Hurt | Remus Lupin

~6~ Sleepover in the Great Hall

"This is not  how I would've liked to spend my last Halloween at Hogwarts." I said quietly to Ollie, as all of us Gryffindor's were sent to the Great Hall.

"Me neither." he said softly back.

Percy was back with Dumbledore, on official "important business." 

Soon, we were joined by the rest of the Houses. The Professors arrived, and McGonagall and Flitwick closed all the doors. Dumbledore stood in front of us. "The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle. I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he added to Percy, who was looking immensely proud and important. Now I snorted slightly.  "Send word with one of the ghosts." Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said, "Oh, yes, you'll be needing..." 

He flicked his wand and the floor was covered with hundreds of purple sleeping bags. The hall immediately began to buzz excitedly; the Gryffindor's were telling the rest of the school what had just happened.

"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" shouted Percy. "Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"

Ollie and I grabbed two sleeping bags and moved them into a corner. Seamus and Dean moved their sleeping bags closer to us. 

"You alright Shay?" I asked him.

"Yeah. You?"

"Yeah."

We all climbed into our sleeping bags.

"What a night." Ollie said, yawning.

"Very eventful." I curled into my warm sleeping bag.

"The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"

Ollie reached out and held my hand for comfort, before he fell asleep right away. I kept falling in and out of sleep. I'd always had a hard time sleeping, and was always a light sleeper, so having this anxiety that Black was in the castle wasn't helping me at all. Every hour, a professor would come in to make sure everything was alright. Percy kept walking through the sleeping bags, telling people off for talking. He stopped in front of me and looked at me. "Still awake?" he whispered, leaning down. "It's nearly two in the morning."

"You know how I am." 

He nodded and stroked my hair lightly. "Just try not to think about it alright?"

I nodded, feeling grateful to have such friends like Percy and Ollie, who was still holding my hand.

"How come you're allowed to talk?" asked a third year Ravenclaw.

"Because I'm head boy." Percy replied, standing up. "Now go to sleep."

I smiled to myself. I had finally dozed off for about an hour or so, when I woke up again, now needing water. I didn't want to get up and irritate the professors though. They were already stressed as it was, they didn't need a student annoying them about wanting to drink water. I kept tossing and turning, punching my sleeping bag to try and be more comfortable.

"What has that sleeping bag ever done to you?" someone whispered.

I looked up, my cheeks flaring, to see Lupin standing over me. Why  was it that every time I was doing something stupid, he had to be there to witness it?

"It's not comfortable, I'm anxious, and I'm thirsty." I whispered back. 

"Wait here." 

"I'm not allowed to leave anyway." I mumbled to myself.