The Marauders: Year Four

Gyrari Tooth

Gyrari Tooth

The commotion had died down in the hospital wing - Madam Pomfrey had ejected anyone who wasn't injured and spending the night out of the ward. As a result, the beds were nearly empty again - the occupied ones down to Bilius Weasley, Frank Longbottom, Lily, and James. Honey Pettigrew had been sent to St. Mungo's and the others were all healed before her evening cut off. James lay awake in the dark, one hand up behind his head, moonlight pouring from the windows across the beds, painting the room silver.

From across the room, Bilius whimpered in his sleep, and then sat up, sputtering -- "Black dog! Black dog -- the grim -- the grim!" he clutched his pillow, eyes wildy looking about. "Saw it... I saw it..."

Madam Pomfrey came running from her office, hearing the commotion and James quickly closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep so that he wouldn't be caught awake. He didn't want any sleeping potion to put him out of it - he didn't want nightmares of the battle to come to him. He just wanted to stay awake.

"Hussssh, Mr. Weasley," whispered Madam Pomfrey - and, in the air beside her, magic was measuring out the sleeping potion into a little cup with a wave of her wand, as she used her hand to feel Bilius's forehead and wrist carefully. "The grim is but superstition. I tell you, boy, you are perfectly healthy."

"No, no, I dreamed of it - of the grim - I've seen it - in Hogsmeade! Nearly killed me then! Narrow escape... let me go... dunno why..." he trembled. "He'll come back for me, the grim will. I'm living on borrowed time, Pomfrey."

Madam Pomfrey took the cup of potion from the air, "Aren't we all, Mr. Weasley?" she asked and she brought the potion to his lips. "Drink."

Bilius drank. "But the grim will come for me," he whispered, "I'll die, too, just as Derek and Alex have done. Oh Alex..." Bilius choked up. "He didn't wanna come... he was afraid... said he'd die if he came along and... I... I talked him into it. You-Know-Who hit him with the killin' curse 'fore he'd even finished apprarating. He was my friend... my best after Derek... both of'em gone..."

Pomfrey's voice shook, "I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Weasley."

James throat ached hearing this.

Bilius mumbled on about the grim then until he fell asleep minutes later and James heard Madam Pomfrey fix his blankets and take a deep breath. A moment later, he felt his glasses lifted from his nose and heard her fold them and put them on the nightstand. She adjusted his blankets carefully and the moved on to Lily Evans and Frank Longbottom, checking on each in succession. When she'd finished, she went back to her room and the door closed behind her.

James opened his eyes again and reached for the glasses, jamming them back onto his nose and resuming his position, staring up at the ceiling in the silence.

"You're awake, too, then, Potter?" came a whisper.

James looked over - Lily was in the very next bed, rolled onto her side, facing him. Her ginger hair looked violet in the moonlight. James rolled onto his side, too, facing her. "Yeah," he said. "Have you been this whole time?"

Lily nodded, "I can't sleep."

"Pomfrey will give you sleeping potion if you want her to," James suggested.

"I don't want to sleep," Lily replied.

"Nor do I," James admitted.

They lay there staring at each other from across the gap between their beds.

Somewhere, far off in the castle, a clock chimed - sounding out the hour. Midnight. The sound of the clock gave Lily a chill, remembering that horrible room in Mopsus's classroom, how loud all of the ticking had been...