Hey! I have finally finished my exams! They weren't as difficult as I expected, either. Now I just have the real ones to worry about…
When Love and Hate Collide.
Chapter 6, Without You.
Remus slowly dragged his weak form up to Gryffindor Tower. He didn't know why, but he was still utterly exhausted. He put it down to everything going on with Sirius, and he tried to ignore the nagging feeling that something was very, very wrong.
He also tried to ignore the ache deep in his heart that decided to make itself known every time he even though of Sirius. The strange weightlessness he seemed to feel every time he reached, in an unconscious gesture, to his throat only to feel the pale skin, bare of his pendant.
He'd never removed it, despite everything that had every happened between the two boys, and for it to be gone now was the worst feeling in the world.
He breathed out slowly again, pausing in front of the Fat Lady. He hesitated, afraid to go in. Afraid that Sirius would be there. He felt his heart clench, his skin prickle with heat. The back of his neck itched and he felt a twist in his gut. He was panicking. Why was he panicking?
Slowly, hesitantly, Remus crept into the Common Room. He breathed out in relief, and felt the tight heat dissipate slightly from his skin. There was no one in the room, no Sirius. He didn't have to deal with talking to or seeing him yet.
He sat down on the sofa nearest the fire, breathing out slowly. His ribs hurt – hell, everything hurt. He had blood covering him, literally, when he woke up. He'd taken a shower and cleaned out most of his cuts in the Hospital Wing before Madame Pomfrey looked after the rest. Internal bleeding, a cracked rib and a huge gash in his leg, but the pain had dulled now.
The ache in his heart, however, would take longer to heal.
James was very, very worried. Remus had, most certainly, gone in to heat on the full moon. He'd also mated with Sirius on the full moon. Now, there were several problems with this.
Pregnancy, pregnancy, pregnancy.
Oh, did he mention pregnancy?
Not to mention the fact that Remus wasn't talking to Sirius. This meant that he'd get pretty ill. In fact, the pregnancy wasn't the problem. The problem was, he more than likely not make it full term anyway.
He had to talk to Sirius. Really, really had to talk to Sirius.
Except, Sirius went missing. Yesterday.
And Remus had the Map.
Oy, this really was not his day.
Remus had sat in his chair for a while, contemplating the problem of Sirius. He knew, logically, that he could not avoid him forever. They had classes together and they slept in neighbouring beds, but he still couldn't stand the thought of facing him, facing what he'd done, yet.
So, after spending an hour sitting and staring into the fire (well, what was left of it) he decided to kidnap the Map. This way, he could avoid Sirius without seeming to, and he'd only have to face him when there were others around. Sad and silly, true, but hopefully this would give them time to heal first.
He'd found the Map, and after explaining to James that he wanted to look after it for a while, he went down to the lake to watch the sunset.
He'd opened the Map once he was there, to see where Sirius was. He didn't know why, really. Morbid curiosity, probably. Watching the Map, he was surprised to see Sirius heading down the tunnel to the outskirts of Hogsmeade. It was a brilliant tunnel, it went from a corridor just off the Entrance Hall, and it took you to the hills just outside Hogsmeade. The views from there were brilliant, and it was only a 10 minute walk into the Village.
He sighed. Sirius, obviously, wanted to be as far away from him and everything about him as well.
It was Monday morning when Remus had first become concerned. He got up early and showered, before making his way down to breakfast. Aside from the painful aftermaths of the Full Moon, it was like any school day. He'd be proofreading his essays over breakfast when Sirius and James would come in – usually making some kind of ruckus – trailed by Peter, who would still look half asleep and extremely irritated by any loud noise or lights. This was what normally happened. This morning, however, James came trailing in alone, looking quite concerned.
"Hey, Remmie, have you seen Sirius? It's just, he didn't come to bed last night, and I need to talk to him."
Remus thought back to the Map yesterday, showing him going to Hogsmeade.
"No... not since yesterday. He... he was going to Hogsmeade."
James swore, loudly, before grinning apologetically at a stern looking McGonagall.
"Umm, could you check the Map for me?" Remus nodded, and gave James the Map.
After whispering the password, James tapped it and called 'Padfoot'. This spell would point on the Map at the person you were looking for. Well, it would... if they were in school.
