Chapter 21

Madame Promfrey wasn't pleased to see her.

She muttered something about not following rules, disturbing Kyle, complaining to the headmaster, and finally handed Leah a steaming mug of light blue potion.

"Drink."

Leah drank.

And then she slept.

X-X-X-X

While Leah was sleeping, life continued.

Remus didn't show his face until late after dinner, and then he didn't talk to any of the Marauders, despite their pleas and demands to know where the fuck he'd been. Finally, he stormed out of the dormitory, seeking refuge by the common room window, overlooking the dark shadowy fields.

He'd run because he couldn't bear to face her. His rage and shame and fear had been so explosive, so animalistic that he'd had no choice but to take flight.

Leah's words kept echoing through his mind.

You're a werewolf, aren't you?

He viciously dug his fingers deep into his palms, drawing little streams of blood that trickled down his wrists.

Yes. That's what I am. That's what I've been since I was a fucking six year old.

Would Leah tell Kyle? They were twins. The girls? How was he ever going to face them again, knowing they knew his secret? Knew he was… a thing.

"Lupin?"

He didn't look up. Maybe if he stayed silent the guy would go away.

Jason Azine, Chaser on the Gryffindor team, crouched down beside him and gave him a brotherly tap on the shoulder.

"Everything OK, mate?"

No, nothing's 'OK'. I'm a fucking creature and now everyone's going to know.

"Everything's fine." He replied.

"It doesn't look fine from where I stand." Jason said calmly, "But that's not my business. Sir Bentley told us you'd run through that corridor too. I just wanted to make sure the magic hadn't addled your brains too."

Oh, right.

He'd gone through one of the forbidden corridor.

That magic didn't work on werewolves, but Jason didn't need to know that.

They both looked up at the sound of giggling, and saw Sirius being pulled into a couch nearby by an eager fifth year.

Poor Leah, Remus thought cheerlessly. The Marauders were one horrible bunch- Sirius the idiot who'd done god-knows-what to her, Remus the werewolf, James the love-struck dope and Peter the vague. And Leah and Kyle had fallen right into the midst of them.

Jason rolled his eyes at the couple and got to his feet, dropping something on Remus's lap before he left.

It was a bar of Honeydukes's Best Nutty Milk Chocolate.

X-X-X-X

When Leah awoke, it was thirty minutes to Potions.

"Bloody stupid corridor." She growled, sitting up in the hospital wing bed, in a flurry of Hogwarts robes and blankets.

"It sounded evil." A voice agreed.

Leah blinked stupidly up at her twin, who was standing above her. He looked better than he had in days- the color had returned to his face, and his eyes didn't look very tired anymore. But how was he standing…?

He held up his arm, displaying a crutch.

"These go in two days."

She frowned uncomprehendingly.

Kyle sighed and yanked her blankets off her, before telling her she'd better make herself decent. With a delicate shudder, he continued, "You look so horrible I'd be ashamed to be seen with you in public."

Leah glowered at him and then- Zinc.

"I fed him." Kyle replied, amused as he watched her failed attempts to prance out of bed. "Now get up. I really don't want to be seen in the corridor with something that looks like-"

"I dare you to finish that sentence, Kyle." Leah said, poking her wand into his stomach, and scowling at him.

Kyle backed away, grinning. He held her eyes, looking- after so many months- like her little twin brother.

"It's good to be back together, Leah." He said cheerfully, and then ruined the moment by throwing some cloth into her face. She caught the bundle before it hit the ground, "Towel, clothes. Go clean yourself up, ratty."

Fifteen minutes later, Leah was cramming toast into her mouth and flying down the corridors to Potions. She halted suddenly, right outside the door, as if she'd run into an invisible barrier. How would she face Remus today? Would he talk to her? And- she didn't want to sit with Sirius Black. The anger and humility would be too much for her to bear. She'd either cry, shiver and feel like she'd met a Dementor, or, to save the lives of thousands of other girls, she'd kill him.

…Awkward.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and greeted her twin with a crude hand gesture. Kyle didn't say anything, but limped forward, propelling her into the half-empty classroom.

"Professor Slughorn," he called.

The man looked up from the potion he was examining and beamed, like he always did when he beheld 'Cassandra's children'. "How good it is to have you back, Mr. Ebony! That was a lovely catch you made the other day. Minerva's very pleased- she may just give you a few extra marks in Transfiguration."

"I can only hope." Kyle replied, cheerfully, "Professor, I needed to talk to you about something…"

"Of course, of course."

"Well, since I'm using these crutches, my hand movement is... limited." Leah frowned at her twin, wondering where he was going with the sob-story, "I'd really like to sit with Leah."

Oh.

Leah's eyes prickled with sudden tears, and the urge to hug Kyle and wash his socks and dirty underwear every day until they grew old became overwhelming.

Slughorn considered it, "I suppose I could do that for Cassandra's son." He said finally, dropping a few slices of toad-skin into his steaming cauldron, "I'll put Black with Ms. Miller. Her previous partner has decided not to take Potions, since he burned his poor face off during remedial classes."

"Thank you, Professor." Kyle said, and turned his gaze on Leah, suddenly serious, as they walked back to his new seat, "Does that help?"

"Yes." Leah said, "Oh, Kyle. It's so good to have you here."

Kyle patted her shoulder and sunk into the bench, "I know, right?" he pushed his empty cauldron towards her, "Of course, your love for me and my kind brotherly heart will mean you'll make my potions."

Leah hit him hard on his head with her black notebook. "Idiot!"

"You love me, ratty."

She raised the book again-

"Kyle! You're back, mate!"

A black inky head appeared over Leah's, and James Potter laughed and snatched the book out of her hand, "I reckon I just saved your head from Leah's evil book."
"Yeah, because a book's just the perfect weapon for the mass murder of his tiny handful of brain cells." Leah replied, trying to get it back from him.

James grinned and tossed it up, out of her reach.

Leah let him and Kyle fool around for a while. After all, it wasn't very often they got to feel masculine and macho, was it? And then, with a simple summoning charm known as Accio, she retrieved her notebook from James's hand, watching his smile slide off like stink-sap.

"Why, Leah? Why in front of Lily?" he whispered to her, because at that precise moment Lily strode in, with her flaming red hair piled into a large bun on her head. She laughed at her mournful admirer, congratulated Leah on how she'd pricked said admirer's inflated head, and asked Kyle how he felt, before taking a fat textbook to Slughorn. In five seconds, the two of them were immersed in deep conversation about 'some bloody poisonous soup', as James eloquently and irritably put.

"Where's Remus?" Leah asked finally, as more and more people filed into the classroom.

James's smile faded a little, "He'll be here in a bit."

"Is he… alright?"

He looked at her sharply, "Do you know what's got him all ruffled?"

She shook her head. "I just wondered. He's usually in early."

Her eyes swept to the door for the sixth time- and in strode Sirius Black. Maybe it wouldn't have bothered her quite so much, if he hadn't just… just flung the second girl at her face (though he had no idea she'd seen them in that corridor). It bothered her because he'd done that after he'd led her to believe they were, if anything- friends.

He walked over to them- to where she was- the nerve of him- and grinned at Kyle.

"Back, mate? That's brilliant!"

Leah's eyes flickered to her brother's face. Kyle nodded, smiling back at him. Leah knew no one but she could see the steely glint in his dark eyes or the forced quality to the smile.

The last person to enter class was Remus Lupin.

He refused to meet Leah's eyes as he took his place. She sat there, chewing her lip and feeling miserable as Slughorn droned on about the misuse of equipment.

"How the hell does someone misuse a cauldron and a spoon anyway?" Kyle whispered to her.

"You're the perverted twin." She replied, in an equally hushed voice.

Kyle held up his spoon, eyed it critically and then put it back down, shaking his head. "Wouldn't want that anywhere in me."

Leah muffled a giggle and poked him in the rib.

"Watch it." He said, "So, what's wrong with Remus?"

"I don't know." Leah whispered back, lying. Lying to Kyle.

Kyle nodded, tearing his gaze away from the subject's head. "It feels so good to be back out, Lee. I hate being cooped up."

Leah rolled her eyes. She knew only too well. Kyle and Zinc were on the same wavelength when it came to being 'cooped up' inside. Zinc destroyed any furniture within his reach while howling mournfully, and Kyle howled mournfully in his bed and glowered darkly at the furniture, usually wishing looks could kill.

"Mhhm."

He added, in one of his bursts of seriousness, "And I worried about you. A lot."

"Baby brother." Leah smiled.

"Ratty." He whispered back.

Their conversation turned to Quidditch, Leah writing down tips for Kyle to make his dive smoother. He read them seriously, because even if Leah wasn't brilliant at Quidditch, the advice she gave him always worked.

He briefed her on what Zinc ate for breakfast and suggested they take him out for the next Hogsmeade trip, which was coming up in two days.

Then they were discussing where they'd like to go best and-

"Ahem."

Professor Slughorn was blinking down at them, disapprovingly.

Leah went red when she saw the whole class was staring at them.

Too loud, eh?

"Sorry, Professor." Kyle said automatically, and they bent their heads back down, pretending to take notes. Slughorn continued his boring lecture. Honestly, would he never stop?

"How did mum deal with him?" Leah whispered to Kyle, over a yawn.

Kyle shrugged, "Can't imagine. Now shut up. He'll never again let 'Cassandra's children' sit together after this."

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Well, I hope you liked the chapter! I'd appreciate reviews- those actually help me write. Thanks for reading. ;)