Carve Me Open / r.l. + s.b. /

Resolve

He pulled on Remus's arm, adjusting his weight so his shoulder would have some relief. If his ears served him right, he could've sworn he heard a bemused chuckle and a spurt of warm air against the back of his ear. Goosebumps prickled his pale skin as a chill, most likely conjured in his twisted mind, poured over him.

"S'all the choc'late I eat," Remus muttered amusedly, barely able to form the sentence. Sirius laughed to himself, shaking his black hair out of his eyes. "For some... someone s-so cocky, you're a withered, ol' weakling."

"Shut up," Sirius snapped, adding a small chuckle at the end when he saw a frown etch onto Remus's face. "I wouldn't have done it if I didn't want to. Besides, I think Slade was going to pitch a fit if you splattered blood on her new scarf."

"Sorry," was all Remus mumbled, resting his head against Sirius's. They remained silent for the remainder of their short journey, as Sirius had been much too absorbed in ignoring the warm sensation of Remus's skin against his own.

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Sirius had been shooed out of the Hospital Wing as soon as he'd managed to get Remus situated on a bed for Madame Pomphrey. She reminded him that no one was to come and visit him for the next few days, no one at all, not even Sirius himself. Well, the Black heir was quick to point out he had no need to visit Remus at all, seeing as they weren't friends; it was simply his courteous duty to make sure he didn't disrupt the rest of class with his illness.

That comment seemed to have disturbed the nurse, and it is probably what got him kicked out of the Wing so early. Sirius wouldn't admit to the slight disappointment burning in his throat.

Despite saying the opposite, Sirius wanted to be present with Remus and explain that he was alright, and people were worried about him, so expect some flowers or whatever the girls thought would make him feel better. He was almost sure that Lily Evans would be the first person at the Hospital Wing doors when lunch was finished; just for being a noble little princess, Sirius planned on omitting the part where Madame Pomphrey prohibited any visitors for Remus. He'd love to see her sulking in Transfiguration, all frowns and pouts.

The halls were crowded, students whispering to each other about Remus's condition. A few said that he'd been carrying whatever his mother had been induced with, but that hadn't made any sense at all to Sirius. How could he contract something he hasn't even been near for a month? Others said that not eating had finally taken its toll on the boy, and he'd been suffering exhaustion. Now that was something Sirius could get behind. Remus looked like he'd hardly eaten a morsel his entire life; he'd heard somewhere that the stomach begins eating itself when deprived of food for too long. Were these the symptoms of starvation?

But why did any of that matter to him? He never spoke to Sirius or gave him any polite greeting or casual conversation unless he absolutely had to. And the only place he'd been forced to talk to Sirius was in Potions when Slughorn had paired them together, much to James's annoyance. So, worrying about Remus shouldn't have been high on Sirius's to-do list. Besides, he'd been a prick here lately anyway. But he'd not regret taking the boy to the Hospital Wing. He couldn't bring himself to.

Sirius made it to lunch just in time to grab himself a quick bite to eat. He casually sauntered through the Great Hall, ignoring not one but two pairs of eyes that could've bored holes through his skull. Further down the table, Lily watched him in mild annoyance, trying to pay attention to whatever Jenny, or whatever her name was, was trying to tell her. James, on the other hand, had no reservations about hiding his obvious displeasure. Sirius seated himself in his usual spot next to him anyways, piling his plate with an offensive amount of food.

It had been several minutes of strained silence between the two boys before the pressure was spliced. Though he wouldn't acknowledge it, Sirius didn't like it when James had been put out with him.