Black Spirit • harry potter (AU)

f i f t e e n • the morning after

I jolted awake suddenly, surrounded by my mum, Remus, Dumbledore, McGonagall and madam Pomfrey. It was light outside, I must have slept through the night.

"Stay still dear, you broke two ribs last night." Madam Pomfrey said, placing a phial of potion on my nightstand next to my wand and a pile of candy. "For the pain, rest up dear." She said and walked off to tend to Ron, who's leg was in a cast.

"Oh my baby, are you okay?" My mum exclaimed after she had left, going in for a hug. I nodded, still not sure what had happened exactly.

"Hurts a bit." I said, squirming from the pain as I went to grab the potion.

"Here," Remus said, handing me the small bottle. "Guinevere, I am so sorry." He said, before he broke down in tears. I had never seen a grown man cry before, the sight was unsettling.

"What? What happened?" I asked, completely confused.

McGonagall spoke first, "According to professor Snape, after the events at the Shrieking Shack, professor Lupin had transformed into a werewolf and attacked, due to having forgotten his potion earlier that day, he lost all control." She said, her voice stern, but I could see she wasn't trying to make Remus uncomfortable.

But he was clearly already completely crushed. Remus sat down on the chair, continuing to cry silently, as he held my free hand.

"I'm so sorry, Gwen, please forgive me." He begged, my mum placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "you got seriously hurt and I will never be able to forgive myself." He said, I stroked his hand with my thumb.

"It's okay, Remus, I forgive you." I said, and he seemed incredibly relieved by this. "I know you have no control as a wolf, it's not your fault." I said, smiling.

The pain was slowly subsiding now, the medication was working, thank Merlin.

"But if I hadn't forgotten the potion-"

"Stop, it's not your fault, okay?" I said, my tone final, he nodded, but kept moping nonetheless.

"Alright, so," Dumbledore, who had been staying silent until now, spoke up, "we should probably fill you in, your father has escaped arrest once again."

"Really?" I said, my tone way too hopeful, earning a glare from my mum.

"Yes, he somehow managed to blow up his cell door and disappear again, but we have reason to believe he will not be coming back to Hogwarts, so the dementors are being sent away as we speak. The minister has ordered them to return to Azkaban." The headmaster said with a twinkle in his eye. I smiled.

He continued, "Madam Pomfrey has said that your ribs should heal in a couple of days with the help of potions. You'll be back on your feet in no time."

"Unfortunately, professor Lupin has decided to resign due to recent events, and will be boarding the Hogwarts express later this week when term ends for the summer." Dumbledore stated, I looked back to my godfather, who was still looking down at his hands.

"That should be all," Dumbledore clapped, as if his task was done, and bid us goodbye, before walking off with McGonagall.

It was only then that I noticed that Harry and Hermione were not in the hospital wing, it was just me and Ron. They must not have been hurt that bad.

My mum sat down at the other chair on the opposite side of the bed from Remus and smiled at me. "Snuffles is at the house, he'll be coming to greet you when you arrive at King's cross." She said, I nodded and smiled.

"How did he escape?" I whispered.

"I don't know exactly, all I know is that he arrived past midnight, with a wanted hippogriff, and told me what had happened to you. I had to wait until I was officially notified to come, since it would have been suspicious otherwise, but I came as soon as I could."