Growing Up

Remus woke up with a nauseating headache and a burning sensation in his chest and abdomen, one that wasn't from gastric origin. He sat up and filled his lungs with the morning air hoping that a deep breath would calm the pain until he could get water. He barely exhaled before his feet were on the group and moving quickly under him.

"What did you eat?" Sirius asked groggily, turning over under the white comforter.

"It's not what I ate." Remus sighed, his fingertips digging into his knees over the toilet. He swallowed dryly and took a gasping breath.
"What's the date today?"

"Mm, the ninth?"

"What the fuck?"

"Moony," Sirius was sitting up now, his face was balanced in emotion.
"This is odd, but there's no harm in asking,"

"If this is about following Harry around at school as Padfoot, the answer is still no."

"There's an eclipse today."

"Oh. That'll do it." Remus leaned over once more as his shoulders lurched forward.

***

"Moony!" Harry's piercing preteen voice bellowed from his room, the sound carrying over to the kitchen that was once free of noise.

"Not now, kid." Remus grumbled, clutching his shirt as he leaned against the kitchen cabinet. Drinking water, something he loathed as a replacement for any other kind of liquid; he sighed and focused on the quiet hum of the fridge beside him.

"Yes, now." Harrry spoke quickly, adjusting the collar in his uniform. "We have to leave in thirty minutes"

"What? that's today?"

"Yeah, the Gryffindor house is throwing a party for the eclipse. Is that-" Harry paused, a tidal wave of realization washing over his still face.
"Oh." he said slowly. "I thought it was only full moons"

"Motherfu-"

"Moony!" Sirius yelled from the other room. "Come lie down while you can. I'll pick out what you'll wear."

"You owe me." Remus tried to smile at Harry, but the pain in his chest made the grin on his face turn into a twisted expression. Harry nodded at the gesture.

After a few groans and deep breaths on the way there, he took a seat on the white bedsheets that were scrunched at the foot of the bed. His eyes closed gently as he attempted to center himself on the corner of the mattress. His mouth was dry which in turn made his tongue feel foreign where it sat.

"Are you alright? You're sure you don't want to stay?" Sirius busied himself near the closet, rummaging through shirts and coats.

"And be an absent parent? No, thanks. Look what it did to you."

"Ouch." Sirius laughed, tossing the hanger holding Remus' dress clothes to him. "Your call."

"I'll go." He sighed. "It's such an odd symptom set. I didn't know eclipses affected me."

"We've had lunar, but this one is total. It hadn't crossed my mind that you'd-"

Remus groaned loudly, cutting off his sentence. Comfortable silence remained in the room until Sirius chuckled to himself. The sound wave of a small, light-hearted giggle danced out from the closet doorframe.

"Maybe you're immortal now." Sirius smiled. Remus could see the theories flashing through his eyes. "Oh! What if you bleed a different color? Is that possible?"

"Are you a vampire now? We cannot both be creatures of mythic origin. Harry would be confused."

"Whatever," Sirius brushed off the snarky comment with what felt to Remus like a pitiful smile. "Get dressed, Harry doesn't want us to be late."