Scars and Bruises

Valentine's Day

SIRIUS.

He had skipped transfiguration to come to the Hospital wing. Professor McGonagall would be mad there was no doubt about that, but maybe he could pretend that he was sick and get a note from Madame Pomfrey. Sirius shook his head, he will think about that later, and actually he didn't care that theoretically McGonagall could give him detention.

He stood by Remus's bed, but not Remus he was here to see. Sirius slowly walked towards the last bed in the Hospital wing. He stopped before the curtains which covered the bed, and he didn't even knew why he was stopping, because he had seen Remus weak and sick every month after the full moon, but Alex...

He slowly moved towards the bed and looked up from the ground. He saw Alex laying in the bed; she was fast asleep. He felt sorry for her, Sirius smiled sadly, because he knew that Alex would be disappointed in him, because she didn't need any pity, she couldn't stand it towards herself. She looked just like Remus – tired, weak, and covered with bruises and scars.

He moved closer to the bed, he was already reaching for Alex's hand, when he changed his mind. Sirius did not wanted to accidently woke Alex up, he did not wanted for her to find out like this that he knew.

He just gently touched blanket on her bed and left the Hospital wing, he couldn't get caught being there. He took out the Marauders Map from his pocket and walked to the common room. Sirius's mind was occupied with possibilities where Alex was transfiguring every full moon, because it most definitely wasn't Shrieking Shack. And he hadn't heard about any other scary house near Hogwarts.

When he had entered the bedroom Sirius laid down in bed and started to think everything over. His feelings about Alex wasn't changed not in the slightest, it didn't mattered that she was a werewolf. Still Sirius deemed that Alex was the most wonderful girl in all of Hogwarts, no in the world.

He had decided that he would let Alex herself tell him that secret (if she will decide to tell him). He smiled warm smile, Alex and Remus was proof that werewolves are not terrible people; they were one of the kindest people Sirius knew.

Sirius looked at the clock and cursed. Lunch was about to start and he was still lying in bed. He jumped up from the bed and rushed to the Great Hall.

"Padfoot, where the hell were you?" it was James who sat across of Sirius and very surprisingly looked at him. "McGonagall is going to skin you alive," he said worryingly, Sirius knew that James was right – McGonagall hated students who skipped classes.

"Mister Black," Sirius's eyes widened and he turned to meet professor McGonagall's icy stare, "Mister Potter asked a very good question, I would also like to hear an answer to that." McGonagall crossed her arms and looked down on Sirius.

"Emm..." Sirius was stomped, because he did not expected to meet professor so soon. "I forgot that we had transfiguration today," he tried to save his skin by lying, "I thought that today is Tuesday when we have free first period."

Sirius had no idea if McGonagall believed even a word he had spoken, because her features had not changed a bit. Sirius tried to smile but he couldn't master trustworthy smile.

"The fact that your friends was in the class didn't make you suspect that today is not Tuesday?!" McGonagall's voice was still icy. Sirius opened his mouth to say something, but professor cut him short. "Detention, Mister Black, for the whole next week," she said sharply and turned to walk away, "I'll be waiting you on Monday in my office at eight o'clock."

Sirius watched how McGonagall walked to the professor's table. He thought that he did not deserve detention for a whole week, but he couldn't change that. He turned to James who also looked shocked.