Four To The End (prev Shifting Lines) - Book One (Marauder Era)

Chapter Fifty-One - A Burning Mistake

Sirius and Remus were still stuck together. It was getting dark out. Remus started crying, trying to pull away. Sirius just laughed, calling it a sticky situation. "You don't understand! We have to go to Slughorn!" Remus began shaking, trying to pull his own skin off before the sun set but it was too late. The moon came out. Remus began transforming. Sirius's laughter turned to screams as his small friend grew and grew and become a bloodthirsty monster. Remus howled, twisting around, long teeth driving down into Sirius's neck, blood spurting across Remus's face. He inhaled the delicious scent and then ripped Sirius's neck out--

"NO--MERLIN--PLEASE--NO!" Remus screamed as he thrashed, kicking and fighting against the blanket around him. "NO! NO! NO!"

"What the heck?"

"How come I can hear him?"

Lights came on in the dorm and then Sirius was kneeling next to Remus's bed, looking under. "Remus?"

"No--please--please--" Remus sobbed, still quite out of it. "I said so... I told you... I told you!"

"Yeah, you did. It's okay. Come on." Sirius reached a hand out, but Remus pulled away, fear flashing through him that they'd be glued together again and then he'd transform. "It's okay," Sirius said again, calmly.

"You're supposed to sleep in your bed!" Now Spinnet was crouched down, glaring at Remus. "We need both your curtains absorbing the sound and ours, otherwise we still hear you!"

"Shut up," James snarled.

Sirius pulled his hand away and then lay down on the floor. "Are you all right?" Remus shrugged, cheeks burning as reality came back to him. He had done it again... "Do you want to stay under there?"

Yes, he thought, however if he had another nightmare it would just end poorly. "N... no..." He began pushing himself out from under the bed, still clutching his blanket. Sirius took hold of his arm to help him, and Remus flinched. He quickly let go. Remus felt awful his friend had noticed the involuntary reaction. He wanted to explain why, but of course he couldn't. "I'm s-sorry," he whispered to Spinnet and Struthers.

"What's the point of the spells if you go'n do that?!" Spinnet demanded, nearly in his face. "What kind of freak sleeps under the bed anyway?!"

"Call him that again, you'll be pooping out your teeth for a week," warned Sirius.

"I f-f-forgot," Remus whimpered, wrapping the blanket around himself. He could see the moon through the split in the curtains, so full and round. Less than twenty-four hours. He edged away from the window. "It won't happen again."

"Better not." Spinnet stormed back to his bed, muttering to himself.

"You sure you're all right?" Struthers asked and Remus nodded. "Okay. Um. You know. I'm not--not mad about it or anything, really, just worried."

"Thank you," Remus forced out. He didn't like that they talked to him, he wished they'd all just go to bed, so he could disappear under his covers to try and forget this. Struthers went to bed, then Peter and James, and finally Sirius. Why does he always linger? Remus closed his curtains, curling up on his bed, wishing he hadn't forgotten to properly go to bed the night before. No... it wasn't so much had had forgotten, he just preferred being under his bed. He'd have to remember next time not to do that. Be more careful.

*

Due to the nightmares that persisted all night (none that caused screaming though) he was absolutely exhausted on Saturday. He slept through breakfast, only getting up when Peter shook him awake partway through the morning, telling him McGonagall needed to talk to them. He threw on clothes and followed Pete down to McGonagall's office, where James and Sirius were waiting. Remus rubbed his eyes sleepily as they traipsed through the door.