Disclaimer: Another chapter of shameless fluff featuring characters I do not own.

TW/CW: Brief allusion to vomiting; panic attacks and discussion of mental health.


All ideas of breakfast forgotten, Peter sat down heavily on his bed.

"How could you?" he hissed at Sirius.

Peter could let a lot slide, particularly when it was aimed at him, but Remus had been his first friend at Hogwarts. Remus was the one who comforted them all in subtle ways when they were missing home or feeling under the weather. Remus pretended to be exasperated when they all looked for last-minute help with their homework, but secretly loved that they trusted and listened to him. Remus kept them breakfasts, lunches and dinners, heated with a Warming Charm, when they missed meals because they slept in, were at Quidditch practice or had detention. Remus never looked for anything in return; he was just grateful that they knew about this condition and still wanted to be his friend.

"How could you tell Snape, of all people," Peter continued, his eyes beginning to sting with angry tears. "Best case scenario, he tells everyone and Remus has to leave Hogwarts.

"Worst case scenario, Remus could be d-"

"Please don't say that," James cut in.

Peter's attention snapped to James then, and his anger seemed to suddenly dissolve when he saw the tear tracks on James' face. Beside him, Sirius' head was buried in his arms and his shoulders were heaving with every heartbroken sob. Peter's own tears came swiftly then and his anger gave in to a deep-rooted fear that the fourth member of their group, their conscience, their comforter, would not be coming back one way or another. He moved to the foot of James' bed and he tentatively placed a hand on Sirius' knee in an unspoken sign of peace.

That was how Professor McGonagall found them moments later; tear-stained and frightened and - perhaps the thing that worried the Deputy Headmistress most - totally and uncharacteristically silent apart from their intermittent sniffles.

For her part, Professor McGonagall looked more tired and dishevelled than the Marauders had ever seen her. Her own eyes seemed suspiciously watery and the sleeves of her robes were rolled up to reveal hands that appeared to have been scrubbed raw.

She strode to Remus' bed which was next to James', and was unsurprisingly the only one that had been made, and she sat, facing the three teenagers.

She took a deep breath and started speaking.

"As you may have guessed, Mr Lupin is seriously ill following last night's transformation. Madam Pomfrey went down to collect him early this morning and raised the alarm. He had lost a great deal of blood and he was not breathing as he should.

"Thanks to Madam Pomfrey's quick actions, and her treatment of Mr Lupin, he is safe and recovering in St Mungo's-"

"Can we see him, Professor," James interrupted.

Professor McGonagall gently shook her head.

"I'm afraid Mr Lupin has not yet regained consciousness.

"That's not to say he won't," she reassured them firmly, as Sirius and James both peppered her with terrified questions. She held up a hand to silence them. "The Healers, including your mother, Mr Potter, are confident that given a few days' rest and recovery, Mr Lupin will not suffer too many lasting effects."

James and Sirius seemed to sink back into the bed in relief, but it was Peter who picked up on the hidden meaning behind the Professor's words.

"Professor," he said quietly. "When you say, too many lasting effects…"

Professor McGonagall sighed before answering.

"I may as well tell you. Unfortunately Mr Lupin suffered significant damage to his left leg. While it will heal, it will likely cause him to walk with a limp, particularly after future transformations."

She paused again, drawing her strength and pushing her own emotions aside before continuing.

"I'm afraid Remus has also sustained serious wounds to his face. While they will improve, the Healers have unfortunately warned that he will carry the scars for the rest of his life."

Before anyone could stop him, Sirius scrambled off the bed and ran frantically to the bathroom, a hand clamped over his mouth. Silence reigned in the room until he returned five minutes later, pale and shaking, with fresh tears cascading down his face.

"Mr Potter, your mother is in my office and would like to see you; you too, Mr Black," Professor McGonagall continued as she stood, conjured a blanket and draped it over Sirius' shoulders, gently pushing him to sit on the bed again. "Mister Pettigrew may as well join you too.

"Mr Potter, go check that the Common Room is still clear. If it is, we'll use the floo."

Euphemia Potter turned from the portrait with which she had been chatting when a green glow emanated from the fireplace. Her son arrived through first. He was easily a head above her slight frame now, but he was still her baby and when she saw his red-rimmed hazel eyes begin to water again, she drew him into a fierce hug, rubbing his back and whispering comforts to him.

Her adopted son came through next. He looked even worse than James; almost worse even than he had on that Christmas Eve when he arrived at their doorstep.

He had settled well after the first few days. Though he had visited (when allowed) over the past number of years, living with someone was quite different and he had struggled with the change in atmosphere. His was quiet and skittish, seemingly waiting for Euphemia and Fleamont to rescind their offer. They never did and soon the colour returned to his face and the laughter to his eyes. They hugged him and James both goodbye as they boarded the Hogwarts Express for the new term and made Sirius promise to write; which he did - more frequently than James did.

Now, it looked like any progress Sirius had made since then had been wiped away in one night.

Euphemia had been told of the night's events by Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall once Remus had been declared stable. Poor Remus, she thought. He hadn't visited the Potters' house as often as Sirius and Peter had - and now she knew why - but she had taken a liking to him the moment he turned up with his anxious parents on her doorstep, a box of homemade ginger newts in his hands and a shy smile on his face. He wasn't as boisterous as the other boys, but matched them pound for pound in wit. He was courteous, polite and helpful and could often be found, while the other boys were flying or sleeping in, playing chess with Fleamont or sharing a pot of tea with Euphemia.

With the benefit of hindsight and knowing what she did now about Remus'… condition… several things aligned now for Euphemia. James' sudden curiosity about the healing arts, for one. In the summer between his second and third year at Hogwarts, James asked his mother to teach him some basic healing skills, claiming it was part of his ambitious campaign to be Gryffindor Quidditch Captain by his fourth year.

There were other things, too.

That visit when Remus seemed particularly tired and wan, and instead of dragging him outside anyway, James, Sirius and Peter gathered around him, reading Quidditch magazines, playing Gobstones and quietly chatting.

Once when Remus had politely declined the invite, Euphemia went to the guest rooms to start waking the boys up, only to find them all piled onto James' bed, looking like they hadn't slept. James was feverishly scribbling onto a piece of parchment while Sirius watched over his shoulder, dictating what to write. Peter was sitting opposite them, reading the note upside down and adding his own thoughts. She found out later that they had been writing to Remus, but she now knew that it hadn't been to check their homework, as they had claimed.

Then there was the incident over the Christmas holidays. She walked into the kitchen to see James sobbing and Sirius glued to his side, pale and shaking. The wireless was on and the news was reporting the death of a young lycanthrope who had been sold a bogus cure. She had been surprised then by the depth of their shock and sorrow for the young man… she wasn't now.

Euphemia watched as Sirius kept his distance from her and James, not meeting her eyes.

With more than 40 years of work as a Healer under her belt, Euphemia was well used to triaging her patients. There may be several issues but the key to a good treatment plan is to prioritise. As her trainer once told her; stemming the blood flow of a wound was no good if the patient wasn't breathing. She appraised Sirius now with the same critical eye.

Sirius had done wrong and yes, she would have to talk to him about that. However, the more pressing issue now was that he was scared out of his wits and needed a mother to look after him. That just so happened to be Euphemia's speciality.

Calmer now, and seemingly sensing her intent, James extracted himself from his mother's hold and made to wipe his face with his sleeve. Euphemia stopped him, handed him a handkerchief and sat him down in a chair near McGonagall's desk with a glass of water. She then made her way to Sirius, who was picking at his sleeves and still studiously avoiding her eyes.

"Sirius love, come here please," she called softly.

He could never refuse her when she asked him directly, she knew that, but when he stood in front of her, he was still looking at the floor. She reached a hand out to put it on his arm and he flinched.

"Sorry…" he mumbled.

Euphemia looked to James, who was watching Sirius sadly.

"James will you please go ask the House Elves to have some tea brought up here?" she asked suddenly. "Plenty of sugar… and maybe some of their shortbread too."

It didn't matter that James could have easily summoned the Marauders' favourite House Elf, Tippy, straight to the room. He had more tact than people thought - if Lily Evans could see him now - so he recognised his mother's instructions for what they were - a chance to talk to Sirius alone.

When James left, Euphemia led Sirius over to a chair and pulled another one across to sit facing him. She took both of his hands in hers and softly started speaking.

"Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall told me what happened, would you like to tell me your side, sweetheart?"

Sirius finally looked at her, slightly confused.

"I'm sure you didn't just do it for fun?" she probed.

He shook his head, shame and fear radiating off him in waves. Euphemia remained silent, waiting for him to talk.

"I never wanted to hurt Remus," he whispered. "I promised him I'd never tell anyone, I swore I wouldn't. But I did. I told the worst possible person.

"This morning I kept thinking that I was living up to my family name, but I can't even blame them. I did it, it was all me."

He didn't even seem to notice the tears that fell now.

"I was just so angry and now Remus could be… he's…"

Sirius couldn't finish the sentence, so Euphemia cut in.

"Remus is going to be okay, love, I checked in on him again before I left and he's greatly improved since morning."

"But if he'd hurt Snape or James… he'd never forgive himself. He'd be put to death by the Ministry and it would have been all my fault. Even now, he'll be scarred for the rest of his life, and if Snape lets it "slip" he might have to move away again and leave Hogwarts.

"And you… you and Mr Potter trusted me and welcomed me to your home. I've let you down so badly. I had asked Professor Dumbledore not to tell you, I was going to go back to Grimmauld Place instead."

"Sirius love, we're not letting that happen."

Sirius froze, his eyes not moving from Euphemia's face. He hardly dared to hope…

"What you did was wrong, you know that. We'll have a talk about punishments later, but for now it seems you're suffering enough, hm?"

"Can we…" Sirius swallowed thickly. "Can we get the punishment out of the way now? I don't… I can't…"

His breath started to come in gasps now and Euphemia realised what was happening and where Sirius' mind had gone. She gently took Sirius' hands and placed one over the other, moving his fingers until he could feel his own pulse point.

"Sirius love, you're okay. You're safe. I have you. Can you take in a nice big breath for me? I promise I won't hurt you."

Sirius shook his head, still gripped by panic.

"Can you tell me three things you can see, pet?"

"You…" Sirius panted, "Desk… portraits…"

"Very good Sirius," Euphemia praised warmly, her hands still holding Sirius' together. "Now two things you can hear."

"You… me… my breathing…"

"Excellent, pet. Now what can you feel?"

"Hands…. Cold."

Euphemia chuckled. Her cold hands were a running joke in the Potter household. Fleamont always said she would cut the St Mungo's waiting list in half if they were exposed to her freezing hands.

"Very good, well played," she smiled, her eyes twinkling in exactly the same way her son's did when Sirius made him laugh. "Can you take a deep breath for me now love?"

Sirius did, and let it out as a breathy sigh. His pulse under his fingertips was returning to normal and that calmed him further, though he felt exhausted now.

"Sirius, I will swear an Unbreakable Vow to you now if that's what it takes to reassure you that I will never harm you in the way your parents did. You never deserved that, no matter what you did or will do.

"When I say punishment, I mean grounding, extra chores, no flying; it will never be a spell or a physical punishment, I swear it to you and Monty will do likewise.

"The only time I'll ever hit you is if you insist on eating the mashed potatoes straight from the saucepan before I've served dinner," she joked, earning a small but very welcome smile.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll give you your punishment now, hm? I think an apology letter to Remus might be a nice one, what do you think? It could be a little while before you see him, so it will help you get your thoughts in order."

Sirius nodded, the smile immediately leaving his face at the mention of Remus.

"Now this next part is not a punishment, it's a suggestion and something I think will help you but it's ultimately your choice. To help you understand why I'm suggesting it, I'm going to start by telling you something I haven't even told James yet.

"You know how much we wanted a family, Monty and I, and for so long it looked like it might never happen. When James arrived, it should have been the happiest day of our lives, but something was wrong."

Sirius moved his hands now to take a proper hold again on Euphemia's, his attention fixed on her.

"I didn't feel anything but an all-consuming fear. What if I wasn't a good mother? What if I hurt or harmed James? I couldn't stop crying and anytime James cried, I felt like it was just a confirmation of my deepest fears.

"Monty noticed pretty quickly, and he spoke with me like I'm speaking with you now. He talked me down from a panic attack after James threw a fit about having his nappy changed. He was only a week old but I already felt like I was on a trajectory I couldn't come back from."

"What did you do?" Sirius asked quietly.

"Monty brought me to see a Mind Healer," Euphemia smiled. "It wasn't easy - these things never are - but through a mix of potions, talking and mental exercises, I finally started to see the good again. When he was four months old, James reached out to me to pick him up from his cot and I cried again, but this time they were happy tears. Tears of pure love. I wasn't better, but I was getting there.

"Correct me if I'm wrong Sirius, but I think there's a lot happening in your head right now, and a lot of feelings that feel… well… too big?"

Sirius nodded, his eyes wide.

"What we went through is not the same in any way, but I know what it's like to feel out of control.

"You've had so much happen to you in such a short lifetime pet and yet you're still a loving, intelligent and loyal young man. I've seen the way you care for James, Remus and Peter; the way they care for you. They - and Monty and I - see you for who you truly are, but I don't think you're quite there yet, hm?

"So I'd like to take you to see a Mind Healer, if you'll let me. The choice is yours to make Sirius. You're almost of age now and I will not force you to do something you're not comfortable with. Just know that whatever you choose, you're still part of the Potter family, and we still love you."

Sirius didn't wait for the invitation this time. He moved forward and flung his arms around Euphemia.

"I'd think I'd like that," he mumbled, "thank you".

He pulled away, adding, "by the way, you're the best mum".

Sirius was calmer now, sitting at McGonagall's desk with a quill and a roll of parchment, scribbling when inspiration struck. Euphemia was next to him, occasionally looking over at the parchment and giving her opinion when Sirius asked for it.

Professor McGonagall arrived then with Peter, James close behind bearing a tray of tea and biscuits, and what looked like a large sponge cake.

"Sirius' favourite, Tippy said," he laughed, reading the question in his mother's expression.

"Apologies for the delay, Mrs Potter," Professor McGonagall said, leaving the three boys to start pouring the tea and devouring the snacks. "I needed to run a quick errand and Peter kindly agreed to help me."

"It was no issue Professor. I sent James down for the tea while I discussed Sirius' punishment with him."

Both women understood the subtext of each other's words. Euphemia knew from the warmth in Minerva's eyes when she saw Sirius smile with Peter and James that the Professor's "errand" had been timed purposely; just like Minerva knew from Sirius' demeanour now that they had done more than discuss punishment.

There was a healthy hum of conversation in Professor McGonagall's office over the next hour or so. Though Euphemia was a few years younger, she had attended Hogwarts at the same time as Minerva, and they enjoyed each other's company as they reminisced. The boys, meanwhile, made light work of the cake that Tippy had insisted upon, as they made enthusiastic plans for Remus' return.

All conversations ceased abruptly when an owl swooped in through the open window, dropping a note with an official St Mungo's seal on Euphemia's lap.

It was with a greatly relieved but overjoyed smile that she shared its contents with the rest of the room.

"Remus has woken up."