Reaching across time

Chapter 56: The ring

Madame Pomfrey walked briskly through the castle halls with a collection of little vials in her hand, stopping only upon reaching the chambers of the head of Gryffindor house. Knocking the door and entering after a short reply, she found the Animagus witch sitting rather stiffly with her lips pursed.

Initially the Medi- witch thought it was the worry but then her eyes fell on the two boys also seated in the room and she sighed. Remus stood up politely in greeting and James was grinning widely at her, raising his hand in a salute.

"Of course, if one of them is involved the other two can't be far away" She mumbled and the boys beamed proudly.

After Sirius left them last morning, they hadn't seen much him at any time except during meals when he briefly came down, ate a bit and immediately vanished to his room. James suspected that Sirius only spoke of his brother so that they would leave him alone a bit; Remus disagreed thinking he really was bothered by it.

They had argued over it that night with Lily who was taking over from a highly distracted Hermione and helping them make the Wolfsbane potion. She thought that there was a possibility that both of them were right and in reality that was true.

They had both given in but had vowed to keep a closer check on the fellow Marauder. So the next morning when they heard Sirius informing Charlus that he and Hermione needed to go to Hogwarts, they didn't think that where he was really headed.

It was time to bring out the map and sure enough within twenty minutes of entering the castle, both of them had gone down to the shack and then vanished to god knows where. They waited for a good fifteen minutes for the dots to appear on the map again and when it didn't, the two had decided to go down to the castle themselves.

And that's exactly where they were now, sitting across Minerva McGonagall and pestering her for details that they knew she had, after all the couple had spent their twenty minutes with the deputy headmistress.

Needless to say she refused to say a word, declaring that them stalking Sirius wasn't going to save him if Voldemort was around the corner and that it was childish to follow him around.

She might have a point but that didn't mean they were going to leave, especially not now that Madame Pomfrey asked how much longer it was going to take before they returned. Minerva had quite crisply said that they should show up soon before silence fell in the room.

The two Marauders sat through the next half hour looking from one witch to the other, undeterred by the silence both women held. At long last, the fireplace flashed and Hermione and Sirius stepped or rather fell out.

Instantly the two women rushed over, Minerva grabbing Hermione and Pomfrey holding Sirius up. James and Remus gaped at the couple, what on earth had happened? They hadn't gone looking for death eaters again had they?

"Anything either of you can tell me would help" The resident healer of Hogwarts was saying.

"I put the curse to solidify the blood, it was the only way I could think of to contain the poison" Sirius said almost immediately.

James stirred; hold on, the bluish black on them was done by Sirius? He cursed himself and Hermione? What the heck? Remus too was looking at them with shock, why were they poisoned?

"Make yourself useful Mr. Potter and fetch the salves for the poison" Madam Pomfrey ordered. Sirius's head snapped up at the name and Hermione froze, noticing the extra company for the first time.

" ! The salve!" Madame Pomfrey called again but once more James found himself unable to move and it was Remus who had to numbly hand out the vial.