Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me.
Chapter 10
Harry ran as fast as he could down the stairs and out the portrait hole. He rushed through the mercifully empty corridors and reached the oak front doors panting. He pushed them open and ran out into the grounds, hoping that he would reach his mother in time to warn her.
His slippers squelched on the soft, dewy ground as he finally spotted Lily, crouching to avoid being hit by the Whomping Willow's branches.
"Lily! Get out of there!" Harry yelled urgently.
Lily turned around and Harry could tell that she was shocked to see him. She was just about to run toward him when the trapdoor opened. The Willow suddenly stopped thrashing its branches and a stag cantered out of the hidden passage. It stopped short the moment it spotted Lily and stared in surprise. But before it could react, a low growl escaped from the trapdoor.
Snarling slightly, the werewolf pushed its head up and sniffed the air. It stiffened and turned its yellow eyes on Lily, the closest human. With a roar that made Harry's hair stand on end, it leapt out of the trapdoor with amazing speed, straight at her.
Lily screamed when the beast lunged. But before it could sink its teeth into her, the great stag charged and caught the werewolf in the side with its antlers. The werewolf was thrown in the other direction, toward Harry.
The werewolf charged at Harry instead who raised his wand to defend himself. Expelliarmus! Harry cried and the werewolf was thrown back. It shook its furry head and made for Lily again, who was standing frozen with fear, unable to reach for her wand.
But suddenly, the stag was there, standing protectively in front of her and pawing the ground with its hoof. The black dog, which Harry hadn't noticed come out of the passage, ran toward Harry and nudged him in the direction of the front doors. But Harry couldn't move. He was staring aghast at the scene in front of him.
The werewolf charged again and the stag met it head on, lowering its antlered head as it galloped. To Harry's horror, the werewolf dodged to the side and slashed at the stag with its claws. Despite the fact that it was wounded, the stag doubled back and charged again, making sure that the werewolf didn't go near Lily.
Meanwhile, the dog abandoned Harry and went to help. The werewolf tried to get at Lily again but the dog and the stag blocked its way. Together, the two animals gradually herded the werewolf back to the trapdoor. After much growling and clawing, they managed it. The moment the werewolf was inside, the dog closed the door with its muzzle. Then, it changed back into Sirius and he bolted the passage shut. There was a muffled howl, then silence. Peter had reappeared as well, his face white. He made sure that the Willow stayed frozen by prodding the knot again.
The stag walked slowly toward Lily, its wounds clearly visible in the moonlight. It stopped in front of her and James reappeared, falling on his knees and keeling sideways. Lily caught him in her arms and sank to the ground, James's head on her lap.
"Are you alright?" James whispered.
"Yes." Lily said, her voice shaking.
Harry ran toward the two of them, dropping to his knees to examine the extent of James's injuries. They were bad. His father's robes were slashed and there were cuts on his chest, side and arms. Blood was trickling down from the deep cuts on his chest. James was breathing heavily and shivering slightly.
Sirius had also reached James's side, accompanied by Peter, still chalk-white. He had a few scratches as well, but nothing serious.
"We have to get him to the hospital wing!" Lily said.
"No!" James and Sirius cried together. James sat up, wincing.
"Lily," Sirius said patiently, "If we bring James to the hospital wing, McGonagall will find out about it and all of us might get expelled. In case you haven't noticed, we're out of bounds here."
"Anyway, these are just scratches. I'll be fine." James told Lily reassuringly, but he grimaced every time he talked.
Lily looked at James, then at everyone else. "I guess you're right." She told Sirius, her voice shaking slightly, "But he's going to have to get first aid."
"Well that's up to you then, isn't it?" Sirius said with a wolf-like grin. "So what'll you have, the map or the cloak?" he asked James.
James considered for a moment. "The map. I don't want to stain the cloak.
Sirius nodded and handed him a piece of parchment from a pocket in his robes. James took it and tapped it with his wand. "I swear I'm up to no good." He muttered.
As the map appeared on the surface of the parchment, Lily couldn't help but react. "That's a map of Hogwarts!" she exclaimed loudly. All four boys shushed her.
"Do you want the whole school to know?" Sirius hissed. "Are you going to be fine, Prongs?" he asked James.
"Certainly, Padfoot." James replied, his good humor returning despite the pain.
"Where are you going?" Lily asked Sirius.
"We can't leave our friend Moony alone, can we?" Sirius said.
"That's right." James said, "The Marauders never abandon a friend."
"But that's what they're doing to you!" Lily said maddeningly.
"Calm down," James told her. "They're leaving me with you and Granger, so I'm definitely not abandoned."
Lily didn't say anything, but ripped off a piece of her sleeve and pressed the cloth to James's chest, where the bleeding was worst.
"Aaargh!" James cried, his face contorted in pain.
Lily ignored his cries and said, "Press down on the wound to stop the bleeding." James, breathing heavily, took the cloth from her hand and did what she said.
"Come on." Harry said, heaving James up to a standing position. James leaned on Harry, giving the map to Lily. "Check if the coast is clear." He told her.
Lily stared wordlessly at the map, clearly amazed at what it could do. Then, without another word, the three of them headed slowly back to the castle.
A/N: So what do you think of this chapter? Please review!