Chapter 5
"Remus Lupin is going to be your new roommate boys. Remus you'll be sharing with James Potter and Sirius Black along with Peter Pettigrew. "
The Matron said eagerly.
James's eyes lit up and he beamed at Remus.
"Great Stu-ff." He said happily, he blinked twice while saying this and contorted his face slightly.
Fucking hell was every single person here on drugs? Remus thought.
He gave James a smile trying not to seem scared.
Sirius's mouth dropped for a slight second at the news before he composed himself.
The discontent on his face was clear and something devilish flashed in his eyes before he commented.
"You sure you'll fit in the bed Rupert." He eyed Remus up and down wickedly.
Most boys would not be self conscious about being tall. Remus however hated it. He hated having any sort of attention drawn to him and his height made him stand out.
Before Remus could make a quip back to show the boy he wasn't threatened by him James suddenly burst out.
"Lanky git!"
"Oi what the fuck?" Remus said back half annoyed half shocked.
James clasped a hand over his mouth.
"Sh-i t sorry mate." He said apologetically a look of shame on his face.
Sirius barely attempted to stifle his laugh and even Marlene's mouth started to twitch into a grin.
She saw Remus looking at them.
"Don't mind Jamie he says all sorts of shite, He dosent mean it though honest."
James nodded in agreement.
"Stuf-ff just com-mes out."
He said smiling sympathetically.
Remus gritted his teeth a little agitated that he'd been here 5 minutes and was already the butt of a joke.
"Right." He said tortly.
Sirius looked at him like a dog smelling fear.
"Yeah don't worry about James he's not crazy," he paused making direct eye contact with Remus "he's not going to like smother you in your sleep or anything, not like Pete." He quirked his lips into a cheeky grin as he said this.
"That's quite enough Mr Black." The Matron scolded.
This however didn't stop him.
Remus had only just met Sirius Black and yet he could tell that he always had to have the last word.
"Sorry Poppy I'm just saying you never know what he's thinking our Pete," He said almost like a warning.
"Sirius!" The nurse said sharply.
The boy threw his hands up in mock defeat before swiftly turning and gesturing for the other two patients to follow him to the benches.
Poppy turned to Remus trying to do damage control.
"Don't mind Sirius, Remus he really shouldn't discuss other patients like that. In earnest love all your roomates a lovely boys." She paused clearly thinking or Sirius's threats. "Once you get to know them."
The next stop on the tour was the greenhouse across in the corner and instead of making small talk Remus resolved to stay silent and imagine what sort of threat this "Pete" was.
On the one hand Sirius could have been pulling his leg trying to get a reaction out of him. On the other hand no one had explicitly said that Peter WOULDN'T suffocate him.
Remus imagined a big buff scary insane asylum patient sleeping in the bunk above him and felt a little queasy.
"Here we are." The Matron said swinging open the glass door to the greenhouse.
A tanned young woman with short hair looked up from the pot she was fiddling with.
"Heya Poppy." She said cheerily.
The woman wore a key chain on her dirt speckled overalls indicating that she was likely a nurse herself. Although she didn't really look the part in her wellies and garden gloves.
"Hello Alice, how are things."
"All good we're just doing some planting."
Alice nodded to a girl with a mess of untamed mousy blonde curls and a chubby boy who were potting flowers at the far end of the shed.
"Oh lovely, I have Remus here hes a new patient. Do you mind if we have a look around. We might make as well make a few introductions too."
Pomfrey said to Alice as if the young woman had the authority to deny her request.
Alice nodded happily.
"Course, "
The pair walked down towards the two patients planting.
"I knew you were coming." The girl said looking at both Remus and Poppy.
How the hell did she know that?
"Thats nice dear." The Matron said kindly.
She had big red framed glasses that took up most of her face.
"I'm Sybil, I knew you were about to ask."
She said staring into his soul with her saucer shaped eyes.
"Right..cool." Remus replied to the strange girl
"You're sad." She said not breaking eye contact. Remus wasn't sure if she'd even blinked yet. It wasn't exactly a wild guess though. Who was happy in a mental hospital?
Remus didn't respond. The question was almost rhetorical or rather a statement and not a question at all.
"I'm a psychic." Said plainly still staring.
Remus winced in pity.
"Greatt." He said trying to mask the sarcasm that naturally fell onto his words.
Pomfrey now seemed to feel the need to redirect the conversation, though why she waited so long to do so was beyond Remus.
"This is Peter, Remus. He's your other roomate."
The chubby boy looked up finally.
Remus almost laughed, not to be cruel but simply because he was probably the least threatening person he'd ever seen.
Peter had large brown eyes, rosy cherub cheeks and a frightened expression.
He looked up like he was scared of Remus.
Remus immediately felt sorry for the smaller boy.
He gave a half hearted smile.
"Heya, Peter." He said lifting his hand slightly to signal a hello.
The boy timidly raised his own hand back. Still looking a little scared. But he didn't say a word in response.
Remus scrambled for a way to breech the awkward silence as the two patients stared at him.
One in fear and the other with unnerving knowing look.
"I met your- or I guess our other roomates."
Peter swallowed and maintained his scared expression without saying a word in response."
Despite himself Remus tried again to initiate some sort of conversation. He hated this sort of thing with a passion but he felt determined to at least get along with one of his new roomates.
"So what are you growing there?" He asked gesturing at Peters pot.
"We are repotting rosemary, it has many medical properties." The girl called Sybill replied.
"That's cool." Remus said shuffling a little.
He looked around to find that the Matron had abandoned him to engage in conversations with Alice.
Peter said nothing.
"Do you, come here to the greenhouse much Peter?"
Another sheet of silence fell over the three patients.
"Yes Peter and I come here often." Sybil said she had broken eye contact and was now back to her plant.
"Not much of a talker eh Pete." Remus laughed awkwardly trying to seem friendly and relaxed but instead it came out forced and a little snide. Remus internally chided himself for this.
"Peter's mostly nonverbal." Sybil said still not looking back up.
"Oh sorry," Remus hesitated "what does mostly nonverbal mean."
"Peter doesn't talk unless he really wants to. He can talk he just doesn't want to most of the time. It's not because he's slow, he's smarter than people who run their mouths to fill awkward silences if you ask me." At the end of her sentence Sybil looked up pointedly.
"I get that." Remus nodded feeling guilty yet again. He had been chittering on nervously like an idiot for the past few minutes.
But the truth was Remus could on some level understand Peter not wanting to talk.
It overwhelmed him too most of the time.