Wolfstar Oneshots

Remus’ Hogwarts years were plagued by monthly stays in the infirmary. Obviously, the reason he was in there wasn't enjoyable, but his friends made it better.

The morning after The Prank, Remus was stuck in bed, bandaged all over from his wolf's upset at seeing a human. He ached, in all ways he could, and he knew he couldn't return to the dorm that night like he usually would.

“Can I stay here today?” Remus had murmured when Pomfrey came over to check his bandages to make sure he wasn't bleeding through. She did her best to heal the wounds, but they were werewolf inflicted, so she could only do so much.

Pomfrey examined his face for a moment. “Of course, dear. In fact, I think you should stay the night, as well, just to make sure your wounds won't interfere with your school day.” She put a gentle hand on his shoulder - the uninjured one - and smiled a little, trying to reassure him. “You can stay as long as you want after that.”

Remus nodded gratefully. “Thank you.”

Pomfrey nodded. “I'll get a house elf to get you some breakfast. Try your best to eat as much as you can, okay?”

Remus hummed noncommittally, but she accepted it with a ruffle of his hair. He'd told her all he remembered - seeing Snape right as he was transforming, feeling the wolf's bloodthirst. 

Remus tried, he really did, but every nibble he took off the piece of toast only made his stomach churn even worse. He was so nauseous by the time he gave up, that eating was just counterproductive. How was he supposed to keep down any food when he knew that Snape was across the room, asleep, with his own wounds bandaged? How was he supposed to not throw up when it was Sirius - Sirius, who knew better than anyone how ashamed and scared he was of his lycanthropy- who showed Snape the way into the shack?

Pomfrey had gotten Snape's story while Remus was unconscious, but she'd relayed the most important information to him.

Around lunchtime, long after Snape had awoken and left, the doors to the infirmary opened, and Remus allowed himself a glance. Upon seeing that it was Sirius, Remus set his jaw, and refused to look up from his book as the other boy's footsteps drew closer.

“Moony,” Sirius started, sounding so upset. Remus’ chest ached. “I- I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking, and I was just so angry-”

“Stop.” Remus closed his book with more force than probably necessary. “Just.. stop.” He hated how his voice shook.

“Remus, please, listen,” Sirius begged.

Remus swallowed down his nausea. “Leave me alone, Sirius,” he replied, a little louder than he meant to, but with only a quarter of the bite that he felt Sirius deserved.

Pomfrey came out of her office, clearly having heard Remus’ distress. “Mister Black, I must ask that you leave,” she requested.

“I need to talk to him!” Sirius protested.

“You can talk to him when he's ready,” Pomfrey insisted, an edge to her voice that had Remus looking up from his lap. “Right now, he is not interested, and you are only doing more harm. He needs to rest.”

Sirius seemed subdued in Remus’ peripheral view, because he couldn't bring himself to look in Sirius’ direction, and it was obvious that he wanted to keep arguing, but he couldn't. 

Sirius ended up leaving, after an excruciating few moments, and Remus grabbed his book again. He couldn't focus on the words though, because they were shaking. It took him a moment to realize that it was him that was shaking.

“Thank you,” he said to Pomfrey. 

She smiled at him, putting her hand on his shoulder once again. “Any time dear.” Her eyes seemed sad. “I'm.. so sorry, Remus, that he did that. I know how hard it can be when friends use your shame against you.”

Remus’ eyes pricked with tears, and his face burned at the reminder. He couldn't help himself as he hugged the woman. She'd done so much for him over the years. “It's not fair,” he croaked. She wrapped her arms around him, sitting on the edge of his cot.

“No, dear, it really isn't.” She cradled Remus’ head, and he started sobbing into her embrace. “Let it out, hon. I'll be here for you whenever you need.”

It took him a few minutes to compose himself. “I wish my mum was like you,” he whispered, when he was done crying. His entire body was trembling, and Pomfrey could feel her own tears well up.

“She loves you,” Pomfrey replied.

Remus nodded. “I know,” he murmured. “But not the way I need her to.”

Pomfrey only held him closer. “I don't have any children of my own, and I don't think I ever will, but you're as good as, Remus. If you need an adult for anything, you can come right to me, alright?”

Remus smiled weakly up at her. “Alright.” He put his head back on her shoulder. “I'll go to classes tomorrow, but could I stay the night here again?”

“Of course,” Pomfrey replied. “I can't imagine how hard it'd be to return to your dorm after this. At some point, you'll need to, but I'm sure I can make a case to Minerva for a few nights here.”

Remus nearly started crying again. “Thank you,” he said. He didn't feel like that covered it at all.

Pomfrey ruffled his hair a little. “Do you want a sleeping potion?”

Remus shook his head, pulling away from her a little. She released her embrace, and Remus felt cold. “I think I'm just gonna read for as long as I can keep my headache away.”

Pomfrey hummed. “I'll get you a headache potion.” She stood and headed for her supplies, returning with the aforementioned potion, and he drank it gratefully. What ever would he do without Poppy Pomfrey?

Remus, despite himself, found a maternal figure in Pomfrey. His mum was still alive - though, admittedly, her health was declining severely - and sometimes he felt guilty for searching for a mother in other women. He pushed away that guilt with the knowledge that if his mother had been more up for the task of being a mother, then he wouldn't have to search for it elsewhere. He couldn't find it in himself to be upset at her for the borderline neglect, however, because he knew that having a werewolf child couldn't have been easy. He'd come to the conclusion that she dissociated to avoid it. It was an awful conclusion, but it was better than considering the idea that she wanted nothing to do with him.

He took a little nap in the afternoon, and when he came to, it was to Pomfrey  fussing over him again. He smiled as she checked his bandages carefully. He pictured her in the place of his mother as a child, and wished he'd had the opportunity for Hope to live her full motherly potential.

As his wounds knit themselves together over the day and a half that he had the bandages on, he found comfort in the routine of going back to the infirmary to get them checked every so often. He found comfort in getting to stay the night in there, as refuge from Sirius. His school days became stressful, and so when he couldn't stand being in the common room where his friends could try to talk to him, he was with Pomfrey. She spent the time teaching him about her healer work, and even had him help her with a couple students that came in.

Were Remus’ sights not already set on being a teacher, he would consider being a healer. He wasn't sure how expensive schooling for either would be, so he didn't get his hopes up. He could daydream, though.

And daydream he did. He daydreamed about what Pomfrey would be like as his mother, and he daydreamed about how he might confront Sirius when he found the energy to yell at him. 

Above everything, he returned to the infirmary. It was becoming more home than the Gryffindor tower now. 

Pomfrey didn't seem to mind in the slightest.