The Marauders: Year Seven Part Two

On This Day, 22 April, 1978...

It took James and Sirius both to support Remus from the Marauder's dormitory, down the stairs, and out to the Shrieking Shack. Peter ran ahead, opening the knot on the Whomping Willow before turning back and fetching food from the house elves in the kitchens. Remus winced with every step, and they kept up at wiping his face with the damp cloth that James regularly cast a new aquamenti charm on, to keep it cool. Every time they pressed it to his head, Sirius imagined he could hear it sizzle (though he couldn't really), Remus was that fevered.

"I've always told you that you were hot," Sirius told him in as light a tone as he could muster as they walked along the dark tunnel toward the Shrieking Shack, "You didn't have to go on about proving it, you know."

Remus forced a weak smile at this, his eyes slightly unfocused and his head leaning against James's shoulder as they walked.

Lily, meanwhile, had the task of getting a bottle of pepper-up potion from Madam Pomfrey's storeroom. It took quite a lot more work than she'd expected. Peeves was in the corridor wrecking havoc and calling attention to where Lily needed to go in order to get what they needed, and it took a bit of coaxing to get the poltergeist to let her past him. "It's for Remus Lupin," Lily had said, desperately.

"Loony Loopy Lupin!" sang Peeves, spinning head over heels. Then he paused and he asked, "What's Peevesy got to do to help his Loonypin?"

"Cause a diversion," Lily said, "Somewhere else so I can get in Pomfrey's store!"

Peeves grinned and he stood upright and saluted and zipped off down the corridor, cackling evilly, "Peevesy's going to make a big messyyyy-messy-messy diversion for his Loonypin!"

Amazing, thought Lily, how much influence the Marauders names had on that silly ghost.

She got the pepper-up easily once Peeves had drawn Madam Pomfrey's attention to a cleaning supplies closet just down the hall by knocking over the sterilized linens and shrieking evilly as he broke empty medicine bottles and rode down the hall riding a spare bed from the ward, singing a terribly dirty song that Sirius had taught him about a girl from Nantucket at the very top of his voice.

Downstairs, she met Peter in the Entrance Hall and gave him the bottle of pepper-up to bring out to the Shack. She looked sick with worry. "Tell James to send me an owl once you've got him all settled."

Peter nodded, then scurried to the door, clutching his bag of food and medicine. He paused and looked back at Lily. "James is really lucky," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry?" Lily asked, confused.

Peter twitched, uncomfortable, but the words he had to say of vital importance. "J-James," he said, "He's very lucky. To have you."

Lily flushed. "Aw, thank you Peter." She smiled gently, and Peter ducked out the door and ran across the grounds for the Whomping Willow. Lily watched him go, his figure barely more than a shadow in the early morning light. The sun wasn't even fully up, the lake was a deep indigo, and the village purple in the foothills of the black mountain silhouettes. She sighed and rubbed her arms against the chill, her sleeping gown and night robes not near warm enough to be standing on the front steps of the school like this, but she waited until she saw the Whomping Willow twitch back to life after Peter had slid down through the knot hole before she turned back into the castle.

The day was quiet and long, Remus too weak to play about too much, but the Marauders did their best to keep him entertained, playing games and telling stories and jokes. They lay about their clubhouse room, and ate the food that Peter had brought for them - cakes and roast sandwiches, rare meat for Remus, and mugs of broth that they warmed with their wands. They ate chocolate frogs and even watched a film on the tellyvision together. It wasn't until evening, when the light was starting to turn shades of lavender, that the conversation turned to more serious topics.