The Marauders: Year Six Part 2 #Wattys2017

Not Completely

Not Completely

Remus lay on the couch in the Trophy Room Passageway, awaiting Sirius's return with anguish. He balled himself up tight as he could, clutching his knees and staring into the darkness. He whimpered as a spasm went through his shins. There was a sudden pop and a flash in the corridor outside the alcove and Remus's brows knit together in concern. "Who - who's there?" he called.

Around the corner stumbled a house elf, wearing a flour sack with the Hogwarts crest emblazoned upon his chest, his ears flat to his head as his wide, bulbous eyes tried to see through the darkness as they glowed yellow in the dim light. "Headmaster Dumbledore is wishing to see Mister Lupin," the elf squeaked, peering around the room with a bit of peaked interest. "The headmaster is be waiting in his offices..."

Remus drew a deep breath, imagining walking all the way up to the office, which seemed a planet away from where he laid. Not to mention all those stairs that hid in the curling tower that led up to the platform where Dumbledore kept his umbrella and wellies. As though the mere thought of the stairs caused him further pain, Remus felt a flicker through his spine.

The elf hovered closer until his nose was resting on the cushion before Remus's face. "Is you sick, Mister Lupin?" the elf asked.

"No, I'm feeling rather grand," murmured Remus into the cushion.

"Is you needing Madam Pomfrey? I can be taking you to the hospital wing, Mister Lupin if you is needing her attentions?" the elf pressed.

"No," Remus groaned, and he forced himself to sit up, "No. Go tell Dumbledore I'm on my way..."

The elf hesitated then nodded, and clicked his fingers and disappeared with a crack.

Remus struggled up from the couch, wincing with every curve and turn of his wpine, and made his way out of the tunnel and into the Trophy Room, checking both ways in the corridor before making his way long toward the Headmaster's office, not particularly wanting to run into anyone in the hallway. He wondered as he moved what Dumbledore would want, if he'd be asking details of Remus about the boys' trip to Havmork and the Durmstrang castle and he worried that Dumbledore might be angry with him, that he might lose his position as prefect...

He was on the staircase when Sirius bounded up to him, his big black boots banging on the wood staircase obnoxiously loud, a pale sort of stunned expression on his face. "Moony?" he asked, seeing Remus limping along ahead of him. "What the bloody hell're you doing? You were supposed to stay relaxing - you're in pain - here -- let me --" and Sirius attempted to string himself around Remus supportively, but Remus pushed him off.

"It's alright, Padfoot," he said, not wanting to give in at all to any weakness lest he not be able to make it the rest of the way. "I'm alright."
br> Sirius's eyes were filled with concern - and maybe a flicker of disappointment.
br> "Really," Remus persisted. He reached up and cupped Sirius's cheek with his hand. "I'm alright. Thank you, though. How'd it go in the hospital wing, then?"

Sirius shrugged, "Lily was there. Didn't much feel right interrupting them."

Remus frowned.

"I'll talk to Prongsie later," Sirius said, "Surely they'll send him to the dormitories soon enough and - and in the mean time you need me so..."

"I'm alright," Remus said again.

Sirius walked alongside him - up the stairs slowly, Remus wincing each step they took, and he wished that Remus wouldn't lie about such things... not to him. But Remus needed to be strong for now, he realized, and so he did his best not to let Remus notice just how ready he was to catch him if he fell down, and Sirius made his pace match Remus's.