"Remus? Remus, where are you!!" Sirius screamed into the roaring crowd.
How did they get separated? He'd been holding onto Remus as tight as he could. But the fury of the crowd had pulled his friend out of his arms.
It had all started with the werewolf attack three days earlier. A family was murdered when a werewolf entered their house. Husband, wife, grandmother, and three little children, all torn to pieces. Needless to say, the wizarding world, already very prejudiced against werewolves, had not been happy.
The Ministry of Magic had records of all the werewolves in Europe. Sirius hadn't known this until Cornelius Fudge and announced to the Daily Prophet that he had given it to the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures Committee. He had felt his heart jump into his throat when Remus told him that his name was on the list.
For the past two days the wizarding community had been pulling werewolves from their homes and lynching them on the streets. It didn't matter who. Even though only one werewolf had been responsible for the attack and he had already been hung, Fudge proclaimed that the world wasn't safe until every last werewolf was dead. Terrified, Remus had been hiding with Sirius at Sirius's house.
Twenty minutes ago there had been a knock at the door. Sirius had peeked out and seen a huge mob. Remus asked who it was but Sirius didn't answer, just hurried him down into the cellar and cast a spell on the cellar door to keep the crowd out. But there had been some powerful witches and wizards, far more powerful than Sirius Black was and they had broken the door down and dragged Remus out. Sirius had pushed his way toward the crowd and grabbed Remus, wrapping his arms around him, shielding the man from the bloodthirsty crowd. But he'd been blasted away and Remus was brought into the street.
Now Sirius ran out into the street and elbowed people out of his way trying to find Remus. "Remus!" he screamed into the crowd, "Remus, where the hell are you!?"
He heard a cheer go through the crowd and his stomach turned to ice. He'd heard that cheer too many times in the past forty-eight hours. It was the cheer of death.
He was literally punching people now, going to the front of the mob. When he got there, he saw a tree. But that was not what made him dangerously close to vomiting. It was the line of bodies swinging on the low branch. Five bodies all in a row. Dangling from fraying ropes. He couldn't tell who they were and he was being pushed backward. "NOOOOO!!!!" Then he tripped, falling on his face. The roaring was all around him. Everyone was stepping on him. Then a foot connected with his temple and the world disappeared.
When he woke up, the world was quiet. The crowd had disappeared, leaving death and destruction in their wake.
Suddenly he remembered Remus and the bodies on the tree. He stood up and ran over to the hanging tree. The bodies were still there, swaying in the breeze. All of them were obviously dead.
Second from the left, Sirius found who he was looking for.
"Remus?" he said in a hoarse whisper. "No, no, you're not Remus!"
But it was. That was Remus Lupin, victim of the rage of his former friends. A tear ran down Sirius's cheek and dripped onto the dusty ground. He couldn't just leave his friend hanging there for the birds to peck at. He needed to get him down and bury him.
Sirius searched his pockets for his wand. It was not there but there was a blade he had been holding onto for protection. Forcing down nausea, he climbed onto the tree and cut the rope holding Remus's body there. His body fell and Sirius leapt down after it.
"You were innocent." He cried, cradling Remus's body. "You didn't do anything. Don't be scared anymore. You're safe from them now. They can't hurt you anymore. You're safe now. You're safe."
How did they get separated? He'd been holding onto Remus as tight as he could. But the fury of the crowd had pulled his friend out of his arms.
It had all started with the werewolf attack three days earlier. A family was murdered when a werewolf entered their house. Husband, wife, grandmother, and three little children, all torn to pieces. Needless to say, the wizarding world, already very prejudiced against werewolves, had not been happy.
The Ministry of Magic had records of all the werewolves in Europe. Sirius hadn't known this until Cornelius Fudge and announced to the Daily Prophet that he had given it to the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures Committee. He had felt his heart jump into his throat when Remus told him that his name was on the list.
For the past two days the wizarding community had been pulling werewolves from their homes and lynching them on the streets. It didn't matter who. Even though only one werewolf had been responsible for the attack and he had already been hung, Fudge proclaimed that the world wasn't safe until every last werewolf was dead. Terrified, Remus had been hiding with Sirius at Sirius's house.
Twenty minutes ago there had been a knock at the door. Sirius had peeked out and seen a huge mob. Remus asked who it was but Sirius didn't answer, just hurried him down into the cellar and cast a spell on the cellar door to keep the crowd out. But there had been some powerful witches and wizards, far more powerful than Sirius Black was and they had broken the door down and dragged Remus out. Sirius had pushed his way toward the crowd and grabbed Remus, wrapping his arms around him, shielding the man from the bloodthirsty crowd. But he'd been blasted away and Remus was brought into the street.
Now Sirius ran out into the street and elbowed people out of his way trying to find Remus. "Remus!" he screamed into the crowd, "Remus, where the hell are you!?"
He heard a cheer go through the crowd and his stomach turned to ice. He'd heard that cheer too many times in the past forty-eight hours. It was the cheer of death.
He was literally punching people now, going to the front of the mob. When he got there, he saw a tree. But that was not what made him dangerously close to vomiting. It was the line of bodies swinging on the low branch. Five bodies all in a row. Dangling from fraying ropes. He couldn't tell who they were and he was being pushed backward. "NOOOOO!!!!" Then he tripped, falling on his face. The roaring was all around him. Everyone was stepping on him. Then a foot connected with his temple and the world disappeared.
When he woke up, the world was quiet. The crowd had disappeared, leaving death and destruction in their wake.
Suddenly he remembered Remus and the bodies on the tree. He stood up and ran over to the hanging tree. The bodies were still there, swaying in the breeze. All of them were obviously dead.
Second from the left, Sirius found who he was looking for.
"Remus?" he said in a hoarse whisper. "No, no, you're not Remus!"
But it was. That was Remus Lupin, victim of the rage of his former friends. A tear ran down Sirius's cheek and dripped onto the dusty ground. He couldn't just leave his friend hanging there for the birds to peck at. He needed to get him down and bury him.
Sirius searched his pockets for his wand. It was not there but there was a blade he had been holding onto for protection. Forcing down nausea, he climbed onto the tree and cut the rope holding Remus's body there. His body fell and Sirius leapt down after it.
"You were innocent." He cried, cradling Remus's body. "You didn't do anything. Don't be scared anymore. You're safe from them now. They can't hurt you anymore. You're safe now. You're safe."