Getting through, with friends

Chapter 8

As soon as he wakes up in the hospital wing, Remus knows something is wrong. There are fresh bandages around his arms and torso, where he probably scratched and bit himself, and that hasn't happened since his friends started joining him on the full moons.

He tries to think back, but he doesn't remember his friends being there last night. Why not? He can't think of anything except... oh... they probably realized he is a monster, and that they shouldn't be there during the full moon, and that's why they weren't there last night... but why is no one here now? Unless they decided they won't be friends with someone who transforms into a beast once a month. Well, he knew this was bound to happen eventually, though he had hoped it wouldn't happen before school was over...

He sits up a little in the bed and, after Madame Pomfrey checks up with his injuries again, looks at the time. Well, it's just before 9am, his friends, if they still are his friends, are most likely to be in class, or eating breakfast.

"Remus!" Sirius bursts through the doors of the hospital wing, and quickly makes his way over to stand by Remus' bed. "Sorry, I couldn't enter before you woke up, Madame Pomfrey wouldn't allow it."

"It's fine." If Sirius is here that means his friends probably don't hate him... right? He looks up at Sirius and sees his eyes are red from crying and his hair looks like he just woke up, but the dark circles under his eyes suggest otherwise. "Sirius what happened?"

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to- and Snape was just- he tricked me- it was an accident-" Sirius begins but starts crying and stops talking.

Remus sits up a bit more, looks at him concerned, and tries to reach for Sirius, but he shakes his head and takes a step back. Remus frowns, that's not good, that's not good at all, what happened? Did Remus do something while transformed? Oh god, did he kill one of the others? Is that why there is only Sirius here? No, it was just him there, the others weren't even at the shack, right? Ok, no, he needs Sirius to tell him what happened, before jumping to conclusions. "Ok, Sirius, take a deep breath and try to calm down, I didn't understand a thing you just said."

Sirius nods, calms down enough to talk again. "I'm so sorry, Moony"

Remus is silent for a few seconds, trying to see if Sirius is going to say anything else.

"You are scaring me Sirius, I don't understand anything, what happened?"

"Snape happened... he... I"

"What did that fucking bastard do? If he hurt you, I swear I'm gonna kill him!" Of course it had to be Snape, is any problem ever NOT Snape? Oh, well, Sirius' family maybe... not the point. What did Snape do?!

"No! Don't say that! You almost did last night!" What?! Merlin, Sirius is making less sense, and looking close to tears again.

"What? Now you lost me again... I did what?!"

"Ok, ok. From the beginning... I didn't want to, but I accidentally told Snape how to stop the willow from moving, I'm sorry!"

Remus freezes... Shit. That means Snapes knows he is a werewolf, and now has proof, and he can get him expelled. Fuck, what if I killed him?! Then he'll go to Azkaban, or worse killed by the ministry.

"Sirius, just tell me... did I kill him? I am going to Azkaban?"

Sirius frantically shakes his head. "No, no, you didn't kill him!"

"Good, so I'm only expelled?" He could deal with that, he can try to work in the muggle world, somewhere where he can get a free day every full moon.

"No, you're not expelled."