| CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO |
THE DOCTOR KNOWS BEST.
DAWN COULDN'T SLEEP THAT NIGHT. How would she? Knowing that Remus was in the shed near the cottage, his howls disappearing into the night, it was something that made her feel wide awake and not in a good way.
Remus let her sleep in his bed for the night, but the redhead didn't use it. Instead, she sat on the windowsill, her green eyes lingering on the outside. She couldn't see anything but the dark fields of sleeping flowers, long overgrown grass and a small tattered looking shed. The shed Remus was currently occupying.
It was merely the middle of the night, meaning that he had more hours to go. To feel uncontrollable. Dawn had never once judged him about his condition - and she never would. She did, however, feel immense sadness for the man, especially when she thought of him as a young boy having to go through something he probably didn't even fully understand just yet.
With a sad sigh, the redhead glanced up. She used to love the moon. When she was a little girl, she would stay up as late as she physically could just sitting near her window, looking out at the full moon. It never crossed her mind that something so beautiful was so harmful to certain people.
She could feel herself practically glaring at it. Her years of loving it turning to hate. Maybe it was slightly over the top; since it wasn't completely the moon's fault for what Remus had to go through, but she couldn't really glare at Greyback at that moment, could she; so the moon was the second best thing.
By the time the sun started peeking over the hills, Dawn was exhausted. Pushing that feeling down, she finally moved from her spot on the windowsill. She threw on a jacket and picked up her bag (one that she threw a large blanket into, some chocolate, bandages and other medical items since werewolf scars couldn't be fixed by magic). Grabbing her wand from where she left it on the windowsill, the redhead exited Remus' bedroom. The floorboards creaked underneath her feet as she walked over to the door, slipping on her boots before exiting the home.
The air was chilly, and a thin layer of frost covered the grass causing it to crunch loudly under her boots as she walked straight towards the shed. The bag was hanging off her shoulder and her arms were wrapped around her own midsection, keeping her jacket wrapped as tightly around her as she physically could. She could see the ghost of her breath dancing through the air as she let out a big exhale whilst opening the door of the shed. She wasn't scared for herself (like some judgemental people would be) instead, she was worried about the state she would find Remus in.
The shed was dark and surprisingly warm. The only light was the sun creeping in through one of the small windows in side of it as well as it peeking in through some of the cracks in the foundation. She spotted Remus' body slumped over on a large mattress. The mattress had countless claw marks in it, parts of it hanging out. He was covered in a thin blanket (one with way too many holes in).
He must've heard her shoes as his head perked up when she walked towards him. Dawn sent him a small comforting smile as he looked at her sheepishly. Neither of them said anything as the redhead knelt down in front of the mattress, placing her bag besides her and digging through it. Remus watched carefully as she pulled out a large fluffy blanket and some bandages before she turned back to face him.
"Here," Dawn muttered, passing the blanket over to the werewolf, "Are you hurt?"
"Only a couple of scratches," Remus dismissed it, waving his hand at her as he took the blanket from her hands.
"Remus," The redhead said pointedly.
With a sigh, the older man revealed his torso, Dawn's eyes instantly landed on the five new scratch marks sitting on him. She reached into her bag, pulling out some sort of ointment and a cloth.
"You don't have to do this," Remus breathed out, frowning.
"I know," Dawn told him, moving closer to sit by his side, "But I want to," She added, smiling warmly at the older man as reached forwards, putting the cloth on his chest. He let out a small hiss at the sudden coldness of it as the woman wiped off the dried up blood, "Sorry," She told him as she pressed it slightly tighter.
"Don't be," He muttered, grinding his teeth from the pain, the scratches weren't that deep, but they stung like a bitch, "Thank you. You didn't have to do any of this. You're too good for me."
Dawn smiled at him as she placed the cloth down and replaced it with the ointment bottle, unscrewing the top she squeezed some onto her fingers, "I image you'd do the exact same if the situation was switched," She told him as she wiped it onto the scratches as carefully as she could, not wanting him to be hurt anymore than necessary.
"I suppose you're right," Remus muttered, letting out a low chuckle.
"Of course I am," Dawn grinned, sending him a playful wink. She wiped the remaining ointment off her fingers onto the back of the wet cloth before screwing the cap back on.
"So, what's the verdict, doctor?" Remus asked, grinning tiredly.
"Well, it looks like you'll live," Dawn told him, a wide grin on her face, "But only if you take this medicine," She turned around and began reaching into her bag yet again as Remus watched her with a puzzled expression.
His eyes almost lit up when the redhead pulled out a large bar of chocolate, grinning at him, "The doctor knows best right," He joked.
"Exactly," Dawn nodded, passing him the delicious treat, "Now, eat up, we don't want you dying do we?"