Chapter 26: Beings and Beasts

A brilliant flash of purple light shot across the forest towards James before he was ready for it, before he had even realized that his Stunner had missed. He would have been struck, had Sirius not reached out at the last instant to haul him aside. Heart pounding, James shook his head to clear it and directed his wand toward Greyback. Focus, he commanded himself. You can't afford to lose.

Some small part of himself remembered that he didn't have any experience dueling, not really, not against adults, except for one disastrous fight a year previously, which James had only won by blind luck and pure, Gryffindor stubbornness. And in any case, he suspected Greyback would be a more dangerous opponent than del Bene. Especially with the full moon about to rise.

But he had to win, and not just so that he didn't die. If James and Sirius and Peter lost, then who would save Remus?

The thought of Remus joining some wild pack of werewolves, becoming anything like Greyback, made James' stomach turn. Gritting his teeth, he brandished his wand. "Stupefy!"

With a careless gesture, Greyback sent the Stunner sailing harmlessly into the trees.

"Impedimenta!" Sirius tried.

Greyback grinned and raised a shield. "Pathetic."

James bristled. "You think so? Incarcerous!"

"Truly pathetic." Batting the writhing ropes aside, Greyback advanced toward James and Sirius, who wavered and fell back a step before regaining their nerve. "It almost isn't worth killing you."

"Conjuncto!" Sirius cried.

Again, Greyback blocked the spell. "If I wanted to, I could simply take Remus and leave."

"Like hell you could!" Sirius roared.

"Petrificus Totalus!" James said.

Greyback sidestepped, grinned, and pointed his wand at Peter, who stood behind and to the right of his friends, trembling, his wand lighting up the forest. A flash of red light lashed out at Peter, who dove aside.

The forest plunged into darkness.

James and Sirius shot spells blindly into the darkness, where they could hear a scuffle and soft cries of fear.

"Remus!" James hollered. He turned toward the empty forest to his left. "Incendio." The leaf litter caught fire at once, red flames blazing to life and casting flickering light on the tree trunks. He heard a sizzle and a cry of "Protego!" and whirled as a translucent shield, glimmering orange in the firelight, sprang up around him. Yellow sparks rained down where a spell had hit.

James shot Sirius a shaky grin. "Thanks, mate."

"Any time."

Greyback paced before them, eyes glowing with a strange hunger as he watched the boys. Remus, robes rumpled and torn from his scuffle with Greyback, had put some distance between himself and Greyback and now stood clutching a tree trunk with white fingers.

Peter edged toward Remus.

"Incendio," Greyback said, eyes never leaving James and Sirius. A ring of flames sprang up around Remus, trapping him against the tree and cutting him off from his friends.

Peter stumbled back even as James and Sirius whirled with twin cries of, "Aguamenti!" and began to douse the flames.

But Greyback paid them no mind. Snarling, he sprang toward Peter. Already off-balance after his hasty retreat from the flames and panicking at the sight of the large, wild man barreling toward him, Peter scrambled back farther yet, only to trip and land on his rump in the leaves.

"PETER!" Remus cried, lurching away from the tree to which he'd been clinging. But the fire still raged around him, holding him in place. Sirius redoubled his efforts to douse it, while James turned to help Peter.

But with Greyback nearly on top of Peter, James realized that any spell he used was as likely to hit Peter as Greyback, so he stood there helplessly, watching as the distance between Greyback and Peter shrank to nothing. At the last second, Peter remembered his wand.

"Tarantallegra!"

This time, Greyback had no chance to block or dodge the spell, which exploded in his face like a firework. His legs jerked underneath him as he ran, sending him tumbling ungracefully into Peter. They crashed to the ground, Greyback atop Peter, and for one terrifying moment, James thought Greyback would tear Peter apart with his bare hands. But the werewolf was too busy undoing the jinx to pay the boy any mind, and in an instant, Peter had wriggled free and leaped to his feet.

"Alright, Pete?" James asked, rushing to his side as Greyback regained his footing.

Peter nodded, shakily pointing his wand at Greyback, who drew back several paces to watch. Frightening, unreadable expressions flitted across his face every so often, and his eyes burned all the while, oddly bright in the dying firelight. James could hear sizzling and the patter of water on leaves as Sirius continued to combat Greyback's flames.

"You should go," Remus muttered when it became apparent that Greyback wasn't going to attack immediately.

"Not without you," Sirius said.

There was a pause before Remus responded. "I don't—"

"We can argue later, Remus," said James, glaring at Greyback. "We aren't letting him take you."

Greyback bared his teeth. "Touching," he said, returning James' glare, though his eyes darted once, briefly, to where Remus stood. "And yet so cruel. Just like the rest of your kind."

"My kind?" James asked.

"Wizards," said Greyback. "Humans."

Sirius snorted. "And what are you, a kneazle?"

"I'm a werewolf, boy, or did you not hear that?"

"No, I know. Only I missed the part where you have to stop being human when you become a werewolf."

"Look at Remus," James added. "You can't tell me he's some sort of monster."

"James…" Remus' voice was small and guarded, and James risked a glance over his shoulder. Sirius had by this time smothered most of the fire, and only a few stubborn flames remained. But Remus still stood within the charred circle, stiff as a wand, his face impassive. Only his eyes showed his uncertainty – or perhaps that was a trick of the light.

James smiled. "I mean it, Remus. We don't—"

"Liar."

All four boys turned to Greyback, whose face was twisted with rage. He had dropped into a crouch, toying with Remus' wand as though itching to fire off some nasty curse to finish them all off. As his lips curled back in a snarl, Greyback's crooked, yellow teeth were exposed. Now more than ever, James could see a resemblance to the wolf inside him.

"Who are you calling a liar?" Sirius demanded. "You're the one telling Remus we hate him!"

Growling, Greyback whipped his wand horizontally. An invisible force lifted James off his feet and flung him, tumbling, backwards, until he hit a tree hard enough to cloud his vision. When it cleared, he was twenty feet from where he'd stood a moment before. He spotted Peter to his right and heard Sirius some way behind them. Remus alone had not been thrown by Greyback's spell. He stood rooted in place, staring at his friends in horror.

"No!"

Remus took a step towards his friends, but Greyback seized him by the arm and spun him around.

"Forget them!" Greyback snapped.

"But—"

"You think they care about you? You think they like you?"

"Of course we do!" Sirius grunted, staggering to his feet.

Remus stared at Sirius, eyes wide, undisguised longing in his face.

Greyback shook Remus roughly. "Don't let them fool you. Humans are all the same – you know that, even if you're too naïve to accept it. They say they care, but it's all a ruse."

"No it's not!" James shouted.

"They don't want you to come with because they don't want you to be free. They don't want beasts like us running wild."

Sirius staggered forward. "Shut up!"

"They're all liars!"

"We aren't!" Peter whispered.

Greyback's face contorted with rage, and his grip on Remus' wand tightened. "You see him differently now, don't you?" he snarled, dragging Remus forward. "He's not the boy you met last year, is he? Now you know he's a wolf, how can you look at him and not think of the full moon?"

"Of course we see him differently!" cried James, temper flaring. "Just like I saw Sirius differently when I saw how his family treated him! Just like I saw Peter differently when we found the Slytherins picking on him! It doesn't change who he is!"

"It does!" Greyback was shouting now, waves of magic flowing off him like an icy wind. "Stop denying what you know to be true!"

"Just because you had lousy friends—"

The magic in the clearing thickened, squeezing the breath from James' lungs. Hairs on his arms standing on end, he staggered under the invisible onslaught; Sirius raised his wand bravely, if aimlessly. Greyback's icy eyes gleamed with loathing.

"I've waited long enough," the werewolf growled. "I won't let you maggots steal him back from me. Leave now and maybe I won't burn you all to ashes. I'll give you till ten. One..."

James stared at Greyback defiantly, but Remus' eyes had gone wide.

"Run," he hissed, straining against Greyback's hold. "Please, you've got to go!"

"Two," said Greyback, grinning.

James ignored the werewolf and stared at Remus. "What about you?"

"There's no time, James! He won't kill me, but you'll…"

Sirius snorted. "He can try."

"He'll do more than try!" The look on Remus' face – terror only partially masked by grim resolve – gave James pause more than Remus' words. Remus knew his friends still cared; he might not fully believe it yet, but the guarded look he'd worn long minutes ago had faded, and he met James' eyes steadily.

"We'll… we'll transform soon," Remus whispered. "You can't be here when that happens. Please."

Greyback watched the exchanged with savage amusement as he went on counting. "Five."

There was a shuffling of leaves behind James. He turned to see Peter backing away, looking torn. The boy sent a fleeting, frightened look at Greyback, whose wand had begun to hum with the building magic as he reached six, then another, longer look at Remus. Peter opened his mouth, hesitated, then turned and ran.

Remus breathed a sigh, eyes fluttering closed for the briefest moment, but he still had a pinched look about his face. "Now you, too, James, Sirius. I… I'll be alright."

"No you bloody well won't," said Sirius.

Remus flinched.

It was all the proof James needed. He got why Remus wanted them to leave; honestly he did. And he knew it was beyond dangerous to stay. But he knew – as did Remus, though he would never say so aloud – that if Remus was left alone with Greyback, he would be far from alright. Even if they found him in the morning, or brought him back from Greyback's pack in the days to come… Well, James didn't know what a werewolf went through during the full moon, not really, but adding Greyback to the mix would surely make it a thousand times worse.

"Eight." Greyback looked positively gleeful at the scene playing out before him. He had leaned casually against the tree behind him and twirled his wand casually, carelessly, in one hand, the other still closed around Remus' arm. "Better hurry, boys. Nine..." He wasn't taking it seriously, James realized. He was toying with them.

His guard was down.

Bugger this, James thought. "Expelliarmus!"

Taken by surprise, the werewolf had no time to cast a defensive spell, or to move out of the way. James' charm hit him dead on, and Greyback let out a snarl as Remus' wand spun away into the darkness.

"Nice one, James!" Sirius cheered.

But Greyback didn't seem more than mildly irritated at the loss of his wand, much to James' dismay. Greyback bared his teeth, shoved Remus out of the way, and leaped at James and Sirius.

"NO!" Remus shouted.

James flung himself aside with a cry of, "Impedimenta!"

Greyback dodged the spell only narrowly, and the moment of distraction gave James a second to regain his balance and duck behind a tree. He could hear footsteps crunching on the leaf litter; Sirius fired off the Trip Jinx, and Greyback snarled as the footsteps faltered momentarily.

"That's right, humans. Run. Hide. The moon will soon be fully risen, and then the hunt can begin."

He appeared suddenly between the trees, just a few feet away, and leered at James, who sucked in a breath and hastened to raise his wand.

"Diffindo!"

Greyback flinched, clutching at his arm, where a long, shallow cut appeared. His face twisted into a look of feral rage. "Insolent runt," he growled, and leaped forward.

"S-stupefy!" James stammered, thrown off by the speed behind Greyback's sudden charge.

Greyback ducked, but continued running.

James stumbled back. "Stupefy!" he cried again. "Stupefy!" Both spells scorched marks into tree trunks as Greyback twisted out of their path.

"James!" Sirius hollered from somewhere nearby, crashing through fallen leaves and dead branches. "Impedimenta!" A pale white jet sailed over Greyback's head. James' back found a tree.

"GLISSEO!" Remus bellowed.

The ground beneath Greyback became as smooth as glass; with his next step, his foot slid out from under him, and he went down hard.

James stared at Greyback for an instant before he turned to Remus, who stood gasping, his hair mussed and spotted with leaves and pine needles. His recovered wand trembled in his white-knuckled grip.

James grinned. "Guess Lynx was right after all. That spell is useful outside of pranking!"

"James!" Remus said, an edge of hysteria to his tone. "Is this really the time?"

"Right, sorry." He turned back to Greyback. "Stupefy!"

Faster than James would have thought possible, Greyback was on his feet, the Stunner fizzling out on the glassy dirt where he'd been crouched a moment before. He sneered at James and Remus, malice sparkling in his eyes. Remus shuddered.

Sirius appeared suddenly from the darkness with a cry of, "Reducto!"

Once more, Greyback sprang away— but this time, he wasn't quite fast enough. Sirius' curse detonated against a tree near Greyback, throwing the werewolf to the ground.

James was quick to take advantage of Greyback's apparent disorientation. "Incarcerous!" Thick ropes appeared to bind Greyback to the smouldering tree. Greyback grunted in pain, and James felt a thrill of morbid satisfaction. If anyone deserved to hurt, it was Greyback.

Still clutching his wand in a tremulous grip, Remus stepped up between James and Sirius and stared blankly down at Greyback.

Greyback's eyes widened. After a moment, his lips curled back – in disgust or in an attempt to mask the pain, James couldn't tell. "You're siding with them, are you?"

Remus hesitated, but James and Sirius reached out simultaneously to clasp his shoulder. James felt Remus shift, straightening up.

"I know where I belong."

He spoke softly, but firmly. James had never been quite so keenly aware of the quiet strength Remus possessed. He was shy, scrawny, and scared of losing his friends; he wasn't as brash or as adventurous as James and Sirius; but there could be no doubt that Remus Lupin belonged in Gryffindor.

"Traitor," Greyback snarled.

Sirius snorted. "Now you just sound like my mother." James laughed, and even Remus managed a grin. "Let's Stun him already and get out of here."

"Yeah," said James, raising his wand. He hesitated, however, and glanced at Remus. Everything Remus had suffered in his life, ultimately, came back to Greyback. The bite that had turned him into a werewolf and cost him his father; the laws that made it all but impossible for Remus to lead a normal life; the fear of being rejected if anyone discovered his secret - all Greyback's fault. It was only right that Remus get to end this. "You want to do the honours?"

Remus seemed startled for a moment, but he nodded and turned a cold stare on Greyback. The two werewolves stared at each other, and James was struck by how different they were – Greyback snarling with scarcely-contained rage; Remus all somber determination.

"Stupefy," said Remus calmly, and Greyback slumped against his bonds.

For a moment, Remus stood there, shuddering, and James thought it was just nerves from the battle with Greyback catching up to him. But when he gave Remus' shoulder a reassuring squeeze, Remus jumped and gaped at James, as though he'd forgotten the other boys were still there.

"Why are you just standing there?" Remus demanded. "You've got to get back into the castle!"

"What about you?" James asked.

"I'll see if I can make it to the Willow—"

"The what?" Sirius' mouth had fallen open. "The Willow? The Whomping Willow?"

Kicking nervously at a small mound of leaves, Remus nodded. "That's how I get into the house in Hogsmeade. The… the Shrieking Shack – is that what you called it?"

"You sure you can make it on your own?" James asked.

Remus scowled. "I'm not a—" A sudden, pained gasp interrupted Remus' protest, and he staggered. He would have fallen, had James not caught him.

James and Sirius exchanged glances. There was no way Remus would be able to crawl to the Whomping Willow in time. Not without help. And if he stayed here, and Greyback woke up, or someone was sneaking around on the grounds, or Remus found his way to Hogsmeade… James shuddered. Too many things could go wrong.

He didn't know how long they had until the transformation, but he hoped desperately that they would have enough time to get Remus to the Whomping Willow. James and Sirius could go inside once they knew their friend would be safe.

"Come on, Remus," said Sirius, draping one of Remus' arms across his shoulders. "It'll go faster if you let us help."

"But—"

"Not now," James said, urging Remus forward. "You're right; we haven't got much time. But we ought to be able to make it."

Remus didn't protest again, and James wondered if the approaching transformation was distracting him. Every now and then, Remus would stumble or hiss in sudden pain. Each time, it tore at James' heart. He'd read books about werewolves, he'd imagined Remus in pain and even heard the screams from the Shrieking Shack, but none of that was quite as bad as this; none of it was as agonizing as standing beside him, feeling the shudders wracking his body, supporting him when the pain threatened to bring him to his knees. He was so close, and yet James could do nothing to ease Remus' suffering.

They ran when they could and half-dragged, half-carried Remus when he couldn't force his legs to support him, and before long the Whomping Willow came into sight. They passed Hagrid's hut as the latest in a string of violent tremors subsided, and Remus forced himself to run once more.

But then, halfway to the Willow, Remus froze. James and Sirius, who each held one of Remus' arms, stumbled and nearly fell at the abrupt halt. At first, James thought another spasm had taken hold, but Remus remained on his feet, a look of horror carved on his face.

"Remus," said James. "What's—?"

"Run," Remus breathed.

Sirius shook his head. "We're almost there, Remus. Two more minutes."

Remus' hands seized his friends' sleeves convulsively. "I don't have two more minutes!" he snapped. "You've got to run!"

Then the tremors did come, and Remus' grip on James' sleeve tightened as Remus swayed on his feet. James moved to help him stay on his feet, but Remus' head snapped up, his eyes blazing. Releasing his friends' robes, Remus whirled and shoved James so hard he fell, landing with a jarring thud on the hard ground.

"Run!" Remus thundered. "Don't let me hurt you, James! I— I couldn't— I—" He gasped and crashed to his knees.

From where he sat, stunned at the force behind Remus' shove, James could just make out the rim of the moon emerging from the trees to the east.

James shot to his feet. "Sirius…"

Frowning, Sirius followed James' gaze. "Oh, Merlin."

"RUN!"

Remus' hoarse cry finally spurred James into motion. He seized Sirius' arm, spun towards the castle, and broke into a sprint. He could hear Remus behind him, gasping and moaning, but all thoughts of turning back flew from his mind as the light of the full moon burned his eyes. Get to the castle, he told himself. Get inside.

'Don't let me hurt you.'

It was the one thing that truly scared Remus. More than rejection, more than joining Greyback's pack, Remus feared for his friends' safety. That was why he had agreed to go with Greyback; that was why he had told James and the others to leave when they came after him…

That was why James had to reach the castle before Remus fully transformed. He wasn't afraid of being hurt, or of becoming a werewolf himself. Those possibilities were nothing to what the guilt would do to Remus.

He'd never forgive himself, James thought, pushing his legs to pump faster. He could see the front doors up ahead, and the sight gave him fresh energy. He could make it. He and Sirius would shut Remus out in the night, and then go to Dumbledore – he had to know, surely, about Remus' condition, and if anyone could ensure that nothing happened with Remus roaming the grounds, it would be the Headmaster.

Almost there.

Remus screamed.

It wasn't a conscious decision to turn, but James found himself staring back across the distance anyway. Remus was a shadow on the ground, writhing and indistinct. The screams were the same screams James had heard so many months ago in Hogsmeade. Agonized, maddening screams – but strangled, as though Remus were fighting with everything he had to remain silent, to not let his friends know his pain.

Tears pricked behind James' eyes. He didn't realize he'd taken a step towards Remus until Sirius tugged on his arm.

"James. Come on!"

He needs us, James wanted to say. We should be doing something – anything – to help him. How can I walk away when one of my best friends is screaming like that?

Sirius seemed to understand his hesitation, for he sighed. "James. There's nothing we can do for him tonight, except…"

"Except make sure he doesn't do anything," James finished, tearing his eyes away. Remus' screams faltered momentarily, then rang out again, louder and more ragged that before. Feeling as though his heart were being torn in two, James turned and struck out for the castle once more. "We'll be there for him in the morning, though."

"Of course," said Sirius, running beside James. "I don't care if we have to blast the ruddy door down. We're going to be there as soon as they bring him in, and we aren't leaving until he does."

"Or McGonagall drags us out by the ears," James added, speaking loudly to drown out Remus' screams. It didn't work. The words from the books he'd read came back to him with sickening clarity, carried on Remus' screams like ice on a winter wind.

Wounds inflicted by werewolves are cursed wounds and cannot be healed magically.

"I don't care if we have to sit in the Hospital Wing until the end of term," James said, fighting down the bile that rose in his throat— Both bite and scratch wounds will leave permanent scars — as Remus' voice petered out into gasping sobs. "He's never going to go through this alone again."

Fractured bones, dislocated joints, and torn muscles frequently result from this transformation.

With a gasp, Remus fell silent, then screamed again, louder than ever.

"Never again."

Sirius remained silent, but James could see the anguish on his face as they hurried onward.

He knew the instant the transformation was complete, for the screams became a howl, long and high and keening. Snuffling followed, and then large and heavy paws pounded against the ground. James ran, pouring every ounce of energy into the effort, but the loping rhythm drew ever nearer, and James knew with a terrible certainty that he could not outrun a werewolf.

He spun, drawing his wand, and saw the wolf approaching like a wisp of smoke, pale and shadowy. It would be upon him in seconds, unless he did something to stop it…

Him, James reminded himself. Not 'it;' him.

This was Remus, no matter what he looked like. No matter that his teeth gleamed like bone in the moonlight, or that a growl was building in his throat. He was still Remus, and James could not bring himself to curse his friend, even in self-defense.

"Potter! Get down!" McGonagall's panicked voice pierced James' shock, and he dove to the side as a spell flashed past. It struck Remus' snout, knocking him into the air. He landed in a heap several feet away and lay still.

"Remus!" James cried.

McGonagall was suddenly at his side, face pale and drawn. "You know?" she breathed.

James ignored her and stumbled toward Remus. "Is he alright?"

"He'll be fine, Potter," said Lynx, who stood at Sirius' side, wand aimed steadily at Remus' crumpled form. Madam Pomfrey stood a few feet behind him, looking shaken. "Better'n fine. Stunners don't do much to a werewolf. Now get movin', before he wakes up."

McGonagall placed a hand on James' shoulder. "Get inside, Potter. We'll— I told you to stay inside, Pettigrew."

James turned, surprised, to find Peter hovering in the square of light falling from the open doors. He stood as still as a statue, staring past McGonagall to where Remus lay.

"Peter?" Sirius asked, apparently just as startled as James. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I went to find a professor," said Peter, focusing with some difficulty on his friends. "After I left the—" he glanced nervously at McGongall— "the Forest. I found McGonagall and Lynx talking to Madam Pomfrey, and I told them what was going on."

"And good thing," said Madam Pomfrey, clutching at the collar of her robes. "If we hadn't arrived when we did, Mr. Potter—"

"You're very lucky to be alive," McGonagall agreed with a disapproving frown.

James scowled. "Remus wouldn't have killed me."

Scoffing, Lynx stalked over the James, who realized with an odd sense of detachment that the man was only a few inches taller than him. He'd never been this close to the Defense professor, and he found the piercing eyes more than a little unnerving.

"Don't think he'd kill you, do you?" Lynx scoffed. "He can't control himself while the moon's full. You could be his own blood and he'd still tear you to pieces."

James opened his mouth to retort, but McGonagall cut across him: "Take them inside, Poppy. I don't care if you have to sedate them; I want them to stay in the Hospital Wing until morning."

"But what about Remus?" asked Peter in a small voice.

"Never mind him," Lynx barked. "Just go."

A rumbling growl drew every eye to Remus, who staggered to his feet, teeth bared, though he shook his head drunkenly.

"Poppy," McGonagall snapped, and Madam Pomfrey sprang into motion at once, reaching out to herd the students toward the doors. McGonagall waited only long enough to see that Madam Pomfrey was listening. Then McGonagall was gone, leaving in her place a tabby cat that sprang toward Remus.

The cat was difficult to see in the darkness – her stripes vanished in the colorless grass, and her movements were so fluid that she seemed nothing more than the shadow of a shifting cloud. But the wolf obviously caught her scent, for he crouched low to the ground, snarling at the cat, his fur standing on end.

There was a yelp as the cat swiped the wolf's snout, then turned and streaked off, leading the wolf away from the humans.

"What's she doing?" Sirius demanded, gaping after the retreating animals.

James, too, stared after them in awe and terror. "We've got to help her!"

The dirt at James' feet exploded before he could take a step to follow Professor McGonagall.

"You aren't going anywhere, Potter," said Lynx, his wand aimed now at James, "except where Poppy tells you."

"But—"

Remus howled in the distance, and another, fainter howl answered him. Lynx whirled around, and Madam Pomfrey covered a gasp.

"Greyback!" James cried.

Lynx swore and took off at a run.

"What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing?" Madam Pomfrey shrieked. "You can't take him on alone!"

Lynx snorted, his stride never slowing. "Get those idiot students inside, Poppy! I'll be alright." He patted his pocket, and James caught sight of a deranged grin. "I've got luck on my side!" He cut a strange figure, short robes flapping comically about his ankles, wispy hair and thick spectacles catching the moonlight as he vanished over a rise of land.

"We aren't actually going to let them handle a pair of werewolves on their own," said Sirius slowly as the night descended into silence. "Are we?"

Madam Pomfrey looked as though she would very much like to chase after Lynx and give him a long, furious lecture, but she pursed her lips and turned back toward the castle. "That's exactly what we're going to do. And the three of you are going to the Hospital Wing— no complaints, Mr. Black," she added, as Sirius looked mutinous. James scowled; Madam Pomfrey scowled right back. "I will Stun you, Mr. Potter, if need be."

After a moment, Peter set off toward the doors, obviously unwilling to risk the matron's wrath. James and Sirius hesitated a moment longer, but the grounds were utterly still, and no more howls broke the silence. Sighing, James allowed himself to be steered inside.

Halfway across the Entrance Hall, they met Dumbledore, whose face was set into a grave mask.

"I've just spoken to Filius," said Dumbledore. "Is Fenrir Greyback still on the grounds?"

Madam Pomfrey nodded solemnly. "Stuvis went after him. Minerva is dealing with Remus."

Dumbledore's glance flickered to the three Gryffindors standing beside Madam Pomfrey. He eyed them appraisingly, then nodded. "Then I shall go to Professor Lynx."

"What about McGongall?" James demanded.

"She turned into a cat, Professor," said Sirius. "What chance has she got against Remus?"

The barest hint of a smile tugged at Dumbledore's face. "A better one than any human," he said. "Mr. Lupin will not pursue her as fiercely as Fenrir will Professor Lynx. Nor will Mr. Lupin be able to turn her while she is in that form."

James gasped. "You mean—?"

"Only humans can be infected," said Sirius. "I'd forgot."

"And Professor McGonagall's a cat." Peter's eyes had gone very wide, and he stared at Dumbledore in awe. "So she'll really be alright?"

"She and Mr. Lupin both," said Dumbledore. "But I am afraid I cannot stay and talk with you any longer. Stuvis is not an animagus, and Fenrir Greyback is far more vicious than Mr. Lupin." He glanced at Madam Pomfrey. "I will speak with them in the morning, Poppy. I trust you will care for them until then."

Madam Pomfrey nodded. "Of course, sir."

But Dumbledore was already gone, disappearing through the front doors in a swirl of robes and wind. The doors thudded shut.

-.-.-

Madam Pomfrey wasted no time in herding her charges to the Hospital Wing, where she bullied them into taking sleeping potions. She would not listen to their protests or their pleas to be allowed to sit up until Remus returned in the morning.

"That's hours away," she said shortly, after Sirius had knocked aside a bottle of the sleeping draught, which smashed on the floor. "And I'll not have you pestering him until I've treated him, in any case. Now, unless you think yourselves capable of calming enough to fall asleep on your own, I suggest you take the potion."

Peter relented easily enough, and even Sirius eventually gave in. James was the last to take the potion, and he did so with a sense of deep resignation. He wished he could be out there with Remus... The potion took effect quickly, carrying James to the hazy region between sleep and wakefulness, where his mind spun with half-formed thoughts and worries and a vague notion of, If only I was a cat like McGonagall. He hardly noticed when, long minutes later, the Hospital Wing doors burst open to admit two newcomers.

"Headmaster!" Madam Pomfrey cried, her voice echoing as though a great distance separated James from the rest of the world. "What—?" She broke off with a gasp, and someone scoffed.

"Don't go faintin' on me, Pomfrey. I'm not dyin'; it's only a shallow wound."

James heard the sound of broken glass pattering to the floor, along with a steady dripping and a low, bitter chuckle.

"Damn luck."

A/N: When James and Sirius sneak out to the Forbidden Forest, Remus remembers the night he was attacked, and he does the only thing he can think to do: He snitches. Chapter 10 of Moony's Story, "January 1973: Echoes," is up for your reading pleasure!