Last Chance
Chapter Ten: The Marauders' Great Secret
The stag had already carried Lily to the edge of the lake by the time Lily's brain processed what had just happened. She had been in the Forbidden Forest, searching for James when she was ambushed by centaurs. Then this animal came out of nowhere and whisked her away. There was something in the beast's eyes that seemed familiar, and it calmed her frayed nerves. She looked at the sky and noticed that it had already gotten dark. It must be really late, she thought. Her stomach growled in agreement.
The stag sat down slowly and Lily slid to the ground with a gentle thud. She smiled at it. "My hero."
Lily sat next to the stag, absentmindedly stroking its warm neck and staring at the unusually bright moon. Minutes passed as Lily thought about James and the letter and her trek into the Forest. She wondered where he could have gone. Had James already returned to the school? Surely not, or someone would have been sent to find her. Lily stared out at the dark trees, He's still out there somewhere.
A mournful howl broke the silence.
The stag started and Lily was nearly knocked into the lake. It stood and pawed the ground before turning to face her. At first it looked apologetic, then fearful. It nudged her arm repeatedly with its muzzle, pushing her toward the school.
"What's the matter?" she asked. Only a moment ago, the stag had been calm and peaceful. Now, it seemed positively frantic.
There was another howl and the stag looked apologetic again. He lowered his head, scratching Lily with sharp antlers, as if to herd her toward the castle.
"I am not cattle, thank you very much." said Lily, hotly. She glared at the animal. Did it just roll its eyes at me?
It lowered its head again.
"All right, all right. I'm going." The stag snorted and followed Lily toward the school, pushing her if she slowed down.
The howl sounded again, closer. Suddenly, an animal sprang into view around the corner of the castle. A werewolf. Lily screamed and the stag leapt in front of her, a shield against the approaching beast.
Sirius heard Remus's howls and knew that something was wrong. His friend was usually quiet, unless he found prey. He hurried along the tunnels beneath the Shrieking Shack, wondering where James was, and hoping that Remus had not found him alone.
When he reached the surface, a new sound mixed with the werewolf's howls and yelps. Sirius could hear someone screaming. A girl. He ran faster.
As he rounded the corner of the castle, he came to the shores of the Black Lake. A grisly sight met his eyes, something that he had never wanted to see. Lily had found James, but he had transformed into a stag. He and Remus were locked in a battle, and Lily was staring wide-eyed, in terror.
Sirius ran as quickly as his canine legs could travel, but he knew that he was too late. There was already too much blood. He could see it on the grass, splashed and pools that shone black in the light of the full moon. James's coat was stained red, and, though he had Remus caught between his antlers, the werewolf had a strong hold on the stag's neck. James was falling.
Ordinarily, when their friend transformed at the full moon, James and Sirius were both there to keep him in line. Usually, they took him into the forest and let him run off his energy. Sirius hadn't wanted to risk it that night, but Remus had gotten away from him. Peter was no help; what good could a rat do when faced with a werewolf? Without James, the tag-team strategy had failed, and now they were paying the price. Instead of two-to-one, James had been forced to take Remus on singlehandedly. Now it was Sirius's turn.
He lunged and caught Remus by surprise. The werewolf let go of James, who fell to the ground and lay still. Sirius wanted to help him, to get him to the infirmary, but he knew that he had to stop Remus first. If he woke the next morning to find that he had killed, he would never forgive himself; he wouldn't care that he couldn't have helped it.
Sirius hooked his teeth into the soft tissue of Remus's neck, and shook with all his might. He let go, and Remus was thrown against a tree. He snarled at the dog, small compared to himself, but turned and made for the forest.
Sirius turned and ran to James's side. He watched as the stag began to change shape, and Lily gasped as James took its place. He was bleeding profusely, and his breathing was shallow; his chest shook each time he inhaled. Lily collapsed next to him, sobbing.
Sirius transformed and crouched next to her. He gripped her shoulders and said, "I'll run to get Madam Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore. Stay with him."
She nodded, glancing up only to see a large black dog sprinting toward the castle.
"Oh, James," she cried, "if only I had found you sooner. I'm so stupid to have gotten lost in the forest. I should have used my wand as a compass."
She put her hand to his cheek. It felt cold.
"James, please," she whispered frantically, "please don't go. Sirius went for help. You'll be okay in a minute." She didn't think that he could hear her, but she was trying to convince herself that he would be fine. Lily held his hand.
She thought about the werewolf and knew that it had been Remus. Lily had known about his condition since their second year, but she had never asked him about it. She never asked how he managed to get through his worst nights, but now she knew. His best friends stayed with him, risking their lives, to keep him safe.
She wondered what would happen to James. Did a werewolf's bite have the same effect on animagi that it did on regular people? If it did, Remus would never forgive himself. She tightened her grasp on James's hand, and rocked back and forth, crooning too him, trying to reassure them both that he would pull through.
The castle doors burst open, and a ghostly yellow light spilled out onto the grounds. Madam Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore were sprinting across the lawn with Sirius right behind them. Lily vaguely wondered where Peter was.
"Miss Evans, please let go of Mr. Potter's hand; I need to get him to the hospital wing immediately." Madam Pomfrey sounded frightened, which was rare. She almost always knew how to handle medical emergencies, but this was something that she had never dealt with before. She wasn't sure if the boy would make it. She was sceptical. He would have to be sent to St. Mungo's.
"Lily, please let go." Professor Dumbledore placed a hand on Lily's shoulder, and she released James's hand. The headmaster helped her up and did not protest when she turned and began to cry on his shoulder.
Sirius caught up to them. "I'm sorry, sir. James wasn't back yet, but I had to get Remus to the Shack, and then he got away from me, and..." he trailed off. They all knew exactly what had happened next.
Dumbledore patted Lily's back and took off toward the edge of the forest. He would tell Hagrid that Remus was loose in the forest, and to keep an eye for him. It was all that could be done without putting more lives in danger.
Sirius watched Professor Dumbledore until he was out of sight. Lily was staring out across the black water, tears streaming silently down her face. She was in shock. He took her by the hand and led her slowly up to the castle. He knew there was no point in running.
They reached the hospital wing with no trouble, taking multiple short-cuts and hidden passages. The found James lying on a bed, wrapped in bandages that were already soaked through with blood. Madam Pomfrey was leaning over his bed, muttering incantations that didn't seem to be doing any good.
She looked up at them with glassy eyes, "I can't get the wounds to heal." she mumbled shakily, "I've sent an owl to St. Mungo's for assistance. Mr. Potter will most likely be transferred to their facilities, where they can better monitor-" she let out a small sob.
Sirius pulled two chairs next to James's bed and pushed Lily into one of them. He settled into the second chair, ready for a long night.
Before long, Lily had cried herself to sleep. Sirius yawned, picked her up, and set her gently on the next hospital bed. He re-seated himself and continued to stare at the clock on the wall.
[A/N]: I'm actually kind of angry with myself for just about killing James. Obviously, you all know that he doesn't die (hello, if he died we would be without Harry, and this story wouldn't exist), but things are going to be a bit rocky.
As always, please review. The previous chapters, though recently edited, were mostly written a few years back, and my writing has progressed since then. I would greatly appreciate any and all feedback, positive, or otherwise. Thanks for reading. :]