Hey there once again friends! I cannot believe comp is this close to being done! It's insane. I've so enjoyed my time with the Slytherins, it's been amazing.This is my drabble for Slytherin HOH! I picked the prompt (word) fairytale. I love fairytales, so this is going to be awesome. Enjoy everyone!
Note: I know that Lupin explains that the Wolfsbane Potion wasn't invented when he was in school, but I've made it so that it was made in their last year. I also know that the Wolfsbane doesn't work exactly the way I describe it, I took some license ok?
Word Count: 996
Betas: Dhrish, Ash Juillet, Aya
Poking her head out of the portrait hole, Lily carefully looked around. Deserted. Just as expected, but she couldn't be too careful. This was a dangerous task she was undertaking, one that could result in her getting seriously harmed.
It had been by chance that over the summer Lily had heard of the Wolfsbane Potion. The creator had made the front page of the Daily Prophet (one of the only helpful things it was printing these days). She had immediately written to her friend, Remus Lupin, and urged him to try and make it. She had discovered only the year before that he was a werewolf, and she knew that he feared hurting people because of it. According to the article, the Wolfsbane Potion would not completely cure being a werewolf, but it would allow them to keep their minds while transformed. For Lily, that was enough.
Remus had written back a refusal. He had never been a good potioneer, and the risks of getting this potion wrong were disastrous. Lily had had no way to make the potion by herself;the Trace prevented her from doing magic at home.
As soon as she had arrived at Hogwarts for term, she had researched how to make the potion before she had brewed it. Remus had taken it ever since the first full moon of September.
The other Marauders had been too busy to make sure he'd taken it tonight, according to Peter, and Lily had been tutoring a couple of second years and had been unavailable.
As usual, the boys had gone after Remus to ensure he kept away from students, and Lily had quickly bottled up a small amount from the last batch and was now on her way to get it to James. She trusted James would be able to get Remus to take it so that the werewolf wouldn't hurt anyone.
Confirming that the corridor was empty, Lily couldn't help feeling a tinge of excitement. Wearing her favorite long red sweater that resembled a cape while on her way to do a dangerous task involving a wolf, she felt a little bit like Little Red Riding Hood. That was one of her favorite fairytales, having been read the tale from a young age.
She quickly made her way through the empty corridors (narrowly avoiding being caught by Filch), eventually making her way outside and down through the grounds. A couple minutes later, she stood before the Whomping Willow, its shaking, vibrating branches serving as a warning to not get any closer. She was just at the edge of its range.
"WIngardium Leviosa!" Lily charmed a nearby stick to prod the knot that would still the tree, as James had told her to do. As promised, the tree immediately gave a shudder before going motionless.
After taking a deep breath, Lily dashed for the tree and dove into the hole at its base. She made it just in time; just as she was clear, she heard smashing branches and cracking wood of the Willow's delayed defence.
Standing and dusting herself off, Lily raised her wand again and cast, "Lumos!" The light shone off the dirt walls and allowed her to make her way down the tunnel. However, just before she had taken a step, she heard a growling several yards ahead of her. Panic chased every other thought out of her mind. Normally she didn't let fear freeze her up, but this was an exception.
She was motionless as, just at the edge of where her wand illuminated, a large, hulking figure came into view. As much as she had heard from Remus and the others about how dangerous Remus was in his werewolf form, and how much he resented not being himself once a month, she hadn't quite processed the reason behind Remus' horror until she saw him before her.
"Oh, Remus…" she whispered. This had no effect on the creature Remus had now become, of course, and he let out a fierce roar before charging. Lily braced herself, knowing that this was it. He would either kill her, or she would become like him. She winced and covered her eyes, knowing that it wouldn't help and yet unable to stop herself.
The impact never came. Instead, she heard hoofbeats and snuffling, and finally several blows. Cracking her eyes open, she was baffled by what she saw. A deer was fighting the wolf! Of course, she knew that it was really James, but watching the deer viciously force the wolf back into the darkness, it was hard to believe.
And then everything was over. Lily continued to listen to the sounds of Remus being forced away by James and had no idea what to do. She was still frozen from shock. She remained standing where she was for several minutes, until she eventually heard approaching footsteps. Finally, James emerged into the light. He had several new bruises on his arms but otherwise seemed okay.
Seeing him, Lily couldn't help but dash forward and embrace him. "James! You're okay! How is Remus?"
James allowed her to embrace him as he answered, "He's with Sirius; he and Peter have him under control for now. I'll head back in a bit. I just wanted to check on you."
Lily thought and finally said, "You saved me. If you hadn't shown up…"
"No need to think about what ifs. I'm glad you're okay, Lily." They were silent for a moment before James continued, "You should probably head back up to the castle. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"
Slightly smiling, Lily said, "Okay." She took out the small vial of potion and gave it to James, before turning back and heading out of the tunnel. She turned back, giving James one last look, before she pressed the knot and clambered up and out of the tunnel. Once again, she thought of Remus, and her silly notions of fairytales.
This is no fairytale. This is real life.