The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

Positively Jinxed

Positively Jinxed

Newt Scamander turned abound to look at Sirius Black in that awkward sort of way he had, never quite fully meeting his eyes. HIs teeth rested on his lower lip and he ducked his head at an angle, then, "So sorry," he muttered, "Didn't mean to wake you." And he quickly turned back to the operation at hand without another word, reaching for the hand of the person strung between Dumbledore and McGonagall as Madam Pomfrey turned down the bed sheets.

"Is it Tina?" Sirius asked, worried, "Has something happened to Tina?" he rolled out of bed and Remus flopped face-first onto the pillows as Sirius departed, waking up from the impact and blearily blinking about.

Newt stared down at the hand he held in both of his, a most pained expression on his face, as though he were being crushed from the insides out. He nodded shakily without saying anything, his lips pulled tight. Dumbledore had lit a couple lanterns about the bed and now that there was some light, Sirius could see that Mr. Scamander's coat was doused in a great deal of blood and his hands were covered in it, caked in it, and he had a cut on his cheek that dripped with it and his suitcase was nowhere to be seen, he had a sort of empty look about him without his suitcase, incompleted. And he clung to the hand as though it was all he had in the world, sort of rocking himself. He was clearly having a very horrid anxiety attack.

"Drink this, Mr. Scamander, it will help," said McGonagall gently, coming over with a cup that Madam Pomfrey had just given her. McGonagall put her hands heavily on Mr. Scamander's shoulders and he seemed he both cringe and appreciate the weight of them at the same time.

Sirius stepped up to find Tina Scamander there upon the bed, her clothes torn, a newly healed gash slashed across from her left shoulder, over her collarbone and disappeared beneath the cover of her blouse, headed for her right arm... Tina was very, very pale. Sirius thought of the sectumsempra gash on James the year before and his belly twisted.

"Mr. Black, what are you doing in here?" Madam Pomfrey asked, coming back with a jar of ointment and loads of bandages, "I believe I asked you to leave nearly four hours ago."

"Yes, but -- Remus needed me. So... You know us, Poppy, we only leave when you're looking." She clucked her tongue and pushed by him. He inched toward the bed, "What's happened?"

"Mr. Black, I believe it would be best to give Mr. and Mrs. Scamander their privacy," Dumbledore announced as Poppy opened the ointment salve and scooped a big handful of it in her hand and began to smear it across Tina's shoulder.

"But I want to help," Sirius pleaded.

"I know you do, Mr. Black, and that is most noble of you, of course, but I'm afraid that the best help you could give would be to give Poppy the space and time to do her healing properly." He glanced over at Remus, who was blearily sitting up and rubbing his eyes on his bed. "I believe Mr. Lupin has probably rested long enough he can make the journey back to Gryffindor Tower and we will see the two of you tomorrow," he said, making an executive decision. "I am absolutely positive that your mate, Mr. Pettigrew, could use your attention as well... after what happened."

Sirius blinked up at Dumbledore, "Something's happened to Peter, too? Bloody hell. What is it with Yule Balls and people getting tore up?"

Dumbledore said wisely, "The holidays makes us all go a wee bit crazy. Now -- pip, pip."

Sirius hesitantly turned away, leaving Madam Pomfrey to her work and poor Newt to cling desperately to Tina with one hand and shakily hold the cup McGonagall had given him with the other. He gathered Remus's hands and helped him sit up, grabbing the mirror and his top hat from the nightstand and Remus's tie and jumper from the table, and the invisibility cloak from the folds of the sheets. He was tossing the cloak over his arm when Dumbledore said --