As Minerva's steps faded into the distance, Remus returned his attention to
the unconscious man on the floor. With a cold look of malice he said,
"Enervate," and Peter gasped as he came back to life.
"Remus! Remus, old man! What are you doing here?" he asked innocently as he panted.
"What-were-you-thinking?" Remus said slowly, his voice hovering above a growl as he crouched down over him, increasing the pressure on Peter's chest, "Who are you working for now?" Sudden fear penetrated Peter's eyes. Then, as soon as it had come, it melted away into heartless, instinct- driven malice.
"You can't tell me that you never wanted a piece of that," said Peter, "We all knew her when she was a younger woman. She was 25 when she started teaching here, Remus, we all talked about what it would be like to hit that." Peter didn't get another word in because Remus was on him again, this time, he didn't need a wand. Remus used every ounce of power in his arms to punch Peter in the face-repeatedly.
By the time Professor Dumbledore arrived, Peter's lip and nose were bleeding, and Remus had not even begun to run out of steam yet. He had to stun Remus to get him to stop. Remus awoke in the hospital wing, Dumbledore standing over him. His voice still groggy with weakness, Remus uttered the first word that came to his mind, "Minerva? Where is she?"
Dumbledore frowned slightly. Remus had gotten carried away and ever since, Madam Pomfrey had spent two hours using her healing spells to reconstruct Peter Pettigrew's face. Up to that point, she had been examining and tending to a distraught Minerva McGonagall. It had taken all that Poppy had to keep from rearranging Peter's face further after she had examined Minerva. Even the lightest of Poppy's touches had seemed to cause pain for her best friend, something that Poppy didn't deal with well.
"Tell Poppy not to waste too much of her time on him," Remus muttered.
"What happened?" Dumbledore asked simply. His voice betrayed not a softness about him tonight. He was plainly angry.
"You would have done the same thing, Professor," said Remus as he began to explain the events that had transpired. Remus regained his strength as he finished the story and rose from the cot he had been placed on. He went and stood over the bed where Peter lay and the man opened his eyes, the swelling gone thanks to Madam Pomfrey.
"I'll ask you again," Remus said coolly, "Who sent you to do this?"
"She was a little looser than I expected, Remus. Wait a minute, you broke her in for me, didn't you?" Peter replied. It didn't take more than a second for Remus to produce his wand and point it directly between Peter's eyes.
"Avada Kedavra..Avada Kedavra.Just say it! Get it over with! Put the bastard out of his misery! Defend Minerva's honor!" Remus' mind screamed. But he also realized just as quickly that if he did kill Peter, he would go to Azkaban for the rest of his life, and he couldn't let that happen. He knew Minerva would blame herself if that ever happened, and he couldn't have that. Remus was clenching his teeth and breathing hard as he thought about what he was about to do.
"What's wrong, Remus," asked Peter, "Lose your nerve in the last few years?" Remus was still pointing the wand at Peter, his only surviving childhood friend, fighting the battle of conscience. He, Remus would be the sole surviving Marauder. But on the other hand, James and Sirius had both died at least in part by Peter's betrayal. He had to do something! But he thought of Minerva, her blue eyes wide with fear, and decided that his energies were better spent on defense rather than offense.
"If you-ever-touch her again, I will slice off what's left of your genitals and feed them to Hagrid's latest hybrid," said Remus, "and then I'll feed the rest of you to it." With this, Remus returned his wand to the pocket of his robes. Dumbledore made sure that wizards from the Ministry were on their way to take Peter into custody. They were going to have a field day with him. How had he gotten into Hogwart's? By whose order had he come to accost Minerva? The head of the interrogation unit at the Ministry had promised to send him an owl with everything he wanted to know about the situation, but it would not change the fact that his most trusted friend had been compromised.
Slowly, Dumbledore walked to Minerva's bedside and looked over her. She slept fitfully, occasionally tossing her head from side to side as she battled her dreams. Albus took her hand and kissed it. The tinge of fire in his blue eyes seemed to subside when he looked at her, feeling infinitely like he could have done more for her than he had, but short of allowing Remus to kill Peter, there was little he could do for her now. When he left the hospital wing, Remus was leaning over Minerva, stroking her face and gently kissing her. Part of him was glad that Remus had beaten Peter to a pulp.
Minerva looked up at Remus, lightly kissing him back as she took his hand in her own.
"Your hands!" she whimpered, seeing that his knuckles were bruised and bleeding, "Remus, what happened?" Remus debated telling her. He wasn't sure what her reaction would be.
"It wouldn't do any good to lie to you, Minerva. After you left, Peter said some terrible things about you. I couldn't help myself, love," Remus said. Minerva looked up in shock. Thanks to the curtain dividing her bed from the rest of the room, she couldn't see that Peter was in the same room as she was, but with the bruises and this new information, she put two and two together.
"Remus, you."
Remus stroked her cheek again as tears spilled anew. He gently kissed them from her face and held her. He braced himself for what was sure to be a rocky next few months. She was going to need all the support he could muster.
"Remus! Remus, old man! What are you doing here?" he asked innocently as he panted.
"What-were-you-thinking?" Remus said slowly, his voice hovering above a growl as he crouched down over him, increasing the pressure on Peter's chest, "Who are you working for now?" Sudden fear penetrated Peter's eyes. Then, as soon as it had come, it melted away into heartless, instinct- driven malice.
"You can't tell me that you never wanted a piece of that," said Peter, "We all knew her when she was a younger woman. She was 25 when she started teaching here, Remus, we all talked about what it would be like to hit that." Peter didn't get another word in because Remus was on him again, this time, he didn't need a wand. Remus used every ounce of power in his arms to punch Peter in the face-repeatedly.
By the time Professor Dumbledore arrived, Peter's lip and nose were bleeding, and Remus had not even begun to run out of steam yet. He had to stun Remus to get him to stop. Remus awoke in the hospital wing, Dumbledore standing over him. His voice still groggy with weakness, Remus uttered the first word that came to his mind, "Minerva? Where is she?"
Dumbledore frowned slightly. Remus had gotten carried away and ever since, Madam Pomfrey had spent two hours using her healing spells to reconstruct Peter Pettigrew's face. Up to that point, she had been examining and tending to a distraught Minerva McGonagall. It had taken all that Poppy had to keep from rearranging Peter's face further after she had examined Minerva. Even the lightest of Poppy's touches had seemed to cause pain for her best friend, something that Poppy didn't deal with well.
"Tell Poppy not to waste too much of her time on him," Remus muttered.
"What happened?" Dumbledore asked simply. His voice betrayed not a softness about him tonight. He was plainly angry.
"You would have done the same thing, Professor," said Remus as he began to explain the events that had transpired. Remus regained his strength as he finished the story and rose from the cot he had been placed on. He went and stood over the bed where Peter lay and the man opened his eyes, the swelling gone thanks to Madam Pomfrey.
"I'll ask you again," Remus said coolly, "Who sent you to do this?"
"She was a little looser than I expected, Remus. Wait a minute, you broke her in for me, didn't you?" Peter replied. It didn't take more than a second for Remus to produce his wand and point it directly between Peter's eyes.
"Avada Kedavra..Avada Kedavra.Just say it! Get it over with! Put the bastard out of his misery! Defend Minerva's honor!" Remus' mind screamed. But he also realized just as quickly that if he did kill Peter, he would go to Azkaban for the rest of his life, and he couldn't let that happen. He knew Minerva would blame herself if that ever happened, and he couldn't have that. Remus was clenching his teeth and breathing hard as he thought about what he was about to do.
"What's wrong, Remus," asked Peter, "Lose your nerve in the last few years?" Remus was still pointing the wand at Peter, his only surviving childhood friend, fighting the battle of conscience. He, Remus would be the sole surviving Marauder. But on the other hand, James and Sirius had both died at least in part by Peter's betrayal. He had to do something! But he thought of Minerva, her blue eyes wide with fear, and decided that his energies were better spent on defense rather than offense.
"If you-ever-touch her again, I will slice off what's left of your genitals and feed them to Hagrid's latest hybrid," said Remus, "and then I'll feed the rest of you to it." With this, Remus returned his wand to the pocket of his robes. Dumbledore made sure that wizards from the Ministry were on their way to take Peter into custody. They were going to have a field day with him. How had he gotten into Hogwart's? By whose order had he come to accost Minerva? The head of the interrogation unit at the Ministry had promised to send him an owl with everything he wanted to know about the situation, but it would not change the fact that his most trusted friend had been compromised.
Slowly, Dumbledore walked to Minerva's bedside and looked over her. She slept fitfully, occasionally tossing her head from side to side as she battled her dreams. Albus took her hand and kissed it. The tinge of fire in his blue eyes seemed to subside when he looked at her, feeling infinitely like he could have done more for her than he had, but short of allowing Remus to kill Peter, there was little he could do for her now. When he left the hospital wing, Remus was leaning over Minerva, stroking her face and gently kissing her. Part of him was glad that Remus had beaten Peter to a pulp.
Minerva looked up at Remus, lightly kissing him back as she took his hand in her own.
"Your hands!" she whimpered, seeing that his knuckles were bruised and bleeding, "Remus, what happened?" Remus debated telling her. He wasn't sure what her reaction would be.
"It wouldn't do any good to lie to you, Minerva. After you left, Peter said some terrible things about you. I couldn't help myself, love," Remus said. Minerva looked up in shock. Thanks to the curtain dividing her bed from the rest of the room, she couldn't see that Peter was in the same room as she was, but with the bruises and this new information, she put two and two together.
"Remus, you."
Remus stroked her cheek again as tears spilled anew. He gently kissed them from her face and held her. He braced himself for what was sure to be a rocky next few months. She was going to need all the support he could muster.