The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

Fighting Together

Fighting Together

The moment Sirius started crying as he stood there before the Marauders, his head all shorn and horrible - which only took about fifteen seconds of that ringing, terrible silence before he realized neither James or Peter could think of anything to say to the sight of his hacked head - James threw his textbook across the bed and got up. "Excuse me," he said, grabbing his wand from the night stand, "I have something I've got to do." He pushed past Remus and Sirius, out the dormitory door.

"James --" Remus tried, but James was gone before Remus could even attempt much more than a half-hearted plea. He couldn't very well have done much more than that, not with any meaning. He wanted to go after them, too, but rght now -- being with Sirius was his most important thing. He turned to Sirius, "C'mon," he whispered. "Let's get you into bed." Sirius nodded. "I'll hold you."

"What if -- what -- Snuffles -- his hair -- is it -- what if --"

Remus gently patted Sirius's back, "Shh, one step at a time, love... one step at a time." He kissed the back of Sirius's neck gently, then he smiled and he said, "I'm not going to lie, being able to reach this part of you isn't all bad..."

Sirius didn't reply.

Peter cleared his throat, "It doesn't look dreadful," he said, trying to be helpful.

"Yes it does," Sirius said, "It looks worse than dreadful." He climbed into the bed. "Don't bleedin' look at me. Any of you." he grabbed the duvet and yanked it up over his head.

Remus sighed and looked at Peter with an apology on his face, then he hurried to crawl up behind Sirius and he wrapped his arms around the duvet-covered lump. "I'm here," Remus said.

"Ok. Just don't look at me," came Sirius's voice from under the blankets.

James went marching down the stairs to the common room with purpose to his step, his focus singularly on the door and his mission, wand in his fist. He was already out of the portrait hole and into the corridor beyond when Lily Evans came scrambling up beside him, "Potter. What's happened? Where are you going? Is Sirius alright? Does he need mending? I know a few healing charms I could give you. Do you know who's done it? Are you going to Dumbledore?"

"Out of my way Evans," James replied shortly.

Lily scrambled along with him, "James."

"I'm going to bloody kill the bastard that's hurt him," James replied. "I intend to hex him so hard that they'll be looking for the ruddy dust of him before I'm done, and they'll never bloody find it because I'll have scattered it to the bleedin' wind." He continued walking, then, "And no offense, Evans, but I don't particularly need a prefect there to witness it as I'd rather get away with it, the same as he's gotten away with what he's bleedin' done..."

"Who?" Lily asked.

"Evan Rosier and his bloody little gang of cockroaches," James answered. They were on the stairs, heading down...

Lily said, "How do you know it was --"

"Because that's who's done all the shit to Remus, too," James said, and he only just barely caught himself from walking over the edge of a split staircase and he cursed loudly in frustration at having to wait for the moving second half to return. His jaw was set and he looked quite furious.

Lily used her moment with him to ask, "Is he okay?"

James looked away.

"I mean, it's just hair, it grows back," Lily said.