virgin being sacrificed to stop the world from ending, and she was strangely grateful for
the curiosity and arousal coming over him.
A very quick, very hot bath and a few drops of Calming Draught later, Mia stood
at the entrance to Remus's room—her old bedroom—where he had been resting since she
and Sirius saved him almost a month earlier. Sirius stood behind her, toying with the sleeves
of her green and black robes. They were long, simple, and had been kept in the back of
Dorea's closet, reminiscent of robes often worn during ritual magic. Mia found them to be
tastefully appropriate for the situation.
When they entered the room, Mia and Sirius made their way to the foot of the bed
where Remus slept. The fact that he did not stir at the intrusion gave her insight to his
condition. Though his wounds had all healed, it was the drained magic that was killing him.
Given a few months—had he not had lycanthropy—Remus would have recovered fully,
but with the approaching full moon, he would not have enough magic to survive the pain
of one final transformation.
"Remus," Mia whispered his name reverently, doing her best to follow Sirius's
advice and keep her worries and anxieties away for the moment.
Soft green eyes slowly opened, and Remus looked toward the foot of the bed where
they stood. He looked back and forth between the two of them, the corners of his mouth
turning down. Mia winced, realising that he must have noticed the unease in her stare.
"What's wrong?"
"Are you in any pain?" she asked.
Remus shook his head, straining as he forced himself to sit up. "No, just... tired."
She knew that he had been awake off and on during his recovery—if it could even
be considered that anymore. The pain had gone away a week or so earlier, save for the
momentary lapse when his Wolfsbane Potion basically poisoned him. He had told her that
the fatigue had been the hardest—almost as if he could feel his own magic slipping away
from him. The thought terrified her.
"Drink this," Sirius said, stepping forward and placing an open phial into Remus's
hand.