(19)A Marauder's Return
"Well, we have two intruders left to find," said Tonks. "& we should send someone out after those Weasley children. Mcnair said he was attacked by Ron & Ginny!"
"More like the other way around!" Moody scoffed. "I'm surprised that they escaped with their lives!"
"You can thank our two DA teachers for that!" Dumbledore's eyes sparkled softly. "With both Remus & Harry teaching, I am sure everyone will have a chance!"
"By the way," Mcgonagall looked around. "Where is Remus?"
"He was right behind me!" said Kingsley.
"Come on!" grumbled Moody. "He couldn't have gone far!"
Lupin was following behind the others when his K9 senses picked up a familiar trail. He followed alone, stalking. On occasion, Lupin would growl softly in anticipation, his savage instincts taking over. He knew he was in pursiut of one of the Death Eaters. He also knew exactly who he was following. His prey was just in front of him, disappearing around the corner. Lupin heard a voice give a command & then heard the old gargole statue grind aside. He waited for the last minute & then jumped in before the secret door had time to close again.
Lupin's prey scurried faster, knowing the wolf was closing on him. He fled down the dark passageway & immerged into a smoking Hogsmeade & disappeared over a hill.
Lupin stood up in the smoldering embers of what was once Honeydukes. He glared around, his wolfish eyes gleaming. He had lost the trail but not for long! Lupin ran in hot pursuit. In a moment, he caught up to his prey. "Wormtail!"
The rat changed & there he stood, his former werwolf friend close behind him. They were atop a small cliff & Peter Pettigrew was trapped, or so Lupin thought.
Peter didn't even bother to turn around. "Moony! It's been a long time!"
"I'm not here to catch up on the past!" Lupin growled.
"Oh?" Peter slowly turned around. "But that's what you're hunting me for, isn't it? Something from the past?"
"Don't play games with me, Wormtail!" Lupin leaned forward slightly, ready to pounce as soon as the nicities were over!
"You wouldn't dare!" Peter laughed. "Werwolves aren't supposed to bite while they're human!"
"Didn't stop me from attacking Snivellus last Christmas Eve!" Lupin growled.
"You're lying!" Peter sneered.
"No, he isn't!" Snape's voice sounded behind Peter. Snape bared his fangs as Peter turned around.
Peter could only stare! He was trapped between two wolves! "But Christmas Eve wasn't a full moon!"
"I know!" Lupin snapped.
"Come Peter!" Snape pulled out his wand. "Let's go see Albus!"
"NO!" Lupin ordered. "Bring Albus here if you must but Wormtail stays with me!"
"Why Moony?" asked Peter. "You'd be a fool to try attacking me!"
"You're the foolish one!" Lupin snapped. "Betraying Prongs & Lily & framing Padfoot! How could you? You were our friend & you betrayed us all!"
"Look Moony, I've nothing against you!" said Peter. "I don't need to kill you but I will to defend myself!"
"You have nothing to defend yourself with!" Snape pounced him, & put his hand in Peter's pocket for his wand. He grabbed the wand as Peter grabbed his hand. Snape let out a scream & pulled himself away. "What did you do?" Snape groaned, as he snatched up Peter's wand from the ground.
"Silver hand!" Peter laughed. "You see this, Moony?"
"Oh, no!" Lupin gasped in a whisper. "Please not silver!"
"Yes, dear Moony!" sneered Peter. "Silver!" With that, Peter threw himself on Snape, his hand burning into Snape's chest. "How about a little demenstration, Moony, old friend? With one touch, I can hurt you; kill you even!"
"Let him go!" Lupin flung himself onto Peter & threw him to the ground. "Severus go get Albus! I'll hold him off!" Snape put a hand over his wound & ran for the castle.
Lupin lay over Peter, snarling, clawing into Peter's face & then he felt it. Peter's hand slid up Lupin's side under his jacket. Lupin let out a cry of anguish & tried throwing himself off. He ended up underneath Peter instead.
"I know it hurts you!" Peter shoved Lupin harder into the ground. "I can burn you again if you want? Kill you perhaps? It'll be a slow painful death, burned to death by silver! I didn't get a silver hand for nothing, you know! My master knows I once called a werwolf "friend"!" Peter was slowly running one silver finger up & down along Lupin's chest, leaving long thin gashes in his flesh. More scars!
Lupin lay under Peter, panting in pain & terror. Peter had complete control of him. One wrong move, & that hand would be digging to his heart. Then he saw his chance. Peter had leaned in closer to Lupin, still grazing a silver finger along, tearing into Lupin. As he moved in closer, his arm of flesh came near to Lupin's face. Lupin smiled softly. "Goodbye, Wormtail!"
"Oh?" scoffed Peter, not noticing.
"This is for Prongs!" Lupin sunk his fangs into Peter's arm.
"WHAT THE-------!" Peter began but Lupin got up & bit him again on the shoulder.
"That was for Lily!" Lupin continued. "& this---this is for Padfoot!" Lupin lunged at Peter, sinking into his throat.
The two last Marauders toppled over the escarpment & flipped down to the bottom. Lupin never let go until they crashed into the ground, even though Peter's hand was burning into his back. Lupin pulled away, gasping for air as Peter stood, screaming, before him. He was, by now, a werwolf, but it didn't stop there. The silver of his own hand slowly poisoned him to death. Peter melted into a mess of blood, burnt flesh & a chunk of silver. It had been so violent that even the silver melted slightly into a rough clump.
Lupin wrapped his own hand in his robes, grabbed the silver & threw it aside. Now, nothing was between him & his kill. The werwolf lay half-sitting on his side, gloating. He sniffed at the blood, teasing himself, allowing his insanity to take over. Heart racing with excitment, Lupin crawled in further, his robes getting soaked with the blood of the fallen. Lupin glared around himself, growling. Considering himself the lead wolf, he would share this with no one. Not yet! Seeing that he was alone, Lupin furiously ripped away at what flesh was left, snarling, seeking revenge. Revenge was his & he took it!
Snape stumbled into the castle & was soon greeted by Dumbledore. "Found Remus!" Snape gasped.
"My God in heaven!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "What did he do to you this time?"
"Not Remus this time!" Snape groaned. "Peter.....Silver hand!"
"Let's get you to the hospital wing!" Pomfrey appeared out of nowhere. "But what's this about silver?"
"Albus!" Snape groaned again. He let Dumbledore explain it to her.
"I'm not surprised!" muttered Pomfrey. "but Remus made himself an outcast among werwolves. Biting in human form! Typical Marauder! No sense of rules whatsoever! I'm not surprised at all!" Pomfrey settled Snape on one of the beds & continued muttering about Marauders & werwolves!
"Albus," Snape began when he was allowed to get a word in. "Remus is holding Peter near Honeydukes. Peter was one of the six that had entered here. Did you find the last one?"
"No," said Dumbledore. "he has disappeared completely! I & Kingsley will go after Remus."
Dumbledore & Kingsley hurried across the grounds. For the time being, it seemed as though this particular attack had ended for no one else was in sight. They hurried up the hill & there, Hagrid stopped them. He seemed a bit scared.
"Don'a go any furt'er!" Hagrid ordered. "It ainta pretta sight! I 'eard screams & snarls & came runnin'! Rem's gone crazy & 'eaven 'elp the poor soul that suffered unda 'im!"
Kingsley peered over down the jagged side. "Merlin!" he jumped back beside Dumbledore, who began moving forward. "NO!" Kinsley held him back, his face going pale. "He's finally behaving like a true werwolf & yet it's in broad daylight!"
"I must get to Remus!" Dumbledore pulled out his wand & marched past Kingsley & Hagrid.
"I'm warnin' ya," Hagrid said. "It's brutul down t'er!"
Lupin let out a long, low sigh. He had thoroughly plastered what was left of Peter Pettigrew over the ground. His robes were soaked crimson as the werwolf played in a literal bloodbath.
"Remus!" a low voice interupted him.
How dare they interupt? Lupin turned over, lying forward on the ground but pushing himself up on his hands. Fangs dripping with blood, he raised his face to look the Headmaster in the eye. Kingsley was close behind Dumbledore, Hagrid not so close but he came down anyway.
"Don't!" Dumbledore ordered sternly, pointing his wand at Lupin. "Don't you dare!"
Lupin growled warily.
"No!" Dumbledore commanded.
Lupin slowly stood up. Keeping one eye on Dumbledore, he slowly stepped back towards his kill.
"Come here, Remus!"
Lupin took another step back.
"NO!" Dumbledore was furious. "I said COME HERE!"
Lupin finally gave in. He walked slowly up to Dumbledore & glared into his eyes. "Hmmm!" Lupin half-smiled for a moment & then dazedly walked across the grounds to the castle. Dumbledore, Kingsley & Hagrid followed closely, wands aimed at Lupin.
"Remus," Dumbledore kept his voice low & even to bring the werwolf out of his trance. "talk to me! Even as a wolf on full moons you would not have done something like that!"
"Wormtail!" Lupin finally spoke. "No less then what he deserved!"
"I know this is about the Marauders," said Dumbledore. "but still, to lose control like that while you're still human? I'm having Severus start on the Wolfsbane Potion immediatly even though the next full moon isn't for a few more days! AND you will get a double dose of it! Understood?"
"Yes sir!" sighed Lupin, still somewhat dazed. "In the meantime, perhaps I should get cleaned up!" he went on, slowly returning to the Lupin everyone knew.
"Please do!" agreed Dumbledore. The rest of the walk back to the castle was in silence.
Merida had been sitting under a tree when the group appeared. She got up & ran to them. "Good Merlin, R---Professor Lupin!" Merida could not use names in front of the Headmaster! "You're hurt! You have blood all over you!"
"It's not my blood!" Lupin smiled at her. "It's Peter's! Well a little is mine but I'm alright!" Dumbledore let out a little scoff at that last remark! Lupin was anything but "alright"! "And call me Remus, as usual!" Lupin added.
"Very well then, Remus-as-usual it is!" Merida laughed as Kingsley, Hagrid & Dumbledore shook their heads.
"What have you done to him, Remus?" Snape demanded as soon as they entered the castle.
"What I should have done to you last Christmas!" Lupin declared, marching past.
Snape sighed & watched Lupin, somewhat worried. "Look Merida!" Snape said. "That's the type of monster I can become!"
"Werwolf or not you're still my father!" Merida reassured him. "I'll deal with you! I always do!"
"Yes you do!" Snape half-smiled.
"Severus, we need the Wolfsbane as soon as possible," said Dumbledore. "just to help calm him."
"I'll get right on it, Albus!"
