Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and events from J.K. Rowling's wonderful Harry Potter books. I am writing this for my own enjoyment and hopefully for the enjoyment of readers. Anything you recognize belongs to JKR. The rest belongs to me.
Chapter 89: Actions and Consequences
Lily struggled to keep her eyes closed the next morning however one of her mates had been obnoxious enough to open her curtains, allowing the sunlight in to tickle her eyes open. As she turned over, planning on burying her head under her pillow, she caught sight of the time and realized she couldn't procrastinate any longer about waking. She was not looking forward to facing the day.
Despite her talk with Remus the previous night, she was worried he might change his mind. She trusted him, however she knew that James would undoubtedly want to know what they had been discussing. Lily shivered as her feet hit the cold stone floor, though she wondered if it was really the cold that had affected her. She felt a mixture of fear and relief. She had closely guarded her secret for over four years and now someone knew. While the events of first year followed her every day, Lily had started to believe that she could move forward with her life. Now Remus knew, and while she trusted him, it unnerved her to realize that his knowing would likely dredge up a lot of the memories she wished she had forgotten.
On the other hand, while Lily had tried to move forward with her life, she felt like she had built a wall around herself to keep her secrets close. At times it felt like the walls would close in around her and suffocate her. Despite the fact that she had not intended for Remus to find out, it was almost a relief that someone she trusted knew, even if he couldn't know her reasons.
Realizing Alice and Marlene had already left for breakfast, Lily hurried to get ready so she wouldn't be late for the morning meal. She grabbed her things and rushed downstairs, hurrying into the Great Hall. She scanned around noticing Marlene sitting with her boyfriend and Alice, as usual, with Frank. Lily finally saw Remus seated at one end of the Gryffindor table by himself, poking at his food and occasionally glancing down the table where James was seated with Sirius and Peter. Lily felt anxious when she saw James returning Remus's glances with glares.
Lily walked over to where Remus was sitting and said, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
Remus glanced down the table to James and saw him angrily watching. Remus hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should be talking to Lily. He then got annoyed with James again, remembering how his mate assumed the worst of him. Lily was his friend and she needed to talk to him. He knew they were doing nothing wrong. If James wanted to be angry that was his problem. He nodded to Lily and said, "Yeah, sure."
Lily stood there nervously for a moment, glancing at the students that were sitting nearby. She nodded her head toward the door and said, "Outside?"
Remus, realizing Lily didn't want eavesdroppers to hear, got up and followed her out into the corridor, trying to ignore the burn marks on his back he was likely receiving from James's eyes as they left.
Once they were out of earshot, Lily asked, "What happened last night after you went upstairs? Potter looks angry. Why were you sitting by yourself? Did you tell him anything?"
Remus held up a hand to slow down her questions. "No, I didn't tell him anything about your secret. He didn't even give me a chance, not that I would have told him. He's mad at me because he thinks we're secretly going out behind his back."
"What?" gasped Lily. "Dating? How did he get that idea?"
"He overheard us when we got back to the common room. He heard you say that it was too soon to tell him, and then he saw you kiss my cheek and joke about Grazynska's assumption by calling me your boyfriend," replied Remus.
Lily closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, shaking her head. "Didn't you tell him it was a misunderstanding?"
"I tried!" exclaimed Remus. "He didn't even give me a chance to explain. He just assumed the worst about me, despite the fact that we've been mates since first year!"
"Remus, I'm sorry," said Lily. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I'll find a way to fix it."
Remus studied her for a moment before asking, "How? Are you going to talk to him?"
Lily tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before replying, "Not if I can help it. I'll find a way to fix this, though, I promise." Looking behind Remus toward the entrance to the Great Hall where students were leaving to go to class, Lily said, "You'd better get going to class. I'll catch up in a little bit."
"Lily-" started Remus, but he saw Lily walking back toward the Great Hall. He took a deep breath, ignoring the usual lingering aches from that weekend's full moon, and set off toward the DADA classroom.
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Lily nervously walked toward him, not really sure how or if she wanted to approach him. She steeled herself, realizing that to fix this for Remus she needed to do something even if it was slightly drastic. He was standing outside the entrance of the Great Hall speaking with his friends so he didn't see her. Lily cleared her throat and said, "Excuse me?"
The boy turned around and saw her, his face lighting up in a smile. "Hi Lily!"
"Hi George," she replied. Seeing his friends still there, she wasn't quite sure what to say. The friends glanced at George and gave him a congratulatory look before heading off to their classrooms.
"So," said George, looking a little nervous himself. "Can I walk you to class?"
Lily nodded and said, "Sure, I'd like that."
They walked toward her DADA classroom, making small talk. "How was the rest of your patrol last night?" asked Lily.
"I caught two third year students out of bounds," said George. He chuckled and added, "I think he was about to kiss her, but I'm pretty sure I interrupted before that could happen."
Lily smiled and said, "Third years, eh? So what did you do?"
"I threatened to take them to Filch so he could string them up by their toes in his office if I ever caught them out of bounds again. Then I congratulated the couple and sent them back to their respective common rooms," he said.
"An inter-house romance, eh?" smirked Lily.
"Not just that," replied George, trying to suppress a smile. "It was a Slytherin and a Hufflepuff."
"No way!" said Lily, her eyes wide. Seeing his controlled expression, she rolled her eyes and hit him on the arm, saying, "Very funny."
George laughed and said, "I had you going there for a moment, you have to admit."
Lily tried to look annoyed but couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face.
As they reached the outside of the DADA classroom, George gently grabbed her arm and said, "Hey…erm, Lily?"
Lily turned to face him and out of the corner of her eye she noticed James further down the corridor approaching with Sirius and Peter. Taking a steadying breath, she smiled up at George and said, "Yes?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk with me by the lake after classes? The trees are changing and it's supposed to be beautiful outside," he said.
Lily, sensing James nearby, said, "I'd love to."
George gave her a big smile, and after a moment's hesitation, leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. "I'll see you later, then."
"See you," said Lily. She turned and walked into the classroom, noticing Remus was sitting where he could see what had happened. She gave him a slight nod and moved across the room to sit by Marlene, who was gaping at Lily.
"What was that all about?" Marlene asked with a mischievous smile. "Are you dating George now?"
"He asked me if I wanted to go for a walk with him later and I told him yes," replied Lily.
"It's about time you got a boyfriend!" said Marlene.
Lily shrugged and smiled, noticing James entering and glancing between her and Remus with a look of confusion and hurt. After Sirius gave him a little push toward the desks, James took a spot a few seats down from Remus with Peter in between. Throughout the class James didn't look at Remus, choosing instead to doodle on a spare scrap of parchment.
On their way to Transfiguration Remus pulled Lily aside and asked, "What was all that about, with Cooper?"
"He asked me out for a walk this afternoon and I said yes," replied Lily.
Remus gave her a bewildered look and said, "So this is how you're fixing things?"
"It makes sense, Remus," said Lily. "Potter saw him kiss me last night before you found us arguing. If he sees that I'm with George then he'll know he made a mistake thinking you and I are dating. Then he'll apologize to you and you'll be friends again."
Remus shook his head and said, "Lily, you can't date a guy for those reasons."
Lily sighed and said, "George is a nice guy and he's good looking. Lots of girls would love to date
him."
"But not you," said Remus, giving her a pointed look.
"How would you know?" asked Lily. "I get along great with George."
"It sounds like you're trying to convince yourself more than me," said Remus. Seeing the stubborn look Lily was giving him, he sighed and said, "I just don't think covering this with a lie is going to fix things. I think it'll hurt you more in the long run."
Lily bit her lip, thinking about what he said, before reaching out and grabbing his hand. "Don't worry, Remus. I know what I'm doing. It's for the best." She gave him a tentative smile before turning to finish her trek to the Tranfiguration classroom.
Remus watched her walk away and let out a deep sigh, worried about her reasoning. At the sound of footsteps behind him, Remus turned and found James approaching him with Sirius and Peter.
James shook his head and with a disbelieving laugh he said, "You know, I thought that maybe I'd been wrong about everything earlier. I thought that maybe Padfoot and Wormtail had a point and that I had misjudged what I had heard."
"You did misunderstand," insisted Remus.
"Right," scoffed James. "Then that explains why I see you and Evans so chummy every time I see the two of you together. Always talking closely or holding hands - that seems like more than just friends to me."
Remus was fed up with James's assumptions. In the effort of making a point, Remus grabbed Peter's hand and retorted to James, "Look, Prongs! I'm holding Wormtail's hand. That must mean we're in love, right?"
Peter look nervous and confused while Sirius tried to stifle something between a laugh and a cry of disgust. James stood there with an unreadable expression. After a moment Remus shook his head and let go of Peter's hand, saying, "Just forget it! You obviously want to believe the worst of me."
Something suddenly occurred to Remus and his face paled as he said to James, "I wonder if it had been Padfoot or Wormtail if you would have been so quick to judge them. Why did you assume so quickly that I would betray you like that?" In a lower tone he accused, "The only reason I can think of is what I become every month."
James's eyes widened as Sirius stepped forward and said, "Moony, you know that's not true."
Remus shook his head and said, "I don't know what else could make him believe the worst of me so easily." Turning, he marched into Transfiguration and sank into an empty seat in the back corner. In frustration, he carelessly dropped his text onto his desk causing a loud 'thud' to reverberate throughout the room. Professor McGonagall gave him a reprimanding look before returning to her task of magicking the day's assignment onto the blackboard.
Outside the classroom, Peter nervously looked at James and said, "M-Maybe he didn't do what you thought."
James ran his hand through his hair and said, "I can't believe him, using what he is to get sympathy like that."
"Prongs, I don't think Moony would do that," said Sirius. "He never has before."
"I know what I saw and heard last night!" protested James, turning and making his way into the classroom, sitting on the opposite side of the room from Remus. Sirius and Peter sat by him, each looking apologetically at Remus, who was staring stonily at his desk.
James managed to master the spell Professor McGonagall had assigned them to practice, and soon he was watching Sirius trying to help Peter. Toward the end of class, James's eyes wandered around the room until they landed on Lily. To his surprise she was looking straight at him, but as soon as she noticed that he was looking at her, she immediately looked away and attempted to refocus on her assignment.
James glanced at Remus, who was halfheartedly transfiguring his kiwi fruit into a kiwi bird. He noticed that the bird didn't have any legs, and James felt a pang of guilt, knowing that while Remus was good at Transfiguration, he was better and had always helped Remus perfect the spells. It bothered him that Remus thought he could judge him just because he was a werewolf. Hadn't he spent three years becoming an illegal Animagus so he could help him with the transformations every month? He had never once judged Remus for being a werewolf.
Irritated, James knew what he'd witnessed the previous night. He looked at Lily again and decided that he needed to confront her and then he'd get her to admit she and Remus were sneaking around. He surreptitiously aimed his wand at her knapsack and muttered a spell.
As soon as McGonagall released them for lunch, Lily picked up her knapsack, only to have it rip and cause everything to spill out, including a new bottle of ink which splattered as the bottle crashed onto the floor. Muttering a few curses, Lily told her friends that she'd catch up with them in the Great Hall and pulled out her wand to clean up the mess.
James waited outside the classroom until she walked out, her knapsack repaired and spotless. Lily froze when she saw James standing in the corridor in her path to the Great Hall. She immediately knew this was no accidental encounter by the way he was scrutinizing her. She felt a shiver travel up her spine and fought the urge to shake it off. She tried to walk around him but he stepped in her way. Stopping quickly to avoid a collision she asked, "What is it, Potter?"
James smirked and said, "We need to talk about last night."
Lily paled slightly, remembering the revelation of her secret to Remus. "What about it?"
"I think it's time for the truth, don't you?" asked James.
Lily couldn't suppress the next shiver that coursed through her. He couldn't possibly have heard… "W-What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about your boyfriend," said James.
Surprised yet slightly relieved that he didn't know her secret, she echoed, "My boyfriend?"
"You two seemed rather cozy last night," accused James.
"So?" challenged Lily. "What business is it of yours?"
"It's my business when it involves one of my mates," retorted James.
Lily, knowing he meant Remus, laughed disbelievingly and said, "Since when is George your mate?"
"Cooper?" laughed James. "I'm talking about Remus."
Lily shook her head and said, "Remus isn't my boyfriend. He's a friend who happens to be a boy."
"That's not what it seemed like last night," said James.
"Spying on me, are you?" asked Lily. Shaking her head, she said, "Maybe you should take a class in it, because you're horrible at it."
"If I'm so wrong about you and Remus, then how come I heard you call him your boyfriend?" asked James.
Lily rolled her eyes and said, "We were joking, because someone else had made the idiotic conclusion that we were an item just because we were both in the astronomy tower. We found it funny because we've never even thought of each other like that."
"What were you two talking about for so long up there, then?" James asked curiously.
On the defensive, Lily said, "We were talking about what a horse's arse you are. That was my opinion but he, being a loyal friend, argued that you were a good guy. Thanks for proving my point, Potter."
Before James could say anything, a voice from down the corridor said, "Lily?"
Lily peeked around James and saw that it was George.
"You okay?" he asked, looking suspiciously at James.
"I'm fine, George," replied Lily.
Approaching, he said, "I ran into Alice and she told me where to find you. I thought I'd see if you wanted to eat lunch with me before our date." George glanced at James to make sure he had heard the word 'date'.
Lily took George's hand and said, "I'd like that," not sure if her sudden shortness of breath came from the feel of George's hand around hers or from the accusatory stare she could sense James giving her.
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Over the next few weeks George and Lily became an official item. George's crush on Lily didn't wane, and he found every opportunity he could to spend with her. Lily enjoyed his company and felt her loneliness ebb, especially when she discovered that she could double date with her friends. She didn't have to be the third wheel anymore and she took every opportunity to double date, even though George hinted that he'd rather spend some time alone with her.
Lily couldn't help but feel a lump form in her throat every so often when George would smile at her and tell her how much he liked her. She would always smile back, but could never bring herself to return the sentiments. There were a few times Lily considered ending things between them, but then she would see James or Remus and she would convince herself that she was doing the right thing.
Although James starting sitting by Remus in class again and being civil, he never officially apologized to him. He pretended like nothing had happened, though Remus was still stung by how James had treated him. Instead, James focused his anger on another boy, namely George Cooper. He didn't like how the seventh year Gryffindor flaunted his relationship with Lily in his face at every opportunity. James still didn't understand what Lily saw in him. She smiled and laughed around George, but James could tell there wasn't the music that lit up her laughter like when she was truly having fun.
Although George was a year older than James, James was the captain of their house's Quidditch team and therefore used his popularity to knock George down a peg at every opportunity. At meals, pumpkin juice would find a way to spill onto George's pants and James would make comments about George needing his mum to change his nappy. Lily would overhear and accuse him of being juvenile, but James would laugh it off and say that he was fine with being juvenile as long as he didn't wet his pants like George.
Toward the end of November they were at breakfast when James hexed a Freezing Charm onto the soles of George's shoes causing him to slip and slide and fall onto the floor. Amidst the laughter of the surrounding students, Lily helped George over to a seat and fixed his shoes. George, who was beet red with embarrassment at this point, opted to ignore the laughter and focus on his breakfast.
Lily had had enough. She marched over to James and said, "Honestly, Potter! What's your problem?"
James smirked and arrogantly replied, "I don't seem to be the one with the problem, Evans. It looks like your boyfriend is a bit of a klutz."
"Only because you insist on acting like an arse and hexing him at every opportunity!" shouted Lily. She looked over at Remus, who was looking rather green and sickly. Realizing the full moon was that evening, Lily saw his pleading look and tried to tone down her temper. She looked at James and shook her head. "I honestly don't know why you have to be such a prat all the time. You don't have to be like that, you know."
"And what would you have me be like, Evans?" snapped James. "Would you have me be like George? You want me to walk around boring everyone to death?"
"You don't understand, do you?" she said sadly. "You may be smart and you may be gifted with a wand, but you're arrogant and cruel, and that makes you dumb. You could be so much better if you tried, but you're too blind to see it."
James wasn't quite sure how to react initially, since Lily sounded more sincere than angry when she had said that. Part of him wanted to jump up and cheer that she thought he was smart and gifted, but that was overshadowed by the part where she had called him arrogant, cruel, and dumb. Seeing her shake her head and turn to walk back toward George, he tried to shout over the noisy entrance of the morning mail, "I'm not the blind one, Evans! You're dating a bloke that you don't even like!"
She ignored him and continued on to sit with her boyfriend, who was giving her a questioning look. James watched as she said something to him, and George put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the temple.
"Merlin…" muttered Remus, causing James to turn and watch Remus's shocked expression as he read the morning edition of the Daily Prophet.
"What now, Moony?" asked Sirius, who was lazily slathering butter onto his toast. "Some scandal with the Minster of Magic? Did she get caught snogging some goblin at Gringotts?" he joked.
Remus looked at Sirius, unsure of what to say. James snatched the paper out of Remus's hands while joking, "Probably her house elf, instead. I heard that…" James paused, the headline capturing his attention.
Sirius noticed the color drain out of James's face and said, "Aw, c'mon, what's happened that's got you looking like that? Another attack? Someone we know?" Seeing James and Remus exchange a look, Sirius frowned and went to steal the paper, but James's Quidditch skills allowed him to pull it out of Sirius's reach. "Prongs! Let me see it!"
"Padfoot…" said James, unable to finish. How was his best mate going to handle this?
Sirius saw a second year student a few seats down with a paper so he grabbed it from her before she could protest. He looked at the front page and froze as the large letters of the headline danced before him.
PROMINENT MEMBER OF BLACK FAMILY DEAD AT AGE 43.
"Padfoot…" repeated James, but Sirius shook his head and continued to read.
Octavius Black, head of the prominent Black family, died Saturday due to complications from an injury he suffered during the summer. Octavius was a revered member of the community and worked as a high official in the Ministry of Magic. He is survived by his wife, Elphaba, and his son, Regulus. Funeral services will be held today at the Black Mausoleum.
James watched as Sirius stared at the paper. He glanced at the Slytherin table but could not see Regulus, realizing that he must have gone home for the funeral. He heard the sound of newspaper crumpling and looked back to see Sirius disposing of it. The second year started to protest but James tossed her Remus's copy and she backed off.
"Padfoot," started Remus, but Sirius looked up at him with an odd expression.
"Anybody want to irritate Filch before class? We could make the suits of armor anatomically correct…" said Sirius, his voice tight through his attempt at being nonchalant.
"Padfoot, your father-" said Peter.
"I don't have a father," snapped Sirius. "Let's get outta here. Moony, you need to go to Pomfrey before you collapse."
"Padfoot, I can stay for a little bit if you want to…" started Remus, but Sirius was already out of his seat and headed for the exit.
"Prongs, do you think that…" started Remus.
James waved him off and said, "I'll go after him. You should get to Pomfrey soon. We'll see you at the Shack tonight."
James didn't have to run far to find Sirius. He was standing outside the Great Hall, shaking with rage. Across from him stood a triumphant looking Snape, who was holding up his copy of the Daily Prophet like as if it was the Quidditch Cup.
"Isn't this interesting, Black?" said Snape, reading the front page article. "It says Octavius Black was survived by his wife and by Regulus. Interesting that you were not mentioned."
Sirius drew out his wand, his face contorted with anger. "I could care less about being included in that freak
show they call a family!"
The corners of Snape's mouth twisted upward as he said, "Based on your strong reaction, it would seem otherwise. Perhaps you're having some remorse about getting disinherited, though it's too late to change your mind. You have dishonored your family and are a worthless excuse for a wizard."
James was about to grab his wand and hex the tar out of Snape, however Sirius beat him to it and sent a curse at the Slytherin, throwing him back 10 feet.
"What is the meaning of this?!" came the angry voice of the deputy headmistress. Seeing the state of things, Snape on the floor and Sirius not bothering to hide his wand, she said, "Mr. Black, you are very well aware of the rules about magic in the corridors, especially any magic used to harm another student. Twenty points from Gryffindor and you will serve detention tonight with Madam Pince. Is that understood?"
Sirius didn't reply, still sending deadly looks at Snape, who was trying to catch his breath.
"MR. BLACK! I repeat, is that understood?!" said Professor McGonagall.
Sirius gave her a controlled look and tightly replied, "Yes, ma'am."
Professor McGonagall was taken aback by his demeanor, however instead of reprimanding him more she said, "Now off to class!" Looking at the audience that had accumulated to witness the scene she firmly said, "All of you!"
As the students scattered, James cautiously approached Sirius and said, "Padfoot, I…"
Sirius shook his head and turned to head toward the greenhouses for their first class of the day. James rushed to keep up but opted to keep quiet, assuming his best mate needed the silence. It didn't help matters that their classmates knew about Sirius's father and spent the majority of the Herbology lab whispering or trying to offer condolences, neither of which Sirius was happy about.
As they were leaving Herbology, James, trying to cheer Sirius up said, "Wanna use the break before lunch to charm those suits of armor like you wanted to earlier?"
Sirius shrugged and said, "Nah. I've already screwed things up by getting a detention for tonight. I'm going to be late to help Moony."
"It won't be that late," said James. "We'll stay at the Shack until you can get there. Besides, maybe Pince will feel bad about what happened to…you know…and let you leave early."
"I don't want anyone feeling sorry for me," said Sirius.
"I didn't say they should, but if it does happen then maybe you can at least get some benefit out of it, like getting out of detention early," said James.
"Maybe," grumbled Sirius.
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That evening, Sirius headed to the library for his detention. As he walked inside he saw a frantic first year student looking for a reference for her Transfiguration paper. Sirius pointed her in the right direction, his knowledge of the books more from the many hours of dusting and re-shelving during detention rather than from studying.
Madam Pince, famously strict about her detentions, was surprisingly kind to Sirius once he arrived. James must have been right, he thought, as she assigned him to take four or five stacks of medical books to the hospital wing. After that, he was free to 'catch up on some reading', per the librarian. She made sure to point out the section on grief management before showing him the books that Madam Pomfrey wanted.
Sirius grabbed the first stack, wincing at the weight of the medical texts while silently cursing Madam Pince for forcing him to carry the books without any shrinking or lightening spells. His arms protested from their burden by the time he reached the floor where the hospital wing was. As he walked down the corridor he saw Snape standing by the window, his attention focused on the grounds outside. Sirius glanced out the window and in the dimming sunlight could see Madam Pomfrey accompanying Remus across the grounds, presumably toward the Whomping Willow.
"Snivellus," growled Sirius.
Snape started, not realizing Sirius was standing nearby. Taking another quick glance out of the window he refocused his attention on Sirius and spat, "Black! Your friend Lupin is supposed to be on his way home to see his sick relative. At least that's what I heard Professor Flitwick tell some Ravenclaw girl today. What I find fascinating is that the same Lupin who is supposed to be off the premises is walking outside with Madam Pomfrey at this very minute."
Sirius clenched his jaw, the weight of the textbooks causing the muscles in his arms and back to ache. "Maybe you were seeing things. I heard insanity is a Slytherin trait."
Snape's eyes flashed before he retorted, "I think there's something you're all hiding about Lupin. I've seen you sneaking out at night before and that it must be something illegal. Tonight I'm going to find out what it is you and your friends are hiding and expose it. Perhaps you'll get expelled, or even better - Azkaban. That's where all the filth gets sent so you'd fit right in, Black. The dementors would have you wishing that your only worry was being disinherited."
All the anger Sirius had toward Snape filled him to the point where he could hear nothing but the whir of blood flowing through his veins. He sneered and called out to the Slytherin as he turned to walk away. "Hey, Snivellus," he said in a oddly matter-of-fact tone. "If you're so sure you want to see where they went, then head toward the Whomping Willow."
Snape stopped but didn't turn to face Sirius.
Sirius continued, "Everyone thinks it's dangerous, and it is unless you know how to get past it." Sirius imagined the look of horror Snape would get at coming face to face with a werewolf and tried to suppress a smile. "All you have to do is get a long stick and prod the knot at the base of it."
Sirius turned to finish his trek to the hospital wing, hearing the sound of Snape's rapid footsteps fading as they grew more distant. He entered the hospital wing and found it empty. He threw the books on Madam Pomfrey's desk and rubbed his sore arms, annoyed that he'd have to make another three trips with more books before his detention would be over.
Sirius felt the pocket of his robe vibrate, telling him that James was calling on the two-way mirror. He pulled it out and muttered James's name, allowing his mate to appear in the mirror.
"How're things going with Pince?" asked James.
Sirius scowled and said, "She's making me carry stacks of books to the hospital wing. Shouldn't take me too long, though. Why aren't you at the Shack?"
"McGonagall cornered me with questions about the team and practice times," replied James. "Then I realized I forgot my invisibility cloak and thought it would be best to fetch it since there've been a lot of people in the corridors tonight."
"Yeah, I ran into Snivellus on my way to the hospital wing," said Sirius.
"He give you more trouble like earlier?" asked James.
"That and he was back to his old suspicions about Moony and the rest of us," said Sirius. "He saw Pomfrey walking with him outside."
"Great, I thought we'd finally gotten our point across about him leaving Moony alone," said James, pulling at his hair making it stand on end.
"I dunno," said Sirius in an amused tone. "Could you imagine the look on his face if he saw Moony?"
James chuckled and said, "He'd probably wet himself."
Looking at the pile of books on the nurse's desk, Sirius wistfully said, "I wish I could be there to see it."
James laughed for a moment before seeing the look on Sirius's face. A small trickle of ice started to work its way down his spine. Thinking and hoping Sirius was pulling a fast one on him, he said, "You're joking, right?" When Sirius didn't reply right away he added, "You didn't actually tell Snivellus how to find Moony, did you?"
"It would serve him right, for sneaking around and sticking his ugly nose where it doesn't belong!" said Sirius.
James could feel the color drain from his face and sink like a lead weight into his belly. Merlin, if Snape got into the Willow… "Padfoot, how long ago did you tell Snivellus?"
"I dunno…five or ten minutes," replied Sirius.
"Then I might still have time…" said James, standing up heading for the portrait hole.
"For what?" smirked Sirius.
"To stop what you've done and keep Moony from getting discovered, or worse yet, becoming a murderer!" retorted James as he ran down the corridor, shoving the mirror into his pocket. He hoped and prayed Peter had closed the door between the Shack and the passageway. It might buy him a few minutes.
As he saw the Whomping Willow in the distance, it looked oddly still. Knowing that Snape must have found the way in, he added every bit of speed into his pace that he could, wishing that he'd thought to bring his broom. As he arrived in front of the tree it came back to life and started thrashing about, trying to make contact with its latest target. James found the stick that Snape must have used and silenced the tree by pushing on the knot. He dove through the gap in the roots and slid down the entrance into the tunnel. He heard a howl in the distance and hurried forward. Luckily, he didn't have to go too far to find Snape, who was peering down the rest of the tunnel trying to find the source of the howl.
"Snivellus!" shouted James, trying to catch his breath.
Snape pulled out his wand and pointed it at James, saying, "Don't try to stop me, Potter! You're too late! I know what Lupin is - I can hear him howling. It all makes sense. You've got him locked up in here somewhere. Harboring a werewolf-"
"Shut up!" shouted James. "We don't have any time, Snivellus. We have to get out of here now!" He approached Snape and started to draw his wand.
"Expelliarmus!" shouted Snape, forcing James's wand to fly several feet out of reach. "You're unarmed now, Potter." Seeing the distressed look on James's face, he sneered and said, "Not so high and mighty now, are you Potter?"
Hearing another howl, this time a little closer, James said, "Oh, sod it!" and threw a punch at Snape, connecting with his jaw. James grabbed the Slytherin's wand and summoned his own. He grabbed Snape by the robes and pushed him against the side of the passageway. "Listen to me, Snivellus! If we don't get out of here right now then we'll be werewolf bait, do you understand me?"
Seeing Snape's eyes widen in realization, James pushed him in the direction of the exit. "Run, you idiot!" he shouted, forcing Snape to hurry. As they reached the exit, they heard a growl and Snape turned around, seeing Remus in his werewolf form approaching from down the passageway.
"Go!" shouted James, giving Snape another push. "Hit the knot on your way out. It'll give you a few seconds to clear the branches. I'll try to hold him off."
"How?" asked Snape.
Seeing Moony stalking his way toward them, James repeated, "Just go!"
Snape didn't need to be told again. He pushed his way out of the tree roots, following James's instructions about the knot. As he ran toward the castle he could hear a loud howl and wondered if Potter's cockiness had just cost him his life.
As soon as James saw that Snape was gone he quickly transformed into the stag and raced at Moony, antlers down, forcing the werewolf back toward the Shack. Once the werewolf was safely locked in the Shack, Wormtail scurried through a nearby rat's hole and into the passageway. The two Animagi returned to their human state, hearing Moony thrashing about the Shack on the other side of the door.
"What happened?" asked Peter.
"Padfoot did something incredibly stupid, and Snape just saw Moony," said James.
"What?!" said Peter. "What do we do?"
"I need to try to do some damage control with Sirius and Dumbledore. I have no doubt Snape's headed straight to the headmaster," said James. "You stay here with Moony and do what you can to calm him down."
Peter nodded and they transformed back into their Animagi forms, Peter returning through the hole into the Shack while James cantered down the passageway, hoping to find a way to make things right for his friends. Once he was clear of the tree he transformed back to his human form and ran as fast as he could to the front entrance.
As he ran up the stairs and around the corner he collided with Sirius, who was making another trip laden with an armful of textbooks.
The textbooks flew out of Sirius's arms and across the floor as the two boys tumbled. Sirius rubbed his wrist and said, "Way to go, Prongs! I-"
"You idiot!" shouted James, giving Sirius a shove and standing up.
Sirius's eyebrows shot up as he said, "What?"
James paced the floor as he said, "You! You told Snape. Of all people, Snape!"
"It was just a joke," protested Sirius, getting up and dusting off his robes. "I figured it'd teach him a lesson."
"A lesson?" echoed James. "He almost got killed, Padfoot!"
Sirius snorted but stopped as soon as he heard what James said next.
"And I almost got killed pulling his sorry arse out of Moony's reach!" said James.
"What were you doing putting yourself in danger for Snivellus, anyway, eh?" challenged Sirius.
James clenched his fists and took a deep breath before saying, "Did it even occur to you that by telling Snape you were putting Moony at risk? What do you think would have happened to him if Snape had gotten mauled to death or bitten?"
Sirius's eyes widened as he realized the consequences Remus would have to face if Snape had gotten injured or killed. Worse yet, if James had gotten killed… It would have been his fault.
Before Sirius could say anything, James said, "I need to see if I can salvage this mess before one of us gets expelled. I have to find Dumbledore before Snape does."
"That won't be necessary, Mr. Potter," came the voice of the headmaster, whose sudden arrival made James wonder if he'd appeared out of thin air, or perhaps he'd come through another secret passageway…?
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, please accompany me to my office," said Professor Dumbledore, sounding sterner than usual. "I presume you remember the way," he added with a slight twinkle in his eyes.
Sirius went to gather the scattered textbooks however the headmaster beat him to the punch, waving his wand and causing the books to disappear.
During the walk to Professor Dumbledore's office, James couldn't help but remember how he had felt at the end of first year when he'd been forced to walk with Professor McGonagall to the headmaster's office. He'd been dreading the punishment he'd receive for sneaking out into the forest at night and had worried what his parents' reactions would be, but that had not been what had happened. He had arrived only to find his mum in tears, telling him that his father had been killed. James glanced at Sirius, realizing despite his anger that his best mate had just found out about his own father's death that morning.
As they walked into the headmaster's office they saw Snape standing by Dumbledore's desk, giving James and Sirius a satisfied look.
"Professor-" started James.
"Perhaps we should all sit down," said Professor Dumbledore.
"But Professor, we-" continued James.
"Mr. Potter, matters like this need to be settled in a calm manner. Please, have a seat," repeated the headmaster. He gave Snape a look, indicating that he should sit as well.
Once everyone was seated, the silence in the air was as thick as bubotuber pus as everyone waited for the Professor to speak. Dumbledore opened his desk and pulled out a container, opening it and saying, "Would anybody care for a sherbet lemon drop?"
Snape looked down his nose at the sweet with disgust while Sirius remained oddly silent. James shook his head and watched as the headmaster popped one of the sweets into his mouth, his lips puckering at the strong taste. Putting the container away, he folded his hands on the desk and gave each of the boys a scrutinizing look.
"Mr. Snape here has told me that you are aware of Mr. Lupin's condition," said Professor Dumbledore.
"Yes, Professor, but-" said James.
"He also stated that you both pulled a prank on him that almost resulted in his death," continued the Professor.
"That's not true," said Sirius.
Snape snorted with disgust and said, "I shouldn't be surprised that you'd deny it, Black! You betrayed your family by leaving them, coincidentally after the accident your father had. Is that when you acquired your murderous nature, or have there been other victims we don't know about?"
"That's enough!" Professor Dumbledore sharply said. Looking at Sirius, he asked, "Are you denying what Mr. Snape is accusing?"
Sirius shook his head and said, "James had nothing to do with this. Sniv-, I mean Snape and I had an argument tonight and it came out, how to get past the Whomping Willow. I was so mad I didn't realize that he could actually get killed or that Remus could be held responsible. I told James what I had told Snape and he ran out to stop him before Remus could get to him."
"That's a lie!" spat Snape. "He was just as involved as you!"
"Liar!" shouted Sirius. "He saved your sorry arse out there and almost got himself killed in the process!"
"Don't try to protect him, Black!" said Snape. "Even if he didn't plan this prank he was helping to harbor a werewolf. That's grounds for expulsion!"
"That's enough," said Professor Dumbledore, holding up his hand, effectively silencing the room. He took a deep breath and leaned forward a bit. "Neither Mr. Black nor Mr. Potter were harboring a werewolf. If anyone is guilty of that, it is me."
Snape looked at Dumbledore in disbelief and said, "That's not true. You're protecting them."
"I assure you, Severus, it is in fact true," said Professor Dumbledore. "I instructed Professor Sprout to plant the Whomping Willow over the entrance to the tunnel. I informed the professors of Remus's condition and swore them all to secrecy. Remus Lupin is a student here because he is an intelligent young wizard who deserves an education just like any other student here. As long as he is sequestered from the other students during the full moon then there is no danger having him here."
"But there is a danger, Professor," protested Snape. "He nearly killed me tonight."
"That is because you went where you were not supposed to," said Professor Dumbledore. "Had you been following the rules and avoiding the Whomping Willow, you would not have been in any danger."
"What about Black?" spat Snape. "He was the one who told me how to get past the Whomping Willow and into the tunnel. He knew what I would find. He had every intention of killing me! He should be expelled!"
James threw him a fierce look and said, "Shut up, Snape! You're so full of sh-"
"As I see it," interrupted Professor Dumbledore, "Mr. Black did break several school rules tonight and did, in fact, endanger Mr. Snape's life."
"Professor, you can't expel Sirius!" protested James, desperately wanting to knock the self satisfied smirk off Snape's face.
"I did not say that anybody would be expelled, Mr. Potter," said the headmaster.
Snape's smile faded quickly as he asked, "What do you mean, he's not going to be expelled?"
"Mr. Black will be punished for what he's done, however I can see that he now realizes the disastrous consequences that could have resulted from his actions," replied Professor Dumbledore. "Expulsion from Hogwarts is not the appropriate punishment. As I see it, he will face a month of detention-"
"That's it?" exclaimed Snape. "My life is worth a handful of detentions?"
"And," emphasized the headmaster, "Mr. Black, you will be suspended from your house Quidditch team for the rest of the school year."
"Professor-" protested James.
"It's alright, James," said Sirius. "It's better than getting kicked out of Hogwarts. Besides, I can play again next year, right?" He looked at Dumbledore for confirmation, who nodded.
"That's absurd!" spat Snape. "Perhaps when the parents find out their children are attending school with a werewolf-"
"If I'm not mistaken," interrupted the headmaster, "Mr. Potter was the one who ran to the tunnel to find you tonight and get you away from the werewolf before he could harm you. He did this at great risk to his own life. He saved your life tonight, Severus. That created a bond between you two-" James groaned in disgust "-that constitutes a wizard's debt. As I see it, you owe Mr. Potter."
"I don't owe him anything!" spat Snape.
"Yes you do!" roared Sirius. "You spout on about a wizard's honor but when it comes to this you show what a hypocrite you are!"
Snape's face turned a deep shade of red as he realized that he did, in fact, owe his nemesis his life. He felt his stomach turn at the idea of being indebted to Potter. "What do you want?" he asked tightly, his teeth clenched.
James glanced at Dumbledore, who was watching him closely, his blue eyes twinkling mysteriously. He nodded his head and looked at Snape, saying, "I want you to keep your mouth shut. Don't tell anyone about Remus. Don't tell anyone how to find out about him or how to get under the Whomping Willow. Leave Remus alone and don't let on anything about what he is. Don't let on that there's a werewolf at Hogwarts. I also want you to keep your mouth shut about what Sirius did. If anyone asks why he was kicked off the Gryffindor team, just keep your mouth shut and they'll assume he pulled a prank so humiliating that you don't want the embarrassment of anybody knowing exactly what he did."
"I think that is a reasonable request," said Professor Dumbledore.
Snape was shaking with rage, the idea that not only was he indebted to Potter, but everything he had worked to discover would be forced to be kept secret. Potter and Black would once again come out of trouble with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. He clenched his teeth even tighter and said, "Fine. May I be excused?"
"Certainly," said the headmaster. "I believe we are done here. I expect you all to go straight back to your dormitories and get some sleep. Things will look up tomorrow."
James nodded, though inwardly he doubted Professor's Dumbledore's optimism. After all, they still had to break it to Remus that not only did Snape know, but that he as Moony almost mauled them to death. He wasn't looking forward to the next day.
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A/N: What can I say? Time flies (for me, at least). So so so sorry about the long hiatus. If I pull out my book of excuses, I can include a lengthy illness followed by lengthy hours at work. Time passed, I got some writer's block, but I refuse to give up on this fic! I guess it's difficult for me to portray Lily this way right now, though I just can't write her as a 'perfect' person. Underneath it all, though, she does have good intentions.
I'd list all my thank you's individually, but it's really late (or early in some places) and I have work tomorrow. I stayed up late typing and proofreading to get this done since I had the sudden inspiration to finish this chapter. Anyway, a big group thank you goes out to all my reviewers, and to those who continued to encourage me (i.e. nag me) to continue this story. It's nice to know the interest is still out there for my story.