A/N: Soz this is a day late, i completely forgot last night! Eihwaz is ill
and she needs to Beta the next chap so it may be a bit late, sorry if so.
Thanx to madame-knight for her review of chap 13, and also to aurora-
borealis, tongalo and wind whisperer. btw, wind whisperer, for some reason
fanfiction sent me FORTY EIGHT copies of ur review. it was nice the first
time... but by about the thirty first, i WAS getting bored... lol... ok,
REVIEW evryone! i know ur out there! Lourdaise.
Chapter 15
There was a pause. "Potter."
I took off the invisibility cloak. "Yes."
He stared at me. "So, trying to kill me now, are you? But Potter chickened out at the last minute, I see. Didn't want a death on his conscience. I see it all now - your friend Loopy Lupin, I suppose, down there? Or Moony, as you call him. Did he know he was going to get a human meal tonight? Or was it just between you and Black?"
I was speechless. I had just saved this git's life, at the risk of the expense of my own, and this was his gratitude.
"Oh, I'm very grateful, Potty," he said sarcastically, reading my expression. "Ever so, ever so grateful. But right now I think we'll go and see Professor Dumbledore."
My voice returned. "Yes, I think we will, Snivellus."
It was the only time we ever agreed on anything.
Professor Dumbledore was, needless to say, surprised when two very angry students arrived outside his office at ten o' clock on a June night, but none the less he sat us down in front of his desk and prepared to listen.
"Potter tried to kill me!" Snape exploded before I could say a word.
Dumbledore's eyebrows shot up. "James, surely this isn't true?"
"On the contrary," I snapped, "I just saved his life!"
Snape glared at me. "You just got cold feet about a prank."
"It wasn't my prank to get cold feet about! I intervened to save your greasy, ungrateful neck!"
"You truly expect me to believe that you had no part in it? Come, Potter, I know you and Black are in everything together," he snarled. "Or is Black, in fact, innocent of anything as well?"
Dumbledore raised a hand. "Gentlemen, I'm sure we can sort this out far more effectively if we do it in an orderly fashion. I would like you both to give me an account of the evening - and by that I mean a truthful account, which does not leave out details in order to either incriminate or absolve other parties." He chuckled to himself. "James, would you start, please?"
I took a deep breath. "I came back from the Quidditch at about eight o' clock, with the rest of the team rather than my normal group. There was a party in the common room, but I noticed that neither Sirius, Remus nor Peter were there. I guessed where Remus was, but Sirius and Peter didn't arrive back until shortly after nine o' clock. I asked where they'd been and Peter informed me that they had been talking to him." I jabbed my thumb in Snape's direction. "Sirius had apparently recommended that Snape go and try freezing the Whomping Willow by pressing the knot with a long branch tonight. Remus was transformed tonight."
Dumbledore looked suddenly grave. "So you know about Remus Lupin, Severus?"
"Yes, sir. I do," Snape said smugly.
"I take it you understand the need for silence?"
"Not really, no sir. I think we students have a right to know. He shouldn't come here if he's dangerous."
"He was only dangerous because you were out of bounds. I'm afraid I am headmaster here, not you, and so he shall stay if I say so. If, on the other hand, the secret gets out through you, and he is forced to leave, you will go with him. Understood? Please proceed, James."
I paused to collect my thoughts, and continued. "I realised that if he did do as Sirius had suggested, he would inevitably not survive. I do not think Sirius meant to send him to his sure death, but all the same I realised what a terrible thing he had done, and I ran to try and prevent it. I was not in time to stop him entering the Willow, thus seeing Remus, but I was able to pull him back to safety just before Remus got to him. Luckily the Willow started, er, whomping, again before Remus could get out."
Dumbledore nodded slowly. "And then you came here. Very good. Severus, is this fair so far?"
Snape nodded reluctantly.
"Good. And now would you tell me your version of events, please."
"Yes sir. This morning, I had a small encounter with the Whomping Willow, which gave me these cuts." He gestured to his face. "And so, at the Quidditch, Black was inquiring as to how I had been injured. His words, as I recall, were 'I don't remember doing that to you, Snape - who else should I be recruiting to my gang for pure brilliance in attacking you?'"
Dumbledore glanced at me but I was staring straight ahead, my face impassive.
"Continue, Severus."
"I informed him that it had, in fact, been the Whomping Willow that had attacked me, not another student. I then turned my back on him, assuming our exchange was complete. I was consulting with Marcius Malfoy about the purpose of the Whomping Willow, as many of my house consider it a waste of space and a dangerous addition to the school grounds. We had come to the conclusion that it must conceal something. When Black heard us speculating about this, he leaned forward and whispered to me that I could find out, if I used a long branch to press a knot on the trunk which would freeze the branches. He recommended tonight, as the full moon would give me the best light to see by. I, of course, suspected nothing at that moment of Remus Lupin. I was, fairly naturally, curious, but all the same, when I arrived at the Willow this evening, I was surprised to find that Black had told me the true way to stop the branches. I had expected him to have been lying."
"Why?" interrupted Professor Dumbledore.
"Because he - and Potter - are of that sort of depraved nature," Snape said, sneering at me.
"I see. What happened next?"
"I was about to go through when I heard a voice yell 'stop' twice. I couldn't see anyone, however, so I assumed I had imagined it and pressed on. About halfway down the passage, I heard a roar and a fully grown werewolf came into sight. I yelled, expecting death to come fairly shortly, when a hand closed round my ankle and began pulling me back slowly. Then, as the wolf continued to approach, I felt myself thrown out of the tree, and there was the muffled thud of someone following. As Potter said, the tree began moving again just in time. Then I heard Potter's voice, saying my name, and he appeared by the branches."
Dumbledore pressed the tips of his fingers together and rested his chin on them as Snape reached the end of his narrative. "Right," he said calmly. "It seems the main point in question is whether James was part of the plan to try and... assassinate you, or whether he merely heard about it and decided to step in. Either way, it seems he saved your life at great personal risk - James, you will be awarded forty house points for bravery. Severus... you were out of bounds, but at the same time I understand that you were lured there by Sirius Black and I do understand that you were curious. However, many rules are rules to protect you, and I implore you to pay more attention to them in future. I will take ten points from Slytherin. From Sirius Black I will take forty points - sorry, James - for divulging a very important secret and betraying my trust, as well as endangering a fellow student. I will also take ten points from Peter Pettigrew for not intervening. So in total, that is ten points from Slytherin, ten points from Gryffindor, and one detention each for you, Severus, and Peter Pettigrew, and a month's worth of detentions for Sirius Black. I am convinced that James did not play a part in the prank, as it seems a spur of the moment action and he was playing Quidditch. Does all of that seem fair to you?"
I nodded. Snape, in the end, shrugged and inclined his head, but it was clear he wasn't happy.
"So what happens about Remus?" I asked.
Dumbledore glanced at me. "I will tell him myself tomorrow morning what happened. I do not want it mentioned to anyone else. And you understood, Severus, that Remus' condition is a secret that shall never be divulged?"
Snape nodded.
"And I shall know if it gets out. Right, well, that seems to be all. You both look as though you need some sleep. James, I will talk to Sirius in the morning as well."
I nodded, and began to stand. Snape followed suit.
"Goodnight, Professor."
When we were outside, Snape turned to me. "You realise, he'll be on my side one day."
"Dumbledore?"
"No - Lupin. He's a dark creature, Potter - better watch your back." He walked off, laughing.
All four of us were quiet the next morning. Remus expressed his gratitude to me, but he was clearly very shaken and exceedingly upset - he refused to stay around Peter and Sirius, saying that they had betrayed his trust. I too was disillusioned. Sirius was clearly ashamed, but all the same, relations in the group were hostile for a couple of days.
We finally decided to move on just before the end of year feast. I had been waiting for Remus' cue that he was ready to forgive and forget - the last thing I wanted was to make it look as though it was me, Sirius and Peter against him. The olive branch came in the form of a game of wizard chess, and Sirius and Peter took it gratefully.
"Lucky, really," I commented on the train going home. "Just think, we'd be in for an absolutely atrocious summer if we were still anti each other."
Remus laughed, to my relief, and Sirius and Peter joined in. I had considered it a fair comment, really, seeing as we were going to be together for roughly six weeks of the summer. For the first two weeks we were staying at Remus' house, then going to Peter's villa in France, and then halfway through the holidays we were all going to my house. After two weeks, Remus, Peter and Sirius were going back to their own houses and I was going to Bulgaria with my parents. Sirius' mother had refused to have us to stay - Gryffindors were not welcome in her house, apparently. I knew it was a sore point with Sirius, but truthfully I was relieved. I had met his mother only once, on platform 9 and 3/4, and she had been anything but welcoming to me.
Still, only the fear of being in the real wizarding world with Voldemort about stopped it looking to be a very enjoyable summer.
A/N: REVIEW
Chapter 15
There was a pause. "Potter."
I took off the invisibility cloak. "Yes."
He stared at me. "So, trying to kill me now, are you? But Potter chickened out at the last minute, I see. Didn't want a death on his conscience. I see it all now - your friend Loopy Lupin, I suppose, down there? Or Moony, as you call him. Did he know he was going to get a human meal tonight? Or was it just between you and Black?"
I was speechless. I had just saved this git's life, at the risk of the expense of my own, and this was his gratitude.
"Oh, I'm very grateful, Potty," he said sarcastically, reading my expression. "Ever so, ever so grateful. But right now I think we'll go and see Professor Dumbledore."
My voice returned. "Yes, I think we will, Snivellus."
It was the only time we ever agreed on anything.
Professor Dumbledore was, needless to say, surprised when two very angry students arrived outside his office at ten o' clock on a June night, but none the less he sat us down in front of his desk and prepared to listen.
"Potter tried to kill me!" Snape exploded before I could say a word.
Dumbledore's eyebrows shot up. "James, surely this isn't true?"
"On the contrary," I snapped, "I just saved his life!"
Snape glared at me. "You just got cold feet about a prank."
"It wasn't my prank to get cold feet about! I intervened to save your greasy, ungrateful neck!"
"You truly expect me to believe that you had no part in it? Come, Potter, I know you and Black are in everything together," he snarled. "Or is Black, in fact, innocent of anything as well?"
Dumbledore raised a hand. "Gentlemen, I'm sure we can sort this out far more effectively if we do it in an orderly fashion. I would like you both to give me an account of the evening - and by that I mean a truthful account, which does not leave out details in order to either incriminate or absolve other parties." He chuckled to himself. "James, would you start, please?"
I took a deep breath. "I came back from the Quidditch at about eight o' clock, with the rest of the team rather than my normal group. There was a party in the common room, but I noticed that neither Sirius, Remus nor Peter were there. I guessed where Remus was, but Sirius and Peter didn't arrive back until shortly after nine o' clock. I asked where they'd been and Peter informed me that they had been talking to him." I jabbed my thumb in Snape's direction. "Sirius had apparently recommended that Snape go and try freezing the Whomping Willow by pressing the knot with a long branch tonight. Remus was transformed tonight."
Dumbledore looked suddenly grave. "So you know about Remus Lupin, Severus?"
"Yes, sir. I do," Snape said smugly.
"I take it you understand the need for silence?"
"Not really, no sir. I think we students have a right to know. He shouldn't come here if he's dangerous."
"He was only dangerous because you were out of bounds. I'm afraid I am headmaster here, not you, and so he shall stay if I say so. If, on the other hand, the secret gets out through you, and he is forced to leave, you will go with him. Understood? Please proceed, James."
I paused to collect my thoughts, and continued. "I realised that if he did do as Sirius had suggested, he would inevitably not survive. I do not think Sirius meant to send him to his sure death, but all the same I realised what a terrible thing he had done, and I ran to try and prevent it. I was not in time to stop him entering the Willow, thus seeing Remus, but I was able to pull him back to safety just before Remus got to him. Luckily the Willow started, er, whomping, again before Remus could get out."
Dumbledore nodded slowly. "And then you came here. Very good. Severus, is this fair so far?"
Snape nodded reluctantly.
"Good. And now would you tell me your version of events, please."
"Yes sir. This morning, I had a small encounter with the Whomping Willow, which gave me these cuts." He gestured to his face. "And so, at the Quidditch, Black was inquiring as to how I had been injured. His words, as I recall, were 'I don't remember doing that to you, Snape - who else should I be recruiting to my gang for pure brilliance in attacking you?'"
Dumbledore glanced at me but I was staring straight ahead, my face impassive.
"Continue, Severus."
"I informed him that it had, in fact, been the Whomping Willow that had attacked me, not another student. I then turned my back on him, assuming our exchange was complete. I was consulting with Marcius Malfoy about the purpose of the Whomping Willow, as many of my house consider it a waste of space and a dangerous addition to the school grounds. We had come to the conclusion that it must conceal something. When Black heard us speculating about this, he leaned forward and whispered to me that I could find out, if I used a long branch to press a knot on the trunk which would freeze the branches. He recommended tonight, as the full moon would give me the best light to see by. I, of course, suspected nothing at that moment of Remus Lupin. I was, fairly naturally, curious, but all the same, when I arrived at the Willow this evening, I was surprised to find that Black had told me the true way to stop the branches. I had expected him to have been lying."
"Why?" interrupted Professor Dumbledore.
"Because he - and Potter - are of that sort of depraved nature," Snape said, sneering at me.
"I see. What happened next?"
"I was about to go through when I heard a voice yell 'stop' twice. I couldn't see anyone, however, so I assumed I had imagined it and pressed on. About halfway down the passage, I heard a roar and a fully grown werewolf came into sight. I yelled, expecting death to come fairly shortly, when a hand closed round my ankle and began pulling me back slowly. Then, as the wolf continued to approach, I felt myself thrown out of the tree, and there was the muffled thud of someone following. As Potter said, the tree began moving again just in time. Then I heard Potter's voice, saying my name, and he appeared by the branches."
Dumbledore pressed the tips of his fingers together and rested his chin on them as Snape reached the end of his narrative. "Right," he said calmly. "It seems the main point in question is whether James was part of the plan to try and... assassinate you, or whether he merely heard about it and decided to step in. Either way, it seems he saved your life at great personal risk - James, you will be awarded forty house points for bravery. Severus... you were out of bounds, but at the same time I understand that you were lured there by Sirius Black and I do understand that you were curious. However, many rules are rules to protect you, and I implore you to pay more attention to them in future. I will take ten points from Slytherin. From Sirius Black I will take forty points - sorry, James - for divulging a very important secret and betraying my trust, as well as endangering a fellow student. I will also take ten points from Peter Pettigrew for not intervening. So in total, that is ten points from Slytherin, ten points from Gryffindor, and one detention each for you, Severus, and Peter Pettigrew, and a month's worth of detentions for Sirius Black. I am convinced that James did not play a part in the prank, as it seems a spur of the moment action and he was playing Quidditch. Does all of that seem fair to you?"
I nodded. Snape, in the end, shrugged and inclined his head, but it was clear he wasn't happy.
"So what happens about Remus?" I asked.
Dumbledore glanced at me. "I will tell him myself tomorrow morning what happened. I do not want it mentioned to anyone else. And you understood, Severus, that Remus' condition is a secret that shall never be divulged?"
Snape nodded.
"And I shall know if it gets out. Right, well, that seems to be all. You both look as though you need some sleep. James, I will talk to Sirius in the morning as well."
I nodded, and began to stand. Snape followed suit.
"Goodnight, Professor."
When we were outside, Snape turned to me. "You realise, he'll be on my side one day."
"Dumbledore?"
"No - Lupin. He's a dark creature, Potter - better watch your back." He walked off, laughing.
All four of us were quiet the next morning. Remus expressed his gratitude to me, but he was clearly very shaken and exceedingly upset - he refused to stay around Peter and Sirius, saying that they had betrayed his trust. I too was disillusioned. Sirius was clearly ashamed, but all the same, relations in the group were hostile for a couple of days.
We finally decided to move on just before the end of year feast. I had been waiting for Remus' cue that he was ready to forgive and forget - the last thing I wanted was to make it look as though it was me, Sirius and Peter against him. The olive branch came in the form of a game of wizard chess, and Sirius and Peter took it gratefully.
"Lucky, really," I commented on the train going home. "Just think, we'd be in for an absolutely atrocious summer if we were still anti each other."
Remus laughed, to my relief, and Sirius and Peter joined in. I had considered it a fair comment, really, seeing as we were going to be together for roughly six weeks of the summer. For the first two weeks we were staying at Remus' house, then going to Peter's villa in France, and then halfway through the holidays we were all going to my house. After two weeks, Remus, Peter and Sirius were going back to their own houses and I was going to Bulgaria with my parents. Sirius' mother had refused to have us to stay - Gryffindors were not welcome in her house, apparently. I knew it was a sore point with Sirius, but truthfully I was relieved. I had met his mother only once, on platform 9 and 3/4, and she had been anything but welcoming to me.
Still, only the fear of being in the real wizarding world with Voldemort about stopped it looking to be a very enjoyable summer.
A/N: REVIEW