Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I create.
Chapter 25: A Calm Night
"Ah… I'm so tired…" Sirius muttered as he dragged his feet across the floor.
James glanced at his friend. There were clear dark circles under his eyes. "Well, it is a bit early, but—"
"It's not that. He went out last night…" Peter got closer to James and whispered. "With a girl!"
"Peter, there's no point in whispering if you're going to be so loud!" Sirius complained.
"A girl? You got a new girlfriend?" James asked.
"It's not like that!" Sirius hurried to say.
"You were just fooling around in some broom closet, then?" James added.
"Hmph! I won't comment on it!" Sirius looked around.
"Whoa… you're always so popular with the girls," Peter said, looking up at Sirius with pure admiration. "It hasn't even been one month since classes began."
Sirius was starting to become embarrassed by the topic. "Forget about me. What about James? He also got back late to the common room, right?"
"Right!" Peter realized. "What were you doing, James? Did you also find a girl?" Now he was getting a bit worried about being left alone.
"Mmm… no. I was working on some potions," James told him.
"How boring," Sirius chuckled. "But if our friend James is going to fool around with any girl, it's going to be Lily, right?"
James decided not to answer that. His friends still had the idea that he would continue to pursue Lily, and he did not want to say anything that could add more fuel to the flames.
The group made their way through the empty halls and exited through the main gates. It was very early in the morning on a Sunday, so it was natural that they didn't encounter anyone on their way out.
Once outside, they just had to walk past the greenhouses to reach the willow tree where the passage that led to the Shrieking Shack was hidden.
Neither Sirius nor Peter could hide the concern on their faces as they approached the tree.
James, however, was sure that Remus would be fine. He stopped at a safe distance from the dangerous tree and turned to look at them. "Should we go inside or wait here?" He didn't recall the protocol they followed clearly.
"The sun is out, that means…" Peter said.
"Yes, it's safe by now. Come on," Sirius ventured first and hurried his steps to press on the tree knot before it could become violent.
The secret entrance from the willow tree led into a large tunnel that took them to the basement of the Shrieking Shack.
Even from the inside, the wooden house looked fairly decrepit, and there was little natural light coming in. The doors and windows had to be barred, just in case someone didn't mind the rumors detailing how the shack was haunted by a dangerous ghost.
"I can't hear anything…" Peter commented as they entered the shack proper.
"That's strange… he's usually waiting for us in here," Sirius said with a tone of worry.
The basement had a large bed and several other amenities. This is where Remus usually spent the nights.
James' ears picked up some subtle sounds, and he moved up the short set of stairs that led to the rest of the house. He took a few steps across a narrow hallway and then used his hand to pry open the first door to his right.
Sirius and Peter hurried up and went to his side.
Inside the room that James had just opened was Remus, resting on a comfortable-looking bed with his eyes closed and an expression of joy.
"He's sleeping?" Peter looked surprised.
Sirius was the same. "That's…" It was very strange. Remus was always tired after his transformation, but he always tried his best to stay awake for as long as possible because otherwise, he would suffer terrible nightmares about the previous night.
Just a simple glance at Remus as he slept was enough for James to conclude that the potion must have had some positive effect, at least, even with a single dosage. "Do we wake him up?"
"Maybe we could wait here for a bit. He looks… happy," Peter noted.
Sirius was about to suggest something, but then he saw Remus' eyes moving. Their voices had been enough to wake him up, it seemed.
"Guys?..." Remus rubbed his eyes and looked around the room to get his bearings. "It's morning already?"
"It is. You were sleeping…" Sirius pointed out.
"Oh… right. I was very tired, so I…" Remus' eyes moved to look at James.
"How effective was it?" James asked.
"That potion…" Remus sat up on the bed. "How did you do that?"
"Wait, are you saying that it had a positive effect?" Sirius still found it hard to believe.
"What happened?" Peter asked.
"I had the best full moon of my life," Remus said with excitement. "I wasn't in complete control of the beast, but… I was able to keep it completely calm during the whole night and didn't even break anything." This was the reason he ended up sleeping here.
Normally, he would stay in the basement because there was nothing of value that he could break there. Everything was old and in bad shape, but this room was very nice, so he always avoided it for fear of destroying it.
"I'm glad to hear that. Later on, I'd appreciate it if you could give a more detailed recount of how your night went. It would help me improve it for future batches," James said.
"Did you actually make it by yourself?" Remus was still in disbelief. That potion had been too incredible. "And you're saying that you can improve it?"
James smiled. "I can guarantee you that I can improve it. Next time, you'll have full control over the beast side. I promise you that."
"You can make more, then? Will you be able to have another one for next month?" Remus asked.
"Of course. I'll have a better one," James assured him.
"How did you come up with something like that?" Sirius asked.
"Maybe I am a genius after all," James responded.
"That's amazing!" Peter exclaimed.
"But… it must be expensive, the materials…" Remus became hesitant. His family had little to no money, and he knew that some potion ingredients could cost a fortune.
James shrugged. "Don't worry about that," was all he said.
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