Sunday Afternoon
September 1974
REMUS
It took Remus a while to figure out his new schedule.
Unlike Peter and Sirius, who dropped Arithmancy after last year, he took on healing classes that madame Pomfrey offered. It wasn’t an official subject, rather a group of students who wanted to become healers, and it took place in the hospital wing in the evenings, leaving Remus with even less time to spend with Marauders.
“Moonyyyy,” Sirius pleaded when they got their schedules. “When are we going to work on our magnificent pranks now? We’re going to barely see you this way!”
“You’re basically abandoning us!” James joined in, flopping on Remus’ bed and waving his piece of parchment dramatically. Sirius followed, falling on his back dramatically. Remus scooted over to make space for the two boys.
“I know,” he said, “but I need to know the basics. If I want to live on my own after school, I need to know how to…take care of myself.” He thought of his latest scar, a jagged line running down his back along his spine. “Besides, we’re literally sharing a dorm room, I’ll see you plenty,” he promised with a trace of guilt in his voice. They took that for an answer, though they kept making sorrowful faces every time he left for his classes.
September's full moon wasn’t as bad as Remus expected. Maybe the wolf was happy to be back at Hogwarts, maybe the worst of the moons was finally subsiding. He still woke up with broken nails and scratched arms, but madam Pomfrey fixed him with a few quick spells and he managed to walk to the castle all by himself. His hip was still a bit funky, it made a popping sound with each step. Once he was in the hospital wing, he felt something inside him finally ease. He drank the sleeping potion gladly, which earned him Madam Pomfrey’s approving look, and drifted off.
When he woke up again, it was well past noon. Remus usually tried to get out of the hospital wing as soon as he could, but this time the moon fell on a Saturday, meaning he got the whole Sunday for recovery. He blinked a couple times in the bright light.
“Morning, Moony!” His eyes slid to the feet of his bed. Sure enough, Sirius was sitting there, smiling that Sirius Black grin. For a moment, Remus’s heart tightened strangely, before it eased into the comfort of having his friends near. Days later, Remus wouldn’t be able to pinpoint what was the short feeling, but he would spend his time flipping it around in his mind, trying to find a box to put it in.
“Hiya,” James looked up from a book he was reading. Remus squinted at the cover, then laughed.
“Jane Austen? Really?”
James shut the book too quickly. “Evans lent it to me, alright?” he muttered quickly. “Nothing wrong with expanding my horizons,” he added, shoving the book under the chair.
“Absolutely,” Sirius grinned. “I always thought you were more of a Shakespeare type, though.” He stretched his legs across the bed. Remus stiffened at the movement, and a flinch of pain shot through his back when the mattress shifted. He moved around slightly, trying to ignore the cut on his back, burning now.
“Oh, sorry, Moony.” Sirius moved again, but Remus stopped him.
“It’s alright, just…don’t move?”
“Oh. Sure.”
There was a moment of silence, interrupted only by Peter’s scribbling. Remus propped himself up and leaned forward as far as his back let him.
“What’s that?” he asked. Peter looked up, his eyes unfocused. “The herbology essay. Uses and dangers of venomous tentacula.”
Sirius and James chuckled, and Remus realised. He couldn’t help himself but smile.
“Right, the disciplinary essay.”
Sirius threw up his hands in defense. “We didn’t even have to go to the hospital wing!” He argued. It was true - after James’s attempt to wrap the venomous tentacles around Sirius’s ankles backfired, Remus took care of the burns. They didn’t heal properly, because his skills were fairly limited, but James insisted it helped.
“I was limping for three days, you idiot,” James said, reaching out to smack Sirius and the boys fell backwards on the bed, wrestling. Remus raised his hands in defense and winced when the mattress moved again. The fighting boys stopped in their tracks.
“Sorry, Moony,” Sirius said, his tone suddenly soft. “Get off,” he nudged James, who did indeed go shift back to his chair sheepishly.
“Point stands,” Remus said when they settled again, Sirius sitting cross legged at the end of the bed. “Why is Peter writing your essays?”
Peter looked up. “James promised to do my potions homework,” he shrugged. “Honestly, at this point I’ll take anything. I have no idea how I’m going to pass the OWLs next year.”
“You’ll be alright, Pete,” James smiled at him. “Hey, Moony,” he turned to Remus again, “do you think madame Pomfrey will let you go with us? You’re fine, aren’t you?”
Remus thought about the pain shooting down his back. It hurt, yes, but there was always some part of him that hurt. He decided it was fine.
He nodded and James’s face lit up.
“Great! I have practice, but the boys are coming to watch, so maybe you could come too. And then we can go to dinner together. Sounds alright?”
“Why not,” Remus nodded. He hasn’t been to practice in months. There was just always something to do, and Remus didn’t think sitting out in the cold was the best way to spend his weekends anyway. But today, the afternoon sun was still warm with the remains of summer, and James’s excitement was contagious. And he ought to go outside more, he thought to himself.
“Save me a seat,” he smiled at the boys.
*****
Apparently, it wasn’t only Remus who wanted to enjoy the last of September sun. The tribunes were half full, groups of students scattered around the pitch. Remus looked around and caught Sirius and Peter in the Gryffindor tribunes, waving wildly. He gave them an absent-minded smile and tried to suppress the tight feeling in his chest. Taking a deep breath, he made his way across the tribunes.
He made a point to keep his eyes pinned to the ground as he walked by the Slytherins. Snape had already picked up a fight with James in the first potions class - neither of them liked the idea of having joined classes for the whole year, and they both made it very clear. Remus thought it better to avoid Snape after that. Whatever James said, Snape took it as if all the Marauders were at fault as well.
“Watch it, Lupin!”
Remus barely managed to put out his hands before he tumbled to the ground. A flash of pain shot through his back. He instinctively pulled his knees up, and that made his hip pop painfully. He winced, looking up.
Sure enough, Snape was standing there, towering over Remus with a sly smile.
“Well well, Loony Lupin,” he taunted. The glint in his eye made Remus shiver. “ Sick , were we again?”
“Piss off,” Remus muttered, trying to stand up. His hip made another popping sound and he had to reach out to the ground again.
“I just wonder if McGonagall lets you get away with your little sick days just like that,” Snape continued, very much enjoying the attention of the small group of Slytherins that gathered around them.
Remus finally pushed himself off the ground and stood on his feet. He felt wobbly and lightheaded. He tried walking away, hoping his defeat would be enough to satisfy Severus. But the circle of Slytherins pressed together, closing him in.
“What secrets are you keeping, Loony Lupin?” Severus asked, his voice dripping with arrogance. He lifted Remus’s chin with the tip of his wand, studying his face. Remus felt his heart drop. The scar on his back was burning, and his hip wasn’t any better. But the sick feeling that pooled in his stomach was worse than both the injuries. Snape couldn’t know anything, could he?
“Oi, tosser! Leave him alone!” James’s voice came like a call from heaven. He flew past them, disappearing into a bright red smudge against the blue sky, but it seemed to be enough. Snape backed off, putting his wand back.
“So long, Lupin. Don’t think we’re done here.”
Remus didn’t say anything, just turned around and made his way to Sirius and Peter. He thought about spitting at Severus’s shoes, but he knew that wouldn’t do any good.
Peter and Sirius greeted him with concerned glances.
“What did he want?” Sirius asked, a hint of anger in his voice. Remus sat down and pulled his jacket closer.
“Nothing. Just the usual Slytherin crap.”
Sirius scoffed. “Our Moony will not be threatened by someone like Snivellus,” he said, Severus’s nickname rolling off his tongue like a swear word. “He’s got a prank coming for him.”
Remus smiled. As hot-headed as Sirius was, it felt nice to have someone defending him. Remus didn’t doubt that James would gladly join in on their next prank mission, especially when the target was Snape.
Sirius squeezed his shoulder.
“We’ll get him, Moony.”
He took a breath and looked across the quidditch pitch as the strange tight feeling settled in his heart again.