Title : of High School, Werewolves and Deadly Nightshade
Disclaimer: Yeah yeah…sure sure
Chapter Five: Puzzlement
In which we encounter a slight mystery
The month of November was drawing to a close, and the Marauders knew what THAT meant.
Remus stumbled as he walked through a corridor familiar to very few people. Hogwarts was a very large school, and it was easy enough to get lost or stranded without anyone ever finding you.
For Remus, this probably would not be a problem. He was on his way to Professor Dumbledore's office. He went to see the Deputy Headmaster at the end of every month, before each time he transformed. He knew every portrait, ghost and suit of armor that inhabited the corridors to the office, including the certain statue of a knight in stone armor.
Hogwarts SWW was, as any place full of magical activity is, a highly volatile and dangerous place. There was always the risk of intruders in the school. As such, the founders of the school had created the Guardians. They were not living creatures, but they were alive. They Guarded doors, passageways, offices and anything else that might need protection in the school. A suitable example would be the Fat Lady, a portrait that Guarded the Gryffindor Tower. The Deputy Headmaster's office was no different.
"Good evening, Sir Cadogan," said Remus politely.
The Door Guardian jerked awake, animated by the call of his name. "Well hello there, Master Lupin," he said.
Sir Cadogan, the real one, had been alive during the Middle Ages, and apparently had been very good friend to the Hogwarts Four, who had established the school and had the four Houses named after themselves. For unexplained reasons, there had not been a Cadogan House included. It seemed that Sir Cadogan, whose banner flew purple, had pulled out of the credits at the last moment. And so, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin honored him at the school, and representations of the Knight could be found in many places.
"Password?"
"Mud-toffee," said Remus evenly.
"Right you are, young Master, right you are," said the sculpture who stood three feet tall. "You may enter."
Sir Cadogan sank into a hole in the ground, allowing passage to Remus. As the student stepped over him, the guard cheerfully added, "You'll have to wait for the old man, He's with another student in the meeting room."
Remus was surprised. Professor Dumbledore had always given him first priority on these nights.
"Don't worry, she'll be out soonish."
"She?"
"That new girl. Belladonna Marten."
Now that was shocking. Remus had expected it to be one of the Marauders, not the Deadly Shrew. During the few days she had been at Hogwarts, she had proved insufferable. She was extreme in many ways; she kept to herself, brushed away all offers at company- 'More like slapped away', Remus thought-, never took part in anything and had been caught, unexpectedly, roaming the school after curfew. At least, that was what the Prefects had told everyone. Rumour had it that she was spending time with Severus Snape. In class, she paid enough attention, never did any work except, it seemed, out of boredom. She never showed up for class if she 'had something to do'. Nobody knew the nature of that something. Her exams? Empty sheets of paper. When questioned in class she answered out of convenience, naturally getting the answers correct at every turn. When she felt like it. If not, she had been seen leaving classes for almost no reason after glaring coldly at Professors and had a record of detentions almost matching Sirius', something that he was rather sour about. Boys were interested by her mystery, girls were jealous of it. But she practically lived in her own miserable, spiteful world. What was so special about her anyway?
Remus did not let it bother him. Every time he saw her he reminded himself that getting involved was surely asking for trouble. Instead, he began poking around the Deputy Headmaster's office. He had always been fascinated by the odds and ends that Professor Dumbledore chose to live with.
Fawkes, his red phoenix, was perched nearby. Remus walked over and began to stroke the bird's brilliant plumage.
"Hullo, Fawkes," he said fondly. Not many people, or as it were; animals, had the privilege of the phoenix's acquaintance, least of all students. Usually when his master had visitors, Fawkes would fly away to hunt or torture mice, or something equally unbeneficial. But he felt comfortable with Remus, and – he had come to learn – Lillian Evans. Nobody knew why.
With Remus, it was mainly owed to the fact that Fawkes delivered Professor Dumbledore's more personal or private letters, and Remus, being a werewolf and everything, was often on the receiving end of these letters. Contrary to popular belief, the Marauders were not at war with the Deputy Headmaster, or in fact most of the faculty at Hogwarts. Actually, they were almost on a first name basis with the 100 – something year old Potions teacher.
Fawkes' perch sat on a desk. On that desk was a letter from a woman named Rita Skeeter. Remus shuddered. He had known her. The woman had graduated from Hogwarts SWW a few years back, a Ravenclaw. Rita the Pita Skeeter was what she had been called, because she was, without doubt, the nosiest and most annoying gossip the school had known that age. She would stop at nothing, it seemed, to get whatever story she wanted, and she often resorted to getting it by means less than favourable. Even Aaron and Perdita disagreed with her principles, and that was enough said.
After scanning through half of the letter, Remus had put it down, disgusted. Nearby, a stack of letters that looked identical to the one he had just read were lying, unopened, next to what Remus recognized as a Pensieve. She must have been pestering or threatening the Professor for some reason or other. Remus did not want to know.
He was still looking for something to feed Fawkes with when the bird flew off his perch and landed on his master's hand.
"Professor Dumbledore!" he exclaimed. The old man greeted him.
Noticing that Professor Dumbledore was alone, he questioned, "Sir Cadogan told me that you were meeting with Miss Marten. Where is she?"
Their monthly meetings had to be absolutely private.
"I deemed it fit to inform Miss Marten of the alternative way out of my meeting room," said Professor Dunbledore.
Remus was taken aback. Hogwarts had dozens of secret passages, hidden corridors, and undiscovered chambers. No one student could say that he had seen the whole castle with the exception, it has been said, of Lord Voldemort. But that is not what concerned Remus. Being teenage boys, the Marauders had somehow discovered almost all of the passages Hogwarts had to offer. One such passage led from a painting Meeting Room of Professor Dumbledore to a network of tunnels, one of which led to a painting outside Gryffindor tower. It was an emergency escape if it needed to be. The Marauders had often used this passage and when they had been found out, they had been punished but let be with strictest confidence. Nobody, especially not the Deputy Headmaster was expected or allowed to divulge this sacred secret.
Remus opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it. Whatever he could think of to say would come out disrespectful and suspicious. The Marauders held Professor Dumbledore in the highest esteem and, therefore, had learned to trust every move he made.
Pushing aside his curiosity, he addressed Professor Dumbledore on a more serious subject.
"And your protégé?" he asked. "How goes his progress?"
His subject looked down.
"Severus seems to be getting closer, and I am sure that his project will be helped greatly by the assistance I have recently provided him with."
"Assistance, sir?" Remus asked, confused.
Outside, Fawkes cried a single crystal note. The sun was setting.
Professor Dumbledore cast a worried look at the window. "I have no doubt that all your questions will be answered in due time, Master Lupin," he said, a little rushed. "I cannot disclose that information just now as Fate evidently believes it the wrong course of action. At the moment, I believe you have a houseplant to attend to, hmm?"
There was a familiar twinkle in his eye as he nodded towards the window. Towards the Forbidden Forest.
Remus bowed and excused himself. All concerns immediately forgotten, he made a mad dash through the hidden tunnels to the Meeting Point outside the school.
During the periods when he turned into a wolf, at the sighting of the full moon, the Marauders would use their metamorphosing powers and accompany him through the night in animal form.
Just outside the school, there was a sentient tree known to all as the Whomping Willow. It was so named because it tended to attack anybody in its range with its branches, vines, roots and other limbs. Most people thought it was a menace or a Guardian of some sort to the school. After all, the Forbidden Forest was just beyond it, and it had only been planted very recently. Anybody who went near the 'Willow usually got a nasty beating and ended up in the infirmary or worse. There were no real records of any deaths caused by the tree but, nevertheless, stories were told, whispered 'conspirationally' to naïve First Years.
It so happened that there was a small knot on the 'Willow that acted as a trigger that would freeze and unfreeze the 'Willow, allowing perhaps a wolf-sized creature into a hidden tunnel. This tunnel led to an abandoned shack in Hogsmeade, the local wizarding village.
Naturally, all this had been constructed for Remus.
At the end of every month, the Marauders brought Remus here, because the walls of the Shack were locked, boarded and fused secure so that even a cursed werewolf could not escape and hurt any of the villagers.
These forays into the village were another reason that the Marauders were such a closely-knit group. Nobody could know this secret.
During these periods of time, Peter, being the smallest member of the group (in human and in Animage form) would freeze the tree while Sirius and James helped him through the tunnel.
When a werewolf was undergoing his monthly transformations, he or she would first get drowsy, falling into a stupor. This happened during twilight, the balance of the Day and Night worlds was represented by werewolves. Then, as the Light grew dimmer and the Dark grew stronger, the person would metamorphose into a wolf. When the full moon was completely clear, it awoke.
If anything went wrong, the stag and dog could hold Remus down, while Wormtail went for help.
Sometimes, when Moony was a little more self aware, the Marauders would take to roaming the Forbidden Forest. This evening, they had not planned to. As soon as Remus had reached his impatient friends outside the school, he had already begun to lose consciousness. By the time Wormtail had frozen the 'Willow, Remus had passed out.
"Buggering hell, Moony, you're putting on weight," said Sirius, shifting the body of his unconscious friend on his shoulder.
James and Peter were hastily opening up a little trapdoor, the entrance which the 'Willow Guarded.
"Sirius," snapped James, "This is not the time to play around. We've got exactly ten minutes at best to get him to the 'Shack."
At times like this, the house in Hogsmeade was haunted by wails, howls, screeches and other disorienting noises. This was why the villagers had named the house the Shrieking Shack.
"Ten?" said Sirius. "We only get five before he'"
A loud, almost familiar howl resounded through the multi-colored sky.
The Marauders' eyes immediately went to the sleeping figure they were in charge of.
"What the-" Peter began to say.
James cut it. "No time to worry about that now," he said grimly.
They dragged him through the tunnel as fast as they could. A meter or so short of the entrance to the 'Shack, the transition began.
Swearing, the rest of the group changed into their Animages.
Prongs, Padfoot and Wormtail were able to push the already awakening wolf bodily into the one roomed 'Shack.
They led themselves into the room and switched back to human form, relieved and rather proud of themselves for accomplishing their task successfully.
They were congratulating each other when a sharp gust of wind nearly knocked them off their feet.
James frowned. "Where did that come from?" he said.
Suddenly, they realized that there were only three of them. And the wind? Three wizards turned their heads simultaneously.
It had blown in from the rather large hole that occupied most of what had previously been the front wall.
Remus was loose in the village!
Panicking, they transformed again. They had never discussed this possible situation before, but they all innately knew what to do. Prongs and Padfoot set out at once to find their friend, and Wormtail flew on his feet back to Hogwarts.
A ghastly howl pierced the chilly night air.
Padfoot and Prongs looked at each other while running. Remus.
The next thing that happened terrified all who were in the vicinity that fateful night.
A second howl was voiced, a different howl that outdid the first ultimately. The second howl had send chills down the spines of stag and dog. It was not the voice they knew. It was more primal, more practiced. More experience.
For the third time, two wailing canine voices were aimed at Selene and at Luna, at the full moon.
Longer? More interesting I hope. Please rnr. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I love you I love you I love you.
Note: in this universe, I make up quite a lot of things…the Guardian thing for example, and here's another: when learning to be an Animagus, the magical person has to study and become fully acquainted with his Animal. That's why the Marauders have only one Animage capability each. And when one is in his Animal's form, he's called an Animage. Cool?
Heehee, sorry, its just my fancy. Make sure you review!!!!