Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to the goddess, JKR. This is the penultimate chapter.
Chapter 17: To Save A Werewolf
Sirius had forgotten what it had been like all those years ago. Forgotten what Remus had been like in the time before their group of Marauders had acquired the ability to change their forms.
Forgotten how terrifying a creature a werewolf truly was.
Severus and Sirius were frozen in their place, appalled at what was transpiring in front of them. They could not be certain if Hermione was alive or dead. They only knew that the magical cell had repelled the Killing Curse, as it had repelled all the others, and had killed Wormtail instantly.
It was, as the expression went, good riddance to bad rubbish.
Margot was moaning and Severus went over to her to help her up. Sirius could not look away from his friend…this werewolf that was throwing itself at the bars of the cell, injuring itself repeatedly in its frenetic efforts to get to them now that Hermione…
"Merlin help us…I hope she is all right," Sirius thought in anguish. She did not appear to be breathing…and the vial seemed to be empty. Had there been more than one mouthful in there? Was she lost to them?
"Sirius…we cannot do anything until the moon sets," Severus said quietly, an arm around Margot's waist to steady her.
And then a light went off in Sirius' mind.
"There is something I can do," he said before resuming his animagus form. Walking slowly and cautiously…he approached the cell, which housed the screaming animal. He barked softly, drawing attention to himself. The werewolf stared at him, baring his teeth at the unwelcome visitor. But, as he was not human, Sirius was not in any danger. He simply tried to be as non-threatening as possible and barked once again, lying down on the floor.
The werewolf stopped slashing at its own chest to look at the huge dog, lying in such a docile manner on the floor. Snarling quietly, it came closer and let out a short howl of annoyance. Sirius looked at the werewolf and tried to keep its gaze.
"Don't you remember me?" he seemed to say. "We used to have such fun together in the Forbidden Forest."
The werewolf cocked his head to one side in a questioning manner.
Sirius barked softly once again. "Come on, Remus. It hasn't been that long. We used to go chasing after one another when we were students at Hogwarts. Do you remember me, Moony? Do you remember your friend, Padfoot? Have you forgotten Prongs?"
And, just when Sirius was thinking that this was doomed to failure, a light of recognition flashed through the werewolf's eyes. Cautiously, still fearful of a trap, it approached the dog…sniffing the air carefully. It reached the bars of the cell and sat down next to Sirius. It howled once again…something soft and somehow not evil. It remembered.
Sirius barked and made some strange canine noises as if it were trying to say something to the werewolf. Whatever it was, it worked and the beast visibly relaxed.
"Incredible," Severus breathed quietly, afraid to startle the creature. "I have completely underestimated you, Black."
"We are still in the same predicament, Severus," Margot whispered, her face no longer pale. "We must still wait until the setting of the moon before we can let Remus out. It would not be safe for him as he could escape easily and hurt someone outside…wizard or muggle."
"Are you sorry about Wormtail, cara? I know you would have preferred a different fate for him."
Margot looked at the corpse of the smaller man with revulsion. "It is true that I would have preferred to witness his soul being devoured by a Dementor but dead is dead and it is only appropriate that his own curse felled him. His blood is not on our hands."
"That is true, cara. And so we wait. Although we are not in any danger and he appears to be much calmer now, we cannot risk letting Remus out. I only wish there were a way to ascertain Hermione's condition. We can't go in there and we cannot use any magical means to check on her. She looks so still and quiet…I can't tell if she is even breathing," Severus shuddered at the possibility that, despite all their efforts, his friend would be lost to him.
"There is nothing we can do at the present," Margot leaned forward and kissed his cheek softly. "We can only wait. Besides, I am confident that the potion worked. She is safe and will not wake up until well after the danger has passed."
Suddenly Sirius jumped up and began to growl loudly at something behind them. The werewolf, startled, jumped up as well.
"On that point, my dear Margot, I would beg to differ," a cold serpentine voice emanated from a green cloud of smoke and the evil form of Voldemort immediately appeared. He held his wand out in a negligent fashion but the others knew to keep on their guard. The Dark Lord was a formidable opponent and they were on his territory.
Standing up, Severus stood in front of Margot protectively.
"How very chivalrous of you, Severus. The Mudbloods have taught you well. It is most unfortunate that you were not more amenable to my teachings. Listening to that fool of a Headmaster has clearly addled your once-sharp brains. I will have to remedy that."
"There is nothing wrong with my brain, Voldemort," Severus hissed, bracing himself. "I assure you that my reflexes are as they once were."
Sirius began to growl louder…baring his teeth at the Dark Lord.
"How nice to see you, Black," Voldemort laughed…the sound of it like cracking ice, chilling all of them to the bone. "Yes, that form suits you much better."
The werewolf got up and began rattling the bars of his cell in earnest, howling madly and snarling at the Dark Lord in a murderous rage.
"Remus…you are even more powerful than I imagined. Look at you…my fighting assassin…much more deadly and fearsome than any of the others I had acquired. You are truly a magnificent specimen," the Dark Lord's eyes gloated in his moment of triumph.
"While I would dearly love to let my newest pet have a taste for traitors' blood, I still have some unfinished business with the Mudblood," Voldemort walked closer to the cell. The werewolf was reaching for him frantically through the bars, howling and growling in fury.
Turning around to face the small group, he suddenly smiled a very cruel smile. "Oh yes, you did very well, but you didn't think the Dark Lord would be watching your every move, did you? I saw what you did to Lucius. Very clever…yes, a brilliant plan if I do say so myself. I saw how you manipulated poor Wormtail. And I ought to thank you for saving me the trouble of killing him myself. But the pièce de résistance was the Draught of the Sleeping Death…masterful concoction on your part, Severus. You haven't lost your touch. It's a pity that it will be your last work."
Severus did not reply.
"You had so much promise, Severus. Really, among all my flock, I thought you would be the one to lead them into the New World. Lucius had too much arrogance…too much pride in himself. He would have eventually become a problem for me to deal with. You, on the other hand…you had a true gift and you used your gift for me willingly and often."
"That was before I discovered what you really were," Severus whispered hatefully.
"How many wizards and witches did I kill with the poisons you so eagerly provided to me?"
The sound of grinding teeth could be heard.
"How many witches were…taken advantage of because they had been administered a substance which took away their will and allowed them to be used…and abused…repeatedly?" The Dark Lord gloated over this public humiliation.
"I. Was. Blind." Severus gritted out.
"Just as you are blind now, Severus. You think that you earn your so-called redemption by helping your little friends. By devoting yourself to your little whore of a mistress. You have not changed, Severus. You are still damned. You are still mine," Voldemort's eyes gleamed with malice.
"That is not true," Severus replied, taking out his wand and pointing it at his former master.
Voldemort laughed again. "You amuse me, Severus, and there is precious little in this pathetic world that amuses me. But, what will amuse me even more is the expression on your face when I awaken your precious Mudblood and allow the werewolf to do what is in its nature to do."
Severus' face paled in horror. "You cannot…the potion…"
"Is still only a potion and the cell has been charged to allow my magic to flow through. And, once the Mudblood is dead, I will allow Remus to have at you all and that way I will be rid of all of you. So, you see, my dear Severus? I get to win after all. And you get to die," Voldemort's laughter rang off the walls of the dungeons, causing the werewolf to howl loudly.
Voldemort raised his wand. Sirius jumped up and ran at the Dark Lord who, with a flick of his wrist, sent the huge dog sprawling into the wall, dazed and bloodied. Voldemort turned his attention again to the small figure slumped on the floor in the cell, intent on awakening her.
Severus and Margot looked at one another and nodded. Their bodies shimmered for just a moment before coalescing into two distinctly different shapes.
A jaguar leaped onto the Dark Lord, catching him off guard and knocking him to the ground. An ocelot pounced and slashed at the evil wizard's face with its sharp claws, drawing blood. Growling ferally, the jaguar snapped at the hand that held the wand, causing the thin piece of wood to drop. Immediately, the ocelot picked it up in its claws and dashed over to the wounded dog, pushing at it in an attempt to get him to stand up.
"It's…it's not possible," Voldemort screamed as the jaguar held him down, snarling. The werewolf was beside itself in blind fury and threw itself at the bars of its cell again and again, howling in agony, blood streaming down its face and arms and chest.
Voldemort drew out a silver dagger. The werewolf immediately took notice and took a step backwards. The jaguar lunged at the Dark Lord's wrist. The arc of the blade flashed in the fading moonlight and drops of blood spattered everywhere.
The ocelot and the dog growled in anguish and made to spring on the Dark Lord when a blinding silver light obliterated all vision. There was a terrible scream, a cry of pain and then…utter silence.
The silver light faded and, when the ocelot and the dog looked up, they could see three newcomers. They returned to their human forms instantly and ran over to them, Sirius held up slightly by a painful wound to his leg.
"Headmaster!" Margot cried out, embracing the older man.
"There, there, my dear Professor DeKasaroff. You did not think I would abandon you all, did you?"
Sirius turned to the other two. "About bloody time you got here," he smiled.
Harry and Ron both grinned.
"Severus?" Margot had gone over to the jaguar that was lying still on the ground next to the unconscious Voldemort. She ran a hand along his fur and, when she pulled away, found that it was covered in blood. "Oh, Severus. No." She held the animal close and began crying brokenly.
"Margot," Dumbledore approached the stricken animal quietly. "Let me see."
She reluctantly moved away and watched anxiously as Dumbledore lay it down carefully on the floor and moved his wand over it.
"Will he be all right?" Harry asked anxiously.
"Snape…you can't go and die on me yet," Sirius muttered gruffly.
Suddenly, the animal coughed and resumed the form of Severus Snape.
"No, Black," Severus said weakly. "I don't plan to." He began to cough again. The wounds, while deep and bleeding, were not serious.
Leaving Severus to Margot's care, Dumbledore, along with the others, walked over to the cell where the werewolf was cringing in the corner. It was clearly terrified.
"Is Hermione all right?" Ron asked worriedly, glancing at his friend in apprehension.
"She has taken a dose of a powerful derivative of the Draught of Sleeping Death. It was the only way to protect her from the werewolf…he would never touch a corpse," Severus explained, wincing in pain as he walked towards them.
"How are we going to get her out of there?" Harry wondered, looking around the cell in question. "We have to be careful with Remus…he is still dangerous."
Dumbledore turned to the werewolf and whispered a quiet spell. A pale pink light shot out from his wand and encircled the terrified beast. For a moment, he stood there, engulfed in a soft pink haze. And then, he fell down…asleep.
"That was bloody brilliant," Ron enthused. "I didn't think anything like that would work on a werewolf."
"It is not generally known that there is no creature alive that is immune to the Morpheus spell," Dumbledore said quietly. "I did not wish him to harm himself more than he already has. Now, let us see to Hermione."
They walked over to where she lay, quiet and still.
"She…looks…I can't even tell if she's…breathing," Harry looked at his best friend's pale face with concern.
"How…how do we wake her up?" Sirius asked.
"We can't," Dumbledore said, moving a lock of hair away from her face. "She is alive and unhurt but she must find her own way back to us,"
"You don't think…" Severus looked apprehensive as he joined the group and watched Harry pick her up.
"I do not believe so, Severus," the Headmaster smiled. "I believe she will be fine."
"What about Voldemort?" Sirius asked in a venomous voice.
"He will be brought to Azkaban. The Ministry of Magic will be delighted and I am sure you will all receive an Order of Merlin – First Class," the older wizard replied in a calm voice.
"Bloody hell," Ron exclaimed. "I don't care about that. I just want to know that Hermione and Remus are all right."
"Thank you for your concern," Severus smirked sarcastically, grimacing at the pain from his damaged body. Margot looked at him in concern.
"How typically Snape," Harry laughed. "I'm glad to see you're all right. We wouldn't want the next batch of first years to have it too easy at Hogwarts now, would we?"
"How typically Potter," Severus quipped. "It is common knowledge that I am a fair, equitable and respected professor."
Ron was suddenly overcome by a coughing fit that sounded rather suspicious.
"Who also happens to have kept a secret from all of us," Sirius drawled. "Not good at transfiguration, eh? I didn't know you were an unregistered animagus."
"No one did," replied Margot, tearing at the hem of her robe to make a tourniquet for a badly bleeding wound on Severus left arm. "We thought it might be best to keep it a secret. I'm sorry, Headmaster…we hope you are not disappointed with us."
Dumbledore chuckled. "Absolutely not, my dear. Although I am certain that Harry and Ron would have lost many Galleons if they had made a wager on Severus' animagus form."
"Yeah," Ron agreed. "I would have bet he'd turn out to be a snake."
"Or a raven," Harry offered, shifting Hermione slightly in his arms.
"Or a black cat," Sirius grinned.
And Severus did something he had never done before in his entire life.
He stuck his tongue out at them.
And everyone laughed…because it was finally over.
"Now, now…there is business to attend to," Dumbledore interrupted, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "Harry, bring Hermione directly to the Hogwarts infirmary. Yours is the fastest broom and she requires Poppy's expert care. Ron, levitate Wormtail's body and bring it to the morgue at the Ministry of Magic. Notify your father that Wormtail is dead and that he is required at Azkaban for the arraignment of Voldemort. Sirius, you will bring Remus to the Hogwarts infirmary. He will not wake up until the morning so he may stay there for Poppy to watch over. When he transforms back, she will dress his wounds and wait for him to regain consciousness. I will accompany the Dark Lord to Azkaban and turn him over to the proper authorities. Margot…his wand, if you will."
Margot walked over and picked up the seemingly innocent wand lying on the ground. She held it between her thumb and forefinger as if to have as little contact as possible with it. Dumbledore took the wand and looked at it for several moments.
"Harry…I believe that it is for you to do what you know you must," the older man held out the wand to Harry who put Hermione down for a moment on the newly upright table in order to take it.
"I hope the Dementor chokes on his rotten soul for what he did to my family. Let Azkaban house his remains," Harry said grimly before snapping the wand in two. A rush of wind suddenly whipped through the room and broke the small window near the ceiling…rushing out with a mournful sigh. It left everyone inside rather shaken.
"Come on Harry. Hermione needs to get back to Hogwarts," Ron urged his friend. Harry nodded and, with a quick spell, burned the two pieces of the wand that, so many years earlier, had marked Harry for unsought greatness.
Picking up Hermione once again, Harry turned to Dumbledore and smiled. "I guess I can just play Quidditch for a while, can't I?"
"Yes, dear boy, you certainly may," the older wizard smiled.
"And Potter?" Severus called authoritatively. Harry turned around with a quizzical expression on his face.
"Yes?"
"Do try to win us the World Cup…it's been such a long time since England has had anything to cheer about," the Potions Master smiled.
Harry's eyes widened in shock and he turned to Ron in amused surprise.
"Absolutely," Harry grinned before following Ron up the stairs and out of the accursed manor, the corpse of Wormtail floating after them.
Sirius walked over to the sleeping werewolf and levitated him carefully, not wanting to reopen any wounds that had begun to heal. His heart sank as he watched the continued dripping of blood and he hurried out of the room to get him to the capable hands of Madam Pomfrey as quickly as possible.
"Margot, you will accompany Severus to the infirmary. Despite his vigorous protestations to the contrary, he requires some medical attention as well," Dumbledore smiled as Severus sulked.
Margot laughed. "I plan on not letting him out of my sight ever again, dear Headmaster." She linked her arm through Severus' and held him tightly.
"What about Lucius?" Severus asked. "He is unconscious at Malfoy Manor, under the influence of a Sonniferum potion…dressed in full Death Eater regalia."
"How convenient," Dumbledore chuckled. "Really, you thought of everything. I will ensure that Arthur is the one to pick him up…he has been itching to bring Lucius in for many years. Now, I must be off…I have a prisoner to escort." Dumbledore waved his wand and a sparkling violet mist wrapped itself around the still form of the Dark Lord, entombing him. The older wizard walked through the door with his unconscious captive and up the stairs, leaving Severus and Margot alone.
"You frightened me, Severus," Margot whispered, a suspicious sparkle in her eyes. "I thought, for a moment…"
But she found herself unable to continue as Severus suddenly pressed his lips against hers.