chapter fifteen; scars

TEMPEST THATCHER HATED WAKING UP IN THE HOSPITAL WING. As soon as her eyes flickered open and she saw Madame Pomfrey staring down at her, she knew full well where she was. Her body was aching, but her face was the most painful of all. Her heart was thudding in her ears and she felt like she was going to be sick, but that was the least of her problems.

"Morning, Pest," she heard the voice of Sirius Black beside her, and she sighed. She shifted around in her bed and glanced down, seeing that he was holding her hand. James and Peter were hanging behind him, watching her in concern. She blinked a few times before groaning, unsure why should hardly see out of her left eye.

"What happened?" She inquired, trying not to focus on the agonising pain in her cheek. "The last thing I remember is the Whomping Willow."

"That's what Madame Pomfrey told you?" James asked, to which she nodded. James scratched the back of his head. "She thinks you had gone down this morning for a walk and got caught by one of the branches. It took a bit of convincing, but we lied and said we had seen you leave, and when we went to find you when we woke up, you were on the ground unconscious."

"What really happened?" She pressed on, before looking behind the boys, realising that someone was missing. "Where's Remus? Is he okay? Did he get hurt?"

"No, but he...hurt you," Sirius replied softly, his gaze flickering over to her cheek before back to meet her eyes. "He's been crying up in the dorms for the last few hours, no one's been able to get him to come outside."

"I need to talk to him," Tempest insisted, trying to get up from her bed, only to have the boys push her back down. Tempest tried to frown but it was too painful to do so, yet she still resisted. "What are you doing? Let me go!"

"He's not in a good position to talk, Pest," James shook his head, walking to the other side of the girl and resting his hand on her shoulder. "You aren't either. Pomfrey needs to finish cleaning your cut before she closes it. Unfortunately you're gonna have a scar for a while, werewolf scratches tend to last."

"Oh," she mumbled, reaching up to touch her face, but Sirius used his free arm to stop her. She sighed, resting her head against the bed frame. "So how did I get it? The scratch, I mean."

"Remus scratched you when he transformed," Peter explained quietly, taking a wary step forward. "Sirius came up to help you while James held off Snivellus downstairs."

"Severus was there?!" Tempest gasped, her eyes widening considerably. James' grasp on her tightened a little to try and settle her down. "What?! Did he see anything? Did you stop him?"

"He tried to follow us, but I saw him coming through the Whomping Willow entrance on the map and stopped him when he made it to the trap door," the spectacled boy tried to respond in a relaxed fashion, but the story was anything but. "If he'd come a minute later, he'd probably be dead, and he knew it. He'd best not poke around in any of our business, if I say so myself."

"Is he okay?" Tempest asked, to which the boys scoffed.

"Who cares?" Sirius asked, to which the girl sent him a brief glare. He shrugged. "I hope he's learned his lesson, the nosy prick deserves it."

"How do you know he won't tell people about Remus to spite you?" The girl retorted, and Sirius' jaw tightened a little, as if he had only just come to that realisation. "You can't just threaten him, again."

"Not with that attitude," James countered, and Tempest rolled her eyes.

"Why do you think he followed us in the first place, idiot?" She lowered her voice, though there was clear anger lacing her tone. "He wanted to dig up dirt to use against the kids that bully him nearly everyday. Finding out Remus' furry little problem isn't a great start."

James and Sirius exchanged a glance, as if they were communicating in some sort of unknown way. James then nodded, and got up from where he was standing, gesturing for Peter to follow him.  Just before he took off through the wing, he offered her a slight smile. "We'll be right back, Thatcher."

"James, no," she wheezed, ripping her hand away from Sirius and pushing herself out of bed. Her entire face felt like it had caught on fire, and she heaved for breath as she rushed after the boys. "You can't bully Snape out of this."

"Go back and lie down," James ignored her words, pointing towards the bed. "This is none of your business."

"Don't tell me what to do, Potter," the girl snapped, and despite her voice being hoarse her determination was still present. "Trying to intimidate him to get what you want isn't going to work this time, trust me. He's got what he needs to ruin Remus; it won't take much to set him off."

"I saved his life," James shot back, to which Tempest clenched her jaw at in response. "He owes me."

"Don't be a prick," she retaliated, scoffing. "If you think doing a good deed means you have to be repaid for it, then you're no true Gryffindor. If you can't approach this like someone who wants to protect one of his best friends, then you're not the person I thought you were."

James fell silent, and Tempest pursed her lips, before spinning on her heel and strolling back to her bed, knocking her shoulder with Sirius' on her way. She was fuming as she climbed back onto the rickety mattress, crossing her arms and glaring at the walls angrily.

★☆

"Gosh, Tempest! What happened to your face?" Willa gasped as Tempest shuffled into the Great Hall with Sirius. Her friends all rushed to her, asking if she was okay. She uncomfortably tensed up and struggled to form words, leaning into Sirius' side nervously. He was the only one who chose to accompany her after she was discharged from the hospital wing, which was unsurprising seeing as James had been avoiding her since she had gotten angry at him earlier in the day. 

"She's fine," he told them bluntly, taking her hand in his and pulling her to one of the tables to sit down and eat breakfast. As the rest of her friends got the message and awkwardly cleared off, Tempest still felt their eyes on her. The girl's eyes watered slightly and she stared forward with a blank expression, before clearing her throat.

"Does it really look that bad?" She whispered, shrinking a little as she felt that everyone in the hall was staring at her. She self-consciously reached up to cover her face, which was now free of bandages and out for the world to see. Though the cut itself had been healed by Madame Pomfrey, the scar left behind was still a blotchy red and in no way subtle. She had nearly burst into tears when she had seen her reflection in the mirror, as if she'd been taking her left cheek for granted for the last sixteen years.

The scar was nothing pretty; it curved from just above her left eyebrow to below her lip. It wasn't small or hidden, and it was there to stay. Sirius had tried convincing her everything was alright, but there was no way she'd believe him after looking in the mirror. 

"No, you're fine," he assured her, noticing how the brave and confident Tempest Thatcher was cowering at his side, dewy-eyed. He exhaled softly, before leaning down a little so that he could speak to her in a softer tone. "Did you want to eat somewhere else?"

Tempest sniffled slightly and nodded, quickly pushing herself up from the table and rushing towards the arched entrance. Her scuffed sneakers were quiet against the ground, and she kept her head ducked as she dodged people walking inside. 

"Tempest, wait up!" She heard Sirius call, but she didn't stop. She hated the fact that she cared about her appearance so much, but unlike the hair disaster the year before, this damage was permanent. She didn't blame Remus, she could never do that to him, but that didn't mean she wasn't allowed to be upset by it. 

Just as she made it to outside the Great Hall and into the corridors surrounding the square, her arm was grabbed by Sirius and she was pulled onto one of the stones benches. Her chest rose and fell as she caught her breath, and she shamefully hung her head when Sirius tried to comfort her. With shaking hands she tried to cover her face while resisting the urge to not burst into tears. 

"C'mon, Onyx," the boy nudged her slightly, an attempt of a cheerful smile on his face. He hated seeing her so distraught, and he felt that it was partially his fault that he hadn't helped her sooner the previous night. After James had coaxed Severus Snape into leaving the Whomping Willow tunnel, Sirius had picked up Tempest in her animagus form and brought her back to the school, waiting for her to wake up for the briefest of moments and change back to a human so Pomfrey could tend to her. It had taken until the break of dawn for her to open her eyes, and upon transforming back, the rest of her energy was gone and she had fallen unconscious again. "What happened to the strong independent woman who didn't care what other people thought of her?"

Tempest didn't respond. Sirius sighed softly, before making the decision to reach down and lace their hands together, entwining their fingers. Tempest rested her head on his shoulder, and he rested his head on top of hers. They sat in silence for a moment, the only sound being the occasional sniffle from the upset girl. She was praying nobody would walk past, she was already dying of embarrassment and she could have anyone seeing her face again.

Sirius hesitated for a moment, before turning and pressing his lips to the top of her head for a brief second. "You're beautiful, Tempest."

Tempest felt her eyes well up again. She choked out a chuckle, though it sounded forced and pained. "You're not being funny, Padfoot."

"I wasn't trying to be," the boy insisted, pulling away and kneeling down so that he could stare up at her. Tempest looked a right mess in that moment, but it seemed that the school's heartthrob didn't care. He tilted his head slightly, actually seeming genuine for once. "C'mon, Pest, when have I ever lied to you?"

"You told me I looked good with red hair," she retorted, and he scoffed, shaking his head. Tempest stared at him with an unimpressed expression. "Now you're saying the same thing about my face. I'm not an idiot, Black."

"I know you're not an idiot," he rolled his eyes, though the edges of his lips quirked a little bit. "You never let me forget it."

"Is this supposed to be making me feel better?" Tempest asked, crossing her arms and leaning against the stone wall behind her. "I'm supposed to be bringing a date to Slughorn's Christmas party in a few months...who's going to want to go with me now?"

"I'll go," Sirius offered almost instantly, and Tempest sent him another look. "As friends, I mean. Who's Evans bringing?"

"Marlene, I think," she shrugged. "Prongs kept trying to ask her out, but she, unsurprisingly turned him down. Anyway, why would you want to come? You hate potions, and you hate Slughorn."

"I'd go for you," he responded, and Tempest felt her palms get a little sweaty. She cleared her throat and averted her eyes. "Besides, it'll be fun! I'll be looking suave in a suit and you'll be looking like an angel in one of those pretty dresses your mum buys you every birthday."

"God, you're making this sound even worse than I pictured," Tempest groaned, and Sirius chuckled as he reached for her arms and pulled her up so that they were both standing. The girl looked up at the handsome boy and exhaled quietly. 

Sirius reached up and rested his hand on the right side of her face, knowing that the left was still incredibly painful to touch. He smiled at her with light expression, before he ducked his head and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I know you don't believe me, but you're still beautiful, Onyx. And besides, if people ask about it, you can always say you fought a troll or something. You'll be known as the toughest girl in the whole school."

Tempest couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her. "Thanks Sirius."

"It's quite alright," Sirius couldn't help but grin at the sight of joy appear on her face. "Don't forget, Onyx, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

"Eleanor Roosevelt said that," Tempest quirked her eyebrows, though she couldn't deny her surprise. "I'm surprised you even know who that is."

"I finally picked up one of those muggle books you've been telling me to read," he replied smugly. "It was surprisingly insightful. But I'm not joking, Pest. You're the only one who can control how you react to the things people think about you. If you feel like anyone is treating you badly, you can always talk to me and I'll sort them out for you."

"I don't need a bodyguard," she muttered, and Sirius groaned over-dramatically. Tempest then laughed a little, reaching up to embrace him. "Thank you Sirius, but I'll be fine."

"It's just.." he trailed off. "I care about you, and I don't like seeing you this way. I know you can handle yourself, but the thing is that I'm gonna be here for you, even as a sidekick if you want."

Tempest couldn't help but grin. "I'm going to hold you to that."

★☆

cute cute cute 

tell me what you thought! 

also tempest's insecurity about her appearance is perfectly !! valid !! she's not obsessed with her looks but let's be honest, as humble as most of us are we'd all be pretty upset if we had a giant, blotchy werewolf scar covering half of our face !!! i know i would be lol