A/N: Completely AU, canon shall be shredded until it begs for mercy, and perhaps a bit more just for fun. YATTF, because for some reason I keep going there. Hermione shall be Remus' younger sister, whose parents tried to hide her because they feared Greyback's wrath spreading to her as well. Their means of concealment was rather unorthodox, and they told their son that his sister was 'gone'.
People seem to have a really strong attachment to Voldemort. The number one thing people ask/complain about (right after multiple partners) is the lack of Voldemort. I thought that the whole premise of the story as outlined above would have made it clear that this story was going to focus on Greyback, but people seem to be confused. This story is all about the Lupin family and how Greyback's impact upon them.
Voldemort is not important in this story. He does not influence the plot. He does not motivate the characters. Therefore you will hear almost nothing about him except where it was impossible to ignore him.
There will be no canon ships here, so don't read this and then get angry because so-and-so didn't wind up with so-and-so. I warned you.
Official Disclaimer: As this is fanfic, and I'm not being recompensed in any fashion, I claim this piece is fair use under the Copyright Act, etc.
WARNINGS: AU, Non-canon compliant, EWE, Poking canon with sharp sticks to watch it flinch, time travel, Marauders, slash, het, bisexuality, couples, threesomes, language, overprotective wolfy brother, anything else you might possibly complain that you weren't warned about.
The Lost Lupin
"Hermione, he's watching you again," Ginny whispered to her friend.
Hermione glanced up and her gaze was caught by his. He flushed slightly and looked away. Hermione felt another set of eyes on her and turned slightly to see Tonks glaring at her. That had been happening quite a bit lately. She'd catch Remus watching her or she'd catch Tonks glaring at her because Remus was watching her. The problem with the whole thing was that Tonks misunderstood. Hermione could tell that she was jealous—one would have to be incredibly stupid to not have picked up on that, but as near as Hermione could tell Tonks shouldn't be jealous. Remus wasn't looking at her with lust or desire or anything remotely like that. There was confusion in his eyes mixed with a sort of desperate hope and a sad sort of despair. She didn't know what it meant so she tried to ignore it.
"Hermione?" Harry called her from the doorway. She turned toward him, and she noticed his slight frown at Tonks. He'd noticed Tonks' glares, and he didn't like them.
"Coming," she replied, rising to her feet with a fluid grace. She could feel Remus frowning at her back. Harry grabbed her hand as soon as she got close enough and dragged her up to the room he shared with Ron.
"What is up with her?" Harry demanded as he dragged her along.
"No idea," Hermione said with a shrug.
"Yeah, well, she'd better watch her step," Harry growled in irritation.
"Oh, spare me the over-protective big brother routine, Harry," Hermione chided. He grunted and continued down the hall, pushing open his door and pulling Hermione in after him. Ron was sprawled across his bed reading a Quidditch magazine and muttering under his breath. He glanced up when he saw Hermione.
"Oh, good," he said cheerfully, and stowed his magazine. "So let's talk about the master plan."
"Well, we'll have to wait until after Bill and Fleur's wedding, obviously," Hermione said thoughtfully. Both boys shuddered at the wrath of Molly and Fleur if they dared miss the wedding.
"Right," the boys said in unison. She grinned slightly. She was so attuned to them both she didn't think anybody else understood them the way she did.
Hermione woke, covered in sweat. She'd been having that dream, over and over for weeks now. She couldn't figure out why she was having that dream now, but she supposed that it was better than nightmares. The war had ended, and she supposed that some people were pleased that it was all over. Those people could dance in fiendfyre for all she cared. They hadn't lost their friends and family. They weren't left alone with nothing and no one. She stared at the ceiling for a moment and sighed. Then she got up as silently as she could and dressed. She slipped downstairs to the kitchen and almost gave a scream of fear when she realized there was someone else in the kitchen with her. She sighed when she realized who it was.
"You scared me," she accused flatly. Andromeda Tonks snorted and passed her a cup of strong, black tea.
"I found some of Remus' things that I think you should look through," Andromeda said in an odd voice. Hermione turned and frowned at her.
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked a little sharper than she'd intended. "Tonks didn't say anything, did she?"
"Nymphadora was a fool," Andromeda said a little sadly. "I glanced through them, but when I realized what they were…well, they're yours to read, dear."
"Mine to read? Remus didn't have anything of mine," Hermione argued, but her voice was uncertain.
Andromeda pointed to a small battered box on the kitchen table. Hermione felt fear grip her as she moved toward the box. She lifted the lid hesitantly and looked into a box filled with papers, pictures, letters bound with faded ribbon, and what appeared to be a very old journal. Her fingers moved of their own accord and she carefully picked up a small frame, cradling it in her hands. Two small children, a boy and a girl, were waving energetically at the photographer. The boy had a firm grasp on the little girl who had bushy hair and a mulish expression. She wriggled helplessly, trying to get free of his hand. She sat down heavily, staring at the picture of the small girl who could have been her twin at four years-old. The rest of the papers outlined Remus Lupin's search for his missing sister—the bushy-haired little girl in the photograph. All his searches ended in dead ends. His parents had evidently feared that Greyback's anger wouldn't be slaked on Remus alone, that he would come after their other child, Remus' younger sister, Hermione. Hermione felt herself go cold at that. She picked up her birth certificate in shaking fingers, staring at it numbly. Hermione Rhea Lupin had been born at St. Mungo's Hospital in 1962, she was two years younger than her older brother. Remus had agreed to join the Order, to go undercover with the werewolf packs, because Dumbledore promised him information about his sister. Hermione's stomach clenched in horror. She knew that Remus' activities during the first wizarding war had caused both James and Sirius to question his loyalty to the Order. That was why they'd chosen Pettigrew instead of Remus. It was her fault. It was all her fault. Hermione started crying and couldn't stop. She felt comforting arms slide around her shoulders and she turned her face into Andromeda's neck and sobbed.
"It's okay, love," Andromeda crooned helplessly and stroked her back soothingly. After what seemed like an eternity, she pulled back and stared at Andromeda's face.
"How can it be okay?" She demanded, her voice cracking. Andromeda smiled at her and stroked her hair gently. It wasn't quite bushy anymore. The Black family had a potion that they added to their shampoo. Unmanageable curls were a common problem for the Black women.
"Because we're going to fix it," Andromeda said with a certain hint of steel in her voice. Hermione blinked. In that moment, Andromeda had looked a bit too much like her sister, Bellatrix.
"And how are we going to do that?" Hermione asked drily. Andromeda smiled and Hermione shivered.
"I know what spell Dumbledore used to help your parents," Andromeda said smugly. "And I know how to send you back."
"You do?" Hermione asked eagerly. Andromeda nodded, then she frowned.
"You'll be going to the time you should have been in, Hermione, there won't be any coming back, you understand that, right? Strictly speaking, Dumbledore should never have done what he did in the first place," Andromeda said slowly. Hermione nodded.
For years, she had felt a strange pull toward Professor Lupin, who insisted that she call him Remus once his year of teaching was over. It was never sexual in nature, it had been different than that, but it had tugged at her insistently. Now she knew why. Now she knew why Remus always looked at her with confusion in his eyes. He felt the pull, but he couldn't figure out why the Hermione who was calling to him was so much younger than he was. His Hermione should have been thirty years old at least. His sister. Her brother, Remus Lupin. She started shaking again and Andromeda poked her in the arm.
"None of that, now," Andromeda said imperiously. Hermione gave a watery chuckle and shook her head.
"How will this work?" Hermione asked in a raspy voice.
"Ah, now that's the difficult bit. Erm, I'm going to send you back to Remus' sixth year. You need to get there before he starts promising to do things for Dumbledore for information about you. That's where everything went pear-shaped the first time around. I remember Siri and James arguing, and I could never believe that Remus Lupin would betray them. Pettigrew maybe, but never Lupin," Andromeda said slowly, outlining her plan.
"But I'm almost nineteen!" Hermione protested. Andromeda winced.
"Well, there is that. I can de-age you to sixteen. It's sort of a dark spell, but we're not going to tell anyone about that bit, are we love? Now, Remus is going to be confused because even then, you should be only fourteen. You'll have to tell him the truth, I think. It will make him angry, which he should be, in my opinion. You'll be here when you come through, and I've written a letter to myself, explaining why we should help you. I've not mentioned anything about Nymphadora, in case you're wondering, so perhaps you ought not to mention that bit. Just in case, you know," Andromeda explained carefully.
"Why not?" Hermione asked in surprise. She would have thought that Andromeda would be far more likely to help a son-in-law than a cousin's friend.
"Hermione, dear, your presence will most likely change a great many things. One of those things may be who Remus marries. Or married. Or will marry? Oh, hell, I hate time travel. Regardless, I want you to listen very carefully to me. You aren't 'changing the timeline'. Dumbledore and your parents did when they removed you from it. Who knows how different things would have been if you'd been allowed to live your life as you were meant to? We'll never know. However, I do NOT want you beating yourself up about what should be happening. There is no set path. Do you understand me, young lady?" Andromeda's voice had become stern and the glint in her eye made Hermione distinctly nervous.
"Yes, ma'am," she whispered. Then she bit her lower lip. "But what about—"
"No!" Andromeda said sharply, holding up her hand.
"None of the things that happened were 'meant to be'! That's a load of bullshit that has been spoon-fed to all of you to support the idea of poor Harry Potter having some fabulous destiny, and look where that got him!" Andromeda was panting now, her cheeks red with anger. Hermione flinched and closed her eyes. Andromeda sighed and stroked her hair again. "I'm sorry, Hermione, I didn't mean to lose my temper."
"No, you're right," Hermione said finally, her eyes snapping open, a fierce look of determination shining in their depths. "So, when do we do this?"
"We can do the de-aging potion today if you want. It will take a little while for you to adjust to the effects," Andromeda said thoughtfully. "Then in a couple of days we can do the rest."
The de-aging potion was fascinating, Hermione thought as she stared at herself in the mirror. As her body turned back the clock, so to speak, she watched scars disappear as though they'd never been there. Watching the word 'mudblood' disappear from her forearm had been odd, almost disconcerting. The scar from Dolohov remained—she'd gotten that at sixteen in the Department of Mysteries. It would be her only link to this life, she thought absently as she traced the evidence of that night. A life that was never supposed to have happened. She stomped down on the anger that flared within her whenever she thought about everything that had been taken from her, and from her brother. The Remus Lupin she had known had been sad, empty, as though part of him were missing. She had assumed that was due to James Potter and Sirius Black's deaths, but perhaps not. It was entirely likely that her disappearance was responsible for all of that.
"Ready, Hermione?" Andromeda asked her two days later. She had nodded, hesitantly. She had her birth certificate and a letter from Andromeda to Andromeda.
"As I'll ever be," she muttered faintly. Andromeda smiled at her.
"There's the spirit, dear," Andromeda said with a smile. Then everything went black.
"Hermione?" A voice was calling her name hesitantly, and she felt someone shake her slightly. She moaned and wished the shaking person would stop.
"Is she all right?" A masculine voice asked worriedly.
"I think so," the first voice, decidedly feminine, replied uncertainly.
"Oooh," Hermione said miserably.
"Oh, she's awake! Hermione, how do you feel?" The feminine voice asked eagerly.
"Like I've come across the wrong end of a blast-ended skrewt," she muttered darkly.
"A what?" The masculine voice asked curiously.
"Never mind, Ted, darling," The feminine voice soothed him.
"Andromeda?" Hermione asked faintly. The feminine voice sounded younger and much more carefree than the Andromeda she remembered.
"Yes! Oh, this is splendid!" Andromeda said cheerfully. Hermione managed to open one eye to glare at the woman who would one day be the closest thing she had to a friend. Or well, never mind. Andromeda was right, this time travel crap was a pain in the ass.
"Apparently we have differing definitions of 'splendid'," Hermione muttered. Andromeda giggled.
"Oh, you even sound like him," Andromeda said cheerfully. Both of Hermione's eyes snapped open at that.
"What do you mean? I sound like who?" Hermione demanded. Andromeda looked uneasy at the harsh note in Hermione's tone.
"Why, your brother, of course," she murmured faintly. She held up a sheaf of papers. "It's all here."
"You've met my brother?" Hermione asked eagerly. Andromeda smiled fondly.
"Once or twice when Siri's dragged him over. Very sweet boy," Andromeda replied.
"What day is it?" Hermione asked urgently. Andromeda and Ted exchanged a look.
"It's July 1st, 1976. Plenty of time to browbeat Dumbledore into accepting you at Hogwarts," Andromeda said with a wicked smile that made her look a bit like Bellatrix. "I'm actually looking forward to it."
"Ah," Hermione said faintly.
"Not today of course," Andromeda said with a regal wave of her hand. "We'll give you a day or two to adjust."
"Gee, thanks," Hermione said drily.
"Don't be impertinent, dear," Andromeda said sternly, and then ruined it by grinning widely. Ted snorted and wrapped an arm around his wife and kissing her on the forehead.
"I'll need to go shopping for clothes," Hermione said hesitantly. "I've brought all my money with me. I wasn't certain how to arrange it otherwise."
"No, of course not," Andromeda agreed. "Diagon Alley or muggle London?"
"Muggle London for some of it," Hermione said absently. The wizarding world didn't really have an equivalent for jeans and Hermione loved her jeans. "I'll have to get school robes and whatnot in Diagon Alley."
"Very good. Do you want to be there while I browbeat Dumbledore, or would you rather be absent?" Andromeda asked curiously. Hermione swallowed.
"I'm a bit angry with him at the moment," Hermione admitted. "I'm actually afraid to meet him right now because I'm afraid I might scream and yell at him."
"That might not help your cause," Andromeda agreed, frowning to herself. "I think I'll go alone. If necessary, I'll pull you in to see him, but we'll try to avoid it for now."
"Thank you," Hermione said feelingly.
/\/\/\/\/\
Diagon Alley in August was bustling with back-to-school shoppers and Hermione followed the Tonks' absently as they walked along with little Nymphadora. She had been thrilled when she wasn't forced to come face-to-face with Dumbledore. Apparently, Andromeda had steam-rollered him around to her way of thinking with a bit of fierce Black temper and the cold, hard facts. She'd received her Hogwarts letter right on time, and now here they were, shopping on Diagon Alley. Andromeda had raised a brow at the snug jeans, the black boots, and the Buzzcocks t-shirt that the younger witch sported as they headed out the door. Hermione had grinned at her and shrugged. She'd been measured for her school uniform at Madam Malkin's and they'd collected her textbooks from Flourish & Blott's. They stepped out of the apothecary's and Hermione blinked for a moment in the blinding sun. She felt a strange tug that she hadn't felt in at least a year. She turned unerringly toward it and froze for a moment. It was him, her brother. He was frowning, and she knew he could feel the same pull she did. She dropped her bags and ran toward him, heedless of what she was doing.
"Remus!" She called desperately, tears already streaking her cheeks.
The last time she'd seen her brother, was when he'd been laid out for burial. His head turned toward her and his eyes widened in shock. She flung herself at him and he staggered slightly, but his arms came around her. She was crying and whispering his name and hugging him and pressing kisses on his cheeks and chin because she was too short to reach any higher. Hermione wound her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest, inhaling his scent. He bent his head to her hair and took a deep breath of her scent.
"Hermione?" He asked hesitantly, afraid that he was wrong. She pulled back, her amber eyes filled with tears and she wrinkled her nose at him.
"Who else?" She asked him tartly. "You often have weepy girls flinging themselves at you in public?"
"Well, no," he admitted faintly, his arms tightening around her as he realized that she was really there. "You look…where have you been? What's happened?"
"You're not going to like it," Hermione warned him.
"I imagine not," Remus muttered drily, trying to imagine why his sister had been gone from him so long.
"Hermione!" Andromeda and Ted were panting as they made it to her, dragging their daughter along with them. "Don't run off like that, girl! You scared us both. Ah, you've found him. Excellent. Why don't you come to our house so that Hermione can explain everything?"
"Andromeda?" Remus said in surprise, his eyes widening. She grinned at him.
"The very same," she agreed.
"I think you'd better tell me what's going on," Remus said shortly, frowning slightly. So they took him to the Tonks' house, and they explained everything. His face grew darker and darker, until Hermione was afraid he'd explode with rage.
"So I, well, the future me, helped Hermione return to where she was meant to be, but she's your age. Sorry about that bit, but time travel is a tricky thing," Andromeda said quietly. Remus shook his head.
"She's back, that's all that matters," he said flatly, hugging her against his side. He looked at her and his face softened. "You'll always be my little sister, you know that, right?"
"I think I can live with that," Hermione said with a smile. A hole that she didn't even know her heart had had was now filled. She felt a sense of contentment that she hadn't experienced in years.
"So you'll be going to school with me this year?" Remus asked curiously. Hermione smiled at him again.
"Yes," she said smugly. To be honest, she was sort of looking forward to that.
"Don't speak to any boys at all," he said with a slight frown. "They're tossers. Every last one of them."
"Oh, Remus," she snorted with a roll of her eyes. He wasn't going to pull the big brother routine, was he?
"I'm serious, Hermione," he insisted. "You don't know how they think, but I do."
"What about my cousin?" Andromeda asked indignantly. Remus made an undignified noise.
"He's one of the worst," Remus said flatly. "I'd rather not have him within a ten-league radius of my baby sister."
"He's not wrong," Ted muttered ignoring the dark look that his wife sent his way.
"Remus, I know this is going to be hard to believe, but I can handle myself," Hermione said drily. Remus frowned at her, and she could almost feel his hackles rising. She sighed heavily. Having a wolfy-brother was probably going to be worse than Overprotective!Harry, which was saying something.
"They had better just watch themselves," he growled under his breath. Hermione snorted.
"Not to rain on your overprotective parade, but it's not like there's ever been a trail of men beating a path to my door," Hermione said tartly. "I hardly think that's going to change now."
"Why not?" Remus demanded and Hermione almost laughed at the sudden about face. Now he was offended that men weren't hitting on her. She would never understand men. Not in a million years.
"If I may," Andromeda interjected politely, with a small smile for Hermione. "My letter to me said that she was a lot like her brother—a know-it-all bookworm, and if that wasn't enough of a detraction she also had two close male friends who were extremely protective of her."
"How close?" Remus demanded. Hermione rolled her eyes at him.
"Not like that, you prat," she snapped. "They were more like brothers than anything. I didn't even know about you until…well…never mind."
/\/\/\/\/\
Hermione was used to taking care of herself. She wasn't used to the warm, supportive, loving attention with which Andromeda and Ted Tonks showered her. Even little Nymphadora toddled over to her and clung to her leg before she left for the Hogwarts Express. Last minute instructions, hugs, and stern warnings to take care of herself and write often made her smile fondly at all of them before she left for Platform 9 ¾. Remus had decided not to say anything to anyone. He wanted to see their faces when she was Sorted. She had rolled her eyes at him and asked him what he would do if she were Sorted into Slytherin. He'd paled at that, and she'd laughed at him. So she was trying to make her way across the platform in her black boots and her snug jeans, this time with a Clash t-shirt clinging to her curves. She pushed her wild curls out of her face, not noticing the appreciative glances she was drawing from the male students.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake," she muttered in irritation. Dragging her trunk around was beyond annoying. She snapped her fingers and her trunk rose obediently and followed her onto the train. "There, much better."
The train was full, as it always was, and Hermione hunted in vain for an empty compartment. She finally found one and with a sigh of relief, entered it and put her trunk away. She sat down and pulled a book out of her purse. It was a small, slim volume on charms that was both rare and out of print. Hermione had found it to be immensely useful, and was soon entrance by its pages. It is therefore not surprising that she didn't look up when her door slid open.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Hermione glanced up from her book to see an arrogant looking boy already wearing his school robes. The green and silver of Slytherin made her eyes narrow and her wand hand flex.
"Yes?" Hermione snapped, quickly judging her chances with the group in front of her. There were three of them…she might be able to swing that. She hoped that she had the advantage, but there was no way to determine that before she fought them.
"You're new," the boy in front said speculatively, eyeing her muggle clothing, "so perhaps you're unaware of how things work around here. I'm going to help you out and explain a few things."
"I don't really think that's necessary," Hermione said coldly. His little buddies snickered, and he smiled coldly at her. She cast a silent, wandless shield, which proved to be a smart move as a nasty hex bounced harmlessly off of it.
"Is there a problem here?" A very familiar voice growled furiously. Hermione sighed.
"Why not at all, Prefect Lupin," the boy said in a silky voice that managed to be just shy of insulting.
"Then I suggest you vacate this compartment," Remus snapped, his eyes practically glowing. The boys muttered, but they left. He turned to Hermione and frowned. "Come along then."
"Oh, come on! I could've taken them!" Hermione argued helplessly. Remus snorted and rolled his eyes. Then he grasped her arm firmly and practically dragged her with him. She struggled fruitlessly, and felt akin to the picture of the younger her. He threw open the door to his own compartment, where the Marauders were lounging and pointed to an empty spot the bench where Pettigrew was sitting.
"Sit!" He ordered. She crossed her arms and glared at him.
"I'd rather not," she snapped. He growled at her and her eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare!
"Try me," he said furiously. She sat as far as she possibly could from Pettigrew and crossed her arms and glared at the wall across from her.
"I could've taken them," she muttered under her breath. Remus snorted.
"Right," he said drily. "I don't think you understand with what, exactly, you were dealing."
"Whatever," she scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"So, Remus, is kidnapping hot chicks a new prefect duty?" Sirius asked with a smirk. "Because if it is, I so want to be a prefect."
"Nott and his little buddies were harassing her," Remus snapped irritably. The other Marauders immediately sat up straighter.
"Should've known," James said with a laugh. "Sir Remus, knight errant, to the lady's rescue."
"Her unwilling rescue," Sirius added thoughtfully. He frowned at her in her muggle clothes. "Remus did you a favor. They wouldn't have taken no for an answer."
"Gee, thanks so much," Hermione turned and snapped at Remus. He snorted at her and sat down in between her and Pettigrew. She put her chin in the air and ignored him.
"Next time, maybe you should just let her be harassed," Peter muttered to Remus. He snarled at the smaller boy who cringed into the seat.
"Seriously, Moony, what's got you so worked up?" James asked in surprise. Remus sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Nothing," he muttered.
"Right, because 'nothing' always has you ripping Pete's face off," Sirius said drily.
"Just shut up, Padfoot," Moony said darkly, glaring at a spot on the wall. The rest of the trip was somewhat muted, but eventually the boys just pretended she wasn't there. Right before they arrived at Hogwarts, her brother escorted her back to the compartment and waited outside while she changed. When they came back to the Marauder's compartment the boys all frowned at her black tie.
"Are you a transfer?" James asked in surprise. "I didn't know they did that."
"I'm special," Hermione muttered with a slight grimace. Remus snorted at that and looked pointedly at the bench. Hermione sat gracefully and shot him a dark look that promised retribution later. He smirked at her, and her lips thinned. Oh, it was on.
"I'll bet you are, sweetheart," Sirius drawled with a smirk. Remus glared at his friend who blinked at him in surprise. "Remus?"
"Don't, Sirius," Remus said flatly.
"Don't what?" Sirius asked innocently. Remus' jaw tightened and he just looked at his friend.
"I think he means don't try your smooth moves on his girl," James suggested with a wicked grin. Hermione couldn't help it, she giggled, a girly, feminine giggle that had Remus rolling his eyes at her and James and Sirius looking at the both of them suspiciously.
"What's so funny about that?" James asked curiously.
"Nothing," Remus said flatly with a glance at his sister.
The Lupins were relieved when the train arrived at the Hosmeade station. Remus had prefect duties, making sure that the first years all made it toward the boats. He had a firm grip on his sister's arm as he pushed her toward the boats as well.
"I'm not a complete idiot, Remus," she snapped, jerking her arm free. He flushed uncomfortably.
"I just got you back," he muttered at her. She sighed and brushed his sandy brown hair out of his face.
"I'm not going anywhere, you silly wolf," she said softly and kissed him on the cheek.
"See that you don't," he said gruffly. She waved cheerfully to him and clambered into one of the boats. He sighed as he watched her begin to float toward the castle and then turned and ran for the carriage that his friends had held for him.
"So what's up with you and the transfer?" Sirius asked as soon as he climbed in.
"Drop it, Padfoot," Remus muttered, rubbing his face with both hands. James frowned at him.
"Are you okay?" James asked with genuine concern.
Remus nodded, his head still in his hands. He was a little surprised by how protective he felt about Hermione, but he supposed it only made sense. She had been taken from him for roughly eleven years, and for that entire time he'd looked for her. Whenever he could, using whatever information he'd gleaned from his parents. For eleven years, he'd felt like a piece of him was missing, and now he finally had her back. The rage he'd felt when Nott had threatened her had almost overwhelmed him. His wolf had wanted to rend Nott's flesh from his bones. He took a deep shuddering breath and tried to calm himself down.
"Moony?" Sirius asked gently and he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see his friends watching him with worried expressions. He sighed and sat up, shoving his hair out of his face.
"I'm fine," he muttered.
"If you say so," James said doubtfully. Then he turned to Sirius and began to tease him about some Ravenclaw girl.