"The chocolates that you used to get from the girls for Valentine's were routinely left on the floor of our room, as I recall," Remus answered, his gaze lowered and his brows knit in an expression of deep concentration as he drew the manacle up Sirius's arm and out of the way. "Carelessly abandoned at random, resulting in unsightly clutter and putting us all at risk of tripping and doing ourselves a terrible mischief."
Only then did his eyes flick back up, glancing briefly at Sirius's face before focusing back down on his wrist. Despite the gravity of the situation, a hint of a smile could be seen in the way the corners of his eyes crinkled.
"Whereupon," he concluded, "I selflessly took on the duty of cleaning up the mess by removing the chocolates to a place of safety, where they could put no one in danger..."
As he spoke, the pad of his thumb was gently massaging into the underside of Sirius's wrist, searching until it found a vein. His pronouncement trailed off as he took Sirius's pulse: for a solid thirty seconds he knelt still and silent, eyes unfocused, counting the number of beats. When he let Sirius's wrist go, placing it gently back on the ground, his expression still registered concern.
"I know you won't break," he said, now looking into the exhausted face before him again. "But your body will, sooner or later."
He shook his right arm, as if trying to regain the feeling in a limb that had fallen asleep; his wand slid smoothly down from inside his sleeve until it was resting in his hand.
"Right. Can you sit up a bit straighter for me? Rest your back against the wall. We should have enough time for me to clean up some of these bigger injuries, at least. Then, let's think about to get you out of here."
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Only then did his eyes flick back up, glancing briefly at Sirius's face before focusing back down on his wrist. Despite the gravity of the situation, a hint of a smile could be seen in the way the corners of his eyes crinkled.
"Whereupon," he concluded, "I selflessly took on the duty of cleaning up the mess by removing the chocolates to a place of safety, where they could put no one in danger..."
As he spoke, the pad of his thumb was gently massaging into the underside of Sirius's wrist, searching until it found a vein. His pronouncement trailed off as he took Sirius's pulse: for a solid thirty seconds he knelt still and silent, eyes unfocused, counting the number of beats. When he let Sirius's wrist go, placing it gently back on the ground, his expression still registered concern.
"I know you won't break," he said, now looking into the exhausted face before him again. "But your body will, sooner or later."
He shook his right arm, as if trying to regain the feeling in a limb that had fallen asleep; his wand slid smoothly down from inside his sleeve until it was resting in his hand.
"Right. Can you sit up a bit straighter for me? Rest your back against the wall. We should have enough time for me to clean up some of these bigger injuries, at least. Then, let's think about to get you out of here."