Word Count: 875 - @wolfstarmicrofic cw: anxious overthinking
Remus craned forward, fighting a mounting migraine to read the clock that hung in the hospital wing. He squinted at the stupid, little hands and the slowly setting sun and his heart dropped.
Something had happened to Sirius. Something bad, surely. Why else would he have gone the whole day without visiting?
Remus had all but collapsed this morning, crumpling into a heap as soon as Madam Pomfrey let him go. He had been out cold since then. Still, that shouldn't have made a difference.
For the past six years, Sirius Black had been there. Every morning, he had been there with a sweet treat and a hot chocolate, kept warm with a charm. It didn't matter if he was tired. It didn't matter if Remus was asleep. For the past six years, even before he knew about the wolf, Sirius had been there.
So why had Remus woken up to an empty bedside table? Worse still, classes were over now. James had detention, Peter had chess club, and Sirius should have been here by now.
Remus ran through the possible explanations:
1. Sirius wound up in detention
2. Sirius got caught as Padfoot and wound up in detention
3. Sirius got caught as Padfoot and was being expelled
4. Sirius got caught as Padfoot, was being expelled, and, as a result, Walburga Black had killed him
Or, of course, Sirius had finally woken up, realised he was too good for Remus, and couldn't be assed to see him anymore.
Madam Pomfrey gently pulled his hand away from his mouth, smoothing over the skin he had bitten raw. She scanned his face, brows furrowed and lips pursed. With a pointed look, she asked her question wordlessly.
"It's nothing," Remus insisted, eyes flitting between the clock and the empty doorway. When Madam Pomfrey didn't budge, staring him down expectantly, he mumbled out the truth. "It's just Sirius. He's usually here by now."
The nurse's face softened as something akin to understanding seeped into her eyes. Placing a gentle hand on his head, she guided him back to rest against the pillows. She opened her mouth to speak, just briefly, but seemed to change her mind.
Instead, Madam Pomfrey stood up and rearranged his blankets. With a small smile and the all-too-familiar order to get some rest, she padded away.
With one last, fleeting glance towards the door and a gnawing sense of worry, Remus fought back as his eyelids fluttered shut.
"FUCK!" Sirius skidded around the corner, narrowly missing a head-on collision with Professor Slughorn. He didn't stop to see the scandalised look on the man's face, too stunned to even take away house points.
Sirius was late. He was so, unbelievably late.
There was little else he could think of - as he raced through Hogwarts, darting past baffled portraits and rushing through the labyrinth of stairs - besides how utterly fucked he was.
Sirius had slept in. He was an idiot, who had slept in on today of all days, and because of him, Moony was alone.
He couldn't have reached the hospital wing fast enough. Somehow, the hot chocolate he had sloshed around was intact and, breathing a sigh of relief, he slowed his pace before Madam Pomfrey caught him running.
Well, shit. The woman herself stood in the doorway, blocking his path.
"My office." She held open the side door, waiting for him to step inside. "Now."
Sirius stared down at his lap, eyes fixed on the mug in his hands as if it might grant him escape from this hell. Madam Pomfrey was sat across from him, expression unreadable as she surveyed him in silence.
Finally, the stony-faced nurse spoke. "What are your intentions?"
Sirius' eyes snapped up at that, jaw hanging open. "What…?" he replied dumbly.
"Your intentions," Madam Pomfrey repeated, as if it was perfectly obvious. "With Remus?"
She shot Sirius an odd look when he didn't respond, but carried on nevertheless. "He is a delicate boy, as I'm sure you are aware, having lived with him for so many years."
Sirius gaped at her, entirely clueless as to where this was going.
"He thinks of you very highly, that much is clear."
"…thank you?" Sirius choked out, unsure of what to say in the awkwardly long pause.
Madam Pomfrey continued. "As such, you will not, under any circumstances, toy with that boy's love. He worked himself up so much today, when you weren't there, do you know that?"
Rather stupidly, Sirius nodded. Madam Pomfrey raised an eyebrow.
"Course I know that," he muttered, dropping his gaze. Barely audible, he added, "I should've been here."
Madam Pomfrey heard him. Sighing, she reached across the table and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze.
"I just worry about him, that's all. It's good to know I'm not the only one."
Rising from her seat, she shot him a wink. "You have my blessing. Go on, give him his drink."
Sirius all but sprinted away in a flurry of thank yous, a confused smile fixed across his face.
He made a mental note to ask Moony what on earth Madam Pomfrey was talking about, but that could wait. He had a hot chocolate to deliver.
