OUTCAST | SIRIUS BLACK

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

WHERE IS YOUR OTHER HALF?
✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

Seraphina was extremely happy when she found out that she would be released from the Hospital Wing the next day. But she was slightly offended, or even saddened, by the lack of visits she had received. The only person that had visited her was Regulus, but none of her other friends had stopped by. Or if they had, it had been when she was sleeping.

Once dressed in her own clothes again Seraphina pulled back the curtain that surrounded her bed. But before leaving the Hospital Wing her eyes searched the room for the bed that Remus would be recovering in. Only two other beds had curtains around them, the others were empty.

Seraphina had visited Remus countless times before and he almost always stayed in the same bed, so she took a guess and hoped that she wouldn't come face to face with another sick or injured student.

A breath of relief left her when she saw that it was in fact Remus lying in the bed and she quickly slipped inside. He was covered in bruises and small cuts, and he appeared so very fragile at the moment. When he heard her entrance Remus turned to look at her and she could clearly see a flash of shame in his eyes.

"Don't even think like that," Sera told him firmly, sitting down at the edge of the bed. "This wasn't your fault."

"I hurt you-"

"No, Snape and Sirius's stupidity hurt me," Seraphina said firmly. "Every full moon you do everything in your power to not hurt anyone. You lock yourself away, making it impossible for anyone to come by you by mistake; that some people are stupid enough to seek you out is their own fault."

"What if I had bitten you, Sephy?" Remus asked, eyes downcast. However, she could see that his eyes were slightly glazed over and it broke her. "Or worse." His voice were barley above a whisper. "What if I had killed you?"

"Remmy," Sera said in a firm but gentle tone, sitting down beside him on the bed, placing a hand on his. "Then it would not have been your fault. Honestly, it would have been my own fault for trying to save Snape. I knew what I was getting myself into the second I entered the Shrieking Schack and no matter what could have happened, with the emphasis on could because nothing happened-"

"I hurt you-"

"And I hurt you," Sera interrupted him. "So I guess we are even."

"I-"

"Shush, Remmy. I will not listen to you blaming yourself for this," Sera said firmly, pulling him into a hug. "Let's just agree that it's in the past. You are one of my best friends, Remmy - what happened two nights ago won't change that. Neither will anything that could possibly happen in the future."

Remus pulled back to look at her, "Nothing will happen in the future because you will never be near me during a full moon ever again."

"But-"

"I'm serious, Sera. You are my oldest friend and it would kill me if I ever hurt you-"

"You allow James, Sirius and Peter to be there-"

"Because they are Animagi. Sirius and James can keep me in check and even if I attacked one of them - a werewolf bite has no affect on them whilst they aren't in their human forms."

Not seeing any reason to continue this argument, Seraphina let it go, "Okay, I promise to never make a surprise appearance during one of your transformations."

"Good," Remus said, never even wanting to risk hurting her again.

"When will you be released?" Sera asked to change the subject.

"Tomorrow," Remus told her. "But for once I think I might want to stay a bit longer. I don't really have any desire to go back to my dormitory."

Sera grimaced, realising why he didn't want to return. "I am absolutely not defending Sirius's actions," she said, "but I don't think his tiny, little brain realised how stupid it was to give as little as a hint to Snape about where you would be. But he didn't want to hurt you."

"It really sounds like you are defending him," Remus muttered, clearly angry at Sirius for the stunt he pulled - and rightly so.

"I'm not," Sera insisted. "I am a firm believer that Sirius should beg on his hands and knees for your forgiveness. But I know you well enough, Remmy, to know that holding a grudge against him for too long only will serve to make you miserable."

. • ⚯͛ • .

"Merlin's beard! You are back!"

Sera turned around the sound of Marlene's voice to see the Fifth Year Gryffindor Girls approach her. "Where have you been? Potter said you were feeling ill," Lily said, worry clear in her bright green eyes.

"Uh, yes. I guess it was something I ate," Sera lied, knowing that Dumbledore probably had spun some story to cover up what really happened. "But now I am back."

"So you won't puke on us," Marlene asked, earning glares from the other girls. "What? Better to be safe than covered in vomit."

"No, I won't," Seraphina rolled her eyes at her. "However, I do need to head up to my dormitory now. I'll see you girls around-"

Before she could walk away Alice wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug, "Don't you dare make me worry like that ever again."

"Naw, you care about me," Seraphina grinned; but she was touched by her friend's concern.

"Of course I do," Alice deadpanned. "We all do. You are our friend, Seraphina."

"You are going to make a wonderful mother, Alice," Seraphina told her. "You manage to make me feel guilty and loved at the same time."

After saying her goodbyes to the girls she continued her walk through the castle only to bump into James. When he saw her, his hazel eyes widened and before she knew what was happening he had practically picked her up, hugging the life out of her.

"I'm lucky my ribs were bruised and not broken," Sera said, voice coming out strained since she couldn't breathe properly. "Although they might be now."

"You scared the life out of me," James accused her, still not letting go. "How dare you faint like that?"

"Uh, I didn't really choose to faint," Sera patted him on the back, her feet not being able to touch the ground. "If you don't let me down soon, rumours will start."

"I don't care. I'm never letting you out of my sight again, baby sis," James told her but despite his words, he did let her go and placed her on the ground. "I visited you, but you were asleep every time."

"I think Madam Pomfrey gave me some kind of sleeping draught," Sera told him. "But it's good to know that I wasn't completely forgotten." She then frowned and looked around, "Where is your other half?"

For the first time ever Seraphina saw annoyance and anger flash in James's eyes at the mention of his best mate. "I don't know - and I don't care." Then his anger became even more prominent, "Let me change that. I know where he is, but I have not intention to talk with him. Come on, let's go."

Sera cast a glance over her shoulder just as James started to lead her down the corridor. Her eyes met the startling grey of Sirius Black and his face fell. Before James even had the chance to lead her far enough away from Sirius so that she could not see him; it appeared seeing her was too much and Sirius's head was downcast as he walked away in the opposite direction.