Title: Just a moment
For: Rosawyn/Rosa
House: Hufflepuff
Name: Caveat Lector 52/Kayla
XXX
They arrived at the shack just as the last sliver of moon sank below the horizon: a stag, a rat, and one pale, shaking boy supported by a large black dog. As the strange party gathered in the sitting room, the boy collapsed into the nearest chair and groaned. As full moons go, nothing remarkable had happened. They roamed the area around Hogsmeade and the forest, frightening small animals and one unfortunate witch who looked out her winder at the wrong moment. He was still exhausted though, and his muscles ached something terrible. Yet despite all that, he was just happy he had made it through another night as a mindless wolf, and it was all thanks to his friends. Wrapping a drop cloth around himself like a makeshift blanket, he watched them return to their original forms, slightly envious of the painless way they morphed between human and animal.
"Are you okay, Remus?" Peter asked, getting up off the dust-coated floor. Sirius and James followed suit, and all three crowded around the chair.
"'m fine. Pass me that," he slurred, pointing to a large paper sack on the china cabinet. Inside was a spare change of clothes, their map, and a small vial of pale purplish liquid. He downed the potion in one gulp, grimacing at the bitter and slightly acid taste. You could see the effects almost at once. He stopped shaking and the color returned to his face. He was still quite lethargic, so while Sirius and Peter helped him dress, James consulted the map.
"I solemnly swear I'm up to no good," he recited. In less than a second, the formally blank scrap of parchment was covered in moving diagrams and dots; a detailed map of Hogwarts and the surrounding area. The bespectacled boy located the dot labeled "Poppy Pomfrey." She was still in the castle, but moving swiftly towards the front door. He guessed they had about fifteen to twenty minutes before she reached the secret tunnel under the Whomping Willow. They—him, Sirius, and Peter—needed to be long gone by then. They were unregistered animagi, none of them older then sixteen; he couldn't imagine the trouble they'd be in if someone found out.
Muttering "Mischief Managed", he stuffed the paper in his back pocket and said "We have to go." He gave Remus an apologetic look. He always felt guilty, leaving his friend in such a state, but the brunet smiled and waved him off. James ducked through the passage way first, closely followed by Peter, but Sirius stayed where he was, one arm wrapped around Remus's waist as he struggled to stand. "Padfoot, we—"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," he led Remus to the couch and settled beside him, "Be there in a minute."
Peter opened his mouth, but James dragged him away before he could say anything. There'd been a . . . shift in Moony and Padfoot's relationship. He couldn't pinpoint exactly when it happened, and neither seemed willing to acknowledge it—whatever it was—but once he started noticing, it was pretty obvious something was going on between the two.
Remus stifled a yawn and shifted to a more comfortable position, his head cradled on Sirius's shoulder. "You're gonna get caught," he murmured sleepily, loosely entwining their fingers.
"I'm only staying for a moment," came the reasoning reply. Weak morning light was streaming through the windows, and it did little to warm the chilly room. They huddled closer, Remus adjusting the cloth so it covered both of them. He felt so relaxed, so comfortable, happy, and safe, and his eyelids felt so heavy that it wasn't long before he nodded off, still clutching the gray-eyed Gryffindor's hand.
"Just for a moment," Sirius repeated, very softly, and as though to himself. And he kept repeating it, even as he fought to keep his eyes open. Remus's deep, even breathing certainly wasn't helping matters. He yawned, and told himself he must stay awake. Madam Pomfrey would be there any minute. He simply had to get going. And he would—in just a moment. . . .
XXX
When Pomfrey arrived at the Shrieking Shack, the last thing she expected to see was Sirius Black and Remus Lupin curled up on the sofa together. 'Oh, Merlin,' she sighed, but there was a glint of amusement in her eyes. She'd long suspected that Black, Potter, and Pettigrew knew of Lupin's condition, and had been going to extreme lengths to help him out. As a former Hufflepuff, she admired their loyalty, but she wished they'd consulted her or Dumbledore before potentially putting themselves at risk. She'd give them a talking-to later, for now. . .
He glanced at the sleeping boys. She should wake them up, but they looked so peaceful and content. It couldn't hurt to let them stay like that for just a moment, right?