15

Sirius' Mad Plan

Remus woke up with a soft gasp. Common for him to do after a full moon. His eyes flickered about the room, taking in reality.

'The Hospital Wing...Wait...how did I get here?' thought Remus.

His vision made him dizzy, it switched between 20-20 and the abnormal eye sight of a werewolf. Remus reached for the floor on the side of his bed as he sat up and wretched into the silver bowl Madame Pomfrey had placed there. There was a glass of rubbing alcohol on the nightstand beside his cot which he grabbed and swished in his mouth to rid himself of the taste of bile. Spitting it into the bowl, he set it carefully on the floor once more.

Then he caught sight of something horrifying. James and Sirius lying in the two cots to his left. His eyes widened. Had he injured them? Killed them? Or worse...bit them.

Remus' eyes zoomed in on Sirius who laid in the bed farthest from him beside James. He had a black eye and a gash on his cheekbone.

James, in the cot right beside Remus had his arm in a sling and numerous scratches covering his face. On his nightstand were his glasses, one of the lenses cracked.

Remus shook his head, muttering 'no' to himself repeatedly.

"Lupin," a voice drawled.

Remus' body turned hastily to the right, the wolf's reflexes dominating him. On the other bed was Severus Snape looking quite worse for wear. He too wore a series of cuts on his pallid face and his leg was bound in a makeshift cast.

Remus' jaw almost dropped, but he kept it in check, gazing at Snape. Bewildered.

"Don't worry yourself. You didn't kill anyone," Snape sighed.

'That's not what I'm worried about,' Remus thought, eyes downcast.

"Or contaminate them," confirmed Snape.

Remus looked back up at Snape, his eyes focusing on him. He could see every pore, every hair, every aspect of his greasy head. Despite being beaten up, Snape looked rather pleased with himself.

"You know now..." Remus said in an unsure tone.

Snape nodded slowly.

"I know...werewolf."

Remus flinched at Snape's voice, his vision once more returning to that of a human.

"What happened? How did you find out?" Lupin questioned.

Six hours ago...

"James, I've done something...wrong," Sirius murmured as Peter transformed into his rat and bounded for the base of the Whomping Willow.

Sirius made sure Remus was far away enough that his heightened hearing wouldn't pick up what he was saying.

"Did you drink again? You know you're not supposed to before we transform, Sirius," groaned James.

Sirius shook his head and wrapped his arm around James, taking a few more steps away from Peter and Remus.

"You know how Snape has been snooping around us lately? Saying he knows we are up to something and that he'll figure it out?"

"Yes," James replied slowly.

Sirius grimaced and let go of James, folding his arms. James eyed him. He knew Sirius was at his breaking point when he folded his arms this tight.

"Well, I sort of told him how to get into the Whomping Willow...tonight."

James' eyes grew large behind his glasses. Sirius struggled not to shudder at the seething look he was receiving from him.

"Sirius, he could be killed!" hissed James.

"Yeah, in hindsight it was a stupid prank..."

"A prank? This isn't a prank! This is madness, Sirius!"

Sirius rubbed the back of his neck, eyeing the Whomping Willow as its branches froze.

"Think about Remus! He'll never forgive himself if he kills Snape!" James whispered.

Sirius sighed hopelessly as Peter transformed back into himself.

"What do we do now, then?"

James ran his fingers through his already messy hair, and thought as quickly as he could.

"Alright, I'm going to stay out here. Tell Remus I'm waiting for Lily. I'll keep watch for Snivellus," James murmured.

Sirius frowned and looked over his shoulder at Moony and Peter who stood, staring at them with puzzled expressions. Sirius held up a finger signaling he would be their momentarily.

"James, I'm s-"

"Sirius, just go before Remus gets suspicious," ordered James in a firm voice.

Feeling slightly guilty for scolding Sirius so harshly, James gave him a comforting pat on the back and nodded towards the Willow. He waved to Remus and Peter with a small smile. Sirius turned and jogged to Remus silently.

"Is James gonna sit this one out? I understand. It's only our second time doing this," Remus said gently.

"Yeah, he is but it's not because he's uncomfortable with it. Lily's going to meet him by the lake and he wants to spend the night being with her," Sirius explained.

Remus raised a brow and watched as James descended the hill. Something about the story didn't fit. Regardless, he didn't have time to consider the options what with the moon almost at its zenith and the possibility that Madame Pomfrey would spot them.

"Alright, well, good luck to him," shrugged Remus slipping into the tunnel of the Willow, Peter immediately after. Sirius looked caustically at the grounds then followed suit.

James sat on the hillside for an hour, his eyes not moving from the entrance of the castle. James wasn't quite sure what he would do when he saw Snape. All he knew was that he would do whatever it took to keep Snape from finding Remus. He was unsure as to why he wanted to save Snivellus. There were actually many reasons he could think of but none that really stood out. Well, except for one.

Lily.

Lily cared about Severus despite his calling her a 'mudblood.' She would be heartbroken if something happened to Snape. It was also for Remus. His long suffering friend who would no doubt, punish himself for the rest of his life if his werewolf side injured someone. Then, of course, James didn't want Snape to die or become infected. As much as he disliked Severus, he most certainly didn't want him dead; and not saving him when he had an opportunity was just as bad as killing him.

Snape's POV

Severus started for the entrance hall's large double doors that would lead to the grounds. He hesitated on opening the door and decided to peer out the window just too make sure no teacher or prefect was patrolling the grounds.

He squinted through the fogged up glass, wiping some of it away with the sleeve of his robe. Nobody there. Nobody but James Potter.

A sneer crept onto Snape's lips. James could be doing one of three things:

He could be guarding whatever secret Sirius had been hinting at.

He could be preparing to play another one of his atrocious pranks on Snape and this whole thing had merely been bate to get jhim to come to the lion's den.

Or worse...

Potter could be waiting to see Lily in private.

They'd just started dating not a month ago, and though Severus and Lily seldom talked as of late, the thought of her hanging around with James instead of himself filled Severus with hatred. Perhaps, Sirius had informed Snape of this simply because he wanted him to see James and Lily together, to further enforce the point that she was now taken.

Whatever the reason for Potter's presence, Severus knew he had to be there. To either find out whatever those self-proclaimed 'Marauders' were up to or see exactly how serious James and Lily had become. So he set off for the passage that not even James, Sirius, Remus and Peter knew about. A portkey disguised as a Quaffle in the dungeons that led to the middle of the Forbidden Forest. Strictly used by fifth through seventh year Slytherins who needed to succumb to inner darkness, hold meetings where no one could hear or even get a bit pissed.

The walk would be long but Severus would be able to slip just behind James to where, if he was quick enough, he could touch the knot on the tree and perhaps discover their secret before he would be stopped.

Arriving in the middle of the Forbidden Forest held no fear for Severus. It was dark and a sanctum of solitude. A place he had recently come to appreciate. The walk, though quiet, was long, due to distance and the constant pounding of his heart. Finally he reached a tree just at the edge of the forest. Peeking around the side, he caught sight of the back of James who continued to sit on the hill, elbows on his knees and eyes on the castle.

Snape bent down and picked up a long stick then darted out of the tree line towards the Willow.

James' head whipped around at the sound of crunching grass and the shuttering noises of the Willow's branches.

"SNAPE!" James bellowed, jumping to his feet.

Frantically, Severus poked at the base of the tree trying to hit the knot. A loud groan sounded above him. He looked up to see one of the Whomping Willow's branches rearing backwards.

James ran forward as fast as his feet would take him and tackled Snape out of the way. The fist of the Willow landed beside them, creating a crater in the moonlit grass.

Another loud groan.

Yet again, a branch was falling towards them. Snape's eyes widened in fear. With a grunt James rolled them out of the Whomping Willow's reach.

"Geroff' me, Potter!" Snape hissed from beneath James.

James had Severus' frail body pinned to the earth as he struggled to get up.

"No, Sev! I won't let you go down there!"

"Down where?" growled Snape.

James sighed, half irritated half enraged.

"If you find that knot and poke it, which I doubt you will be able to do before the Willow crushes you, you'll enter a passage that leads to the Shrieking Shack."

With a fierce grunt, Snape shoved James off of him angrily and slowly approached the tree.

"Snape, if you go in there you will die!" roared James.

"Why? What are you hiding?" called Snape.

As if on cue, a scream came from within the Willow's passage. Multiple screams shortly followed by the howl of a wolf.

Snape slowly looked at James.

"Which one of your friends was that? Which one is the werewolf?" Snape asked in a low voice.

James stood frozen, chest heaving as he struggled to draw in normal breathes. He stared at Snape with his brows furrowed in fury.

"Which one?" Snape yelled.

There was a whooshing noise. James and Severus looked up to see one of the Willow's longer, thinner branches swinging towards Snape. James leapt forward, pulling Snape out of the way and taking a large blow to the arm. He screamed in agony as a bone cracked and fell to the ground. Hearing another groan from the tree, James scrambled to his feet, snatched the awestruck Severus by the collar and threw them both out of the way. Snape landed on the ground with a thud and James stood above him, continuing to pant. One of the lenses of his new glasses splintered by the twigs of the Willow and various scratches etched about his face. Snape looked very much the same, except instead of wary, Snape looked shocked.

"James, I've locked him in a room until we can go back. I just wanted to see if..." Sirius trailed off as he exited the Willow and jogged to James' side.

James looked at Sirius who glared at the way he was holding his arm. Snape stood.

"It's Remus..." Snape breathed.

James and Sirius looked at each other warily then turned to Snape. Sirius barked a laugh and walked towards Severus applauding sarcastically.

"Bravo, Snape! Bravo! You've cracked the case, you brilliant sod!" Sirius snapped.

Snape fumed before Sirius, while James watched, dumbstruck.

"Now, be on your merry way and keep your bloody mouth shut," snarled Sirius.

Snape's fist reared back and hit Sirius on his temple. Sirius lunged at him, knocking him to the ground.

"You twat!"

"Go to hell, Black! This is on you!" Severus called throwing him off.

"Stop! Stop it!" James pleaded.

"ENOUGH!"

The boys all looked to the far end of the hill to see Dumbledore striding towards them.

"Professor! That-that...Lupin is a werewolf and James, Sirius and Peter are covering for him!" Snape barked pointing to the tree.

Dumbledore looked at Snape with cool eyes, causing him to shiver slightly. Severus lowered his hand and glanced at James, a look of triumph in his dark eyes. James shook his head.

"You slimy git! I-"

"That's enough, Sirius," Dumbledore interrupted.

Sirius sneered and folded his arms angrily. His heart thrummed outside his chest frantically. What would Dumbledore do when he learned this was all Sirius' idea? Expel him like he had Bellatrix? He didn't want to become another evil Black and expulsion seemed like a nail in the coffin in the scheme of this.

Dumbledore placed a hand on Severus' shoulder.

"I know what he is, Severus. I've known all along."

Snape's eyed widened as they flickered from Dumbledore to a discouraged James to a smug Sirius then back to Dumbledore.

"Y-you've know all along that Lupin is a werewolf?" gawked Snape.

Dumbledore nodded slowly.

"I personally invited him to attend Hogwarts, actually. I formed the plan to have him come here and on full moons enter through the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack. James, Sirius and Peter are permitted to guide him here and Madame Pomfrey retrieves him in the morning."

And then, Severus fainted.

Present

Remus stared at Snape, mouth agape as he finished the story.

"So there you have it," finished Snape.

Lupin swallowed and averted his eyes from Severus.

"Are you...are you gonna tell anyone?" Remus asked, feebly.

Severus sighed and rolled his eyes.

"No. Dumbledore has sworn me to secrecy anyway. Besides, who would believe me? Who would believe me when I said that perfect, clever, prefect Remus Lupin was actually a werewolf?" scoffed Snape.

Remus shrugged and crossed his arms.

"I dunno," he mused.

Severus sighed again and hung his head.

"Though I s'pose it was quite obvious after I thought about it..."

Remus' breath caught in his chest and his brows furrowed. The wolf in him growling at Snape's glaringly vindictive attitude.

"Oh, was it?" snapped Remus.

"Yes. The days you disappeared. The exhaustion and irritability expressed the mere night before. Madame Pomfrey, Dumbledore and McGonagall constantly talking to you in private and the scars, of course."

Subconsciously, Remus touched one of the scars on his face and grimaced. He always knew they would identify him to someone someday. A wave of anguish hit him. Part of Remus wanted to scream. Another part wanted to cry. Another was furious. Now five students knew. Five too many.

"Fretting, are we?"

"Don't taunt me right now, Snape," snapped Remus.

Severus swallowed, trying to hide his fear. Though Remus had never been a particularly violent individual, Snape understood these circumstances were different. Not only had Remus' biggest secret been exposed to one of the people who despised him most, but the furious beast from just hours ago still lurked just beneath the surface of his benevolent exterior. Snape cleared his throat, a small bit of guilt forming in the pit of his stomach. Remus, though not ever have done him any favors, had never harmed him either. So why was he being so cruel to Lupin? Simply because he associated with Potter and Black? Simply because it would anger those two that he was tormenting their friend.

Lily quite liked Remus. She'd bragged on him many times. Snape knew that if she found out how rude he was being to Lupin then any chance of rekindling their friendship would be lost. Then again, did Lily know this secret? If she didn't, would she still defend and like Remus as much as she did?

"Does...does Lily know?" Snape muttered.

Remus nodded, staring blankly at the cots on the other side of the room. He gnawed his lower lip anxiously.

"How long?"

"About a month," shrugged Remus.

"Well? How does she feel about it?"

Remus let out a soft laugh, still gazing straight ahead.

"She doesn't care. No one who knows cares," he replied. "Except you, apparently."

Snape pursed his lips and looked away from Remus. Once more, he felt guilty for shaming the very kind Remus Lupin. The young man who had, once or twice, prevented James and Sirius from bullying him. Possibly risking his friendship with them. Inhaling, Snape finally responded.

"I don't...I don't really care either, you know," grumbled Snape.

Now Remus looked to Snape, a brow raised.

"No?"

"No."

Remus smirked slightly.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes, I'm certain," snapped Severus.

Remus bit back a quiet snicker at Snape's indignant attitude.

"Am I too presumptuous when I assume you won't be breaking your promise to Dumbledore not to inform the entire school of my...particular ailment?" Remus questioned.

Severus pretended to toss around the idea, though it was apparent to Remus he was merely struggling to be civil to him.

"You are not being too presumptuous, no."

Snape met Remus' gaze, feigned anger in his eyes. Remus grinned, just barely. His tired eyes lighting up a bit.

"Thank you, Sev-"

"We aren't friends, Lupin," interrupted Snape.

Remus shook his head, chuckling slightly.

"Of course not."

Snape nodded promptly and settled back into his bed.

"Go to bed, werewolf," he spat.

Somewhat relieved, Remus laid back against his cot and closed his eyes. He didn't exactly fall into a dreamless sleep, however there were no nightmares.

Hillstar- I read both Snowflakes and part of Nothing is Scarier. Your tone is very measured and concise. I love that in an author. Also, your portrayal of Remus is spot on. People forget that he wasn't just a brainy friend, but also a Marauder. In addition, I really admire your ability to build the character of Narcissa. We don't see too much of her in the books but you seem to have captured her essence quite well. Honestly, I'm a huge fan of Origin stories in the HP universe and I think your writing is a great contribution to them.

R&R!

VOTE FOR LESLIE KNOPE-2016

Remember Alan Rickman

-OceanEyedRedhead