Awakenings

Awakenings

Chapter Three

"I don't understand why you can't just do your homework at night with the rest of us, Padfoot. Don't you think it would save you the last minute effort?" asked James exasperatedly

Sirius, whose hand was moving up and down the page at warp speed, didn't bother looking up, but just grunted. "I had more important things to do."

"As much as we all love Remus, I don't think even he will appreciate you skipping your studies to see him when he's perfectly alright," said Peter, now buttering his toast

"Besides, he's got Snivellus to look after him now," sniggered James.

Sirius growled. Remus had gotten a lot of 'get well' cards after word got out about his sickness, including a particularly flowery one from Severus Snape, to Sirius's chagrin. It was a well known fact that Remus Lupin liked being liked and went all the way to befriend anyone who crossed his path, even if it was a Slytherin. But that didn't stop Sirius from being jealous and hovering around Remus like a demented, overprotective guardian angel.

"Hey guys!"

Talk of the devil.

Remus had suddenly appeared behind Sirius, startling Sirius and sending a large scratch across his parchment. If they didn't know better, they would have thought that Remus had just apparated. For a deranged dark creature, the concept of Remus being one of the most subtle and silent people in the school was beyond ironic.

Remus stared down Sirius's shoulder at the ruined piece of homework, and frowned. He wiped off the scratch with a swish of his wand and shook his head hopelessly.

"Really Sirius, everyone knows the Mars is the sign of bloodshed...and you misspelled your own name, if you hadn't noticed..."

James and Peter looked at each other, rolled their eyes, and smiled. "Nice to have you back, Moony," said James

"Nice to be back actually." He was now piling his plate with anything and everything within his reach. "I'm starved! Madam Pomfrey's been keeping me on a strict liquid diet the entire week. She thinks my throat will break off if I try to eat proper food. As if."

"Consider yourself lucky," growled Sirius, "We've got more homework this week than we've ever got the whole of last year put together."

Remus's face fell. "Guess I have a lot of catc - OWW!!" A large owl had just collided with Remus's head, regained its composure, only to settle on his shoulder, painfully digging his claws into his flesh. Remus looked at the letter tied to its leg and frowned disdainfully. "Your bloody bird's just earned me another week in the hospital wing, Sirius."

Sirius who had finally looked up from his homework looked slightly shocked and flustered. He pulled the owl off Remus and untied the letter from its leg. By the time he'd finished reading the letter, his face had gone from disturbingly pale to red with anger.

"Something wrong, Padfoot?"

"Can you believe that woman!" he said crunching up the piece of paper and putting it into his pocket. "She wants me back for Christmas holidays. Wants to spend some quality time with her family. Yeah right! The nerve! Can't she take the hint when I stayed at James' the entire summer? And after last Christmas too..." Sirius stopped abruptly after that and looked back down at his homework.

James and Remus looked at each other knowingly. No matter how adamant or angry Sirius tried to look, it was a known fact that he was scared of his mother, and whatever happened last Christmas had not helped the situation.

"I take it your not going, then," said Remus giving Sirius' hand a reassuring squeeze under the table

Sirius returned the squeeze a little harder than he intended to. "Sure I'll go, as soon as Peter wins the Nobel Prize for Literature. Besides, got lots to study, don't I? With the OWLs and all..."

That, by far, was the lamest excuse Sirius had ever come up with, considering the fact that Sirius never studied, even during classes. But trying to get Sirius to admit that his mother was in fact more than an absolute bitch to him was like trying to get Snape to wash his hair. It was, in other words, impossible.

"Guess you're stuck with me then," groaned Remus

"Guess so." Sirius grinned broadly and winked at Remus, making him blush and hide his face in Sirius's homework.

***

The little boy looked at the thin figure crouched on the chair, crying. Her head was buried in her hands and loud noises erupted from the base of her throat every so often. And even when she was crying, he felt more fear than sympathy towards his mother. It was a wrong thought for a boy so young, a boy who had barely learnt enough words to talk properly.

She raised her head and looked at the little boy standing helplessly in the corner, hurt and bleeding after the day's ordeal. She beckons him towards her with her hand. She sighs when he merely flinches, but remains loyal to his position at the end of the room. "Mommy didn't mean to hurt you, Sirius. You know that, don't you?" The little boy nods, but not out of belief. "I love you. I love you so much that it hurts, and when you do things like that, it makes me angry." She extends out her arms towards him. "Come."

He moves slowly into her embrace, trying hard to not let hope resurface within his heart. Did his mother mean it? Or was this another one her endless charades? She hugged him tightly for a long time, long enough for him to think that she'd actually forgiven him, that there would be no punishment, not now, not ever.

"Mommy loves you, Sirius," she said, gently stroking his hair, "But do you know what happens to little boys who displease their mother? They go to hell."

Sirius was thrown backwards as tremendous heat burned his skin and singed his jet-black hair. He looked around him for help, but there were no walls, no ceilings, and no mother. Angry flames licked his skin shamelessly and all he could do was stand there and allow his soul to burn.

***