Mischief Managed Year Two Part One: The Poisoned Truth

Chapter Forty-Two- Expulsion!?

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It wasn't until they got back to the clearing at the very edge of the forest that Sirius realized something was wrong. In his defence, he had all but been carrying James who was relating to him what had happened. It was a bit hard to understand the chaser. Especially with his continued fervent swearing that he'd never enter this cursed forest again.

"I mean it, Sirius, don't convince me otherwise. This place hates me or something. Gideon said something was wrong with the place and at first it seemed like he expected people to attack us. Mind you, that probably would have been preferable. The scariest thing I've ever been through...worse than last time. If I come back again I think I might actually die," James rambled, his breath hot on Sirius' neck.

Peter glanced back at them in horror, hardly able to hear them since he was walking so close to the older students that if they stopped he'd run right into them.

"Well, at least it was some action," Sirius complained, because yet again he'd had a cool time with Patricia, but nothing dangerous had happened. Where was the adventure in that?

"If you say that again, Black, I swear I'll hex you!" James hollered hoarsely. Sirius rolled his eyes, figuring the prick was being dramatic about the whole thing. The Black heir highly doubted his friend had a high pain tolerance, and yeah he was a bit banged up from what Sirius could see in the dark, but he had gotten to blast Acromantulas back to back with the Gideon Prewett! If that wasn't worth a little blood, Sirius wasn't sure what was.

They could finally see the night sky as the trees became more spaced out. Feeling relieved, since James was a heavy bugger, Sirius glanced back at Remus.

Only he wasn't there.

"Where's Remus?" Sirius asked sharply and James made a choking sound, nearly face-planting as he let go of his support and turned to look for the missing boy.

"Remus!" James shouted horrified, and Sirius' insides squirmed at the amount of fear in his friend's voice. Maybe he had been lucky to be with Patricia again after all.

"Where is he?" Came Gideon's alarmed voice.

"H...here.." Remus gasped, stumbling forward a bit more. Sirius swallowed. His friend's clothes were torn slightly, a great deal of blood on his legs and arms.

"You said you weren't as hurt!" James gasped, half in outrage, half in horror.

"We had to move and you couldn't walk," Remus replied, his voice still weak

"Neither can you!" James shouted, gesturing to their identical pairs of bloody legs. But Remus had walked the whole way back. Of course, the aggravating twat had!

Reminders of Remus' pain tolerance always made Sirius feel a little shaky. Suddenly Patricia walked up to Remus grabbing his arm, and Sirius let out a growl of anger since the older girl should know better than not to do that by now. Remus jerked back, eyes widening in fear, but she ignored him pointing her wand at him and muttering spells under her breath Sirius couldn't hear. Then Remus collapsed into her arms.

"What did you do to him?" Sirius demanded angrily, remembering all of Remus' off-handed comments that Patricia was hiding something and that he didn't trust her.

"Calm down. I repaired his robes and healed a few of the deeper gashes. James, you're next. I would have done it earlier but Gideon made it apparent we might not have time," she explained, sounding like she doubted his judgment.

"We might not have," Gideon snapped. "I'm telling you, Patricia, it was like nothing I'd ever seen before."

"They kept saying they'd kill us because we brought their enemy into the forest or something," James explained while shivering, his eyes staring at Remus with an oddly haunted expression. Sirius elbowed him.