Chapter Two
At long last they made it to the Hospital Wing. Peter pushed the doors open for them and Remus and James made for the closest bed. Between her incantations that the boys would later learn were to slow Sirius' blood loss, Professor McGonagall was shouting for Madam Pomfrey to hurry over as the two boys lowered the third onto the bed. The white sheets stained with red the moment he touched them.
Remus leaned forward, putting a hand in front of Sirius' nose and mouth. "He… he's not breathing," he said quietly, his eyes wide. Despite the soft tone of his voice the statement seemed to ring out clearly throughout the entire Hospital Wing.
It was like the whole world had fallen out from under them.
James and Remus were quickly swept out of the way by Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall. They stumbled backwards to join Peter, all three of them staring at the scene with mirrored expressions of disbelief and horror. Madam Pomfrey was frantically waving her wand over Sirius' chest, murmuring under her breath. A moment later Sirius' muscles suddenly contracted and he began violently coughing up blood in a gruesome display, though his eyes remained closed the entire time. Madam Pomfrey waved her wand behind her without looking back, causing curtains to appear and surround the bed, blocking it as well as her and Professor McGonagall from sight.
"Remus?" came a quiet, feminine voice. They all turned to see that Lily Evans had approached them. It was then that they realized they weren't alone in the Hospital Wing. A quick survey revealed that there were several other students in various beds around the wing, all staring at them. "What's happened?" There was a hint of fear in her voice. It had been obvious how bad off Sirius had been when they dragged him in to the Wing.
Remus opened his mouth to respond but no words came out. His mind couldn't even complete a thought at the moment. He closed his mouth again and turned his back to Lily as he made his way over to a nearby vacant bed. He sat down heavily, his legs unable to hold him up any longer.
Lily watched Remus' movements with wide eyes. As it became clear that she wasn't going to get any information from her usual source within the Marauders her gaze carefully shifted to fall on James instead.
James sighed heavily. He knew there was no reason to lie at this point. "We were in Hogsmeade tonight. Sirius was attached by a group of hooded wizards." It was physically impossible for him to go into any more detail than that at the moment. Not with Sirius' fate still so uncertain. His eyes wandered back to the curtains that hid Sirius' bed. It was unnervingly quiet all of a sudden.
At James' statement Lily gasped, drawing James' gaze back to her. She looked horrified. "You were in Hogsmeade? Potter, that's so dangerous with everything that has been happening."
James just stared at her blankly at that, unable to even begin to comprehend what she was trying to say. Neither of them had a chance to say anything else though. Just then there was movement in the curtain and James snapped his gaze back to the scene in front of him. Professor McGonagall appeared from behind the curtain at just the right angle so that James couldn't see anything that was going on behind it. Without a glance at them she began heading out of the Hospital Wing.
"Professor," James called as he hurried after her. "Professor, wait!"
"I need to fetch Professor Dumbledore," Professor McGonagall said stiffly without pausing.
"But Professor!" James practically shouted. Something in his voice must have resonated with Professor McGonagall because she paused in the doorway, looking back at him. James studied her face for a moment. Her features were lined with worry. "Is he… is Sirius…" He couldn't even complete his question.
McGonagall gave a tired glance at the curtains that surrounded Sirius' bed. "He is still alive, Mr. Potter," she said and James could feel a fraction of the tension in his chest release. "He will probably need to be transferred to St. Mungo's tonight for more extensive treatment. Now, I must go fetch Professor Dumbledore to tell him what's happened. Be prepared, Potter, he is going to want to talk with you boys to find out exactly what happened tonight." And with that she was gone.
James wasn't real sure how long he stood there frozen in place. Suddenly someone was leading him away from the door and back into the Hospital Wing.
"Sit down, Potter." James was slow to recognize Lily's voice. She led him over to sit on one of the vacant beds next to Remus. Peter sat on the far side of the bed, practically trembling. James tried to focus on Lily who stood in front of him. She was looking him over critically. "Are you hurt?"
James gave her a confused look. He looked down to access himself. He saw that his white dress shirt was stained with red. "No," he said flatly. "This isn't my blood."
"Are you sure?" Lily persisted carefully. "Your shirt is torn. There."
James looked to where she pointed. She was right; there was a slit in the fabric of his shirt with blood staining the edges. It was on the opposite side that he had supported Sirius on, so it wasn't near the rest of the blood stains. He pulled aside the fabric and sure enough he found that underneath his flesh was torn. He was suddenly aware of a dull stinging sensation that surrounded the wound.
"How did that happen?" he wondered vaguely. Somehow it seemed like his voice was detached from his body, almost as if it were coming from somewhere else altogether.
Remus looked over at him, his eyes clouded over. "I think that happened when you were climbing through the door at Honeydukes," he said quietly, sounding distant.
James remembered the glass shards that had stuck out from the door after he had broken it and how he had tried to knock them out as he made his way through the doorway to make it safer for Sirius to pass through. He supposed that it was plausible that he hadn't noticed running in to a shard himself. He had been too focused on Sirius.
"Here, take off your shirt," Lily said gently. James just stared at her. She had never been this kind to him before. After a minute when he didn't move Lily went on. "I can at least bandage it until Madam Pomfrey can look at it."
James silently fumbled with the buttons of his shirt. Under normal circumstances he would have had some kind of humorous comment for the fact that Lily Evans of all people wanted him to disrobe. But today his mind was disturbingly blank; his eyes straying back to the white curtain that hid their friend from them.
Up until now the entire Wing had been silent, even the other occupants seemed to dare not make a sound. But suddenly James heard a small sound. At first he wasn't sure if he had imagined it but then he heard it again a little louder, like a pained moaning noise. Then there was a horrifying screech that was quickly cut short. It was Sirius. James was on his feet in a second; fully intending on storming past that curtain to see what was going on behind it before Remus jumped up and grabbed his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.
"No, James," Remus said, his voice gentle and sympathetic, though he had clearly been shook up by the sound just as much as James had. "Don't. Let Madam Pomfrey work."
"But…" James started, not even sure what his argument was going to be.
"There's nothing you can do," Remus reminded him. "You'll only be in the way. And I think we've all seen enough today."
James knew exactly what he meant. The images he had seen earlier were already going to cause him nightmares for weeks to come no matter how this turned out. No need to add to that for no good reason. James allowed Remus to lead him back to the bed where they were all gathered as they waited for news. James was hardly aware of Lily finishing unbuttoning his shirt and applying a bandage to his wound.
Suddenly the doors at the far end of the Wing flew open with a loud bang. They all whipped around to see Professor Dumbledore gliding in to the room, looking more serious and grim than they had ever seen him before. Without a second glance he swept right past the group of them and disappeared behind the curtain that hid Sirius' bed with Professor McGonagall following close behind him.
They were all silent; straining their ears to try and hear what was going on beyond that curtain. There were some muffled voices, but no one could make out what any of them were saying. Then everything got very quiet. The tension in the room grew. All eyes were on that curtain, waiting for something to happen as the minutes ticked by.
Suddenly all at once the curtain was swept aside and disappeared. James was on his feet again in a split second. But what was revealed was not what any of them had expected. The bed that Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey were gathered around was empty.
James opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
"What happened?" came Remus' quiet voice sounding a little unsure. Slowly he stood up beside James. "Where's Sirius?"
Professor Dumbledore turned and focused on them for the first time. His features were unreadable. "Mr. Black has been transferred to St. Mungo's for further treatment." His voice was hauntingly even as he spoke. "I need to see you three boys in my office. Immediately." He made eye contact with James then Remus then Peter in turn before turning and practically gliding back out of the room.
His tone had left no room for argument. With a heavy heart and burdened soul, James turned away from the empty hospital bed and went to follow Professor Dumbledore. Peter was close behind him. Remus hesitated a moment, and when he did move he passed close by that hospital bed. Madam Pomfrey had begun to strip the sheets off of the bed, but not before Remus had seen that the white sheets were stained with a significant amount of blood. His stomach twisted uncomfortably as he turned his head, following James and Peter out of the Wing.
Lily stayed behind, watching the Marauders go. It was so strange to see all the Marauders so serious. It was a side the Marauders – of James Potter especially – that she had never seen before. It had been obvious how close the boys all were ever since their first year. But this was the first time that she had really gotten to see just how much they truly cared for each other. It was more than just an immature enjoyment for causing trouble around the castle that kept them together. It was a bond that clearly ran much deeper than that.
Lily turned to look at the now vacated bed that the broken Sirius Black had so recently occupied. She shuddered slightly at the idea that perhaps he wouldn't return to wreak havoc in the halls of Hogwarts. She took a deep breath and said a silent prayer for Sirius, not only for his sake but also for James, Remus and Peter's sakes as well. As she turned to go back to the first year that she had accompanied to the Hospital Wing earlier, she found herself sincerely hoping to see the mischievous Marauders whole and terrorizing the castle again one day soon.
Out in the corridor the Marauders were silent as they followed Professor Dumbledore to his office. There was no play shoving or races this time. The entire group was incredibly somber. The only sound was their muted footsteps on the stone floor.
Time was suddenly irrelevant. In what seemed like no time they had approached the entrance to Dumbledore's office. None of them even really heard when Dumbledore stated the password. They were all in a daze. They simply followed Dumbledore silently up the staircase. It might have been the longest time any of the Marauders had gone without speaking.
Up in his office Dumbledore immediately went to sit behind his desk. With a wave of his wand three chairs appeared opposite him. Then he calmly set his wand down on the desk in front of him and patiently waited.
Peter was the first to sit. He looked pale and shaky on his feet, liable to fall over at any moment. Remus followed a moment later, sitting heavily in the seat. James eyed the final empty seat. He was feeling too restless to sit. He was suddenly aware enough to realize that his shirt still hung open from when Lily had bandaged him up though. He hastily fumbled with the buttons as he shifted from foot to foot uneasily.
Dumbledore seemed to sense that this was about as comfortable as the Marauders were going to get. He leaned forward and laced his fingers together, looking at each boy individually. "Why don't you tell me what happened tonight."
It wasn't a question but James wasn't interested in taking orders right now. "Is Sirius going to be okay?" he demanded in a low voice, meeting Dumbledore's gaze with a hard gaze of his own. He was not going to tolerate anything other than a direct answer to this question.
Dumbledore looked at him almost as if he were sizing him up. James stood up straight and held his gaze. He wouldn't be treated like a child, not after everything they had been through that night.
Dumbledore sighed. "Mr. Black's injuries were not only severe but also… complicated. Many of his wounds were cursed to reopen when they were magically healed. This was causing significant blood loss. His condition was very serious when the decision to send him to St. Mungo's was made. However he is currently with the best Healers in the world. He is in good hands. I am optimistic for his recovery."
This didn't make any of the Marauders feel much better though. It still sounded like a very grim situation despite Professor Dumbledore's small attempt at assurance.
Remus leaned forward and rested his head in his hands. James reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. He wasn't trying to give comfort but rather show his empathy. There would be no real comfort until they knew for sure their friend was going to be okay.
"I know this is difficult, boys," Dumbledore went on gently but firmly. "But I need to know what happened tonight."
James took a deep breath. Remus was clearly too emotional at the moment to speak. And Peter had never been good with words anyway. James knew that it was up to him to retell the events of that night. His voice was flat and had no inflections as he stated all the facts surrounding what had happened. He left nothing out of his story. He wasn't at all concerned about getting in trouble for breaking the rules and sneaking out of the castle that day. Something like a detention or a loss of House points seemed so incredibly trivial at this point.
Dumbledore listened to the story in mostly silence. He had some questions about the three wizards that they had come across, but James didn't have much information about them. Their hoods had been kept securely in place during the entire exchange so he really had no idea what they looked like.
By the time he finally finished his story he felt drained. He still couldn't bring himself to sit down though. Instead he placed his hands on the back of the empty chair and leaned on it heavily.
The silence consumed the room once again after James stopped talking. Remus hadn't moved, his head still resting in his hands, feeling completely numb. He could still vividly picture the full extent of Sirius' injuries. They had been far beyond his own rudimentary healing abilities. It had been so much worse than anything he himself had experienced during the full moon. His head was spinning. How had this happened? Just this afternoon everything had been perfectly normal and their biggest worry was keeping up with their schoolwork. Now one of their friends was fighting for his life. How had everything fallen apart so quickly?
Dumbledore seemed to focus on Remus. "Mr. Lupin?" he prompted, as if somehow sensing Remus' distress above the others at the moment.
Remus slowly looked up at the Headmaster. "What happened tonight, Professor?" he asked, his voice hoarse. "Why was Sirius attacked in Hogsmeade? Who is the Dark Lord?"
Suddenly Dumbledore's grim expression melted away to reveal a deep sadness. He carefully reached up and took his spectacles off, placing them on the desk in front of him as he rubbed his eyes with his other hand. As he looked back at the boys it had seemed that he had aged years in just those few moments.
"Tom Riddle," Dumbledore said quietly. "He was a student here years ago. He is a strong believer that Pureblooded wizards are superior to all others. Unfortunately this is not a terribly uncommon belief in our world. For years Tom had seemed harmless enough. But over the last couple months he has been gaining more and more support from others in the Wizarding World. Recently Tom and his Followers have become more… active. And they have become more violent. They target those that they believe are not worthy of magic. This mainly includes Muggleborns and half-blooded wizards. There have been several attacks over the last couple weeks that have been attributed to this self proclaimed Dark Lord, but so far the Ministry has failed to identify any of his Followers who may have committed these crimes."
There was a heavy silence following this explanation.
It was Peter who finally spoke up, his voice cracking. "But… Sirius is Pureblooded."
"Yes he is, Mr. Pettigrew," Dumbledore agreed rationally. "Mr. Black comes from a very prestigious and well-respected Pureblooded family. However as I understand it he is not on good terms with his family. I also understand that this is relatively common knowledge."
"Blood traitor," James mumbled, mostly to himself as the realization dawned on him.
Remus heard him. "He had the words blood traitor carved into one of his arms," he explained a little louder.
"Yes I did see that," Drumbledore said grimly. He paused and then went on carefully. "Mr. Black would be very recognizable to the kind of people that Tom Riddle would attract."
"So… he would be a target for them," Remus realized, horrified.
Suddenly out of nowhere James shoved the chair in front of him in a fit of rage, sending it tumbling to the floor. Everyone in the room jumped at this, even Professor Dumbledore. "Why weren't we told about this?" James demanded loudly. "If this has been going on for a while why didn't we know? Sirius was a walking target in Hogsmeade and none of us even knew it!"
There was a hint of pain in his voice that boarded on guilt. He felt like they had blindly walked Sirius into this very dangerous situation. He was harshly reevaluating every decision that he had made that day that had led them to this. If only he had insisted on going with Sirius to retrace his steps to search for his things. If only he hadn't even suggested that they go to Hogsmeade that day in the first place. If only…
Dumbledore sighed heavily. "I am sorry for that. The Ministry has been keeping a lot of what has been happening quiet. They don't want to start a panic. Most of what is known by the public is whispers and rumors."
"We had a right to know!" James insisted. "Everyone in Hogsmeade disappeared after dark, clearly something has been going right in our backyard and we had no idea!"
Dumbledore looked quite pained by this. "I suppose I was hoping that the Ministry would resolve this quickly. Clearly we have all underestimated Tom's true power though. And exactly how far he is willing to go in order to achieve his goals."
"I can't believe it," Remus mumbled brokenly. "I can't believe this happened."
"I can't believe that the Ministry hasn't stopped him yet," James interjected angrily.
"I am so sorry, boys," Dumbledore said sadly.
James sighed and with that it was like all of his remaining energy suddenly drained out of him. He nudged his glasses up onto the top of his head and then ran his hands over his face, pressing his palms into his tired eyes. He was becoming aware of a sharp stinging sensation in his side where the glass had cut him earlier that night.
Remus sat up straighter, a look of steely resolve suddenly in his eyes. When he spoke it was with the same authority that he had when talking with the hooded figures that had attacked Sirius in Hogsmeade.
"We need to go see Sirius. Tonight."