The Moon and Star
Chapter Four
Remus
Ugh. Everything felt bruised as I gingerly sat up in bed. That was probably one of the worse full moons yet, and I'd already had my fair share of them. Groggily, I opened my eyes and almost jumped out of my skin when I saw Sirius sitting in the chair next to the bed. After I had regained my composure, I looked closely at him, noticing hat he was in fact sleeping. He looked a little worse for wear too; hair messier than usual, bags under his eyes. The bed creaked as I moved, and Sirius woke slowly, frowning slightly before opening his eyes.
"You're awake." He murmured, peer ing at me from beneath his lowered lashes.
"As are you." I laughed, hissing when my ribs screamed in protest. Sirius immediately called for Madam Pomfrey, looking very much awake now. "I'm fine." I muttered, turning away from him to hide what I knew was plain on my face.
"No, you're not." He said stubbornly, an expression of determined concern on his face. Madam Pomfrey scurried over, a bottle of something foul-smelling in her hand.
"Healing potion, that's what you need, lad." She said happily, wafting it under my nose. I recoiled, scrunching up my nose. I immediately regretted it; I gasped and searched for a mirror. Sirius handed me one sadly. I almost dropped it when I saw my face. Long cuts running all across my face, alongside the single one I had acquired the previous month.
"Come on, boy, they'll all scar if you don't put this on." She said comfortingly, skating the potion bottle at me. I looked up at her in despair.
"What do you mean, all?" I asked, my voice shaking. She looked at her feet, taking deep breaths.
"Well, dear… there are a couple rather severe cuts you've got there. There are some things not even magic can heal." She murmured kindly, giving me a knowing look. Madam Pomfrey handed the bottle to Sirius along with a pack of cotton pads, and told him to get on with it. Chuckling, she told me to remove my shirt and lie on my front. I reluctantly obliged, and Sirius began to apply the liquid to my back. It stung fiercely for a moment; the muscles in my back tensed, and Sirius sucked in a breath, but then the potion became cool and gel-like. I relaxed and expelled the breath I hadn't realised I was holding, and Sirius did the same. We continued like that for a few minutes before Madam Pomfrey returned and told me to turn over. I did, and was alarmed at how flustered Sirius looked.
Sirius
Wow. He wasn't as scrawny as I'd first thought, that was for sure.
I continued to apply the healing potion to his already scarred stomach and chest, something that made my face grow warm. When I had finished, I began to gently dab the liquid onto Remus' face, which he scrunched up in pain when it came into contact with his skin. I couldn't help it. I began to sing the song that my grandmother had always sung to me as a child when I was upset.
Hush now, I know it hurts
But Ravenclaw is here to help you
She will cure you
Swathe and hold you
Don't despair, my love.
Hush now, I know you're wandering
But Hufflepuff is here to find you
She will help you
Create and love you
Don't cry now, my love.
Hush now, I know you're scared
But Gryffindor is here to save you
He will know you
Build and warm you
Don't delay, my love.
Hush now, I know you're wondering
But Slytherin is here to fix you
He won't fear you
Mend or move you
Do take care, my love.
I hadn't noticed the tears building in my eyes as I sang, realising that my family had not favoured one particular house before my parents; they had all been Slytherins, and so they were loyal to that house, but would not have minded where their children were sent. It was just my mother and father who hated all those who were not in Slytherin; now that included me. I hadn't realised it up until that moment. Subtle hints throughout my childhood about how they were so proud of Bellatrix, Narcissa. Somewhere in my mind, I registered that Remus had taken my hand, and was massaging it lightly, muttering something to me. I heard myself say something about going to find James, and walked out of the door, trying to ignore the look of hurt of Remus' face.
James
Ah. What beauty, what wonder. Red hair, blue eyes, bright smile, beautiful laugh. Lily Evans. Dude, you're eleven years old, get a grip. Oh, what it was like to be in love! Really? You have literally just seen her from across the grounds. My happy thoughts were interrupted when a haggard Sirius ran out of the building, looking around with unseeing eyes, before somehow seeing me without really seeing me. He ran towards me, and I fully expected him to stop in front of me, but he just ran right into me, bowling both of us over. I stood him up, studying him.
"I'm… I'm scared, James." He said once we'd sat down on a bench amongst the trees, his voice cracking.
"Of what?" I whispered, eyes wide.
"Of home." He breathed, looking up at me with terrified eyes. He shook his head, eyes shut tight as if he was shaking a thought from his head. "No, not home. This is home now. I'm scared… scared of… of my family, James. Well, not them specifically, but they're reactions to… to me being in… not being in…" He trailed off, his eyes still shut against what he didn't want to see. I was speechless. I knew that the Black family was known to be a Slytherin family, but I hadn't realised how iterative it was that each and every one of them was sorted there. Sirius looked truly frightened, and I felt for him.
"The hat was right, Sirius." His eyes opened, and fresh tears seemed to swirl in them. "You are definitely a Gryffindor. I know that your family may not be proud of you for it, but your Hogwarts family is." His arms were around me, squeezing me tightly. As quickly as he had embraced me, he let me go, looking at his feet, flushed. I laughed, slapping him on the shoulder, and he joined in, relief evident on his face. Heading off to Transfiguration, we laughed and talked about sweet nothings. I confessed to him my deep love for Lily Evans - you really are a stubborn one, aren't you? - and he told me all about the pranks he was planning.
I had found a true friend in Sirius Black; I knew then that I could trust him with anything, and he would never betray me.