All in the Family

Chapter 154: The Unknowable Room

Finally back to regularly doubled updates! The next will be up Thursday again, I'm so happy to be back to full time writing this, and this chapter in particular makes me smile, I hope it does for you as well!

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"Sirius, you've got a bruise on your neck," James noted with concern as he shook his hair out.

"Oh," he muttered absently, brushing it back into place. "Smacked into something in that place, don't worry about it Prongs."

Remus grimaced and slumped against the wall with an exceptionally pale face. Peter began coughing hard, James looked at him next in concern, but then his eyes fell on where they were!

James and Sirius were so wild to find themselves in front of the tapestry of poorly dancing trolls that for the first time they didn't notice the problem, the two immediately sprinting as fast as they were humanely capable of three times past the blank stretch of wall to see if the Room of Requirements would open.

They were asking for whatever Malfoy was hiding, just to see if they could find that out before Harry. They were unsuccessful, and had no clue if the room just wouldn't open yet or something else. They weren't going to get another chance to try again as they heard Remus moan.

Peter stopped watching their progress and looked back at him, his too pale friend falling down the wall, lips quivering in pain and clutching at his shoulder. Alice's eyes widened in recognition and darted to the nearest window, but she needn't have bothered, Peter already knew before he whispered in sorrow, "again?"

Remus' answer was another painful moan and the slightest of nods as he curled up on the floor, trying to keep his shaking limbs as tight into their fetal position as he could as if that would stop any of this.

How long had they really been at this? Less than a fortnight surely, if not shorter. Poor Moony was suffering more full moons in these trips back to back than any werewolf had ever had to face in their life.

Sirius and James finally snapped to attention, Prongs running forward to begin corralling the others away, and practically more relieved than the words he said it still worked and they rounded the corner.

It was partially unneeded, Frank had grabbed Alice away from the window with his other hand that wasn't holding tightly to Lily and pulling them as far away as he could already, only hesitating on the edge as Regulus refused to move from where he'd landed, eyes on his brother now crouched over Lupin with concern.

"Regulus get out of here!" James snapped in no uncertain terms, shoving him a bit to get moving, but neither really took their eyes off Sirius as he leaned over his friend protectively, despite the fact he might be the one needing protecting again. "Evans, take them to our common room, at least we know that should open-"

"We don't know the password," Peter reminded.

James cussed, the urge to transform leaving him a twitching mess already.

"I'll go with them," Peter stood up and began steering Regulus forcefully away as well. "We'll go to an empty classroom on this side of the castle. Even if one of those don't open, you two get him to the opposite wing."

"Both of you go," Sirius said in no uncertain terms, huffing and straining but pulling Moony bridal style to his chest, where no protests were coming from his trembling mouth he was keeping shut to block out any more moans, his trembling hands were white knuckled into the sweater. "Better safe than sorry, I'll keep him away from everything."

"Padfoot, after last time-" James tried to protest, but Sirius wasn't waiting around for an argument as he went tearing off the opposite way.

He didn't get far, Remus was soon trembling too hard and he would have dropped him if he didn't stop instead to lower him into a niche that once upon a time had a pillow stashed into it for other moon related occasions. He'd come up from the hospital wing too exhausted to make it to their dorm and fall asleep any old place around the castle, there used to be a dozen places with pillows and blankets hidden around for his personal use, like Hogwarts was one giant fort just for him, they'd all tease. Not anymore, this wasn't their version of the school, but all the better for now as Sirius began gently coaxing Remus out of his clothes with practiced ease.