Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It all belongs to JK Rowling. The only people I own are the ones that you don't recognize!
Thanks to whoever put me on their Favorite/Author Alert list!
Thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter sixteen!
Chelles-You're welcome for the dedication! It was well deserved. You got me out of a tight spot! Hope you like this chapter! r/r!
Chikichiki- I won't, I promise! I'll never leave a story hanging. If anything, I'll write a really bad ending of something like: "and they lived happily ever after until Voldemort blew them up" lol ;p, If there was even only one person reviewing my story, I'd continue because if I can make one person happy with my story, it's worth all my time and effort and I love it too, r/r!
…- yeah, but I wanted to use it as a name, just like the water company did. I hope you don't mind, r/r!
Jenny- I like Sirius' humor in the chapter as well, now I won't give away anything much from this chapter, you'll have to read it, but there isn't much of Sirius' humor in it. More grief though!
Hurleygurl-thanks, r/r!
Now on with the show!
Chapter 17Rehabilitation
Rone, James and Sirius saw Remus fall to his knees, hit the floor and drop Sirius' wand when Lily's head snapped up.
"Remus!" she gasped. "What did he do?" she asked. "Why did you let him do that? He might have to seek sessions with a psychiatrist if he keeps blaming himself for this!"
Sirius puffed his chest out stiffly. "No Marauder will ever need to see a shrink!" he argued with her as Lily continued to administer potions and such to Allison's unconscious body. She looked up at him with a challenge shining in her eyes. "Not while he has us!" Sirius specified. Lily's eyes softened as she took in what Sirius said. It touched her beyond doubt. They were that close. Brothers - that's what the Marauders were…Brothers. She nodded.
"You're right, Sirius." She said warmly. "James, can you get a few cold compresses for Remus and Ally? Thank you." She said as James turned on his heel and went to do as he was asked.
"Do you need me to do anything, Lily?" Rone asked. Lily nodded.
"Do you think you and Sirius could manage to get Remus onto the couch without magic? I daresay he's had enough magic for the night." Lily asked. Rone and Sirius nodded. "Just be weary of his injuries. They aren't major, but they will sting." She explained.
"I think the worst injury isn't something you can heal, Lils." James stated in a matter-of-factly way while walking in with a few towels and a bowl of cold water. Lily looked back down at Allison as she wrung the excess water from the towel. Rone and Sirius looked up after placing Remus gently onto the couch, in a more comfortable position than he was on the floor.
"I know." Lily whispered. "And I wish I could, but it's not that simple. Only Ally can help him there."
"Me too, Lil. Me too." Rone said. Sirius froze as he was soaking a towel in the bowl. A pang of realization hit him as he remembered the hurt, pain and even frustration he went through that night as well and the healing he had to force his heart to go through…Quite unsuccessfully…Even if he didn't want to admit it.
"Oh, Sirius, I've been meaning to ask you…Where is Dasani?" Rone asked. Lily saw the look in Sirius' eyes and shook her head viscously to stop Rone from pressing any further. It didn't work. "Weren't you two on a date?" he asked.
Sirius' fingers curled into a fist so tight that his knuckles turned white. "I don't know where she is, nor do I care." He said stiffly, with a tone in his voice that clearly said to leave it alone. But that darned voice! It wouldn't stop pestering him!
'Yes, you do. You care very deeply.' It said in his head. Sirius shook his head and clamped his eyes shut tight like his fist. 'No, I don't!' he thought to himself. 'No, I don't!'
Seeing the internal battle his best mate was going through, James stepped up and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "What happened, mate?" he asked, softly.
"Nothing." Sirius replied. James raised an eyebrow. Lily stood up and away from Allison's body and watched as Rone carried her sleeping silhouette into Remus' room.
"You know I know you better than that, Sirius." James stated. "Tell me what's REALLY wrong."
"I saw her grinding (A/N: you have no idea how many people I thought to ask about what that form of dancing was called!) with some guy I learned she knew since she was ten or something. Trey or Trevor or something like that." He said, unemotionally to some, but to those present in the room, they could see the carefully concealed emotions in his downcast eyes.
"Tristan! It was Tristan, wasn't it?" Lily asked suddenly after ridding Remus' body of cuts and minor bruises. Sirius looked up from his kneeling position on the floor, as did James.
"Yeah, how did you know?" Sirius asked. Lily sighed.
"Remember Easter Holiday in fifth year? Right after we played that prank on Malfoy to make him bald?" Lily asked. She continued as she saw them nod, Rone included. "Well, I had gotten a letter from my parents saying I couldn't come home because they had a business trip to go on, if you remember. Dasani invited me to stay with her uncle and her for the week. So I did. I was walking in the evening one day when I felt somebody start walking next to me.
"I thought it was Dasani so I just kept walking and started talking, but it wasn't Dasani. It was Tristan. He introduced himself and asked if he could join me on my walk. I just shrugged. I didn't think it would do me any harm. He said he was a friend of the girl living in the house where Dasani lived and I knew he was talking about Dasani.
"After a while, he tried to make a move on me. He put his arm around me. I pushed him away but he kept doing it. I had to tell him to get away from me before he stopped, but then he acted as though he thought I wanted to go out with him. 'That's why we're on this walk together, isn't it?' he asked. I shook my head and told him to get away from me and walked home. I didn't tell Dasani. Later that week, I found out that he had a reputation for one night stands and all that other stuff." Lily finished. James, Sirius and Rone were livid with rage.
"He didn't do anything to you did he?" James asked. Lily shook her head.
"Nothing other than what I just told you." She said.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Sirius asked.
"It wasn't important. Nothing really happened." Lily shrugged it away. "The point is Sirius, and I'm assuming you broke up with her over this, am I correct?" Lily asked and watched as he nodded. "The point is that maybe Dasani wasn't in control of her thoughts and actions then. Have you ever thought that she could have been drugged?" Lily asked. Sirius didn't reply because right then, Remus groaned.
"My head hurts like hell." He stated. Rone walked over to him.
"That's what you get for banging your head against the wall, mate." He told. When Remus' eyes came into focus, he remembered everything that had happened.
He shot up. "Allison! Allison!" he exclaimed, scanning his eyes around the room. "Where is she? Did she have to go to- Did she…" he trailed off. Lily walked over and knelt in front of Remus and rested her chin on his knees after allowing him to get a hold of his sanity first. She took his hand in hers and rubbed comforting circles on it with her thumb in a very sisterly way.
"Remus." Lily began softly. "Allison's fine. She's sleeping in your room right now. I've healed her injuries to the best of my ability. All she has to do is take it easy for the next couple of days; her ribs might give her some pain, but they are also fully healed. No, I did not take her to Mungos. It wasn't necessary. You can go in and see her now, if you want. She should wake up soon." She said. He opened his mouth to protest, presumably about how it was his fault she was in that condition, but Lily put a finger against his lips to silence him.
"Remember, Remus." She began. "None of this is your fault." She rose and pulled Remus from the couch. "Go."
"We'll have to put our discussion on hold, Padfoot. Moony needs both of us right now." James whispered. Sirius nodded.
"Especially when we're the ones counseling him and not the other way around." Sirius whispered back as he watched the silent form of his best friend walk dejectedly into his room.
Even though Sirius put his problem behind him, for Remus' sake, a little part of his head kept replaying Lily's words.
"…one night stands and all that other stuff." He shook his head inadvertently. 'She's fine!' he insisted to himself. 'She's fine.'
…But his heart contradicted his thoughts.
- - - - - - - - With Remus and Allison
Remus walked in his room and shut the door quietly behind him. As he looked up, his breath left his body. He took in the sight that met him with guilt leading every other emotion in his heart. 'This is the power of me when I loose control. I shouldn't be here.' He told himself as he took in Allison's mangled appearance. Her torso was nearly covered in bandages and almost a dozen potions lay on the bedside table. A memory of her laughing merrily during Christmas seventh year made its way into his thoughts and caused Remus to shut his eyes, grind his jaw and clench his fist tightly. "This is not how you should be right now. You deserve much better than me, Al." (A/N: No, Remus! No!)
A groan ripped him from his thoughts.
Remus' head snapped up from where it lay on the edge of the bed where his hand clenched Allison's. His eyes filled with anticipation as Allison's head slowly moved and waited for her eyes to open.
But they didn't.
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Hey! Another chapter finished! Sorry about the cliffie! I couldn't help myself. And I know I'm really prolonging this one night, but I feel that Remus and Ally really needed the spotlight a little, and Sirius and Dasani too. Here's what's coming up:
More of Remus and Ally! (What happened to her? Wasn't she waking?)
How Dasani feels about being drugged by Tristan (ain't no flies on her, huh?)
More of Sirius and Dasani! (Are they going to get back together?)
Wedding plans (Is the wedding still going to be in November?)
More of Voldemort
And maybe some of Snape…
Lotsa action coming your way! So please, review and make my day!
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