Author’s Notes: And so James and Snape saw the werewolf, watched it curiously for a moment, then skipped back to the castle and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…
Huh? Oh, sorry. I got bored and fell asleep trying to write that. Here’s what actually happened…
The Willow Part Two of Three: Skyfall
James looked at the werewolf and the werewolf looked at James. James couldn’t see a single hint of Moony in its eyes.
–Run!†James yelled.
Snape didn’t need telling twice. In an instant, James released his hold on Snape’s robes and the two of them went flying back down the passageway. Behind him, James could hear snarling and snapping as the massive werewolf tried to force its way through an opening that was too small for it.
James’s mouth filled with the bitter taste of adrenaline that had been coursing through him for too long tonight, ever since he left his detention and ran into Peter.
Peter had been so excited, anxious to fill James in on Sirius’s latest brilliant prank on Snivellus Snape. James remembered how eager he had been to hear the details of Sirius’s exploits while he had been stuck scrubbing cauldrons. He remembered listening carefully as he and Peter made their way back to Gryffindor tower. He remembered laughing in the beginning of Peter’s story. He remembered Peter’s glee. He remembered his own laughter dying away Peter continued the story. He remembered the rising horror in his chest as Peter reached the end…
CRASH!
In spite of himself, James looked over his shoulder to see what was the source of the almighty noise behind them in the tunnel. Suddenly, the horror he had felt at Peter’s story was nothing compared to the horror filling him now. The werewolf had managed to break the opening between the Shrieking Shack and the tunnel, making it wider. Expelling a large chunk of floorboard from its massive, powerful jaws, the beast squeezed its way though the larger opening.
Into the tunnel.
Oh. Holy. Hell.
James didn’t think he could have moved any faster if he had had broomsticks attached to his shoes, and Snape was keeping up.
–Stupefy!†James heard Snape roar. A jet of red light shot out of the end of Snape’s wand and hit the charging werewolf.
It had absolutely no effect, bar making the werewolf even angrier.
–Impedimenta!â€
–Stupefy!â€
James and Snape both fired hex after hex back at the werewolf, but it was useless. Dimly, James remembered reading about and Remus telling him about how thick a werewolf’s hide is. Even when he and Snape both shot Impediment Jinxes that struck the werewolf at the same time, they only slowed it for a second.
–Sectumsempra!†Whatever the hell spell Snape fired caused a huge gash to appear on the werewolf’s cheek. The werewolf snarled in pain but continued charging.
–Stupefy!â€
–It’s not working!†James roared.
–Have any better ideas?!†Snape bellowed back. –Impedimenta!â€
The werewolf was gaining. Could he transform? Not in front of Snape. And even if he did, it would be for nothing. There was no way he could hold the werewolf back alone, not with human prey so close.
–Impedimenta!â€
The werewolf snarled again. It was getting too close.
A thought attacked James’s panicked brain. It was a truly terrible idea.
But it was the only one they had.
James pointed his wand over his shoulder, not at the werewolf, but at the tunnel ceiling.
–Reducto!â€
It worked. With more almighty crashes that shook the whole tunnel around them, the tunnel ceiling started to crumble. Chunks of earth fell down behind them, separating them from the werewolf.
But it wasn’t going to be that easy. The werewolf dodged and dived, evading the falling ceiling with astonishingly fast reflexes. It hurtled over the large chunks that blocked the path in front of it.
–Reducto!†Following James’s lead, Snape had pointed his wand at the ceiling too.
–Reducto!â€
A huge chunk fell to the ground and shattered, pelting James and Snape with pieces of earth and rock from behind.
–Reducto!â€
As the more of the ceiling came down behind them, cracks formed in the ceiling above them.
–Reducto!â€
The cracks became bigger. Sizable pieces were now raining down on James and Snape as well as the werewolf.
–Wingradium Leviosa!†Snape’s spell caught some of the rocks falling on their heads and sent them pelting back at the werewolf.
–Reducto!â€
And the world around them crumbled. The ground quaked as the tunnel behind them caved in. The snapping and snarling of the werewolf became muffled as more and more of the tunnel ceiling came down. Rocks thundered down and James threw his arms over his head to protect it from the debris that was flying everywhere. They could hear the sounds of the werewolf barking, scratching, and whining as it tried desperately to continue its chase.
Then they were cut off. It seemed that they might finally have made a barricade sufficient to stop the charging werewolf.
Neither James nor Snape paused to find out. They sprinted forward as the last bits of ceiling settled on the floor. They did not slow down the whole length of the tunnel. James was the first to make it to the exit. He slammed his fist against the knot on the trunk as he hoisted himself out of the gap in the roots, Snape at his heels. They ran to just outside the Willow’s range of motion and promptly collapsed to the ground.
The Hogwarts grounds were eerily quiet after the thundering sounds of the collapsing tunnel and mad barking of the pursuing werewolf. All James could hear now were the sounds of his own gasping breaths as he lay flat on his back in the grass. His lungs ached, he had a terrible stitch in his side, and he could feel bruises forming where chunks of falling ceiling had struck him. He could barely see though the dirt that covered his glasses, and, he suspected, most of his body.
Somewhere to his right, Snape retched. James ignored him. He focused on bringing his own breathing back under control. Breathe in, breathe out. He was alive, and that was good, seeing how easy it would have been to not be. Breathe in, breathe out. It was fine, everything was going to be alright now.
Ignoring his aching limbs as they screamed in protest, James pushed himself up into a sitting position. He took off his glasses, wiped them with his robes, and replaced them. He looked over at Snape, who was on his knees, one hand holding his curtains of greasy hair away from his face, the other wiping sick from his mouth. James looked away from him, casting his eyes upward. The moon, round as a galleon, dominated the cloudless sky. It was so bright, almost painfully so, and dimmed all the stars around it. James examined it, his breathing settling down, and wondered how something so far away could cause so much damage.
But it was fine now. They were safe. Everything was going to be al-
–Lupin.â€
The word was muttered softly, but it struck James’s mind with a walloping force and sent his thoughts crashing back down to earth.
–What?†James asked. But he knew. He already knew.
And now Snape knew it too.
–Lupin,†Snape repeated, his hands on his knees, his breaths still coming in sharp gasps. –Lupin is a werewolf.â€
He looked at James, and as he did, James knew that he had been absolutely unsuccessful at covering up his panic. The truth of Snape’s words was there for him to read right on James’s face.
They stared at each other for a minute, both still breathing heavily. Then, without warning, Snape was back up and tearing towards the castle.
James barely had time to reflect on how very sick he was of chase scenes that night. He rolled over and started to get to his feet.
–Expelliarmus!â€
James tumbled backward as his wand flew out of his hand. Snape, who had stopped for a minute to cast the spell, caught James’s wand, turned, and continued back toward the castle.
James allowed himself to indulge in some of the more colorful language he had learned from Sirius as he picked himself back up and once again chased after Snape.
–Snape!â€
This was becoming way too familiar.
–Snape, stop!â€
Snivellus would have been well served if James had left him to be eaten. Panic of a whole new variety was rising in James’s chest now. He had to stop Snape. He had to.
–Snape, stop! You can’t tell anyone!â€
There was something more than a little mad about the glint in Snape’s eye. –I’m going to tell everyone!â€
James wanted his wand more than he had ever wanted anything in his life. He wanted his wand and he wanted to use it to blow Snape into a million slimy pieces. –No!†James shouted.
James was gaining on Snape as they passed the greenhouses. But Snape had the wands and the oak front doors were getting closer and closer…
Another bad idea attacked James’s brain, a truly terrible plan that would never work in a million years.
But again, for lack of any other options…
–Snape, no! You can’t!†James injected as much false panic into his voice as he could. Funnily, he didn’t have a lot of trouble locating it. –You can’t tell Professor Dumbledore!â€
It was the worst idea. There was no way that Snape was ever, ever going to fall for…
–Dumbledore will be my first stop!†Snape spat. –You all are going to be expelled!â€
Sweet mother of Merlin he fell for it.
Balancing precariously on the knife-edge of his terrible but somehow brilliant plan, James continued to chase Snape. –No, Snape, please!†he begged.
They reached the oak front doors. Snape wrenched them open, James in hot pursuit. They dashed across the Entrance Hall and up the marble staircase.
–Snape, no!†James said, lowering his voice to a stage whisper now they were in the castle. –You can’t tell Dumbledore about Remus! You can’t!â€
–Watch me,†Snape panted, taking the stairs two at a time.
James couldn’t help but feel that something was finally going his way that night, as Snape made directly for the Headmaster’s study. As long as they didn’t come across anyone before they reached Dumbledore, he might just stand a chance of keeping everything from falling apart. And if they did meet someone, well, he supposed he could always try tackling Snape to the ground, grabbing his wand and cursing him before he got any words out. It was after curfew and most of the students would surely be in their dormitories by now. All they had to do was avoid any Prefects or teachers still walking around…
Avoiding Prefects and teachers…
Of course!
They dashed down a corridor and James let Snape pull ahead of him slightly, feigning exhaustion. Carefully, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. His heart skipped. He had never done this without his wand before. Holding it tight in both hands, James focused all of his energy on the parchment in front of him.
–I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,†he whispered.
It worked. As he followed Snape up another staircase, he carefully unfolded the Marauder’s Map and watched as the title appeared across the top and the castle was illuminated. The corridors were fairly empty and the few dots that were scattered about were not anywhere too close to them.
–Snape, please, no,†James said again, for effect.
Neither James nor Snape had the remaining energy to run very quickly, but James’s heart was pounding painfully even still. With every step they took, James was sure that Snape would see right through his plan. He was sure that Snape would realize that there was no way that Dumbledore could not know that Remus was a werewolf. He was sure that Snape would realize how crazy it was to think that he and his friends could have kept that kind of secret and kept everyone safe without Dumbledore getting even a whiff of it. If nothing else, surely Snape would realize that if Madame Pomfrey knew, there was no way Dumbledore didn’t know.
But Snape didn’t realize. The events of the last hour seemed to have knocked enough screws lose in Snape’s head that he couldn’t see even the most gigantic holes in James’s impromptu story.
–Snape, stop, please,†James gasped.
Up more staircases, down more corridors, James kept one eye on Snape and one on the Map. They got through most of the castle quite undisturbed. It wasn’t until the landing one floor below Dumbledore’s office that they ran into a problem. Down the corridor to the west there was no one, but too the east, two dots, whose names James didn’t bother to read, were making their slow way towards them. Panic seized James once more. He shoved the map under his robes.
–It’s faster to go this way,†James said, in what he hoped was a defeated-sounding voice, pointing down the east corridor.
Snape sniffed, turned on his heel, and made his way quickly down the west corridor.
James smirked. Too easy.
One more staircase and they finally reached the entrance to Dumbledore’s office.
Too bad they didn’t have the password.
Snape spent a while swearing at the gargoyle, which was amusing, but not particularly helpful, and it was only a matter of time before someone joined them. James reached back into his robes and pulled out the Map again. Squinting, James carefully scanned the Map. Two dots labeled –James Potter†and –Severus Snape†were standing still just outside Dumbledore’s study. Looking more closely, he saw a tiny speech bubble appear next to the James Potter dot that said –Chocolate Frogsâ€.
–Chocolate frogs?†James asked the gargoyle. It immediately sprang to life and leaped aside to reveal the spiral staircase up to the Headmaster’s study.
Snape didn’t bother to ask how James knew the password. With the path no longer blocked, Snape dashed to the stairs and James followed. As he did, he slipped the Map back into his pocket with a whispered, –Mischief managedâ€.
At the top of the stairs, Snape pounded on the office door with rather more force than James thought was strictly necessary. They heard Dumbledore’s gentle, –Come inâ€, and hurried inside.
Dumbledore was not alone. Professor McGonagall was there too. They seemed to have been in the middle of a meeting. Snape strode right up to Dumbledore’s desk, but James hung back. Warm relief was spreading through him. He had done it. He had gotten Snape to Dumbledore’s office. Whatever happened now, Dumbledore would take care of it. Completely exhausted, James fought not to collapse to the ground again and take a well-deserved nap on Dumbledore’s carpet.
–Snape! Potter! What on earth are you -– McGonagall started, but Snape did not let her finish. He walked right up to the pair of them and slammed his hands down on Dumbledore’s desk.
–Professor Dumbledore, Remus Lupin is a werewolf!â€
Silence. Whatever Dumbledore and McGonagall had been expected, it hadn’t been that. McGonagall’s eyebrows contracted. Dumbledore’s eyes seemed to twinkle less. James watched as both professors looked from Snape, to him, and back to Snape.
–How do you know this, Severus?†Dumbledore asked quietly.
–I - what - does it matter?†Snape sputtered. –Lupin is a werewolf, Professor! A werewolf! If you don’t believe me, I -"
–I believe you, Severus,†said Dumbledore, –and I already know that what you are saying is true.â€
–Already…know…â€
If had been any other situation, James might have laughed. The look the crossed Snape’s face when he realized what Dumbledore was saying was priceless. He seemed to be deflating where he stood. When he whorled around to face James, the daggers shooting from his eyes were enough to kill James ten times over.
–You!†he started.
–Severus,†Dumbledore said, forcing Snape’s attention back to him. –Please calm down. I am already aware of the information regarding Remus Lupin. What I would like to know is how you came to know this.â€
–I think we’d all like to know that,†said Professor McGonagall. Her eyes moved back to James and pinned him with a look that usually suggested he was about to receive detention. But this wasn’t his fault! If anyone was to blame here it was -
–Black!†Snape spat. –Black was the one who told me what to do! Black told me how to get into the Willow! Black was the one who sent me down there!†Snape shouted. –Sirius Black tried to murder me!â€
Normally, James would have wanted to stick up for his best friend. Unfortunately, everything that Snape had just shouted was undeniably true. He felt eyes move back onto him once more but found that he was really more comfortable examining the carpet.
–So,†Dumbledore said heavily, –Sirius Black told you how to get passed the Whomping Willow, but gave you no warning of what you might find at the end. Naturally, you were curious, and you decided to follow his directions and enter the passage beneath the Willow. Am I correct so far?â€
–That’s what happened!†Snape confirmed loudly. Dumbledore looked at him. –Professor,†he added, slightly ashamedly.
–And how do you fit into all of this, James?†Dumbledore asked.
James looked up from the carpet. He didn’t think he had ever seen those blue eyes look so sad. –I…well…I heard what Sirius had done, and I -–
–Dragon shit!†Snape shouted. He pointed an accusatory finger at James. –He knew about it the whole time, Professor! He helped plan it! Potter, Black, Lupin, probably Pettigrew too, they’re all in on it! They all tried to kill me! Just because Potter got cold feet and -–
–Severus, please calm down,†Dumbledore said, a little more loudly than before. –And do not make me have to ask you again. I understand that you are upset, and it appears that you have every reason to be. But all of this shouting gets us nowhere, and I need to know exactly what happened tonight.â€
Snape glared. When he spoke it was in a much quieter voice, but it was cold as a Dementor. –Potter and his friends tried to murder me, Professor. That’s what happened tonight.â€
Professor McGonagall observed Snape with rather less patience than Dumbledore. –So, Potter.†She turned back to James. –You heard what Black had done, and then…â€
–I followed Snape,†James said, staring into McGonagall’s eyes, willing her to believe that he had not tried to kill anyone.
–With the intention of stopping him?†McGonagall asked.
–Yes,†James answered.
–And we’re supposed to believe you did this from the goodness of your heart?†Snape sneered. –That it couldn’t possibly have had anything to do with saving your own sorry -–
Rage filled James. –I didn’t do it for you,†he assured Snape.
–Then for who?†Snape asked.
–Undoubtedly, he did it for Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin,†Dumbledore said, giving James a stare that made him feel like he was being x-rayed. James nodded.
–Black was the one who sent me down there in the first place!†Snape reminded them.
–Sirius Black has a extremely unfortunate habit of getting in his own way,†Dumbledore said heavily. –Very well, James, you went after Severus. I’m assuming since you both are still alive, if a bit worse for the wear, that you managed to catch him before he reached the Shrieking Shack?â€
Snape frowned. –The Shrieking Shack?â€
–Is what is at the end of the tunnel,†Dumbledore explained. –You did not make it that far?†he asked again.
He looked from Snape to James. Snape said nothing, so James picked up the story. –I caught up with him about halfway down the tunnel,†James explained. –I tried to tell him we needed to go back, but he refused to listen.â€
–Maybe if you had mentioned the werewolf…†Snape interrupted.
–Snape ran further into the tunnel, and I went after him,†James continued as though Snape had not spoken. –We did make it to the end of the tunnel, Professor. Well, almost to the end. I managed to stop Snape before he could run straight into the Shack.â€
–Good gracious!†McGonagall exclaimed.
Dumbledore too had understood the implications. –You got close enough to see him,†Dumbledore said. –And close enough for him to see you.â€
–How on earth are you two fools still alive?†demanded McGonagall.
–Magic?†James offered.
Professor McGonagall was not amused. –A little more specific, if you please, Mr. Potter.â€
James explained how, after seeing them, the werewolf had made the opening between the Shack and the tunnel wider and chased them down the tunnel. He explained how he and Snape had tried to hex the werewolf to no effect and how they had resorted to collapsing the ceiling to make their escape.
–You caved in the tunnel?†McGonagall asked disbelievingly.
Dumbledore stood up. –Was Remus injured?â€
–I…†James started, but stopped short. Worry flooded through him, and not a small amount of guilt. Was Remus injured? He didn’t know. He hadn’t thought about it at all. His single-minded determination to get himself and Snape out alive meant that he had left one of his best friends in the world stuck in a collapsing tunnel, probably buried alive, possibly even…
His stomach turned over. –I…I don’t know, sir,†he said quietly.
–Who cares about the werewolf?†Snape demanded angrily.
If they were any closer James would have hit him. –I do,†he growled.
–As do I,†Dumbledore said quietly.
–What should we do?†McGonagall asked Dumbledore urgently. –What can we do?â€
Dumbledore looked very sad again. –Nothing,†he said, –there is nothing we can do for him now. Whatever situation Remus is in, there in nothing we can do to help him until morning.â€
James’s guilt redoubled. Certainly no one could say that he shouldn’t have done what he needed to do to survive, but he hadn’t even thought…
–Very well,†Dumbledore said. –It is late. Professor McGonagall, if you would kindly escort these two gentlemen to the hospital wing…â€
–Hospital wing?†James asked.
–That’s right, Potter, hospital wing,†Professor McGonagall said firmly. –Have you not seen what state the two of you are in?â€
James looked down at himself. He was covered in dirt for one thing. The knees of his robes were ripped from their repeated collisions with the hard tunnel floor. His arms were covered in black and purple bruises and he knew the rest of his body was likely more of the same. And of course he still had the overwhelming desire to fall to the ground and sleep for a year. He looked over at Snape, who looked pretty much the same except for his knees, and with the addition of a large scrape on his head with dried blood in his hair.
–Alright,†James conceded.
–Thank you, Minerva,†said Dumbledore. –And if you could also tell Madame Pomfrey that once she is done with Severus and James, I would like to speak to her here. I need to tell her about Remus.â€
–Of course,†Professor McGonagall replied. –Come along now, you two,†she said to James and Snape.
But Snape, it seemed, was not ready to go. –What, that’s it? No punishment? Just run along to the hospital wing? Professor Dumbledore, Potter, Black, they -–
–Make no mistake, Severus,†Dumbledore said quietly, –I will be speaking to Mr. Black in the morning. As for James or anyone else, there is no evidence to suggest to me that -–
–No evidence!†Snape spat. –But Potter, Lupin -–
–You have told me that it was Sirius Black who sent you down the tunnel under the Whomping Willow,†Dumbledore continued. –You have offered me no proof that James or Remus even knew about it before it happened, much less that they conspired.â€
–Lupin tried to kill me!†Snape raged.
–And if you have learned anything about werewolves in your almost five years of magical education, then you will know that it was not Remus Lupin who tried to kill you, but the creature that takes over his body,†said Dumbledore. –I will not punish him for that.â€
Snape still looked livid, but he seemed to know that he was never going to win. He turned on his heel and headed for the office door with James and Professor McGonagall.
–Oh, and Severus,†Dumbledore said. They all turned back to look at him. –I must ask that you not tell anyone what you found out about Mr. Lupin tonight.â€
Snape’s mouth fell open. –Professor Dumbledore, he’s dangerous -–
–Not as dangerous as many will believe him to be,†said Dumbledore. –And I believe that he has just as much right to a magical education as anyone else in this school.â€
–But, Professor -†Snape said.
–I’m sorry, Severus, but I am going to have to insist,†said Dumbledore. –If word gets out that Mr. Lupin is a werewolf and I trace it back to you, I will expel you from Hogwarts.â€
Snape looked ready to spit fire.
–That is all,†said Dumbledore. –Goodnight to all of you.â€
The waves of fury coming off of Snape as he, James, and Professor McGonagall walked through the dark castle to the hospital wing were palpable. It seemed as though he would explode with rage at any moment and put a Snape-shaped hole in the nearest wall.
–Can I get my wand back?†James asked pleasantly.
Snape gave James a look that suggested he would sooner point James’s own wand at him and curse him into oblivion.
–Mr. Snape,†McGonagall said pointedly.
Fuming, Snape dug his hand into his pocket, extracted James’s wand, and thrust it at him. James took it and made rather a deal of wiping it off on his robes to get all of the slime off. He was enjoying the sick sense of pressure he got watching Snape boiling so close to the top. For one thing, it was distracting him from his own thoughts and his own anger.
They arrived at the hospital wing and Madame Pomfrey came out of her office wearing a dressing gown and muttering something about what time of night it was for foolish students to be doing dangerous things. She fused over them a bit, healing their cuts and scrapes with her wand, giving them a tonic to reduce bruising. She gave Snape an extra potion that she told him was specifically for head injuries but that James strongly suspected was a calming draught. They were each given pajamas and told to change, and as he did, James saw just how many bruises he had from head to foot. Finally, she gave them each a sleeping potion and hurried off to see Dumbledore.
James lay on his bed in the dark and quiet hospital wing, his mind spinning. Behind him, he could hear Snape’s breathing becoming slow and deep. But even the waves of dreamless sleep that were doing their best to pull him under could not stop his reeling mind. He didn’t think that he had ever been so angry in his life. He was angry at no one and everyone. He was angry that he had almost died. He was angry at the monster Remus became for trying to kill him. He was angry that Remus might be dead come morning. He was angry that there was nothing he could do about it. He was angry with Snape for being such a fool and going into the Willow with no idea what he might find, for not listening to his warnings and refusing to come back. He was angry with Snape for figuring out Remus’s secret and trying to expose him. He was angry with himself for burying his friend alive. He was angry with himself because he was sure that his transfigurations on the opening between the Shack and the tunnel were what weakened it enough that the werewolf could tear it open. He was angry with Slughorn for giving him detention. He was angry with Peter for having been so gleeful. He was angry with the moon, still shining bright in the sky outside of the hospital wing window.
James rolled over as the rage licked his insides. He was being dishonest with himself. It wasn’t Peter’s fault that this had happened or Slughorn’s. It wasn’t his fault, or the werewolf’s, and it wasn’t even Snape’s. James knew who was to blame for everything that had happened, the one who had been so careless, so reckless, so stupid, and so cruel. What had possessed him? James didn’t know and he found himself very much not caring.
The potion was trying to pull him down again and he decided to let it. He gave into the powerful force of the potion and let it wipe his anger away. He had only one last thought before he let himself be pulled into nothingness, a thought he knew would survive the dreamless night and come back in full force in the morning.
He was going to kill Sirius Black.
To be continued…
Now that’s a little more interesting don’t you think? Reviews are always appreciated! Part three coming soon!