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The wolf had not had a good night.
Remus could barely open his eyes. He could feel a splinter digging into his back, but he didn’t have the strength to roll over.
“Moony. You back?”
Sirius. An overwhelming wave of relief washed over Remus when he realized he wasn’t alone.
“Mm.”
He clutched for the wall, trying to drag himself up, but as his fingers made contact with the slats he realized at least a few of them were broken. He swore and fell back down.
Sirius was sitting with his back against the wall, a few feet away from Remus. “You alright?”
Remus squinted around. The light dripping through the walls was not kind on his developing headache.
“Moony?”
“Hi,” he managed.
“Your leg’s pretty mangled. Don’t try to sit up.”
Remus didn’t bother looking down. The pain always set in slowly, in waves, and he considered himself lucky that he couldn’t feel whatever was happening with his leg yet. “Okay.”
They were silent for a little while.
“You were really angry last night.”
Remus rubbed his eyes with the back of his palm. “Oh. Sorry.”
“Not your fault.” Sirius’s eyes were full of fear and something that was close to pity, but not quite.
“Still.”
“Don’t be.” Sirius moved closer.
Remus tried to sit up again, but regretted it immediately. Tears sprung to his eyes. “Shit.”
“You’re okay.”
He squeezed his eyes shut. Frustrated, he tried to move his leg, but that only brought a jolt of pain and the skin-crawling sensation of what he had learned to recognize as a fresh gash reopening. He could feel a few broken ribs, and the blanket Sirius must have laid over him was stuck to his left arm with crusted blood. He took a breath.
“You should go,” Remus mumbled. His head felt too heavy to keep up. He could barely look over his shoulder at Sirius.
“It’s alright. Pomfrey won’t be here for a little while. And I don’t want to leave you yet.”
With a shock, Remus realized he was crying. He usually managed to keep it in until he was alone in a bed in the hospital wing, but that morning, the frustration and pain had gotten the best of him.
“I’m sorry, Moony,” said Sirius, softly.
“For what?”
“This. That you have to have this happen.”
Remus swallowed. That just made him want to cry more. The hot tears on his cheeks stung his skin.
More than anything, he wanted to drag himself over to Sirius and let himself be held, to hear that sympathy over and over. But he couldn’t. Physically, or emotionally.
“It’s not your fault,” he replied.
“What can I do?”
Remus realized Sirius probably hadn’t seen him cry before. He almost wished the boy would leave. It was painful enough to wake up having torn himself apart despite his friends’ efforts, but Sirius being there to see him realize it made it worse.
“Nothing. It’s okay. Where’re the others?”
“They left already. James had quidditch early. And Pete -- I don’t even know. Said he had to finish homework for today. I said I would stay.”
“Oh.”
“Do you want me to start trying to fix you up?”
“No, you shouldn’t --”
He was interrupted by a rap on the door. “Remus?”
The boys froze.
“She’s early,” breathed Sirius. He didn’t move.
“Remus, you alright?” called Madam Pomfrey. “Can I come in?”
Remus glanced at Sirius. He could practically see the gears in his head turning, running through the thousands of scenarios which might be about to happen. Remus fought to keep the panic out of his face. If they were caught, Sirius would be the one in the most trouble.
“Just leave me,” he whispered. “Out the back.”
But Sirius’s eyes softened, and he shook his head, almost imperceptibly. “She’ll hear. Nothing to be done,” he whispered back.
“Remus!” Madam Pomfrey knocked again, more urgently.
“Come in,” Remus replied.
Madam Pomfrey opened the door. “Oh, dear. Let’s get you sorted.”
Then her eyes landed on Sirius.
The three were silent for a moment. Remus wished they would both just leave and sort things out by themselves, at that point. His whole body ached so badly that he couldn’t tell where any of the pain was coming from anymore.
“Mr. Black,” said Madam Pomfrey finally. It was a statement, not a question.
Sirius stood. Remus wondered vaguely if he was going to try to lie, but it would be pretty pointless. “He was unconscious when I found him. Madam Pomfrey, I --”
She held up a hand, kneeling beside Remus and beginning to examine him, her cool hands moving across his wounds gently, with the grace of someone who had done this a hundred times before. “Later.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Remus had never heard Sirius address a professor so formally. It was almost painful to listen to.
They were quiet for a little while longer while Madam Pomfrey fussed over Remus’s body. The relief came slowly, little by little, and by the time she spoke again Remus found he could turn his head to look at Sirius.
“I don’t want to hear the whole story. Or whatever excuses you want to try. I’m just going to trust that you did not put yourself or others in harm’s way.”
“No, ma’am.”
She leaned back, sighing. “I really do trust you boys. More than I should.”
“Thank you, Madam Pomfrey.” Sirius was standing with his hands behind his back, his chin held high and his jaw set.
“Remus, can you walk?”
Remus tried his leg. It hurt, but he pulled himself up using the wall and Madam Pomfrey as a crutch. “With help.”
She slipped her arm under his as he leaned on her. “Mr. Black, follow us out from a distance.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And Remus?”
“Mm?”
“I’m trusting you, too.”
Remus opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off.
“This looks quite bad for you two, to be honest. And I know you’re not stupid. So there must be something else going on here, and I’m going to trust that you boys have it under control.”
Remus didn’t respond.
“I’m not angry at you. I promise. Just make sure that this, whatever it is, isn’t going to get one of you killed.”
“We will,” replied Sirius.
“Good. Now, let’s get you to a bed, dear. You look like you may faint.”
Remus did feel like he may faint. He was very grateful for the firm but gentle arm she had around him, and the cool cloth she had laid around his neck.
He knew she didn’t know why or how Sirius had been there, but for some reason, she didn’t need to. Remus had never had someone trust him like that before. He was grateful for that, too.
And he couldn’t help but letting a small smile flit across his face as it crossed his mind how grateful he was for the dark-haired boy trailing behind them.