Forever and a Day ~ James Potter

The Dreadful Curse

Chapter Twenty-Two

19:14

"Bloody move, you silly prat!" James heard a horrified shout from the girls' dormitory stairs.

Half of Gryffindor had rushed into the common room with sudden cuts and bleeding, though not everyone was suffering from this sudden illness, making the panic tenfold.

James and Peter were holding countless old cloths or rags over Remus, who was lying weak and pale on the floor. All of the boys' old scars, except Peter's, had suddenly reopened, but none of them cared since Remus's were far worse than anybody else's in the room. Sirius had practically flown down the stairs and shrieked that he would get McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey, but that was two minutes ago, and Remus wasn't getting any better.

When they had managed to get him down the stairs, they had seen a few groups of younger years crying as they tried to stem the little bits of blood flowing from various cuts on their friends. But every one of them had almost screamed blood murder once they saw the state of their beloved Moony – everyone's favourite Prefect.

The room was much fuller now, and there were gasps and screams suddenly filling the common room again, so James looked up, almost yelling himself when he saw what everyone was looking at. Marlene, Alice, and Mary were all holding a completely unconscious Rosie, dragging her down the stairs while Lily tried to direct them from below. Blood was spilling from her cheek, legs, and arms and pooling at an alarming rate from her abdomen and dripping onto the stone below her.

"Shit!" James shouted, almost standing up out of reflex before remembering just in time the state his one of his own best friends was in.

The girls spotted him, and Peter went to help bring Rosie over and put her down next to Remus.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Lily shouted as tears spilled from her eyes. She was pale and still shaking from the look that Rosie had given her right before she fell unconscious. "What's happening to them?"

"I don't know," James told her as calmly as he could. "But Sirius went to get McGonagall and Pomfrey."

"And I'm pretty sure Dumbledore will come too after they hear what's going on," Peter added, putting more pressure on the blood-soaked cloth he was clinging to.

There was so much nervous chatter and gasping that nobody heard the portrait hole swing open. "Everybody quiet!" Professor McGonagall boomed, searching the room and seeing the injuries that had occurred, a hand flying to her mouth when she saw the fifth years in the middle. "Goodness... Poppy! Poppy! Get in here now!"

Madam Pomfrey dashed into the room, and McGonagall pointed her to the two worst cases. "Goodness, Remus," she gasped quietly, pushing past everybody else and looking over the two students.

"Right!" McGonagall's harsh voice echoed, "Everybody without injuries will go and help a student that is bleeding now! I will send Professors Flitwick, Slughorn, Sprout and Dumbledore into the Tower to discover what is happening! I shall be back with bandages for those who need them!"

Madam Pomfrey had charmed both unconscious students so that they were levitating, and she ran out of the room, Rosie and Remus safely floating behind her, though blood was spilling from their pale bodies, making their friends feel sick to the stomach.

"Professor, where's Sirius?" James rushed over to McGonagall with a worried look on his face, concerned that he might be seriously ill as well.

"He was sent straight to the Hospital Wing," McGonagall replied. "The cuts on his back seemed quite bad. You can all go and wait outside. I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will let you in once your friends are better," she patted James on the shoulder briefly and waved the fifth years out of the room before rushing away to make an announcement.