So this took me, like, forever to write. Sorry! But at least it's here. I should hopefully have the next chapter up much sooner than this one. I've just been so, so busy! Be sure to review! The more I get the quicker I'll repost!
XxXxX
The next morning, the students who were unfortunate to have to first trek through the snow to the greenhouses were met with an unnerving sight. Professor Sprout summoned for the headmaster and headmistress to come investigate the scene.
The snow was bright red in certain spots and sticks and leaves were scattered all over the scene as well as fur.
"Just animals," Dumbledore announced to the students who were still gathered around. And that was the story given to the rest of student body followed by postings to stay out of the woods.
Since Professor McGonagall had missed her first class, it escaped anyone of importance's notice that Sirius and Aly were not there.
Aly woke with a gasp as the pain hit her like a train. Sirius was up with a start. Aly remained very still, hardly breathing, trying to decide if moving was a good idea.
"Aly?" Sirius looked as if he had been to hell and back throughout the night.
"What's wrong?" she asked him, unaware of anything except the unidentified pain. She didn't even know where she was.
"You're awake?" his voice cracked as he looked at her like she was a ghost who had just appeared through the wall.
"Yes," Aly told him trying to assess where she was. She had never seen this place before. She was laying on her right side, and Sirius had moved, from behind her, to right beside her. He was disheveled and had scratches on his face which had scabbed over due to his ignoring of them. He had blood all over the bottom of his shirt. It didn't occur to Aly that it was hers.
"Aly," he asked quietly but desperately, "Can I take you to the hospital wing?"
"Sure," she said without conviction. She didn't really care either way.
"Really?" he perked up.
"If you think I need to go."
He hesitated before asking, "What about your dad?" He clearly didn't want to change her mind with this question. If Aly's mind wasn't so cloudy, she would've truly appreciated it. But in her present state, she just told, "Do what you think us best."
He disappeared for a minute and wrapped her in something when he returned to her side. She recognized the material her cocoon was made of as James' invisibility cloak. For a split second, she wondered if James knew Sirius had it, but, as he lifted her, the pain hit her hard and the thought left her mind.
They made it to the wing without passing anyone. Sirius placed her on a bed, but, before he could unwrap her, the nurse pouncing on him.
"You need something?" she asked, taking his chin in her hand and moving his head side to side to look at his cuts. "Your cuts look fine. Dirty but fine." She turned to gather some cleaning antiseptic and small bandages for his face. With her back turned, Sirius gently unwrapped Aly. She was facing the door of the wing with her back facing the nurse.
The next thing Aly heard was a very loud gasp and a drop of something glass.
"What..." the nurse came over, and Aly felt her hand on her back. It felt icy cold. "What..."
"My thoughts exactly," Aly mumbled.
"Oh! You're awake? Poor thing." She came around to see Aly's face. "At least it didn't get your pretty face," she added kindly.
"Silver lining," Aly mumbled sarcastically.
"When did this happen?" the nurse asked.
"Last night," Aly told her as her eyes closed. The throbbing from the center of her back had picked up. The nurse grabbed Sirius and pulled him to the side.
"Why was she not brought here immediately?" she scolded him.
"She doesn't want her dad involved, and you would've summoned him."
The nurse looked at him tightly. "And she will leave if he shows up. You know she will. And she needs help. So don't tell him. Please."
She hesitated but finally agreed.
Sirius breathed a huge sigh of relief and asked, "Can you fix her? I didn't know how to clean the wounds, and she was bleeding so much. I gave her a Blood-Replenishing Potion to stop it, and I kept the wounds clean but I didn't know what else to do."
"A Blood-Replenishing Potion?"
"Yes."
The nurse stood silently for a second at then said, "Good job. You probably saved her life."
Aly heard the nurse go to her office and return with her clipboard.
She opened her eyes, and saw that Sirius had leaned against the mattress of the bed across from Aly. He said nothing and stared at her sadly.
"What caused this?" the nurse asked, her quill at the ready.
"Werewolf," Aly said simply, watching Sirius shift slightly at the word. The nurse dropped her writing utensil. "Oh goodness. Oh goodness," she mumbled as she picked it up. She stood and shuffled off towards her office.
"Sirius," Aly called to him. He returned to her side. "Can I see it?"
Sirius' face changed to horror. "Why?!"
"I want to see." He looked highly disturbed but grabbed the silver tray from her bedside table, knocking the tissues and water glass to the side. He did the same on the table for bed behind her. He handed her one and held up the other behind her. Aly adjusted her tray and saw the deep rows of slashes that were red and oozing.
"Eww," she wrinkled her nose at the reflection. Sirius put his plate back and took hers and returned it as well.
The nurse returned. "Ready to start the cleaning process?"
"What are you going to do?" Sirius asked turning white. Aly laid silent and waited.
"I've got to scrap out the dead tissue. Then I'll put a potion on it to clean it out. This is gonna take a while. Werewolves are thoroughly magic, even in their claws."
Sirius nodded, disappeared, and returned with a chair that he sank down into.
"I'm ready," Aly announced.
The nurse started, and it was not what she expected. When her cuts from the plants had been cleaned out it had hurt and she knew that this was going to hurt worse. However, there was no preparing her for this. It felt like her back was being ripped open, fresh, again and again. She gasped on the first insertion, but held her tongue as Sirius turned green. He took her hand, and she clung to him in her silent torture.
Finally, after what felt like eternity, Aly felt the cooling sensation of the final wound.
"So, is that it?" Sirius asked, hopefully.
The nurse looked at him sadly as she gently placed gauze over the open wounds. "I'll have to this until the wounds are healed. It will take quite some time."
"Will she look the same?" Sirius asked, and this question tweaked Aly. Aly didn't see or hear the nurse's response, but Sirius' face told her that she might not be.
Aly closed her eyes tightly to keep the moisture from slipping out of her lids.
XxXxX
The nurse had ushered Sirius off to class. He had put up an argument, but lost the battle. So he headed morosely to class. The nurse sent Aly a knowing look as she retreated to her office. Aly laid on her side, bored out of her mind. She tried to preoccupy herself. She tried to name all of the potions Slughorn had told them might show up on the OWLs and what they did. However, Aly could only remember a few without her notes. So, she eventually took to counting the ceiling tiles.
She was almost upset when the nurse reappeared for another cleaning and made her lose count. This cleaning was worse than the first, and, without Sirius there, Aly let the nurse know it.
"Sorry, dear," she told her, "But the skin tries to heal over so I have to reopen the wound every time. And every time, there's more healthy skin that has to be removed. It's only going to get worse with time."
Aly huffed against her pillow, glad that at least this cleaning was over.
"Maybe a nice relaxer potion would help. It might. I'll have to check..." Aly knew the nurse wasn't talking to her as she scurried quickly back to her office, still mumbling to herself.
Aly tried to embrace the pain. However, each throb felt worse than the last, and she decided to take up ceiling tiles again. The nurse reappeared. "I'll I can think of that will possibly help is a sleeping potion. You can hopefully get some rest with this." She placed a small vile of a pale blue liquid on her side table, and came around to see Aly's face. "Are you sure you don't want me to get your dad?" she asked kindly.
"I'm 100% positive," Aly stressed. "I would like to be the one to tell him about all of this. It might make him worry less if I walk in and tell him what had happened." Aly wasn't really worried about her father at all, but she knew that this was the right thing to say to get the nurse to leave it be. What Aly was really worried about was Remus. This would be his last night as a werewolf for the month, and, more than likely, he wouldn't remember what happened. She didn't want the first thing he'd have to deal with when he got back was an overprotective father in the clothes of the headmaster. Aly wanted to get her two sense in first.
"Can I sit up please?" Aly asked.
The nurse looked hesitant, but finally said, "We can try. Let me know if it's too much for you."
So, with a large amount of caution on the nurse's part and only a small added amount of pain to what she was already feeling, Aly was put in an upright position. She didn't move once she was up, but was grateful to have the windows to look out.
"You let me know if it becomes too pa---" The hospital doors opened and, to Aly's great surprise, Logan walked in supporting another Hufflepuff. The nurse rushed away from Aly and over to the boys. Aly said a silent thank you that she was sitting up.
Logan sent her an odd look as he helped the nurse put the drunk looking boy in a bed. "Some sort of spell," Logan told the nurse. "He can't remember anything."
"Alright," the nurse ushered Logan off, starting to look over the boy. Logan, in turn, proceed to look over Aly.
"Hey," he greeted cautiously.
Aly stared at him, unsure.
"They should just make this your bed with as much time as you spend here," he joked.
"And who's fault has that been?" she replied waspishly.
His smile didn't change at her anger. "I've been wanting to talk to you. About that, I mean. There's just usually an army of people who keep you separated from me."
Probably not anymore, Aly thought to herself.
He moved closer the end of the bed, but didn't overstep his boundaries. Aly found this odd, very uncharacteristic of him.
"I wanted to apologize for everything. Sincerely apologize." Aly's face told him that she didn't believe him, so he pressed on, "I never meant to be so physical with you. You deserved better from me."
Aly nodded in agreement.
"I've been working on my anger issues," he told her.
"How?"
"Yoga."
Aly's face cracked a smile at the thought of Logan trying to pull himself into a pretzel.
He continued, encouraged by her smile, "I also wanted to thank you."
"For what?"
"For not ratting me out, even though I deserved it. Who knows what would've happened to my career if you had. So, thank you." Aly couldn't help but believe him, he looked completely and full heartedly sincere.
"Your career?" she inquired. "So, you got that job at the ministry you wanted?"
He nodded with an even bigger smile. "Not the one I wanted when we were together, but one I'll actually enjoy doing. Less pay, but I think I'll survive."
"And you're happy about that?" she asked.
He nodded and ventured, "Are you happy?"
Aly nodded only once but the smile she wore, due to the mental image of Logan stretched to resemble a tree, deepened into a real smile.
He nodded and informed her, "Lily's been upset all day. Amos is going nuts. I figured it had something to do with you. She really needs to talk to you."
Aly said simply, "You know where I am. I won't be leaving anytime soon."
"Why are you here? What happ---"
"Mr. Trentecost," the nurse called for him. He turned away, clearly unhappy to not have an answer. "Take this to Professor Sprout," she handed him a slip of paper and sent him on his way.
"See ya, Aly," Logan called as he left.
The nurse sent an unhappy glance at the back of the boy as he said this.
XxXxX
Aly was getting bored waiting for Sirius. She figured he'd cut at least one of his classes to come back and see her. She had so many questions that were still unanswered. Plus, she missed him. She wondered if he was staying away to keep the nurse from truly noticing that he was with her. But, that didn't really make sense, Aly argued with herself, because they weren't hiding it anymore. But still, they had seemed to come to the unsaid conclusion that Dumbledore didn't need to know. As she sat and argued with herself, Lily arrived at the end of her bed. "Hey," Aly said, trying to hide her surprise. She knew Logan would more than likely tell Lily where she was, but she didn't expect to see her friend show up so soon after seeing Logan leave.
Lily was standing at the end of her bed, glaring at her.
"What's wrong with you?" Aly asked. She knew Lily was upset that she hadn't told her about Sirius, but Aly didn't really think that it constituted an angry glare.
"Are you stupid?" Lily snarled.
Aly blinked hard, not expecting this at all.
"You are making a huge mistake," Lily continued. Aly shook her head, but still found that no words would form on her tongue. "I won't stand by and watch you do this to yourself."
Aly finally found her tongue, and blurted out, "You talk like a crackhead or something."
Lily stared at her hard. "Don't even think about calling me a friend until come to your senses. If that ever happens. Or, more like when." She turned on her heel and left in a flounce.
Aly sat in shock. Her mind couldn't believe what had just happened. She knew Lily would be upset, but this? This was not expected at all. Aly felt like crying. She had lost Lily, and Sirius has lost James. Was it going to be worth it if all she and Sirius had at the end of all of this was each other?
Aly pondered sadly, her eyes growing puffy with silent tears. And then something snapped, what did it matter? Why were people always trying to take away what little happiness she had? Could she survive without Lily? Yes, she told herself, she had, and she would again. Just like she was surviving without Mrs. Evans. At the thought of Lily's mother, anger rose in Aly's chest. How could Lily act like this? They were suppose to lean on each other in this hard time. Mrs. Evans was hardly cold in her grave, and they were already turning on one another.
Aly looked out the window and watched the sun move in the afternoon sky.
"You hungry dear?" the nurse inquired.
"Not really," Aly said not removing her eyes from the sky.
"I figured," she said, fluffing her pillows. "Let me know when your appetite returns."
Aly nodded, still far away from reality.
She was so caught up into her own mind that she literally jumped when Sirius sat down on the end of the bed. Aly's back started to spasm in severe pain. Sirius looked at her, worry etched onto every line of his face, but he didn't move.
"How was class?" Aly asked without emotion, wishing she could rub her back to help soothe the pain.
He smiled at her sadly, "Okay, I guess. I told Slughorn that you're sick in bed with the flu and that he shouldn't tell your dad. I'm sure the headmaster knows by now. He shouldn't come looking for you here."
Aly smiled a small smile at him and asked, "What's wrong?"
Sirius merely shook his head.
"James?" Aly ventured.
Sirius shrugged.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Lily just broke up with me."
Sirius turned very sad eyes on her.
"It's no biggie," Aly promised unconvincingly, "She said to come find her once we break up."
Sirius looked at her for a moment with knowing eyes before coming up next to her and wrapping his arms carefully around her and rested his chin on her head.
Aly spoke aloud, to no one in particular, "I'm still in…100%. I'm not going anywhere."
Sirius still had nothing to say, and Aly closed her eyes tightly. Her heart had swollen in a painful way. Sirius moved away from her, and Aly knew, without opening her eyes, that he was gone. However, to her surprise, it was his lips on on hers that she felt. This kiss, soft and kind, told her everything he couldn't say. He wasn't going anywhere either.
Aly broke the kiss with a sob. She began to cry into her hands.
"What's wrong?" Sirius asked jumping up immediately. "Are you in pain? I'll get the nurse."
He didn't get a chance because she must've heard Aly's crying. "Back, I see," she said to Sirius as she moved quickly to attend to Aly. "Do you need some pain medicine, dear?"
Aly shook her head, still sobbing. "I'm fine," she gasped.
The nurse looked to Sirius for some sort of explanation, but all he could provide was a shoulder shrug.
"Nothing I can get you dear?" she asked.
Aly shook her head.
The nurse left, checking the bed with the Hufflepuff in it as she went.
"Thank you," Aly sobbed at Sirius.
"For what?" he touched her cheek. Aly couldn't help but notice that he glanced towards the open office door before he did.
"For picking me."
His eyebrows went together. "Of course I did. We've already been over this, Als." His thumb ran up and down her cheek. "I will always pick you."
Aly's crying continued, picking up, and he stated, "This isn't just because of this. What's really wrong?"
"I don't know!" Aly sobbed even harder. Her back was on fire.
Sirius let out a bark of a laugh, and Aly studied him. His laugh was enough to calm her sobs, but it didn't stop her tears. He smiled kindly at her and pushed one of her curls, which had fallen loose, back behind her ear. "Tell me what your thinking," he requested.
This was the opportunity she had been waiting for, but Aly looked at him skeptically and warned, "You won't like it."
"Try me."
"I'm just trying to process the fact that I'm dating a dog."
His face instantly hardened, and his mouth set into a straight line.
"So," Aly wiped her face with her hand, "You're not going to tell me then."
He looked up at the ceiling and said nothing.
"Fine," Aly said, crossing her arms. "Then I won't tell you who visited me today."
This didn't spur his attention. Aly pouted, and, realizing that he had brought her her school books, grabbed her charms book and opened it up. He had marked what she had missed.
Much to her own luck, Logan came in not more than a few minutes later to talk to the nurse about his friend.
"Seems to me that his memory will just have to come back on it's own," Aly heard the nurse tell him. "You can take him back, but keep an eye on him."
Logan helped his friend up and out of the wing, sending Aly a smile and wink on the way. Aly smiled back and continued with her charms.
Sirius' white knuckles appeared over the top of her book for a split second before the book disappeared from her hands.
"Hey!"
Sirius looked scary. He was panting slightly, eyes wide.
"I told you you'd want to know who came to see me," Aly stated matter-of-factly.
Sirius stuttered, "What? Logan...he...why?"
Aly crossed her arms and stated, "You tell me, and I'll tell you."
Sirius mimicked Aly's movements and stared back at her.
"No response? Then fine," Aly told him, "Be a child. I'm going to sleep." She called for the nurse before Sirius could stop her.
"Fighting?" she asked observing the scene going on.
"No," Aly told her. "Just a stalemate. I'd like to have that sleeping potion now."
"Well, I'll need to do another cleaning, but then you can have it."
Aly nodded unhappily but rolled onto her side without hesitation. The more and more the nurse did to her back, the more and more it hurt. Aly couldn't hide her pain and, at that point, she didn't care if Sirius saw. Let him see what she was going through, what his secrets had caused. Maybe that'd break him.
Sirius began to pace as Aly made noises of discomfort. The nurse finished and handed Aly the small vile. Aly looked at Sirius, not sure she wanted to take it and leave things this way. Sirius looked at her, his eyes dark. Aly glared at him and gulped down the potion.
XxXxX
Aly woke to a dark room. She realized that someone had entered the wing. Sirius appeared next to her.
"Hey?" she mumbled, pushing herself up. Her wounds protesting to this movement. He looked at her. He seemed to be highly upset.
"I can't tell you about what happened the other night," he blurted out. "If I could, I would, you know that. I just can't betray their trust. They already think I have, and I can't give them the satisfaction of knowing their right."
Aly frowned in her sleepy state.
"I'm here for you in any way that you need, but I can't tell you any thing about that."
Aly groggily nodded. She had nothing else to say about this. He clearly wasn't going to share. Ever.
"May I ask something of you though," he sat on the edge of her bed, the torture still not gone from his eyes. "I know it's not fair since I can't share with you, but I have to, no, I need to know."
Aly nodded to encourage him along.
"Logan. He . . . And you and I don't, I just, I almost hunted him down just to beat the crap out of him." He looked at her apologetically, and added "But I didn't."
"Why?"
"Because of you. I know you wouldn't want me to hit anyone for no reason. So give me a reason. Please, Aly, tell me if I can or can't hit him."
Aly knew how hard it had to have been for him not to go beat up her ex-boyfriend and told him, "He did nothing worthy of your anger. He merely apologized to me."
Sirius looked unconvinced but promised, "Fine. I won't hit him."
Aly smiled and asked, "Will you come back tomorrow?"
"Of course," Sirius replied in a concerned tone. "Why wouldn't I?"
"What I mean is, will you leave so I can sleep?" Her words ran together since her potion hadn't worn off all the way yet.
"Go to sleep, Alycat." He kissed her on the forehead and vanished. Again, she wondered if James knew he had his cloak. The pain in her back kicked up as she moved back onto her side. She was thankful for the potion because she knew with the way her back felt she'd never get to sleep on her own.
XxXxX
"It's infected," she heard someone say.
"What happened?" a upset voice asked.
"I'm not sure," the first voice replied.
The burning was bad. So bad, Aly wished for death. It had to be better than this. Unless she was dead and this was hell which would make sense with all the burning. Fire. Brimstone. Burning. Pain.
"Aly," Sirius' voice cut through the pain. "She just sent word to your dad."
Yep. It was hell alright.
She felt him take her hand gently, and she clung to it for dear life. She pulled it to her face. His hand was cold against her cheek, a welcomed contrast to the heat of her back.
She heard the hospital wing door slam hard against the wall. She peeked out of squinted eyes. Her dad's face was ablaze with anger and fear.
"Don't leave," Aly mumbled in a whisper to Sirius before closing her eyes.
The nurse ran over to the headmaster, and they conversed quickly and quietly.
Sirius' forehead touched Aly's as he replied, "I won't." Then he stood to face her father, Aly's hand still tightly clutched in his.
"Mr. Black," her father's voice was full of a venom she had never heard before, much like the tone Sirius used when speaking of Logan. "Fancy seeing you here, in this type of situation."
Aly felt his hand clench around hers. "This isn't like that," he said in anger.
"Looks similar to me," her father edged.
"Its nothing like that," Sirius growled.
Aly wondered if Sirius was upset that Dumbledore was talking about something he promised be wouldn't or if it was because he was insinuating that he had lead her to harm.
"Please step away from my daughter."
"No."
Aly didn't open her eyes but she could imagine what father's face must look like.
"Mr. Black, I will only ask you one more time."
Sirius shifted, but Aly knew he hadn't moved. He was loyal to the end.
Aly, who was still holding tightly onto his hand, pleaded in her head, "Please don't go! Please don't go!"
Aly felt a swoosh of a spell on her face and let out a scream. She couldn't help it. It had happened as an instant reaction. She bent her back and coiled in pain. Whatever her father had used had caused her pain to intensify as it hit her exposed wounds.
The nurse abandoned her loyal post next to the headmaster and came to figure out what to do.
"It burns!" Aly screamed.
"Lift her," the nurse announced.
Sirius wrapped him free arm around her upper back, by her neck, where she wasn't hit. Dumbledore took her ankles.
Aly felt herself being lower into something. The cold hit her hard and sent shivers through her.
She visibly calmed down.
"Alright," the nurse announced, "No more spells on an open magic wound." She made the announcement to the room at large as if someone was contemplating trying it again.
Aly heard Dumbledore whispering to the nurse again. Without opening her eyes, she whispered, "Sirius?"
His nose touched her cheek, "Yes?"
"I need some water. I'm rather parched." She smiled slightly.
He chuckled and held her glass up to her. She opened her eyes and tilted her head up. Sirius managed to spill water all over the front of her.
"Sorry," he quickly put the glass down and tried to sop up the water with the bottom of his shirt.
Aly smiled and told him, "I'm fine. What's a little water?"
He stopped and twisted his mouth to the side. "Nurse, we're gonna need a new gown."
The nurse looked and saw Aly trying to lick up the water laying on her collarbone. Sirius laughed at her again. The nurse sent them a look of disapproval before heading to the cupboard in the corner.
"You probably should lay still," Sirius pointed out to Aly.
"I'm fine," Aly said slightly annoyed.
"You're infected," Sirius corrected.
"Eh," she waved her hand to dismiss the comment.
The nurse returned and looked directly at Sirius as she said, "I'm going to have to undress her."
Sirius moved to take his spot farther away as to not intrude on the spectacle, but Aly refused to let go of his hand. "Stay," she pleaded.
"I'm going over there. I won't be far," he promised.
"Still," she pleaded with wide, blue eyes, "Please."
Sirius sighed unhappily but took his spot next to the bed as to allow Aly to lay back down all the way. He pointed his nose straight up at the ceiling and twisted his mouth again. He was clearly uncomfortable.
"Professor?" the nurse was trying to close the curtain that surrounded Aly's bed, but her father stood in the way.
"I'll stay too," Dumbledore announced, taking a step closer to the bed.
"What?" Aly sat up.
Sirius' hand was on her shoulder instantly, his eyes still glued to the ceiling. "Easy does it."
Aly laid back down, but still argued, "This is really not necessary."
"I realize that," her father stated his eyes glancing at Sirius.
"It makes me uncomfortable to have you watch me get undressed," Aly stressed.
Dumbledore's eyebrows went up as he, again, glanced at Sirius. In response, he mimicked Sirius and stared at the ceiling. However, he did it with a smile on his face.
The nurse muttered something about "Being such children," as she removed Aly's hospital gown, unhooked Sirius' hand, took the old one off, and slide the new one on. Sirius' hand found Aly's as soon as the nurse stepped away.
Dumbledore turned to face them, the smile gone as soon as he saw Sirius still neatly attached to his daughter. He turned his attention to his daughter, "So, care to share what happened? And perhaps why Mr. Black is so adamantly attached to you?"
"It's nothing for you to worry about," Aly stated, tugging Sirius closer to her. He moved rather reluctantly.
"You're in the hospital wing. That makes it something for me to worry about," he argued.
Aly shrugged, which ended up being a bad idea. She cringed in pain.
"So again, Alyson, what happened?"
Aly said nothing, raising her eyebrows in a silent challenge.
"Aly, just tell him," Sirius said simply, quietly.
Aly looked at him, the crease forming between her brows, "Why? He doesn't care about me. He just wants to get you in trouble."
"I'm not the one I'm worried about," Sirius stated sadly.
"Oh," Aly realized that he was concerned about Remus.
Dumbledore watched the exchange between them, and instructed coldly, "Mr. Black, you are no longer needed here. I would like to speak to my daughter alone."
"Headmaster," Sirius replied with some edge, "With all due respect, you are no longer wanted here."
Aly felt awe at the fact that he had said this to, not just the headmaster, but her father. She pushed herself up in a sitting position. Sirius moved to push her back down, but she shooed him off. She looked directly at her father and said, "You can leave."
His face dropped, making him look much older. "Alyson, do you know what your saying? Clearly, you're in a lot of pain and---"
"My back in mangled, not my brain," Aly snapped. "I'm perfectly aware of what I'm saying. So here's what's going to happen: you are going to let me handle the Remus situation." He opened his mouth to argue. "If you get involved, I won't allow the nurse to heal me."
Sirius moved to argue this, but she sent him a death glare that silenced him.
"Also," Aly continued, "You will leave Sirius alone. He has done nothing but be nice to me."
"Clearly, he feels at fault if he is here taking care of you," Dumbledore pointed out.
"No--" Aly started but a resounding, "Yes," came from Sirius.
Aly looked at him in shock. So he told her, "Of course I feel guilty, Aly. Why wouldn't I be?" He looked irked by the fact that she was surprised. "I knew what Remus was. I shouldn't have let you anywhere out there when he is in his shape."
Aly frowned at this because she knew what he was saying was how he felt.
Aly turned her attention back to her father. "He will stay with me as long as I wish, and you will do nothing to stop it. Understand?" she pressed.
Dumbledore didn't look convinced.
"I will let you take any course you see necessary about how to make Remus' transformations safer, but he will not be punished for this. I get to tell him what happened."
Dumbledore seemed to take this in consideration before nodding once.
"You can go," Aly said darkly.
Dumbledore nodded sadly, and turned to the nurse before leaving. "I want hourly updates on her progress."
The nurse nodded, and Aly whined with frustration. Dumbledore smiled in triumph and left.
Aly looked at Sirius. "Can you go get Remus for me? He should be back to normal today right?"
"Technically," Sirius said slowly. "He usually stays away the whole week. In order to give himself time to recover."
"Well, I want to see him. Tell him it's important. I'm sure he'll be okay with coming out of hiding a little early."
Sirius studied her. "Shouldn't you try to heal a little bit more before you let him see you? At least get it to change from the yellow back to the red cuts."
"I'm yellow now?" Aly exclaimed.
"Let the infection die down and then you can see him," Sirius stressed.
"Fine," Aly said crossing her arms defiantly. "But I get to be the one to tell him."
"I'll make sure James and Peter know."