33.
Finding Remus was actually easier this time than he had thought it would be, for as he turned the next corner, he saw him standing at the window and looking out across the grounds and into the forest. He didn't turn nor did he give any indication that he had heard Sirius, he didn't move from where he stood, as though he were frozen and couldn't move even if he had wanted fact, he stood so still that Sirius started to think that someone had transfigured something to look like Remus, if he had not spoken a moment later.
"Peter won't forgive me. I didn't think that he would, I don't know if I could. I know I will never forgive myself for making him this way, I can't forgive myself. Will you tell James that he was right and that I am sorry?" Even though he had finally spoken, his voice was so dead sounding that Sirius almost wished that he hadn't spoken at all.
Sirius winced at a few of the words which Remus had spoken. He couldn't help cursing when he heard that Peter wouldn't forgive Remus. Sirius rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Remus a little sheepishly.
"Um…Remus? You didn't bite Peter…you only scratched him. He isn't going to be a werewolf, he will just be his regular old-pain-in-the-arse self. I thought you knew that…sorry. And I am not telling James he was right, because he isn't. Besides I have a plan to make us both feel better about things."
As he spoke, he threw his arm around his friend's shoulders and began to steer the obviously shocked boy, away from the window and down one corridor after the other. All the while, whispering his plan into Remus' ear and grinning like a maniac as he saw the mischievous glint light up the other boy's previously empty looking eyes, as well as the grin that stretched across his own face as he listened.
Remus was slightly confused, a little indignant, but mostly he was relieved. He felt as though an oppressive weight which had settled on him when he heard about Peter had finally lifted from him; he felt…free. Why hadn't anyone bothered to tell him that Peter had only been scratched and not bitten? If he had known that then he wouldn't have spent so much time berating himself, and he really didn't need to spend any more time doing that. Besides, if he hadn't run through the school, he wouldn't have met up with Severus and Lily, and that was something that he didn't want to change.
He carefully set down a book on top of a stack of its brethren and sent them off to re-shelve themselves. He'd had to look up one spell to put his part of the plan into action and now he was ready. He had been a bit skeptical when Sirius had started explaining his idea, then he had to agree that it was brilliant. they would be breaking dozens of rules, would probably be getting detention for at least a month-if they were caught, and he found that he didn't particularly care. Sirius had more brains than he was given credit for, he could get some of the top marks in their classes, yet do hardly any research. He truly was clever, however this was one of those times when he questioned his friend's sanity.
Remus walked cautiously through the school on his way to Filch's office, he hoped that Sirius had been successful in getting Peeves to help; otherwise everything could go wrong very quickly. Luckily Filch's office was empty. He would have to hurry, he had no idea when Filch would come back, he had to be done and out of there by the time that he came back. Remus sighed as he got out his wand and went to work…why couldn't the map have been done yet? This would have been so much easier if it had been finished. He had no way of knowing that Sirius had wondered the exact same thing a few hours earlier.
Ten minutes later, Remus hurried away from Filch's office, he had to meet up with Sirius, then they had to get to the Entrance Hall to put the finishing touches on their handiwork. The following morning was going to be absolutely marvelous, and Remus couldn't help grinning when he thought about it.
Thank you for reading, this latest chapter. Please review, and I hope that this story will continue to be at least interesting. Thanks again and you are all awesome!