THE QUEEN OF MY HEART

Chapter Twelve: The Horrible Trick

"Good morning, all," Snape greeted the marauders at the breakfast, uncharacteristically pleasant.

"What d'you want, Snape?" Sirius snapped.

"Oh, nothing," Snape smiled, "I just thought I ought to come over and say hi."

That wasn't convincing. Peter, James, Sirius, and Remus just stared at him with enmity.

"Move along, Snape," James advised, "if you know what's good for you."

"Alright, alright," Snape gave in. "You can't blame a guy for being polite."

Snape turned on his heals.

"Oh," he began, looking back at the marauders, "I did wonder about a strange instance I witnessed a few weeks ago. You see, one night, I was minding my own business-"

"Sure you were," Remus interrupted.

Ignoring this interruption, Snape went on, "I happened to look out my dormitory window when I saw the most unusual sight."

Remus stared in anxiety, hoping that Snape wasn't going to say what he thought he was.

"It seemed," Snape continued, looking thoughtful but barely smiling, "that Madam Epdac was helping someone around the caste outside. The person was groaning and thrashing. Don't you think that's odd?"

Sirius, Peter, and James glared at him.

"Another strange thing about this person," Snape mused, "was that he looked like someone I know."

"Maybe you were seeing yourself," Sirius blurted.

Snape ignored him and stood right behind Remus. Remus felt a chill as Snape's cold voice continued.

"You wouldn't know anything about this, would you, Lupin?"

Remus pushed his chair into Snape's gut and stood up. Snape made a sore face.

"I don't believe I know anything about any such person," Remus shouted.

"I'm sure you don't," Snape grumbled, smiling suspiciously.

Snape jerked around and stomped off toward the Slytherin table. Remus sat back down.

"Doesn't he have anything better to do?" Peter whined.

"Of course not," Sirius joked. "Snape doesn't have a life."

"Or friends," Remus added.

"He's too nosey for his own good," James stated. "He's going to get himself in trouble one of these days."

Sirius smiled imitating after hearing this comment. Remus suspected that he had something scathingly brilliant in mind.

"He'll get in trouble," Sirius laughed, seeming quite deranged. "Stick his nose in and get in trouble."

Peter, James, and Remus watched him, expecting some sort of explanation. Sirius smiling evilly, held up one finger signifying that he would return soon, and ran off after Snape. The rest of the marauders were quite perplexed.

Remus watched Sirius catch up with and put his arm around Severus Snape. Snape looked quite bemused himself. Sirius started to whispered things to him. Snape's horrible face cracked into a excited smile.

"What's he doing?" Peter squealed.

James shook his head slowly.

***************

That night was the full moon of November. Remus saw beginning to show sign of illness. His face was hot, but pale, and his eyes were bloodshot and glazed.

"D'you think you should go to Madam Epdac now?" Peter asked.

Remus lay on a couch in the common room. He dabbed his hand against his cheek as he stared at his friends who stood above him.

"Can't I go my myself?" Remus panted.

James and Sirius glanced at each other. Remus, just then, noticed that Sirius was hiding a smile. Once James had returned his attention to Remus, Sirius grinned Mischievously.

"W-what's up with you?" Remus sputtered.

Peter and James looked at Sirius' odd smile.

"I-I just have the craziest thing planned," he told them.

"Oh, crud!" Remus mumbled, his stomach lurching unpleasantly.

"Get a bucket, Peter!" James commanded.

Peter scurried off.

Sirius looked at his watch.

"Waiting for something?" James asked.

"No," Sirius said obliviously. "Mooney, you should really get down to the Whomping Willow."

Remus nodded vigorously, grabbing tightly to James' sleeve.

Peter returned with a garbage can.

"I he going to puke?" He asked.

"No," James replied, "we're taking him to the Whomping Willow."

"You go ahead, James," Sirius smiled. "I think I'll wait here."

"What are you up to?" James demanded.

"You'll see," Sirius assured him.

James put his arm around Remus and helped him to stand. Peter fumbled James' invisibility cloak on to them. Then Remus puked.

"Ah, Mooney!" James exclaimed. "My cloak!"

James and Remus exited the common room and made their way down to the Entrance Hall. About half-way down the main staircase, Remus got a horrible cramp, like someone had jabbed a knife into his side, and collapsed. James grabbed him and they both tumbled down the staircase.

As they rested at the bottom, sprawled out and with the cloak only partially shrouding them, Remus mumbled, "You're a great friend."

James let out a frustrated sigh.

The guys continued out the school and around the Herbology area. The large willow stood quite close to the castle wall. It was a seemingly innocent willow tree. As James and Remus neared it, the willow turned lethal and began to thrash it's branches around.

James set Remus down so that he could grab a stick. Remus felt his own hairy face as James hit a large knot on the Whomping Willow's trunk. The tree froze. James got Remus off the ground and walked him over to the tree. There was a large gap in the roots of the tree, through which Remus crawled.

Remus slid down an earthly slide and glanced up at James. He was looking toward the greenhouses. What was he looking at?

"James," Remus grumbled, unable to control the consistency of his voice.

"Keep going," James told him. "I'll find out who it is."

"Who-who is?" Remus asked.

James glared down at him, "Get to the shack!"

Remus crawled along a long tunnel. It was pitch dark, but he could feel the tunnel walls and crumbly dirt beneath his hands and knees. The smell of damp soil lingered around him.

'What was James all freaking out about?' Remus wondered. 'What was he looking at? Who was he talking about?'

Remus continued crawling until his body began to jerk uncontrollably and a sharp pain coursed through him. Before he knew it, he began to snarl and howl.

The pain stopped suddenly. Remus climbed onto his four kegs and lightly galloped down the tunnel. Soon, he arrived in the Shrieking Shack. Remus clenched his teeth, beginning to feel this intense anger. As the madness grew, Remus snarled, standing quite still.

"Stop, don't go in there!" the voice echoed through the tunnel.

Remus coursed with anticipation, knowing that someone would come. Someone would enter his room. Someone would be torn to shreds. Remus smiled, a fire in his eyes, knowing that he could finally release the anger that consumed him.

"I won't be told what to do," an arrogant voice retorted to the first. "I'll find out what's going on if it kills me."

"It just might," the first said.

"Let go!"

"I'm warning you not to go in there."

A figure emerged from the tunnel. He was tall and dark. It was Snape. Perfect choice for a victim.

Remus lunged forward. He just barely missed sinking his teeth into Snape's leg. Snape screamed.

"Get outta there!" James yelled from the tunnel.

Snape was like stone, flat against the wall. Remus rounded on him, his teeth dripping with saliva. James sprinted into the room, grabbing Snape by the arm. He pulled Snape aside just as Remus went in for a second attack. James dragged Snape through the tunnel.

Feeling quite disappointed, Remus ran around the room, destroying anything that was even partially intact.

***************

Remus, James, and Snape were called to Dumbledore's office the next day. As they sat in front of the empty desk, waiting, Snape glanced at Remus. On his face was a look of both fear and anger. Remus looked at his shoes, quite ashamed and nervous.

Dumbledore swept into the office and sat in his chair. He glanced from one face to another, looking a little disturbed underneath his white beard.

"I will address your concerns, Mr. Snape," Dumbledore said solemnly.

"Lupin is a werewolf!" Snape shouted.

"And what would you like em to do about it?" Dumbledore questioned.

"Expel him or something," Snape demanded.

Ramus flinched. He couldn't stand to be expelled. All his friends were at Hogwarts. His whole life was Hogwarts. He wouldn't be able to do anything with his life if he didn't finish school.

"Expel him because he's different?" Dumbledore assumed.

"Expel him because he's dangerous!" Snape corrected.

"My dear boy," Dumbledore began calmly, "We have taken all precaution to keep Remus away from other students when he is in his unfortunate condition."

"Then how come I was attacked?" Snape snapped. "He tried to eat me!"

"How did this come about?" Dumbledore asked urgently, looking from one face to another.

"Well, you see-" James began.

"Black told me to go down in the tree," Snape blurted. "They all lured me there to get me ravaged by that monster."

Snape pointed a long finger at Remus.

"That isn't what happened!" James exclaimed. "Snape came down into the tunnel. I tried to stop him."

"Black told me to go down there," Snape repeated. "You all work together on everything. If Black was in on it, you all were. You think I don't know you guys? You all led me down there!"

"It was your own fault!" James retorted. "If you hadn't been such a nosey git, you wouldn't have gone down there."

Remus kept his eyes on the floor.

"That's enough!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "I suggest we all forget about what happened in the tunnel. Forget who lured whom and who warned whom. Forget the shack. Snape, forget Remus' condition."

"Condition," Snape spat, glaring at James and Remus.

"You are forbidden to tell anyone that Remus Lupin is a werewolf," Dumbledore told Snape.

"Yes, sir," Snape grumbled.

"You are dismissed," Dumbledore allowed.

The three boys stood up and headed for the door. Snape and Remus reached for the doorknob at the same time. Both pulled their hands away. Remus looked at Snape nervously, meeting his emnatic gaze.

"C'mon you two," James snapped, opening the door himself.

Neither Snape nor Remus wanted to go first.

"After you," Snape insisted. "I won't turn my back on a werewolf."

Reluctantly, Remus followed James down the staircase and into the corridor. Snape wasn't far behind them.

"Snape, I'm sorry," Remus began, looking at him as they walked down the hall. "You have to understand that I can't control myself when I'm-"

"I don't associate with the likes of you," Snape interrupted. "I suggest you stay away form me, Lupin."

"You're the one who always comes around and hassles us," James informed.

Snape gave them both a hateful stare before he turned off to go toward the Slytherin common room. Remus and James watched him strutting down the corridor.

A/N: Please review. I don't like to update unless I have reviews so that I know if people are actually reading my story.