The rest of the world disappeared once again as she felt the all-consuming pain take over her body. Faint laughter rang in her ears, but her mind was so far gone that she wasn't sure if it was real or a hallucination. I'm going to die like this, she thought, and for a moment, that was what she wanted. For all the pain to go away, and for peace. Peace from the war and all the heartbreak that came with it. But she stopped herself as a single thought came into her mind. Remus. Sweet, caring Remus. He had been waiting for her at home, their home, as she had been ambushed by three Death Eaters. She wondered how long it had taken him to realize that something was wrong. What had he done? Was anyone looking for her? She hoped they were, she longed for nothing more than to see his face, to feel his arms wrap around her. No matter what was happening around them, she always felt safe with him.
She felt herself drifting into unconsciousness as the pain suddenly lifted. Instead, a dull ache filled its place, tightening up her limbs until she felt as though she was laying under the Hogwarts Express. Somewhere in the background, she could hear shouts and bangs, although the weak state she was in prevented her from focusing on anything. That is until she felt someone shaking her. Not in a cruel, aggressive way, but instead full of care and desperation. She used the last of her strength to peel her eyes open, and after focusing them in front of her, she was met with a pair of concerned gray eyes.
"Oh thank Merlin!" Sirius exclaimed, although his relief was short-lived as the girl barely responded to his presence, "Moony get in here!"
Moony! Her eyes began to water and her heart burst with relief as he ran, panicked, through the door. She was safe now, she knew that, and slowly, the girl began to drift off to sleep, as the boys above her begged her to stay awake.
The next thing her mind registered was not the cold, stiff tile of the dungeon, nor the musty smell. Rather, she felt soft silky sheets and smelled... Remus. She could recognize him anywhere, even as she lay with her eyes closed and body aching. The feel of his hand in hers encouraged her, and she slowly opened her eyes. He lay, both of his hands wrapped around her much smaller one, and his head resting right next to her stomach. His eyes were closed, and a single curl of sandy hair fell across his forehead. The hand that wasn't being held in his own slowly reached out, brushing the strand away and tucking it behind his ear. At this motion, Remus stirred, and quickly jolted awake as he realized that she too was conscious.
"Oh, love" he whispered, his eyes filling with unshed tears.
"Hi Remus" she replied, her voice cracking and barely audible, throat still sore from her cries of pain.
"How are you feeling? Do you need anything? I can bring Lily in here if you do, Merlin knows she's much better at healing than I am," he rambled on, desperate to help her in any way that he could.
"I've been better," she replied with a small smile on her face, which soon disappeared when she realized that Remus did not find that comment funny, "you worry too much."
"Worry too much!" he exclaimed, "you were just kidnapped by Death Eaters! You were with them for two whole days!" His voice cracked and he lowered his voice carefully. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault, if I had just picked you up from work instead of letting you walk alone-"
"Don't do that Remus," she cut him off, "you couldn't have known that they would be there. And that doesn't really matter anyways because you found me and I'm fine now!"
"But-"
"No Remus, now can you please lay with me?"
"Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you." he questioned worriedly, resting his hand carefully on her cheek.
After reassuring him and pulling back the blankets on her bed, he carefully crawled in and wrapped his arms around her frame, frowning as he saw a dark bruise along the top of her arm. He felt a surge of anger at the thought of someone hurting his girl, but quickly stopped himself as he thought of how she was currently laying in his arms. Remus kissed her forehead, whispering the three words that she had been longing to hear for the past two days.
"I love you too, Remus."