PART TWO
CHAPTER ELEVEN: JAMES AND REMUS
He was plunging into an empty sky. The night was dark and the moon was full. Below him was a silvery pool of black water. A piercing scream filled his ears. Any second now, he would hit the water. Any second now…
Harry's eyes snapped opened. He was lying on his back. The ceiling was familiar, and so were the white bed sheets. He was in the hospital wing. The pale light of early morning was beaming through the high windows.
Harry's mouth filled with a sickening taste as though his stomach had just been turned upside down. Had it all been a dream? Perhaps he had never left the hospital wing after that night in the graveyard. Perhaps he had imagined it all: his parents, Neville being selected as Hogwarts' champion, Neville's sister, Neville's lightening scar, Neville's parents laughing, Ron and Hermione holding hands, Sirius looking dashing in a long black coat, Ginny coming down the stairs in a forest green dress…
"Good morning, sleepy head," said a woman's voice.
He felt the soft hand of Lily Potter slip into his. She was alive, his mom, and she was beaming down at him with that familiar smile that he loved. She bent down and gave him a hug. Harry took a deep breath. He was still back in time. It was real. The words he had read a few months ago had said: "Turn back time. Live one year exactly as you wish it." His mother holding him as she was doing so now, that was what he had wished for. But the attack of a werewolf, the Dragon Fever, the burning forehead; he was sure that they had not been part of his wish. Something was not right.
"How long was I out?" he asked as Lily Potter was smoothening his hair and looking into his eyes with motherly concern.
"A couple of hours," she answered vaguely. "Dawn is breaking. It must be around five in the morning."
Harry forced his mind to remember the events of the previous night. The Yule Ball had been the best party he had ever lived, and then the rest of the evening had been darkness, snow, broken glass and screams.
"How's Nev?" he asked urgently. "How's Eleanor? And Ginny? Are they alright?"
"They're all fine," replied his mother. There was pride in her tone. She was fussing around the bed now, straightening the sheets, pouring him a glass of water. "You were very brave, Harry. Nev and Eleanor were lucky to have you."
She came back to sit at the foot of his bed. The early sun beams coming through the high windows were reflecting on her hair.
"Ginny found James and Sirius like you asked her," she continued. "They were not far but with the music they didn't hear the yelling or anything. They were patrolling near the Black Lake where the Durmstrang ship is anchored. They saw the red sparks and Ginny running towards them, but when they got there, you had already taken care of the werewolf."
She was looking straight at him with a very fond expression, full of pride and motherly love. Harry felt himself blush slightly.
"You saved Nev and his sister, Harry. McGonnagal gave sixty points to Gryffindor for your outstanding courage in the face of danger. I had never thought… my son…"
Her voice trailed off. Her eyes were filled with tears. She came closer and gave him a kiss on the forehead.
"Now no one can say anymore that you don't belong in Gryffindor," she said softly to his ear.
"Who says that I don't belong in Gryffindor?" he asked, cutting her off.
He was getting very uncomfortable. No one had ever looked at him with such pride and deep fondness as his mother was doing so now. Somehow, however, he didn't feel like he deserved that much praise. It was very possible that the werewolf, Lupin, had been on Hogwarts ground because of him. What was Lupin doing at Hogwarts, anyway?
"It doesn't matter," she replied with her outmost motherly tone.
Harry decided not to linger on the subject. He had already a good idea who might be saying that he didn't belong in Gryffindor. He wondered what his father's opinion of him was now that he had taken on a werewolf. Would he call him a show off again?
"Where's Lupin?" he asked, lifting his head from the pillow.
She seemed surprised by his question but merely shrugged as an answer.
"Lupin is not here, darling," she said, turning her face away from him. "I don't know why you ask…"
Harry realised that she was lying to him, probably because he was not supposed to know the truth.
"I know that Lupin is a werewolf," he said straight away.
She got up, shook her long hair, and looked into his face again. She seemed quite disturbed by the fact that he knew.
"Listen, Harry," she said quietly. They were alone in the room but she threw one nervous glance at the door before continuing. "Remus Lupin is a good man. Your father used to work with him. They fought against You-Know-Who together. It's not his fault that he's a werewolf and your father understands that, but… Well your father only wants to keep you safe. You see, it's not the first time that Lupin attacks you as a werewolf."
Harry was beginning to understand, but it didn't seem like the image that he had of his father. James, Sirius and Wormtail had learned to turn into animals so that they could remain with their friend Remus Lupin when he was a werewolf. They were Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. They had written the Marauder's Map together. They were the best of friends. Wormtail's betrayal could only have strengthened the relationship of the remaining three friends. Harry had never considered Lupin's condition as anything else but trivial. Surely, his father thought the same way, and so must Sirius.
"Not the first time? When did it happen the first time?" he asked innocently, sitting up.
Lily shook her head again as she was searching her memory. It was as though she was seeing something in her mind that she would rather forget. She brought him another pillow from another bed, pulled her chair closer to him, and started to relate the story.
"You were young. Five years-old. Remus and Sirius were staying with us for Christmas. The worst time for Remus is the full moon of Christmas Eve and he was reluctant to come, but I convinced him too. I thought that it would be good for him. He's very lonely, you know. He doesn't really have anyone, only us. I wasn't afraid of him. None of us ever were. After all, he was Remus. Just Remus."
She paused. Harry was wondering if she was feeling guilty. Had she believed that Lupin wouldn't hurt anyone as a werewolf? Then Harry remembered that Hermione had thought the same thing one year ago. Hermione, the brightest witch in their year, had hoped that the werewolf that was threatening Ron, Harry and her would recognise her and not hurt her. But that was contrary to what every book on werewolf said.
"Anyway," said Lily. She seemed to be coming out of her reverie as Harry was. "James and Sirius had thought up a plan to keep Remus in the basement of our house at all cost. They chained him up, put spells on the door, and enchanted the stairs so that he could not escape. They thought of everything, but they didn't think about your going downstairs for a midnight stroll. It wasn't in your habit to get up during the night so we never even thought that you would. I don't know how long you were downstairs before the werewolf realised it, but when I woke up, James was carrying you up in his arms. You were covered in blood. It wasn't serious, though. It was just the biggest fright we had ever had, James and me. Sirius took care of Remus, and we went to the Longbottom's to spend the remaining of the night. James wouldn't bring you back to the house as long as Remus was still there."
Harry's mind raced back to his first Defence Against the Dark Arts with his dad. James' Boggart had turned into a werewolf. It all made sense.
"But mom," Harry started to say, "Lupin is not dangerous. When he's a werewolf, he's a completely different person. Dad knows that. Dad is our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. He should know that!"
"It's not that easy, darling," said his mother softly.
Harry realised that he had raised his voice, but he didn't care. His dad's behaviour towards Lupin was ludicrous to him.
"What Lupin does as a werewolf doesn't change who he is," he said stubbornly.
"It's not just that," said Lily. Her voice was full of comprehension, understanding. Harry felt his temper cool down when she spoke. "Lupin could have bit you. He could have turned you into a werewolf. I don't think that your father ever cared that it could happen to him, but to you… it's different. After watching Lupin suffer every month for years and years, I think that your father was ready to give up his friendship just to make sure it never happened to you. Do you understand what I'm saying, Harry?"
Harry let the idea sink in. It didn't seem fair for Lupin. He wasn't responsible for his condition. They had been friends, James and Remus, now they weren't, and Harry was the cause of the quarrel that had driven them apart.
Suddenly, Harry felt a huge weight on his chest. Even with his mother at his side, his life seemed less than perfect. He knew that he should be happy for what he had gained. His father at least loved him enough to give up a friendship to guarantee his safety. Why then did he feel so sad? Why did he have that lump in his throat? Was it because he had expected that his father would have more nerves?
"Harry," his mother said softly, "how do you know about Lupin?"
Harry turned away from her gaze. He couldn't lie to her, not up front, and not to her face.
"I overheard a conversation once," he answered simply.
"Fare enough."
She got up. Seemingly, she was accepting the explanation as such. Harry didn't follow her with his stare and he didn't get up either. He wanted her to go away. He wanted to be left alone.
"You sleep now," she said, touching his forehead. "You're a bit feverish. Mandrakes are not dangerous when they're still siblings, but that freezing weather and the snow… You might be fighting a cold. You can open your Christmas presents when you have rested a bit."
She kissed him again, this time on the top of his head.
A few seconds later, Lily Potter shut the door of the hospital wing behind her and Harry was left alone, but it wasn't his intention to stay in bed. He had made up his mind to find out where Lupin was at the present. He was hoping that he could talk to him at least. He had to let him know that he wasn't like his father.
"I'm not like my father," Harry said out loud to himself as he was putting on the clothes that his mother had left for him at the foot of his bed.
"The resemblance is hard to miss, dear," said the voice of the nurse in one of the portraits.
With a frustrated sigh, Harry stormed out of the hospital wing.
WHAM!
He had run straight into Ginny. The both of them fell on their backs and on the hard stone floor.
"Harry… ouch. Sorry. I was coming to see you," said Ginny as she was rubbing her right elbow.
Harry was already up on his feet and holding out his hand for her. She took it and he pulled her up. She was wearing her nightgown with a knitted navy blue robe over it. Harry immediately noticed the circles under her eyes as though she had not slept for the whole night. She looked in a hurry.
"Ginny, what's wrong?"
"Mr and Mrs Longbottom are here," she said breathlessly. "They came to check on Nev and Eleanor, I suppose that McGonnagal informed them of what happened, and then they went straight to Dumbledore's office. Mr Longbottom, he looked furious. I think that he wants to file a complaint against Mr Lupin."
Harry was immediately very alarmed. The Ministry of Magic had very severe laws against werewolves. He was suddenly imagining McNair the executioner swinging his axe over a Lupin's neck.
"That's not good," said Harry with the same sense of urgency. "Where's Professor Lupin now?"
"In your father's office," said Ginny. "And why do you call him a professor?"
Harry ignored the question and started to walk as fast as he could towards the staircases. Ginny followed him without delay. He didn't know how, but he knew that he had to convince them that Lupin could not be treated like a common monster.
"Why didn't they put him in the donjon?" asked Harry as he was climbing the stairs two by two.
"Because you petrified him really well and he's completely knocked out," answered Ginny. She was a few steps behind him. "The sun is up now," she continued as she was catching up. "He ought to be back to his human form at this hour. Snape went to get a potion to 'unpetrify' him."
Harry stopped short and looked at her inquiringly.
"How do you know all that, Ginny?" he asked.
Ginny pulled out a bundle of fabric that she had been carrying under her robe but which Harry had not noticed. It was the Invisibility Cloak, the one that Sirius had given him, not his father, apparently.
"I pretended to go to sleep," she started to explain speedily, "and then I went to check on Lupin. You didn't see the look on your father's face when he saw you lying on the ground and the blood on your hand. He thought that you were dead; or worst, that you'd been bitten. It's a good thing that Lupin was already knocked out because I'm not sure what your father would have done. He was so angry, Harry. I don't want to think of what might have happened."
Harry felt his temper rising again. Would his father treat Lupin the same way that the Ministry had treated Buckbeak the Hippogrif? It seemed so unlikely, yet Harry had been surprised by the Ministry's rules before, and by the reactions of his father. Would Lupin end up in Azkaban? Harry could not think about that. It was simply too horrible.
He started up the stairs again with Ginny close on his heels. The Defence Against the Dart Arts classroom was just a few doors away now. He felt the heat on his face. The last thing he wanted was a confrontation with his James Potter, but he had no choice.
The classroom was empty, but the door of the office at the back of the room stood ajar. The first voice that he heard was his father's. It froze Harry on the spot.
"YOU COULD HAVE KILLED A STUDENT, REMUS! YOU COULD HAVE HURT HARRY! MY SON, FOR GODSAKE! BUT WORST OF ALL, YOU COULD HAVE KILLED NEVILLE!"
Ginny took Harry by the arm. The bailing seemed to have drained the color off her face. Harry had not expected Neville to be a part of the argument between James and Remus. He didn't dare to walk in on the quarrel yet. He wanted to hear more.
"There was no harm done, James!" said Sirius stubbornly and at a volume that was close to screaming as well.
"We go out of our way to protect Nev and you choose to threaten his life on the evening when the entire wizard world has its eye fixed on Hogwarts," continued James Potter, completely ignoring Sirius' comment. "Your stupidity has let Voldemort's followers know that Neville is relatively unprotected at Hogwarts."
"Are you accusing him of anything, James?" boomed Sirius' voice. "ARE YOU ACCUSING HIM?"
"James is right, Sirius," said Lupin's feeble voice. "I have been very foolish."
"Oh shut up!" snapped Sirius loudly. "I won't let James' personal woes tear you apart. There was a risk when we stationed you in Hogsmead. We're all responsible and Dumbledore knows it."
"Dumbledore can make mistakes," retorted Lupin reasonably.
"Don't you take all the blame on yourself, Remus Lupin, you've done that on too many occasions," said Sirius sharply.
"If Harry hadn't been there," continued Lupin, his voice rising at the level of Sirius', "I would have killed Neville and his sister."
"I would have killed you myself," said James darkly.
"I WOULD HAVE STOPPED YOU!" Sirius bailed at the top of his voice.
"HE COULD HAVE KILLED MY SON!" shouted Harry's dad.
"I'm sorry, James," said Lupin. He sounded deeply miserable. "I'm sorry that I put Harry in danger. I understand how angry you must feel…"
"Shut up, Remus!" snapped Sirius. "Don't you feel sorry for that selfish…"
But the voice of Sirius was soon buried under James' yelling.
"HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY UNDERSTAND HOW I FEEL, REMUS? HOW CAN EITHER OF YOU? YOU HAVE NO CHILDREN! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO WORRY ABOUT YOUR FAMILY. YOU HAVE NO FAMILY! HARRY AND LILY ARE EVERYTHING TO ME. EVERYTHING!"
There was a silence broken only by Ginny's accelerated breathing. Harry had forgotten where he was and what he had come here for. Ginny was pale and shaking. She was still gripping his arm.
"You're right, James," said Lupin weakly.
"Shut up, Remus," snapped Harry's dad. "You're off the assignment. Don't ever come near me and my son again. I don't know what I might do."
There was the sound of a chair being pushed aside and feet coming towards the door. Ginny was quick to react. Before Harry could say anything or even make a move, she pulled the Invisibility Cloak over both of their heads and pulled Harry closer to the wall to clear the way.
Seconds later, James Potter came rushing out of his office. His hair looked messier than ever. He had removed his glasses and was rubbing his eyes as he walked. He looked very distraught and did not even glance around as he crossed the classroom. At that moment, Harry wasn't sure that he wanted to talk to him. He wasn't sure of anything.
"Get out of here, Sirius," said the low voice of Remus Lupin. He sounded very weak. "I want to be left alone for a while."
There was a moment of silent hesitation.
"Suit yourself," said Sirius flatly.
Ginny pulled Harry's arm closer to her as Sirius's footsteps were heard coming out of the office.
"If you don't stand up to him then you're not worth my time either!" yelled Sirius as he stormed out of the classroom. "I don't need either of you to be happy!"
He was almost running when he passed in front of Harry and Ginny, and Harry heard him mutter "I'm perfectly happy" as he was flinging the classroom door behind him.
"Harry?" said Ginny's voice close to his ear.
He didn't know what to think anymore. Was he to follow Sirius and convince him that his father had every right to fear for the safety of his family? Was he to go to his father and scold him for the way he had treated Lupin and Sirius? Then again, his father's behaviour was the direct result of his love for his wife and son. What could Harry possibly say against that?
"Harry?" repeated Ginny. "If you want to talk to Lupin, now might be a good time."
Harry pulled the cloak off his head mechanically. What could he say to Lupin now? He wasn't sure that his father had been entirely wrong after all. How could he blame his father for loving him and his mother enough to sacrifice a friendship? Who was to blame for this quarrel? Perhaps he, Harry, was faulty. To think that had such a bitter taste. He had not wished for anything like this to happen.
"I should have known that you would be here," said a voice that made Harry and Ginny suddenly jump and turn around.
There was no one, but Harry distinctively saw a shadow move across the Foe Glass, the outline of a creature half-man and half-wolf, and then Lupin's head appeared in front of them as he was took off the hood of his Invisibility Cloak. He looked very pale, almost grey, and there were many cuts on his face. He was leaning heavily on a stick.
"Professor…" Harry started to say uneasily, "I mean… Mr Lupin."
"Harry. Miss Weasley," said Lupin courtly, pulling the cloak off his shoulders. "I suppose that you overheard our argument and learned the truth about my… condition."
Ginny took a step forward, crossing her arms over her chest as she did so. "It was hard to miss it with all the yelling and screaming," she said harshly.
"Well that sometimes happens in an argument," replied Lupin matter-of-factly.
Lupin pulled a chair closer and sat down heavily on it. There was strain on his face as he did so. Ginny opened her mouth to say another remark but she seemed unable to. Instead, she began to roll up the Invisibility Cloak uneasily.
"I was wondering what Sirius had done with James' old Invisibility Cloak," said Lupin with half a smile. "Looks like you two have put it to good use."
"You too," replied Ginny with a meaningful glance at the cloak that Lupin was holding.
Lupin returned her smile but gave no explanation.
"Mr Lupin," Harry started to say, taking a few steps towards his former Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, "my dad didn't mean it."
"I believed that he meant it, Harry. Your father loves you very much. I definitely don't want to be the one to come between him and his family."
"He wouldn't kill you," replied Harry quickly. "He wouldn't. He couldn't…"
But his voice was trailing off against his best intentions. His dad was a Hogwarts' teacher. He would know that werewolves were merciless. Harry could remember clearly what Hermione had said about werewolves: "He'd kill his best friend if he'd cross his path."
"I wouldn't expect less of him," said Lupin sincerely, looking straight into Harry's eyes. "Your father is a good man. He will protect his family to the death. Never forget that, Harry."
Harry's stomach had turned upside down again. His father had indeed given his life to save him from Voldemort. How could he, Harry, have forgotten it? Was this new reality affecting his judgement? Maybe it was the Dragon Fever. He felt so hot and so tired.
"It was my fault that you almost got killed last night, Harry, and Neville and his sister as well. I hope that you can forgive me, and that you can pass on my apologies to Nev and Eleanor. I don't think that their parents would appreciate my going to ask them in person."
"They're not like that," said Harry tentatively.
"You'd be surprised," said Lupin with his voice full of comprehension. "Neville's parents are very protective of their children as well, and the tournament has done nothing to improve their nerves."
"Why did you come so close to the school then?" asked Ginny openly and before Harry could add anything. "What were you doing in Hogsmead? Why take the risk?"
Lupin looked like he was avoiding Ginny and Harry's inquiring stares.
"Working," he answered vaguely, looking away.
Harry's eyes darted to Lupin's Invisibility Cloak. He couldn't remember who else he knew to possess such a rare piece of fabric. Lupin seemed to catch what was going on in his mind.
"Moody lent it to me. Mad-Eye Moody," said Lupin to Harry. "You might have heard of him…"
"Moody is here?" asked Harry in alarm.
"Yes," said Lupin simply. "We have been keeping an eye on the tournament."
"On whose orders?" Harry asked urgently.
A dreadful thought was beginning to form in his mind. Moody had been replaced by Barty Crouch Junior before. That was how Crouch's son had been able to set a trap for Harry. It was very possible that the same thing was happening again. The approach was different, but still the possibility was alarming.
"Dumbledore's orders, of course," said Lupin almost with indignation.
"And Moody," added Harry even more urgently, "has he been acting odd? Does he seem like… himself to you?"
There was no other way to phrase it. He wanted to be subtle, not to arise suspicions, but this was simply too important. Moody could very well be a disguise in which case a lot of people were in danger.
"Moody is fine, Harry. I've known him for a long time. I would know if he was different. Are you thinking about the Imperius Curse?" inquired Lupin with a tone of mixed curiosity and distress.
"But are you sure?" Harry repeated, ignoring the question.
He could feel his blood racing. What if they caught Barty Crouch Junior right now? Would that be enough to stop Voldemort's return?
"Yes, I'm sure. Moody is not the one we're here to worry about," said Lupin.
Lupin was now staring at him, and so was Ginny.
"Harry, you don't look well…" Ginny began saying.
"Who?" asked Harry, his voice carrying more meaning than he was intending. "Who are you worrying about? Who are you watching?"
Lupin maintained his gaze upon him, never yielding. He seemed to be searching Harry's face for something, perhaps a sign that Harry wasn't loosing his mind. At last, he leaned forward and said quietly but very seriously.
"We are keeping an eye on Bartemius Crouch."
As though the information had been a trigger, Harry's forehead seared with pain so that he had to clasp his hands on his face. He swayed on the spot and Ginny had to catch his arm so that he wouldn't fall. He knew that Lupin was talking to him but he couldn't hear. His mind was filled with a hissing noise. It was filling his ears and his thoughts.
"Massster knowsss!" said a voice that was louder and clearer than the others. "Massster will punisssh the insssolant boy! Massster will have hisss price!"
Harry tried to focus on the room. He was looking for the source of the hissing. Two pairs of arms were trying to pull him down on a chair. Ginny and Lupin could not hear what he was hearing.
Then he saw them. Under the window sill were the glass bowls with the snakes inside every single one. He tried to reach for his wand from the back pocket of his pants, but his scar gave another painful throb and his hand instinctively reached for his forehead instead.
"What does your master know?" Harry shouted in the direction of the snakes and in what he hoped was Parseltongue. "Does he know about Neville? Is Crouch helping him? Speak or I will curse you all to ashes, I swear!"
The hissing stopped. All was silent in his mind now. The invisible scar was burning steadily but he didn't care.
"Another massster of snakesss," whispered a single voice. "Massster knowsss. Massster will punisssh the insssolant boy. Massster isss the only massster of snakesss."
The silence had been like the heave of a storm. The next moment, the glass bowls were shaking madly as the snakes were slithering out of their transparent houses. Some of the bowls tipped over and broke as they fell on the stone floor. Ginny screamed. Lupin pulled both Harry and Ginny by the wrist and out of the classroom as fast as he could in his sickly condition. The snakes were not following them. In fact, they were not even interested by them. They were climbing on the window sill and breaking more glass as they beat their way out of the classroom and unto the castle ground like a wave of undulating long grass. The snakes were leaving Hogwarts. Something, someone, was calling them, and it was clear to Harry who it was.
As they watched the scene from the doorway, their wands pulled out in front of them, Lupin and Ginny seemed in shocked. All the while, Harry was clutching his forehead with his free hand and shaking violently with fever. Or was it something else that made him feel so weak inside? Was it fear? He didn't know. Only one thing was sure in his mind at that moment. Voldemort was stronger than he had ever been. He was ready to return. It was no longer a matter of time, but of opportunity. He had to figure out who was helping him this time, before it was too late.
