I was sitting on my bed, attempting to make a paper crane fly, when there was a harsh rap on the door. "Yeah?" I called out, assuming it was Demetrius, one of our Prefects checking on us. Instead, Madam Pomfrey nudged the door open.
I jumped off my bed and smoothed out my clothes. I may be a rebel, but I still have manners.
"Good evening, are you here for Remus?" I asked her while glancing at my dorm-mate who was fast asleep in his bed. This was a regular occurrence now. Once a month, like clockwork, our matron showed up to whisk Remus away, who was usually asleep by the time she showed up. He was exhausted the days before and after these excursions, and I was worried about him. He never talked about what he was doing when he was away, but it was obvious he wasn't well.
"I'll wake him" I said as I quietly made my way over to his bed. I gingerly reached out and gently nudged him on the shoulder blade. "Hey, Remus". I didn't want to scare him awake, but being soft wasn't working as he barely moved.
I decided to take the approach that James did on Saturday mornings to get me up and outside to practice flying. I jumped in the bed with Remus. "Up, up, up! Time to go!" I sang as I wiggled around, disrupting him.
"Sirius, you know I'm tired. Let me sleep" he responded drowsily as he pulled the duvet up and curled in on himself.
"Can't. It's time for your date with Madam Pomfrey" I responded, pulling the blanket down, exposing his small body to the chilly air. This promptly got him up.
"Madam Pomfrey. So sorry. Lost track of time" he started rambling as he grabbed his cloak and slipped his feet into a worn pair of loafers. She just stood there, patiently waiting, as she did every month. This month, I was different though. Instead of a simple "see ya" as Remus walked out, I stopped him before he got to the door. "Hey, be safe" I said as I pulled him in for a hug. He smelled strongly of chocolate, a treat I knew he binged on around this time. I made a vow right then to always keep some chocolate on hand just for him.
His eyes widened; I don't think he was used to affection, which honestly I wasn't either until James came into my life. He awkwardly hugged me back, then quickly pulled away. "I'll be fine. See you in a couple days" he said, with a hint of sadness in his voice. I wish I could take away whatever pain he was feeling. It wasn't right for a kid to be this upset.
As the door closed behind them, I stayed firmly planted where we had hugged, marvelling in the feel of Remus in my arms. It felt safe. It felt like home; not my home, but what I imagine a cozy little cottage with a warm fireplace would feel like. It was suddenly stuffy and uncomfortable, so I ran to the window and flung it up, breathing in the fresh air and gasping as the chill hit my lungs.
As I looked across the grounds, I saw two figures walking towards the little Whomping Willow tree. The taller figure extended their wand and a jet of blue light was shot at the tree, it's branches froze and the smaller figure disappeared at its base.
I wasn't sure what I had watched, but knew my mind was firmly off of Remus, now I wanted to get to that tree and see what was going on.