She didn't answer right away; her wand continued to hover over Sadie's body, her lips pursed in focus. Finally, she sighed and pocketed her wand. "Nothing is wrong with her, as far as I can determine." The boys gaped at her in disbelief. Madam Pomfrey chuckled and shook her head. "Apart from the obvious, that is. She's weak, which is why I asked about her eating and sleep. It seems to me that she simply got sick from exhaustion. Her strength seems to be returning as we speak, however."
Right on cue, Sadie began to stir and let out a quiet groan. Looks of deep relief appeared on James, Sirius, and Peter's faces, but Remus continued to look troubled. He caught Madam Pomfrey's arm as she passed him on her way to her office.
"You're sure there's nothing else wrong with her?" He kept his voice low, not wanting the others to hear his concern. The matron looked at him.
"I'm sure, Mister Lupin."
Remus bit his lip. "It's just...well...it was the full moon last night..."
Understanding dawned on Madam Pomfrey's face, and she shook her head and gave him a kind smile. "You know as well as anyone that lycanthropy is only transmittable through a werewolf bite. You were nowhere near Miss Potter last night, and, even if you had been, there are no bite marks. Don't you fret about that for another second." He did his best to smile in return. She patted his hand and walked away.
In the next bed over, Sadie opened her eyes to see James and Sirius peering at her anxiously on either side of her. "What...where am I?" She mumbled groggily.
"In the Hospital Wing. You fainted," Sirius explained gently. "How do you feel?"
Sadie frowned. "Weird?"
James snorted and grinned at her in amusement. "Weird? That's the best you can come up with?"
She rolled her eyes at him, but an amused smile was tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Oh, cut me some slack. I was just unconscious." Sirius laughed at her.
"Well, you do seem to be feeling alright. Do you remember what happened?"
Sadie's brow furrowed. "Not really...I remember leaving the Sha...common room," she amended as the boys shot anxious looks toward Madam Pomfrey's office. "We were going to visit Rhea. I...had a bit of a headache? That's about it though."
"Madam Pomfrey thinks you were just exhausted." James gave her a stern look. "Is there something you haven't been telling us?"
"Like what?" Sadie asked in bewilderment.
James gave a huff. "Like that you haven't been sleeping well? Or that you've been really stressed?"
Sadie shook her head slowly. "I don't think so. I mean, I guess I've been a little stressed about classes and O.W.L's but not, like, excessively. I'm not sure why I would have been so tired." She shrugged. "Even last night was pretty chill, and I got quite a bit of sleep."
James didn't seem to believe her. "You've got to take care of yourself, Sade! And let us know when you're not doing well!"
"Alright, Mum!" She teased. "But I really am fine! I'm feeling right as rain now other than a bit of a headache."
Sirius chuckled in relief. "It's alright, Sadie Mae. We all know this whole thing was just a ploy so that you could fall into my arms."
Sadie giggled and blew him a kiss. "Guilty as charged. Please, come ravish me until the sun is long gone!"
Remus snorted as Sirius lunged at her and grabbed her face, bringing his close to hers. Peter watched eagerly, and James looked horrified.
"Ew!" He clapped a hand over his eyes just as Sirius drew back and laughed hysterically along with Sadie. "Honestly, we know you two are madly in love or whatever, but Merlin's beard! Save it for when you're in private!"
Sadie stopped laughing just long enough to respond. "Don't worry, Jamie. We'll be sure to draw and silence the curtains when we're making hot, passionate love in the bed next to yours."
James groaned and put his head in his hands. Sirius guffawed loudly, though his ears were slightly pink, and shot Sadie an exaggerated wink. Madam Pomfrey came hurrying out of her office.
"That's enough!" She scolded. "These students need rest. You three!" She gestured at James, Sirius, and Peter. "Get out! You'll have plenty of time for messing around after these two are feeling better! Now, shoo!"
Sadie and Remus shot their friends rueful looks. James stuck his tongue out at Madam Pomfrey's back, and Peter and Sirius stood up with sighs. Sirius reached down and ruffled Sadie's hair.
"Since we never actually made it, I'll go take care of Rhea, yeah?"
Sadie nodded at him with a small smile. "Thanks, Sir. Give me an update, will you?"
"Of course," he promised. "You just rest up and get totally better."
Sirius found himself yawning repeatedly as he trudged through the forest to Rhea's paddock. Maybe they hadn't gotten as much sleep the night before as they thought they had. Or perhaps they didn't sleep as fitfully while in their animagus forms.
"Either way," he thought to himself. "It would at least partly explain why Sadie was so exhausted."
Immediately upon entering Rhea's clearing, Sirius knew that something wasn't right. Rhea was not waiting for them in her normal spot, nor was sure standing anywhere in the paddock. For one heart-stopping moment, Sirius thought she had disappeared.
Then, he saw her. With a sharp intake of breath, he rushed forward, hopped the fence, and hurried toward her. She was laying on her side, legs spread out awkwardly, and her breaths were short and shallow. Sirius crouched down next to her.
"Hey, there Rhea," he whispered. Her head lifted an inch off the ground at the sound of his voice. "What's going on, huh? What happened?" A low whining sound came from her throat. Sirius bit his lip. She needed help fast, but he didn't feel good leaving her like this.
"Sadie would know what to do," he muttered regretfully. He looked around frantically for a moment before smacking himself on the forehead. Of course! He whipped out his wand and conjured a stretcher, which hovered in the air as he carefully levitated Rhea onto it. "Alright, girl. Let's go see Professor Kettleburn."
He moved through the trees as quickly as he felt he could while making sure to keep the stretcher clear of any foliage. It felt like ages before he reached the edge of the forest, but as he came out into the open, he could see Professor Kettleburn conversing with Hagrid, the gamekeeper, in front of Hagrid's hut. Sirius picked up his pace.
"Professor Kettleburn!" He gasped as he approached them. The Care of Magical Creatures teacher gave him a surprised look. "You've got to help! It's Rhea! She's...she's..."
Kettleburn looked behind Sirius, and his eyes widened for the briefest of moments before he strode quickly toward the stretcher. "Now, now, Mister Black. I can take it from here. If you'll please set her down for me." Sirius did as he was asked. Kettleburn knelt down and placed his hands on Rhea's ribcage. She gave a weak jolt as his touch. Sirius was at her side in a second.
"It's alright, Rhea Girl," he murmured soothingly. She calmed slightly at the sound of his voice. "Professor Kettleburn is just going to have a look at you and see what we need to do to get you feeling better."
The professor gave him an approving look. "You and Miss Potter have been taking this assignment very seriously, I see. I knew I trusted her to the right people." He frowned as he continued to poke and prod at the unicorn in front of him. "Hagrid!" He called. The gamekeeper stepped forward importantly. "We need to get her inside. Can you lift her, carefully now, and bring her to my quarters."
Hagrid wasted no time in scooping Rhea up into his arms with a gentleness that surprised Sirius, coming from such a large, hairy person. When Sirius stood up and began to follow them, Kettleburn turned and gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm afraid I can't allow you to accompany us, Mister Black. Students are not allowed in the staff's rooms. I promise that I will send for you as soon as I have information. Thank you for taking care of her and for bringing her to me."
Sirius ran a hand through his hair as he watched them walk away. "What am I going to tell Sadie?" He mumbled to himself. He knew, though, that she would be furious if he didn't tell her immediately, and so he took a deep breath and walked reluctantly back up to the Hospital Wing.
He was surprised to note that it was much more crowded than it had been when he left. Lyra Williams, a Hufflepuff in their year, was curled up in the bed closest to him, looking pale and shaky. Branson Rucher, a Ravenclaw who was also in their year, looked as though he was just starting to regain consciousness as he stirred and groaned in the next bed over. There were also a couple of older students that Sirius didn't know. One of them, a seventh year Hufflepuff, was vomiting into a bin next to his bed.
Sirius blinked at the scene before him for a moment before shaking his head to clear it and looking toward Sadie and Remus. His eyes met Remus's first, and he was puzzled to note that his werewolf friend was giving him a sympathetic look. He understood a moment later, however, when he shifted his gaze to Sadie.
Gideon was seated next to her now, and, while they looked slightly awkward in the presence of all these other sick students, they were smiling at each other, both of their faces delicate shades of pink. Gideon placed his hand over Sadie's and bent down to whisper something in her ear. She giggled shyly in response and played with the hem of her shirt, an action Sirius recognized as one of her nervous tics.
Sirius felt his heart clench painfully, and he was just about to turn and leave the room when Sadie looked up and saw him. Her eyes lit up, and she beamed and waved him over. Sirius reluctantly picked up his feet and made his way to the side of her bed just as two more students came stumbling in. Madam Pomfrey looked exasperated.
"Alright, Miss Potter, Mister Lupin, you're excused." She waved a hand at them. "Anyone who is not currently sick, please leave! I need the beds and the space!"
Sirius, Remus, Sadie, and Gideon all quickly made their way into the corridor, shooting sympathetic looks toward the students who were staying behind. Sadie stepped away from Gideon and looped her arm through Sirius's. Sirius fought the smug smirk that threatened to spread across his face as he took note of the annoyed look the redhead shot him.
"How is she today?" Sadie asked him cheerfully. Sirius's heart sank. He'd gotten distracted and forgotten the main reason that he had returned to the Hospital Wing.
"Erm..." He reached up with his free hand and rubbed the back of his neck uncertainly. "Well, it seems like she's a...a bit worse off than she was yesterday..."
Sadie's eyes narrowed. She knew him well enough to know when he was sugarcoating things. "How much worse?"
Sirius coughed. "She's with Kettleburn now. He's going to take care of her."
"Sirius." Sadie stopped and turned to glare at him. "Tell me."
He gazed at her for a moment before letting out a reluctant sigh. He watched her expression shift from suspicious to concerned to crestfallen as he told her everything that had happened after he had left the Hospital Wing earlier. When he had finished, she leaned her back against the wall and slid down to a seated position. Sirius sat down next to her as Remus and Gideon, taking their cues to give them some time, bid quiet goodbyes.
Sadie leaned her head on Sirius's shoulder, which he took as an invitation to wrap his arm around her and give her a squeeze. She sniffled quietly, and Sirius, without realizing what he was doing, pressed his lips to the top of her head. They sat like this for several minutes before Sirius pulled away from her and reached his hands up to brush the tears from her cheeks.
"Hey." He gave her a gentle smile. "Don't get too upset yet. She's in the best hands. I'm sure Kettleburn will have her fixed up before we know it."
Sadie nodded tearfully. "You're probably right."
"He said he'll send word as soon as he has news. In the meantime, how about a trip to the kitchens? We've gone and missed breakfast, and I'm sure the House Elves will be happy to fix up some chocolate raspberry tarts."
The corners of Sadie's mouth quirked upward at the mention of her favorite treat. Sirius grinned, knowing that he had won her over, and took her hand to help her up. She made no move to remove her hand from his, and so the two of them walked hand-in-hand in the direction of the kitchens, finding comfort in the company and touch of the other.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!
Guest: Thank you! So glad you are enjoying it! :)