into her lap for well over a year—not since she and Remus became serious—but Sirius
looked like he needed comfort. Silently, she tugged on his arm, encouraging him to tip to
the side to rest his head against her thighs as she ran her fingers through the black silk of
his hair.
Instead of retiring to the common room with his friends the night they had all
returned to Hogwarts, Remus had been pulled into Dumbledore's office to speak privately.
Mia worried that perhaps she and Remus had been caught in one of their private
moments and someone had outed their torrid affair, but when Remus met up with
everyone the following morning, she did not need him to tell her what was wrong once the
owls brought in the morning paper.
WEREWOLVES ON THE MOVE IN SCOTLAND
IS HOGWARTS SAFE?
"It's not me," Remus said, a look of shame and sorrow on his face.
"We know that, Moony," James insisted, putting a comforting hand on his friend's
shoulder.
From the corner of her eye, Mia could see Sirius fiddling nervously with his chain.
She reached across the table and took Remus's hand in her own.
"We're with you every moon," Sirius finally muttered. "You've never even left the
shack once."
"You can't be with me anymore. Not for a while at least," Remus whispered, looking
down at his empty place. When Mia moved to get him food, he held up a hand and shook
his head. "Not hungry. Dumbledore knows it isn't me, but some of the staff know about
my... condition, and they're nervous. So, they'll be watching me over the next couple of
months. At least until the other wolves are caught."
"Are they sure it's werewolves?" Peter asked, clearing his throat nervously. "I mean,
there's been... y'know.. ."
"Death Eaters," James said, his eyes fierce and angry.
"Yeah," Peter muttered. "Them."