Chapter Twenty.
A Recovery Alongside Professor Kettleburn
"Not far my dear. I can see the entrance tunnel light getting near us."
"Yes... I see it, too."
"You sure you don't want me to completely float you back, Remus?"
"No no, I can manage. It's really best that I... I force my legs to start moving again so, I'll just crack on. It's fine."
Madam Pomfrey was assisting Remus through the dirt tunnel passageway underground that secretly connected the Shrieking Shack to the Whomping Willow. He had one arm around her shoulder for support while limping achingly along after a difficult monthly transformation. This particular cycle involved himself taking an especially nasty bite into his own leg.
It was nearing the end of Remus's fourth year at Hogwarts and the Matron of Hogwarts appointed by Albus Dumbledore to escort him back after each full moon had proven herself to be a very competent healer. She had become somewhat like a second mother to him while he was at school. Despite her excellent skills at healing his bite injury right away on the spot, the new scarring from a cursed wound still remained. Fiery pain underneath still radiated into his muscle tissues causing him to walk gingerly back to the hospital wing to recover in the castle.
Madam Pomfrey watched Remus quietly wince as they were plodding along. She felt her heart clench in pity for him. She said regretfully,
"I apologize I didn't come sooner. I was unexpectedly busy at sunrise when Professor Kettleburn drug himself into the hospital wing with his latest injuries from an encounter with a ferocious magical creature. At this rate with his mucking about with dangerous beasts, I think I might just need to reserve a bed in the hospital wing with his name above it. Again, sorry I couldn't come sooner, my dear."
Remus smirked reassuring her, "It's alright," then curiously asked, "What happened with him this time?"
She gave a little eye roll, shook her head slightly and replied, "Oh Merlin, I believe he mentioned something about an encounter with a runaway Manticore in the forbidden forest. He's fortune it didn't sting him with its scorpion tail. That causes immediate death in and it surely would have been the end of him."
Remus gasped, "A Manticore?! Whoah, really? That's one of the most dangerous and rare creatures in the entire Wizarding world. He's very fortunate to still be alive."
Madam Pomfrey let out a huff, rolled her eyes and said, "Yes, indeed. That's precisely what I keep telling him every time he visits the hospital wing."
"Is he still there?"
"Oh yes, I gave him some good sleeping draughts before I finally came to check on you in the Shrieking Shack. He's likely still in a deep, dreamless slumber. It'll be just the ticket he needs for allowing that Skele-Gro to mend his broken ribs, right arm and hand. He was a frightful mess. It will take at least a full day to regrow the four missing fingers on his right hand. They were torn clean off."
"Oh. Ouch. That's dreadful. Do... do you mind if I recover in the bed next to him? I can make up some story of me recovering from a broom stick crash or something. Perhaps I can spin it like... like I was subbing in for a player, for James at his Quidditch practice today. I'd love to hear more from him about what happened with the Manticore. He's my Care of Magical Creatures Professor this year, you see."
"Oh very well. But you both better not neglect the important rest you need by having a chinwag with each other for too long."
"Yes, Madam Pomfrey," Remus answered her solemnly.
Sure enough, just as she predicted, Professor Silvanus Kettleburn was still fast asleep in the hospital wing when they arrived. Apart from gauze bandages wrapped around his head; thick, messy silver hair was spread out in all directions on the pillow; his long mustache was rhythmically blowing outward on the exhales of his snores. He was dressed in a hospital gown and his right arm apart from being mostly covered by bandages was floating slightly upward in the air by a swirling blue light.
Madam Pomfrey helped Remus get settled into the hospital bed tucking a blanket around him. Next to him Professor Kettleburn was stirring a bit in his bed. Madam Pomfrey glanced at his movement and then asked Remus with a mischievous glint in her eye,
"Would you fancy a cup of hot chocolate to warm you up after being out on that cold, wet and muddy Quidditch field?"
In actuality about ten minutes prior, the two of them had carefully squeezed through the base roots of the Whomping Willow tree and then limped along in the brisk air of the school grounds. Remus glanced at his dirty clothing happy that it fit their momentary pretense and replied playing right along,
"Oh yes, please, I only wish I could bring the rest of the team a cuppa as well, it was quite chilly today, I really should of had on a thicker jumper out there."
Madam Pomfrey winked at him and said, "I'll be back in a jiffy, love, you just rest easy there."
As she swiftly walked away, Remus relaxed into the familiar feel there of clean, crisp linens on the bed. He was glad to not be stumbling along anymore through the damp, dark tunnel underground. It had felt like such an especially long walk this month with the self-inflicted gnawed bite wound on his leg.
Professor Kettleburns' eyes had fluttered a bit during Remus's last communicative exchange with Madam Pomfrey. But Professor Kettleburn only made a short, incoherent mumbling sound and then settled back down asleep into his pillow again.
"Accio wand," Remus said firmly and concentrated hard on his ruck sack that was set down on the floor. He didn't have the energy to get out of the bed for it. His face was scrunched in focused concentration while he raised his arm. He opened his hand while he reached toward the ruck sack.
The flap on the top of it began to vibrate. Then the flap wiggled and fell backwards opening it to reveal the wand tucked inside where he had left it yesterday. But the wand did not fly out of the ruck sack as he desired. It rattled around inside the bag and then flopped lifelessly downward. Remus dropped his arm and exhaled a sigh in frustration.
"Come on you bugger, Accio wand!" he growled a little louder while he determinedly reached for it again and gave it a hard stare.
This time, there was a few wisps of glowing blue light that appeared in the air slightly above Remus' fingertips. The wisps of blue light floated lightly toward the rucksack in dancing luminescent swirls and then disappeared. The wand finally responded as commanded and flew quickly into his fingers that instantly curled around the variegated cypress wood.
"It's about time," he muttered scolding his wand. Suddenly, his face grew warm in embarrassment wondering if he woke up his teacher.
Remus nervously shot a glance at Professor Kettleburn next to him and felt relieved that he had returned to a deep slumber blowing his white mustache upwards in rhythmic snoring again.
Once he was confident his teacher was not watching, he bent over and carefully pulled down his trousers to his ankles. The horrible scar from the first bite from Greyback was visible but he averted his eyes from it. He knew by this point in his life that if he gazed at it for too long it would start to fill him with unbearable nausea in the pit of his stomach. It also often triggered the unforgettable traumatic memories of the experience which was the last thing he wanted to think about this morning.
The new wound he had given himself last night had been freshly treated with a dittany-silver mixture when Madam Pomfrey first arrived at his side in the Shrieking Shack. However, during his harrowing walk back to the hospital wing through the tunnel, he had felt some of the bandages loosen and slip off.
He tapped on the hanging gauze bandages, concentrating on the incantation silently and they disappeared completely. The fresh bite wound now exposed below his knee made him flinch slightly in disgust. Madam Pomfrey had sealed it but the new addition to his already scarred leg made him exhale a big sigh of annoyance. It throbbed painfully with each heartbeat of his pulse and Remus pointed his wand close to the jagged teeth marks. He braced himself and softly muttered one of his favorite charms.
"Episkey."
The Episkey healing spell had been extremely useful to him over the years and there came a point where his Dad pushed Remus to do it so he could practice until mastery was reached. It was a healing charm that both healed minor injuries and relieved pain. He certainly had gotten enough practice doing nearly every month on himself.
Suddenly, a cold, icy sensation slowly spread beneath his wand tip on the bite wound. Remus clenched his teeth a bit and then the temperature shifted to burning hot. Then it changed to just lukewarm and the painful throbbing had stopped. Remus exhaled in relief and then flicked his wand towards his rucksack on the floor.
"Accio dittany bottle."
A corked, glass bottle immediately flew up rapidly from where it was stashed inside the rucksack. Remus reached up and snatched it out of midair. Every full moon cycle while Remus was having his monthly transformation in the Shrieking Shack, Madam Pomfrey faithfully made sure to go fetch some fresh plant cuttings of dittany before she went to assist him when the transformation was all over. Sometimes Remus would actually chew and swallow the raw leaves to help heal wounds. Thankfully, it didn't taste disgustingly bitter like other herbs.
His bottle was actually a mixture of dittany and silver which cured werewolf bites but was not a cure for lycanthropy altogether.
He took out the little dropper inside the glass bottle and applied some more to the bite on his leg. The brownish liquid made a slight sizzling sound upon contact like bacon starting to fry and a small billow of sage green smoke wafted upwards. He applied some more to some scrapes on his arms and chest. Then he floated the bottle back into his rucksack. He waved his wand over the top of the bite wound on his leg and said the incantation,
"Ferula."
New, clean bandages appeared out of the air and quickly spun themselves around the wound.
"Have you ever considered becoming a healer, dear?" asked Madam Pomfrey eyeing his nice work with a steaming cuppa hot chocolate in one of her hands.
Remus gasped in surprise at her, wondering how long she had been watching him. The woman had a way of sneaking up on him. He quickly pulled the blanket over his exposed underwear as his trousers were still bunched down at his ankles. Even though she had seen him undressed numerous times, he still felt extremely self conscious.
"Oh, uh no, I don't think becoming a healer would be the best fit for me. But thank you anyway," he told her awkwardly.
"Here you go, my dear," she told him passing off the hot chocolate.
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. It smells delicious."
She nodded and turned toward the sleeping Professor Kettleburn. She pulled out her wand and made a swishing movement in the air. The blueish light vanished that was elevating his arm with the missing fingers. His arm dropped onto the mattress. She lifted his hand and looked closely at the round baby sized finger nubs beginning to spout out in front of his four knuckles. Seemingly satisfied with the progress, she flicked her wand again towards his whole arm. It raised back up and the blue elevation charm returned.
"Poppy!" Professor Kettleburn exclaimed suddenly and blinked his eyes open.
"Good afternoon, Silvanus," she said back to him.
She whipped around being mindful of Remus's need for privacy and nonchalantly pulled the curtain around his bed. Once hidden from view, Remus set down his cup of hot chocolate and quickly pulled up his trousers from underneath the blanket.
"I see there's been a student that arrived while I was snoozing away here," Professor Kettleburn remarked eyeing the swishing curtain movement.
"Yes, indeed. That student is Remus Lupin. He got a mild concussion and some minor injuries from a broomstick crash when he um, he substituted for a player at Quidditch practice earlier. But thankfully he's alright and awake now," she explained.
"Remus Lupin! Aw yes, smart and fine lad in my Care of Magical creatures class. Top of the class student," Professor Kettleburn said and then called out, "Hello, Mr. Lupin!"
Remus drank a gulp of water from a glass at his bedside table and cleared his throat.
"Hello Professor Kettleburn."
He said hoarsely in return while drawing back the curtains. Then he shyly smiled at his teacher gazing back at him.
"Sorry about the broomstick crash, lad, but glad it wasn't any worse. Never did play Quidditch when I was a student here although the Hufflepuff team asked me. At the time I was too busy chasing after magical creatures... well, then again, I suppose some things never change," he said ending it with deep, bellowing hearty laughs at himself.
Then his laughs tapered off into some uncomfortable sounding coughing. He groaned putting his other arm that was not suspended in air onto his waist. Professor Kettleburn lightly rubbed his ribcage with a pained expression.
Unfortunately , Remus had cracked his own ribcage and slashed his chest enough times in years past to immediately recognize that type of pained response by his teacher. He patiently gave his professor a few moments to take some measured breaths.
Then trying to hold back his huge inner excitement he asked him,
"I heard you had an encounter with a manticore. Is it really true?"
Professor Kettleburn's bushy white eyebrows raised and his eyes suddenly filled with passion. He awkwardly shifted himself toward Remus and locked eye contact with him.
"Oh yes, yes indeed, Mr. Lupin! I assure you it's quite true! That was my first encounter with one," then he lowered his volume shooting a glance to Madam Comfrey who had walked away across the hospital wing and continued,
"I dare say it was well worth these injuries though Poppy would surely disagree. Do you know much about manticores?"
Remus finished swallowing a sip of his hot chocolate and replied, "It has the head of a human, body of a lion, and deadly venomous scorpion tail, right?"
"Correct! That's precisely it, dear boy," Professor Kettleburn confirmed pointing a scarred finger at him.
Trying to not sound overly eager, Remus encouraged him to continue lowering his voice to a quieter tone,
"Please Professor Kettleburn, I'd be delighted to hear what happened."
The professor had a large impish grin spread across his face in response to Remus asking him to share what had happened. He glanced again up the hospital wing on the lookout for the watchful eye of Madam Pomfey's disapproval. Thankfully, she was busy with a small group of four students near the doorway. Remus watched the group four students, stifled a laugh closing his lips tightly and could easily guess what had happened.
Two younger students dressed in Gryffindor and Slytherin robes stood next to a Prefects from each of their representative houses casting each other uneasy glares. Remus could only hear the scolding tone of voice from Madam Pomfrey at them but not the actual words she was saying to them from across the room. The two younger students had obviously gotten into a conflict and used the Leek jinx against each other. The Leek jinx was used to make leeks sprout from the victims' ears.
He noticed Madam Pomfrey had now stopped scolding and began writing notes with her quill on parchment paper on a clipboard. The two younger students were pointing at the leeks growing out their ears with bewildered expressions unable to hear her.
Professor Kettleburn lowered his voice volume and continued his story,
"Well, I'm not quite sure if I should be sharing this with you, Mr. Lupin, as I forgot to ask Dumbledore this morning whether or not it was okay to share with the students… I suppose he may not want to cause a stir or panic about a manticore being so close, but thanks to his intervention it's gone from Scotland by now, so I it's probably alright. Madam Pomfrey had sent for him right away as he wanted to hear what had happened, as well, and of course make sure the school was safe from it."
Remus blurted out, "I won't tell anyone, Professor."
Although, right after he said it, Remus knew that was a lie. He would likely be telling his mates as soon as he could as he would surely be unable to contain a story of this level of excitement.
The professor nodded and replied, "Yes, alright. As you know, I'm in regular contact with wizards and witches that work at the Department of Magical Creature Regulation, the second largest department in the Ministry of Magic, oh dear me… you already know much about that department, don't you? You're the son of Lyall Lupin, world-renowned authority on non-Human Spirituous Apparations. Fascinating research he's done, so fascinating! I certainly would not have the material to teach about boggarts if it weren't for him. Perhaps Lyall works in the Spirit division, though, right? I imagine he probably has his hands full quite busy these days with the He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named and Death Eaters on the rise."
Remus's heartbeat had suddenly sped up when Professor Kettleburn mentioned his father. This was not the first time his teacher had connected his name to his father as it had been brought up in his Care of Magical Creatures class much earlier in the school year. Remus was fairly sure that Professor Kettleburn did not know the story of Greyback and his father which caused his lycanthropy.
However, the slight possibility of him knowing and the repercussions of it still made him nervous. He kept a flat expression and took a calming breath. Then hoping to steer him away from the possibility of the werewolf topic, Remus answered,
"Yes, that's right about my father, Professor Kettleburn. I've known about riddikulus boggarts from an early age."
Professor Kettleburn let out another hearty laugh and replied, "Ah ha ha, yes, of course you would know about boggarts. Anyway, I've been wanting to travel to Greece to see a manticore in their native habitat there but have never managed to go. My summer holidays tend to get filled up with other wild endeavors. Mr. Lupin, have you ever heard of Norvel Twonk?"
Remus thought about the name, Norvel Twonk, for a moment. Then answered, "No. I don't believe I have, professor. Who is it?"
The professor raised a non-injured finger again and exclaimed,
"Ah-ha! I think I should add this name to my class material as it's quite important. Norvel Twonk attended Hogwarts with Newt Scamander's older brother, Theseus, at the turn of the century. I've been closely following the events after Norvel died in 1957. Norvel is famous for dying in 1957 because he saved a muggle child from dying from a manticore. Admirable, I say. It was very admirable, indeed, giving his life to save that muggle child.
Afterwards, he was awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class, which I think is rather funny given that he's dead. But I suppose that's beside the point and probably something you yourself, Mr. Lupin will never have any involvement in. But what you should know about Mr. Twonk is that there is now a portrait of the lad hung here at Hogwarts. I probably shouldn't tell you this next bit of information, but I have the gut feeling you are trustworthy with it. The portrait of the noble Mr. Twonk guards a secret shortcut between the fifth-floor landing of the Grand staircase and the Entrance Hall side room. Which magical creature, Mr. Lupin, do you think is the password required to gain access to the shortcut?"
"Manticore," Remus answered quickly.
Remus felt a new thrill burst inside of him and wanted to go visit the portrait as soon as he could to investigate the shortcut.
"Hah haaaa! Yes indeed. You got it, manticore is the password, a very fitting one I should say, and I'm glad it wasn't my downfall otherwise I might be in a portrait right up there next to Mr. Twonk," Professor Kettleburn exclaimed in excitement and then went into a small coughing fit again.
He rubbed one hand gently on his ribcage and then his breathing settled back down. He raised his bushy white eyebrows and looked down the hospital wing to check if Madam Pomfrey was watching them. She was not. She was still occupied with providing treatment for the two students with leeks growing out their ears. She was making progress as one of them was down to one less leek in his left ear.
The professor cautiously lowered his volume and said,
"Well then, where was I? Oh yes. I've been working with my connections at the Ministry for years since Mr. Twonk was killed by that particular runaway manticore tracking its whereabouts. Yesterday I decided to check with my mates… oh, on second thought, they wouldn't agree I'm mates with them… my acquaintances rather? I wish I could say they were my mates. The centaurs rarely respect any humans. I think Albus Dumbledore is likely the only person at Hogwarts they respect from the centaur colony in the Forbidden Forrest."
"With all due respect, sir, do they not even respect you?" Remus asked curiously.
"Nope…not even me and believe me, I've tried for countless years. It's next to impossible. They are very proud creatures and in general will avoid us wizard kind. It's really no surprise that it would take a very extraordinary wizard like Dumbledore to win their trust.
Yesterday, as I was creeping about the trees deep in the forest, I had the good fortune of secretly overhearing a conversation between a young centaur and what appeared to be his father. I noticed the young centaur had an unusually beautiful jewel encrusted arrow in his quiver full of arrows. I believe I heard the father centaur calling his son, Torvus. Hiding behind a tree I overheard them both talking about seeing a manticore.
Then I stepped on a bloody twig, they heard it snap, and they vanished as quick as lightning. I followed a confusing trail of their hoof prints deeper and deeper into the forest in hopes I could get closer to the manticore. When I was ready to give up late into the night and fly back to the castle with my broomstick I had strapped on my back, that is when I found it! I had been searching so long through the night and was nearly ready to give up. But strangely, after the first glimpse of the manticore I began to feel dizzy and drowsy like I couldn't keep my eyes open. It was the from manticore singing! They sing and put their prey under a trance before they eat them."
"Merlin," Remus whispered, eagerly listening to his every word.
Professor Kettleburn continued,
"Fortunately, I was only just able to resist the singing because it turns out the manticore was curled up on the forest floor and singing intermittently in his sleep. I crept closer and got a full view of it. Damn, they are quite a magnificent creature to see. The human hair was shiny brown and it had a large strong human face. The lion body was bigger and more muscular than I had imagined… and oh, that crusty exoskeleton scorpion tail was very intimidating, indeed.
Since it was sleeping and perhaps dreaming of singing its prey to sleep, I figured I better surrender what food I had brought in my rucksack on the trip. The house elves had been kind enough to pack me some foiled wrapped stewed beef and potatoes or 'mince & tatties' I suppose they call it before I left for the forest."
Remus stomach involuntarily growled at the thought. He forgot he was growing really hungry. He glanced at Madam Pomfrey and saw that one of the leek-eared students was now completely cured. However, the second Slytherin student was standing nearby with arms crossed and a pointed look of annoyance waiting for his turn.
"The manticore heard me dig out my food out of my rucksack and woke up. Merlin, it had the most piercing, chilling stare at me. I offered it the foiled package of food and backed away slowly. I even took a tiny handful and ate a bite myself to show him it was safe. The majestic beast pawed its way over to it, bent down and ate it.
Then right when I started to think we might be on our way to becoming mates it roared at me in primitive, human-like speech, "I hungry! Want more!" after it was done with my food. Then it ran toward me and I started to cast a shield charm. It lunged and pounced on me as the shield was just starting to form around my body. As you can rightly see, it's huge body and sharp claws managed to do quite a bit of damage before the shield was completely up around me.
Luckily my broomstick was still strapped on my back so inside the protection of my shield bubble charm I quickly jumped on it, took to the skies as fast as I could before it had a chance to stab me with that deadly scorpion tail. Now, thank Merlin, here I am alive to tell the tale."
Remus stared in half terror and half amazement at Professor Kettleburn feeling speechless how to respond to his dangerous encounter with the manticore. He took a sip of water from the glass beside his bed and enjoyed how it soothed his sore throat. Finally, Remus managed to say,
"My God, professor, I'm glad you were not it's next meal."
Professor Kettleburn smiled and shook his head in disbelief. Then he replied,
"You and me both…. you and me both, Mr. Lupin."
He moved his hand resting on his ribcage father down to his stomach and said, "Speaking of a next meal, I'd fancy a bite to eat myself."
Madam Pomfrey finished healing the two second year students of their Leek Jinx and the two prefects that had accompanied them to the hospital wing then left to likely march them next to detention.
She contacted the house elves who promptly brought the professor and Remus several large breakfast plates that were certainly more than just a bite. The two plates were piled full of fried eggs, streaky bacon, toast, baked beans, square Lorne sausages and dark slices of black pudding next to fried tomatoes and mushrooms. After they both finished eating, they did not need to be told by Madam Pomfrey to stop talking and rest. With their bellies full and energy levels low after both having had struggles with different types dark creatures the previous night, they both nodded off falling asleep nearly instantly.
Remus slept until late afternoon. When he opened his eyes, he noticed Professor Kettleburn was still asleep and the fingers regrowing inside the hovering blue bubble were longer than the small nubs he had seen in the morning. They were oddly the size of fingers on a small child. Remus felt more rested and there was less throbbing around the nasty bite he had given himself below his right knee. He convinced Madam Pomfrey he felt much better by some strong walks across the corridor without the limping she had seen through the tunnel earlier.
Before he left the hospital wing, Remus pulled out a chocolate bar, a small piece of parchment, and his quill from his ruck sack. He quickly scribbled a note and left the chocolate and note next to the professor. The message said:
"Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Professor Kettleburn. Hope this Honey Dukes chocolate bar warms the soul after exposure to a dark creature and helps bring you back to teach our class Monday feeling 100% better. -Remus Lupin"
Remus thanked Madam Pomfrey for her wonderful care and sped off out of the hospital wing on the fourth floor of the Clock Tower. Instead of heading back to the dorm as usual, he went up one more level to the fifth floor. He found the portrait of Norvel Twonk that Professor Kettleburn had described to him.
Norvel Twonk appeared to be a proud, older gentleman in his late sixties with graying hair and muttonchops connected by a mustache. He stared back at Remus with a no nonsense, stern expression and a courageous gleam in his blue eyes.
Whoever the muggle child was that he gave his life for, Remus thought to himself that he hoped he could be remembered for such an honorable cause someday. But probably not given his condition. Even though the muggle parents didn't even know what Norvel Twonk had done to save their child, it was heart warming for Remus to think they were spared tragedy because of him. Remus said to the portrait quietly,
"Manticore."
The figure of Norvel Twonk in the painting immediately responded to the password once spoken. Norvel nodded his head and made a small, quiet bow inside the portrait. Then the portrait magically slid sideways across the wall and a dark doorway appeared. Remus said, "Cheers," to him and slipped in.
Just as Professor Kettleburn had said, it was a shortcut that took him in a strange whirlwind down to the side room of the Entrance Hall. He peeked his head out the side room into the huge Entrance Hall where a number of students were heading towards the Great Hall for evening supper time.
"Moony!" a voice called out.
Sirius and James were coming up steps from below like they had been down near the kitchens. They both made swift strides over to Remus who felt surprised he was noticed coming out of the side room. Remus smiled and teased,
"What? You two couldn't wait for supper and had to go right to the kitchens?"
They both smiled mischievously back at him. Then James looked around at the other students bustling around, tousled his hair and said, "No, we just got out of the detention chamber down there. We were just giving Snivellus Snape what he damn well deserved, the greasy git."
Remus felt his heart sink thinking of them bullying Severus again but didn't say anything. Sirius curiously peered around Remus into the side room and asked with a smirk,
"What the hell are you mucking about in this side room for?"
Remus told him, "I'll tell you later in the dorm room. Fancy any supper tonight? I think it's about time we should head to the Great Hall."
"Blimey yes, I'm famished. That imbecile Filch threatened to give us detention again if we ate anything in the chamber," Sirius remarked rolling his eyes.
"How's Wormtail today?" Remus asked as the three of them headed to supper.
James shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Dunno. I was up early for Quidditch practice and then right to detention after that wrapped up. I only saw him sleeping and his slimy toad with it's absurd beady little eyes looking back at me on his blanket this morning."
Sirius added, "Yeah. I saw him before detention. He's fine. I'm sure Peter will meet us at the Gryffindor table tonight as usual. You know he'll never miss a meal."
Just as predicted, Peter was already seated for supper at the Gryffindor table and busily scarfing down a heaping mound on his plate of shredded pot roast and a pile of Yorkshire pudding servings. He swallowed and looked Remus up and down.
"Hey Moony! You, you d-doin' alright?"
Remus sighed and wished he didn't ask him that in the Dining Hall. He glanced around nervously and felt better that nobody seemed to be paying attention to him. He told him curtly,
"I'm fine, Peter."
Peter gave a brief nod at James and Sirius as they got seated. He nibbled on an eggy edge of Yorkshire pudding and then said to Remus,
"I g-g-got class notes from yesterday for you."
Remus nodded and again looked around to see if anyone else was listening not wanting to draw any attention to his monthly absence. Sirius was watching the two of them, sensed Remus being uncomfortable and changed the subject asking,
"Hey Moony, guess who I got an owl post from at Brekky this morning?"
Remus answered, "Kreacher, your family's house elf?"
Sirius shook his head and let out a bark like laugh. Remus silently noted it had a more canine quality to it than ever since he had been successful at making an Animagus transformation.
"No, it was from my favorite cousin Adromeda Tonks. She wrote about how she and Ted took their little Nymphy to the London Zoo for the first time."
"Yeah? How did it go?" Remus asked.
Sirius bit into a forkful of pot roast meat shreds and cast Remus a playful grin while he chewed.
"Oh, it sounds like Nymphy had the best time of her life seeing all the exciting animals. Ted and Andromeda on the other hand… they were stressed as hell. They couldn't stop her from morphing her face into each of the critters throughout the park. They finally had to just leave in a hurry to keep any Muggles from seeing her little Metamorphmagus show and causing a massive breach in the Statute of Secrecy."
Remus chuckled a bit at the thought of a little girl changing her face repeatedly into animals common at muggle zoos such as lions, elephants, and monkeys. He took a sip of tea and said,
"Thank Merlin she didn't blow their cover and cause a ton of obliviation work for the Ministry."
Sirius nodded in agreement and said, "She's quite the handful already. I'm looking forward to visiting them again on our summer holiday. You know, I'm pretty sure my cousin Andromeda wouldn't mind having me bring a mate to their house if you'd like to come visit."
Remus took another sip of his tea and shook his head. Then he said, "No. I wouldn't want to impose. They'd never want to see a boring stick in the mud like me anyway."