Chapter Twenty-Eight: An Unexpected Hero
The Muggle gave a yelp of surprise before Sirius and James stupefied him together. He fell over backward and lay still. As Sirius and James turned from the farmer back to their friends, Peter gasped as the werewolf began to move slightly underneath him. He scrambled to stand up and get away as James and Sirius stupefied it again.
Peter trembled as Sirius and James kept their wands directed at the beast.
"Good thinking, Peter," Sirius stammered. "Keep an eye on the Muggle, will ya? We don't want him to wake up until we're long gone."
The boys' spirits sank further with this statement because they all realized how long they would have to stay like this, on guard, until the moon went down and the werewolf turned back into Remus. Peter raised his wand, nevertheless, keeping his eyes on the Muggle.
James sighed. "Might as well sit down, we'll be more comfortable that way." He smiled, trying to look reassuring as he, Peter and Sirius sat down on the cold grass. They remained ever vigilant, re-stupefying the werewolf numerous times and the Muggle once, though sleep threatened to overtake them.
Hours and countless stupefying spells later, James and Sirius watched in amazement as the werewolf hair began to disappear and the beast's body returned to that of 11 year old Remus J. Lupin. Peter still had his eyes locked on the Muggle farmer, when he heard noises of small movements beginning. When he didn't hear a voice yelling, "Stupefy!" he asked, "Hey, guys...?"
He stopped as he looked over to see Remus sit up, himself again.
----
Remus sat up, rubbing his head. 'This doesn't feel like the shrieking shack,' he thought before opening his eyes. When he opened them, he was surprised and distressed to see James and Sirius staring back at him, wands still raised. He looked all the way around him, trying to figure the strange situation out. He remembered now about being in the secret passage when the transformation happened, but where was he now?
Peter sat on the other side of James and Sirius and was slowly turning to face Remus. His wand was up and ready as well, but it was pointing in the opposite direction. Remus followed where it pointed and saw the Muggle farmer lying sprawled on the ground, his gun next to him. Behind the man lay farmland as far as Remus could see. He turned blankly to his friends and murmured, "Where are we? What happened?"
The three boys looked at one another, trying to decide what to say. After a moment, James began.
"We're somewhere out in the country, we're not sure where," James replied, shrugging. "This is where the secret passage came out, so we sat here to wait for the moon to go down so we could get back to Hogwarts with you. Then we could hear this howling and the trapdoor over there," James pointed, "opened and a werewolf came out." James' eyes dropped from Remus'.
"We were ready, so we stupefied, uh...the werewolf, but then we hear this Muggle yelling 'die' and pointing that thing-"
"It's a gun," Remus corrected automatically. "It shoots little bits of metal into stuff."
"Oh, well, he's pointing this gun at the werewolf and suddenly Peter jumps up and pushes the werewolf out of the way- of the bits of metal, I guess- as the gun makes this big bang, and Sirius and I stupefy the Muggle. Since then, we've been sitting here, on guard, reapplying our spells when needed."
Remus looked at Peter, speechless. Peter turned red and looked away. Opening and shutting his mouth a few times, Remus couldn't find any words.
Sirius put an arm around Remus. "Don't worry about saying anything, Remus, let's get you back to Hogwarts first."
Nodding, Remus shakily stood and followed Sirius to the trapdoor.
"What about the Muggle?" Peter asked James, who was standing next to him.
James looked around a bit. "Um, I know we aren't supposed to do this, but I think we have to modify his memory so he won't remember this. I saw my dad do it once, I think." He raised his wand, pointed it at the fallen Muggle and cried, "Obliviate!"
A small bang issued from the end of his wand, and the farmer moaned a bit as he stirred, but he didn't wake up.
"I hope that worked," James said to Peter as they made their way over to the trapdoor. "But we can't very well wake him up to see if he remembers us, can we?" He smiled weakly.
Sirius had already jumped down into the secret passage and was starting to help Remus down. James and Peter assisted from the top, then Peter climbed down before James surveyed the scene quickly to make sure no signs of their adventure remained and dropped below the earth with his friends.
It took them much longer to return to the castle, as Remus was weakened by physical and emotional stress, and the others were just plain tired. As he trudged wearily on, Remus berated himself for allowing this dangerous situation to come about. 'I never should have told them,' he ranted to himself. 'I should have been more responsible yesterday. I could have killed them. Maybe my parents were right all along.' On and on these torturing thoughts went, as long as it took to get back to the castle.
The silence the Marauders had been wearily traveling in was broken by the grating sound of the door into Hogwarts' dungeons opening. James led the way in, making sure the coast was clear before he motioned for the others to follow. For the first time, Remus wondered how much of this was going to be revealed to the school, Professor Dumbledore in particular. Apparently, the other boys wished to get upstairs unnoticed, but were they planning to keep it hidden? Remus didn't have time to decide what was the right thing to do because as soon as the doorway closed behind them, the headmaster appeared in the dungeons.
A look of relief filled Dumbledore's face as he sighed heavily, but happily. "There you boys are," he said, mostly to himself. "You have no idea how worried we've been. Does anyone need to see Madame Pomfrey right away?"
The Marauders all shook their heads and Dumbledore nodded. "Then I would like you all to come to my office with me so we can find out what has happened."
Dumbledore led them through deserted halls, reaching his office without passing anyone. It was, after all, either very late or very early. When they arrived in his office, the boys immediately sat down in the cushioned chairs and felt much better. The Professor conjured up a plate of sandwiches that he could tell the boys needed, then turned to his fireplace.
Remus watched in amazement as Dumbledore threw some powder on the fire and called, "Minerva?"
Professor McGonagall's head appeared in the fire. "Yes, Albus?" it answered. "Any sign of them?"
"They are here in my office, all four of them, safe and sound."
McGonagall's head sighed with immense relief. "Thank goodness."
"Please let Poppy know that she will have four patients on their way in a little while," Dumbledore finished.
"I will." With a pop, McGonagall disappeared.
Dumbledore turned back to the boys, all eating hungrily, except for Remus. "When you have had time to collect your thoughts, I would like to hear the entire story."
Remus was extremely grateful for this allowance by the headmaster. His head was a complete mess and he needed time to think before he talked. He even ate a sandwich while Dumbledore sat back in his chair, looking very relaxed.
Finally, Sirius spoke up. "Well, sir, it all started yesterday before lunch. We didn't have any immediate studying to do, so we decided to wander a bit, exploring the castle. We were in the basement, where you met us today, sir, and I happened to lean against the wall and open a secret door."
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, as if he was not quite sure Sirius just 'happened' to find the door, but he said nothing.
"So we decided to see where the passage led to," James continued. "Remus had reminded us all that it was a full moon, but we had no intentions of being gone more than ten minutes. Well, it took hours to walk that passage, and when we realized the time, our best bet was to get me, Sirius and Peter out of the tunnel and leave Remus there to change." He looked at Remus.
Remus nodded and began. "I started back towards the castle while they hurried on. It wasn't long before the werewolf started to take over. After that..." he trailed off, inspecting the floor of the office.
Peter jumped in. "We made it to the end of the passage, and sat nearby, waiting for the moon to set. Then we heard howling coming closer and out of the tunnel comes the werewolf. We stupefied him, but then we heard a Muggle yell, 'Die you monster.'"
Looking concerned, Dumbledore sat up and looked at the boys closely.
Peter did not continue, so James finished the story. "The Muggle had this-" he looked at Remus, unsure, "gun?- And as he pointed it at Remus, Peter tackled him out of the way of its harm, giving Sirius and me a chance to stupefy the Muggle."
Remus noticed a strange look filling Dumbledore's eyes as he looked over at Peter. He started to speak, but stopped to allow the boys to tell it their own way. He had time for his questions later, Remus reasoned.
"So we stayed on guard all night, keeping the werewolf and the Muggle stupefied, and when the moon went down, Remus came back and woke up. We tried to modify the Muggle's memory, then we came back here," James finished.
Remus held his breath, waiting to see how much trouble he would be in for not being under the Whomping Willow, and what Dumbledore would do to the others for stunning a farmer and modifying his memory. Those seemed like pretty high crimes to him, and he didn't know how they would be handled. For a few moments it was completely silent, except for the small rustling noises Fawkes was making. Remus' wandering attention settled on the bird, which was still very small, but now feathered in beautiful scarlet plumage. Then Dumbledore spoke.
"I have heard some concerns voiced about admitting Remus to Hogwarts," Dumbledore began slowly. Remus hung his head in shame, his cheeks burning. "No, I misspoke. I heard concerns about how to protect everyone while Remus was here; I did not hear anything against admitting him. But if anyone could have anticipated the maturity, wisdom, and bravery with which you boys have handled this unfortunate accident, there would have been no worries at all."
Remus looked up, not willing to believe what he had heard. Could Dumbledore actually be proud of them? The smile on Dumbledore's face convinced him, and the same look had returned to the Headmaster's eyes. Remus realized, returning the smile, that it was pride.
"I must certainly remark upon the incredible bravery of Mr. Pettigrew," Dumbledore continued. "Mr. Pettigrew, do not look away in shame. You did a great thing, saving Remus from an unknown danger, not knowing how long he would remain stunned. For your showing of immense bravery and concern for your friend, I will award Gryffindor 100 points."
Peter looked as if he had just been stunned. He hadn't earned Gryffindor any points all year. "Thank you, sir," he quietly replied, looking Dumbledore right in the face.
Professor Dumbledore waved his hand, dismissing Peter's thanks. "No thanks are necessary, you have earned the honor. Now, as for Mr. Potter and Mr. Black, I must also congratulate you on your quick thinking and bravery in the situation. I will award each of you 10 points."
James and Sirius grinned widely, silently congratulating themselves on escaping punishment yet again.
"Now, if you three will excuse myself and Mr. Lupin, there are things we must still discuss," Dumbledore continued. Peter, Sirius and James all nodded and rose. "Please go down to see Madame Pomfrey, she'll be furious if I let you escape her care." The boys nodded again, smiling, and quietly left the room.
This was the part Remus had been dreading. He was awfully glad to not have caused his friends' expulsions, but he knew he had been responsible for putting them in mortal danger. He was dealing with his own guilt and disappointment in himself; he really didn't need anyone else's. He sighed and tried to disconnect his feelings as Dumbledore spoke.
He stared at Fawkes, not willing to meet Dumbledore's eyes. After a moment, Dumbledore said gently, "Remus?"
Startled by the use of his first name, Remus looked up. He did not see disappointment in the older wizard's face, only kindness and understanding. Faced with this, Remus began to cry.
Dumbledore put a hand on Remus' shoulder as the tears streamed down his face. When they slowed, Dumbledore said, "Now, Mr. Lupin, I can see that you are punishing yourself enough for your mistake in forgetting the time. I will not lecture you because I can see your remorse. I only ask that you talk to me about it. Keeping all of your guilt inside can only hurt you and those who care about you."
Remus nodded, too overwhelmed to speak. Finally, the words burst from him like a swollen river from behind a weakened dam.
"I could have killed them all!" he screamed. "I could have killed them all," he repeated quietly.
"But you didn't," Dumbledore replied reassuringly. "They are all fine."
Remus just shook his head. "I never should have put them in that sort of situation. I never should have told them, I never should have..." he looked at Dumbledore sadly, unable to finish.
"You never should have come to Hogwarts?" Dumbledore finished. "Is that what you're thinking?" Remus nodded. "Nonsense, Mr. Lupin. You belong here. I'm surprised you can't see that."
Remus looked faintly surprised. "What do you mean, sir?"
"Why, you're one of the top students in your class, Mr. Lupin," Dumbledore began. "And I, for one, cannot imagine the Marauder's tricks without your unique influence." The headmaster smiled warmly at Remus and Remus found himself smiling back.
"I guess you're right," Remus said, a bit more cheerfully. "But I still should have kept them safe from harm."
Dumbledore nodded, looking wise. "We all try to keep our friends out of harm, however, that is not always within our power. You have made a mistake, but no harm has come of it. In fact, good will come from it."
"Good?" Remus asked, startled.
"You will be much more careful from now on."
"You're right, sir," Remus replied, standing up. "Thank you for talking with me."
Dumbledore stood as well. "You are quite welcome, Mr. Lupin. Anytime you need to talk with me, please do not hesitate to do so."
"Thank you, sir," Remus gratefully answered. He shook Dumbledore's hand.
"Get yourself down to the hospital wing, Mr. Lupin, or Madame Pomfrey will most definitely be displeased with me," Dumbledore said with a wink as Remus left.
Outside the hospital wing was Lily. She stared impatiently at the door as Remus approached from behind. She was hopping with anxiety, muttering about the "silly restrictions" Madame Pomfrey enforced.
"Hello, Lily," Remus said, causing Lily to turn around in alarm.
He saw her green eyes change from horribly worried to terribly relieved in the instant it took for her to understand who was speaking to her.
"Remus!" She cried, running to him and embracing him. "You're ok!" She gleefully continued as she backed away to look at him.
"Of course I am," Remus said with a sly smile.
"The others," Lily breathlessly spoke. "I heard that someone saw them go into the hospital wing, but no one saw you and that witch wouldn't let me in to see them and..." She paused for breath.
Remus put a hand on her shoulder. "It's all right, Lily. We're all all right. I'm sorry we worried you."
"I'm just glad you're ok," Lily said with a smile. "But don't you ever scare me like that again!" She punched Remus lightly on the shoulder. "What on earth happened?"
"Uh..." Remus realized Madame Pomfrey was probably waiting for him. "I have to go in there now," he pointed sadly, "but we'll explain it all to you when we are released."
"All right," Lily sighed, but she smiled, too. "Come find me in the library as soon as she lets you go!"
"We will," Remus promised, opening the door.
"Miss Evans, I told you, you are not allowed in here! These boys-" Madame Pomfrey stopped abruptly when she saw it was Remus, not Lily who was coming in. "Oh, dear, I'm sorry Mr. Lupin. I thought you were...well, someone else."
The nurse-witch bustled over from Sirius' bedside and started questioning Remus. After an exhaustive round of questions, Madame Pomfrey hurried Remus into bed. She wanted to observe him for a little while and run a few tests. She had given the other Marauders a sleeping potion after making sure they were physically fine.
After a few minutes, Madame Pomfrey seemed satisfied with Remus' state of health, and prescribed him a potion for dreamless sleep. The last thing Remus remembered thinking was, 'Lily is going to be waiting in the library for quite some time...'