Dawn || Remus & Sirius || June 29, 1980
Dated: June 29th, 1980 Time: 8:45am Location: Peter, Remus and Sirius’ Flat; London @seriouslypaddy
Remus wasn’t certain what time it was. The sun had risen, bringing with it the eventual relief from the wolf’s grasp. For a moment, laying down on the splintered floorboards of the Shrieking Shack, Remus didn’t want to open his eyes. These were things he would never admit, guilty thoughts that would slip into his mind when the pain felt too much to bear, or the weight of the world around him too heavy for his broken shoulders. He was tired, breath coming in uneven gasps as he held himself still, shivering in the dim room despite the warm summer night.
The werewolf wasn’t sure how long he stayed like that, memory always hazy at the first and last light. At some point, he managed to reach his wand. The gesture was habitual, halfhearted and routine as he leaned heavily against the walls of the building, murmuring incantation after incantation to stop the worst of the bleeding, eyes carefully trained away from the broken and scarred skin. Another half hour later, and he had steadied himself enough to dress in an old shirt and sweatpants to reach the Portkey that would lead him back to the hallway outside of his flat.
On one of these occasions, a kindly old neighbor had been stepping out for the morning paper, convinced that they had seen a ghost when they spotted Remus standing in the hall in blood-stained clothes. Thankfully, today was less uneventful.
Leaning against the doorway for support as he waved away the flat’s wards, Remus finally stepped into the flat, hoping that the others were still asleep. His wrist was stiff and bruised, likely broken along with a few ribs, but these were all disregarded in the moment. Tired eyes were instead trained to the door to his bedroom down the hall with the promise of shutting his eyes and disappearing for a few hours. Just a few more steps.