Grace awoke to the sound of muffled laughter that was unmistakably Peter's.
"Shut up, Wormy," she said, or tried to say at least, but all that came out was a weird throaty growl. She hadn't shifted back yet.
Peter seemed to get the message regardless as the laughing stopped soon after. Grace rolled over on hard wooden floor boards, transforming back into a human as she did so, before nestling into something warm that her hand came into contact with and trying to go back to sleep. It was safe to say that she wasn't a morning person.
Peter obviously wasn't able to contain himself for long, however, as he soon burst out in a fresh wave of laughter.
"Pete, shut up!" Grace called again in her normal voice this time.
"I'm sorry, it's just... okay, you have to see it for yourself but... it's hilarious!" He replied, and Grace cracked one eye open to see him sitting on the rackety old armchair that lived in a corner of the Shrieking Shack, point to the other side of the room.
Following his finger, she turned her head to see a fully human Sirius – he must've accidentally switched back in his sleep – cuddling James' stag form, both still in a deep sleep.
Grace chuckled slightly. "Merlin's beard, that can't be comfortable," she commented, before resting her head again and closing her eyes, only to be disturbed a few moments later when the warm surface she'd been curled up against began to move beside her and beneath her. An arm wrapped around her waist.
Her eyes fluttered open again, only to be met with the pale scarred skin of Remus' bare chest. Her face flushed red as she met Remus' eyes.
"Morning," he mumbled, running the hand that wasn't around her waist across his face and through his hair, before reaching down to tug the blanket that covered his lower half upwards. No doubt Peter had placed it there once he had woken up.
"Is everyone alright? Any injuries?" he asked, glancing down at Grace, over to Peter and then Sirius and James who had finally arisen from their slumber and were sitting against the wall in their human forms.
Grace smiled. Of course his first thought waking up after a full moon is regarding the health of his friends rather than his own.
"How are you feeling?"
"Exhausted, mainly," Remus sighed, pulling her closer. "And kind of cold."
"Well maybe if you actually put some clothes on instead of cuddling on the floor then-"
"Oh, shut up, Wormtail," he groaned, covering his face with his hand again.
Grace began to get up. "You know, he has a point. Madam Pomfrey will be here any minute so we need to get going and you need to get dressed."
"Or I could just sleep for another ten years?" Remus suggested, closing his eyes again.
"Sounds like a plan," Sirius agreed as James got up beside him and then held out a hand to help his friend up.
"Unfortunately, however, there's this evil thing called school," Grace commented as the four of them made their way to the tunnel connecting the Shrieking Shack to the Whomping Willow. "What do you want for breakfast?"
"Just buttered toast is fine. Maybe a piece of bacon," Remus replied, sitting up. "And don't forget the hot chocolate. Bye!"
"Bye Moony!"
---
Grace entered the Hospital Wing an hour later, a mug in each hand and two plates levitating behind her. Scanning the room, she noticed there were two occupied beds – Remus' usual one up the back corner and another one closer to her. It was impossible to guess their identity as their face and neck had completely swollen up.
"She's got Mumblemumps," Remus explained, beginning to sit up.
"Oh, you're up already. Here's your toast," Grace said, placing a plate on his lap and the mugs and her own plate on the bedside table. "Who is it?"
"You're not going to like this," Remus began, causing Grace to furrow her eyebrows. Why wouldn't she like-
"It's Samantha Harrington."
Oh.
"But we have a Quidditch match today! And it's the semi-final! Ah, Merlins Beard, that's going to mess everything else up. Does anyone else in the team know?"
"I think I overheard Madam Pomfrey asking McGonagall to tell your Captain about it."
Grace glanced over at where Samantha lay, no doubt still asleep. "Gosh, I hope she's okay."
She then proceeded to wolf down her breakfast, knowing that their Captain, Daniel, would want them in the changing rooms to discuss their new plans now that they were a player down.
"I'll see you out there," Remus called to her as she headed for the door.
"Uh, no, you need to rest. Your body needs time to recover and whatnot."
"Like that's ever stopped me before."
She rolled her eyes in response. "Just rug up, okay? It's going to be absolutely freezing outside and the last thing you need is to catch a cold."
"Sure, sure, whatever you say, Mum!"
Grace scowled before closing the door behind her.
---
"And Fion Blythe has caught the snitch, giving Gryffindor 150 points!" Casper announced, the scoreboard in front of him reading Hufflepuff: 340, Gryffindor: 290. "That still isn't enough to put them in the lead, however, so it looks like Hufflepuff has won, sending them through to the grand final in April, where they'll be battling against the winner of the Ravenclaw Slytherin match next month."
With Samantha's younger brother Aaron taking her place as chaser, the Quaffle repeatedly ending up falling in to the Hufflepuff team's hands. James was devastated, although he kept claiming that they only lost because of Samantha's absence, refusing to acknowledge the fact that Hufflepuff had beaten them in three out of their four matches that season.
He spent the rest of the afternoon moping around the Gryffindor Common Room, arguing to anyone who would listen that they would've beaten Hufflepuff any other day. He was far too proud of his team to admit defeat.
"I hate seeing him like this," Grace said, watching James over the top of her Transfiguration textbook as he continued to sulk on one of the couches.
"I just wish he'd shut up," Peter added.
The others all nodded in agreement.
"How about we cheer him up and-"
"Please say prank someone. I have an idea that I've been sitting on for ages and tonight would be the perfect night to execute it, Remus exclaimed, cutting Sirius off.
"I'm sorry," Grace began, her eyebrows raised. "Who are you and what have you done with Remus Lupin?"
"Oh, shut up. So what do you say?"
Sirius nodded. "I'm in."
---
c r i n g e
Anyway I suck but hopefully once my end of year exams are over in three more weeks updates will be much more regular.
- GH
YOU ARE READING
The Forest - R.L.
Fanfiction(Remus Lupin - Marauder's Era ) She was wandering through the forest when she saw it. A wolfish being, about as tall as herself, with scruffy grey-brown fur and a snarl forming on its lips. But she wasn't afraid. --- Grace Thorne is an eleven year o...
