When Time Travel Goes Wrong | MWPP

Chapter Three

"Where's Sirius?" Prongs prodded him, and only now did Remus realise that he'd fallen asleep in the dormitory. Wait... how did I get here...

His eyes widened. "I- I don't know-"

"What do you mean, you don't know?" James demanded, "You were just with him this morning. And then you never showed up for classes."

"I never...showed up...for classes..." Remus's mouth was moving slowly as he attempted to register the words, but it was like his brain was in a fog. "Shit!"

He took off running. "Moony, stop! Where are you going?" James yelled, giving chase. Remus got through the portrait hole, bowling over a rather irate Lily Evans in the process- "Remus, where have you been? You've been missing all day!"

"Sorry!" He yelled over his shoulder, still running. He kept running, down several flights of stairs and through several corridors, before finally slowing down in front of the hospital wing. And as he did, James crashed into him.

"Mate, if you really needed the hospital, you could have just walked-"

"Shh!" Remus hissed, checking to see if there was anybody in there- there wasn't- save for the bed in the far corner, covered by a sheet...

"I left Pads here this morning," said Remus, feeling like crying, "You haven't seen him?"

"No, mate, that's why I asked you-"

"He was with the girl, the one I made him talk to this morning-" They were still struggling to catch their breath. Remus continued, "James. Her brother, the third-year's brother. He didn't make it."

"W-What?" James stammered.

"Mulciber was carted off to Azkaban this morning, I saw him," said Remus, his voice wobbly, "The dead Ravenclaw's under that sheet."

"What? Why? Why, why would he do that?" James hissed, but then seemed to think. His eyes were wider than Remus had ever seen them, and scared, too. "I mean, Mulciber is... he's Mulciber... but he wouldn't kill anybody..."

"I think you put too much faith in people," Remus sighed, "Look, Pads was here this morning... I said I'd... I'd told him that I was going to go get you and Wormy, and then I sort of blacked out. I don't know what happened. I guess I fell asleep in the dormitory. I'm sorry. I have no idea where Sirius or Aquila are."

"Well, we, we have to find them," James's eyes were wide with fear, "W-What if they're hurt? W-What if-"

"I'm sure Padfoot's fine, Jim," Remus said, slightly on edge, "Why would anyone want to hurt him?"

"Remus, a boy just died!" James shouted, "How am I supposed to know whether my best friend is safe or not, there's a third-year running around who's just lost her brother, who knows what sort of trouble they could get into- maybe they've been kidnapped-"