All Of Me | A Jily Love Story

Chapter Nine: Hogsmeade

- JAMES -

My eyelids felt like the weight of a tonne of bricks as I struggled to wrench them open the next morning.
Holy mother of Merlin, last night had been an adrenaline rush and a half. Sometimes I forgot how insane it was, having a werewolf for a best friend. Wicked - but insane.
Since Moony would still be in the hospital recovering (with Madam Pomfrey being the enormous help that she was) we were planning on picking him up before meeting with the girls. Padfoot and I had discussed telling them about his furry little problem, as it would save us several countless lies and excuses regarding the amount of time we spent with them. Nonetheless, we hadn't known them long enough. Moony was incredibly secretive, protective, and painstakingly terrified. Us discovering his forbidden secret in second year had been enough to give him a heart attack. Naturally he was afraid they'd get scared, resent him, and who knows what else. And of course that would never happen, he had a right to be concerned. We all knew that if anyone would accept him wholeheartedly as himself, it would be those four Gryffindor girls. Additionally, Remus was the softest werewolf to exist. In fact the wolf in him was more of a yelping, not so menacing puppy.
I rolled over in my bundle of sheets and stared up at the ceiling, my thoughts a blur of colour. I blinked - once, twice, then thrice. Was I really seeing what I thought I was seeing? I rubbed my eyes, stars of gold and rainbow popping up in my vision.
"What in the name of Merlin's left arse cheek?" I exclaimed, sitting upright in my old four poster bed and squinting at the sight before me. Sirius and Peter had somehow fallen asleep on top of one another in nothing but their boxers, hanging from the roof in a hammock, of all things.
I dragged myself from my tangle of covers and stumbled out of bed.
"Amateurs." I muttered, groping for my glasses on my nightstand. I shoved them on to my nose and blinked, my surroundings slowly coming into focus. With the intertwined boys now becoming clear, I managed to outline their current attire. At first sight, it looked like a gay couple spooning. But as I inspected closer, I noticed Peter's drool pooling into Sirius's long, greasy mat of hair. By the looks of it Peter had fallen asleep on top of Sirius's back in his rat form - he must've transformed back in his sleep.
Struggling to understand how this had occurred, I merely blinked. Generally I forgot most of the things that happen on full moons; this had been one them. We tend to be incredibly exhausted after an almost sleepless night spent frolicking about in the shrieking shack, so I wasn't too surprised.
I sighed heavily, cocking my head at Peter's gaping wide mouth.
"Pete." I poked him with my wand sharply, attempting to wrench him from sleep. Wormtail merely wrinkled his nose, showing no sign of consciousness. If you thought you knew someone who was a heavy sleeper, you hadn't met Peter Pettigrew. I rolled my eyes, poking his nose harder. No response.
"Peter." I repeated loudly, gripping him by the cheeks and giving him a thorough shake. He licked his lips, letting out a loud, rumbling snore. Muttering under my breath impatiently I clambered over to Remus's bed, seizing the jug of water that sat on his nightstand.
"OI." I bellowed, before dumping the contents over Peter's head. I watched in amusement as he screamed and threw himself backwards in alarm, thudding onto his bed with a soft thump. It was an unsuccessful landing with half of his body sliding from the bed and awkwardly positioning itself on the floor, Sirius collapsing right after him. A snort escaped me as I surveyed the damage; Sirius rolling off of Peter's groaning corpse and rubbing his head subconsciously, moaning like a wounded dog.
"Prongs,'" He groaned, falling onto his face upon the wooden floorboards. "My hair."
"I think I broke something." Peter's voice was muffled into his quilted duvet cover.
"Let me - "
"Ohh, Merlin," He let out a whimper. "I really think you broke something, Prongs."
I rolled my eyes and slung a hand on my hip, glancing between the two of them exasperatedly. "It's time to get up. The sun is shining!" I sung enthusiastically, gesturing to the clear skies.
Both were unresponsive to this, so I stooped to the ground and ruffled Sirius's hair in attempt to rouse him.
"C'mon, boys." I nudged his bare back with my foot. "Moony. Hogsmeade. Birds. Food. Zonkos. S'go."
Wormtail let out a long, protesting moan at my words. Sirius however crawled to his feet and staggered drunkenly into the open bathroom door without another word. Probably to do his hair, what with priorities and all. I glanced around, just in time to watch Wormtail roll completely off his bed and land with a soft thud upon the floor.
"Wormtail?" I chuckled, watching his unresponsive body with slight uncertainty. A wheezing, feeble laugh escaped him and suddenly died in his throat - fading into a thundering, rasping snore within a matter of seconds.
"Alright, then."
Twenty minutes later, dressed and groomed (to my utter surprise), the three of us left Gryffindor tower in pursuit of the hospital wing. We hid behind the open doorway, catching a glimpse of a fully clothed Remus sitting atop his usual hospital bed. His drained eyes drooped tiredly with large bags sagging beneath and a taut expression. The curtains around him were half drawn as he waited impatiently for Madam Pomfrey to dismiss him. She fussed about in a mothering fashion, ensuring he had enough pain relief and sleep.
"Alright." She eventually sighed, reluctantly pulling back. "Everything seems to be in order. You may go, Remus." However as he made to leave she stopped him, pressing a restricting hand into his shoulder. "But," She continued, shaking her head as though she already knew of his agenda for the day. "Remember; it is crucial you get some rest today. No big zonko pranks and all that, okay?" She asked sternly, giving him a sharp tap on the shoulder. Remus smiled sheepishly and rolled his eyes.
"I promise." He assured, flashing her a winning smile. Remus Lupin, a Mummy's boy.
"Alright, then." She flattened down his collar and gave a sharp nod of her head. "Off you go. Be good."
"Thanks again, Madam Pomfrey." He grinned. "Have a good one!" And with that he sped off out of her reach, before she could keep him in for anything else. She shook her head and muttered to herself, making his bed with a flick of her wand.We waited for him to leave the premises and round the corner before greeting him, grinning from ear to ear.
"Morning, Moons." I grinned, happy to see that the familiar glint in his baby blue eyes remained.
"Alright, brother?" Sirius ruffled his hair affectionately. Remus ducked his head and laughed, a wide smile splitting his face open.
"Morning animals." He laughed, slinging an arm around us.
"You seem happy - how're you feeling?" Peter asked him as we descended the stairs to the next floor, floods of students dressed for Hogsmeade crowding around us.
"I'm good." Remus answered honestly, his shoulders relaxing. "Just tired, again - but I recovered early this time, which is surprising. Wasn't too rough."
I beamed and clapped him on the back, relief flooding through me.
"Let's go fuck shit up then, eh?"
We arrived at the heads common room a few moments later, Remus scolding Sirius about some crude joke that I'd unfortunately missed.
"Who - whomping willow," I yawned, stretching my arms above my head. The potrait swung open,
Sirius tripping and hitting his head on the doorway as we we entered.
"Ow." He muttered irritably, clutching his head in his hand.
"Since when have you been so clumsy?"
A scoff. "I am not -"
I ignored the bickering couple and strolled over to Lily's closed bedroom door, rapping sharply upon the honed wood.
"Girls?" I called out, wondering if they'd already headed down to breakfast without us. The boys arrived at my side as a loud crash echoed through the room, all four of us flinching back in unison. Marlene's frantic head popped around the side of the door, followed by a second echoing crash.
"Oh - hello, boys." She said distractedly, glancing behind her. I surveyed her dishevelled hair warily, wondering what on earth had gone on last night. "Erm, this is a bit of an awkward time." She continued, glancing back to us apologetically. "Mar's in a bit of a state. Uh -" however Marlene was abruptly cut off by a loud ringing shriek from behind her. She stifled a laugh and instantly disappeared, leaving us to stand there in befuddlement. I raised my eyebrows and turned on my heel, dusting off my hands.
"That was concerning." Remus said mildly.
"Maybe we should come back another time." I commented lightly, picking up an unfamiliar book and casually balancing it atop my head.
"Marls probably cut someone's hair off." Sirius shrugged, stretching on his tippy toes and patting down his own shiny locks. "Although, I would probably react worse." He admitted thoughtfully, stroking his chin.
"Sounded like Lily's screaming to me." I added, frowning at the door. When Sirius shot me a sideways glance I scowled, jabbing him in the ribs. "Shut up, wanker."
"I didn't say anything." He grinned, lifting an amused eyebrow.
"Shall we, then?" Peter asked us with a nervous laugh, already heading back towards the portrait hole.