Disclaimed.
P.S. I don't own The Crocodile Hunter, nor do I want to.
Author's Note: This thing's going AU to the next level. Let's have some feed back people!
The Basement
By Marz
Chapter 18: Deadly Coincidence
Black led the way again. He seemed to think he was the most capable of dealing with Pettigrew if we ran into him. We didn't have any light, so to make sure we stayed together every one grabbed the hand of the person in front of them. Well Snape refused to hold anyone's hand, so he ended up going last. I was feeling terrible and the only thing allowing me to keep up was Ron's merciless grip on my hand. If I fell he'd probably just keep dragging me along at the same pace. Hermione was behind me, still crying a little bit. I needed to apologize to both of them. I should have told them right from the start about Scabbers. If we got out of this tunnel alive I would definitely do that first thing. We all heard the Dementors rasping breath behind them. I was getting very sick of being chased through dark tunnels by those things.
As if responding to my thoughts there was suddenly light. It was blinding. Ron stopped and I plowed into him.
"Don't move Black!" called a shaking voice.
I blinked desperately. Professor Lupin stood before us, blocking the way. He was wrapped in a motley assortment of pajamas and robes, all of them stained with mud. He didn't have any shoes. His face was drawn and pale and his eyes were wide as if he had just awakened from a bad dream. The red lines around his mouth had faded. He held his glowing wand out before him, crumpled in his hand was the Marauder's Map Black had misplaced.
"Remus…" Black said.
"Shut up! Where are the children? What have you done?" Lupin was shaking as he spoke. I guess whatever poison Pettigrew had used on him hadn't entirely worn off.
"Remus move! The dementors are right behind us!"
Black darted forward and snatched the wand out of Lupin's hand.
Lupin watched him, confused. "Something's wrong," he said, leaning against the side of the tunnel, and putting his hands against his head.
"Get out of here Lupin!" Snape called. For the first time ever, I heard panic in his voice. I turned to see Snape backing down the tunnel, toward the dementors.
"Professor!" called Hermione, reaching out toward him.
"He's about to transform!" Snape shouted.
Lupin's eyes grew huge. He whirled and stumbled up the tunnel.
Black grabbed Ron and pulled the human chain into motion again. He held Lupin's wand before him, so at least we had some light. Snape did not look as if he planed to follow, but the dementors were louder then ever, so he did not have much of a choice.
"What is Professor Lupin going to transform into?" I gasped as we stumbled on.
Ahead of us Lupin screamed, the pitch rising every second, until it was an inhuman howl.
"Werewolf." Snape said, nearly whispering.
Black shoved the wand into Ron's hand. "Keep the light going. Follow as fast as you can. I'll try to force him out."
With a pop, Black was replaced by a massive dog. It went tearing up the tunnel, not bothered at all by the low ceiling. It was barking savagely as it disappeared into the darkness ahead. Ron held up the wand and took the lead. We were barely ten feet further when the barking and howls changed to snarling and yips of pain.
"Hurry!" Hermione called from behind me. The air around us grew colder every second, and as I looked back I saw Snape was still dragging his feet. How anyone could find werewolf more frightening then a dementor was far beyond me. As we ran along I noticed signs of the fight we were following. Clumps of gray and black fir littered the ground and as the tunnel turned upward I saw crimson stains in the dirt. The edge of my vision grew foggy. The dementors were catching up.
I didn't know what to think when the end of the tunnel came into view. I was worried looking at it to hard would cause it to vanish. But then we were there. Ron scrambled out first and pulled me out. I fell sprawling in the grass at the base of the Whomping Willow. My legs just wouldn't hold me up any longer. A second later Hermione tumbled to the ground next to me. Snape crawled out of the tunnel last of all, refusing Ron's offered hand.
The Willow was frozen above us. In the distance I saw a gray blur slink off into the forest. A large black dog limped in our direction, tail wagging. I smiled. I couldn't help it. I couldn't believe we made it out of there alive. All we needed now was for Dumbledore to show up with a pardon for Black and it would all be perfect.
Then Ron screamed.
I whirled. He stood among the willow's roots, all the color gone from his face, as still as a statue. I couldn't figure out what was wrong, until I saw the hands. A dementor had reached from the tunnel and grabbed a hold of Ron's ankles. As I watched another one rose from among the twisted roots, reaching around his neck. I tried to get to my feet but my legs wouldn't obey. To my amazement Snape sprang forward. In a single movement he pulled Ron away from the dementors and snatched Lupin's wand from his slack hands.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Snape bellowed, and a silvery mist poured from the tip of the wand.
The dementors shrank away from it as if burned. I took a shaking breath. Maybe things would still work out. Maybe I hadn't just jinxed the crap out of us.
Then Hermione screamed.
Standing on the lawn, not ten yards away, was Pettigrew. Hermione pushed me flat on the ground a second before a bright green light flew over our heads. The light struck the base of the Whomping Willow and the bark crumbled. The branches convulsed once, and then the air was split with a resounding crack. The four of us scrambled to get out of the way as the willow tilted towards us. The silver light disappeared as Snape dove out of under the falling tree, and dementors flowed up out the ground like hornets from a nest.
Ron grabbed Hermione's and my arms and tried to pull us toward the castle, but a row of dementors cut us off. We back pedaled and dropped to the ground just in time to avoid another curse from Pettigrew.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Snape shouted again.
Another stream of silver mist poured from the wand and we ran for the now dementor free vicinity of the Potions Professor. Pettigrew aimed his wand at us but before he could blow us all into mulch, the black dog charged him. The dog sunk its teeth into his arm and the wand fell into the grass. With a pop, Black returned to human form, and snatched it up, but Pettigrew still had Snape and Hermione's wands and he drew them both, one in each hand. Red lights exploded all around them and I couldn't see who was winning. Someone in the castle had to be seeing this. Help had to be on the way by now. We'd be rescued any second.
Then Snape screamed.
Well he didn't actually scream. It was more of a surprised, high pitched, bellow. We turned.
Snape didn't even have time to bring up his hands to defend himself. The werewolf landed on his chest and the wand bounced away into the grass. Snape lay there looking up at it, arms pinned by paws. I'd never seen anyone look that afraid before, not even Neville Longbottom. The werewolf sniffed at him and barred its teeth in what may have been a smile. It opened its jaws and leaned slowly toward Snape's throat.
I blame Steve Erwin for what happened next. Tackling a werewolf when you're feeling healthy is a very bad idea, when you're feeling ready to drop dead, it's suicidal. That might be an oxymoron. My point is the Crocodile Hunter is a lunatic and should never be imitated.
I dove at the werewolf, landed on its back, and threw my arms around its neck, pulling as hard as I could. My momentum knocked us away from Snape and we rolled across the lawn. It got back to its feet, with me still stuck on it like a giant flea. It twisted its neck around trying to bite me, but I didn't let go of its neck so it couldn't reach. There was panicked shouting going on all around me, and bright silver light flew past me.
I looked up and say Kingsley Shacklebolt and Professor McGonagall running across the lawn towards us, the dementors retreating before them. McGonagall was firing curses at the struggling forms of Black and Pettigrew, and Hermione and Ron were running to meet them. We were finally saved.
Then I screamed.
The werewolf rolled onto its side and my head slammed into the ground. I lost my grip. The werewolf was on top of me in a second. Its claws sunk through my pajamas and cut into the skin on my chest. It lunged for my throat.
Quidditch skills saved my life once again, though I don't know if my arm will ever be the same. I managed to cover the important arteries leading to my brain, and the wolf's fangs sunk into my left arm instead. Needless to say it really hurt, though I can honestly say it was not the worse pain I went through that night. It shook its head and I was sure my arm was about to come off.
The black dog slammed into the wolf and it released my arm in order to defend itself. The dog quickly gained the upper hand, or upper paw maybe. It sunk its jaws into the wolf's throat and the two canines rolled away across the lawn. The wolf wined in submission and when the dog let go, it sprinted into the forest as fast as it could go.
I lay back in the grass. Things had to be alright now. The Aurors, well at least one Auror had arrived and the werewolf was gone. And…and…the moon seemed to be getting bigger. It was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. I couldn't take my eyes off it, until Black leaned over me and blocked it from my sight.
"Oh Merlin! Oh no! No no no no no no no!" Black said. He gently picked up my arm and inspected the bite.
There was blood every where. The flesh was shredded and I think the bones were broken. I couldn't move my fingers. It made my stomach hurt to look at it, but Madam Pomfrey would be able to fix it for me. It didn't bother me all that much. What was starting to annoy me was the strange tingling sensation in my skin.
"Did you get Pettigrew?" I asked.
"Forget Pettigrew," Black mumbled. "SOMEBODY FIND A HEALER!" he yelled.
I wanted to see the moon again, but my air space kept getting more crowded. Snape's face popped into view next. He reached down and peeled back my eye lids, staring intently.
"The curse is already in his blood," Snape said. "There may be time…" he muttered jogging off toward the castle.
McGonagall dropped to her knees beside me. "Potter what have you done to yourself?" She said as she put a hand on my forehead, as if checking for a fever. The tingling was growing worse. It was sinking down through my skin into the muscles and bones. It was getting hard to focus, but I remembered I had something important to tell her.
"Peter Pettigrew is alive. Did you see?"
"I saw him," she said.
"Move aside!" Snape ordered loudly.
McGonagall scooted out of the way as Snape levitated over a huge cauldron. I don't know where he got it from, but it was already filled to the brim with a frothing yellowish fluid.
"It's a rushed batch, so it may take several times the normal dose to work. Black, hold him still." Snape said as he conjured up a goblet.
He filled it from the cauldron and leaned towards me. As he did, my stomach tightened and my breath caught. Suddenly I knew the liquid in that goblet would kill me. It would burn. It would melt me away to nothing. I had to get away. I rolled over and tried to crawl away, but Black grabbed me. His arm wrapped around me, pinning my right arm to my side. He held me against his chest and grabbed my left wrist, stretching it out toward Snape.
"Don't! Black no! Please! Let me go! Please let me go! He's trying to kill me! Let me go, don't do this, Please!" I begged but Black didn't let go. I kicked him and I tried to bite him but he held on too tightly. Snape poured the potion over my injured arm and I screamed.
It burned. It felt as if my arm was melting away and the pain traveled up my veins into my chest. I sobbed helplessly as Snape refilled the goblet.
"Black let go! Don't let him do it please! Don't let him! Please Black you said you'd protect me!"
He didn't let go. "Harry, that's the werewolf talking. Just hang on, it will be over soon."
"Black no…AHHHHHHHHHH!"
I screamed again as Snape poured more of the liquid over my arm. Through tear flooded eyes I saw him inspect to wound.
"It's not working fast enough. He'll have to drink," he announced.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" I didn't entirely recognize the voice coming out of my own mouth.
Snape refilled the goblet. I clenched my teeth and turned my face away.
"Minerva! Help us!" Snape called.
A moment later my Head-of-House was at his side. She tried to use a spell to force my mouth open but it bounced off. She shoved the handle of her wand in my mouth, and used it to pry my teeth apart. Black tilted me backward and Snape poured the potion in. Acid was eating away my insides. I screamed and it felt as if my throat were tearing apart. I don't know how I did it, but I broke Black's grip and staggered away from them.
The world was spinning. I was tingling and burning all over. Black ran towards be. I tried to tell him to back off, but a low growl rumbled from my throat instead.
"It's too late," Snape's voice called from far away.
The world went red.