Author's Note: I think the title says it all for this chapter. This is the longest one so far and, for obvious reasons, this chapter continues to focus on James. I really enjoyed writing this one and I hope you enjoy reading it just as much.
Chapter Nine – Saving Severus Snape
Things between James and Lily seemed to improve a bit after their conversation Thursday morning, which made him much happier. Between the fact that she had stopped glaring at him and that the next night was a full moon, James was in much better spirits than he had been all week. However, he could not say the same thing about Remus, who was, predictably, in a foul mood about his impending transformation.
"Look on the bright side, it's not as bad as it was before we could join you," Peter said quietly, trying to cheer up Remus during dinner.
"Do you mean that now I no longer attack myself and that I get to attack you three? Is that supposed to be a bright side?" Remus asked, stabbing a potato violently.
The other three exchanged a look. Every few months Remus would get into a mood about his condition and what he had to go through. Last month hadn't been so bad, because the other three Marauders had promised him that they had a lot of things they could check out in their first month back at school. It looked like the excitement of their potential adventures had worn off and that Remus was focusing more on his transformation than anything.
"Cheer up mate," James said. "We'll figure out something to do tomorrow. There's loads more we can do on nights your, er, affliction is giving you troubles."
"It better be good," Remus said, "if it's supposed to make up for my furry little problem."
"Look who you're talking to," Sirius said, grinning. "We're experts at having fun and bending the rules a little."
Remus seemed to perk up a bit, and the boys returned to talking about Peter's latest crush and how he should go about winning her over. Remus spent the rest of the day in better spirits; his mood only returned to rock bottom after dinner the next day, when he went to the Hospital Wing to see Madam Pomfrey.
The three remaining Marauders returned to the common room, where they sat around in the corner, trying to pass the time until nightfall, when they would slip out of Gryffindor Tower under the cover of James's invisibility cloak.
James sat in one of the armchairs, his legs dangling over the armrest, as he watched Sirius and Peter play a game of Exploding Snap. He had already beat them both and was supposed to play the winner in the final round, but he found himself zoning out. He would occasionally look around the room for Lily, but she and her friends didn't return after dinner and he wondered if the three girls were spending the evening with Pippa, Liv, and Naomi. He turned his attention back towards his friends just in time to see the card on top of Sirius's pile explode in his face.
"What do you think we should do to cheer Moony up tonight?" James asked as Peter flipped up a card. "He is going to be pissed if you promised him something good and we don't do anything new."
A wide grin came over Sirius's face. "As a matter of fact we do have a plan," he said, flipping up a card of his own. "Pete came up with it and I have to say, it's bloody brilliant."
"Excellent," James said as he began to grin as well. "Care to inform me about what this plan is, exactly?"
Sirius and Peter looked at each other for a moment, before shaking their heads in unison. "It will be funnier if you find out after it happens," Peter said, before yelling "Snap."
"What do you mean, 'after it happens'?" James asked, as half of the cards in Sirius's face-down pile exploded at once.
"Fuck!" Sirius yelled, causing the girls sitting at the table behind him to jump. He and Peter continued to play quickly, ignoring James. Within a few moments Sirius was out of cards. "I lose."
"Looks like I'm playing you, Prongs," Peter said, smiling as he began to shuffle the deck of cards in preparation for the finals.
James got out of the armchair and switched places with Sirius. "Neither of you answered my question," he said, looking between Sirius and Peter, who was now dealing.
"Well, you're not really needed for the plan," Peter said as he began to organize his cards into a neat stack on the table in front of him.
"Why not? If I'm supposed to help keep him in check, I need to know what the plan is."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "I've already taken care of it, don't get your knickers in a twist."
"Will you just tell me?" James asked angrily. He was quickly taking all of Peter's cards and it was looking as though he was going to win. Peter was starting to get flustered, most likely from the combination of the pressure of the game and from James's incessant questioning, but Sirius seemed unfazed.
"If I tell you will you promise to shut up and not meddle?" Sirius asked, sitting up properly in his chair and placing his feet on the floor.
James furrowed his eyebrows. He had never been one to meddle in Sirius's plans, even the more outlandish ones that were bound to cause trouble. "Sure," he said, trying to keep an eye on the game while paying attention to his best friend.
Sirius opened his mouth to speak, when James was distracted by the group of giggling girls who had just come through the portrait hole. Sirius turned around to see what had captured James's attention and rolled his eyes. "Prongs, if I'm going to tell you what's going on you better be paying attention and not drooling over Lily."
"I'm not drooling," James snapped.
"Yeah, yeah, if you say so," Sirius said. "Anyway, Pete thought of a way we could – how should I put this – put an end to Snivelly's curiosity."
"What are you talking about?" James asked, flipping up a card and yelling, "Snap!" only seconds before the card Peter was reaching for exploded.
"Care to explain, Pete?"
Peter nodded. He brushed some of his blond hair off of his forehead before speaking. "I'm sure you've noticed that Snape has developed a rather obsessive fixation about the nature of Remus's… condition."
James nodded. Even though they had assured Remus that they were certain Snape hadn't figured out what was wrong with him, all four of them knew that he had. They had debated what the best way of making him shut up was, but they could never agree. Remus had refused to allow his friends to pre-emptively attack Snape before he could blab, since it would suggest that Snape was right, but Sirius had never really given up on the idea. "What do you think we should do about it?"
Peter and Sirius looked at each other and grinned. "Well, I talked to old Snivellus earlier –"
"You didn't," James said, narrowing his eyes at his best friend.
"No, no, no," Sirius said quickly, shaking his head. "I wouldn't tell him. But I might have suggested that he would find it worth his while to prod the knot on the trunk of the Whomping Willow tonight and head down the tunnel."
"WHAT?" James stood up quickly, bumping his knees against the table that the cards were resting on rather hard. He barely noticed the pain in his knees or the fact that several of the cards exploded at that very moment. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?"
Most of the students in the common room were looking at him now, several of them with concerned expressions, but James didn't care. Sirius was looking at him carefully, as though trying to figure out what he could say that would calm him down, but James didn't give him a chance to speak. He felt around in the pocket of his trousers, making sure that his wand was still there, before making a mad dash to the portrait hole. He didn't bother to grab his cloak or to excuse himself from the people that were in his way, the possibilities of what would happen if he got to the Whomping Willow were too horrible to take the time. He was nearly out of the common room when somebody stepped in front of him.
"I thought you said you weren't going to be out of bed after hours anymore," Lily said, looking up at him.
Under any other circumstances, he would have been thrilled that she had grabbed a hold of his arm, even if it was only to keep him in place, but now all he could think of was that he needed to get away from her quickly. "I wish I could explain Lily, I really do, but I need to go."
"This isn't proving to me that you've matured," she said, through gritted teeth.
Her words stung. How could she say that, when he was doing all of this to protect Remus and save Snape, of all people? She was going to be so angry at him, but he would have to deal with that later. Remus would never be able to live with himself if Sirius and Peter's plan worked. "If you knew what I was doing, you wouldn't say that," he said, using his free hand to loosen her grip. "I need to go now Lily."
"I… I'm going to give you detention for this Potter!"
His chest tightened; she was back to using his surname now. "I've had plenty, I can deal with another," he said, looking at her over his shoulder. "Sorry, I have to do this."
Under other circumstances, he would have felt horrible for making Lily look hurt. He would have to apologize tomorrow, there wasn't time now. James reached the portrait hole and pushed it open, ignoring the Fat Lady's protests as he ran down the corridor to the staircase.
James's feet pounded on the stairs as he went down, staircase after staircase, until he finally reached the ground floor. He had run past Filch's cat somewhere around the third floor, but he had hardly taken notice of her meowing before he was past her and onto the next flight of stairs. By now his legs were protesting, but he didn't take the time to rest before continuing. Instead, he forced the heavy main doors open and made his way onto the grounds.
The night air made him cold as the wind blew against his sweaty shirt. He looked up at moon that he knew was full as it was making its way out from behind a fluffy grey cloud. James had a sharp intake of breath; he knew it could not be long before Remus began his painful transformation from man to werewolf. He tried to pick up the pace even more as he sprinted across the grounds towards the Whomping Willow.
As the menacing tree came into view, James was able to make out a figure standing near the base of the tree and he swore under his breath. As Snape disappeared behind the frozen tree, James uttered a string of curses that would make even Sirius blush. If only Sirius and Peter had told him their plans minutes earlier, he could have caught Snape before he went into the tunnel. Within seconds he was at the base of the tree. As the willow began to groan and become mobilized once more above him, James slipped under the tree and into the tunnel that would bring him to the Shrieking Shack.
He tried to move as quickly as possible through the tunnel, knowing that it was essential he stop Snape before he could see Remus. Keeping himself hunched over to avoid smacking his head on the low ceilings, he forced himself onwards as quickly as he dared. The stich in his side was killing him, but he didn't dare slow down until the tunnel was coming to an end.
A sneeze ahead of him let him know that he had nearly caught up to Snape and he set off once more. He rounded yet another curve in the tunnel, and he could see light coming from Snape's wand tip. He stood up straighter so he could move more quickly, but he smacked his head on the roof above him. "Damn it!" he yelped, rubbing the back of his head.
Not much farther down the tunnel, Snape turned and looked at him. "What are you doing here?"
"I came… to save you…" James panted. He tried to get closer to Snape, but the Slytherin took a few steps backwards.
"Black didn't tell you about his little plan, did he?" Snape sneered.
"You don't understand, we need to get out of here." James could hear the howl of a werewolf much too close for comfort. "Come on."
He moved to the side of the tunnel so Snape could pass him, but the other boy turned on his heel and began sprinting towards the Shrieking Shack. James swore once more and began to chase Snape, catching up with him as they neared the entrance to the Shack. Snape was just pushing it open when James grabbed him by the back of the shirt and shoved him against the far wall of the tunnel.
"What the fuck are you thinking?" he asked after he had locked the door in an attempt to keep Remus from reaching them.
Snape didn't seem to know. His dark eyes were wide, with fear or shock James didn't know but he was not going to take the time to find out. "Come on, we need to get out of here in case he makes it out into the tunnel."
He had hardly finished speaking before Snape had pushed past him. It was probably the first time that he had ever done what James had suggested, and the thought made him laugh darkly. Everything was messed up tonight. Snape knew Remus's secret, and they were going to have no choice but to trust him to keep his mouth shut. He had done something he knew would anger Lily the day after he promised her he would prove how mature he had become, without regret. Sirius and Peter were using Remus's condition to their advantage, not thinking about how their decision could haunt Remus forever.
James and Snape didn't speak as they made their way back through the tunnel and towards the castle. James was listening intently for a sign that Remus had escaped from the Shrieking Shack, but the night was oddly silent. It was only when they neared the end of the tunnel that the sounds of the Whomping Willow thrashing about in the night mixed in with their panting and the crunching of rocks, roots, and dirt.
Snape stuck his head out of the ground by the base of the tree and shouted, "Immobulus!" James rolled his eyes as the Slytherin quickly descended back into the tunnel, having angered the tree above. Students had tried the spell for years when they had their competitions about who could get closest to the trunk and dozens of them had tried to use that very spell without luck. "How are we supposed to get past the damn tree?"
James didn't answer Snape. He had never had to freeze the tree on his own, he and Sirius had always made Peter use his small animagus form to his advantage and press the knot for them. Pressing the knot from this angle would be nearly impossible without a stick, which there were none of. James looked at his feet and ran his hand through his hair. "Think, James, think," he muttered to himself, looking around the bare tunnel. It was when he glanced at the floor that he had a stroke of brilliance.
He bent down and loosened a rock from the packed dirt around it. He tossed it from one hand to the other and decided that it would do, given the circumstances. With a shove he told told Snape, "Move out of the way." The other boy did and James stuck his head out into the night air. He pulled himself out of the tunnel up to his waist, contorting his body so he could get the best view of the knot in the trunk while remaining as far out of the range of the tree's thrashing branches as possible. He ignored the feeling of a twig falling onto his face and cutting his cheek as he tossed the rock at the knot.
James had never been as thankful that he was Gryffindor's best Chaser as he was at the moment the Whomping Willow froze. He barely took the time to tell Snape to get a move on as he pulled himself entirely out of the hidden tunnel and began his dash across the lawn. It was only when he was well out of the Willow's range that he stopped to look over his shoulder, to make sure that Snape had gotten out as well. Thankfully, he was running up the grounds as well, though several yards behind James.
He slowed down as he neared the castle, panting slightly. His shirt was clinging to his body, drenched in the sweat caused by both his nerves and his continuous dash from the castle to the Shrieking Shack and back again. He ran his hand through his hair quickly and his touch revealed that it was immensely dishevelled. James could hear his heartbeat in his pounding ears, which helped mask the sound of Snape's footsteps on the grass behind him. James wasn't aware of how close Snape was until he felt a hex hit him in the back.
"What the fuck?" James snarled, turning around. "I just saved your life, you think you would be more grateful about it."
Snape glared at him. "Got cold feet more like it." James was about to retort when Snape said, "I'm taking you to Dumbledore's office. He can decide how to deal with you and your friends."
James's stomach sank and he suddenly felt very nauseous. He had been so preoccupied with getting Snape out of harm's way for Remus's sake that he hadn't had time to think about what would happen after they were away from the Shrieking Shack. Dumbledore wasn't going to believe that he had nothing to do with Sirius and Peter's plan. He would be lucky if he was still a student at Hogwarts by the end of the night.
He followed after Snape silently. He had managed to wiggle his way out of trouble before, but he had never had to deal with anything this severe. Sirius could have killed Snape. That thought was still sinking in when he found himself in front of the statue that lead up to Dumbledore's quarters, barely aware of how he had arrived there.
He was just about to ask Snape if he knew the password when the statue began to move of its own accord. Snape gave him a shove towards the stairs and, not in any position to retaliate, James stood quietly as Snape followed him onto the staircase. All too soon, he was being let into Dumbledore's office and led to one of the chairs in front of the Headmaster's desk. Snape was sitting beside him, arms crossed and a scowl on his face, as he waited for Dumbledore to address them.
The Headmaster had been waiting at his desk for them when they had arrived. James had no idea how Dumbledore seemed to be aware of their impending arrival, but he was grateful that he wouldn't have to wake the Headmaster up to tell him the story of the day's events. Dumbledore was staring at the two boys intently through his half-moon glasses, which was making James uncomfortable. The three wizards sat in silence for a few minutes before Dumbledore asked, "Which one of you is going to tell me what happened?"
James slumped lower in his chair. He hardly knew what had happened himself, which meant he had to let Snape tell the story and hope it wouldn't sound as horrible to Dumbledore as it had to him when his friends had told him about their plot.
Snape sat up straighter in his chair and James forced himself not to roll his eyes, "I was making my way to dinner, minding my own business, when Black walked up to me and said he knew how I could make it past the Whomping Willow."
"I take it you're talking about Sirius Black," Dumbledore said, pressing the tips of his fingers together.
Snape nodded. "He told me that if I could find a long enough stick that I could press a knot on the tree's trunk to get it to freeze."
"And, naturally, you did as Mr Black said." Dumbledore didn't sound nearly as enraged as James had expected him to.
"Yes, I did."
Dumbledore leaned forward in his chair. "Severus, what did you see?"
James fought back the urge to speak. Thus far he had been essentially ignored and he didn't want to call any unnecessary attention to himself. Instead, he also stared at Snape. He was silently begging Snape to say that he hadn't seen anything at the end of the tunnel, but he doubted he would be that lucky.
As he expected, 'nothing' was not the word that came out of Snape's mouth. In an oddly calm voice, Snape said, "A werewolf." He was so calm that James doubted that the sight of a werewolf had come as a surprise to him at all.
As the gravity of what he had just heard sunk in, James placed his head in his hands. If Snape wanted to ruin Remus's life, he had all of the ammunition that he needed. This was the only thought that James could process for several moments. He wished that he had arrived at the Whomping Willow a few minutes earlier. Or, better yet, he wished that Peter and Sirius hadn't been so reckless. The time it took for Dumbledore to reply seemed to take forever. James only lifted his head from his hands he heard the headmaster address him directly.
"And how do you fit into this story, James?" Dumbledore asked. He was now resting his chin on his fingertips. James found it difficult to continue looking into the light blue eyes that always seemed to know too much.
"I chased him down the tunnel trying to stop him," James mumbled. "Clearly, I was too late."
Dumbledore gazed between the two boys in front of him before pulling out a bottle of ink and beginning to write a short message. He then pushed his chair out and walked, robes billowing, to where Fawkes had been sleeping on his perch. "There is no time to waste. Bring this to Misters Black and Pettigrew. I believe you will find them in Gryffindor Tower."
Dumbledore walked back to his desk as his phoenix flew out the window. "I hate to make Fawkes deliver my mail, but there is no time to get an owl. The matter at hand must be dealt with immediately."
James shifted his weight in his seat uncomfortably. So this was it, this is when he was going to find out if he was going to be dragged down because of Sirius's crime. Guilty by association, or what have you. He supposed that was the cost of having one of the most reckless people in the school for a best friend but Merlin, his parents were going to kill him if he got expelled.
Sirius and Peter finally arrived, both much too slowly and too quickly, dragging their feet as they entered Dumbledore's office. Both of them looked nervous, but James felt no sympathy for them. They had chosen to do this, whereas he had been trying to clean up the mess they made.
"Sit," Dumbledore instructed, gesturing to the wooden chairs he had just conjured. Sirius and Peter obeyed without saying a word, which was rare. "Severus has just been telling me about the life threatening situation he found himself in tonight. Now, Mr Black, would you care to explain to me why you would tell somebody how to enter the Shrieking Shack?"
James glanced at his best friend and he could practically see the tension radiating from Sirius. "Well sir, Pete had mentioned something the other day and it got me thinking. Snape always seems to be so curious about where Remus goes every month, so I thought I'd let him see what happens for himself."
Dumbledore started to comment, but James cut him off. "How COULD you two be such idiots? You nearly killed him," he pointed at Snape, "without thinking about what that would do to Remus."
"James, we –" Peter began timidly.
"Didn't think? Don't care? Tell me, what exactly did you two do?" He had balled his hands into such tight fists that his nails were starting to break the skin.
"Please calm down Mr Potter."
The calm voice of Albus Dumbledore made James focus. He ran his hand through his hair and clenched his teeth. He had to try to remain calm, he was in enough trouble as it was without hexing his friends in front of the headmaster. "I'm sorry, sir," James mumbled, keeping his eyes off of his friends.
"Mr Pettigrew, could you please clarify for me what your role in this fiasco was?" Dumbledore asked, enraging James with how calm he was. If he would yell at Sirius and Peter, it would make James feel so much better. They definitely deserved it.
Peter made a panicked noise and James tried to fight back a smirk. Good, let him freak out a bit. "I might have mentioned something to Sirius about showing Snape the Whomping Willow," he squeaked. "But I didn't actually mean it. I don't want anybody dead."
By this time James was nearly begging Dumbledore to scream, but when he spoke, it was as calm as ever. "Did James have anything to do with your plans?"
"No," Sirius said forcefully. "He didn't have anything to do with it sir, I swear to God. In fact, when we told him what I had told Snape to do he ran out of the common room, getting a detention in the process, I might add, to try to stop Snape."
James was relieved that Sirius wasn't going to bring him down with him and Peter. When Dumbledore looked at him again, his gaze was much less harsh than it was before. "Who gave you the detention?"
"Lily," James said, sitting up straighter in his chair.
"I will talk to her tomorrow and tell her that you do not have to serve the detention she gave you." He must have recognized the look of alarm on James's face, because he quickly added, "I will, naturally, keep the events that transpired tonight a secret."
Dumbledore turned to face Snape, who had been quiet ever since Sirius and Peter had arrived. James had the feeling that he had been gloating internally the entire time. "Severus, you must also promise to not tell anybody about anything that you witnessed tonight, nor may you tell them about the secret entrance to the Shrieking Shack that lies under the Whomping Willow."
"But sir, Lupin is a danger to the rest of us. He should be –"
They never did get to hear exactly what Remus should be, because Dumbledore raised a hand to silence Snape. "Remus Lupin is no more a danger to the students of this school than I am," he said, his voice calm but forceful. "You will keep his secret, or you will face very severe consequences. Do you understand, Severus?"
A sour look crossed Snape's face, but he agreed. "Yes, sir. I promise not to tell anybody."
"That is a wise decision," Dumbledore said, before turning back to the Gryffindor boys. "You must realize that you will be facing punishment that is fitting of your acts."
James felt like he was going to vomit. Surely, they were going to be expelled. Perhaps he and Peter would get off easier, but he didn't see how Dumbledore could not expel Sirius after what he did. He could have killed another student, for Merlin's sake.
"Mr Black, I will be taking one hundred points from Gryffindor for what you have done. You will be serving detention nightly for a month, with the exception of Sundays, and you are forbidden from going on this month's Hogsmeade trip. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes, sir," Sirius said, more quietly and meekly than James had ever heard him before. "I understand."
Dumbledore gave a slight nod and turned to Peter. "I will be taking thirty points off of Gryffindor for your suggestion of the misuse of the Whomping Willow and the mistreatment of two fellow students, Mr Pettigrew. You will be serving detention every night for the next two weeks and you are also forbidden from going on the next Hogsmeade trip."
"Yes, sir," Peter said, even more quietly than Sirius.
James's head was reeling when Dumbledore turned to him. They had just lost one hundred and thirty points in a matter of minutes. They had lost and gained many points in the past, but they had never put their house down this much so quickly. They had lost fifty points once or twice after a couple of particularly nasty pranks, but never more than that. The rest of the house was going to be furious with them in the morning.
"As for you," Dumbledore said, "I will talk to Miss Evans about eliminating your detention and I award you fifty points."
James wasn't sure if he heard that right. "Pardon?"
"You are very deserving of the points, Mr Potter," Dumbledore said. "You showed great courage tonight, putting your life at risk for another student."
"I… thank you, sir." He was nearly speechless. He had spent the past half hour worrying about whether or not he was going to be expelled, but instead he was being rewarded for his actions. Even Sirius and Peter weren't going to be expelled, which he was extremely surprised about. Forget expulsion, Sirius should probably have been glad that he wasn't facing time in Azkaban for causing the death of another student.
James was still in shock after Dumbledore dismissed them. He ignored the incessant chatter of Sirius and Peter behind him, not caring what they had to say about their punishments or why they did what they did. The first time he spoke to them was after they had made it into the Gryffindor common room, which was mostly empty.
"Thank God Dumbledore didn't expel me, isn't it mate? Where would I go?" Sirius asked. He was annoyingly upbeat about everything, he even had an obnoxious smile on his face.
James ignored the questions that he could hear Lily and her friends asking about where they had been; he was not in the mood to deal with people. Instead, he told Sirius to fuck off before punching him in the face. Ignoring Sirius's angry protesting and the shrieks from some of the people who had not yet made their way up to bed, James turned on his heel and walked towards his dormitory. Alone.