It was only the next evening that Sol began to awaken from her slumber. As she lay on her front, she could not help but wonder if the events that had transpired the night before had all been a nightmare. The pain that she felt on her back was proof enough that it was not. The hand which clasped her told something entirely different.
Looking down she noticed the messy mop of hair which belonged to Remus. Slowly and carefully as to not move the muscles in her back she pulled her hand from his and softly caressed his tear-stained cheek.
Remus' eyes fluttered as he gradually looked up, only to realize that the girl whose life he had ruined, and who would never again be able to look at him, was awake.
"Sol!" It was quiet but urgent, as he sat up to run his own hand down her cheek.
"Remus," she replied. Her expression showed that she wanted to say something more, but he could not let her for fear that he would lose his courage and run away, only to never see her again.
"Sol I am so sorry—" It was the beginning of a sentence that she did not understand, and made it known by gently placing her fingers over his lips in a gesture to silence him.
"What do you mean?" The response she got was even more disturbing.
Remus gave a strange gurgle, as if chocking on saliva, before he broke down, sobbing long and hard.
"Remus, what is wrong?" she asked again, this time pressing harder for an answer.
Remus gently and carefully ran a hand over her back where the claw marks resided. That was when she remembered the night before and the wolf that tore at her back.
"The wolf!" It was a statement that seemed to only make matters worse, as Remus began to sob harder.
Meanwhile James, Sirius and Peter where sitting in the Common Room with the girls. They had chosen to give space to Remus as they knew that it would be tough enough to face Sol without them adding to the pressure.
They had known before today that Remus wanted to tell Sol of his curse, but that he wanted to do it when the time was right. Now he was be forced to tell her, a task that they knew was going to be taxing on him.
As for their own relationships, that of James and Lily had blossomed tremendously. After Lily had discovered that James loved her, she soon realized that the dislike she thought she had for James was really a disguise for her true emotions.
The relationship of Hermione and Sirius had also changed. Sirius was no longer ignoring her, but he was now teasing her without mercy.
"How is Sol?" James asked. The question was directed at Lily, as Hermione seemed to be lost in a world of despair.
"She was still asleep when I checked on her." Lily took a pause before she gasped and continued. "Oh, James, how could this happen to Remus? He is so worried about her, and Sol, oh god, Sol! She must be in so much pain, after that wolf..."
She did not finish the sentence, triggering Hermione to come out of the haze.
"Yeah, the wolf." She spoke just above a whisper but it was loud enough for Sirius to hear, and he was sure not to miss an opportunity.
"What was that, bookworm? I am sorry, all of that hair around your face made it difficult to hear. Do you have a problem with wolves?" he snapped. If circumstances had been different Hermione would have sent a remark back and stormed out of the Common Room, but as it was she merely remained silent and returned to her troubled world.
"Sirius!" It was a vague attempt from Lily to scold Sirius, but neither Sirius nor Hermione reacted as they were all far too worried about Sol and the reaction that she would have when she discovered of Remus' dark secret.
"Remus, what is wrong?" Sol asked as she stroked his hair as best she could from the position that she was in.
She heard a muffled reply, but it was too soft and too muddled for her to be able to catch it. It was only after asking him to repeat what he had said that she knew.
"I can't lose you."
"Why would you lose me?" If he was trying to confuse her he was doing an excellent job.
"Because you will hate me for the rest of your life," he cried, finally looking up to meet her eyes.
"Remus, please tell me what is going on!"
Remus gave another sob before he told her: "Because I am the werewolf that attacked you."