Apricity - James Potter

33 | Lycanthrope

Vivienne sat cross-legged on James' bed as he got ready. He got on his tartan pyjama trousers and then, shirtless, pointed to Vivienne's strappy shirt.

"You're going to freeze."

"Believe it or not, James, but I don't have the blood circulation of a lizard."

James shook his head and pulled out a jumper from his wardrobe. "It's my old quidditch jumper from 5th year."

Vivienne scoffed and put her hand on her chest. "You're expecting me to betray my Hufflepuff roots?"

"I'm expecting you to not freeze to death," He put on a shirt. "Besides, since when did you care about your Hufflepuff roots? Didn't you help my team win against yours?"

"One time, Potter. And that's because I was furious." She put on his jumper.

James laughed and sat down on the bed beside her. "Why did you do that anyways? You told me how, but never why."

"Well, I tried out to be on the Hufflepuff team, because believe it or not, Mr Potter, I am fucking amazing at quidditch."

"They didn't let you in?"

"Nope. And you want to know why?" She laughed. "Because Carter had just become the captain. Like always, he didn't want people to see me. So in the library was when he told me I wasn't on the team, and I had originally made the liquid luck for my upcoming test, but I was so pissed at him that I decided to give it to your team."

James laughed. "Fuck me, Vivienne."

"Alright." She grinned, moving closer.

James' eyes widened in shock and Vivienne laughed at his surprise, clutching her stomach.

"That's not funny!" James said, still smiling nevertheless. Vivienne, while still laughing, pulled James in to kiss her.

"You should've seen your face," She whispered into the kiss.

"Don't be such a tease, Astor." He murmured, his hands running through her soft hair.

"I never said I was joking."

They both pulled back, and James was really trying to see if she was serious now. "Do you really... well, are you sure?"

She looked at his eyes, and then at his lips. "I'm sure."

And before they kissed again, a scream filled the house, so gut-wrenching it almost made Vivienne vomit.

"What was that?" She whispered, the house now silent.

James breathed heavily, looking out the window.

A full moon shone back at him.

"REMUS, PLEASE, IM BEGGING YOU! SOMEBODY, PLEASE HELP-"

James then ran out of the room and down the hallway to Sirius and Remus' room. Vivienne followed after him, grabbing her wand.

"STOP- REMUS- PLEASE!" Sirius wailed, and a crash was heard on the other side.

Vivienne cast alohamora on the locked door.

Sirius' yells we're getting weaker, but all the more agonising to hear.

Peter, Castillo and Emmeline were now there too, and they all pushed open the door.

And what they saw made everyone freeze for a moment.

Remus had turned.

And was now attacking Sirius.

The floor was pooled with blood. And the walls were splattered with it.

And Sirius was trying, with his very little strength, to push Remus off. Vivienne immediately cast a body bind charm on Remus, and he fell back and far away from Sirius' body.

James stood frozen, unsure of who to go to.

Emmeline and Peter went to Remus, both trying to pour wolfsbane down his throat and calm him down.

Castillo and Vivienne went to Sirius. Vivienne had taken the jumper off and wrapped it around Sirius' stomach, she pressed the jumper into his torso to try and stop the bleeding. Castillo was wrapping his arm with a shirt from the floor.

Vivienne's hands were soaked with Sirius' blood.

James instead ran to call an ambulance. Sent by the ministry of course, because what muggle would see this as an accident?

At least the ministry would understand.

——

"Your friend will be taken to St Mungo's Hospital for recovery," The minister told them.

"And Remus? What about Remus?" James asked. "Is he going to be okay?"

"He will be taken to Azkaban."

And for the second time that night, they froze.

"What?" Peter frowned. "It's not like he meant to do it-"

"Your werewolf attacked an innocent man, almost murdered."

"His name," Vivienne spoke, clenching her hands. She could feel the blood cracking on them. "Is Remus."

"Look," The minister spat, "If your friend wants to testify for the beast that attacked him, then he can once he has recovered in hospital. But even then, he might not be let go. We don't know who else he could do this to."

"He forgot his potion." Castillo spat back. "If he hadn't he wouldn't have fucking done that- it's very clear he wouldn't do it again?"

The man didn't look Castillo in the eye and instead looked at James. "If your friend does decide to testify for the werewolf, then all of you will be called in as witnesses. So I suggest that you all better keep your anger in control if you want the ministry to take you seriously."

And before any of them could protest, he marched away to his colleagues.

The 5 of them all headed back inside James' house in silence. Once inside, they all just sat in the living room, staring at anything other than each other.

Numbly, Vivienne finally managed to say, "I'm going to wash my hands."

And she got up, walking to the bathroom. James followed her, "I'll help."

He sat Vivienne up on the counter and filled the sink with warm water.

"The blood won't wash off in cold," He muttered, his voice raspy. "You'll need a lot of soap."

Vivienne was quiet for a moment. "Remus is a werewolf?" She looked down at him.

"Yes." He looked down at her hands. "Has been since he was 5."

"... Anything else?"

James nodded. "I'm an animagi. So is Sirius. And Pete."

"What are you?"

"A stag. Pete's a rat and Sirius is a dog. We did it after we found out about Remus."

Vivienne swallowed the lump in her throat. "You're a good friend." James scrubbed at her hands. "What do we do now?"

"We can't do anything but wait."

"For what?"

"For Sirius to wake up."

*:･ﾟ✧*:･