March 28th, 1975Remus winced as he woke up in the hospital wing the morning after the full moon.
It had been a particularly bad one. With no rest leading up to the transformation and the
stress of worrying about Mia's birthday, Remus had shifted and then immediately taken his
frustrations out on himself. It also did not help that Mia had come to say goodbye to him
as he walked to the Whomping Willow, and she hugged him so close and tight that he
could still feel the warmth of her body by the time the moon was high.
Frustrated did not even begin to cover it.
Sensing her nearby without opening his eyes, he asked, "How was your birthday?"
"It was sad without you there."
He opened his eyes to see her frowning at the deep cut on his right shoulder. She
eyed it carefully, her nose twitching, and her hands fidgeting.
"Madam Pomfrey?" Remus called.
"Yes, dear?"
"No offence, but... could you let Mia heal me this once? It's been a few years, and
I remember I liked the way she did it." He frowned, hoping to not upset the mediwitch
responsible for his monthly recovery.
Madam Pomfrey smiled at the pair. "Of course. As long as you feel comfortable
with that, Miss Potter?"
"Yes," Mia said immediately. "Are you sure?"
He nodded, offering her a beseeching look even as he forced down the primal urge
within him that said, No! We are the protector! Don't let her see us weak! "I'd rather you do it this
once. Please, Mia?"
She smiled at his request and reached quickly for her wand. "Roll to the side."
He could feel it as she syphoned the dried blood off with her wand. The pain did
not hurt as much as usual; Madam Pomfrey was efficient but lacked a gentle touch due to
time constraints. That, and there was just something about Mia's magic that spoke to him—
that spoke to his wolf.
He rolled back over when his wound was closed, and he smiled with satisfaction at
the pleased look on her face.
She eyed him with a smirk. "Was that my birthday gift?"