The Now of Wolf Thought

The Professor and Mister Padifoots

Remus sat alone at the very end of the long table, staring at his unappealing lunch and looked toward the main table to see if Madam Pince was taking her lunch. He ate quickly and then exited the Great Hall nearly unnoticed. He stealthily entered the library, watching out for Madam Pince return, lest she have him removed. He snuck into the restricted section and pulled out the dog-eared copy of Dark Creatures of the World, which Professor Lupin suggested that he check out. On a lark, he looked into the back to see if he'd find his name in the book, which he didn't, even though he'd been told that it had been eleven times he'd checked this particular book out. 

He saw a bright white light in his eyes and the next thing he knew, he was looking up and into the face of Madam Pomfrey. He groaned quietly. "Shite," he whispered.

Then he heard the familiar voice of his older self and caught the whiff of a particular canine in the air.

Professor Lupin pulled up a chair and sat next to his bed. "Alright. So...?"

"I blacked out." His eyes moved to the Professor's left and smiled at the whining canine and reached out to scratch at his ear.  "I'm alright, ya mangy mutt."

Professor Lupin sighed. "I want to try something?"

"What's that?"

"I want to see if I can tell if you've been obliviated recently. At least since we last saw you at any rate."

Remus nodded his head quickly. "Yes. Please?"

The Professor pulled the curtain closed and cast silencio, then turned toward Remus as he pointed his wand toward him. "Legilimens..."

Distant memories, and many far more recent played before Professor Lupin's eyes as if he were watching a strange film, including a very recent memory of Remus' chat with Hermione. He lowered his wand finally and shuddered.

"That bad," Remus asked with dread in his voice.

"No. Just...odd."

Remus nodded. "Odd! What did you see?"

The Professor sighed heavily. "I can't tell that you've been obliviated. Everything makes sense, oddly enough. It just doesn't mesh with my memories."

"I understand." Remus nodded.

"We were told that you had the book in your hands. And I saw what you saw. The book has been altered. It has to have been. I checked out that book for reference well before I was sixteen. There should have been at least seven or eight notations of my name. You saw none." He shook his head.

Remus' head was pounding and he closed his eyes.

"I need that book," the Professor said. "I think I'll go for a walk." He stood and smiled. He turned and opened the curtain and saw Harry and Hermione standing by the door and he smiled. "Harry! Just the man I want to see!"

Padfoot's ears perked up and he whined and crawled low to the floor and Remus rolled over to see the dog's tail swishing back and forth profusely as he poked his head from beneath the bed next to Remus' and seeing the movement, Harry's face lit up like a Christmas tree. Professor Lupin noticed the sudden change in Harry's demeanor, he lowered his head as he turned around. "Get, git!"

Padfoot huffed and scurried backwards and materialized into his human form and curled his lip as he plopped into the chair that the Professor had been sitting it. "Git is it?"

"I'm sure he didn't mean it like that, Siri," Remus said quietly.

"Yes he did," Sirius replied, just as quietly.

Professor Lupin stuck his head behind the curtain. "Will you stay put, please," he muttered.

Sirius rolled his eyes and cut them in the direction of his friend as he curled his lip again, then he looked away.

"I think you hurt his feelings, Professor," Remus said quietly.

"I'll make it up to him later," Lupin grumbled as he turned and spoke to Harry in private. Harry left the hospital wing quickly.

Hermione peeked around the curtain, a look of concern all over her face.

Remus looked up into her eyes and thought his heart would leap out of his chest and noticing the scent change in Remus, he turned his gaze to the girl and saw the look on her face. "I think I'll go have a chat with Poppy," Sirius said quietly. He looked deeply into Remus' eyes. "Play it up," he said beneath his breath. Sirius rose from his chair and held out his hand for her to take. "Please sit, Miss Granger," he said as he smiled genuinely.

She sat in the chair and when she realized that the man was leaving them, she grabbed at his hand. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go talk to Poppy...to...give you two a bit of...privacy."

"But Remus said..."

Sirius gently squeezed her hand for reassurance. "Just to Poppy's office. I swear it. Besides, he's still right there," he chuckled, pointing to the Professor who was awaiting Harry's return.

Hermione nodded and released his hand. Sirius cupped her cheek and tagged her nose with his index finger as he smiled and looked toward his former paramour and winked his eye as he closed the curtain.

Outside the curtain, they heard the Professor's whispered admonishments and then Sirius' reply, silencing the man quickly.

Hermione took the boy's hand in hers and kissed it, causing Remus to draw his breath in deeply. "Oh, Remus! I'm such an idiot!"

Remus smiled gratefully and chuckled. "You're a lot of things Hermione. Idiot is not one of them."

"But I am! You sat alone and left so quickly and now you're here...what happened?"

Remus shook his head. "Dunno? I just...blacked out."

"Remus...do you still...I mean..."

"Yes...I do."

"I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want it as well..."

"So, be my girl then?"

Hermione smiled. "It would be my privilege."

"Privilege?"

"Honor?"

Remus laughed uncomfortably as he felt his face grow hot.

"You're going to be alright, yes?"

Remus nodded as he squeezed the girl's hand tenderly. "Yeah," he whispered. "I'll be alright."

"That's good."

"Oh?"

"Well, yes! I'd certainly be quite put out if my boyfriend suddenly died."

Remus could no longer hide the smile on his face as he moved to lean up on his elbows. "Well, as Sirius would say, come here and show me some love..."

Hermione giggled and reached over to kiss his lips and at first she found the sensation interesting, the tingling in her lips and Remus watched in horror as he saw her eyes roll back and nearly missed catching her as she collapsed over his body and slid toward the floor.

"I NEED SOME HELP IN HERE!"

Since Sirius hadn't really gone anywhere, he was there before anyone else. "What the hell!"

He picked her body up as Remus scooted off the bed, nearly fainting again. Sirius grabbed at his shirt, holding him still and called for his Remus.

Lupin poked his head in to the partitioned area. "Oh my god! Poppy!"

Poppy was already behind the curtain, pulling the adjoining curtains to and instructed that the Professor help Remus to the other bed. The skilled matron worked quickly to revive Hermione and informed them that she was sending for Professor Snape.

"Oh, do you have to," Sirius groaned.

"YES!"

Sirius whined and transformed immediately and crawled beneath the bed to await Hogwarts Potions Master.