Mischief Managed Year One: Mayhem of the Moon

Chapter Thirty-Four- A Gloomy Weekend

He nearly collapsed. Sirius would have probably fallen on his face if Patricia hadn't grabbed his shoulder and steadied him.

So it was him shaking, not the room?

He wondered if he looked like Remus did when he couldn't seem to take a step without collapsing, wondered if this is what he felt like. It was a very unpleasant feeling.

When Remus woke up, Sirius would make sure to keep an eye out for how often he struggled to walk. But he couldn't believe he was thinking about Remus' secretiveness now. It didn't matter anymore, it just...didn't.

"Sirius, what's going on? I assumed the student falling off the tower had been you or James pulling a prank or some sort of stunt."

"What are you, dumb or something? Why would classes be canceled then!" he snapped, his anger flaring once more. Patricia recoiled and her worry turned into full-blown fear.

"I thought that was the plan. I hadn't seen you a lot so I figured you were in double detention or something. But...this isn't like you. What's going on?" She was no longer asking, she was demanding the information. Sirius was upset and sleep-deprived, but he wasn't an idiot.

"Not here. There are too many people."

Patricia's eyebrows had creased a deep frown now on her face.

"Um...alright. I know a place," Patricia offered with confusion.

Sirius followed her out into the hall because he didn't know where else to go. He was about to scream angrily because some stupid student had dared to follow them out of the portrait. He whipped around, face livid, ready to threaten a seventh year if that's what it took. Then he recognized the fretting student as one of Patricia's friends from her year.

"Frank, I can't talk right now. I'm sorry."

The nervous but kind-looking student glanced from staring at the portrait to make sure no one else was coming to them. He ran hand through his short blond hair.

"Just making sure you're alright. Sorry to bother you. Can't be too careful with everything going on," Frank offered with a warm smile his unfortunately big ears giving one the impression he might be distantly related to the Panotti creatures whose ears were known to grow bigger than their torsos. Well maybe Frank's ears weren't that big, but they definitely were larger than average.

He shot Sirius another nervous look, clearly having noted the hostility in his gaze and realizing he was friends with the boy who fell.

The one who, it seemed, was too unimportant for his blasted name to be remembered! Sirius sized the fourth year up, ready to sock him if he asked a question just to soothe his curiosity, friend of Patricia's or not.

"I'm so sorry to hear about your friend," Frank continued. "I'll leave you two be. But if you need help getting Gryffindors to leave you alone, let me know. I have a very loud yell."

It was a clumsy attempt to cheer up Sirius. He hadn't been expecting this, and nodded.

Frank nodded back, a grim smile on his features before he turned back into the loud common room with an air of authority and protectiveness around him.

The fat lady swung back. Sirius was turned around by Patricia, who was very stressed. Unlike Lily, whose outward tears had been nearly immediate, Patricia seemed instead to close in on herself. She was stone-faced. The only indication she had any idea of the seriousness of what had happened could be found in her eyes, which were burning with anger.

"This is as good enough a place as any, so hurry up and start talking. Which one of you is hurt?" she demanded. Sirius was glad she had pieced things together quickly enough that he didn't have to awkwardly attempt to explain while keeping his own tears in check.