Wolfstar

Comfort - Part 2

PotterFanRosalinda

A//N

All thanks to the wonderful PotterFanRosalinda, and her amazing ideas, I was able to flesh this out into a two-parter! Thank you so much for supporting me in my writing endeavours! And once again, the art is the wonderful Waricka's!

(DEPRESSION AND ANOREXIA TRIGGER WARNING)

A//N

The chatter in the Great hall seemed to be an incessant buzz instead of actual words. It was annoying at first, but then it just slid into the background - leaving Remus in a protective bubble. 

He could only hear muffled voices and only see blurry shapes where his friends should be. Their laughter and conversation were lost on him as he held his head in his hands.

The food-smells all around him made him feel sick - meal times were the worst. He'd barely eaten or drunk for the past two days and his head was dangerously light.

Remus chewed the side of his cheek, his sharp canines catching the flesh there. He tasted a small spurt of blood in his mouth. There was a dull ache, but he couldn't feel pain properly any more.

The only thing he felt was a hollowness inside his chest, a tightness inside his stomach and Sirius' warmth pressing up beside him.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on trying to breathe properly, but he could only wheeze. He head started to slip dangerously from his hands - but someone caught him.

"Whoa, hey," said Sirius, his voice cutting through the buzz, "be careful, Remus... Here. Lean on me."

He felt Sirius adjust himself so that Remus could comfortably lean his weight on his shoulder. Sirius' arm wrapped around his skinny waist to keep him from slipping forwards.

Remus could feel Sirius sigh worriedly. He felt a whisper in his ear,

"Remus? Can you hear me?"

Remus nodded slightly, he couldn't lift his head from Sirius shoulder. It was too heavy.

Sirius adjusted his arm so he was properly supporting Remus now.

"Remus, love, please eat something," he murmured.

Remus moaned quietly and tried to shake his head. Through the tiny gaps between his eyelids, he could see Sirius' concerned face.

"Moony, please. At least have some water, you feel like you've got a fever. Please, Remus."

At this point, Remus' body couldn't take any more. His head was spinning. His heartbeat was pounding in his head. His breathing became more ragged. His vision began to blacken.

"Remus!" It was Sirius, his shout alerted some people around him.

"Oh my God, is Moony okay?"

"Remus?"

"What's wrong?!"

"Has he fainted?"

"Is he alright?"

Remus' rolled back in his head  and he slumped into Sirius' arms, unconscious.

....

"...  so he'll be okay. But - oh, Sirius - he'll be fragile for a while. It's quite serious what he's going through. Anorexia and depression are horrible separately, but together... The poor boy is under tremendous strain, not to mention the lycanthropy too... These are things that cannot be treated with magic."

"Okay," his voice had a tearful hoarse-ness as if he had been crying, "How can I support him?"

"Well... The best thing that you can do is care for him - make him feel safe and loved. Talk to him and ask him how he's feeling whenever he seems depressed... And, Sirius, do make sure he's eating..."

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey, of course."

"Enough of this madam business, Sirius, you've known me for six years, please call me Poppy."

"Yes, Mada- Poppy. Yes, Poppy. Thank you."

From the hospital wing bed, Remus could hear the conversation. He tried to open his eyes.

"S-sirius...?"

"Remus?"

Remus could hear footsteps coming towards him. Sirius knelt down next to the bed and grasped his hand, bringing it up to his mouth to kiss it gently.

Remus tried to smile.

"Remus, I love you, I'll help you through this, I'll -"

"Pads... I know. You're the only reason I'm still here today..." Remus croaked out.

Remus could see a tear streak down Sirius' face. Sirius bit his lip to stop it trembling and Remus could feel tears roll down his own cheeks.

"I love you..."

Sirius leaned down and kissed him, gentler than ever before, so softly and full of care...

They pulled away slowly, Sirius ran his fingers through Remus tangled curls. Remus began to close his eyes but they were jerked open again as his thin body was wracked with coughs.

Sirius immediately began to cradle him in his arms, rubbing his back, letting Remus cough himself out.

When Remus had stopped coughing, Sirius knelt by the edge of the bed, his arm around Remus' shoulders. He reached for a glass of water on the bedside table and held it gently to Remus' lips.

"Here, love. This'll help."

The water was cool on Remus' cracked lips, but he could only drink small amounts at a time. Sirius stayed patiently at his side, supporting his neck and shoulders, helping him slowly sip the water. All the while, he murmured small words of encouragement, smiling softly at Remus.

Poppy Pomfrey looked on at the scene, smiling to her self. She'd seen these boys a lot over the years and loved them as if they were her own children. She'd watched them grow up and overcome every obstacle thrown at them. She'd seen them fall in love.

There was nothing in the world she loved more than these boys.

And there was nothing in the world they loved more than each other.