The Bite that Ruined All Part 2
Christmas had arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Snow was falling, first term had ended, and it was a Hogsmeade weekend. The entire school was buzzing with excitement, all except for one lone Gryffindor sitting in a secluded room in the legendary Shrieking Shack. It had been almost two months since the death of Rose Evans, but to Remus Lupin in seemed like an eternity had passed, and as each day went by his life seemed to be slipping away more and more.
Remus sighed as Rose's hearty laugh and beautiful almond eyes filled his mind. Rose always loved Christmas and even though they had never shared Christmas together as a couple, it was just another thing to add to the growing list of "firsts". The first Hogsmeade visit without her there, the first dinner without her smile to warm the Great Hall, the first month with out her there. It was a growing list that would never seem to end. "Oh Rose! Why did it have to be you that he chose to go after? You never did anything to hurt him all you ever did was choose to love me!"
Tears began to fill Remus' eyes as he remembered the events from that night. Lord Voldemort, the most feared wizard of all time had been trying to kill Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, and had wanted Remus to help. All because Remus was a werewolf. Lord Voldemort had been attempting to get all Dark creatures to side with him and his army of Death Eaters, but Remus was very close to Dumbledore and refused to help. The only way Voldemort could get to him was by kidnapping the thing that mattered most to him. Rose. Voldemort had someone at Hogwarts kidnap Rose and take her into the very heart of the Forbidden Forest, right where the werewolves lived. Remus went after Rose, hoping that he could save her, but Voldemort had other ideas. When Remus refused to poison Dumbledore, Voldemort had committed one of his most heinous crimes yet, torturing Rose, Remus' first and only true love, to death in front of Remus. Rose died in Remus' arms as Voldemort fled the forest.
The only person that could even remotely relate to how Remus felt was Rose's twin sister Lily. After Rose's death, Remus and Lily had stayed up to all hours of the night remembering the good times they had shared with Rose. But lately, Lily had been growing closer to James Potter, Remus' best friend and Lily's boyfriend. So Remus was now all alone with no one to talk to about how he felt.
As Remus began to dry his tears, footsteps and the voice of Sirius Black, Remus' other best friend, came calling through the rotting floorboards, "Oy, Moony! Are you up here?"
"Yes Padfoot, I'm here mate, but you don't need to let the whole town know!" Remus laughed, trying to quickly cover up the emotions he had felt only moments before.
Two other voices joined Remus' laughter and Sirius' muttering. It was of course James Potter and Peter Pettigrew. The trio walked in looking incredibly smug and bursting with excitement. James and Sirius with their unruly black hair and good looks and short little Peter, the tag along third wheel.
"So Moony," James said, "Guess who is currently buried under a pile of never-melting snow!" Without waiting for an answer, James blurted out, "Snivellus!" and all four dissolved into hysterics.
"You know Prongs, if you don't watch it, Lily will find out what you're doing and break up with you!" squeaked little Peter.
"Now, my dear Wormtail, I never said that it was I who did it." James said with a sly look on his face.
Sirius, close to tears from laughing so hard, answered, "Oh come on Prongs, the entire school knows that you did it, and besides we have more important things to discuss with Moony. So, Moony, what are the plans for tonight?"
"Oh yeah, tonight's another big night" Remus replied, "Okay where do we need to explore to complete our map?"
"Well" James decided, "Why not wherever the forest takes us?"
The four friends stayed in the Shrieking Shack laughing and having a great time, all waiting for the full moon to rise and the night to begin.
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Meanwhile, still in Hogsmeade, Severus Snape was still stuck inside the pile of non-melting snow. Muttering over and over different spells until finally the Protego Charm worked, he crawled out of the pile panting. "Oh, the so-called Marauders will get it one day," Severus thought desperately, "The Dark Lord has already hurt one of them, and he can do the same to the other three."
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On Christmas Day the school was empty except for the Marauders and some first year Huffelpuffs, but all were awakened in the morning by a blood-curdling scream. Everyone in the castle pulled on their cloaks and immediately rushed down to the Entrance Hall where they found Professor Robbins, the potions teacher, sobbing. While James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter looked on curious, Professor Dumbledore strode up and started quietly conversing with the hysterical Professor Robbins. He turned towards the four friends and the gathered staff and asked them all to return to their common rooms or their offices.
"What was that all about, Prongs?" asked Sirius, clearly dumbfounded at what they had just witnessed.
Solemnly James answered, "I have no idea."
But it soon became clear to the friends as Remus opened his Daily Prophet. The headline read 'Popular Robbins family found with Dark Mark Over Their House!'
"Hey mates, I figured out what Professor Robbins was so upset about!" Remus exclaimed while pointing at the paper.
"Man someone has got to stop Voldemort!" yelled James, "He can continue killing senselessly, or the whole world will crumble!"
"At least you don't have a family that supports him," grumbled Sirius.
"Guys, stop! He'll kill you, too, if you oppose him," Peter whined pitifully.
While James and Sirius raged about Voldemort, Remus sat quietly, thinking that he knew exactly how Professor Robbins felt. When Rose died, he felt as though his life was over. Even now he sometimes felt like he didn't need to continue on. A burden would be removed from his parents and his friends if he took his life. No more having to hide his secret and deal with him being an uncontrollable monster. And it's not like his parents were very happy to see him during the holidays, another transformation they have to deal with. Besides he'd get to see Rose again. Oh Rose, why'd you have to leave me? Why?
"Hey Moony! You gonna open your presents or not, because I'll be glad to do it for you!" Sirius exclaimed across the room.
"What?" Remus was awakened from his self-pity, again. "Oh sure, where should I start?" So, the rest of the day Remus tried to enjoy the time with his friends, but the ever-looming absence of Rose was clear.
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The Black Forest was the perfect camping grounds for wizard families. Few muggles dared to enter the forest and the wizarding families found it a perfect spot for a family vacation. But that was before the attacks. First a little boy around four was found dead in a bog where he was lured by some hinkypunks. Next, a little girl was found bitten by a vampire, and the Ministry of Magic also found a Lethifold lurking in the forest. But still the Lupin family wasn't going to ruin their family vacation. Little did they know, that this trip would change the rest of their lives.
Little Remus was only two years old, but everyone said he was going to be a great wizard. He already knew how to fly and was always using his magical abilities to confuse his parents. The morning of October 13, Remus had woken up before his parents, and feeling mischievous, as anyone in their 'terrible twos' does, decided to go play 'magic' in the forest with his mum's wand.
When Mr. and Mrs. Lupin awoke to find their young son missing, they immediately went into a state of panic. Splitting up, they searched the entire campgrounds asking anyone if they had seen a little two-year-old boy. As night approached and still no sign of Remus, Mrs. Lupin decided to search the forest.
Meanwhile, Remus was having the time of his life "battling" the dark wizard, Grindelwald, and chasing off "vampires" with little sparks. But as the day continued, Remus began to get bored and fell asleep. Hours passed and Remus awoke cold, hungry, and having no idea where he was, he began to cry.
Mrs. Lupin was starting to panic now. It was 10pm, the moon was full, and there was still no sign of Remus. Suddenly, as if to confirm her fears, she heard the howl of a werewolf in the distance. Terrified of what the wolf would do if it got hold of Remus, Mrs. Lupin set off at a dead sprint towards the sound of the howl.
Remus heard the howl, too, and stopped crying immediately. He had been told of the dangers of werewolves, and knew what would happen if he was bitten. The little boy looked around for someplace, anyplace, to hide from the wolf, whose howls were growing closer and closer.
Remus was sitting, scrunched up in a ball when he first saw the wolf. It came through some trees across the clearing; fangs bared and nose to the ground sniffing intently for its dinner. Remus whimpered, terrified at the being before him. The wolf's ears perked up when it heard the whimper and turned towards the cowering figure of Remus. With its fangs bared, smiling maliciously, the wolf began to strut towards the terrified little boy only a few feet away from it.
Mrs. Lupin rushed into the clearing where the wolf had cornered Remus, and desperately, using spontaneous magic, she shot a Stunning Spell towards the wolf, just as Remus screamed. Unfortunately for them all, she was too late. Remus had already been bitten.
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"Ahhhhhhh!" Remus awoke from his reoccurring nightmare in a cold sweat and screaming bloody murder.
Immediately, all the boys in the dormitory were awake and wondering what the heck was going on. James and Sirius walked over to Remus trying to calm him with a glass of water.
"Moony, mate, what's the matter? What happened?" James asked repeatedly.
"Nothing. Nothing. It was just a nightmare," replied Remus, not wanting to go into further details about his dream.
"Moony, you've been having horrible nightmares since first year. Now tell us what they're all about or we'll have Snivellus use his "legimens skills' so we can help you!" Sirius replied, sneering when he mentioned Snape
"Guys, you wouldn't understand. You don't know what I've gone through."
James lowered his voice and tentatively asked, "Remus, in this dream, are you reliving the times that you're a werewolf?"
Remus turned away, not wanting to look at his friends, "No, it's more like when I was bitten, but now instead of the werewolf biting me at the end, it's biting Rose." Suddenly Remus broke down into heaving sobs, "It's all my fault she's dead!"
James and Sirius looked at each other, not knowing how to comfort their friend as Peter, oblivious to the unfolding drama, slept on.
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The only thing, nowadays, that was keeping Remus' thoughts away from Rose, was the ever-nearing N.E.W.T. exams. All the seventh year students were now spending their free time studying or practicing all the spells that they'd learned over the past years. While James, Sirius, and Remus were in all N.E.W.T classes, Peter was only in three-Charms, Care for Magical Creatures, and Defense Against The Dark Arts.
"Moony, can I borrow your History of Magic Notes?" Sirius asked tentatively, as Remus had recently began to show his werewolf side, snapping at anyone who asked a simple question.
"Yeah, sure. Whatever," replied Remus as he muttered spells under his breath. Everyone inside the castle was stressed, but outside a war was beginning to rage.
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"You-Know-Who Strikes Again! Death Eaters Caught Torturing Muggles! When will this madness stop?" muttered a tired Professor Dumbledore.
The deaths, tortures, and attacks on wizards and muggles alike had increased dramatically in the past five months after Christmas. Dementors, vampires, giants, werewolves, and countless other creatures had joined forces with Voldemort, and the Ministry didn't have enough power to stop them all.
Dumbledore had been working to figure out what Voldemort's next target would be, and he had the sinking feeling that it would be Hogwarts. I mean, why wouldn't he? It'd be a perfect place to train an army of Death Eaters. With this unpleasant thought on his mind, Dumbledore decided to address the students about the situation.
A proclamation rang over the intercom the next day claiming, " Will all students and faculty please report to the Great Hall this evening promptly at 6:30 for an important announcement."
All the students crowded into the Great Hall wondering what had happened to make Dumbledore call an emergency meeting like this. When everyone seemed to have settled down a little, Dumbledore stood and cleared his throat.
"Students and faculty, as you may well know, we are in a very dark times. Lord Voldemort is in power! An evil, terrible, and extremely powerful wizard is trying to take over this world and is destroying anyone and anything that gets in his way. It is my grave duty to tell you that Hogwarts may be next on Voldemort's list of things to destroy. Why wouldn't he want to take over a school that he could train young wizards in the Dark Arts at? Students we are in danger. If this school is going to survive, then we need to stand together. Without unity our world will crumble. It is up to you to help the world survive this. It is our choices that make who we are. So if confronted with the choice between Voldemort and the wizarding community I hope you make the right one. So, without further ado, let's get to studying so we can have the upper hand in this war."
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"Well, Padfoot, that was an interesting speech. Don't you agree?" James asked Sirius.
"If Dumbledore things that I'm going to get all chummy with Snivellus and my little snot-nosed brother, he's psychotic," sneered Sirius.
Meanwhile Remus was thinking about what Dumbledore had said about choices. Was Dumbledore hinting that someone in Hogwarts was going to work for Voldemort, or that they already were. What if that person was the one that brought Rose to Voldemort?
Snape's voice popped into Remus' head sneering maliciously, "I hope you have fun tonight. I'm sure you're mudblood girlfriend enjoys midnight strolls when the full moon is out!"
"That was it! Snape had kidnapped Rose!" thought Remus angrily. "It's his fault"
Suddenly Remus stood up and stormed out of Gryffindor Common Room, with the Marauder's Map in hand, ready to confront Snape.
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"Stupid muggle-loving fool, Dumbledore. The Dark Lord will conquer the wizarding world, killing you and all the filthy mudbloods, too." Severus muttered, leaving the Great Hall after Dumbledore's speech. He headed out to the grounds to go study potions under his favorite oak tree. While going over the ingredients for the Veritaserum, Snape was hit from behind by a spell causing snake-like ropes to bind his arms and legs to his body. "Can't you leave me alone Potter?" Snape yelled, while struggling to free himself from the ropes.
" It's not James, or Sirius, or even Peter this time Snivellus. It's me, Remus John Lupin, the only one that never made fun of you, the one you sold out to Voldemort, and killed the only person who ever was kind for you, the only one I ever loved! Is it the fact that I'm a werewolf, or maybe it's because my only real friends are the people that you hate most in life?" Remus kicked him. "Or is it because you secretly loved Rose. Whatever it is, she's dead, and it's all your fault you son of a-"
"Remus stop!" James yelled, as he, Sirius, and Peter all ran over to restrain Remus from beating Snape to death.
Remus kicked Snape another time before James and Sirius reached him, pulling him back. "He's working for Voldemort! He's the one that stunned Rose and took her to Voldemort! He killed her!" screamed a hysterical Remus as he tried to attack Snape again.
"Moony, why don't we talk to Professor Dumbledore about this? Peter get Snivellus." Sirius ordered as he and James marched Remus up to Dumbledore's office.
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"Fizzy Wizbee," stated James, as the four Marauders and Snape reached the stone gargoyle that lead to Dumbledore's office. They all climbed the spiral staircase that appeared, Snape with the help of Peter's wand poking him repeatedly. Finally they reached the landing in front of Dumbledore's office. Sirius knocked. From inside, Dumbledore's voice could be heard, beckoning them to enter.
When they had all entered the office Dumbledore looked a bit startled to se Snape bound by ropes and James and Sirius restraining Remus, but he soon regained his composure. "Please, everyone sit down and tell me what is the meaning of this umm… meeting."
Remus immediately jumped up, and pointing at Snape, yelled, "He killed Rose! He's working for Voldemort!"
"Mr. Lupin, that's quite an accusation. Please, if you have any proof, start from the beginning and explain how Mr. Snape could have killed Miss Evans." Dumbledore asked, looking alarmed.
And so with James, Sirius, and Peter looking at Remus as Snape shook his head, Remus began to explain, "You see, Professor, after your speech tonight I was thinking about how Voldemort had already entered the school to get Rose, but then I realized there was no way he could have entered without being seen. So, then I thought, 'Who inside Hogwarts would be helping Voldemort?' While I was thinking about that, I remembered something that Snape said the day Rose disappeared. He said 'I hope you have fun tonight. I'm sure your mudblood girlfriend enjoys midnight strolls when the full moon is out.'"
"I didn't say that!" yelled Snape, glaring at Remus, "And even if I did, that doesn't mean I kidnapped the filth mudblood!"
"Mr. Snape, please refrain from using that word and wait your turn to tell your side of the story." Dumbledore warned, "Please continue, Mr. Lupin."
"Well, Snape has always been interested in the Dark Arts and he hates me because of the joke Sirius played on him last year. And he's made clear by now, that he despises muggle-borns. Besides, why else would he say 'Have fun tonight' so sarcastically?"
"Is that all?" asked Dumbledore.
"Yes, sir"
"Okay, Mr. Snape it's your turn to give your side of the story." Dumbledore stated, glancing at Snape over his half-moon spectacles.
"First of all, I never even said that, I didn't even know they were going out," Snape started.
"Liar," muttered Sirius.
Snape glared at him, "Why would I kidnap her anyways? I don't give a-"
"Mr. Snape," Dumbledore warned.
"Sorry. I don't even care that she's dead. It's not like she helped me a lot in life," Snape grumbled.
"What do you mean, you don't care that she's dead?" Remus exploded, "Rose was one of the few people that stood up for you, no matter how bad you treated her!"
"Mr. Lupin, please control your temper," asked Dumbledore, "Anyways, there is no evidence of Mr. Snape helping Voldemort. So, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, Mr. Pettigrew, and Mr. Lupin will you please return to your common room while I talk to Mr. Snape alone?"
"Remus was about to object, but James interrupted, "Sure Professor, and I'll make sure Remus gets a good night's sleep."
James forcefully led Remus out, as Sirius and Peter reluctantly followed.
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After James led the Marauders into one of Hogwarts' many secluded chambers, Remus exclaimed in anger, "Prongs why'd you let Dumbledore do that? You of all people should know what a slimy git Snivellus is! Anyone at Hogwarts could tell you that he's right up there with Voldemort! He killed Rose! Doesn't that matter to you?"
"Moony, I know that Snivellus did this, but we can't do anything about it until we have more proof!" James answered back.
"Moony, we'll do anything we can to prove that Snivellus did this. When we graduate Hogwarts, we'll find proof!" added Sirius.
"Thanks mates. I don't know what I'd do without you guys," said Remus as he gave them one of his rare smiles. "Let's go back to the common room."
And so, the friends headed off to the common room to get some sleep, not knowing what the next day would bring.
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Meanwhile, back in Dumbledore's office, Professor Dumbledore was peering intently at Snape with his sparkling blue eyes.
Suddenly Severus exploded, " why do you always do this? Do you think that I'm a book that you can read by staring at me? Well, you can't, because I can block my mind from anyone."
Dumbledore, not even reacting to the outburst, asked, "Severus, is there anything you want to tell me?"
"My God, you are hopeless! Just because you're the headmaster of Hoggy Warty Hogwarts," Snape sneered, "Doesn't mean that you're my father!"
"Severus, I just want to help you with anything that might be troubling you," Dumbledore calmly replied.
Severus stood up and stormed out of the office, muttering, "I'm not troubled and I don't need your help, muggle-loving fool."
Dumbledore silently watched him leave without even batting an eye.
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When Remus awoke the next morning, James, Sirius, and Peter had already gotten dressed and were down in the Great Hall eating breakfast, so he quickly dressed and went to join them. As soon as he exited Gryffindor Tower, though, he was confronted by Severus Snape, whose wand was pointing at Remus' throat.
"So, Lupin, do you think that crap you pulled yesterday was funny? Because it's not. Now, I've got Dumbledore on my case, which is the very last thing I need! But you don't care; all you want is someone to blame for the death of your mudblood girlfriend. You'll pay for this Mr. Wolfy, the mudblood is already dead but-"
"Petrificus Totalus!" yelled a voice behind Severus. As Snape slumped to the floor, Remus grinned, expecting to see James or Sirius, but the person that was standing there took his breath away. Lily Evans was standing over Severus' body with a look of pure hatred on her face.
"Wow Lily, thanks!" Remus said, still amazed.
"Nobody talks bad about Rose without paying for it," replied Lily, still glaring at Snape.
"Here, let's leave Snivellus like this until some sense is knocked into him," said Remus as he led Lily down to the Great Hall.
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Five hours later, Severus was released by a passing 1st year Hufflepuff, who, after laughing for a minute performed the counter curse. Snape immediately went towards the owlery, muttering, "You'll pay for this Lupin, just wait!" He needed to send his owl.
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Later that night while studying by the common room fire, Remus received his Evening Prophet. One look at the headline, and Remus fell to his knees crying. Immediately Lily, James, Sirius, and Peter rushed to Remus' side. While Lily put a comforting arm around the dazed Remus, James, Sirius, and Peter looked at the paper and gasped. The headline read:
He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Strikes Again!
Shortly after 3p.m. this afternoon, the house of John and Anne Lupin was found destroyed with the Dark Mark hovering over it. For those unfamiliar with the Dark Mark, it's the infamous symbol of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his band of followers, known as Death Eaters. Whenever He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named strikes, the Dark Mark is shot into the air above the crime scene.
Mr. Lupin, age 47, and Mrs. Lupin, age 45, were found dead at the scene. Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Lupin was known to be outspoken against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, so the attack is assumed to because Mr. Lupin is a muggle. The Lupin's son, Remus, is currently attending Hogwarts and is in his seventh year.
This is yet, another tragic event by the hands of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. If anyone has information concerning him or his Death Eaters, they are encouraged to contact the Auror's office located in the Ministry of Magic.
Also included with the article was a picture of the Lupins' house, destroyed, with the Dark Mark above it.
"Wow, Moony, mate, that's terrible. I'm so sorry." James said, setting the paper down, and walking over to put a hand on Remus' shoulder.
"That's awful. What's he got against you anyways?" agreed Sirius, sitting next to Remus.
"Moony, I'm sorry," said Peter, not knowing what else he should do.
Remus just sat stunned, as Lily hugged him trying to cheer him up. All he could do, though, was see Snape's greasy face sneering at him in the fire, as tears silently rolled down his cheek.
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Remus couldn't sleep that night. Images of his parents' lifeless faces, house destroyed, and Rose falling to the stone cold floor of the cave filled his head. So needing to clear his head, Remus grabbed the Evening Prophet, the Marauder's Map, his wand, and James' invisibility cloak and headed out to the Forbidden Forest.
Remus ended up in the Shrieking Shack, sitting on the floor reading the article over and over. Tears began to roll down his face as he looked at the picture. "Why, oh, why is it always me?" Remus thought desperately, "First Rose, then Mum and Dad. I never did anything to hurt Voldemort! All I've ever done to anyone was exist. It's not my fault that I was bitten! Just because I'm a werewolf everyone automatically despises me. First he killed Rose, but that wasn't enough. No, he had to kill the two people that had been by my side forever! Why, oh, why?"
"Remus glanced at his reflection in the mirror then at the knife on the beside table. "Was life really worth all this pain and suffering?" Remus wondered. He looked at himself in the mirror again. The person who looked back at him, was not whom he'd expected. Before him stood a young man, robes torn, bags under his eyes, and a face, normally shining with some hope, now dead and lifeless. What he saw sickened him Voldemort had made him question his very existence, and now Remus realized, he was at his lowest low.
"You'll pay Voldemort! Mark my words. You won't get away with killing everyone that matters to me! I still have the Marauders!" Remus screamed. His voice was quickly carried away by the wind. It's truth only to be tested in a few short years.