The Marauders: In The Beginning
Chapter Five: An Encounter



Disclaimer: All HP characters were created by the brilliant J. K. Rowling, not me! ^^

A/N: I've been trying to get this chapter up as quickly as possible. I hate cliffhangers too! Wah! >


James stood rooted to the spot, face to face with a large, hungry-looking gray wolf. He was trying to move, but somehow his legs weren't getting the message. He opened his mouth to scream, but all that escaped from his throat was a strange sort of squeak that didn't sound at all like his own voice. All he could do was stand there in fear, unable to get away. He squeezed his eyes shut, ready for the beast to leap upon them... it would all be over soon...

Suddenly, one step in front of where Sirius and James stood, the wolf stopped. It lifted its head, sniffing the air suspiciously. It let out a low growl, then turned away slowly. It headed for the darkest corner of the small shack and lay down.

Sirius realized then that he hadn't been breathing for a good thirty seconds or so. He exhaled slowly, every muscle in his body straining to stay perfectly still, not daring to make another sound. He turned to James and mouthed, "It can't see us!"

"The cloak," James said, his voice very small and barely audible. "I've just realized... I didn't think it worked with animals..."

Sirius looked lost. "It doesn't," he whispered. "When a wizard wears a cloak of invisibility, animals can't see--"

He stopped as a muffled sound came from the far end of the one-room shack. "James, we've got to go back!" He was about to take a step back when James said, "Wait! We've still got to look for Remus, remember? What if we leave him here and the wolf gets him?"

Sirius gulped, closing his eyes. "Okay," he whispered, opening them and looking around. He spotted a door. "Look," he told James. "There's a door over there. Let's at least get outside." So they began creeping towards the door, inch by inch.

There was but one problem: the door was closed.

James stared at his friend, horrified. There was only one thing he could do. Slowly... steadily... carefully... he reached out for the doorknob and pulled the door open...

"Yes, that's it," Sirius muttered. "Just a little further... then we're out of here..."

Then, something happened - the very thing which both boys had been dreading - the old door creaked on its rusted hinges, and the wolf, hearing the noise, sprang up immediately. It was at their heels within seconds.

"RUN!" Sirius yelled.

James tripped over the edge of the cloak, which was too big and had been dragging on the ground. He grabbed Sirius' arm, but instead of catching himself before he fell, he pulled his friend down along with him, and the two tumbled out the open doorway. But the wolf wasn't far behind.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" With a great shout, Sirius kicked the door shut just in time. The boys heard the creature yelp as his face collided with the wood. Then, it whimpered softly, dragging itself back into the dark corner. James and Sirius lay in a tangled heap, petrified and barely able to breathe.

Sirius was clutching his heart. His face had gone very pale. "That was the scariest thing... I've never seen anything like... And its teeth! I..." he trailed off, at a loss. He and his friend scrambled to their feet and made sure they were a safe distance away from the shack before they continued.

"You... you were saying, Sirius?" James managed in between gasps for air.

Sirius had caught his breath by now, but he seemed unable to speak. He had realized something.

"Sirius?"

"James, it doesn't matter whether you've got an invisibility cloak or not," he said. "Animals can see you either way."

"Yeah, so?"

"So the wolf didn't see us."

James swallowed. "That... that couldn't mean... honestly, Sirius, you don't think that's a werewolf in there?"

Sirius said nothing.

"You've gone mental," James said.

"Well," Sirius spat, "think of a better explanation then." And James racked his brain, trying to do just that, but soon realized that he couldn't. He stared back at his friend in a combination of awe and fear.

"The question is," Sirius asked, "what are we supposed to do now?"

He and James sat down, James rubbing his eyes tiredly. All his energy was gone. "What's there to do?" he replied. He took a deep breath. "We tell Dumbledore and we get expelled - goodbye, no more Hogwarts, the end. And we came out here to get Remus, but face it, we stick around we become dinner - nice knowing you--"

"The end," Sirius finished.

"Yes. So it's obvious. Got to slip back in there somehow, get back to Hogwarts, get a bit of rest, and most importantly, keep this to ourselves. One word of this gets out, and we're done for." He paused, his words not quite having the dramatic effect he'd intended. "...Er, you know, the--"

"The end, the end!" Sirius finished impatiently. "Please, spare me - we'll keep it to ourselves, okay? Let's just go!"

They had to wait quite some time, until they felt certain the wolf had fallen asleep. ("Blimey, it'll be light out soon!" Sirius had said.) Then, covering themselves with the cloak once more, they began to pry the door open. "Wait a second," Sirius said. He pulled his wand out of his pocked, whispering, "Silentio." The door swung open soundlessly, and James raised his eyebrows. "What?" Sirius asked, noticing James' stare.

"First of all," said James, "why didn't you think of that in the first place?" His friend shrugged, discomfited. "I panicked!" he said, scowling.

"Second... that was really cool!"

Sirius brightened. "You think so?"

"Yeah," James replied quietly with a nod. "Now I guess we'd better be getting back." He still felt a little guilty at the idea of leaving Remus behind.

He and Sirius stepped into the shack, edging toward the tunnel that led back to Hogwarts. James turned for one final look back at the wolf, just to be safe. It wasn't there.

"Sirius, it's quite odd," he said stupidly in an attempt to disguise his fear. "The wolf doesn't seem to be here anymore..." He and Sirius exchanged glances.

They peered into the darkness, overcome with curiosity. Something just ahead of them moved and let out a small groan of pain. There, lying in a crumpled pile on the floor, was--

"REMUS!"

Not bothering to ask a single question, James and Sirius rushed to his side, Sirius throwing off his half of the cloak. Both grabbed Remus by the arms and heaved him upright, then started slowly towards the tunnel. Remus struggled to open his eyes, but he was fading in and out of consciousness.

"You're going to be okay now," Sirius whispered. "Don't worry, mate. You're going to be okay."



A/N: Ack! Another cliffhanger! I really shouldn't get into the habit of ending chapters this way =\ I promise I'll continue working on this story as soon as possible and I'll try to have the next chapter up soon!