"Interesting choice to study."
Liza looked up to see Myra standing over her, a stack of books clutched to her chest. The girl's dark hair was pulled back into a slick ponytail that accentuated her sharp face.
Following her friend's gaze, Liza winced at the Whomping Willow, which stood only a few meters behind her. As if sensing her attention, the terrifying tree arched its branches so that it looked nearly twice its size. Liza looked up at Myra, covering the bit of parchment she was scribbling on.
"Good place to think. Plus, free of distractions from Sprout's diagrams." Liza didn't bother to open her Herbology textbook. It was the one subject she was certain to fail. It was just difficult to see the point in devoting precious time to plants. Unless there was a poisonous shrub that she could slip into Rosier's tea. "Studying for finals, I see?"
"Oh," Myra appeared slightly abashed before shifting the weight of her books onto her other hip. "Just a bit of fun, really." If Liza hadn't shared a dormitory with the girl for five years, she would have missed the faint colour on her cheeks.
Liza leaned over and stared at her friend's expression. There was shine in her friend's gaze. "Spill."
Instantly, the curious glee was shuttered from Myra's face. Instead, her brow pinched into a scowl. "You're being paranoid." She took a seat beside Liza, reaching to compare notes. Hers were nearly as meticulous as Regulus's. "Merlin, you've been breathing down my neck for weeks."
Feeling highly affronted, Liza yanked her parchment from Myra's grasp. The rash action nearly ripped her writing in half, and she swore under her breath. "Because you've been sneaking around! I'm your best friend. It's my business too." Liza wasn't entirely sure that was true, but she was letting her hurt speak for itself.
"But I can't mention Black's name without you shutting down?" Myra raised a cool brow as Liza flushed. "Even right now, you can't defend yourself."
Spluttering, Liza felt her face burn with frustration. The worst part was that her friend was right. The words wouldn't slip off her tongue. "That's not what—" she gave up, shoving a stack of papers into her bag. "If you're insistent on keeping secrets, then maybe we need a break."
"This isn't a relationship." Myra's tone was cold. Her dark eyes didn't move from Liza's. "You can do what you want."
What she really wanted was to insist they forget the whole ordeal and go to the Great Hall for a cup of tea. But Liza was stubborn. "Fine. I will." She swung her shoulder bag over her arm before stalking across the grounds. The winter air was crisp, and her breath billowed with each sigh. The muscles in her legs protested at her sharp movements.
The instant Liza entered one of the central corridors, she leaned against a pillar and sought refuge in its shadow. Tears pricked the backs of her eyelids. She knew that she and Myra had been drifting apart, but she never would have thought they would get into such a horrid row.
She blinked and a couple stray tears spilled over onto her cheeks before she wiped them away furiously. Never mind that. She could come up with her own interests.
"Alright, Liza?"
Remus had stopped his stroll down the corridor, a concerned furrow to his brow. Liza wondered if she should be asking the boy the same question. Dark circles lined his eyes, and the pallor of his skin would rival that of the Bloody Baron. It made the scars stretched across his face all the more obvious.
"Yes, sorry." Liza scrubbed her cheek once more for good measure. Although she had become more familiar with the Marauders, it still felt wrong to be crying in front of a Gryffindor. "You?"
Remus's gaze shuttered. "Alright. Going to the Hospital Wing because I'm afraid I've got a cold coming on." He gave a sudden cough, as if there had been something tickling his throat.
Opening her mouth, Liza realized it was probably impolite to agree. "Er—I hope you feel better."
Remus offered her a tight smile before continuing his brisk stride down the hall. There was a slight limp to his right leg as if an old injury were bothering him.
Liza raised a slow brow. Perhaps she had just discovered a new way to spend her time. Walking quickly, she hurried in the direction of the library. Books were always a good place to start her investigations. And she was eager to forget her and Myra's row.
Ignoring Madam Pince's glare, Liza practically ran to the medical injuries section. The sour librarian acted as though every student were an invader in her home. Regulus had developed a theory that Pince really slept among the books on a roll-out cot.
She pried a few heavy tomes from the shelf before settling in at a desk. The first, An A-Z List of Common Wizarding Diseases, was much too obvious to explain Remus's condition. The following book offered only a selection of potion treatments for infected dragon bites.
Liza let out a long sigh before shoving away several pamphlets to come upon an annotated scroll. Magic's Most Unusual Maladies offered very little information on scars outside of those inflicted by beasts like the Chimera or the Acromantula. Liza shivered at the thought of the giant spiders. Arachnophobia ran in the family.
Scanning the list, Liza considered the effects of mermaid saliva (sudden seasickness), mandrake screams, and she nearly closed the scroll when her gaze flickered over werewolves. Of all the ridiculous—
Liza stopped breathing. She unfurled the scroll once more, reading the passage that she was already familiar with. Self-inflicted wounds, routine weakness, chronic fatigue—she thought of the purple circles under Remus's eyes.
Still, she shouldn't get too ahead of herself. Liza sprinted over to the annual calendar that decorated the library's back wall. Dates changed by themselves to represent the various events at Hogwarts and those around the wizarding world. Some even included a corresponding image or newspaper clipping.
Liza swallowed. Full moon was tomorrow night.
Flicking her wand, she reverted the calendar back about three months ago when she had overheard the Marauders in the hospital wing. It was the night after Minnie had given her detention with Sirius. She trailed her wand down the calendar. Her chest tightened.
The night she had let Sirius go was marked with a full circle. The moon shone brightly, winking in the dim light of the torches.
---
Liza pulled her scarf closer around her throat, knowing what she was about to do was a horrid idea and yet unable to stop her footsteps. The Whomping Willow stood less than a few paces in front of her and its large branches shivered in the breeze. Only the stars in the obsidian expanse above appeared to hold any merriment. White light bathed her face as she tilted her chin upwards. The Milky Way was bright with stardust that made it crisper in the December air.
Then, a low howl pierced the silence. Liza's teeth rattled as she clenched her jew, reminding herself for the tenth time what an idiot she was.
Yet, the clink of several vials in her pocket brought her some comfort. She had brought as many healing antidotes as she could manage from Slughorn's stores. Several were brews of her own, enhanced with a few extra ingredients. Managing to bypass the potions professor had been rather easy. Liza had just told him that she desired to undertake an extra credit assignment. Slughorn was vulnerable to tales of greatness. Rather, he just hoped that his students would lift him to the admiration he had never been able to achieve himself. He had been all too happy to let Liza into the rare storage cabinets.
Several barks rang through the air in response to the howl, followed by a large thud. Liza's brow furrowed. Surely Remus hadn't found a stray dog in the tunnels beneath the tree?
She still wasn't exactly sure how the Whomping Willow protected the castle from a werewolf, but it had been all too easy for her to decipher the hidden gleam in Severus's eye. The Slytherin had wanted her to discover Remus's secret. Why, she still wasn't sure. Perhaps he would have found joy in her mutilated body. Either way, she wasn't stupid enough to try to confront a werewolf. She had just been too curious to stop herself. Not to mention, worried about Remus.
For several hours, Liza leaned against the trunk of an oak tree, trying to keep herself from freezing to the ground. The muscles in her calves were prodded with invisible pins and needles and she stretched them with a low yawn.
The edges of the sun were just beginning to crest the tip of the mountains. Dawn was breaking.
"Shit."
She froze at the familiar tone. Sirius limped out from a sudden opening in the willow, his clothes ragged and streaked with crimson. On one shoulder, Remus's head lolled weakly while Peter attempted to prop up the other. James came sprinting up behind him with a wad of cotton. His state fared none better than the others. His jumper had been torn nearly to shreds.
A million questions raced through Liza's mind, tangling themselves in a muddled pile that begged for her attention. But she rapidly shoved them aside as she ran towards Remus.
"Here—"
The boys stiffened. A flare of panic burned in Sirius's gaze as he did his best to shield Remus. "Liza, what the bloody hell—"
Ignoring the scandalized tone, Liza pulled the vials from her pocket, organizing them with a wave of her hand. They hovered in the air, the contents inside shimmering in the light of dawn. "The faster I can get these in his system, the better he will heal."
Sirius and James exchanged worried glances. "Liza, I don't—"
"Oh, honestly," Liza spat hotly, wanting to shove Sirius from her view. "I'm the best potion-maker in the castle. I'm not entirely incapable."
This sobered the boys a bit and after a moment, they gently rested Remus on the ground. His body was limp and coated in dirt and blood. Whether it was his own or his friends was difficult to discern. Peter conjured a blanket to cover the frosted grass.
Leaning over, Liza winced at the large gashes that split the boy's torso. Crimson had long soaked through what remained of his shirt and she didn't hesitate in stripping the sodden fabric from his chest.
"Focillo," she murmured, warming the air about them so that Remus wouldn't freeze. She grabbed the vial of dittany before combining it with the powdered silver she had carefully ladled into another jar. The mixture thickened and settled against the worst of the bleeding, stopping the drops of blood that dove towards the blanket. Crimson eagerly lapped at the fabric. Moving on to his face, Liza shivered as she struggled to unclasp her next vial.
"Let me."
Sirius's fingers brushed against hers for a moment before he popped the cork off the top. Liza dipped the eyedropper carefully in the solution before placing it onto Remus's cheek. The silver solution shimmered, hissing for a moment before it disappeared into vapor. James sucked in a harsh breath. Liza felt ill with worry, despite her fierce insistence minutes before.
Then, the vapor cleared and revealed Remus's face once more. The fresh scratch had faded into a thin line that appeared several weeks old. Liza nearly cried with relief. She had worked most of the day on combining ingredients with the usual silver powder and dittany. It had taken many hours and papercuts, but the formula she developed seemed to be useful for smaller abrasions.
Turning back to the worst of the scarring on Remus's chest, she pulled a roll of bandages from the pocket of her robes.
"It's like Mary Poppins." Peter's voice was barely more than a tremble.
Liza barely registered his comment, but the edge of her lips quirked up. "Just an Extension Charm." Flicking her wand, she watched as the bandages tightened over Remus's flesh, catching the last of the blood that her solution hadn't been able to.
"Miss Prewett!"
Madame Pomfrey ran down the hill, her dress flying behind her. It would have been a comical sight, had it not been for her mortified expression. She shoved Liza out of the way before kneeling beside Remus. Her hands expertly found his pulse.
Satisfied that her ward was still breathing, Pomfrey turned her dark glare onto the rest of the Marauders.
"You buys were supposed to bring him to me straight away!"
James spluttered, a shadow of guilt making his face more haggard than it had been already. The copper smear of blood down his cheekbone only solidified Pomfrey's accusatory stance. "Poppy, I—"
"It was my doing," Liza interrupted, certain that the Marauders should hold none of the blame. "I insisted—"
"Of all the—" Madame Pomfrey spun around after prodding Remus's bandages. Liza vaguely registered that they must have been placed sufficiently or the woman would have instantly refastened them.
"You idiot girl!" Her normally irritated expression was pinched with fury. "Do you have ANY—."
"She was only trying to help." To Liza's surprise, Sirius spoke up softly from behind her. His curls were entwined with dead twigs.
The woman gave a large sniff. "Yes, and I expect you want to be a Healer upon graduation?" At Liza's silence, she gave another shake of her head. "I daresay you should choose a different career path if you think experimenting on students is an acceptable form of behavior."
The heavy weight of guilt and dread tightened its hold on Liza's stomach. "I tested it on myself first!" she protested weakly, "I would never have tried if it hadn't passed several trials—"
"He's a werewolf!" The Marauders flinched at Pomfrey's shrill tone. "You wouldn't know what to expect!"
Feeling exceedingly foolish, Liza began to back away from the group. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
Then, she turned and bolted into the trees. The shadows of the underbrush appeared to taunt her, waving their boughs in the night breeze. Her breath puffed in ragged bursts from her chest despite the rising sun.
Not stopping until she reached the safety of the Slytherin Common Room, Liza tugged her cloak from her shoulders as she crept into the dormitory. The outline of Myra's sleeping figure beneath her comforter only heightened her pain. They had deftly avoided each other since their row several weeks ago. Liza had taken to eating meals in the library or castle grounds. It felt a bit less pathetic than sitting by herself at the end of the table.
Pulling the curtains shut around her bed, Liza collapsed on the mattress and promptly burst into tears.