Chapter 3: A Battle for the Ages
"Well, son, I…" Sirius began, but was suddenly interrupted by the door slamming open. He snapped his fingers and his disguise reappeared. Harry Potter flew through the door and landed on his back. He made a loud "OOF!" as he hit the ground, but rolled to the side to avoid a lightning bolt that hit where he had been. He got up in a rage.
"I'll get you for this, Flint!" he yelled, storming out of the room, throwing magic as he went. Jason rolled his eyes and sat back down.
"Anyway, I think it's best we talk another time, eh Pop?" he said with a shrug. He shoved his dad out of the room to stuttered objections. He closed the door behind his father and turned back to the very difficult potion recipe he was trying to memorize before Snape's quiz the next day.
*____*
Hermione faced Seamus, her wand drawn. She had him in a corner with his hands up in the air.
"How dare you cast a 'Slut Spell' on me? Just so I would have sex with you? How dare you?" She was yelling now, trying as hard as hell not to lose her temper. She knew that after she was done with him he would fit in a matchbox. She calmed a bit and let her wand down. "I'm only letting you go because you're stupid and I don't want to waste magic cursing you. Go." He ran out of the room as pale as a ghost. She laughed to herself and thought about the spells she could have cast on him. Suddenly, Ginny walked into the room. She greeted her and sat with her at a table. A few tables away, two students were playing Wizard Crackers, a new game that exploded in your face when you lost.
"What was that all about?" Ginny asked.
"Well, Seamus thought he could cast a Slut Spell on me, but when it didn't work I decided to play along anyway," Hermione explained.
"How many times did you do it?" Ginny was getting curious. Hermione began to get into sordid details.
"Well, when everyone was in their House Meetings, he and I snuck into the Common Room and we…" A giant explosion came from the table where the kids were playing the game. She continued.
"And just that next week, we got together with a boy from Ravenclaw to try something new, you know? Anyway, we got into it in the janitor's closet and he was like, 'Oh my God, he's got a huge'…" Peeves came into the room, screeching and wailing. He left rather quickly, though. "… 'vocabulary!' Anyway, we were at it for like and HOUR! And this other time we were in Flitwick's supply closet while he had a class and I…" Another explosion. "… and after that he reached up my skirt and…" Yet another explosion. "And after that we went into Snape's office and we…" Loud fireworks noises emitted from the kids' table to signal that one of them had won.
"I think we should go somewhere else, don't you? It seems to be too noisy in here," Hermione suggested. Ginny agreed and they got up and left.
*____*
The cloaked figure stood on a bluff overlooking Hogwarts, his mind filled with thoughts of revenge against the one who had betrayed him. He pulled out his wand just thinking about what kind of spells he would use to attain vengeance. Suddenly, he turned around and walked away, striding purposefully to a boat carefully concealed in some bushes. Getting in, he tapped the rear end of it with his wand, and it slowly took him towards the hulking monolith of a castle. The setting sun cast long shadows, concealing the small boat as it cut through the water like a knife.
*____*
Jason sat in his common room, poring over another potion recipe.
"Essence of rattlesnake venom, heartstrings of a boar, damn, this is one complicated brew!" he muttered out loud. He was studying the potion on how to concoct a Battle Aura, a potion that, when brewed correctly, would create an aura that would freeze your opponent in a duel. He smiled just thinking of how useful this potion would be. He took out a quill, parchment and ink well and began to write, but suddenly the quill jumped up and began to write. He watched in fascination as the pen ran over the writing surface, making words.
Attention all Defense Against the Dark Arts students –
Tonight there will be an important lesson after hours. Meet on the Quidditch pitch at 9:00 and make sure you know the important dueling spells we have covered. YOU DO NOT NEED TO COME TO CLASS! See you this evening.
- Professor Black
Shaking his head at the note, he strode over to the fireplace. He pulled out his wand and aimed it directly at the fireplace. He flicked his wrist once, sharply at the fire: it turned green and rose higher. As he stepped inside, he was whisked away to the DADA office, where his father stood, impatient.
"What took you so long to get here?" the teacher asked, glaring at his son.
"I came as soon as I got your note, DAD," he replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"Don't backtalk me or I'll curse you so fast I'll…" The professor was interrupted by Professor McGonagall stomping into the room. She had the most evil look on her face.
"I assume YOU…" She punctuated the word "you" with an accusing jab of her finger. "…Are responsible for the little fiasco on the third floor?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Professor. I'm not even in your house," he replied back to her, looking her square in the eye so that she would KNOW he wasn't lying.
"If I find out it was you, Black, it'll be your ARSE!" She shouted this backwards to his as she exited the room.
"Now, where were we?" he asked, ready to finish their conversation.
*____*
The rest of the day passed in a blur, but Jason finally finished his Battle Aura. Before he knew it, it was 8:30 and almost time for DADA class. He gathered up a black cloak, slipped it on, and walked out of the common room.
Little did he see the dark figure standing outside the window, watching his every move.
Suddenly, he turned around, but no one was at the window when he looked. Shrugging it off as a case of nerves, he walked through the halls, wondering what spells his dad was going to teach the class. The full moon shone brightly in the sky: it practically illuminated the entire grounds. He was almost to the Quidditch pitch when Draco Malfoy, accompanied by his toadies Crabbe and Goyle, confronted him.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Jason 'I-beat-Potter' Black. What are you doing out here so late at night? Aren't you afraid of werewolves?" The silver-haired boy laughed maliciously and nudged Crabbe's side with his elbow.
"As a matter of fact, I was looking for someone to test my potion on," Jason replied, smirking as he threw the vial to the ground in front of Malfoy. The bottle shattered as a sound like rolling thunder emanated from the spot. Malfoy froze, mid-laugh, as did Crabbe and Goyle. Happy to see that his potion worked, he readied another just in case. As he opened the door to the pitch, he saw his father and a couple of other students standing there. He walked over to them and stood there like the rest, waiting for class to start.
*____*
The creature watched, breathing silently so as not to alert his prey. He watched, sitting in the bushes near the field. He focused on the tallest of the group, his intended target. A cloud obscured the full moon, but it would pass before dawn. He flexed his haunches, waiting for the precious moment when he would strike.
*____*
"All right everyone, settle down! Class is about to begin," Professor Black ordered, trying to start. The murmuring students quieted as he held up a hand.
"Tonight, we are going to learn the Shockwave Spell." As the teacher began to explain the spell, the moon appeared from behind a cloud. Suddenly, a snarling, growling figure jumped out from one end of the pitch and bounded towards the class. Students began to scream and dive for cover, but Jason readied his wand. The monster jumped over him and ran to Professor Black. Black pulled out his wand and yelled a spell. Liquid silver flew from his wand and landed in its eyes, causing it to yelp in pain. It fell to the ground and slid a little way, stopping in a patch of moonlight. The werewolf got up, shaking its head, ready for another attack. It parted its lips and growled, showing its teeth. Jason threw his Battle Aura potion on the ground and the wolf froze, poised to strike. The professor raised his wand and uttered a spell.
"Solaria Aeternias!" he shouted, causing a beam of sunlight to burst forth from his wand tip. The light caught the wolf and enveloped it. From what Jason could see, the monster appeared to shrink. The light ceased and it laid there, roughly the size of a man.
"What's going on, Dad?" Jason asked nervously.
"Nothing son, don't worry. I've got this under control. Now, let's see who this is," the teacher said briskly, striding over to the figure.
"Mobilicorpus!" he shouted, causing the body to raise like some twisted marionette puppet. The head raised and revealed that their attacker was… Professor Remus Lupin? A look of surprise and anger flew across Sirius' face.
"I'll… I'll… I'll take care of this. Class dismissed," Professor Black said, looking paler than usual.
*____*
The teacher had Lupin cornered in a chair, waiting for the intruder to wake. Black paced around his chair, too impatient. He pointed his wand at the other man.
"Enervate," he said calmly, and Lupin woke, disoriented.
"Where am I?" the other man questioned.
"I'll be the one asking the questions here, Remus," Black said sternly.
"Who are you, and how do you know who I am?"
"Never mind that." Professor Black shimmered and dropped his disguise, revealing his true appearance.
"Well, Sirius. I didn't expect you to stoop to such lows." Lupin regarded the other man with contempt.
"Well, Remus. I didn't expect YOU to stoop to such lows." This was in reference to his attack at the pitch.
"What lows, Sirius? You're the one who's still keeping the BIG SECRET."
"Oh, and what would this 'BIG SECRET' of yours be?"
"I know who your boy's mother is."
Sirius paled. "How dare you. You think you can hold this above me?"
Suddenly, they were interrupted by a soft knock at the door. Jason stepped in, speaking rather softly.
"Dad, what's going on? Who is this?" He looked at both men strangely.
"Go on, Sirius. Tell him." Lupin got an evil smile on his face.
"Tell me what?" Jason was beginning to freak out.
"You mean he never told you who your mother was?" Sirius angered at these words from the werewolf.
"He never told you that your mother was none other than… Lily Potter?" Jason's face drained of color at those thirteen words. Lily Potter? His mother? His mind was reeling. He stumbled out of the room, to his father's objections, and closed the door behind him. When Sirius turned back to Lupin, he had disappeared. With a look of pure hatred on his face, he stormed from the room.
*____*
Remus ran, trying to get away. He had accomplished his mission of revealing the boy's secret, now he just had to get out of Hogwarts alive. He pulled out the Marauder's map and tapped it with his wand.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he said hurriedly, causing the map to appear from the tip of his wand. He found a passage behind Gregory the Smarmy and pushed the hidden block. A tunnel opened up and he ran in, just as Sirius charged by. He turned back to the tunnel and ran down it, looking for the light. As he reached it, he found that he was coming out of an outside wall of the castle. Breathing a sigh of relief, he looked around. As he turned back to the passage to close it, he found the tip of a wand pointed directly at his face.
"Hello, Remus. Let's get going, shall we?" Sirius Black smiled darkly.
*____*
The two men marched to the commons in front of the school, the giant building casting a dark shadow over both of them. Jason had followed his father and was watching on the sidelines, still too hurt by Remus' words to say anything. He stood with his arms crossed.
"We'll settle this once and for all, Remus. I'll teach you to hurt my son." Sirius was warming up for the coming duel.
"Teach ME to hurt your son? I wasn't the one who went off and fucked Lily behind James' back, was I?" Remus had a look of pure hatred on his face. Sirius glared at him.
"Let's get this over with shall we?" Sirius drew his wand and aimed it at Lupin. Lupin did the same. Suddenly, Sirius burst out with the same liquid silver he had used against Lupin when he was a werewolf. Lupin dodged to the side and threw fire at Sirius, catching his robes.
Sirius angrily threw the flaming garments to the ground and raised his wand, shouting a spell. A shockwave flew out of the tip of his wand, hitting Lupin square in the chest. He flew up and into one of the stone walls of the school, making the wall crack. He fell to the ground with a thud and lay there, lifeless or so it appeared. Slowly, he stirred, surprising even Sirius. Finally, Sirius raised his wand.
"Avada Kedavra!" He shouted this spell with finality in his voice. As the poison-green spell hit the other man, he exploded. Sirius jumped at it and so did half the people there. This was a total shock to everyone, and no one you asked later could explain it.
FIN
*____*
Jason: I'd like to introduce my team of literary critics: Critic #1, Critic #2 and Critic #3. So guys, what did you all think?
Critic #1: Well, the plot was a little thin.
Critic #2: Yeah. How come they didn't use any spells when they dueled?
Jason: Well, um, you see…
Critic #3: And how come you had Remus Lupin come in?
Jason: Um, I can explain…
Critic #1: This story looks like a seventeen-year-old wrote it.
Jason (glaring angrily): a seventeen-year-old DID WRITE IT, YOU DOLTS!
Critic #3: Well, he called us dolts!
Critic #2: You know, I never really liked his material. (Looking back through older chapters) He barely has any action at all!
Critic #1: And the bad language doesn't spice it up, either. It just raises the rating.
Critic #3: Yeah. You shouldn't need to use bad language to enhance the story, but in your case…
Jason: What do you mean, 'in my case'?
Critic #2: Well, in the case of a seventeen-year-old who can't write is what I think he's getting at.
Critic #3: That's exactly what I meant. It's like you can read my mind or something!
Jason (steaming by now): Well, I wouldn't suggest reading my mind right now…
Critic #1: U kant eevin right porper diloge.
Jason: You're doing that on purpose!
Critic #1: Know eye'm knot.
Jason: You are too!
Critic #2: What are you going to do about it? Is it time to bust a cap?
Jason: I think that THAT time is long overdue. (Busts caps in all their asses). Well, that's all the time we have for today, folks! Join me next chapter, where I'll bring in a new team of critics because these ones have had caps busted in their asses. See you later!