GNA: Hey look! New chapter AND new divider! Now isn't that fun?
GNL: . . . Excuse GNA. She is suffering from parting anxiety.
GNA: Oh, shut it. By the way, I'm sorry about the chapter. . . it's more drama. . . and . . . and . . . THERE WILL ONLY BE TWELVE CHAPTERS TO YEAR SIX! *sobs*
GNL: Not again . . . should have seen her when she finished the last chapter to this year. . .don't worry, though, year seven is thirty chapters long, and will be posted with this one since we can't come up with another title. OK. That's enough for updates. On with the show!
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CHAPTER TEN: OF HATE AND REVENGE
"Today we are reviewing for the End of year exams," Professor Walton said. Their professor that day was the laid back substitute for Defense Against the Dark Arts, who had a strange obsession with a muggle film he had seen once, Godzilla. "We'll begin with boggarts."
"Boggarts?" sniffed Malfoy, who was lounging regally in his seat with a group of other Slytherins, including Bellatrix and Snape. "Any first year could hand a boggart. Well, any Slytherin first year; Gryffindors normally wet their pants whenever one is mentioned." Laughter from the Slytherins, and angry mutterings from the Gryffindors fluttered around the room after his comment.
"Now, now none of that. Whether or not you think they are easy to deal with they will probably appear on the exams, so you may want to review them." Said Walton coldly to the Slytherin sixteen year old.
After reviewing the spell 'riddikulus' Walton allowed them to practice on a real boggart. One by one the students faced the shape-shifter, and James waited expectantly for his turn and own fear. While he waited, rather curious about what he would see, Remus was taking his turn. When the boggart saw him it turned into a silvery orb: the moon. James glanced around at the mystified faces of the class.
"Riddikulus!" Remus shouted, and the orb fell to the floor as.... Swiss cheese!
Several people later it came to Snape, and he smugly approached the boggart. A show tune singing banshee disappeared, and in it's placed appeared...
"Me?" James stared at the boggart. It was him, and he was pointing his wand directly at Snape, laughing victoriously. A burst of imaginary light shot towards Snape.
"James beating Snape," Lily whispered to Alice.
Snape, glaring at both James', shouted "Riddikulus!" and the form grew taller, with much darker hair and paler eyes. The room's whisperings went silent. The figure fell to the ground, and crumpled in a heap. Snape grinned evilly. James went rigid with shock.
"Dad." he muttered, horrified.
Sirius was gripping his wand so tightly that it looked ready to snap, and raised it with a terrible growl. Lily held her hand out to stop him.
"Don't!" she hissed. Sirius didn't hear, or at least didn't respond. "You won't accomplish anything! You'll just get in trouble for fighting!" She glanced at Remus for help, but he looked ready to tear Snape apart limb-by- limb as well. Professor Walton, observing the student's tension, volunteered Sirius to finish off the boggart, simultaneously placing him and Snape on opposing sides of the room as Severus walked back to his seat, still glaring.
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Lily glanced nervously across the common room at Sirius, Peter, and James, who were sitting in an unusually quiet group by the fire. Peter affrightedly glanced from the wrathful Sirius to the depressed James, not trying to cheer either of them up; he wasn't funny enough. Remus had gone to the hospital wing right before dinner, not feeling well at all.
Suddenly, Sirius stood up muttering something about a letter to James and Peter, before striding out the portrait hole.
"I wonder where he's off to." Lily murmured.
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As he entered the stuffy dark owlery, Sirius saw a figure standing at one of the windows: Snape. He was staring intently out the window at something on the grounds, his eyes squinted from peering so hard.
"Snivellus." Sirius muttered angrily. Snape whirled around, hearing Black's livid voice behind him.
"What are you doing here Black?" he spat, angry that he had been surprised.
"Maybe the real question is what I am going to do to you!" Sirius snarled with a distorting sneer on his face.
"What? Is little Potter crying like a baby in his room?"
"Thinking of yourself, are you?"
Snape laughed coldly and glanced out the window. "Damn!" he muttered.
"What are you watching?" asked Sirius suspiciously, and he walked over to a nearby window. Madam Pomfrey was walking across the grounds towards the castle- alone.
"Oh, I see," Sirius said wrathfully, "You thought you were going to get Remus expelled, eh? Can't ever mind your own business, can you Snivellus?"
Snape's pale face tinged with color at his degrading nickname.
"I wouldn't talk like that, Black!"
"HA. And why not, Snivelly?"
"I know things about you that would make your hair curl." He said menacingly, grinding the words out with precision.
"What would that be? I dropped a dung bomb on an ickle firstie?"
"Besides your immature little pranks, Black? Oh yes, I know things. Or should I say Padfoot. . ."
Sirius' eyes widened for a moment, then narrowed into slits.
"Fine then, Snivelly, if you want to know where we go so badly, why don't you just follow him?" Sirius growled, his face slowly becoming more relaxed and cocky as a particularly nasty thought entered his head.
Snape gave Sirius a loathing glare, his face turning an almost natural color.
"What? Can't get past the tree?" Sirius smirked. "Pathetic! It's not hard you know. Just touch the knot on its trunk with a long branch...It'll freeze right up."
Snape turned away from Sirius. "More than likely it would rip itself up." He said, angrily storming from the owlery.
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When Sirius returned to the common room, James noticed he had a particularly ugly, satisfied look on his face, bothering him for some reason.
"What's with you?" James asked.
"Nothing."
"Then what's with the sudden change of mood? I thought you were sending a letter."
"I don't know what you're talking about." he replied carelessly.
"Sirius, you are a horrible liar."
Sirius smirked, his eyes still blazing. "Oh, it's just a little sweet revenge."
"Sweet revenge on . . ." James paused, then realized the only person it could be. "Snape?"
"Who else?"
"Sirius, stop being a prat and get on with it."
"I just gave him some information he wanted."
"What kind of information?" James asked sharply.
"Just a tip on dealing with Whomping Willow trees."
"YOU DID WHAT!?!?!" James shouted. The common room hushed, and all eyes turned to the two. He angrily strode over to the portrait hole.
"Hey, where are you going? What's wrong?" Sirius called, jogging to catch up to him, Peter tagging along behind as well.
"SIRIUS, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!! HE COULD DIE!!" yelled James the instant he stepped into the corridor.
"I don't know if he'll actually try it! He didn't seem to believe me anyways."
"OF COURSE HE WILL! WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU!"
"Well--whatever he gets he deserves!" Sirius retorted angrily. His usual calm and cool demeanor was gone with his best friend yelling at him.
James ran then, all the way from the Gryffindor tower, past the classrooms, and finally to the door in the Entrance hall, where he could see Snape down by the Whomping Willow, studying it with a long branch in his hand.
"SNAPE!! DON'T!" bellowed James as he sprinted towards him.
Snape reached the branch out and tapped the knot. The tree instantly stood completely still. With a look of triumph he hurried forward and slipped into the hole between the tree's roots. James cursed as he disappeared, and raced after him.
When James arrived at the tree a minute later he quickly picked up Snape's discarded branch. As soon as the tree was stilled he jumped down the hole into the dark passageway.
"Lumos!" he muttered, and his wand lit up brilliantly. He ran down the tunnel, stumbling on the uneven floor.
After more minutes of running, James could see Snape's retreating form; he was obviously running as fast as he could to get to the end of the tunnel.
"Snape!" he cried, panting. "Don't...Come back...you don't know what's up there...."
"I'm not falling for that, Potter!"
"Damn it, Snape, will you listen to me!" he yelled. Snape disappeared around a bend. As James took the bend, he saw Snape stood frozen in place. At the end of the tunnel was a fully-grown werewolf, emitting earsplitting howls.
"Snape, get away from there!" whispered James fiercely. Snape didn't move. James, desperate, grabbed him by the arm and dragged him backwards.
"Come on, damn it!" he yelled, giving up the quiet approach. The werewolf's head snapped in their direction, still howling in misery. James ran, Snape weighing him down as he half-stumbled down the rough tunnel. Snape finally cam to his senses, and yanked his arm away. He ran down the hall at breakneck speed, while the wolf pounded behind them.
A stitch formed in James' side and his breath tore at his throat, but the thought of the werewolf behind him drove him on. They finally reached the end of the tunnel, with the terrifying sounds of the wolf fading. James kicked at Snape as he climbed up, and scrambled out of the tunnel. At last they collapsed safely outside the perimeter of the tree.
Footsteps and yells echoed in the distance, and soon they where surrounded by several ashen-faced people, Dumbledore, Sirius, Peter, and Madam Pomfrey, and James sighed exhaustedly . . .
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"I am quite surprised at you, Black, Snape, Potter. I would never have thought you would do something this dangerous," said Professor Dumbledore demurely as he stared at them from across his desk.
James, Snape, and Sirius were sitting across from Dumbledore's large desk, shining with polish and age. A phoenix was looking at them through bleary, rheumy eyes, and the room itself was lit with the glow of candles in sconces all around the room. The pictures of past headmasters were glaring down at them disapprovingly, some shaking their heads and others openly reprimanding them. The old, disapproving atmosphere was quite claustrophobic for the three young boys, and their apprehension at the very severe punishment that was undoubtedly coming made it all the more worse.
Albus unlaced his fingers and stood, going to a cabinet and pulling out a basin.
"Peter Pettigrew informed me of your whereabouts, and I immediately brought the situation to the attention of Madame Pomfrey. She seemed to think that there was not a time more dangerous for a group of insubordinate boys to be chasing after a werewolf . . . a werewolf in the middle of a painful transformation." James and Sirius both had looks cross their faces, but Snape's was a mask of disgust, anger, and fear.
Dumbledore placed the basin on his desk and pulled out his wand, laying it beside the basin lovingly.
"Mr. Severus, I do believe a detention is in order. Would you care to go inform your head of house that you will be serving it on the 30th?" It sounded more like an order than a request, but despite this fact Snape merely nodded and stalked off, shocked that all he had was a night's detention. Dumbledore waited until he left to turn to Sirius and James, both bowing their heads under his gaze.
Instead of immediately speaking to them though, he picked his wand up and placed its tip to his temple, and away from it drew a silvery substance. When he placed it in the bowl, Snape's angry face spun about for a moment, falling unpleasantly into James as he yelled after Severus, then merged into Peter's face, pink and sweaty as he ran to Dumbledore. More pictures flashed up, and it soon swirled so quickly that Dumbledore literally couldn't keep up with his own thoughts, and they finally fell into the rest as the memories ended.
He sighed with relief, and upon looking up, saw that James and Sirius were staring at the basin with a mixture of curiosity and tension.
"Sirius-"started Dumbledore, and he smiled when he jumped. "Would you care to explain why you told Mr. Snape the secret to the Whomping Willow?"
Sirius hung his head in shame. I don't think I can defend my actions..." he lifted his face, a bit of his Siriusness flaring up, and with a grin said "especially to Albus Dumbledore!" Despite all his cockiness, even Sirius black knew that he could defend himself all day, and although Dumbledore might understand his actions he would never condone them.
"Why is that?" asked Albus, his serious demeanor shone through for a moment with bemusement.
"Well . . . because it was wrong, and unforgivable and all that. Nothing I can say will make it better."
"Wrong indeed, yet it remains to be seen whether it is unforgivable. I think that it is up to Mr. Lupin to decide that."
Sirius winced at this pronouncement.
"That may be the worst punishment of all; to tell your friend you have betrayed his trust. But I leave that task up to you. As for a more formal punishment, I can hardly allow you off. Yet I do not believe that a suspension from school would be suitable. So. . ." He transfigured a drab bit of cloth peeking from a desk drawer into a piece of parchment and quill, and quickly scribbled a few lines down. "You will be serving detentions for three weeks, as well as apologizing to Mr. Snape."
Sirius nodded, knowing that what Dumbledore had said was true, and hating the thought of the look on Moony's face when he told him what had happened. Dumbledore let him go back to the common room, then turned to James who had been sitting silently throughout Sirius' reparation, a different sort of look flitting across his face for a moment; pity.
It was very obviously not for the situation, though, but for James' absolute haggardness. He hadn't recovered yet, from the loss of his father and the huge amount of change at Hogwarts. He was rather liked a kicked puppy; moping and sorry for himself, but actually hurt.
"James, I am proud of your actions tonight. They showed the bravery and valor that only a true Gryffindor would have, and I am glad you did not let your hatred of Mr. Snape bar your good judgment." said Dumbledore, gazing levelly at James. "Though it is left to be said whether you are feeling truly brave."
James looked at Dumbledore confusedly at this. "Professor?" he said.
Dumbledore still looked at him with that twinkling gaze, tempered by all sorts of thoughts James wished the headmaster would just lay out before him.
"Your father, Mr. Potter, was one of the best men I knew." Said Albus, and James leaned back, aghast. No one had spoken to him about his dad at all. He had a very strange feeling Dumbledore had been waiting to talk about his dad since Christmas.
"I'm sure you know perfectly well that he was an excellent wizard, though he had a habit of throwing himself in harms way, like yourself tonight. He was reckless in his protection of those he loved. Without your father's death, though, the course of time would have been much worse. It was his bravery, in fact, that made that first attack end so quickly. Has anyone told you what happened?"
"No." said James, and his voice nearly broke in dread.
"On Christmas, your father and mother were at Diagon Alley presenting in the ceremony, and William was one of the first to start fighting against the death eaters, despite your mother's protestations that there was nothing he could do against Voldemort. Miss Elizabeth immediately alerted Alastor Moody as quickly as she could apparate to his home, and the two alerted the rest of the aurors, leading them back to Diagon Alley."
James' face was stony, or maybe it was more stormy, like Dumbledore was giving him a medicine that caused temporary sickness. Albus was still holding James' gaze, forcing him to listen.
"Meanwhile, your father was fighting against dozens of death eaters, succeeding in capturing several. But there was one, of course, that was impossible to beat; Voldemort himself." Dumbledore stopped his speech, and pulled the bowl towards himself.
"Sometimes, things are better seen than heard, and more truly understood." he said, and touched the substance with his wand. It roiled for a moment, then an image appeared in it; all James could see was the main street in Diagon Alley. He leaned forward to see with a sick anticipation, and realized he would have to stand up and look in at a close angle if he wanted to get a glimpse of the tiny movements that seemed to be coming from the left corner. . .
His nose grazed the surface as he leaned to look, and instantly, he was sucked into the scene, landing with a thump on the hard ground. His ears rang terribly from the screams and yelling that were coming from all around him, and he jumped up in surprise and loathing as a black hooded figure swooped by, sporting a large hooked nose and greasy, lank hair, his pale face grim and deadly.
The death eater, Snape, was walking towards the center of the melee, where a tall man with dark, dark hair and pale eyes, was standing before Voldemort.
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By the time James got back to the common room, he was so tired and dazed that he tripped in, while Peter rushed over to help him and Lily and Sirius jumped up, Lily with her green eyes wide and scared, and Sirius looking aghast at James' late, clumsy arrival.
"What in bloody hell happened?" he asked the moment James was sitting down, but he shoved Peter and Sirius away and went straight to the dormitory, not uttering a sound. Sirius was about to follow, but Lily held him by his arm.
"Don't. Something isn't-he's not-"She couldn't put her thoughts to words, so she let the sentence fade away, paler than James' face when he had come in.
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GNA: There you go! The long-awaited chapter ten! It wasn't the best (at all) in my opinion, but it is pivotal to the plot in later chapters, so if it seems bungled up now, *repeats from previous chapter* All will be revealed with ti-
GNL: . . .
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Thank yous!
Since so many people have reviewed...and we have to do thank yous for Chapter Nine as well as the preview of Chapter 10 The personal thankyous have been suspended for this chapter. Just so you all know we appreciated and loved your comments. And now in no particular order...
Thanks to.....
Krw313
Susan Heart
Lady of Masbolle
Child-of-Scorpio
GNA Sis
Rachel
Sarah (Miss Mrpk)
Erin (J.E.A.R.K. Potter)
morph
NonChallant
VampChick001
Late Bloomer 04
GNL: . . . Excuse GNA. She is suffering from parting anxiety.
GNA: Oh, shut it. By the way, I'm sorry about the chapter. . . it's more drama. . . and . . . and . . . THERE WILL ONLY BE TWELVE CHAPTERS TO YEAR SIX! *sobs*
GNL: Not again . . . should have seen her when she finished the last chapter to this year. . .don't worry, though, year seven is thirty chapters long, and will be posted with this one since we can't come up with another title. OK. That's enough for updates. On with the show!
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CHAPTER TEN: OF HATE AND REVENGE
"Today we are reviewing for the End of year exams," Professor Walton said. Their professor that day was the laid back substitute for Defense Against the Dark Arts, who had a strange obsession with a muggle film he had seen once, Godzilla. "We'll begin with boggarts."
"Boggarts?" sniffed Malfoy, who was lounging regally in his seat with a group of other Slytherins, including Bellatrix and Snape. "Any first year could hand a boggart. Well, any Slytherin first year; Gryffindors normally wet their pants whenever one is mentioned." Laughter from the Slytherins, and angry mutterings from the Gryffindors fluttered around the room after his comment.
"Now, now none of that. Whether or not you think they are easy to deal with they will probably appear on the exams, so you may want to review them." Said Walton coldly to the Slytherin sixteen year old.
After reviewing the spell 'riddikulus' Walton allowed them to practice on a real boggart. One by one the students faced the shape-shifter, and James waited expectantly for his turn and own fear. While he waited, rather curious about what he would see, Remus was taking his turn. When the boggart saw him it turned into a silvery orb: the moon. James glanced around at the mystified faces of the class.
"Riddikulus!" Remus shouted, and the orb fell to the floor as.... Swiss cheese!
Several people later it came to Snape, and he smugly approached the boggart. A show tune singing banshee disappeared, and in it's placed appeared...
"Me?" James stared at the boggart. It was him, and he was pointing his wand directly at Snape, laughing victoriously. A burst of imaginary light shot towards Snape.
"James beating Snape," Lily whispered to Alice.
Snape, glaring at both James', shouted "Riddikulus!" and the form grew taller, with much darker hair and paler eyes. The room's whisperings went silent. The figure fell to the ground, and crumpled in a heap. Snape grinned evilly. James went rigid with shock.
"Dad." he muttered, horrified.
Sirius was gripping his wand so tightly that it looked ready to snap, and raised it with a terrible growl. Lily held her hand out to stop him.
"Don't!" she hissed. Sirius didn't hear, or at least didn't respond. "You won't accomplish anything! You'll just get in trouble for fighting!" She glanced at Remus for help, but he looked ready to tear Snape apart limb-by- limb as well. Professor Walton, observing the student's tension, volunteered Sirius to finish off the boggart, simultaneously placing him and Snape on opposing sides of the room as Severus walked back to his seat, still glaring.
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Lily glanced nervously across the common room at Sirius, Peter, and James, who were sitting in an unusually quiet group by the fire. Peter affrightedly glanced from the wrathful Sirius to the depressed James, not trying to cheer either of them up; he wasn't funny enough. Remus had gone to the hospital wing right before dinner, not feeling well at all.
Suddenly, Sirius stood up muttering something about a letter to James and Peter, before striding out the portrait hole.
"I wonder where he's off to." Lily murmured.
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As he entered the stuffy dark owlery, Sirius saw a figure standing at one of the windows: Snape. He was staring intently out the window at something on the grounds, his eyes squinted from peering so hard.
"Snivellus." Sirius muttered angrily. Snape whirled around, hearing Black's livid voice behind him.
"What are you doing here Black?" he spat, angry that he had been surprised.
"Maybe the real question is what I am going to do to you!" Sirius snarled with a distorting sneer on his face.
"What? Is little Potter crying like a baby in his room?"
"Thinking of yourself, are you?"
Snape laughed coldly and glanced out the window. "Damn!" he muttered.
"What are you watching?" asked Sirius suspiciously, and he walked over to a nearby window. Madam Pomfrey was walking across the grounds towards the castle- alone.
"Oh, I see," Sirius said wrathfully, "You thought you were going to get Remus expelled, eh? Can't ever mind your own business, can you Snivellus?"
Snape's pale face tinged with color at his degrading nickname.
"I wouldn't talk like that, Black!"
"HA. And why not, Snivelly?"
"I know things about you that would make your hair curl." He said menacingly, grinding the words out with precision.
"What would that be? I dropped a dung bomb on an ickle firstie?"
"Besides your immature little pranks, Black? Oh yes, I know things. Or should I say Padfoot. . ."
Sirius' eyes widened for a moment, then narrowed into slits.
"Fine then, Snivelly, if you want to know where we go so badly, why don't you just follow him?" Sirius growled, his face slowly becoming more relaxed and cocky as a particularly nasty thought entered his head.
Snape gave Sirius a loathing glare, his face turning an almost natural color.
"What? Can't get past the tree?" Sirius smirked. "Pathetic! It's not hard you know. Just touch the knot on its trunk with a long branch...It'll freeze right up."
Snape turned away from Sirius. "More than likely it would rip itself up." He said, angrily storming from the owlery.
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When Sirius returned to the common room, James noticed he had a particularly ugly, satisfied look on his face, bothering him for some reason.
"What's with you?" James asked.
"Nothing."
"Then what's with the sudden change of mood? I thought you were sending a letter."
"I don't know what you're talking about." he replied carelessly.
"Sirius, you are a horrible liar."
Sirius smirked, his eyes still blazing. "Oh, it's just a little sweet revenge."
"Sweet revenge on . . ." James paused, then realized the only person it could be. "Snape?"
"Who else?"
"Sirius, stop being a prat and get on with it."
"I just gave him some information he wanted."
"What kind of information?" James asked sharply.
"Just a tip on dealing with Whomping Willow trees."
"YOU DID WHAT!?!?!" James shouted. The common room hushed, and all eyes turned to the two. He angrily strode over to the portrait hole.
"Hey, where are you going? What's wrong?" Sirius called, jogging to catch up to him, Peter tagging along behind as well.
"SIRIUS, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!! HE COULD DIE!!" yelled James the instant he stepped into the corridor.
"I don't know if he'll actually try it! He didn't seem to believe me anyways."
"OF COURSE HE WILL! WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU!"
"Well--whatever he gets he deserves!" Sirius retorted angrily. His usual calm and cool demeanor was gone with his best friend yelling at him.
James ran then, all the way from the Gryffindor tower, past the classrooms, and finally to the door in the Entrance hall, where he could see Snape down by the Whomping Willow, studying it with a long branch in his hand.
"SNAPE!! DON'T!" bellowed James as he sprinted towards him.
Snape reached the branch out and tapped the knot. The tree instantly stood completely still. With a look of triumph he hurried forward and slipped into the hole between the tree's roots. James cursed as he disappeared, and raced after him.
When James arrived at the tree a minute later he quickly picked up Snape's discarded branch. As soon as the tree was stilled he jumped down the hole into the dark passageway.
"Lumos!" he muttered, and his wand lit up brilliantly. He ran down the tunnel, stumbling on the uneven floor.
After more minutes of running, James could see Snape's retreating form; he was obviously running as fast as he could to get to the end of the tunnel.
"Snape!" he cried, panting. "Don't...Come back...you don't know what's up there...."
"I'm not falling for that, Potter!"
"Damn it, Snape, will you listen to me!" he yelled. Snape disappeared around a bend. As James took the bend, he saw Snape stood frozen in place. At the end of the tunnel was a fully-grown werewolf, emitting earsplitting howls.
"Snape, get away from there!" whispered James fiercely. Snape didn't move. James, desperate, grabbed him by the arm and dragged him backwards.
"Come on, damn it!" he yelled, giving up the quiet approach. The werewolf's head snapped in their direction, still howling in misery. James ran, Snape weighing him down as he half-stumbled down the rough tunnel. Snape finally cam to his senses, and yanked his arm away. He ran down the hall at breakneck speed, while the wolf pounded behind them.
A stitch formed in James' side and his breath tore at his throat, but the thought of the werewolf behind him drove him on. They finally reached the end of the tunnel, with the terrifying sounds of the wolf fading. James kicked at Snape as he climbed up, and scrambled out of the tunnel. At last they collapsed safely outside the perimeter of the tree.
Footsteps and yells echoed in the distance, and soon they where surrounded by several ashen-faced people, Dumbledore, Sirius, Peter, and Madam Pomfrey, and James sighed exhaustedly . . .
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"I am quite surprised at you, Black, Snape, Potter. I would never have thought you would do something this dangerous," said Professor Dumbledore demurely as he stared at them from across his desk.
James, Snape, and Sirius were sitting across from Dumbledore's large desk, shining with polish and age. A phoenix was looking at them through bleary, rheumy eyes, and the room itself was lit with the glow of candles in sconces all around the room. The pictures of past headmasters were glaring down at them disapprovingly, some shaking their heads and others openly reprimanding them. The old, disapproving atmosphere was quite claustrophobic for the three young boys, and their apprehension at the very severe punishment that was undoubtedly coming made it all the more worse.
Albus unlaced his fingers and stood, going to a cabinet and pulling out a basin.
"Peter Pettigrew informed me of your whereabouts, and I immediately brought the situation to the attention of Madame Pomfrey. She seemed to think that there was not a time more dangerous for a group of insubordinate boys to be chasing after a werewolf . . . a werewolf in the middle of a painful transformation." James and Sirius both had looks cross their faces, but Snape's was a mask of disgust, anger, and fear.
Dumbledore placed the basin on his desk and pulled out his wand, laying it beside the basin lovingly.
"Mr. Severus, I do believe a detention is in order. Would you care to go inform your head of house that you will be serving it on the 30th?" It sounded more like an order than a request, but despite this fact Snape merely nodded and stalked off, shocked that all he had was a night's detention. Dumbledore waited until he left to turn to Sirius and James, both bowing their heads under his gaze.
Instead of immediately speaking to them though, he picked his wand up and placed its tip to his temple, and away from it drew a silvery substance. When he placed it in the bowl, Snape's angry face spun about for a moment, falling unpleasantly into James as he yelled after Severus, then merged into Peter's face, pink and sweaty as he ran to Dumbledore. More pictures flashed up, and it soon swirled so quickly that Dumbledore literally couldn't keep up with his own thoughts, and they finally fell into the rest as the memories ended.
He sighed with relief, and upon looking up, saw that James and Sirius were staring at the basin with a mixture of curiosity and tension.
"Sirius-"started Dumbledore, and he smiled when he jumped. "Would you care to explain why you told Mr. Snape the secret to the Whomping Willow?"
Sirius hung his head in shame. I don't think I can defend my actions..." he lifted his face, a bit of his Siriusness flaring up, and with a grin said "especially to Albus Dumbledore!" Despite all his cockiness, even Sirius black knew that he could defend himself all day, and although Dumbledore might understand his actions he would never condone them.
"Why is that?" asked Albus, his serious demeanor shone through for a moment with bemusement.
"Well . . . because it was wrong, and unforgivable and all that. Nothing I can say will make it better."
"Wrong indeed, yet it remains to be seen whether it is unforgivable. I think that it is up to Mr. Lupin to decide that."
Sirius winced at this pronouncement.
"That may be the worst punishment of all; to tell your friend you have betrayed his trust. But I leave that task up to you. As for a more formal punishment, I can hardly allow you off. Yet I do not believe that a suspension from school would be suitable. So. . ." He transfigured a drab bit of cloth peeking from a desk drawer into a piece of parchment and quill, and quickly scribbled a few lines down. "You will be serving detentions for three weeks, as well as apologizing to Mr. Snape."
Sirius nodded, knowing that what Dumbledore had said was true, and hating the thought of the look on Moony's face when he told him what had happened. Dumbledore let him go back to the common room, then turned to James who had been sitting silently throughout Sirius' reparation, a different sort of look flitting across his face for a moment; pity.
It was very obviously not for the situation, though, but for James' absolute haggardness. He hadn't recovered yet, from the loss of his father and the huge amount of change at Hogwarts. He was rather liked a kicked puppy; moping and sorry for himself, but actually hurt.
"James, I am proud of your actions tonight. They showed the bravery and valor that only a true Gryffindor would have, and I am glad you did not let your hatred of Mr. Snape bar your good judgment." said Dumbledore, gazing levelly at James. "Though it is left to be said whether you are feeling truly brave."
James looked at Dumbledore confusedly at this. "Professor?" he said.
Dumbledore still looked at him with that twinkling gaze, tempered by all sorts of thoughts James wished the headmaster would just lay out before him.
"Your father, Mr. Potter, was one of the best men I knew." Said Albus, and James leaned back, aghast. No one had spoken to him about his dad at all. He had a very strange feeling Dumbledore had been waiting to talk about his dad since Christmas.
"I'm sure you know perfectly well that he was an excellent wizard, though he had a habit of throwing himself in harms way, like yourself tonight. He was reckless in his protection of those he loved. Without your father's death, though, the course of time would have been much worse. It was his bravery, in fact, that made that first attack end so quickly. Has anyone told you what happened?"
"No." said James, and his voice nearly broke in dread.
"On Christmas, your father and mother were at Diagon Alley presenting in the ceremony, and William was one of the first to start fighting against the death eaters, despite your mother's protestations that there was nothing he could do against Voldemort. Miss Elizabeth immediately alerted Alastor Moody as quickly as she could apparate to his home, and the two alerted the rest of the aurors, leading them back to Diagon Alley."
James' face was stony, or maybe it was more stormy, like Dumbledore was giving him a medicine that caused temporary sickness. Albus was still holding James' gaze, forcing him to listen.
"Meanwhile, your father was fighting against dozens of death eaters, succeeding in capturing several. But there was one, of course, that was impossible to beat; Voldemort himself." Dumbledore stopped his speech, and pulled the bowl towards himself.
"Sometimes, things are better seen than heard, and more truly understood." he said, and touched the substance with his wand. It roiled for a moment, then an image appeared in it; all James could see was the main street in Diagon Alley. He leaned forward to see with a sick anticipation, and realized he would have to stand up and look in at a close angle if he wanted to get a glimpse of the tiny movements that seemed to be coming from the left corner. . .
His nose grazed the surface as he leaned to look, and instantly, he was sucked into the scene, landing with a thump on the hard ground. His ears rang terribly from the screams and yelling that were coming from all around him, and he jumped up in surprise and loathing as a black hooded figure swooped by, sporting a large hooked nose and greasy, lank hair, his pale face grim and deadly.
The death eater, Snape, was walking towards the center of the melee, where a tall man with dark, dark hair and pale eyes, was standing before Voldemort.
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By the time James got back to the common room, he was so tired and dazed that he tripped in, while Peter rushed over to help him and Lily and Sirius jumped up, Lily with her green eyes wide and scared, and Sirius looking aghast at James' late, clumsy arrival.
"What in bloody hell happened?" he asked the moment James was sitting down, but he shoved Peter and Sirius away and went straight to the dormitory, not uttering a sound. Sirius was about to follow, but Lily held him by his arm.
"Don't. Something isn't-he's not-"She couldn't put her thoughts to words, so she let the sentence fade away, paler than James' face when he had come in.
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GNA: There you go! The long-awaited chapter ten! It wasn't the best (at all) in my opinion, but it is pivotal to the plot in later chapters, so if it seems bungled up now, *repeats from previous chapter* All will be revealed with ti-
GNL: . . .
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Thank yous!
Since so many people have reviewed...and we have to do thank yous for Chapter Nine as well as the preview of Chapter 10 The personal thankyous have been suspended for this chapter. Just so you all know we appreciated and loved your comments. And now in no particular order...
Thanks to.....
Krw313
Susan Heart
Lady of Masbolle
Child-of-Scorpio
GNA Sis
Rachel
Sarah (Miss Mrpk)
Erin (J.E.A.R.K. Potter)
morph
NonChallant
VampChick001
Late Bloomer 04