"It is a grave thing when students wander the grounds of Hogwarts at night." Professor Dumbledore watched them silently behind his half moon glasses. One hand rested on his chair as he gazed solemnly at the four of them, Gwen, James, Remus and Severus… "What do you have to say for yourselves?"
Severus began first. "Professor, Remus is a werewolf. How can you…"
James interrupted him. "Professor. Severus should never have…"
And Remus interrupted James. "It wasn't their fault professor…"
The three boys were arguing among themselves when suddenly Dumbledore held up his hand for silence. "And you Miss Farr? Have you nothing to say?"
"Headmaster… I'm sorry… It was my fault. I didn't know about the rules… And if I hadn't… If I hadn't followed Remus then… James wouldn't have followed me and Severus wouldn't have followed him. I… I saw Remus leaving and I got curious so I followed him. James must have followed me, I don't know about Severus… But… I'm sorry."
"Gwen… that's…" James tried to interrupt but she cut him off.
"I'm sorry James. I didn't mean to get you in trouble." She looked at him for a moment and then had to look away otherwise Dumbledore would know she was lying. "It's my fault, Headmaster. Don't blame them."
Dumbledore sighed and then sat in his chair contemplating her. Suddenly it seemed as if the air in the very room had become heavy and barely breathable. Then he nodded and turned to the boys. "You may go. But… you will not go completely unpunished. Five points will be taken from your houses. And Severus, I hope I can make a most abject point that you are to keep this to yourself about Remus."
Severus scowled but then he nodded. "Yes, Professor."
"Leave. You, Miss Farr…"
Gwen ducked her head and waited for the sentence she knew was coming. Her wand would surely be taken and she would be sent home. How gleeful her mother would be…
James pounded his way down the steps with Remus and Severus right behind him. "I can't believe she did that. I can't believe she did THAT!"
He stepped into the hallway and immediately Raven, Lily and Sirius swarmed around him. Remus walked out and leaned against a wall. His arms crossed and head bent.
"What? What did she do?" Raven asked as she walked up beside Remus putting her hand on his shoulder.
"She blamed herself. She took all the blame…" James muttered and then he pounded his fist into the walls. "I can't believe she did that…"
"What?" Lily said. "Why did she do that?"
"Because… she didn't think she was going to be here for much longer so she gave herself so we wouldn't all be expelled." Remus said speaking for the first time.
"What is she crazy?" Sirius said and he looked to the statue that led up to Dumbledore's office. "Why?"
"…because we're her friends." Raven said and then she looked to each of them.
"Well, I for one, think its no more than she deserves." Severus said and the five of them turned to look at him.
Sirius took a step forward and then James put a hand on his shoulder to hold him. "Don't. You. Say. A. Word. About her… You are not fit to breath the same air. She just risked herself for you, as you well know. And you owe her."
"I don't owe that little winged midget anything."
"You don't owe her? " Raven marched up to Severus before anyone could stop her until she was mere inches away from his face. "If she and James hadn't stepped in front of Remus last night you would have been werewolf chow. And right now, I'm kind of sorry you weren't. Because say what you will, Severus but that "little midget" as you called her is a better person then you will ever or can ever hope to be."
The silence was deafening but finally Remus moved and he placed a hand on Raven's shoulder. But instead of calming her down she seemed to gain more anger. "And what's more, she didn't have to protect you. She could have let you get in trouble. Now get out of here. Because if Sirius doesn't punch you. I will."
Severus looked from Raven to Sirius who James barely held in check. Then he apparently decided not to take the chance and turned and walked down the hall and out of sight. The strain remained for a moment and then the five of them turned and sat down in the halls waiting for Gwen to come out.
"Miss Farr… I cannot ignore the fact that what you did was foolhardy… You recklessly went after Mr. Lupin without a thought to the consequences of what he might have been doing… " Gwen closed her eyes and bowed her head. "But I also cannot ignore the fact that you are loyal to your friends."
In his voice suddenly the reprimanding had left and laughter filled his voice. As she looked up she also saw that it had come into his eyes as well. "Headmaster?"
"You and I both know that James Potter is not a saint. Nor are his friends, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin or Peter Pettigrew. I am well aware that together the four have done a few… unmentionable things of which I officially have no knowledge. And yet, when it came down to simply telling me what really happened, you defended them. And that is a trait I can only admire. But there is one thing I must ask. Why?"
"Professor, they have been my friends. They even know my secret but they treat me no differently then if I was one of them. Others… have not been so kind."
"And yet you protect them too."
"Everyone makes mistakes, sir. And it wasn't Severus' complete fault. I'm afraid I was a factor in why he came as well. So it was only fair I made up for that."
"You are… truly extraordinary, Miss Farr. Most people would likely have left him to get his punishment and only free their friends. Yet you also freed your enemy."
"Life is too short to hold grudges. And in the end… nothing comes of them. I should know…"
"Yes… well…. Lemon drop?"
"Hmm…?"
"Oh, they're a muggle treat that I've found myself particularly fond of. Would you like some?"
"Uh… sure…" she reached out and grabbed one not sure what else to expect. As she sucked on the treat she looked at the professor and waited for his sentence.
"Of course, you understand that I cannot completely let you off the hook. The gravity of your mistake is all too much to simple tap you on the wrist for and let you go free."
"I understand, sir."
"Good. Then you will understand why it is that you will be having detention with Filch in the trophy room for the next two weeks and that I must take another five points from your house."
"Yes, sir. I understand."
"Under normal circumstances I would also have to contact your mother but…"
"Oh please, no. Professor, please don't do that. She was uncertain about sending me and if you call her she will take me out for sure…"
"But…seeing as how you didn't know about the rules and it is your first offense I will let you off easy this time with a warning."
"Oh… thank you, Professor."
Dumbledore smiled. "Just be more careful next time, Miss Farr." his eyes danced and then he smiled and motioned to the door. "You may leave. I don't want you to keep your friends waiting much longer. It's late and you all have class early tomorrow morning…"
"Thank you Professor…"
The hallway outside of Dumbledore's office was thick with tension. Raven sat on the windowsill swinging her legs back and forth listlessly while Remus sat on the floor beside her nervously wringing his hands. Both their eyes were trained on the door to the office. Across from them James had pulled his snitch out and was letting it fly a little ways before he caught it and Lily was sitting calmly beside him crocheting. The only give away was that many times James had to get up and chase the snitch down and Lily was more often then not seen frowning at the doorway than crocheting.
But of all of them the most nervous was Sirius. So nervous was he that he had paced the length hallway so many times it was a wonder he had not burned a hole in it. Tucking his hands in his pants pocket and slouching forward his hair nearly covered his face. But if anyone had seen his face they would have worried. Thoughts raced through his head as if it was a muggle's raceway and he wanted nothing more than to stop them.
Why had Gwen done that? She'd gotten herself kicked for sure this time. But why? She could have done something… anything else. Saved herself…
"Bloody hell! Why did she do that?" the exclamation made all the others jump and stare at him but he didn't really care. "I mean, why did she have to sacrifice herself… there must have been something…"
"I don't know Sirius… I was trying to come up with a way to get us all out of there and then she just spoke up. I couldn't very well refute her story…she gave us a way out. All of us. Even that Snivellus… which I don't get…"
Lily sighed. "You boys… I know why. Haven't you ever heard of 'treat others as you would like them to treat you'? By being kind to Severus she has opened the way so he can be kind back to her. Maybe he never will be but… she has proven her point."
"Her point?" Sirius asked but this time Raven answered.
"Duh. She's proven that she doesn't want Severus as an enemy. You guys treat him really bad so in turn he hates you. She has treated him with a kindness. So he's indebt to her. Maybe he'll never pay it but he is. Just as he's indebted to you, James."
"To me? Why?"
"You saved his life. If you hadn't gotten him out of the shrieking shack then he might be dead. Or worse… he might have ended up Remus' roommate every full moon…" she shuddered almost comically and the others laughed.
"So you see," Lily continued, "Gwen did what she thought was right. She saved her friends, helped her enemy and sacrificed herself. Plus if you look at it from her point of view she doesn't think she'll be here much longer so it doesn't really…"
Lily stopped as the door to Dumbledore's office swung open and the stairway appeared. Standing and turning to face the gate all of them waited. A pin could have been dropped and heard but none of them would have noticed as Gwen stepped into the hallway and the doorway slid shut again.
Gwen stepped out and then stared as everyone stared at her. "Wow… um… I didn't think you'd all be here…W-were you waiting for me?"
"Yeah." Raven said stepping forward. "So how'd it go?"
"Um… Well. I'm to report to Filch's office tomorrow…"
"Why?" James asked first and then the others started in.
"You're not going to…?"
"Dumbledore didn't…"
"He can't!"
"Gwen that's not fair!"
Gwen held up her hand and everyone quieted. "I'm to report to Filch's office tomorrow… to start my two weeks detention."
"So… you're staying?" Sirius ventured to ask and Gwen smiled.
"Yes," she said and everyone leaped up shouting and laughing not hearing as she finished the rest of her sentence. "At least… for now…"
Raven hugged Remus and he yelped in pain, which of course caused her immediately start apologizing. "Oh… sorry, Remus, I forgot. Are you okay?"
"Uh… yeah… fine…"
Raven grimaced and then turned to Gwen but she stopped when she saw that Sirius had engulfed her in a hug and then turned to Lily and James. The two of them were staring at on another. Lily's arms were on James shoulders and lightly resting on her hips James' hands seemed to have gone limp. Then they broke away from each other looked away from each other guiltily.
The hallways were once again silence and she turned to Remus. "I think we should get you back to the common room. Are you sure you're all right?"
Remus grinned. "Sure, fit as a fiddle." He grimaced again and Raven slipped her arm around his waist leading him down the hall.
"Right a fiddle with broken strings." She smiled and turned to the others. "Come on you guys. If Filch catches us out here then we'll all get detention with Gwen…"
Silently the six of them walked down the hallway never noticing that someone watched them from around the corner. Severus watched them disappear and then wondered why he had bothered to come back.
"If she and James hadn't stepped in front of Remus last night you would have been werewolf chow." Raven's words echoed in his mind and he cringed.
So now he owed his life to that… that mutt and Potter… He turned and stalked down the hallway. How much worse can my life get?