8.
Severus was thinking and thinking rather hard about two things, one of which he cared about and the other he really didn't. The one he didn't particularly care about was much easier to decide what to do about or more accurately, how to deal with it. Since he and Lily had been observing Lupin, he had noticed that both Potter and Black appeared rather down and hadn't been pulling their so called "pranks" on either him or anyone else; he wasn't sure what was the cause of their sudden melancholy for if they were the ones messing…no tormenting Lupin than surely they would be their normal pompous selves. Instead they seemed to be despondent and rather gloomy; Severus thought that if someone else were tormenting Lupin than surely both Potter and Black would be furious and doing all that they could to help him, instead they did nothing and didn't even talk to or look at the boy. Their new attitude was not something that Severus thought needed to be changed as he was quite glad of the break that it gave him from being bothered by the two idiots.
The problem that actually worried about and that he did care about was Lupin himself. Not only hadn't he been seen at meals but he had been growing more and more thin, nearly wraith-like even, he was constantly covered in bruises and cuts not to mention dirt. He never had his head up anymore; his arms were constantly wrapped around his torso as though to keep himself from coming apart or bursting at the sides. That on time that both he and Lily had managed to be alone with him was when Severus had grabbed the boy and taken him into the empty classroom, he could still feel the shoulder under his hand, the one that had been barely more than merely bone. He remembered the scared, no terrified look in the other boy's eyes as he crouched on the floor and refused to look at either him or Lily; the boy had been terrified and had seemed wild when he thought that he had been cornered and that they had been there to harm him.
After Lupin had fled, he and Lily had looked at each other for a while, unsure of what to do or even say. He had been so scared of them and had bolted as soon as he could even though they could tell that he had been in immense pain. Severus could tell that he still was and that it was getting worse, he had also noticed that Lupin had not spoken, even in class for weeks now. It was odd but he was feeling protective of the boy and he grew angry whenever he thought about what was happening to him and that no one seemed to care enough to put an end to it.
Severus was startled out of his thoughts by an owl tapping at the window; he quickly got up from his chair and opened the window to let the bird inside. He took the letter that the owl had attached to its leg and watched as it flew away into the night, he raised an eyebrow as he saw that the letter was addressed to him. Severus made his way back to his chair and carefully opened it.
Severus,
I am so sorry that I ran away from you and Lily, I don't know what to say other than I am truly sorry and I hope that you can forgive me. If you can't then I understand…I hope that you are not angry with me and I am also sorry for what the others have done to you, I never wanted any of those things to happen and I realize that I should have tried harder to stop them. I do not think that I can ever apologize enough to you Severus, but I am sorry.
-Remus
Severus was astonished to say the least, he had never expected Lupin to apologize for running away and he felt…something leave as he decided to forgive Lupin for that as well as for whatever part he had played with the other boys. He would have to talk to Lily again and then they would have to decide what they were going to do in order to help him.
Remus was cold, so very cold. He couldn't get warm and he had tried to, the burning was still inside him trying to tear him apart, yet he was freezing. He was actually in his bed for once but Peter had placed a charm on his bed and blankets so that the temperature was well below zero and no matter what he did he couldn't get warm. Remus had finished Peter's homework and had even managed to get most of his done before Peter had started on him again, he wasn't sure if he would be able to even hold his wand tomorrow. He held his broken and twisted hand close to his chest, his pj's hanging off him and showing the way his skin seemed to merely be painted over his bones, angry splotches had begun to appear around his torso, back and stomach and he had no idea what they were from. Neither James nor Sirius had come back to the dorm that day; they had probably found somewhere else to sleep so as not to be in the same room as a werewolf. He deeply wished that there was a way to have someone who didn't hate the sight of him, someone who could tolerate his presence long enough to just smile at him. Remus bit hard on his lip as he inadvertently rolled slightly onto his hand, silent tears falling down his dirty and bruised face, he curled up into a tight ball to try and keep himself as warm as he could, drifting into an uneasy sleep filled with the ever present feelings of terror, pain and always Peter would be there with a new form of torment before Remus would be kicked awake and the day would begin again. Remus knew that he had to accept the fact that he would always be alone and unwanted in this world where wizards were equals and the half-breeds were dangerous and no one would want to be anywhere near him. He couldn't feel his toes or fingers anymore, he had to sleep, he couldn't fight it anymore, he wouldn't for sleep was welcome and maybe he wouldn't be so cold…or at least he wouldn't be aware of the cold anymore.