CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

KARMA

*T*W*O*D*A*Y*S*A*F*T*E*R*T*H*E*F*U*L*L*M*O*O*N*

Remus's heightened senses had finally faded. He found himself back to normal though Sirius had been acting rather odd. Today, he had requested that Remus meet him by the Whomping Willow after supper. No James, Peter, Lily or Wendy. He had assumed that it was the planning of a quite complicated prank to please or impress James.

"Where is Sirius today?" asked James.

"Yes, I haven't seen him since school got out today," Lily added.

Remus took a final sip from his goblet and looked over at Wendy, pecking her quickly on the lips.

"I'll go see if I can find him. I needed to go to the library anyway."

"Remus, do you want me to come with you?" Wendy asked.

Remus stood from the table and ruffled her tangled hair.

"No, I'll be fine on my own. Finish your dinner. I'll see you all in the common room tonight."

He gave the table a fleeting glance as he exited the Great Hall, pleased that they had all resumed chatting and seemed to have completely forgotten he had been there.

It was rather dark out and the air was crisp with oncoming winter. He ignored it as he continued the trek uphill towards the Willow. There were no chirping crickets or tweeting birds. All had been driven south. The unthreatening moon was oncoming, but the sun still remained just slightly turning the sky a dark purple. He reached the Willow to see Sirius standing out of reach of the Whomping Willow.

"Oi! Moony!" he called.

Remus waved lazily and jogged the last few paces to him.

"Hey, Padfoot. What's happening?" asked Remus observing the surroundings.

"Give it a minute. You'll see."

Remus grinned slightly and folded his arms.

"What's that supposed to mean."

"It means that karma is on the move," Sirius replied, a glint in his eyes.

Remus's brows furrowed and he shook his head, confused.

"What?"

Soft footsteps were audible. Remus turned around to see Lucius and Severus trudging up the hill.

"Sirius, what is this?" whispered Remus.

"Like I said…karma…" he muttered in response.

Lucius and Severus stopped a few yards before them. Lucius stood with pride and snobbishness that only he could convey while being stationary. Severus was slumped over as usual, greasy black hair in his dark eyes. Remus's eyes flickered from each of them as he realized what Sirius had set up. A duel. A duel to get back at Lucius for harassing Remus and assaulting Wendy, and to get revenge on Severus for telling the secret. Remus shook his head.

"Sirius, this is a bad idea," Remus said quietly.

"The need to get what's coming to them, Moony."

"Look who it is! I should have known you'd invite the Werewolf, Wizarding Trash," Lucius sneered.

Remus slowly glanced at Sirius who wore a smug grin.

"I'm Wizarding Trash? You're the one who sexually assaulted a girl half your size," scoffed Sirius.

"What is it you what, Sirius?" Severus snapped.

Sirius pointed his finger at Severus, glaring.

"First, I want you to apologize to Remus for breaking your promise to keep his condition a secret. Then, I want Lucius to apologize for assaulting Wendy Withers AND harassing my friend."

"And if we don't?" drawled Severus.

Lucius stood his ground, still glaring at Sirius and Remus.

"Then we'll duel! If you both win, we'll leave you be and pretend it all never happened. If we win, you both apologize. Understand?"

Remus shook his head and stepped in between the small amount of ground that separated.

"C'mon you all, leave this be. We don't need to do this. Let's all just go back to the castle," Remus tried.

Lucius cackled with Severus smiling slightly. Sirius rolled his eyes and placed his hands on his hips.

"Remus, they deserve it! Think of Wendy!" Sirius protested.

"I am, Sirius. She despises Lucius just as much as the rest of us but she doesn't want us to risk being hurt and most certainly doesn't want us to harm others for revenge. If she wants Lucius harmed, she'll do it herself," stated Remus calmly.

"I won't apologize," Lucius scoffed.

Remus looked form Sirius to Lucius and raised a hand to calm him.

"I don't expect you to, Lucius. Why don't we all head back to the castle and forget the entire thing," insisted Remus.

"Enough of this, Remus. Let's just show them why they shouldn't mess with us," growled Sirius.

"I have a new deal for you, Black. We'll duel. If you win, we'll apologize, turn ourselves over to Dumbledore and leave Hogwarts. If we win, we get to tell everyone Remus's little secret," Severus offered.

Remus's eyes widened and he shook his head. His arms were extended with a palm raised to Sirius and the raised to Severus and Lucius.

"Severus…Lucius…don't be fools…"

"They can't help it. It's habit by now, Remus," Sirius leered.

"That's not helping, Sirius."

Remus was struggling to keep his voice calm though there was a distinct trembling in his extended palms.

"What's wrong, Werewolf? Scared that no one will treat you the same when they find out that you're a beast of the night?" Lucius snickered.

Remus let his arms fall limply to his sides.

"Yes, Lucius. That's exactly what I fear. I beg you to keep this to yourself. If you have any shred of honor in you, then you will keep this a secret," implored Remus.

"I say we hex them. Maybe shot some Unforgiveable Curses their way? Maybe the new spell I created, Lucius?" Severus offered.

Sirius removed his wand and poised it, as did Lucius and Severus. Remus didn't reach for his. He continued to stand between the three, attempting to mediate.

"Let's not be irrational. If we behave this rashly, the best outcome is that we are all expelled. Let's all lower our wands and mind our own business."

"Remus, this IS our business! That prat has attacked your girlfriend and threatened to ruin your life! Are you just going to let him continue to threaten you? Have some pride!" Sirius protested.

"Sirius, I have pride. I just don't want to risk my reputation and yours in a duel against these sods!" hissed Remus.

"Confundo!" Lucius cried.

A red light zipped out of the tip of his wand and hit Sirius in the chest. He blinked and shook his head, shaking off the effects of the spell. Remus looked at Lucius in utter shock. Had he really started this? Was he really going to risk this?

"Stupefy!" called Snape, casting at Remus.

Remus removed his wand quickly and poised it to counter the spell.

"Protego!"

Severus's spell rebounded from Remus's counter and hit him in the chest, throwing him backwards.

"Incarcerous!"

Ropes shot out of the end of Lucius's wand and hit Sirius. They wrapped around his neck, choking him. Sirius gasped for air as the ropes constricted.

"Impedimenta!" Remus yelled, his spell sending Lucius up into the air and suspending him.

Remus had maybe thirty seconds to save Sirius before the Snape recovered and Lucius descended. He sprinted to Sirius's side. His face was blue as he twitched. The air leaving his lungs.

"Hold on, Sirius. Hold on," he said calmly.

Remus undid the knots yanked the ropes from Sirius's neck and cast them aside.

"Incendio!" Remus barked.

The ropes disintegrated. Sirius choked and gulped for air. Remus helped him sit up and patted his back.

"Breathe. Just breathe," Remus said quietly.

Sirius eyes widened and he pointed at Severus.

"Sectusempra!" cried Snape.

Remus turned quickly to see a bolt of white shooting from Severus's wand. It his him squarely in the chest. Remus cried out with agony as his white school shirt saturated with blood. He'd never heard of this spell but it was cutting him across the chest.

"What'd you do, you ugly git?" Sirius choked.

"Sectusempra!" Severus bellowed again.

"Protego!" Sirius managed to yelp out.

The spell hit Severus, making him double over. His own button down seeping blood. Sirius sunk to his knees in exhaustion. He ran his fingers through his hair and looked down at Remus who hissed in pain as he forced himself to sit up.

"Whatever that was, it cut me," he muttered through his teeth.

"CRUCIO!" roared Lucius.

The yellow bolt hit Sirius sending him into a fit of screams. He hugged his sides, crying out in pain. Remus gawked, still panting in pain. Severus was still on the ground, thrashing in anguish. Remus handled the pain far better. Compared to the horrors of transformation, this was a single cut by a knife. Very painful, but unable to hinder him from standing.

Panting, Remus stood to his feet, a surge of pain went through his calf. He limped towards Lucius.

"Lucius, stop this. This is a bad idea. Let's get to the Hospital Wing. Forget the whole thing? Okay? Let's just end this," Remus asked, still winded as the pain flowed through him.

"I agree, Little Werewolf. Let's end this," Lucius smirked.

He raised his wand.

"Crucio!" he snarled.

Remus ducked. The spell flew over his head as he neared Lucius. Now only three yards off.

"Please, Lucius! I-I-I don't want to fight you! I don't…" Remus huffed.

"Crucio!"

Remus angled his shoulder so the yellow bolt barely whizzed past him.

"LUCIUS! I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT YOU! PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME DO THIS!" pleaded Remus.

Lucius fumed as Remus stopped, two yards from him. Remus knew that if he were to counter the Cruciatis curse any closer to Lucius then great harm would come to him. If he stayed here, Lucius would be harmed, but not as badly as he could be.

"I REFUSE TO LOSE TO A BEAST!" Lucius screamed.

Remus's brows furrowed in distress. He didn't want to fight Lucius.

"Lucius…don't…" he tried once more.

"CRUCIO!" Lucius roared.

Remus closed his eyes and raised his wand.

"Protego!"

The spell bounced off of Remus's and hit Lucius who fell to the ground, groaning in pain. Remus slowly lowered his wand, wheezing loudly.

"I didn't want to, Lucius. I didn't…" Remus managed to utter.

He turned around and hobbled towards Sirius who was beginning to recover from the Cruciatus curse. When Remus reached him, he knelt down. Sirius sat up with a loud moan.

"Are you alright, Padfoot?" Remus asked breathlessly.

Sirius nodded and pushed his hair away from his sweat covered forehead.

"This was a bad idea," he responded with a light chuckle.

Remus grimaced. Sirius glanced at Remus's blood soaked shirt and shook his head solemnly. He shrugged at Sirius and his smile widened.

"That's a scratch compared to what I'm used to."

Sirius laughed softly as Remus draped his arm around his shoulder.

"Let's hobble back to the castle. We'll grab Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey."

"I'll slow you down. You go get them."

Remus shook his head and grunted, standing with Sirius.

"If Lucius and Snivellus wake up while you're here, there's no doubt they'll both try to curse you again. Now, pull my robe around me. If anyone sees me blood soaked there's no doubt they'll freak out. I want to keep this nightmare as quiet as possible."

It took a quarter of an hour to get to Dumbledore. Luckily, all the students were still in the Great Hall and Dumbledore had left supper early. He collected Severus and Lucius from the grounds and placed them in the Hospital Wing. The four were to be released by curfew. Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey had agreed with Remus that the whole affair should not be brought up ever again. Dumbledore also made Lucius promise to never tell Remus's secret or else he would be expelled and denied any reference for a job in the Wizarding community just so he could understand the pain Remus would experience.

Madame Pomfrey had placed Macrosem on both Severus and Remus's wounds. They were healing quickly. Sirius and Lucius were on some sort of pain relaxers. Their bodies were still sore from the Cruciatus curse. They were already back in their dorms. Lucius with an alibi of being in detention for an attempted fight with Peeves where he had damaged school property. Sirius with an alibi of being in detention for flying on the Quidditch field without permission. Remus and Severus were going to say that they were in the library.

"Remus," Severus rasped, still laying on his back.

Remus had less difficulty recovering despite the pain. He couldn't leave until the large gashes had healed, but it wasn't as painful as it was for Severus. Remus was used to the uncomfortable feeling of the flesh regrowing. It didn't bother him any longer. He sat on the bed next to Severus reading a book on various magical diseases.

"Yes, Severus," Remus replied, lazily.

Severus cleared his throat, Remus peeked at Severus out of the corner of his eye. He was still laying down.

"I plan on confessing my part of the story to Dumbledore tonight. I will be out of the castle by next week…" Severus said, his voice cracking slightly.

Remus turned his head to look at Severus, a confused expression on his face.

'Out of the castle? Why would he… Oh…'

"What? The duel deal?" Remus asked, cocking a brow.

Severus nodded, his back to Remus.

"Severus, I really don't expect you to follow through on that. I was against the entire thing. I don't plan on enforcing any part of that event," said Remus in a knowing tone.

Suddenly, Snape rolled over, a pained expression on his face. Remus was unsure if this was due to physical pain or emotional pain.

"Not even having Lucius apologize to Wendy?" Severus questioned.

"Wendy doesn't need an apology from Lucius Prat-Sod-Twat Malfoy," Remus snorted, rolling his eyes.

Severus fought off a smirk. Despite how much he despised James Potter and his friends, that remark made him inwardly chuckle. Remus resumed reading the book.

"So, you aren't gonna enforce the rules of the duel?" clarified Severus.

Remus shook his head, still reading.

Severus hugged his sides as the skin started to grow again over his wounds. Remus frowned at the soft groan Severus released. A wave of compassion washed over him and he dropped the book in his lap, looking at Snape. He quickly wiped off the defeated facial expression the second he saw Remus looking at him. Remus smiled weakly.

"It's a gross feeling, isn't it? I go through that once a month and-"

"You expect me to feel pity for you," spat Snape.

Remus chuckled softly and shook his head.

"Of course not, Severus. I just wanted you to know that I understand the feeling and for all intents and purposes, I was attempting to pursue a civil conversation between the two of us."

Severus's lips pressed into a flat line and he rolled on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

"Severus, I know that you don't necessarily have the most…courteous relationship with my realm of friends, but I need you to know that James's attempts to humiliate you are not to genuinely torture you. He's simply trying to impress Lily. I know you relationship with her has been cor-"

"I don't need your sympathy, Lupin."

Remus offered an understanding smile.

"I'm not offering it. I'm just trying to explain-"

"I've heard enough out of you. You can stop your incessant babbling, Werewolf," retorted Severus.

Remus rolled his eyes at Snape's ignorance and shrugged.

"As you wish, Severus," Remus said, continuing to read the medical book.

Though it was hard for Severus to admit, he had just gained a new, miniscule, teeny, tiny, single ounce of respect for Remus Lupin.