Selene || Remus Lupin

Ch. 13 - The Morning After

Whatever voices were floating in and out of Selene's ears needed to shut up. She had been having this really nice dream about stargazing in the moonlight, and she was starting to wake up... such pretty moonlight... the moon...

Selene blinked, her vision slowly coming into focus.

"Ah, Mrs. Black, you're awake," Madam Pomfrey said brusquely, rushing over to her bedside.

Selene rubbed her eyes. Why was she in the hospital wing? Where was Remus? Remus –

Selene immediately remembered why she was there, and she sat up suddenly, groaning in pain. "Where's Harry? Is he alright?"

"I'm here!"  Harry said, appearing at the foot of her bed.

Selene winced. "Are you alright? What about everyone else? What happened—"

"Everyone is okay," Harry said. He lowered his voice as Madam Pomfrey walked away, presumably to fetch something. "Pettigrew got away. Sirius escaped though, and he's on the run again."

Selene's heart froze. "No! But how – Peter was our evidence! He – Sirius was going to be free!" Her eyes stung with tears. "Dammit Peter!"

Her chest heaved; anger coursed through her veins with a vengeance. Peter was their only proof that Sirius was not a Death Eater, and he had run for it like the coward he was. Selene had no idea where he'd go, but if he remained in his rat form, she wasn't sure they'd be able to find him again – thus, she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to see Sirius under normal circumstances again, as a free man. Peter had once again, of course, ruined everything for them.

And to think that just a few hours ago, it had been reversed, that Selene had thought Sirius the betrayer... how wrong she was.

Selene realized all of the sudden that Harry was looking at her forlornly, and perhaps a little concerned as well.

She shook her head slightly, trying to compose herself. "What about Remus?"

Harry hesitated. "He came in here earlier... He didn't know you had been injured, you see... He wasn't happy."

"Did he say anything?"

"No," Harry said. "He sat with you for a moment, but then he rushed off to his office. He never spoke a word to me."

Selene's eyes widened. "I have to go see him."

"You won't go do anything," Madam Pomfrey said severely, walking towards them. "You need rest."

"I have to speak to Remus," Selene insisted, trying to pull off her bedsheets.

"Mr. Lupin will have to come to you," Madam Pomfrey said shortly, holding Selene down.

Selene looked towards Harry. "Help, Harry, I need your help."

He nodded, understanding immediately. "I got it." He stood up and ran out of the hospital wing.

"Thank you!" Selene called after him.

Selene only waited for about twenty minutes before Remus walked into the hospital wing. Harry poked his head into the hospital wing after him and waved to Selene, before disappearing.

"I'm a little insulted, honestly, that you aren't at my sickbed, catering to my every whim," Selene joked weakly.

Remus didn't smile. He sat next to her bed, still a considerable distance away from her, she noticed.

"Remus... please tell me you don't blame yourself for this," Selene said softly.

He hung his head, hiding his face from her. "Selene, this is my fault."