ROTRUFIN

CHAPTER 14-THE WAR

REMUS.

I knew I was being talked about and shunned. I sat alone at meals and during class. Even the teachers seemed to be a bit terrified of me now.

What's worse, Emma and my best friends hated me now. I've never felt so alone before.

I spent most of my days keeping to myself and avoided confrontations of Slytherins taunting me.

Giving up one night, I was unable to even eat my dinner because the Slytherins threw rolls at me. The Marauders looked up from their meals at me.

I saw pity on Lily's face. Seeing that sparked some hope, but not a whole lot. James and Sirius seemed mainly confused while Emma's face read pure hatred.

I'll never forget the look on her face. That's something that I never wanted to see in my lifetime and I never thought they would actually hate me.

Ignoring the taunting calls, I got up and left the Hall.

I took refuge in the library. It was empty for this time of night, which I was grateful for.

I just flopped into a seat at a table, buried my head into my arms and burst into tears.

My mind kept showing me images of the sweet little baby Ellie. I couldn't believe I killed her in wolf form. Of course, the school thought I did it in human form because of the way I was acting. Only Dumbledore knew I was a werewolf and so did the Marauders. Then a horrible thought struck me…did they tell the school I was a werewolf?

"Remus?" Lily's voice asked softly. "Are you okay?"

I raised my head. Lily came over to me and sat down across from me. Her emerald green eyes showed concern.

"Aren't you afraid that I might eat you?" I asked bitterly.

"No," Lily said. "I know you never meant any of that."

"I really didn't," I said as tears began forming again. "I loved Ellie and I love Emma."

Lily's expression faltered for a bit when she heard that, but she caught herself. I had already seen it though.

"Emma's not exactly talking to you right now," Lily said quietly. "James and Sirius are mainly confused about the whole thing. They're extremely angry but also relieved that you weren't acting on your own. They thought that you were deliberately acting like that because you hate us. They're also not sure how to react now."

I shook my head.

"I wish I could go back and fix everything," I said resting my chin on top of my wrist.

"I know," Lily said quietly. "I think Emma's going to forgive you…just give her some time…a real long time."

"That's what's killing me," I said.

Lily put a hand over mine. I put my hand over hers.

We stared into each others eyes for a moment.

Suddenly, the library door burst open. Lily quickly drew her hand back. It was James and Sirius.

"Lily? What are you doing?" Sirius asked.

"Talking with him," Lily said defiantly.

"Why?" James asked his tone stiff.

Lily stood up.

"Because he's our best friend, Prongs," Lily said angrily. "We've known him for almost 6 years now. Has he ever shown that he hated us? Or wanted to kill us? That should account for something! He wasn't acting on his own will!"

James and Sirius looked at each other.

"YOU KNOW HIM FOR GODSAKES! HE'S LIKE YOUR BROTHER! WOULD YOU REALLY TURN YOUR BACK ON YOUR BROTHER?" Lily shouted.

James and Sirius sighed.

"She's right," Sirius agreed. "Remus would rather hurt himself than anyone."

"Yeah," James exhaled loudly. "I forgive you."

"Me too," Sirius said.

Relieved, they gave me a quick hug and pat on the back.

"I don't believe this," Emma's voice said from the entranceway. "You are all ready to forgive him?"

Her voice was dripping with sarcasm and anger.

"Emma, he didn't mean any of what he did," Sirius said reasonably. "And I thought you'd be relieved that he wasn't acting like that on his own will. He was under the Imperius curse. He couldn't help it."

"You're baby wasn't torn to pieces," Emma spat.

"We know and understand," James said patiently.

"Emma really," I said getting up from the table and I took a step toward her. She took a step back.

My heart was breaking and wrenching.

"I love you," I said my voice breaking. "Please understand that if I could go back in time I would and fix everything. I really would. I didn't even know I was under the Curse."

Emma just glared at me.

I reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Please," I pleaded as tears formed in my eyes. "I really do love you. You know me."

"No," Emma said coldly. "I don't and for the rest of you…"

She glared at Lily, James and Sirius. "Stay away from me too."

Lily began sobbing as Emma turned and left. I just stood there, feeling completely miserable. I never thought I could feel this bad…it was beyond comprehension.

I felt Sirius come up behind me and put his arm around me. James was comforting Lily.

"She's gone," I said, my voice breaking. "That's it…it's over with her. She hates all of us now."

Emma completely avoided all of us for the remainder of the semester. A scattering of people still avoided me, but when they heard I was under the Imperius Curse, most settled into a 'forgiving' mood, while others felt like Emma.

Professor Dumbledore made an announcement that morning.

"I've just received word that the rate of Muggle killings has escalated," Dumbledore said gravely. "It appears that 'wild' dogs have been responsible for the killings. They said that they might be headed toward Hogwarts shortly."

Terrified gasps went around.

"The war…" I said quietly. "It's beginning."

"How do you know?" James asked tilting his head to one side.

"Those 'dogs' are really the werewolves," I said.

"I'm issuing a curfew that no one is to leave Hogwarts after dark," Dumbledore continued.

Everyone nodded.

Emma was sitting with a bunch of first years. She caught my eye and just glared in our direction.

I tore my eyes away from her and pushed my food around on the plate.

"This is really killing you, isn't it?" Sirius said quietly as he glanced over at Emma.

"Very much so," I said even quieter.

Lily put a hand on my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Over the next few weeks, the reports of Muggle killings, as well as witch and wizard murders, increased. The magical community was terrified now. A mild hysteria set in.

Emma still stayed away from us.

Then, the following month, terror struck the castle.

We were all eating our dinner. It was a full moon out and James, Sirius and I would have to head to the Shrieking Shack to change soon.

I had just finished dinner and felt the familiar pang, when we heard several howls rising up outside the castle.

The students fell silent and they all listened with fear on their faces. Even the teachers were silent and terrified.

The howls kept rising up. It sounded like there were several hundred or so.

"My God," Lily said terrified her emerald green eyes were wide with fright.

Then, the doors to the Great Hall burst open and six wolves began loping into the Hall.

Students screamed and leapt to their feet. Lord Voldemort appeared as well.

"Just like sheep," he said grinning cruelly.

Students were running in all directions screaming. Several wolves cornered some third years and jumped on them. They clamped their jaws on the students' throats and tugged. Blood began flowing from their necks. They collapsed to the floor. Lily covered her mouth with her hand and had tears in her eyes.

Emma glared at me.

"YOU BROUGHT THEM HERE!" she screamed accusingly as she pointed a finger at me. "I KNEW IT!"

"EMMA SHUT UP!" Sirius yelled. "HE DID NO SUCH THING!"

Emma shoved two first years behind her protectively as two wolves advanced on her.

I looked at James and Sirius.

They nodded as if reading my mind. The three of us headed out of the Hall and changed in an empty classroom.

Sirius immediately charged the wolves, snarling. James took off and bucked at several of the wolves with his hind legs, causing them to sail out the windows. I shook my wolf body and stretched. I was angry now…angry at the fact that Lord Voldemort made me kill Ellie…and he turned Emma against me now.

I charged into the Hall. Several students screamed when they saw me.

But when I charged for the nearest wolf that was advancing on Emma and the first years and knocked it out of the way, several students didn't seem to be fearful of me so much. The other wolf snarled at me and bared his canines and incisors at me. I did the same thing.

"THE WAR IS HERE! YOU WORTHLESS WITCHES AND WIZARDS ARE NO MATCH FOR MY WOLF ARMY!" Lord Voldemort said joyfully.

The teachers began advancing toward Voldemort.

"You will lose here, Tom," Dumbledore said angrily pulling out his wand and aiming it at Lord Voldemort.

"I beg to differ," Voldemort said smirking.

Several more wolves walked around Voldemort and snarled at Dumbledore and the other teachers.

"Avada Kedavra!" Professor Gray snapped as he aimed his wand at the nearest wolf.

It hit the wolf right in the chest. The wolf fell over dead and a human body appeared…a nude man.

"You won't be able to defeat all of them," Voldemort said.

By now, there were over 30 wolves. Most of the students had managed to escape to their common rooms, but majorities were pinned in the Hall. I snarled at the wolf and clamped my jaws around his neck. I bit down hard. I felt the warm rush of blood as the wolf let out a whine and fell to the side dead.

Several first years actually let out a small cheer. I turned and began advancing on the next wolf. Emma was watching my every move.

Two wolves tried to snap at the Stag's legs but he reared up, slashing out with his front hooves. His hooves clipped one of the wolves in the head. He then lowered his hooves and his head and tried to gore the wolves to death.

Sirius was fighting his own battle trying to keep a wolf away from a bunch of second years.

I managed to kill five wolves. Lord Voldemort's eyes moved onto me.

"Ah there's my prized soldier," Voldemort said earnestly as his eyes landed on me.

My ear flicked back as I heard him.

I slowly turned my head and flattened my ears out sideways. I retracted my upper lip, exposing white canines and incisors. I snarled at Voldemort. This was his entire fault after all. I turned and galloped toward him, my eyes full of rage.

I reached him and clamped my jaws around his arm. I pulled him down with such anger and force, had he been human, I probably would've ripped his arm out of the socket.

"You won't do it," Voldemort smirked up at me.

He was lying on his back. I stood over him, my ears still flat out sideways and my lip retracted exposing my teeth.

"Because you know I'm right," Voldemort continued. "They do hate you…especially…Emma? Is that her name? She's a very pretty girl."

I only growled louder and more violently.

"I think he would," Dumbledore said as he and the other teacher kept their wands aimed low at Voldemort. "After all you forced him to kill someone he loved and turn the other people he cares about against him. He has every right to do it and we wouldn't stop him. If he doesn't do it, we will."

I snarled and licked my lip at the same time. My body was rigid and every hair stood up on end.

"He doesn't have the guts," Voldemort said. "He is too weak…and I feel his anger. Go with that anger."

I knew that if I killed him, it would be exactly what he would want…and I didn't want to do that, even though I so badly wanted to.

I momentarily glanced up at Emma keeping her arms around a first year girl who looked terrified. She was watching me.

I lowered my eyes back down to Voldemort. I lowered my lip and flicked my ears forward again. I stepped off of him.

"Fool! A coward!" Voldemort hissed.

He pulled out his wand and aimed it at me…but not before Dumbledore and the other teachers acted.

A jet of green light shot out from the tips of their wands and hit Voldemort right in the chest. Voldemort went down.

Soon, all the wolves took off, leaving the castle. It was quiet now.

About 20 students were killed.

The teachers all rushed to help those that were still huddled in a corner, even though the wolves were gone now.

Dumbledore bent down to speak to me.

"Well done," he said, his blue eyes twinkling behind his half moon spectacles.

He gently reached over to pat my head. I stood perfectly still and went into a submissive position.

Sirius barked and came over to Dumbledore too.

He scratched Sirius' ear before giving the Stag a wink and he headed off to help those that had been attacked.

Lily rushed over.

"Thank God you are all right," she said scratching my ear.

I licked her hand gratefully.

James headed off to change back into a human and so did Sirius.

They all hugged one another.

I slowly slinked over to Emma, keeping my submissive position.

The first years reached out their hands to touch me. I licked their hands before they hurried off to the teachers, who were gathering the Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, Slytherins and Gryffindors to head back to their common rooms.

Emma had several large blood stains on her robe and uniform and one smudged on her cheek from when the wolves tore the throats out of neighboring students.

She slowly crouched down on one knee.

I pulled my hindquarters into a sitting position and stared up at her.

"I still can't forgive you yet," she whispered. "But I'm working on it."

I licked the blood stain off her face. Then, I ran off.

In the morning, everything was fixed and the parents were contacted for those that had been killed during the battle.

By now, it was the end of the year. We would be going home the next day. I had talked to Dumbledore about checking myself into St. Mungo's for therapy and rehab. I was still completely distraught over what I had done while under the Imperius Curse. He assured me that would be okay and completely understood. He arranged for me to go.

I said a teary good-bye to James, Sirius and Lily. They promised to come and visit me and understood why I was doing this also.

Emma said good-bye too, but she didn't hug me.

So, I climbed on board the Hogwarts Express and began heading back to London.