Chapter 19:Monster
"What were you thinking? How could you do something so stupid? Can't you ever just mind your own business and stop trying to meddle when it only gets you hurt? I can't protect you anymore Emily, I haven't been able to since you..."
The door to the hospital wing opened and Sirius entered, his eyes trailing over the threshold and spotting two particular others in the hospital wing. One was unconscious, while the other was at her bedside.
"James?"
James looked up sharply, but sighed in relief at the sight of Sirius. He looked back down at his sister's face. "Sirius...what's wrong with her? When...where did she go bad?"
Sirius pulled up a chair and sat on the other side of Emily bed, staring across at his best friend.
"Where does anyone go bad James?" Sirius looked down at Emily's pale face. "And she's not as bad as you'd like to think she is."
"She's a Slytherin, they're all bad."
"You don't believe that."
"Don't I?" James asked with a raised eyebrow. "And don't you?"
Sirius leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. "That's the thing...no. Not anymore. Yes, most Slytherins end up evil, but not all, and not her. It's the action, not the background of a person that matters. I'm an example of that philosophy."
"Well her actions up this point make her seem pretty bad. Getting sorted into Slytherin, calling Lily a...you know, involving herself with the rest of your family, keeping that involvement even after they turned on her, and trying to spy on Remus, which only got herself hurt." James listed off.
Sirius sat in his seat correctly and looked James straight in the eye. "She was forced into that path though, wasn't she James?"
James narrowed his eyes. "What are you getting at Sirius?"
"You know what I'm getting at James. This has nothing to do with what she said about Lily or any other crap that happened after. The moment she was sorted into Slytherin you hated her. You judge people Jamesyou always have. You've even judged me because of my family."
"What?" James asked disbelievingly. "No I haven't, we've been friends since our first train ride."
"Yes, but there was that one moment, when I told you my whole family had been in Slytherin for years that you looked at me like you looked at Snape; with disgust and disbelief. Like you couldn't believe that someone decent could get into any other house but Gryffindor."
"But I didn't care about you're family after you told me you wanted to change tradition." James protested.
Sirius shook his head. "Yes, after I told you. If I didn't say that you probably would have ignored me until I was sorted into Gryffindor. Don't try and deny it." Sirius said as James tried to interrupt. "You're doing to Emily what you would've done to me."
James remained silent and looked away from Sirius. He wasn't able to argue because he knew it was true. He gazed down at his sister thoughtfully and with a little worry.
Her face was covered with scratches and she had a large gash running from her hairline on the left side of her head to her left eyebrow. It was healing already, but she was going to have a scar for a while. However, he knew that the deep scratches on her back made by the Werewolf's claws were probably never going to completely heal, no matter what Madame Pomfrey did.
A Werewolf was a magical creature, and its claws were lined with a type of venom. While not stronger thanthe venom in its teeth that could turn Emily into a Werewolf, it was still powerful enough to prevent spells and potions from healing Emily's wounds.
She'd have the scars on her back for the rest of her life.
"James...You have to accept Emily as she is. A Slytherin... but still your sister."
James ignored him and stared at the wound on Emily's head. "She's going to throw a fit when she wakes up and sees that."
Sirius stared down at Emily as well and smiled slightly. "Yeah...best not to be here when she wakes up."
James smiled, but it faded and he glanced at the occupant a couple beds down from Emily's that held the unconscious form of an exhausted Remus Lupin.
"I wonder if that knock to the head will make her forget." James muttered hopefully.
Sirius snorted and sat back down. "I doubt it. She has a pretty thick skull."
James sat also and raised an eyebrow in Sirius's direction. "How much time have you been spending with my sister Padfoot?"
Sirius smirked slyly and leaned back in his chair. "No more than usual."
James narrowed his eyes. "Padfoot...you..."
Sirius stood abruptly and faked a yawn, stretching dramatically for effect. "Ahhh, well I'm beat, better get to bed before Poppy comes and scolds us for staying too long. Gotta get some sleep anyway to be well rested for when we confront Emily."
He quickly made for the door, James hot on his heels.
"Get back here Sirius, you've got some explaining to do."
"No idea what you're talking about mate!"
"Sirius!"
Emily's eyebrows furrowed and she groaned, stirring in her hospital bed. She shifted again and an electrical pain shot up her back, waking her up instantly. She shot up into a sitting position and moaned as her back throbbed painfully.
Tears brimmed the corner of her eyes and she rested her head in her hands as her head began to throb as well as her back. She let out a hiss as her hand touched the left side of her head.
She gently prodded the sensitive part of her head, wincing as she did, and resolved that it must have occurred we she...
Reality came crashing back to her and her eyes widened.
She remembered following Peter Pettigrew, sneaking into the tunnel under the tree, hiding behind the door, and seeing Remus Lupin...
...Turn into a Werewolf
She stared wide-eyed into space, ignoring her back and head as they throbbed in pain, and just let her terrifying experience mull over in her head.
A humorless laugh escaped her lips.
Lupin's a Werewolf.
Another laugh.
I could have died, or worse...gotten bitten
Another laugh.
All because Snape's obsessive over my brother and his friends.
Her eye twitched.
I almost lost my life because of Snape.
Emily began laughing hysterically, her sanity leaving her.
"Emily...?"
Emily stopped laughing and looked to her left. Her eyes widened even more and she looked to her left at the boy three beds down.
A scream tore out of her throat and she tried to get up, but her legs failed beneath her and she fell back, her back burning as she landed on it. She let out a groan of pain and closed her eyes tightly.
"Ow..."
"Emily!"
She heard a rustle of blankets and the soft pad of feet on the wooden floor. She cracked open one eye and saw Remus Lupin standing over, intending to help her. He held out his hand, but Emily hit it away and stood, using the metal frame of her hospital bed to do so.
"Don't touch me!"
Remus flinched. "Emily...I'm sorry. I..." He tried to take a step closer, but Emily screamed again and pushed his away, running towards the door.
Suddenly something solid got in her way, grabbing her by her upper arms and holding her tightly.
Emily closed her eyes and hit her captor. "No! Let me go! Don't leave me in the same room as that monster!"
Emily continued to struggle until her captor shook her roughly.
"Emily stop!"
Emily slowly stopped at the voice and looked into her older brother's eyes. "James..." She whispered.
"Remus, are you okay?" James asked, looking over his sister's head at his friend.
Emily turned her gaze away from her brother and watched as Remus shakily got up, using the hospital bed next to Emily's for support. He had fallen after Emily pushed him, not having the strength to stay balanced after the smaller girl pushed him.
Remus nodded. "Yeah...fine." He looked into Emily's blue eyes. "Emily...I..."
Emily grasped James's upper arms tightly and turned away from Remus. "James...James I'm sorry. I...I didn't...I shouldn't have..." Tears began to form as the room around her became hazy.
She had gotten up too soon and the pain from her wounds was increasing, causing her consciousness and rationality to leave her.
She rested her forehead on James's chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm sorry. I was so scared. I'm sorry...thank you so much James."
James froze momentarily before hesitantly wrapping his arms around her in a comforting embrace.
"Shh, Emily, it's okay." He led her back to her bed, but she refused to let go of him.
Emily wrapped her arms around his neck and became more delirious, beginning to sob uncontrollably, her shoulders shaking. "No...no. You saved me James. Even after everything...I'm sorry. You saved me from the monster..." Her grip began to weaken slightly and her voice became more dreamlike.
"That horrible monster."
Remus stared at the floor, his hands clenched into fists. "James, I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."
James clasped his hands onto Remus's shoulders. "Remus, it wasn't your fault. And don't worry, she'll come around, and I promise she won't tell anyone."
Remus stared up at his friend. "James...You're sister is hurt because of me, because of what I am. Why are you worrying about me when you should be worried about her?!"
James just smiled and shook Remus lightly. "You're not anything but Remus. What happens once a month does not define who you are. I'm worried about your sanity just as much as I'm worried about Emily's wounds. You won't blame yourself for this. So when Emily wakes up again, hopefully less hysterical, we'll find out why she was spying on you."
Remus pulled away from James and returned to his own hospital bed.
"If we can ask her without her screaming at the sight of me."
James rubbed the back of her neck and looked at his sister. "I can understand her fear, you're quite terrifying Moony."
Remus rolled his eyes and turned away from James, pulling the blankets up to his neck. "Goodbye James."
James smiled. "Fine, I'll let you rest, but I'll be back later."
Remus didn't respond, but James could already hear his light snoring.
James made his way towards the door of the infirmary, but paused and looked back at his sister.
What were you thinking Emily?
