Author's note: I just wanted to post a reminder that I absolutely do not support Rowling, she is truly evil and disgusting. Trans women are women, trans men are men. I have debated recently whether to continue this or not because of her actions but Shifting Lines means too much to me, and too much to you, for me to give it up. We who are pro-LGBT+ still in this fandom need an escape like this. As some of my friends put it (thank you Ander and Nepomuk) we need a safe place with this world we've loved for so long. Also a reminder this will be a very queer story; Wolfstar won't be the only queer characters, I have loads planned.

Anyway sorry for the ramble. I just felt I needed to put that out there 3

CW emetophobia

-x-

Tuesday morning dawned with more rain. Remus yawned as he woke up, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes. Because of Astronomy the night before, he hadn't gotten much sleep. And Occlumency tonight, he reminded himself as he slithered out of bed. An uncomfortable shiver went down his spine as he realized that for one, Miss Fawley might see him finding the Pura Linea potion and wanting to know what was going on… and two, they were going to go into his toddlerhood memories again and he'd probably have a lot of head pain.

Nobody else in his dorm was awake as he quietly got ready for Arithmancy, tying the scraggly shoelaces of his trainers a little too tightly; one broke in half. Trying not to swear, he fumbled for his wand to repair it. After that was done he headed down into the common room; where as soon as he put his foot down on the floor, his feet flew out from under him and he slid partway across the room.

His fingers scrabbled for purchase, finding nothing but coldness. Ice, actually. The entire floor was ice.

"It's one of them," said a voice and Remus looked up to see three older students—one a Prefect—looming over him rather threateningly. Fear shot out into every inch of his body.

"Where're your stupid friends?" the Prefect demanded.

Remus tried to get up but it was too slippery. "I—wh—I—as-sleep!" he squeaked out, feeling uncomfortable being surrounded like this. None of them offered to help him up.

"Go get them so they can get rid of this," said another one of the students.

Remus glanced around at all the ice which had to be at least four inches thick and perfectly smooth. "Um, they—we—that—this—this isn't—they didn't d-do this?" He grabbed a nearby armchair, hauling himself to his feet. "Th-they've been asleep all—all night—"

"I'm sure," sneered the Prefect, grabbing Remus and pushing him towards the stairs. "Go get them!"

Remus slipped and flailed over to the stairs, wondering if maybe James and Sirius had gotten up in the middle of the night to do this. But he would have heard them, wouldn't he? Sighing, he went up the stairs and back to his dorm where he woke James and Sirius up. They were both in James's bed, curled up together in such a cozy manner that he hated to wake them.

"Ice?" James asked after Remus explained. "What ice?"

"Um, what's her name… Britnell? Um, the sixth year Prefect. Says you two did it."

"We did not," argued Sirius, pulling his dressing gown on and tying the sash angrily. "Or… I didn't…" He gave James a half-curious, half-accusing look.

"Don't get your wand in a knot, I didn't either," grumbled James as he put slippers on. "Let's go get this sorted out. Course, we'll probably be blamed for it anyway."

They went downstairs, where James and Remus both fell on the ice. Sirius somehow managed to stay upright, though his arms wheeled a lot as he slowly made his way towards the three girls. An argument ensued, the sixth years blaming James and Sirius with the two of them swearing up and down they had nothing to do with it. Finally, the Prefect said she'd take them to McGonagall.

Still in their pajamas, James and Sirius were marched down to the Great Hall, with Remus scurrying behind them. Both boys held their heads up high, looking indifferent at the stares they were getting. Some Hufflepuff whistled while a Ravenclaw shouted out 'nice pajamas!'.

Remus sank down at the Gryffindor table, watching his friends being taken to the High Table. The Prefect talked to McGonagall, who then interviewed James and Sirius; they continued to promise they had nothing to do with it. McGonagall shook her head and got up, leaving with the boys.

This is like the fireplace on Sunday, he thought as he began getting his breakfast. Was someone pranking the Gryffindor common room specifically to get James and Sirius into trouble, or was it just incidental they were being blamed?

Remus didn't find out anything more until just before nine, when he met up with them for Muggle Studies. The other Gryffindor third years were complaining about the ice, making it obvious they thought James and Sirius were behind it too. They had gotten into a little bit of trouble even though McGonagall had said she didn't think the boys had done it.

"Too advanced," James explained as they took their seats. "She was having a difficult time getting rid of it. It was still there when we left for breakfast a bit ago."

They agreed with Remus that it was probably whoever had hexed the fireplace, though none of them had any idea who it might have been. None of the sixth or seventh years seemed inclined to be that way. The only ones any of them could think of were three fourth years who tended to get into trouble a lot, but the ice seemed a bit advanced even for them. However, if any of them were like Remus (according to Sirius) then it was probably them.

"Maybe it's Peeves," Pete suggested, which was a good possibility.

"Either way, I'm tired of being accused of this," James grumbled, sitting back in his chair. "Besides, we haven't done anything big lately. Maybe we should. To show'em who the real pranksters of the school are!"

As usual, Professor Lewis let them out early so their morning free period was extra long. While the others plotted out ideas, Remus pretended to study when in reality he was thinking of the Pura Linea potion and when he should talk to Lily about it. The last night of the full moon was Saturday night, so he'd be back Sunday… however he'd probably be far too tired on Sunday to do anything. Perhaps the free period on Monday before Ancient Runes?

What exactly will I say? he wondered, chewing at his quill while staring blankly at the book in his lap. Hey Lily I need help with this potion… but you can't see the book… I promise I've written the instructions down perfectly.

What if she got curious and asked someone about the ingredients and what it might make?

Oh Merlin, what if she asked Snape?!

Remus slid down a little, stomach twisting as he imagined Lily telling Snape the ingredients and him knowing Remus had made an anti-lust potion somehow. He might as well die at that point!

No. He reminded himself he was asking Lily because he trusted her; she wouldn't do anything like that, even if she was curious.

By the time Remus returned to reality, his friends had moved on from planning a prank to discussing Cassie and the whole birthday thing. Specifically, what Sirius should do next. He kept tearing bits of parchment up and tossing them aside, saying that he wanted to be 'friendly' with Cassie again however he wasn't sure if he should. On principle.

"I wouldn't care if she had forgotten my birthday!" he said as he tossed another little wad of parchment down the corridor. "Argh, my head is hurting!"

"Again?" James asked. Sirius buried his face in his hands, not responding. "Wasn't it hurting pretty badly last week?"

"Cassie's given me a headache," Sirius said into his hands. "I need help!"

"You should see Pomfrey," Remus suggested.

Sirius scowled at him. "How would Pomfrey help with the Cassie problem?"

"Oh, I thought you meant for your headache."

"No!" He shook his head. "I need help with C—ohh!" He suddenly sat up straight. "Miss Fawley! She used to be a girl, didn't she?"

"I—I think she still is," Peter stammered out. "Unless—unless I'm very mistaken."

"No, she's a woman now," Sirius explained. "Maybe she can help, give me some advice on what Cassie's thinking—as a woman, I mean, not as a Legilimens. Unless maybe she'd… you know…"

"She'd never," Remus said, going back to his book.

"No, you're right. But still. I'll talk to Miss Fawley tonight. What an absolutely brilliant idea that was!"

"It was your idea," said James.

"I know," grinned Sirius. "I'm saying that I'm absolutely brilliant."

"Absolutely bonkers, more like."

-x-

The day dragged on despite Sirius's foul mood turning bouncier. While McGonagall didn't blame the Marauders for what happened, a lot of the other Gryffindors didn't seem to agree and they were constantly berated for the ice. Even Lily wasn't completely sure that James was innocent until Remus told her he'd pass the compliment on.

"What compliment?" she demanded between Transfiguration and Charms. "I'd never compliment him!"

"You're saying he's talented enough to do something that's advanced even for me," Remus said, hugging his books to his chest, trying not to smile. "That's quite a compliment, isn't it?"

Lily pressed her lips together and didn't say another word about the ice.

Finally, the last lesson of the day for Remus started to come to a close. Professor Hawkwood was discussing their homework assignment, and Remus was carefully writing down the information, glad it was enough time away that he'd be able to finish anything he couldn't before the full moon; plus he wouldn't have to turn it in late. He felt awful and sick for turning in assignments late to the classes where the teacher didn't know about his affliction…

"…hands…"

Remus paused, glancing up through his fringe. What did Hawkwood just say? But he was going on about something else now so after everyone was dismissed, Remus leaned over to David.

"What did he say about hands?"

"Palm-reading," David replied as the two of them gathered their things. "Next month we'll be starting on reading palms so he said if we want to go ahead and start looking at that section we can."

Remus swallowed. Palm-reading? But that meant… he'd have to… hold someone's hand? Hold David's hand, if they were partners for that, or… or someone else. The thought of that—of having physical contact—made him go all sweaty and nervous. He was so sweaty he almost lost his grip on the ladder and fell. His fumble caused a ripple of laughter among some of the other students, so he was rather pink by the time he reached the floor.

He wasn't the only one preoccupied about what Hawkwood said. As he and David headed down the stairs, they passed by the Hufflepuff girls from Divination who were giggling wildly at the thought of holding a boy's hand. They giggled harder as the two boys passed.

"Who are you going to try to be partners with?" David asked after they were far enough away from the girls.

Remus almost said 'you' before realizing the question meant David was planning on having someone else be his partner for that. "Erm. I—I don't know. What about you?"

"Maybe Rockfowl," he said, snickering a little. "She's pretty. Not as pretty as Lily, I mean, but…"

Remus jerked his head up at that. "You think Lily is pretty?" he asked and immediately winced, realizing how bumbling his words were.

David stopped in his tracks, staring at Remus. "Blimey, if she heard you say that!" he laughed.

"Nono!" Remus tugged at his robes sleeve, feeling himself burning more. "I mean, she—she is pretty, I—you—I j-just didn't—didn't realize you—you thought she was."

"Of course I think she is! She's one of the prettiest in our year!"

"I… thought that was C-Cassandra?"

David laughed again. "She is if you like that sort've thing, she's a bit too leggy for me, if you know what I mean?"

Remus sort've knew what David meant, and he just nodded in agreement even though he thought long legs were rather nice himself.

"Not that legs aren't nice. Legs are nice. I just think Lily's got a nicer bum." Remus tripped and crashed to the ground, nearly falling down some stairs. David stared with wide eyes, quickly dropped his satchel so he could help Remus up. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," Remus squeaked. "Yes, fine." When did this happen? Why was David talking about legs and bums? Why was he talking about Lily's bum?!

"Oh Christ, you're not going to—" David stopped, grabbing Remus's arm. "Don't you dare tell her I said that!"

"I w-won't!" Remus promised, knowing he could never say 'bum' in front of Lily, whether it was about hers or not!

David eyed him suspiciously before letting go. "All right. Sorry, I know you're friends with her…" They continued walking, Remus trying not to die on the spot. "Er, you are just friends, right?"

"Huh?"

"You and Lily?" David suddenly sounded a little shy. "You're only friends, right?"

"Of course, what else—? No, no," he assured David. "No, nothing like—like that. We're not—she's not—it's not like that at all with us, we're friends. Only friends."

"Whew. Right. I mean, that's—well, yeah. Yeah."

Thankfully, they were nearing the Great Hall at this point and went their separate ways, David to Spinnet, Remus to the other Marauders while he tried desperately not to think about boys' legs or bums.

-x-

Miss Fawley did indeed have advice for Sirius and it was similar to what Remus had suggested: to apologize to her. She gently explained that while it is easy to make a mistake, it's obvious what happened hurt Cassie. He needed to apologize for hurting her, to make it up.

"Even though I honestly didn't remember?" Sirius asked grouchily.

Miss Fawley nodded. "If you say something that turns out to hurt one of your friends even though you didn't mean to or realize it would hurt them, would you apologize for that?"

He rubbed the back of his head, face scrunched up. "I guess."

"She feels unimportant right now," Fawley continued, reaching over to put a hand on Sirius's sleeve. "Whether you are dating or not, she is someone close to you in your life and now she feels like she doesn't matter to you. And bringing it up in class showed you weren't taking it seriously."

"I was—"

She didn't let him finish. "This is something you should do when you have the time to discuss it, not when you're in a lesson. Get her flowers, and be sincere in your apology. Explain that you are sorry for forgetting her birthday but make it clear she is important to you, all right?"

Sirius frowned. "I don't have to use the 'l' word do I?"

She gave a gentle chuckle. "No, dear, you don't need to say that. In fact, you should never say that word unless you truly mean it."

"The 'l' word?" Peter asked.

"Love," Fawley explained, and Sirius went a bit pink. "This is advice for all four of you. Never use that word lightly. Don't say it just to get someone, don't say it because you feel you should, don't say it if you're being pressured to say it; don't say it unless you truly and wholly mean it."

Nobody spoke for several seconds until James broke the silence. "Oh, don't worry about that for me, I don't intend to have a girlfriend anytime soon. I'm too busy with Quidditch and pranks."

Fawley laughed. "I bet you are, James Potter."

Don't need to worry about that at all for me, Remus thought, not saying anything out loud. Fawley gave a few more suggestions to Sirius then the others left for Remus to have his lesson. The first few memories they dipped into weren't anything bad however soon they were in the library as Remus stared down at the instructions for the Pura Linea potion. Remus pushed and shoved, putting up the blank wall as best he could until they were kicked out.

"Good job," she said while Remus hoped she hadn't noticed the words in the book.

By the time they neared the end of their hour, Remus was feeling okay. Not great, he did have a faint headache, but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as before. He told Miss Fawley this, begging her to try again with the memory of him being bitten. She sighed and pressed her fingertips gently against his forehead.

Blurriness, fog, muffled sounds

sunshine

Then immense pain and Remus was back on the couch, clutching his stomach, panting heavily.

"I'm fine," he wheezed out when she asked. "Give me a second."

He tried his best to remember that night, the flashes of maybes and did-it-happens? The feeling of falling, his mother's voice. But it was all fog and pain when they tried, except for one brief glimpse of a full moon.

Remus felt like throwing up after that one and after a few seconds he scrambled to the rubbish bin to empty his cauldron. It wasn't really the pain that had caused it, but seeing the moon. The Moon, the one that ruined his life, ruined his parents' lives, ruined everything.

"We're done for tonight," she said when he returned to the couch.

"One more try?" he asked, wiping his mouth off on his robes sleeve.

"No. We'll try again next week."

He sighed, knowing it was futile to argue. "Thank you, Miss Fawley. I'll send the others."

He trudged to the secret passage where his friends awaited, and James and Peter left. Remus slumped down on the floor, rubbing his forehead miserably.

"You got sick?"

"Hmm?" Remus lifted his head. "How did you know?"

Sirius gave him a faint smile. "I can smell it. Here." He pulled a flask out of his bag, handing it over. Remus dumped some water in his mouth, swishing and then having to swallow since there was nowhere to spit it out. He then dampened his sleeves and wiped his mouth off again. "What happened?"

"We're trying to see one of my old memories, to answer a question I have," Remus said hesitantly. "It was a long time ago so it's… causing some difficulties."

"Oh." Sirius shifted his legs, twisting the cap of the flask around and around. First he tightened it, then he loosened it.

"Is… something wrong?" Remus asked after several seconds of this.

Sirius shrugged. "It's been a long few days."

"Still upset about Cassie?" Remus thought about what David had said, about Cassie being too 'leggy'. He wondered if Sirius liked the fact Cassie had long legs.

"Yeah…" He lifted his gaze so his eyes pierced Remus's. "D'you think I should follow Miss Fawley's advice?"

Remus swallowed, unable to keep up the eye lock. He averted his eyes, reaching down to pluck at a loose thread on his trousers. "Yes, she's very smart. She certainly knows more about what a girl would want more than any of us."

"Do you…"

"Do I what?"

Sirius flashed a grin. "Do you believe what James said? About not wanting a girlfriend anytime soon?"

Remus's chest seized up. He couldn't really see James dating anyone but he couldn't really see any of them dating anyone, even Sirius and Cassie even though they might as well be. Or maybe he didn't want to see his friends with anyone. Didn't want to be abandoned. Though that was something he would eventually soon have to get over, the idea of his friends dating.

"I don't know, maybe. He seems to prefer to invest his time into Quidditch or pranks more than anything else. I can't see him giving up either anytime soon."

"Hmm, I can see what you mean about that." Sirius pushed back some hair from his face. "Speaking about pranks, who do you think has been pranking the common room?"

They discussed this for a while, neither of them able to figure out who it could be. Then they talked about school, Quidditch, and finally Hogsmeade. Sirius said he was excited for the four of them to spend time in the town without worrying about getting caught and Remus gently reminded him he'd be in the hospital wing during the visit, since the full moon was coming up.

"Oh, right. Well. Maybe I'll ask Cassie for a lunch or tea, then, to make up for the birthday thing. You think that might work?"

Remus shrugged. "It might." There was something strange about the way Sirius had said that but he couldn't put his finger on it, and within a few minutes the feeling left his head completely and he forgot about it entirely by the time James and Peter were done with their lesson.

-x-

Remus was surprised at how warm it was when they left the castle after lunch on Wednesday. It had been cold and rainy for several days—even that morning—but now it seemed like the sun wanted to make up for it.

"Let's play, guess how many times Petey's gonna slip in the mud," Sirius said, halfway to the greenhouse. He was in a very buoyant mood since he had talked to Cassie the night before, and Cassie reluctantly agreed to a tea date in Hogsmeade. She was obviously still upset however was willing to give Sirius another chance.

"Don't be rude!" Peter moaned, slipping in the mud for the umpteenth time which made his friends all giggle. "My shoes are slick!"

"Blame the shoes," teased James.

They squelched through a particular large puddle of mud (there really wasn't any way around it) where Peter slid again, this time falling completely down. He landed with a disgusting sound, sending mud splattering everywhere. Well. Mostly on his friends.

"Damn it, Peter!" Sirius half-yelled, half-laughed as he backed up, trying to wipe the mud off his trousers.

Peter tried to get up and failed, making James and Sirius laugh more. "Oh, shut up!" Pete scooped up a handful of mud and lobbed it at James. It hit his midriff, the mud clinging to his sleeveless jumper.

"Hey!" James swiped at the mud, looking more amused than angry.

"Help me up!" Peter said.

"No way, you'll just pull whoever's dumb enough to offer a hand down into the mud," Sirius complained.

A shadow passed across Pete's face and Remus knew Sirius had spoken the truth. So instead Peter threw some mud at Sirius too. Sirius retaliated and soon the three of them were covered in mud while Remus backed off, too tired to join the fight until James hit Remus square in the chest.

"I wasn't joining!" Remus protested, looking down aghast at his previously clean clothes. The mud was very cold, seeping through his clothes.

"Too bad," said James.

Remus glanced up, putting on the most pitiful face he could muster. "James." He stepped closer. "Tomorrow's you-know-what. I'm tired." James hesitated, looking rather guilty. "I'm already hurting, too."

Guilt completely took over his face and his shoulder slumped a little. "Oh. Merlin, Remy, I'm sorry. I didn't—"

Before he could finish, Remus was close enough and gave James a hearty shove backwards. His arms wheeled but he couldn't right himself, and he landed squarely and heavily in the mud.

"ASS!" James screamed, wallowing about while Remus wheezed with laughter. "YOU UTTER ARSE!"

By the time the four of them got to the greenhouse, they were covered head to toe in mud. Sprout looked at them and shook her head, wearily removing points for their appearance; something she rarely did, but in this case Remus figured it was justified. She flicked her wand and most of the excess mud disappeared, though the stains remained.

"What happened?" Lily asked as they passed the girls to get to the only empty table.

"A mudworm," James said with a straight face. "You know, the magical creature that spits mud all over you?"

Lily blinked a few times, mouth slightly open as her eyes darted to the others. "A… what? No, that can't be real!"

"It is," Sirius said solemnly. "There's a colony living near here."

"We won't learn about them until later this year," James added.

"Oh, don't listen to them, there's no such thing," Alice said, tugging at Lily's sleeve.

"Great big wriggling, writhing worms that spray you all over!" James continued, while Lily harumphed and pointedly ignored him. "I bet she would've believed us if Alice hadn't said anything," he complained as he sat down.

Remus yawned as he got his stuff out to start taking notes. While he had been playing it up to get James, he really was tired. His muscles and bones ached as he scrawled down what Sprout said, and he was a little relieved when the door to the greenhouse flung open.

"Professor!" It was an older student, a Slytherin. "There's been an accident, Hayes is going to get Pomfrey but Runcorn needs medical aid right now—"

Sprout seized her wand. "I'll be back. Jacobs, Evans, you're in charge." She took off after the Slytherin and everyone could see them running down the hill through the wavy greenhouse glass.

"SIR!" Bones shouted at Jacobs. "Permission to laze about, sir!"

"Oh, shut up," Jacobs laughed, giving Bones a halfhearted shove. Bones shoved him back and soon the two were tussling lightly, both of them laughing.

Sirius stretched out his body while James climbed onto their desk and laid down. Remus just folded his arms on the desk and put his head down, drifting off a bit while his friends chattered. He was jerked out of his sleep by a crunching sort of sound and jerked up, blinking. Jacobs and another Hufflepuff boy were arguing loudly and pushing each other. Not in the same way Jacobs had been with Bones.

"What happened?" Remus asked.

"Hill's glasses fell off," Peter explained, "and Jacobs stepped on them accidentally."

They were shouting at each other, Jacobs swearing it was an accident, Hill insisting it was on purpose after what happened over the weekend. Jacobs said he wasn't mad about whatever happened and Hill gave him an angry shove, insisting that Jacobs was mad. Everyone was watching them fight and argue, nobody bothering to step in.

"Maybe I should say something?" Lily asked. "I'm supposed to be in charge…"

"So's he," Cassie pointed out. "Let 'em fight it out."

Lily shook her head, rising to her feet. "Jacobs! Hill! Stop!"

The boys ignored her and their argument grew louder. Then Hill gave Jacobs a really hard shove and Jacobs stumbled back, tripping over the little fence blocking off some of the plants—including the Tsulius Discordia which was still being fussy. It was a vine-y sort of tree that reminded Remus a bit of the Whomping Willow only it wasn't anywhere near as dangerous. It usually just grabbed things, typically inanimate objects, however with it being so upset Remus wasn't sure what would happen.

The Tsulius grabbed at Jacobs, then let go when it realized he was alive. Instead it grabbed a nearby chair and flung it across the greenhouse. Everyone began shrieking and jumping out of their seats. Remus swept his things into his bag and scrambled back. He tripped over nothing and then pushed himself back as another chair went flying. Vines were sweeping around, grabbing whatever they could. One of them curled around someone's satchel and sent it across the room, all the things in the bag spilling out including a bottle of bluish potion that caused Nettle to screech in dismay. She leaped for it, face going all sorts of shades of red, and then cried out as a stick struck her cheek, leaving a sharp scratch.

Someone was swearing loudly, a lot of people were screaming, Peter was whimpering, hiding under the desk. Remus got up, intending to try to herd his friends out of the greenhouse however just then a chair came towards him. He yelped and dove out of the way, not really paying much attention to where he was diving. Unfortunately, he dove over another fence that blocked off some plants and he went rolling right into some poisonous plants that were tucked back against the wall, usually very out of the way. He swore and rolled right back out of them but it was too late. His hands were already starting to rash up.

"Come on."

Hands reached towards him and he jerked away. "Don't touch me!"

"It's me!" Sirius said, looking puzzled.

"I know! I might be covered in poison!" Remus got to his feet, his hands burning now. He tucked them into his sleeves to hide when they healed up, and ran out with his friends. Tears formed in his eyes, sliding down his cheeks as his hands kept burning worse and worse, and his arms where his hands touched began to follow suit. He fell to the ground, yanking his hands back out, staring at them. They were searingly red and swollen. And not healing.

Sprout was returning to the greenhouse, looking livid at all the chaos. Remus simply knelt in the mud, crying over his hands while Sprout tried to reign everything in. It felt as though something was squeezing his hands in vice grips. Vice grips that were on fire. They also itched badly.

And his nose was starting to burn too. Without thinking he reached up to touch his nose which made his face burn worse. "Pomfrey," he croaked out, trying to get up. "Need Pomfrey." His face was on fire now and itched like mad. Soon he was sneezing violently.

Everything sort of blurred together as he felt someone grab him. He protested weakly between wails of pain, not wanting whatever happened to him to happen to whoever was carrying him. There was too much pain to really notice what was going on until cold water sprayed over him. He blinked through swollen eyes to see he was in the shower at the hospital wing and James and Peter were standing over him, looking terrified. Peter's mouth moved and Remus thought he heard that Sirius was getting Pomfrey.

Then she was there, wanting to know what happened. Remus curled up, crying faintly as water kept washing over him though the water seemed to be helping a little bit. He tuned out his surroundings and before he knew it he was naked.

"NO!" he screamed.

"I need to clean off your body," Pomfrey said, sounding urgent. "Your friends aren't in here."

He felt cold, soothing hands against his body and something thick like cream (or soap?) that helped lessen the pain.

"I don't know wh—what—what—heal—I should—"

Pomfrey turned him around to face her, and a shiver went down his spine when he saw (sort've, his eyes were swollen) she actually looked very concerned. "Wolfsbane," she said, running the cream-or-soap down his arms. "You fell in wolfsbane, Remus."