Chapter 3 - Urn of Horrors
Soon the school got into it's old natural routine, as usual for the Marauders Sirius and James were always in detention, Peter was always struggling with his homework and Lupin went to the shrieking shack every full moon. Except this year he didn't go into the pain alone, he went with his new teacher Ki and he became less wolfish in his tutors company.
Sirius and the Marauders were walking down a corridor one-day when they saw two new notices on their Griffindor notice board.
"Dueling club!" said Sirius excitedly, "You know what this means!" he said and the others looked at him blankly.
"We can duel the others without getting in trouble!" said Sirius and when James and Remus realized they smirked in approval.
"I don't get it…who's the others…?" said Peter blankly.
"You are so thick sometimes aren't you Pete." Said Sirius though his cheeky smile showed Peter he didn't mean it. "Snivelus, Bella and Malfoy will go to this too right, we can duel them and beat them proudly without having to duel them in corridors and get detentions!"
"Oh!" said Peter, "I get you now…" he said and Sirius and the others laughed bar one of them whose gaze was fixed on the other notice.
"James, what are you staring at?" said Remus.
"They're doing auditions to be in the "Griffindor House Quidditch team"!" said James; a glow in his hazel brown eyes, Sirius laughed.
"You think that a second year like you will stand a chance against all the other hundreds in the higher years who want to be in that team." Said Sirius chuckling.
"Yeah!" said James defensively standing tall, "You've seen how good I am at flying," he said.
"Ok Cocky!" said Sirius noticing how determined James was about it. "Wanna bet?"
"Bet?" said James.
"Yeah, just a five galleons…that you wont make the team this year!"
James nodded, "Deal…even though you are supposed to supporting me…" he said sadly and Sirius ruffled his friends hair.
"Ofcourse I'll support you Prongs…I just don't want to lose five whole Galleons to you…I'll never hear the end of it." He said as the four laughed as they walked to their next lesson.
James's audition was that afternoon after Transfiguration, he was up to become seeker and there were atleast thirty of the Griffindor students there to try and get the title too. Though Sirius wanted James's money for more cash at Hogsmead that weekend, he supported James Potter along with the others all the way, when it was James's turn they watched the boy do the most amazing.
James caught the snitch in mid air, in the quickest time on the slowest broom out, what the crowd saw James Potter just achieve they knew that was more than luck, it was pure talent. That's what Madam Hooch and the Griffindor captain thought anyway.
Sirius shook his head in denial at the delight on the captain's face. "I've lost the money," he said, but the other Marauders saw the grin on his face noticing he didn't really care. That he was happy his friend was on the Quidditch team.
***
12 year old Remus Lupin walked back to the Griffindor common room after his transformation, he had blood all over his trousers and his shirt was ripped, he needed to get quickly before a student or someone saw him when he saw a door he had never seen before. He walked in slowly and carefully, when he saw a room blackened by shadow and a urn of water stood in the middle of the room, a blast of light shining onto it, he was thirsty after his transformation that evening and walked over to drink from it. When a voice shook the room.
"Look in the water boy…look hard and look deep…" it said in such a demanding way that before Lupin could ask who said it he found himself in a trance like state. He walked over the bowl and looked deeply at his reflection.
He saw bad bruises on his raw cheeks. His own scarlet blood on his forehead, his own blue eyes filled with pain and he saw his cross like scar on his face he'd got when he first met the werewolf that made him one too. When he put his finger against the water and the water began to swirl with many fantastic colours. Lupin went to look away, but found he couldn't.
When he looked at the reflection again he didn't see himself, but he saw his dad, his silvery hair and his kind smile. Though what he now saw were agonizing tears running down his fathers kind face, his blue alive eyes alight with the same pain Moony held in his own each day. A voice shook the room again, and what he heard was his fathers voice say something he remembered he'd heard him say in the past. Then the reflection began to die away, the sound of howling filled the room; tears were in his own eyes.
When he saw something in the urn's reflection he hadn't seen in 8 years. He tried to turn away but he couldn't, the figure loomed like a large giant, they were foaming at the mouth, dark red eyes, and yellow teeth.
"NOT YOU! NO!" screamed Lupin, flashes of his becoming a werewolf came back to him. The werewolf chasing him, how he couldn't get to his father in time, the bite itself and the pain that followed, his father coming to his rescue…his father almost killed trying to save him…
Flashback
"Come on my big boy, stop hiding!" said Joseph Lupin as his five year old son ran forward infront of him to hide behind a tree trunk. It was Remus's birthday that day and Joseph wanted it to be the best birthday yet. It had been a difficult year for both of them, he'd lost his wife and his twin daughter and son, all he had was Remus now…and the little boy had lost a caring mother too, He'd have to be a single parent.
His sons sparkling blue eyes were still hurtful to look at because they were just like his wife's, but he loved Remus more than the entire world put together, and he would never let him come to harm, never. Meanwhile little Remus jumped about the snow, he loved snow, all that was on his young mind was that almost everyone loves snow, or so he thought, when the little boy looked up at the moon. It was large and round and Remus stared at it childishly.
"Look Dad!" he said. "The moon looks nice tonight doesn't it?" he said and Joseph nodded as he looked up at the rising full moon.
"Come on Remus…" he said and they both turned to leave the forest and to their cabin.
***
A large terrifying howl was heard in the forest and five-year-old Remus woke with a start,
"DADDY…" he called out, but he got no answer from his father, he got out of bed slowly, then he saw blood on the door of the cabin.
"DADDY!" he called out in the cold air again, and still got no answer, when the howling came back. He quivered in fear, when he looked out of the door and saw his dad, lying face down in the snow. The little boy ran forward as fast as he could, he was only five but he understood his dad was in trouble.
"Dad…daddy wake up," he said crying, when he saw a figure near the nearest tree, yellow teeth bared, red eyes glowing. Remus went to shout in terror, but couldn't bring himself to speak, or even to move before the monster came in for the kill.
***
Screaming.
Joseph Lupin opened his eyes, and then all he heard was a child screaming, not just any child screaming, it was his child.
"REMUS!" he called out to him, and then he saw his young son run toward him fear in his eyes.
"DAD! HELP ME!" Joseph ran forward, and he saw why his son was running, It was a werewolf, they were a supposed myth around these parts, but it was the only other reason he could be unconscious in the snow, but why was the creature chasing his little boy. When suddenly he realized that he didn't care why at that moment.
He ran as fast as he could, He was so close but the enemy got to Remus first,
"NOOOO!" Joseph screamed in anger and grief as the werewolf grabbed his son and bite him in the shoulder.
***
Remus couldn't feel much, he felt the pain as the fangs fell into his shoulder, and he also felt the pain as he fell onto the snow. Nevertheless he felt nothing else after that and as he lay there, he saw blurred images, and then he also saw the figure that'd attacked him go attack his father.
"No…" he said brokenly tears rolling down his face, he tried to stand, but he couldn't, all he could see was his father trying to hold off the creature who caused him this pain.
When he heard bullets firing, and the creature ran off into the night. Another figure came over, "REMUS…"OH GOD! NO! REMUS! TALK TO ME! DON'T DIE ON ME SON PLEASE!"
End of Flashback
Lupin couldn't take it any more…the horrifying memories came to fast for him, and the young teen collapsed to the floor and his world came back as his father's voice echoed in his head. The words his father had told him though more to himself than Lupin to help him believe his son wouldn't die.
"It'll be ok my big boy," The elder Lupin had said between sobs. "Be brave son…I'm gonna help you through this I promise you…your gonna be ok…I swear to you your gonna be ok…"
***