moon-bound ♤ wolfstar

chapter//four

art by jpaddy on tumblr

kinda short?

//

The next morning he woke up on the floor of the empty, abandoned building James had taken him to last night. He could smell dirt and blood filling the air, as well as an underlying hint of mold and old water. He let out a soft groan and immediately felt hands on his shoulders, pulling him up. It was undoubtedly James. He was always the one to help him after the full moon, he'd get him home and Lily would do all the healing while Peter hung around quietly, observing Remus after. It used to bother Remus that he would do that once he found out, but after a couple years of it happening, he got used to it.

Remus moved his arm to pull himself up, but he before he could it brushed against soft fur. Not the fur of a deer and it was far too big to be a rat. Remus's eyes shot open and he was face to... well, fur. Black fur. Remus craned his neck around to see Peter in the corner of the room while Lily was rummaging through her bag for the potions she'd brought with her. "Remus," James said. "C'mon, get up." His torso was stinging. So was his leg and arm and other various parts of his body, but those three places definitely hurt the worst. 

"What happened?" Remus croaked, his eyes still sticky with sleep. James wrapped an arm around his torso and pulled him into a sitting position, resting his back against the wall. He was careful to avoid the cut, which Remus was thankful for. He looked back at where he was previously laying, and there was Sirius, now awake, looking over at James and Remus. If dogs could look nervous, Remus could swear Sirius looked nervous. Eyes wider than usual, head slightly ducked. "What happened, James?"

"Maybe you should get dressed," James murmured, handing his friend his clothes. 

"You know, if my torso didn't hurt so bad I'd love to. Care to help me?" James nodded and helped his friend get into his boxers and jeans. 

"Lily, can you come help with the wounds?" She nodded and pulled out her wand before walking over to Remus and murmuring a couple spells, one to clean to wound and another to heal it. Of course, it wasn't fully healed, but it was good enough for the time being. 

"Take these," She told him. Lily stuck out her hand which held two small vials. He happily drank both of them. 

"Now, can someone tell me what happened?" James shifted on his feet nervously and Peter looked away, deciding that the small nest of spiders a few meters away was very fascinating. Lily knelt next to Remus and handed him his shirt.

"After you transformed, the first couple hours or so was fine. You were playing with James and me while Peter scurried around beneath your paws. Nothing unusual, but then you started pawing at the door. Of course, we had secured it so you couldn't open it and no one could come in, so we weren't worried about you getting out. You got so mad that you couldn't get out, so you started making other noises, howling and yapping...

"That we could deal with, but it only got worse. We tried to distract you, but you just started biting and scratching yourself. James tried to stop you and you got defensive and started snapping at him instead, so finally he just... kicked you into the wall and knocked you out. A moment after Sirius apparated in and turned into Padfoot and... just slept next to you until you woke up."

"Is that why I felt like I was hit by a bus when I woke up?" Remus said. "Oh Merlin, I'm so sorry James."

"Probably," James replied. Then he shrugged. "The wolf isn't you, Remus, you can't help it. How are you feeling now?"

"I feel a lot better now that I've taken the potions, but still not... good. I feel heavy." Lily wrapped an arm around Remus and did her best to help him to stand. Remus was mildly surprised. He certainly wasn't the lightest person in the world but she still supported him.