As the Stars Drift By

The War pt. 2

Splinching and a gouging spell, that explained the deep wounds. Gouging spells were normally used for material objects -not humans. The effects of such a spell on a living being could be deadly. Thea would have to fix the wounds in time before Remus bled out on the table. She summoned some Essence of Dittany to her side, administering several drops to each of Remus' cuts. It was the best cure for his splinching wounds. Thea had James and Peter regularly feed Remus blood-replenishing potions throughout the process too.

After nearly an hour of work, Remus stabilized. Through gentle effort, they moved him onto the couch so he could rest and recover more. And he was recovering, to be sure, but he wasn't out of the woods yet. While his wounds had been bandaged and healed as much as they could for the moment, there was a chance they could reopen at any moment.

Thea didn't sleep for the rest of the night, she stayed by Remus' side -constantly checking and changing his bandages and using stamina charms to boost the healing of his wounds. The entire time Remus remained unconscious. This wasn't unusual but as more time passed and dawn broke over the safehouse, it worried Thea.

After her 12th time of changing his bandages, Thea slumped onto the floor right next to the couch. She leaned against it, resting her head near Remus' arm. She was careful not to touch him, lest it exacerbate his wounds, but she still wanted to be near him.

"Please Remus," Thea whispered in the quiet of the early morning. "Please please be okay. I couldn't bear it if you weren't..." Thea's eyes watered with the thought of Remus not making it out of this. She'd done all she could and kept a vigilant watch on him. But healing was tricky -sometimes too much of it could overwhelm one's body and make things worse. Thea would give anything for that not to happen.

Thea reached up to brush the hair away from his face. The soft light of the rising sun illuminated Remus' sleeping face. "James and Sirius and Lily and Peter all stayed to wait for you. I'm here, too, waiting for you," Thea said. She looked down at her hands and clothes. She hadn't even stopped to change out of her bloodied clothes -she hadn't cared to. Remus was her sole focus at the moment.

"I haven't even gotten to tell you the most important thing, Rem. I haven't gotten to tell you how I feel...You can't leave until I tell you."

"Tell me what," Remus croaked out, his eyes just barely open.

Thea kneeled up instantly. "Remus!" Thea said as her hands flitted over him, checking his condition. With some effort, she helped him to sit up a bit more.

"I feel like I've been hit by a bus," Remus groaned as he leaned up.

Thea laughed, her eyes watery with unshed tears. "Not quite. Here let me help." Thea cast some numbing spells to help soothe Remus' pain. His face relaxed instantly.

Thea couldn't help it, she threw her arms around Remus' neck in a stilted sort of hug. "Oh, I'm just so glad you woke up! I did everything I could to help you but...I was scared." Remus grunted from the impact of her hug. Thea came back to her senses. "Oh god, I shouldn't have done that -I forgot myself for a moment."

Thea moved to pull away from the hug but Remus stopped her with an arm around her back. Thea stayed that way for a moment, with her arms around Remus and her face tucked into the crook of his neck. Even beneath the stench of all the antiseptic she'd used, he still smelled like himself -old books and pine trees after the rain.

"No, no, it's alright. Sorry to scare you, love. I'm okay now, thanks to your excellent healing skills." Remus whispered into her hair. She could feel his warm breath over the top of her head.

"That's right, you should be thanking her." James said, walking in from the other room. Thea pulled back from the hug, startled by James' sudden appearance