Disclaimer: These characters and the world they inhabit are the creation of
JK Rowling. I merely borrow them for my own amusement. The idea for this
fic came from a posting by Pippin 999 on the "HP for Grown-Ups" group on
Yahoo.
Note: Implied SB/RL slash. R for language.
The Best Laid Plans
Absently chewing his fingernails, Peter Pettigrew waited nervously for his friends. What was taking them so long? Quidditch practice should have ended a long time ago. The blond boy's anxiety ratcheted up a few notches.
A peal of laughter reverberated around the corner and down the stone hallway, followed by James Potter's voice raised in exasperated denial. "Sirius, I did no such thing and you know it!" More laughter.
Peter bolted from his hiding place and shot down the corridor to meet his friends. "Hey, Peter," Sirius Black's cheerful voice greeted him. "You should have come to watch practice. James made a complete ass of himself." James cuffed the side of his best friend's head.
"Listen to me," Peter blurted out. He stood rigidly in front of them, his smaller stature taking on a surprisingly commanding air. It grabbed everyone's attention.
"What's up?" James asked cautiously.
Peter jerked his head towards an empty classroom, and the four boys filed in. His agitation obvious, Peter spoke. "While you guys were at practice, I went to Flitwick's office to hand in that extra credit scroll. On my way back, I went up the staircase near the Charms classroom. Just before I got to the top I heard Snape talking to someone. I heard him say 'Lupin's hiding a very big secret and I think I know what it is.' And then he said he'd have proof in less than a week."
James snapped, "What!?" Sirius hissed in a deep breath. Remus made no sound but went absolutely still.
Peter continued. "So, I transformed, slipped around the corner and hid behind that statue of Agrippa. Snape was talking to Avery and Lestrange. They wanted him to tell them what he knew, but all he said was that he'd noticed things about Remus and had done some research. And, now he's ready to get final proof and that will be enough to get Remus expelled, and maybe us, too."
"That bastard!" Sirius snarled. "If he tries anything I'll-"
They all started talking at once. Sirius fumed, James sputtered and Peter fretted. Remus said nothing. He moved to the window, his back to his friends. Sirius immediately went silent and crossed the room to him. His arm curved protectively around Remus' shoulders. "We'll figure something out. Snape may think he knows, but he's not completely sure or he'd be yelling it from the top of the Astronomy Tower. We'll stop that prick, Remus, and make sure he backs down for good."
Remus leaned into Sirius' chest, his eyes cast down. Sirius placed a gentle kiss on Remus' temple. "I promise you."
"Right," Peter piped up. "We've gotten the best of Snape and his foul friends before. We'll outwit them again."
"All we need is a plan." James mused, his dark blue eyes focused on something far away. They could practically hear the wheels whirring in his brain.
They headed silently back towards the Gryffindor common room. Halfway there, Sirius blurted out, "Wait a minute!" He skidded to a halt, causing them all to jostle and bump into each other. He looked sternly at each of them in turn. "We can't mope and creep around like a bunch of whipped dogs. We're going to figure something out, and until we do, we act as normal as possible. No Slytherin is going to make us run scared, right?"
James and Peter grinned their agreement. "Right!"
Remus couldn't help but smile at them. If Sirius proposed jumping off the roof, James would go along with him, offering refinements to the jump to avoid getting killed. But, he'd jump anyway, if only out of loyalty to the friend he had known all his life. Peter would join them in the jump because he always trusted that, even if James and Sirius had no clue of what they were doing, they'd still find a way to make it work.
So the boys hid their worry and, to outward appearances, nothing seemed wrong. However, Remus couldn't ignore the cold stone in the pit of his stomach. For the next few nights, as the four came no closer to figuring out a plan, it took Remus a long time to fall asleep, even with Sirius' comforting form nestled next to him.
Sleep provided no escape from his worries. His dreams were filled with blood. Moony broke free past all restraints and, maddened by his lust for human flesh, relentlessly chased down his prey. His slashing teeth sliced into the back of a leg, bringing down the person who tried fruitlessly to outrun him. The blood flowed into his slavering jaws and, with savage delight, Moony tore great hunks of meat from the twisting, shrieking victim.
Bones cracked, guts spilled as the wolf began feeding while his prey still lived, still squirmed helplessly to escape him. Agonized screams filled the air. Moony wrestled the human over and howled in triumph. He watched the blood flow freely into the thick, black hair until the light of life faded from the blue-gray eyes.
Remus' snapped to wakefulness. He hadn't had that nightmare in a long time. Now it was back, disturbing him deeply. Quietly, he rose from the bed, wrapped himself in a bathrobe and headed for the common room. He stared into the fire while he tried to smother the fear that his world was about to crumble. Then, his sharp ears caught the sound of footsteps.
Sirius appeared, charmingly sleep-tousled. The foggy look in his eyes dissipated, like early morning haze driven off by the rising sun. "Did you sleep at all or have you been lying awake, worrying about Snape?"
Remus briefly considered lying, but he didn't have the energy to do it convincingly. He'd only end up as the target for Sirius' relentless questioning. His lover knew him very well. It was an oddly comforting thought.
"I slept, but not well."
Sirius came to sit next to him, gathering both of Remus' cold hands into his warm grasp.
"Put it out of your mind, Remus. We'll sort Snape, and this will all be over."
With a flash of clarity as hard and brilliant as a diamond, Remus realized how naïve Sirius' assurances were. Some of his feelings showed on his face, as Sirius stared hard at him. "What are you thinking, Re?"
Remus sighed. "This is my life, Sirius. This is what I'll have to deal with, for the rest of my life. I'll always worry that someone will figure it out. And every time someone does, then that will be one more person who can tell other people I'm a werewolf. Even now, I'm not safe. At any moment, Snape can start whispering his suspicions and everyone will know. And, if not him, then someone else could say something and-"
"Stop! You're in your sixth year and there's never been a hint that anyone knows. Except us, but we live with you. We'd have to have been thick as planks not to figure it out."
"You don't understand." Remus whined in frustration, something he rarely did. That fact alone was enough to increase Sirius' concern. "My greatest fear is that I'll kill someone I love. My next greatest fear is that I'll bite someone and sentence them to this curse. And my third greatest fear is that people will find out about me. That I'll find happiness and acceptance and then I'll be driven away, because people will discover I'm a beast. A monster."
Sirius drew breath to remonstrate, but Remus held up a silencing hand. "Don't, Sirius. Don't. I know what you're going to say. And you're wrong. In the eyes of the law, in the opinion of the whole world, I'm not human. And, no matter how much you love me, you can't change that."
Loss of words was not an affliction that Sirius Black often suffered. But this time Remus stopped him cold. He had nothing to say to refute his lover's bleak thoughts. And it shamed him. Sirius possessed endless exuberance and boundless enthusiasm. He had absolute faith in their collective cleverness to solve any problem. Well, that was child's play; games and fantasies.
With a sinking desperation, Sirius felt he'd never grow up. He'd never be as mature as Remus already was. It had never mattered to him that Remus was a werewolf. In Sirius' eyes, it was an accident, outside of Remus' control, the same way that Sirius felt his own good looks were merely the result of a genetic gamble. In the long run, neither mattered. Except, as he was beginning to understand, it was so much more profound than that. But, being the determined person he was, Sirius would not give up.
And, the depth of Sirius' devotion was something Remus was beginning to see in a new light. He watched Sirius marshal his thoughts carefully. With a solemn tone Sirius finally spoke. "I can't know how hard this is for you. But, remember, when you came here, you didn't think you'd ever have any friends. And now you have a lot of them, including three who know your secret. Plus, name one professor who doesn't adore you. And they all know your secret, too. Maybe they worried about having a werewolf at Hogwarts when you first arrived. I don't know. But, I bet you any amount of money that they don't even think about it anymore. You're a smart, dedicated student and they love teaching you." He sighed. "All I'm saying is that, in spite of the fear people have about werewolves, some of them will always accept you. And love you."
Remus still felt that he was climbing a huge, treacherous mountain in the dark, trying to avoid the deadly cliffs and icy crevasses that suddenly yawned at his feet. But, now he felt he wasn't climbing alone. It didn't lessen the danger, but it made it easier to bear. He reached out to run his fingers through Sirius' silky, black locks.
"You're with me, no matter what, aren't you?" It was more statement than question.
"Yeah. You're stuck with me, Moony." Sirius pulled Remus closer and kissed him. "It's late, love. Come back to bed."
~*~*~*~*~*~
As the full moon approached, the four friends developed and discarded plan after plan in their increasingly frenzied effort to thwart Snape. All of them tried to ignore their rising desperation.
Finally one evening, as they gathered in their dorm room for another brain- storming session, James paced energetically back and forth. The others left him alone, seeing the tell-tale look on his face that said he was hot on the trail of an idea and needed some time to think about it. He stopped suddenly, a calculating look in his blue eyes. "We've been thinking about how to keep Snape away from Remus. That's a mistake."
The others looked at him as if he'd started speaking gibberish.
"Think about it." James urged. "We've been trying to do exactly that for years and he always slithers back. What we've got to do is get him to do something so awful to us that *he'll* be in danger of being expelled. Then, we make a deal with Dumbledore. Convince Dumbledore that Snape knows about Remus and will tell the whole world if he's expelled. We persuade Dumbledore to allow Snape to stay, but only on the condition that he keeps quiet about Remus."
Silence settled like a blanket around them as they mulled this over. Finally, Peter spoke up. "What do we get him to do? Use an Unforgivable Curse on someone?"
Sirius grinned coldly. "I'm sure he'd love to Crucio me and it would be worth the pain to protect Remus."
The direction their comments were taking started to alarm Remus. "An Unforgivable is too much. He'd be sent to Azkaban."
"So what?" James interjected unsympathetically. "Do you think he wouldn't love to see *you* hauled off there?"
Remus shook his head. "You're missing my point. Using an Unforgivable might put it out of Dumbledore's hands and into the Ministry of Magic's. Snape would still be able to destroy me. Besides, he's too subtle. He won't imperil himself. This won't work."
Sirius had sat staring at Remus as he spoke. His posture slowly straightened and his eyes took on a hard glint. "You're right, James. Keeping Snape away won't work. And you're right, too, Remus. Putting all the onus on Snape won't enforce his silence. What we have to do," he paused, looking at each of them in turn, "is make sure he finds Moony."
Remus' stomach dropped to the floor. "You want to expose me?! What's wrong with you?"
Sirius held up his hand. "Just listen. On the next full moon, I tell Snape how to get past the Willow. I'll challenge him somehow so he'll feel compelled to go in. He'll start creeping through the tunnel. Then, James and Peter go into action. Peter runs to Dumbledore, telling him that I sent Snape into the tunnel in a fit of anger. James follows Snape, who by this time is close enough to the Shack to hear Moony. He'll be terrified. And, even if he's not, James can make a lot of noise, warning him of his danger. Moony will hear the commotion and will start howling like crazy, wanting to get at them. James hauls Snape out, 'rescues' Snape from the werewolf. I'm waiting outside the Willow. Peter and Dumbledore show up. I'm now in deep trouble, but my excuse is that I was so mad at Snape always trying to get us in trouble that I finally snapped and tried to scare the living shit out of him."
"So, you're using me as the weapon in this scenario?" Remus tried to grasp this, tried to ignore the anger and hurt and confusion Sirius had stirred up.
"No, you're not the weapon." Sirius shook his head and struggled to find a clearer way to describe his thoughts.
James had warmed to the idea and, as usual, had intuitively understood Sirius' thought processes. "No, Remus. You're really the victim here. All of this takes place without your knowledge. But, now Dumbledore will know that Snape's discovered your secret. He'll have to ensure more protection for you from Snape. And we can make sure Dumbledore realizes how worried we are that Snape might tell. Sirius will get some sort of punishment-"
"He'll get expelled!" Peter exclaimed.
Sirius shook his head. "No, I don't think so. The school would have to provide a reason why to my parents. Even if they said something vague about my behavior, my parents would be up here in a flash screaming about it. Hogwarts couldn't very well say I was being expelled for sending Snape to meet a werewolf. That would jeopardize Remus for something he had no part of. Dumbledore wouldn't do that."
"Right." James said. Thoughtfully, he summarized their thinking. "Sirius pitches a fit at Snape and impulsively shows him how to get into the tunnel. He mentions this to Peter and me. We see he's very angry, but we're also appalled at what might happen. We involve Dumbledore. Dumbledore punishes Sirius. But, he'll also make sure that Snape won't tell anyone about Moony, because none of this is Remus' fault. It's once again a Snape/Sirius thing." He nodded. "This could work."
Peter piped up. "Maybe I could get Snape to follow me into the Willow, so it won't look so deliberate on Sirius' part."
James was dismissive. "He'd never go for that. You're not as much of a challenge to him as Sirius is."
Sirius added, "And you can't be the rescuer because Snape wouldn't trust you to carry it off."
Remus was still worried about this whole idea, but he agreed with James and Sirius on this point. "Peter, they're right. Dashing to get Dumbledore would be seen by both Snape and Dumbledore as a very Peter-like thing to do."
Peter gave up. None of the others noticed the flash of resentful anger in his eyes.
They spent the rest of the evening perfecting their plan. But, despite all their preparations, Remus went to bed feeling very uneasy.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sirius lived with the Marauders Map for the days leading up to the full moon. Every time he saw Snape moving through the school alone, Sirius intercepted him, but made it look accidental. He used each encounter to rile Snape, but always with a hint of desperation in his attitude. He constantly brought Remus' name into their antagonistic conversations, acting both possessive and protective, angrily warning Snape to stay away from Remus. For his part, Snape was annoyed at Sirius' constant intrusions, but pleased that his handsome Gryffindor enemy was apparently rattled. It made him that much more eager to get his proof of Remus' lycanthropy.
By the day of the full moon, the friction between the two was a spark away from exploding. As night fell, Sirius watched the Map. Finally, he saw Snape wandering outside the castle, searching for Remus. Sirius moved outside and waited for Snape around the corner of the building.
As the lean Slytherin silently walked by, Sirius growled threateningly, "Out for an evening stroll?"
Snape jumped. "Damn you, Black! Quit following me around!"
"Can't help it, Sevvie. Someone's got to keep an eye on you."
"Fuck off! You're shaking in your boots because you're worried about your little fuck toy, Lupin. Well, you should be."
"Remus? I'm not worried about Remus. He can take care of himself. He can certainly take care of slithering, slimy snakes like you."
"Is that why you like him so much, Black? Because he's such a brave, little Gryffindor slut?"
"He's braver than you, certainly. He doesn't hide in the bushes from his enemies. You think you're so tough." Sirius spat in contempt. "You don't have the guts to take anyone on, unless you can attack them from ambush. You won't fight out in the open. No, that's too dangerous for young Snapey. Instead, you cloak yourself in your sneering contempt, because you don't have the balls to challenge anyone to their face."
"As usual, you're blowing smoke, Black." Snape said in clipped tones, his hand twitching near his wand.
Sirius tensed, his eyes narrowing. "Yeah? Then prove me wrong, Snape. Come with me and I'll show you where Remus is."
"Are you sure that's wise, Siri?" Snape said with mock tenderness. "Can you trust your bitch alone with me?"
Sirius started, as if he was smothering the desire to punch Snape's lights out. Then, with a sneer he turned and strode towards the Willow, Snape following in his footsteps. The newly risen moon lighted their way.
Arriving at the Willow, Sirius grabbed a long branch lying on the ground and poked at the knot at the base of the tree. The branches froze and an entry way appeared. Sirius smirked at Snape. "Well, Sev? That's where he goes. Follow him, if you've got the guts." He turned and walked away, not glancing back. Turning the corner of the castle, Sirius pulled out the Map. Snape had disappeared. He had taken the bait.
Sirius sprinted to where James and Peter waited. "He's in!" The three boys shot off in all directions to bring their plan to fruition.
TBC
Note: Implied SB/RL slash. R for language.
The Best Laid Plans
Absently chewing his fingernails, Peter Pettigrew waited nervously for his friends. What was taking them so long? Quidditch practice should have ended a long time ago. The blond boy's anxiety ratcheted up a few notches.
A peal of laughter reverberated around the corner and down the stone hallway, followed by James Potter's voice raised in exasperated denial. "Sirius, I did no such thing and you know it!" More laughter.
Peter bolted from his hiding place and shot down the corridor to meet his friends. "Hey, Peter," Sirius Black's cheerful voice greeted him. "You should have come to watch practice. James made a complete ass of himself." James cuffed the side of his best friend's head.
"Listen to me," Peter blurted out. He stood rigidly in front of them, his smaller stature taking on a surprisingly commanding air. It grabbed everyone's attention.
"What's up?" James asked cautiously.
Peter jerked his head towards an empty classroom, and the four boys filed in. His agitation obvious, Peter spoke. "While you guys were at practice, I went to Flitwick's office to hand in that extra credit scroll. On my way back, I went up the staircase near the Charms classroom. Just before I got to the top I heard Snape talking to someone. I heard him say 'Lupin's hiding a very big secret and I think I know what it is.' And then he said he'd have proof in less than a week."
James snapped, "What!?" Sirius hissed in a deep breath. Remus made no sound but went absolutely still.
Peter continued. "So, I transformed, slipped around the corner and hid behind that statue of Agrippa. Snape was talking to Avery and Lestrange. They wanted him to tell them what he knew, but all he said was that he'd noticed things about Remus and had done some research. And, now he's ready to get final proof and that will be enough to get Remus expelled, and maybe us, too."
"That bastard!" Sirius snarled. "If he tries anything I'll-"
They all started talking at once. Sirius fumed, James sputtered and Peter fretted. Remus said nothing. He moved to the window, his back to his friends. Sirius immediately went silent and crossed the room to him. His arm curved protectively around Remus' shoulders. "We'll figure something out. Snape may think he knows, but he's not completely sure or he'd be yelling it from the top of the Astronomy Tower. We'll stop that prick, Remus, and make sure he backs down for good."
Remus leaned into Sirius' chest, his eyes cast down. Sirius placed a gentle kiss on Remus' temple. "I promise you."
"Right," Peter piped up. "We've gotten the best of Snape and his foul friends before. We'll outwit them again."
"All we need is a plan." James mused, his dark blue eyes focused on something far away. They could practically hear the wheels whirring in his brain.
They headed silently back towards the Gryffindor common room. Halfway there, Sirius blurted out, "Wait a minute!" He skidded to a halt, causing them all to jostle and bump into each other. He looked sternly at each of them in turn. "We can't mope and creep around like a bunch of whipped dogs. We're going to figure something out, and until we do, we act as normal as possible. No Slytherin is going to make us run scared, right?"
James and Peter grinned their agreement. "Right!"
Remus couldn't help but smile at them. If Sirius proposed jumping off the roof, James would go along with him, offering refinements to the jump to avoid getting killed. But, he'd jump anyway, if only out of loyalty to the friend he had known all his life. Peter would join them in the jump because he always trusted that, even if James and Sirius had no clue of what they were doing, they'd still find a way to make it work.
So the boys hid their worry and, to outward appearances, nothing seemed wrong. However, Remus couldn't ignore the cold stone in the pit of his stomach. For the next few nights, as the four came no closer to figuring out a plan, it took Remus a long time to fall asleep, even with Sirius' comforting form nestled next to him.
Sleep provided no escape from his worries. His dreams were filled with blood. Moony broke free past all restraints and, maddened by his lust for human flesh, relentlessly chased down his prey. His slashing teeth sliced into the back of a leg, bringing down the person who tried fruitlessly to outrun him. The blood flowed into his slavering jaws and, with savage delight, Moony tore great hunks of meat from the twisting, shrieking victim.
Bones cracked, guts spilled as the wolf began feeding while his prey still lived, still squirmed helplessly to escape him. Agonized screams filled the air. Moony wrestled the human over and howled in triumph. He watched the blood flow freely into the thick, black hair until the light of life faded from the blue-gray eyes.
Remus' snapped to wakefulness. He hadn't had that nightmare in a long time. Now it was back, disturbing him deeply. Quietly, he rose from the bed, wrapped himself in a bathrobe and headed for the common room. He stared into the fire while he tried to smother the fear that his world was about to crumble. Then, his sharp ears caught the sound of footsteps.
Sirius appeared, charmingly sleep-tousled. The foggy look in his eyes dissipated, like early morning haze driven off by the rising sun. "Did you sleep at all or have you been lying awake, worrying about Snape?"
Remus briefly considered lying, but he didn't have the energy to do it convincingly. He'd only end up as the target for Sirius' relentless questioning. His lover knew him very well. It was an oddly comforting thought.
"I slept, but not well."
Sirius came to sit next to him, gathering both of Remus' cold hands into his warm grasp.
"Put it out of your mind, Remus. We'll sort Snape, and this will all be over."
With a flash of clarity as hard and brilliant as a diamond, Remus realized how naïve Sirius' assurances were. Some of his feelings showed on his face, as Sirius stared hard at him. "What are you thinking, Re?"
Remus sighed. "This is my life, Sirius. This is what I'll have to deal with, for the rest of my life. I'll always worry that someone will figure it out. And every time someone does, then that will be one more person who can tell other people I'm a werewolf. Even now, I'm not safe. At any moment, Snape can start whispering his suspicions and everyone will know. And, if not him, then someone else could say something and-"
"Stop! You're in your sixth year and there's never been a hint that anyone knows. Except us, but we live with you. We'd have to have been thick as planks not to figure it out."
"You don't understand." Remus whined in frustration, something he rarely did. That fact alone was enough to increase Sirius' concern. "My greatest fear is that I'll kill someone I love. My next greatest fear is that I'll bite someone and sentence them to this curse. And my third greatest fear is that people will find out about me. That I'll find happiness and acceptance and then I'll be driven away, because people will discover I'm a beast. A monster."
Sirius drew breath to remonstrate, but Remus held up a silencing hand. "Don't, Sirius. Don't. I know what you're going to say. And you're wrong. In the eyes of the law, in the opinion of the whole world, I'm not human. And, no matter how much you love me, you can't change that."
Loss of words was not an affliction that Sirius Black often suffered. But this time Remus stopped him cold. He had nothing to say to refute his lover's bleak thoughts. And it shamed him. Sirius possessed endless exuberance and boundless enthusiasm. He had absolute faith in their collective cleverness to solve any problem. Well, that was child's play; games and fantasies.
With a sinking desperation, Sirius felt he'd never grow up. He'd never be as mature as Remus already was. It had never mattered to him that Remus was a werewolf. In Sirius' eyes, it was an accident, outside of Remus' control, the same way that Sirius felt his own good looks were merely the result of a genetic gamble. In the long run, neither mattered. Except, as he was beginning to understand, it was so much more profound than that. But, being the determined person he was, Sirius would not give up.
And, the depth of Sirius' devotion was something Remus was beginning to see in a new light. He watched Sirius marshal his thoughts carefully. With a solemn tone Sirius finally spoke. "I can't know how hard this is for you. But, remember, when you came here, you didn't think you'd ever have any friends. And now you have a lot of them, including three who know your secret. Plus, name one professor who doesn't adore you. And they all know your secret, too. Maybe they worried about having a werewolf at Hogwarts when you first arrived. I don't know. But, I bet you any amount of money that they don't even think about it anymore. You're a smart, dedicated student and they love teaching you." He sighed. "All I'm saying is that, in spite of the fear people have about werewolves, some of them will always accept you. And love you."
Remus still felt that he was climbing a huge, treacherous mountain in the dark, trying to avoid the deadly cliffs and icy crevasses that suddenly yawned at his feet. But, now he felt he wasn't climbing alone. It didn't lessen the danger, but it made it easier to bear. He reached out to run his fingers through Sirius' silky, black locks.
"You're with me, no matter what, aren't you?" It was more statement than question.
"Yeah. You're stuck with me, Moony." Sirius pulled Remus closer and kissed him. "It's late, love. Come back to bed."
~*~*~*~*~*~
As the full moon approached, the four friends developed and discarded plan after plan in their increasingly frenzied effort to thwart Snape. All of them tried to ignore their rising desperation.
Finally one evening, as they gathered in their dorm room for another brain- storming session, James paced energetically back and forth. The others left him alone, seeing the tell-tale look on his face that said he was hot on the trail of an idea and needed some time to think about it. He stopped suddenly, a calculating look in his blue eyes. "We've been thinking about how to keep Snape away from Remus. That's a mistake."
The others looked at him as if he'd started speaking gibberish.
"Think about it." James urged. "We've been trying to do exactly that for years and he always slithers back. What we've got to do is get him to do something so awful to us that *he'll* be in danger of being expelled. Then, we make a deal with Dumbledore. Convince Dumbledore that Snape knows about Remus and will tell the whole world if he's expelled. We persuade Dumbledore to allow Snape to stay, but only on the condition that he keeps quiet about Remus."
Silence settled like a blanket around them as they mulled this over. Finally, Peter spoke up. "What do we get him to do? Use an Unforgivable Curse on someone?"
Sirius grinned coldly. "I'm sure he'd love to Crucio me and it would be worth the pain to protect Remus."
The direction their comments were taking started to alarm Remus. "An Unforgivable is too much. He'd be sent to Azkaban."
"So what?" James interjected unsympathetically. "Do you think he wouldn't love to see *you* hauled off there?"
Remus shook his head. "You're missing my point. Using an Unforgivable might put it out of Dumbledore's hands and into the Ministry of Magic's. Snape would still be able to destroy me. Besides, he's too subtle. He won't imperil himself. This won't work."
Sirius had sat staring at Remus as he spoke. His posture slowly straightened and his eyes took on a hard glint. "You're right, James. Keeping Snape away won't work. And you're right, too, Remus. Putting all the onus on Snape won't enforce his silence. What we have to do," he paused, looking at each of them in turn, "is make sure he finds Moony."
Remus' stomach dropped to the floor. "You want to expose me?! What's wrong with you?"
Sirius held up his hand. "Just listen. On the next full moon, I tell Snape how to get past the Willow. I'll challenge him somehow so he'll feel compelled to go in. He'll start creeping through the tunnel. Then, James and Peter go into action. Peter runs to Dumbledore, telling him that I sent Snape into the tunnel in a fit of anger. James follows Snape, who by this time is close enough to the Shack to hear Moony. He'll be terrified. And, even if he's not, James can make a lot of noise, warning him of his danger. Moony will hear the commotion and will start howling like crazy, wanting to get at them. James hauls Snape out, 'rescues' Snape from the werewolf. I'm waiting outside the Willow. Peter and Dumbledore show up. I'm now in deep trouble, but my excuse is that I was so mad at Snape always trying to get us in trouble that I finally snapped and tried to scare the living shit out of him."
"So, you're using me as the weapon in this scenario?" Remus tried to grasp this, tried to ignore the anger and hurt and confusion Sirius had stirred up.
"No, you're not the weapon." Sirius shook his head and struggled to find a clearer way to describe his thoughts.
James had warmed to the idea and, as usual, had intuitively understood Sirius' thought processes. "No, Remus. You're really the victim here. All of this takes place without your knowledge. But, now Dumbledore will know that Snape's discovered your secret. He'll have to ensure more protection for you from Snape. And we can make sure Dumbledore realizes how worried we are that Snape might tell. Sirius will get some sort of punishment-"
"He'll get expelled!" Peter exclaimed.
Sirius shook his head. "No, I don't think so. The school would have to provide a reason why to my parents. Even if they said something vague about my behavior, my parents would be up here in a flash screaming about it. Hogwarts couldn't very well say I was being expelled for sending Snape to meet a werewolf. That would jeopardize Remus for something he had no part of. Dumbledore wouldn't do that."
"Right." James said. Thoughtfully, he summarized their thinking. "Sirius pitches a fit at Snape and impulsively shows him how to get into the tunnel. He mentions this to Peter and me. We see he's very angry, but we're also appalled at what might happen. We involve Dumbledore. Dumbledore punishes Sirius. But, he'll also make sure that Snape won't tell anyone about Moony, because none of this is Remus' fault. It's once again a Snape/Sirius thing." He nodded. "This could work."
Peter piped up. "Maybe I could get Snape to follow me into the Willow, so it won't look so deliberate on Sirius' part."
James was dismissive. "He'd never go for that. You're not as much of a challenge to him as Sirius is."
Sirius added, "And you can't be the rescuer because Snape wouldn't trust you to carry it off."
Remus was still worried about this whole idea, but he agreed with James and Sirius on this point. "Peter, they're right. Dashing to get Dumbledore would be seen by both Snape and Dumbledore as a very Peter-like thing to do."
Peter gave up. None of the others noticed the flash of resentful anger in his eyes.
They spent the rest of the evening perfecting their plan. But, despite all their preparations, Remus went to bed feeling very uneasy.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sirius lived with the Marauders Map for the days leading up to the full moon. Every time he saw Snape moving through the school alone, Sirius intercepted him, but made it look accidental. He used each encounter to rile Snape, but always with a hint of desperation in his attitude. He constantly brought Remus' name into their antagonistic conversations, acting both possessive and protective, angrily warning Snape to stay away from Remus. For his part, Snape was annoyed at Sirius' constant intrusions, but pleased that his handsome Gryffindor enemy was apparently rattled. It made him that much more eager to get his proof of Remus' lycanthropy.
By the day of the full moon, the friction between the two was a spark away from exploding. As night fell, Sirius watched the Map. Finally, he saw Snape wandering outside the castle, searching for Remus. Sirius moved outside and waited for Snape around the corner of the building.
As the lean Slytherin silently walked by, Sirius growled threateningly, "Out for an evening stroll?"
Snape jumped. "Damn you, Black! Quit following me around!"
"Can't help it, Sevvie. Someone's got to keep an eye on you."
"Fuck off! You're shaking in your boots because you're worried about your little fuck toy, Lupin. Well, you should be."
"Remus? I'm not worried about Remus. He can take care of himself. He can certainly take care of slithering, slimy snakes like you."
"Is that why you like him so much, Black? Because he's such a brave, little Gryffindor slut?"
"He's braver than you, certainly. He doesn't hide in the bushes from his enemies. You think you're so tough." Sirius spat in contempt. "You don't have the guts to take anyone on, unless you can attack them from ambush. You won't fight out in the open. No, that's too dangerous for young Snapey. Instead, you cloak yourself in your sneering contempt, because you don't have the balls to challenge anyone to their face."
"As usual, you're blowing smoke, Black." Snape said in clipped tones, his hand twitching near his wand.
Sirius tensed, his eyes narrowing. "Yeah? Then prove me wrong, Snape. Come with me and I'll show you where Remus is."
"Are you sure that's wise, Siri?" Snape said with mock tenderness. "Can you trust your bitch alone with me?"
Sirius started, as if he was smothering the desire to punch Snape's lights out. Then, with a sneer he turned and strode towards the Willow, Snape following in his footsteps. The newly risen moon lighted their way.
Arriving at the Willow, Sirius grabbed a long branch lying on the ground and poked at the knot at the base of the tree. The branches froze and an entry way appeared. Sirius smirked at Snape. "Well, Sev? That's where he goes. Follow him, if you've got the guts." He turned and walked away, not glancing back. Turning the corner of the castle, Sirius pulled out the Map. Snape had disappeared. He had taken the bait.
Sirius sprinted to where James and Peter waited. "He's in!" The three boys shot off in all directions to bring their plan to fruition.
TBC