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

Chapter Eighty-Six - Overthinking

Finally Tuesday came. Remus was helped back to the school with Pomfrey, collapsing into the hospital bed as soon as he got into the small room. His hand had been pretty torn up so he was given a chocolate drink for breakfast. He managed to get it all down before going to sleep. Four moons sucked so much. It wasn't fair. The moon wasn't technically full! All right, so it was very close to being full but still. He wished he knew why. At least he hadn't hurt himself too much this time. Saturday night he had ripped into his side pretty badly and the previous night he had chewed on his paw for some of the night, mangling his right hand completely.

He woke up for lunch then just went back to sleep, still too tired to even think about going to class--then remembered just before drifting off that he didn't have class on Tuesday afternoons anyway. He was still exhausted when he woke up in the afternoon then had to ask Pomfrey for some paper.

Professor Dumbledore, I don't think I can contact Miss Fawley quickly and I guess you can but I don't think I can attend to my Occlumency lesson tonight. I am very tired. I am also very sorry. Please send her my regards. Remus.

He asked Pomfrey if she could please get that to Dumbledore as soon as possible, then he fell back asleep.

*

Remus ate dinner in the hospital wing then went to the dorms, hoping that Fawley had gotten the message. He half considered going to the classroom to nap there until Occlumency would start, just to make sure... but that thought exhausted him too much. He went to the dorm, glad that he was coming up here while most everyone was still down in the Great Hall. He curled up in bed, tucking his right hand close to him since it still had some bandages around it. He slept, until the Marauders woke him up coming noisily into the dorm.

"Remus!" Sirius exclaimed.

He sat up as his friends tumbled onto his bed, giving him pats on the shoulder, saying how glad they were he was back, how much better he looked. Remus smiled at all of them, casting surreptitious glances towards Sirius, wondering if he was going to bring anything up. They talked about their classes, shared notes with him, told him the small things he missed, then Peter leaned against Remus saying how happy he was Remus was doing better which warmed Remus up and he gave a very rare purposeful hug. Well, half hug. He put his arm around Peter and kinda squeezed then quickly withdrew his arm.

That was a mistake.

"What happened to your hand?" Sirius grabbed Remus's arm, pulling his bandaged hand close to study it. Remus had kept his hand pretty much hidden until the half hug.

"Oh..." Remus tried to pull his hand away but Sirius had a pretty good grip on his wrist. "I think I hit if off the--the corner of the bedside table. I d--don't really remember."

"How come Pomfrey didn't heal it up?" Peter asked, while James went to get a board game for them to play.

Remus managed to get his hand free, averting his gaze from all his friends. "She... did... b--but the medicine I take for--my other stuff--kinda slows the healing process. That's--th-that's all." Merlin it sounded feeble even to him. He was feeling too distraught to come up with proper lies. Sirius's eyes were narrow slits while Remus felt like he might just pass out from mental anguish right there and then. But before he could, James finished setting up the Hippogriff Flip game so they began playing that instead of talking about Remus's hand. Remus didn't do so well since he was so distracted by Sirius plus he had to use his left hand so that didn't help, though James teased it made him feel better about being left handed.

That night Remus tossed and turned, waking up multiple times, sweaty, shaky, sick. He went to the bathroom twice to vomit, the second time just curling up on the floor, hugging his knees, feeling stupid. At least it didn't seem like Sirius had gone to anyone with his suspicions. He had kept them to himself. And soon they'd be gone, with the fake-silver.