Liquid Luck [Sirius Black]/editing

chapter 63

Remus is still recovering from last night's full moon in the Hospital Wing so I decide to pay him a quick visit. It's a little past curfew meaning my excursions are illegal but no matter.

Swiftly cracking one of the large doors open enough to slip through, I find my friend laying across one of the beds. "Pst!" I whisper making him face me with a bright smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was chewed up and spat back out." He muses. "I'm okay."

I laugh softly. "I brought you some essentials. Chocolate, obviously." I hand him a bar of Honeydukes milk chocolate and he perks up at the sight. "Pete made you this. He kept going on about how Peppermint tea has healing properties or something," I place the steaming mug at his bedside and continue. "And last but not least I give you a fluffy blanket because this crumby one feels like a napkin."

I whip the thin wing bedsheet off his lanky body and replace it by draping my warmer one over his lower half. "I know how to cheer you up."

"That you do." He smiles through the cuts in his lips. "Thank you, Keeks. And be sure to thank Pete for the tea for me."

"Will do. I also took notes for you in classes. And James and Sirius helped me complete all of your assignments for the week so you won't have to worry about any of that."

"You guys really didn't have to –"

"Don't, Rem." I cut him off firmly. "You'll be staying here tonight then?"

"Yeah," He glances down in shame. "it was a particularly bad night for me."

I take a seat on the edge of his bed and soothingly rub my thumb across his cheek. "You're really brave, I hope you know." He musters back a sad smile. I take in the dark circles under his eyes and the faint way his eyelids droop. "Right, well, I'm gonna go. Let you get your rest."

"Yeah." His eyes linger on mine. "Thank you for...for everything. You're amazing, I hope you know."

I shrug my shoulders with a wink. "I'll see you in the morning with breakfast. Sleep tight, my little teddy bear."

"Goodnight...squishy bean." He chuckles.

*

Holding the special golden book given to me by Dumbledore up to my nose, I read aloud the passages that stand out to me. "Part of the process by which one becomes an Animagus is to hold the leaf of a Mandrake in one's mouth for an entire month's time...After the thirty days are up, use that same leaf for the creation of the Animagus potion. Recite the incantation Amato Animo Animato Animagus on a daily basis...and finally drink the potion during a lightning storm."

I frown down at the page before drifting my gaze back up to the boys who've been uncharacteristically quiet since the words have been spoken. All three boys' jaws are on the floor. "Okay," I start hesitantly. "more difficult than I thought but definitely doable!"

"What happens if we get something wrong?" James speaks up.

I bite my bottom lip and smile sheepishly. "There is a small chance that we may end up with permanent half-animal mutations shall we make a mistake."

"You must be joking!" James exclaims incredulously.

"Foolish James, it's only a small chance." Sirius rolls his eyes, speaking fluent sarcasm.