Chapter 3 Remus
Remus was in the middle of his dinner when his owl suddenly appeared, carrying a letter. He wondered who it could be from since he had already spoken to James and Peter, and He knew that Sirius never contacted him during the holidays, because of his mother.
As the owl landed on the table, Remus snatched the letter and quickly tore it open. His face turned pale as he read its contents. Without wasting any time, Remus stood up and grabbed his cane, that was leaning against the table. He headed towards the hallway but was so distracted that he bumped into Professor McGonagle.
"I'm sorry, Professor. I wasn't paying attention," Remus apologised, looking up at her.
"It's alright, Mr Lupin, but please be more careful next time. What's the hurry?" Professor McGonagle asked curiously.
"I need to leave immediately. I just received a letter with bad news about Sirius," Remus explained to her. "I received a letter from the Potters. Something has happened to Sirius, and James wants me to go right away," Remus explained urgently.
"Alright, follow me to my office. We will contact the Potters just to confirm your story, and if it's true, I'll then Apparate you myself, as it will be the quickest way for you to get there," Professor McGonagle told Remus.
"Thank you," Remus replied gratefully.
"If what you're saying is true, then it must be severe, as Mr and Mrs Potter wouldn't have you contacted for something minor," Professor McGonagle added.
They arrived at her office, and she sent a letter with her owl to the Potters.
Within a few minutes, she received a reply confirming that it was indeed true. The Potters requested Remus' presence as soon as possible.
"I'll grant you permission to visit, and if anyone questions it, you can tell them that I gave you permission. Also, please check on Mr Black and keep us informed about what's happening and when you both plan to return," Professor McGonagle instructed Remus.
Remus knew that this was the closest thing to a confession of concern from her. She had always been his favourite professor, just like Sirius and James, even though the latter might not want to admit it to anyone.
The next thing he knew, he was at St mongos searching for James and the Potters. As he turned the corner and spotted James, a sharp pain shot through his left leg, causing it to buckle.
He would have fallen if James hadn't been there to catch him.
"Are you alright?" James asked with genuine concern in his voice.
"'I'm fine," Remus replied through gritted teeth as he tested his weight on his leg. He was relieved when it didn't buckle again.
"My parents are still with Sirius; he's not alone," James reassured Remus as he let go of him.
Remus straightened himself up and asked, "Can you show me where he is?"
As they made their way to the room, James told Remus what had happened. "His mum attacked him. I think he pulled some prank or something, and when she found out, she just lost it. She punished him in a really messed up way. It was his dad who showed up at my parents' house you know the one who can't stand him, the one who doesn't even like him - yet he brought him to my parents' house because he was scared for Sirius’s life and what his mother might do to him. Sirius's father was afraid that she would end up killing him."
"He has mentioned his mother and how bad she is a few times. I know she punishes him, but I didn't know it would be this severe," Remus replied while trying to conceal his winces of pain.
James could see that Remus was in pain, but he knew better than to question him about it.
"Sirius’s father said that she used a spell so full of rage and hatred that it hurt Sirius differently than normal. He thinks it's done something bad to Sirius, but we still don't know what exactly," James explained to Remus.
James looked up at Remus and said, "Mooney, he still hasn't woken up.
"How long has he been here?" Remus asked with concern.
"A few hours. We were so worried about him that I forgot; I'm sorry. When he still hadn't woken up, my mother mentioned you. That's when I remembered and had to contact you," James told Remus.
"It's alright. Have you contacted Pete yet?" Remus asked.
"No, I contacted you first. It made sense, and I was going to contact Pete in a minute, but I wanted to make sure you were here and at the room first," James told Remus.
Finally arriving at Sirius's room, Remus looked through the window and saw Sirius lying unconscious in the hospital bed.
Remus's anger towards Walburga intensified with every passing second.