TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES by InFabula

Disclaimer: JK owns all these wonderful characters: I just borrowed them for a bit.

Chapter Two: Aftermath

Remus opened his eyes and tried to ignore the ache all over his body. Every month, his bones and muscles complained about being stretched and unnaturally twisted. He leant on his left arm to help himself up and gave a yelp. He prodded his wrist gingerly and decided that it was a sprain rather than a break. Exploring fingers found dried blood under his nose, and, judging by how tender his left cheek felt, he was certain a large bruise was forming.

For the first time he took in his surroundings and frowned in bewilderment. What was he doing downstairs? Normally, he did not leave the upstairs room. He looked round for clues but found none.

Munching chocolate Madam Pomfrey always provided, he puzzled all the way to the Willow. Had he tried to come back down the tunnel? Remus searched his mind for memories but could only clearly recall his initial transformation. He was still trying to remember when he climbed out of the tree into the crisp morning air and saw Professor McGonagall waiting for him.

"Professor…?" he stared at her.

"Mr Lup- Remus. Are you alright?" She looked rather taken aback by his appearance and he was startled to hear the gentleness in her tone.

He nodded, mystified, and she continued: "You are to accompany me straightaway to see the Headmaster."

To see Dumbledore! "What for? I mean, I normally go straight to Madam Pomfrey. Why does he want to see me?"

"I cannot say," she said, her voice regaining its usual brusqueness. "The Headmaster will explain." She set off at a trot towards the castle and Remus followed at her heels, his mind racing.

The thin, January sunlight reached into the hospital wing and fanned across the bed on which the only patient lay. Severus Snape stared at the ceiling. The pain in his head had subsided to a gentle thrum but even if it had been agony, it would not have taken precedence over the one thought which consumed him: at last - I've got them. Potter and Black, his chief tormentors; Pettigrew with his sly digs; and Lupin...mysterious Lupin...make that monstrous Lupin, he thought and smiled.

After announcing him, Professor McGonagall left Dumbledore's study and Remus stood bewildered in the doorway.

With a start, he saw his three friends sitting in front of the Headmaster's desk: Peter, whose eyes were puffed and red and who had obviously been crying; Sirius, who, after an initial searching glance in Remus's direction, seemed determined to avoid his gaze and was furiously studying his shoes; and James, who sat looking at Remus, bespectacled eyes full of concern.

Dumbledore was standing behind his desk, his face grave.

"Come and join us, Mr Lupin," Dumbledore invited.

He walked forward, conscious of the eyes of the past Headmasters' portraits following him as he did so, and took a spare seat between James and Sirius, a frown creasing his brow.

"I would like you to recount for me, Mr Lupin, the events of yesterday beginning at about three o'clock in the afternoon."

Alibi! Someone must need an alibi, he thought, and judging by their reactions when he had come in, it was undoubtedly Sirius. What have you been up to this time, Padfoot? he groaned inwardly.

Dumbledore was still waiting. Remus cleared his throat and began.

"I came back from class and sat reading in the common room. Then Worm-then Peter and Sirius came back." He paused briefly. Dumbledore knew that James and the others were aware of his condition; they had had a long chat about it in his first year and Dumbledore had seemed pleased that he had found friends who were not predisposed to judge. Of course, Dumbledore was not aware of Prongs, Padfoot and Wormtail, their alter egos. Remus knew he had to be careful.

"Then I went to find Madam Pomfrey," he continued. "She gave me a tonic to drink and took me down to the Willow. I went along the tunnel to the Shack and I- I transformed. Then I woke up this morning. Professor McGonagall was waiting for me and I came here," he finished. He hoped his account struck the right balance of truth: he did not want to mention how angry Sirius had been about James's detention; no doubt he had done something to Snape that had crossed the line. He resisted the urge to shoot a sideways glance at Sirius.

"Mr Lupin, a little more detail if you please."

Remus tried again. "I had my last class of the day, which was Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall set us homework. I picked up some books from the library and I sat in a chair in the common room reading them. Peter and Sirius came back about four o'clock. We sat and talked for a while-"

He stopped as Dumbledore held up a hand to interrupt him. "May I enquire as to the topic of discussion?"

For a moment, he considered lying but Dumbledore's blue eyes were holding his in a steely gaze,which promised that if he were caught in a lie, he would regret it. Even so, he would have taken the risk for Sirius and the others but unfortunately, he did not know exactly what to lie about. A sixth sense continued to urge him to protect Sirius.

"Peter told me that James was in detention with Professor Flitwick." That much was true - it had been Peter not Sirius who had told him. "I understood that James would not be there to see me off."

"Did Mr Pettigrew or Mr Black explain why detention had been given?"

Well, Flitwick must have told Dumbledore…"Peter said that James had hexed Professor Flitwick."

"And was the true object of the hex named?"

Here it was. Remus desperately wanted to have five minutes with James and Sirius and Peter so that he could get the story straight but he didn't have that luxury. The best he could hope to do was be vague.

"I think Peter mentioned it was a Slytherin student who had been trying to provoke James."

"Very well." Dumbledore seemed satisfied. "What do you recall about last night?"

Remus frowned. Last night? When he was a wolf? He wracked his brains under the Headmaster's penetrating gaze.

"I don't remember much," he confessed finally, wanting to say something. "Just the moonrise and transforming…" How could he ever forget transforming? "And then…" he concentrated but try as he might, he had no memories: the wolf must have been particularly strong. "And then I remember waking up this morning. Except…I woke up downstairs…I've never done that before. When I came out, Professor McGonagall brought me here. Sir, what is it?"

Dumbledore ignored the question. "Are you hurt, Remus?" he asked in a softer tone.

"Just a sprained wrist and I think I must have hit a wall or something…" Remus's hand flew up to his injured face.

Reaching over the desk with his wand, Dumbledore tapped the injured arm and murmured "Humera" which stopped the pain immediately. Then he reached into a drawer and produced a wet flannel which Remus took to clean his face up with: after six years at Hogwarts, none of them found the presence of a wet flannel in a desk drawer remarkable.

Putting the flannel carefully back on the desk, Remus broke the silence. "Sir, what- what is this about?"

The Headmaster sighed, sat down in his chair and let his eyes wander over the four friends before fixing his gaze once more on Remus.

"Last night Madam Pomfrey was crossing the grounds of Hogwarts and observed someone else enter the tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow," he said quietly.

Remus leapt out of his seat. "Someone else!" he gasped. "Did they see me- did I-" he broke off, shock filling his face. "I hurt them, didn't I…" he whispered. "Did I bite them? I didn't-" he couldn't finish the sentence.

Surely he hadn't killed anyone! Surely he would have remembered that! Remus suddenly looked at his friends. Had it been Peter or Sirius? Had he harmed either of them? He knew he would never be able to forgive himself. He covered his face with his hands and sunk back down into the chair with a low moan.

Unable to restrain themselves any longer despite Dumbledore's warning that they were not to interrupt, both James and Sirius were at his side.

"Remus," Sirius's voice was unusually tight, "I swear you weren't responsible for anything."

"It's all right, Moony, you didn't hurt anyone," James was saying.

Remus looked up at the pair of them. "What happened?"

Dumbledore rose to his feet. "I'm sorry, Remus, for this unexpected summons but I was anxious to establish whether or not you had any part in last night's ill-judged prank. Had that been the case, I would certainly have had to review your future at Hogwarts. Having spoken with you, however, I am confident that you were in no way party to the incident."

He walked to the side of the desk and explained: "After you left for the Willow, it appears Mr Black decided to share the secret of how to enter the tunnel with Mr Snape."

Remus looked dumbstruck as Dumbledore continued: "Mr Snape naturally followed you inside and encountered you at the end of the tunnel. And yes, Remus," he added sadly, "Severus now knows you are a werewolf. What damage you might have inflicted in your other state, we may only guess at. However, James returned early from detention, and recognising the danger Severus would be in, very bravely went after him and rescued him. I think he may be responsible for your injuries though he himself is not certain what spell he cast to defend himself."

He moved to the door. "I am now going to collect Severus. I understand from Madam Pomfrey that he is recovered from an accidental blow to the head. I shall return shortly."

As the door closed behind him, Remus buried his face in his hands once more, his whole body shaking.

Sirius and James exchanged glances then Sirius placed a hand on his arm. "Moony?" he said gently. "Moony, you have no idea how sorry I am. What I did was unforgivable. Remus? Say something, please don't cr-"

Remus's head snapped up and Sirius fell back with astonishment. Peter let out a squeak of surprise. Never, ever had they seen Remus so angry. His face, normally pale with fatigue and exhaustion, was flushed with fury. He threw off Sirius's arm, drew back his fist and punched Sirius hard on the jaw.

"How dare you!" he bellowed, pulling back his fist to hit him again. "I trusted you! What if I'd bitten him! What if I'd murdered him!" He took another swing but James wrapped his arms around his chest to hold him back. "Let me go, Prongs!" He fought James off with the strength of the wolf and launched himself on top of Sirius, raining blows down on his head.

Sirius did not try to defend himself. His face was full of wretched self-blame and it was this which eventually stopped Remus's attack. He sat back on his heels, panting.

Sirius sat up slowly and caught hold of Remus's arm. "Moony, I swear I didn't do this with malice. I just wanted to get back at Snape and I thought he would freak out in the tunnel. I didn't even think about…" He looked up at James. "Prongs was the one. He made me see how dangerously idiotic my behaviour was." He looked back at Remus and his voice cracked with emotion as he blinked back tears. "I know it was…oh, Moony…but I'd die for you, you know I would. I'd die for all of you!"

Remus's face was unreadable. Then he let out a deep, shaky sigh. "Snape of all people…It'll be all over Hogwarts soon enough." He looked at James. "Thank you for saving me," he said simply.

"You mean saving Snape," Peter interjected.

James gave Remus a half-smile of understanding. "I just hoped Prongs wasn't too vicious."

"No, he was fine," Remus assured him. He looked round gloomily. "They won't let me stay."

"It wasn't your fault," Peter sniffed. "You'll be all right…and James will probably get a medal. It's Padfoot and me they'll probably expel."

With perfect timing, the door opened and all of the Marauders sprang round as Snape entered alone. He swept into the room, his eyes full of cold anger. He showed no discomfort in being on his own with the four Gryffindors: instead, his whole demeanour suggested that he knew, for once, they would not dare touch him.

Sirius reacted first. He strode across to Snape, his face showing genuine contrition."Sniv-Severus," he corrected himself, "you've every right to be livid with me about last night, but I promise you, the others didn't know anything about it. I'm the one to blame and…I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Snape looked as if he could not quite believe his ears. "Attempted murder…and you say sorry?"

"I didn't mean to- You were supposed to get in the tunnel and be spooked and…It was a joke, just a stupid joke..." he tailed off.

Snape moved past him with supreme scorn. "Had a good laugh, did you? " he asked Peter who wilted away under his vindictive eye. "Yes, I can see this jape was planned and savoured for a long time. I can imagine the hours of hilarity involved."

He gave James a look of pure loathing. "I understand you came in to rescue me. Did you get cold feet, Potter? Decide somewhat reluctantly that my death wouldn't be worth getting expelled?"

He turned to Remus, his lip curled in a sneer of triumph. "The one, tiny gratification I have is that you will be out of this school faster than Potter can fly."

"It wasn't his fault, Snape!" Sirius shouted in exasperation. "I'm the one who should be punished!"

Snape looked across the room at him, a perverse smile lighting up his sallow face. "Don't worry, I'm counting on your expulsion!" he snapped. "But so that you know, I will be thinking of you and Potter and Pettigrew every time I tell someone what it" here, he pointed at a white-faced Remus "really is."

Sirius gave a roar of anger and started towards Snape; James intervened, holding his friend in check.

"Don't make it worse, Padfoot," he said urgently, struggling to hold back an enraged Sirius.

"Just let me wipe that ugly grin from his face--"

A quiet cough made them all turn round. It was Dumbledore.

"Gentlemen," he began, "I hoped that a few minutes in private might clear the air between you a little but I think emotions are running rather high. Please have a seat once more." He pointed his wand at a fifth chair which shot into position beside Peter's.

Contenting himself with a scowl, Sirius sat down and the others followed suit.

"A difficult situation, gentlemen, and a serious one; we are indeed fortunate the results were not more disastrous," Dumbledore said. "What Sirius did was dangerous in the extreme and jeopardised not only a student's life but possibly another student's sanity and freedom. James was perhaps foolish to attempt the rescue alone, but Gryffindors are noted for a certain fearlessness so I cannot say I am surprised. Peter is guilty not of instigation but of concealment. Remus and to a degree, Severus, are the innocent parties."

"To a degree, Headmaster!" Snape looked as though he would explode.

"Severus, you did not have to go into the tunnel at all," Dumbledore said softly. "Now, then. I think that you, Severus, may have learned your lesson as far as curiosity is concerned." He ignored the snort of contempt from Snape and continued: "Peter, I think a week of assisting Mr Filch with his care-taking duties would help you on your way to a clean conscience. Sirius…" his blue eyes fixed on Sirius who held his head high, ready to hear his fate. "Sirius, I am going to ask Severus and Remus what they suggest as fitting chastisement."

"Expulsion!" The word flew out of Snape's mouth and Sirius bit his inner lip. He could imagine his mother's hysterical tirade if he arrived at Grimmauld Place in disgrace.

"Do you concur, Remus?"

Sirius expelled: was that what he wanted? Remus shook his head slowly. Together with James and Peter, he was the best friend he'd ever had. Though that did not mean he was ready to forgive him. "No, Professor, I don't want Sirius to leave Hogwarts. I...I can't think of anything at the moment."

Dumbledore considered for a moment. "Well, Mr Black, two extremes - expulsion or no punishment at all. I think we need to find a middle ground. Your Hogsmeade visitation rights are herebyrevoked for the rest of this school year and you are to spend two weeks in detention with myself. Any further incident of violence or malice directed at Mr Snape or any other student will however result in your immediate suspension from school. Do I make myself clear?"

Sirius nodded. It was more leniency than he had dared hope for. Snape looked as if he had swallowed a toad.

"Is that all-?" he choked.

Sirius shot a cool look in his direction which only made Snape angrier. He sprang to his feet and pointed a finger at Remus: "At least the truth about you will come out!" Sirius's fists clenched around the arms of his chair and he started to rise but a warning hand from Remus kept him seated.

"That reminds me," Dumbledore said mildly. "James needs to be rewarded for his efforts last night."

"I do?" James frowned. He had been caught up in the interchange between Sirius and Snape.

Dumbledore gave him a bright stare with a hint of a twinkle. "Choose your reward wisely, Mr Potter."

Choose wisely? James's frown deepened. What did he want? House points? No. Snape expelled? Too much to hope for and not likely to be granted. He looked at Remus who had remained silent throughout Snape's outbursts. Moony was the real victim here, James thought savagely, Dumbledore was right. Now everyone would know he was a-

James gave a gasp.

"Professor, I know what I'd like as my reward. I'd like Severus not to tell anyone about Remus's secret."

"NO!" Snape yelled, banging a fist on Dumbledore's desk.

Dumbledore gave James a small smile of approval. "Severus, believe me when I say that if I thought Remus had had any hand in the affairs of last night, I would seriously be considering removing him from Hogwarts. As it is, I am extremely loath that he should be forced to leave the school through no fault of his own. I therefore require you to swear on your honour that you will not tell anyone here that Remus is a werewolf."

"I won't!" Snape was apoplectic with rage, his lank hair quivering to its very tips with indignation. "He's a danger to everyone! They deserve to know!"

"I reserve the right to keep this particular truth from the students, Severus. As Headmaster that is my privilege."

Snape shot a look of fierce disdain in Remus's direction and folded his arms mutinously. "And if I say no?"

"If you wish to continue to study here, you will agree." Dumbledore's stern tone brooked no argument.

James found himself holding his breath. He could see Peter, wide-eyed and waiting for Snape's answer; Sirius was looking at the floor once more though his white knuckles betrayed his anxiety. Remus would not look at Snape either: he was staring straight over Dumbledore's right shoulder.

James turned his attention back to Snape who had the appearance of someone who had unwrapped a host of Christmas presents only to find empty boxes. He was obviously struggling with the idea that his dreams of vengeance had vanished. "Very well," he hissed at last, his eyes dancing with disappointed fury, "I swear."

"Then, gentlemen, you may go." Dumbledore dismissed them.

Snape left at top speed: the Marauders filed out slowly. They walked back to the dormitory in silence: the divide between Remus and Sirius growing with each empty moment that passed. Sirius just waited, wanting to know whether everything would ever be the same again. Finally, as they reached the Fat Lady's portrait, Remus made up his mind.

"If you ever betray me again, Sirius, don't bother hanging round to apologise," he warned and stretched out a hand.

Sirius nodded vehemently and seized the hand offered, not trusting himself to speak.