The Battle Before the Full Moon

James froze next to Remus, who had backed against the wall. Too afraid to lift his wand at the possibility of hurting Sirius, James took in the situation while Peter stood poised halfway inside of the fireplace. But only after a second of being suspended in midair, Sirius kicked his feet upwards with an instinctive quickness, and Greyback let out a howl and threw him to the floor. Scrambling backwards, Sirius gaped up at the werewolf, looking just as surprised as the rest of the room. Having taken a few steps backwards, Greyback finally stood at his full height and glared down at the four captives with a blood-red tint to his stare. Snarling, Louella bounded up to his side as the other werewolves whispered among themselves and shifted forward.

"Shall we lock them up again?"

"I think I've changed my mind," Greyback replied, not shifting his murderous gaze. "We don't need to wait. If they aren't going to cooperate, there isn't any reason why we shouldn't finish them off now . . ." Feeling his mouth go dry, James stared up at Greyback as he tilted his head and slowly licked a canine. "It's basically the same as waiting until the moon rises, isn't it? They don't deserve to be kept alive any longer, after all . . ."

Although his right arm was still limp, James gripped his wand with his left as his friends raised theirs at the ready. Remus' only reached halfway off of the ground, his effort so weak that Peter looked like an assured Auror in comparison, and James wondered how long they would be able to hold out for. As Greyback and the other werewolves started to advance, James lifted his arm and prayed for a miracle.

Almost as soon as the thought had crossed his mind, a sharp, commanding voice shouted from the back of the room.

"Stay right where you are, half-breed scum!"

Greyback looked over his shoulder with a snarl just as four of his companions were blasted into the air by a series of red flashes, which upset the line of werewolves and sent several of them falling into the fountain. Howling, the fallen werewolves leapt out of the stone basin and pawed at the blue flames licking their robes, and a flurry of spells erupted from the back of the corridor as several robed figures thrust their way through the mob. After a moment, some of the werewolves began to return fire with wands of their own, and James saw one of them leap onto an intruder and pull the figure to the ground.

Seizing the opportunity, James grabbed Remus with his working hand and pulled him at a half-crouch away from the fireplace. "Come on!" he yelled at Sirius, but his voice seemed to refocus Greyback's attention. Swiveling his head around with a growl, the werewolf locked eyes with James and began to advance, but he was interrupted by a young boy behind him.

"They're getting closer!" the boy called out, his unkempt hair flying as another colorful blast cut through the line of werewolves.

Sneering back over his shoulder, Greyback gave James just enough time to yank Remus in the other direction, leading the others into a nearby passage. When Greyback glanced their way again, James let a moment pass before he tore his eyes away and started dragging Remus down the corridor, Sirius and Peter following quickly behind.

"Head for the surface!" James heard Greyback bellow over the din as the darkness of the tunnel closed over him. "Get out any way you can!"

Already at a run, James and his roommates did not have any more speed to gain as several pairs of footsteps started pounding after them through the passageway. Traveling blindly, they scurried down a gradual slope, and the sound of battle grew softer with each passing step. Hoping that they would not suddenly tumble down a flight of stairs, James grasped Remus' hand tightly as his clammy palm threatened to slip away. The longer they ran, the more James worried that their pursuers would catch up, but he forgot his anxiety after a few minutes when he tumbled into a spacious cavern lighted by a pair of blue torches. As soon as he had registered the new space, he ducked to the side and pulled the others against the wall, hoping that they would be left unnoticed in the near-darkness.

After several moments punctuated only by the boys' bated breaths, the rushing of feet burst through the tunnel next to them, but the werewolves continued straight through to the other end of the corridor without a sideways glance. In another instant, they had vanished again through a passage on the other side, and James finally sighed and released Remus' hand.

"Should we go back up?" Peter whispered as the others slunk away from the wall, peering back up the tunnel.

"They're probably still fighting up there," Sirius guessed. "Whoever rescued us, they sure brought a lot of people. I think it's best if we waited it out."

"But what if they can't find us?" James questioned.

"We don't even know who they are!" Sirius answered. "They might be Death Eaters or something worse!"

Staring at the passageway entrance, James listened to the faint echoes above before turning and reaching for Remus. "You're right. Let's find somewhere safer to wait it out."

As soon as James' fingers brushed Remus' hand, however, his friend started and jumped away. "Get back!" he commanded, his eyes glowing strangely in the torchlight. "Stay away!"

"Remus, we aren't going to leave you!" James reprimanded, taking another step forward and holding out his hand. Backpedaling, Remus stared at him with a frenzied light in his eyes.

"I have to go on my own!" he exclaimed. "It's not safe!"

"But you might get caught!" James argued.

Whimpering, Remus gave his head a shake. "It doesn't matter for me. If I stay, I'll only end up hurting you!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" James told him, stepping forward again with Sirius and Peter. "We won't let that hap—"

"NO!" Remus cried, stumbling backwards as the others stopped dead in his tracks. "YOU'RE GOING TO DIE! DO YOU HEAR? I'LL KILL YOU!"

Their feet rooted to the ground, James, Sirius, and Peter stared at Remus' quivering mouth and watched silently as a tear streaked down his face. After a second's pause, Remus took another step back, and James reached out his arm.

"Remus!" he pleaded, but Remus had already turned and was running towards the distant tunnel. Unable to stop him, the other three watched in silence before a skidding noise sounded from behind them, and they whirled around just as Fenrir Greyback stumbled into the room.

"I was wrong, they did come for you, after all!" he snarled upon spotting the boys, and Remus paused just before he could escape, seemingly tied in place as he watched for what would happen next. Just as Greyback began to advance on the boys, Louella scampered down into the cavern, pulling along a little girl in her fist. Looking around wildly, Louella panted before addressing Greyback.

"Where are we meeting? We've been sent in every direction!"

"Just get to the surface!" Greyback snapped at her, barely glancing her way. "Apparate if you have to! It's our night—it's not like anyone's going to be able to catch us!"

Backing away with her head bowed, Louella pulled the girl along again and dashed past Remus into the opposite tunnel, not giving James and the others a second glance. Turning back towards the boys with a sneer, Greyback marched forward and drew his wand.

"You've caused me a lot of trouble tonight," he growled, "and I'd rather you be here to see the end of it!"

Raising his arm, he opened his mouth to yell an incantation as the boys fumbled for their wands, but several pairs of running feet cut off Greyback's words. Turning around, he caught a blue blast full in the face and flipped over backwards, sending James and the others scampering to the side. The caster dashed into the room, and James immediately recognized Mr. Lupin when he held his wand aloft and paced forward, motioning for the boys to get behind him as Greyback recovered. Relieved to see a familiar face at last, James ran to his side with all three of his roommates as a few other wizards rushed into the room behind Mr. Lupin.

"I'd stay on the ground if I was in your place," Mr. Lupin barked at his fallen foe, but Greyback struggled to his feet with a bleeding nose and bared his teeth at his attacker. His eyes widening as soon as Greyback showed his face, Mr. Lupin paled and lowered his wand by just the slightest amount.

"You!" he breathed.

Wiping the blood off of his face, Greyback quickly lost his grimace as a smile replaced it.

"Lyall," he greeted. "How's the kid?"

Breathless, Mr. Lupin lowered his wand still further as Greyback twirled his own, vanishing on the spot with a loud crack. Standing behind Mr. Lupin, James brushed himself down and glanced towards the tunnel entrance as several more pairs of feet came pattering out of the gloom. Blinking in shock, James watched as an odd assortment of wizards and witches walked into view, featuring none other than Minister for Magic Eugenia Jenkins, Headmaster Dumbledore, Mundungus Fletcher, the barkeep from the Hog's Head, and a man that looked as if he had a skull for a head. Several other people followed behind, their wands poised for action, but those in the front seemed to sense that the excitement was over.

"It's rather drafty in here, isn't it?" Dumbledore asked to no one in particular, but James saw his eyes flit down and lock with his own. Behind him, the barkeep was holding Mundungus by the collar, but it looked like the shorter wizard had long since abandoned the thought of breaking free. Finally breaking his gaze away from the empty floor, Mr. Lupin slipped his wand away and put an arm on Remus, who was already beginning to back away from his rescuers.

"Remus, are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"GET OFF OF ME!" Remus shouted, throwing aside his father's hand.

"Remus—" Mr. Lupin started, grabbing his arm, but Remus jerked free.

"GET AWAY!" he cried, dashing towards the other end of the corridor. Stepping forward, two of the nearby wizards apprehended him as he flailed and kicked, screaming loudly. "LET GO OF ME! STOP IT, LET ME GO!"

After a few moments of struggling, Remus was forced against the wall by the two wizards, and he sunk to the floor with racking sobs and buried his head in his arms. Watching Remus with his hands behind his back, Dumbledore did not react as Mr. Lupin addressed the Minister.

"Please, we have to get him somewhere safe!" he pleaded, his voice breaking. "Have your Aurors be gentle with him, but he has to leave now!"

Turning his head sharply, the man with the skull-like face narrowed his eyes. "And why the hurry?" he demanded, evidently unmoved by Remus' display. "These children have information that we need. They were here to witness the werewolves for close to an entire day, and they'll have had ample opportunity to observe their—"

"My son is a werewolf, and he has to move somewhere safe before the moon rises!" Mr. Lupin interrupted, silencing the other man. "Please, we can't let this night end any worse!"

"You have the rest of them, Crouch!" Jenkins snapped at the gaping wizard, and he eventually raised a hand towards the Aurors behind them.

"Split up and search the tunnels!" Crouch barked, his features taking on a more human quality when the torchlight ceased to shine directly on his face. Now, James could see that he had a thin mustache and a head of strictly-parted hair, which had remained unperturbed during the scuffle. "We can't let any of them get away!"

Obeying, many of the Aurors ran off through the passageways, but a handful of them stayed behind with Crouch, including the two who had held back Remus. Looking down at his son, Mr. Lupin started forward as Remus jerked away from the Aurors, cowering when they tried to bring him to his feet. Giving another sob, Remus darted forward as if to slip past their legs, but they caught him around the waist as he kicked and yelled.

"GET AWAY FROM ME! I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU! I DON'T WANT TO—I DON'T—"

Trailing off as the Aurors kept his arms pressed at his sides, he dissolved into a fit of tears and hung his head. James could see that Mr. Lupin's eyes had welled up.

"Take him upstairs and be away with him!" Crouch told the Aurors holding Remus, but Remus began fighting again as they started to force him away, yelling. Struggling to detain him, the Aurors pulled with all their might as Crouch whirled on Mr. Lupin. "Can't you control your son? This is an embarrassment!"

"Please, can't they use the Memory Charm?" Mr. Lupin requested, ignoring Crouch as he turned to Jenkins. "It'll calm him down straight away!"

"The Memory Charm?" Crouch repeated with a huff. "We need him to remember this night! There are several important details that the Department will have to—"

"You have three other witnesses to question!" Mr. Lupin interrupted, gesturing towards James, Sirius, and Peter. "You can learn all you need from them!"

Pulling himself up to his full height, Crouch admonished, "Any one of them might have crucial knowledge! We can't just let one walk away without—"

"PLEASE, IT'S DESTROYING HIM!" Mr. Lupin yelled, raising his voice over Remus' cries. "CAN'T YOU SEE?"

Although he wore a scowl, Crouch turned his head away without further objection as the rest of the party watched Remus struggle. Raising her hand, Jenkins gestured for Crouch to respond, and he nodded at the Aurors.

"Do it," he spoke curtly, and one of the wizards holding Remus drew out his wand. Upon spotting it, Remus began to fight even harder, but the Auror shoved the wand-tip against his forehead after a few seconds.

"Obliviate!" he commanded, and Remus' arms and legs went lax, and his eyes lost their wild light. Staring at the floor, Remus staggered forward without complaint as the Aurors marched him towards the ascending tunnel, and Dumbledore held out his hand to stop Mr. Lupin from following.

"Lyall, he'll be all right. You're needed here for the moment."

"Not before I question them, Headmaster," Crouch warned with a narrowing of his eyes, but Dumbledore waved him off.

"There will be plenty of time for that later," he dismissed, and Crouch once again complied with a grimace, seemingly unwilling to contradict him. Turning towards James and the other boys, Dumbledore peered over his spectacles and laced his fingers together. "Firstly, I suppose that the cat—or should I say wolf in this instance—is out of the bag." When James glanced at his roommates, Dumbledore explained, "Although I hope that this will not change your opinion of Remus in any way, your roommate of four years is in fact a—"

"A werewolf," James interrupted, nodding. "We know."

"Then you pieced it together tonight?" Jenkins interjected, raising her eyebrows as Dumbledore regarded the boys carefully.

"Not exactly," James admitted, again looking at his roommates. "We've known for a while now."

"And how long is 'a while?'" Dumbledore inquired, his eyes beginning to twinkle.

"Two years, give or take," Sirius answered, shrugging, and Mr. Lupin spoke up as Dumbledore turned to him.

"It's true," he said. "They've been exceptionally generous."

"I should say so," Dumbledore commented, facing the boys again with a nod. "I had no inkling that you knew all this time. Then you've made your peace?"

"Really, it was Remus who was giving us a hard time about it at first," James replied, and Dumbledore smiled slightly before addressing them again.

"Well, with that matter aside, I do have one pressing question for you three," he said, the sparkle in his eyes quickly dimming as James' heart slowed. Peering over his spectacles, Dumbledore inquired, "Why aren't you back in your room at Hogwarts?"

Lowering his head, James snuck a quick glance at the others before coming up with a lie. "We were supposed to meet him here," he accused, pointing at Mundungus. As the squat man opened his mouth with a scowl, he continued, "He needed help with a business deal, and we owed him after—well, after the last time we met. Remus wasn't at fault, though," James added rapidly. "He only came to stop us. You can't get him in trouble!"

At his confession, both Crouch and the Hog's Head bartender frowned, and Mundungus struggled under the latter's tight grip. "In all my days, I never—" he began, but Sirius quickly cut him off.

"Go on, tell them what James just said!" he demanded, patting his wand pocket almost imperceptibly before crossing his arms over his chest. Catching the gesture, Mundungus quieted as Sirius insisted, "Tell Dumbledore and the Minister—they can sniff out a lie faster than you can run away!"

Lowering his head, Mundungus glared at his feet before turning to his other spectators. "All right, it's true! But I didn't know tha' we'd be walking straight into a den of werewolves, you've got to believe me!"

Giving his captive a shake, the grey-bearded bartender growled, "That still doesn't give you an excuse for abandoning four children as soon as you smelled danger!"

"It's shameful!" Jenkins added, glaring at Mundungus, but James noticed that Dumbledore's eyes had never left the boys. Shifting his weight under his unnervingly blue gaze, James wondered if Sirius could be right about the Headmaster's ability to sense a lie after all. However, he soon breathed freely again when Dumbledore spoke again.

"And how did you manage to break free?" he asked. "I assume that you would have been locked away, and your captors would have had the sense to take your wands."

Lowering his gaze again, James flushed as the adults stared at him; taking Snape's wand seemed like a very silly thing now. "I had another wand," he admitted, unable to meet Dumbledore's blue eyes. "Snape's."

"Severus Snape?" Dumbledore inquired after a pause, and James slowly nodded. Staring down at him, Dumbledore said, "I hope you realize that we would have been able to rescue you even if you had not robbed another student of his ability to use magic."

Still not looking up, James stayed silent until Crouch snapped a question. "How did you three get here in the first place?"

"Floo powder," James, Sirius, and Peter answered in unison, and they shared a quick glance before James cleared his throat.

"Professor Binns keeps some in his classroom," he explained.

"And your friend got here by the same method, I presume?" Crouch interrogated, and Dumbledore held up a hand to stop him from spitting out another question as all three boys nodded.

"You can question them later," the Headmaster admonished, and Crouch huffed before quieting. "Now, boys," Dumbledore spoke, turning back, "I imagine that you have quite a few questions for us."

"Yeah, how did you know where to find us?" Peter asked.

"It was all thanks to a worried first-year of your own House," Dumbledore replied, his eyes twinkling as a small smile crossed his face. "Diggle, I believe it is. I had already known of Lupin's innocence in the matter, because Diggle came to find me after a day of fretting about his disappearance, and he told me how he had overheard you three in the common room. Fortunately," he continued with a nod towards the barman, "Aberforth here was present during this confession, having come to discuss a matter of ours. He remembered the spectacle that you had caused in his inn with Mundungus, and he immediately assumed that it was him who you were planning to meet. Knowing Mundungus' disposition, we inferred that something had gone wrong, and we set out to find and question him at once."

As Mundungus turned towards Dumbledore with a sour look, James felt his mouth fall open. "You know Mundungus?"

"I once fished him out of a troublesome situation in Braes," Dumbledore explained. "That was where I eventually located him, in fact, recovering from the influence of a strong liquor."

"How did you find him so fast?" Sirius questioned.

"I have several methods for tracking people down, but Mundungus is a bit . . . easier to find than most," he replied ambiguously, and James frowned to himself before Dumbledore continued. "Once we had heard his story, I contacted the Ministry for backup and had Mundungus bring us back here."

"Hogwash!" Aberforth the bartender grumbled, shaking Mundungus by his collar. "I'm the one who made this worm bring us anywhere! If it wasn't for me, his cowardly backside would still be hiding away in Braes!"

"Yes, I'm sure he would be if there was no one to urge him on," Dumbledore corrected, turning to the barman with a sparkle in his eye. "But you must give Mundungus some credit. I don't believe that he would have turned me down flat after our history."

"Then you haven't spent enough time around scum like this," the other retorted, huffing. "You were always too involved in the upper crust, Albus."

"Tell me, brother, why do you never believe the best in others?" Dumbledore replied simply, shaking his head as he turned back to the boys. "Please forgive him. His temperament can be compared to those of his many goats: charming in its own way, but extremely stubborn."

"I swear," Aberforth spat at him, "if our mother didn't need me at home, I would have bailed from your insufferable sense of humor long before—"

"Wait, your mother?" Sirius interrupted, his mouth falling open. Both Dumbledore and Aberforth raised an eyebrow as they glanced down at him.

"Yes, our mother," Dumbledore answered. "Is it so surprising that I would have one?"

"You have a brother?" James, Sirius, and Peter exclaimed together, staring up at Aberforth with wide eyes. Chuckling, Dumbledore folded his hands as Aberforth turned up his nose with a huff.

"I'm afraid I do," Dumbledore replied, still smiling. "Testy things, siblings. However, being the younger and rather less pedantic of us, Aberforth was always bound to end up the obscure one."

Aberforth snorted. "You really are too much," he told Dumbledore, and James saw that he had the same electric eyes as his brother when they briefly flashed out from behind his dirty spectacles. Turning to the boys again, Aberforth said, "Let me tell you something about your prim and proper Headmaster here—he's only virtuous on the outside. If you ever get to know him as well as I have, you'll discover that he's just as flawed as the rest of us."

At this, the rest of the party fell silent, and Mr. Lupin cleared his throat before facing the boys. "I happened to be at the Ministry when Dumbledore's message arrived. There was quite a stir in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and I, of course, insisted on coming along."

"Insisted is putting it mildly," Crouch snapped, his arms crossed. "Although it was against my better judgment to bring along an unskilled Boggart-chaser, he would not hear anything otherwise."

"I wouldn't offer any complaints, Crouch, seeing as how you tried to keep me from coming as well," the Minister spoke, turning her narrowed eyes on him. "Aurors aren't the only ones qualified to join your little expeditions."

"You're right," Crouch stated, his mouth twitching humorlessly. "There are Hit Wizards." Before anyone could respond, Crouch turned aside to listen to an Auror who had just appeared from the tunnel behind them.

"We found a room filled with enchanted cauldrons, sir," the Auror reported, saluting briefly. "They all have the remains of what we believe to be Sanguine Solvent."

"Sanguine Solvent?" Crouch exploded, snapping his head to glance back up the tunnel. "I knew that the rumors on the black market had to be leading somewhere foul!" Throwing a brief glare at Mundungus, he turned and marched towards the exit with the Auror and Jenkins in tow. "Let's see what other illegal products those mongrels have been hiding away!"

As they disappeared, Dumbledore gestured and stepped towards the passageway. "Come, Mundungus. I wish to have a word with you."

"Make it a harsh one, Albus!" Aberforth spat, letting Mundungus go free with a shake. When the squat man brushed himself off and shot a glare at him, Aberforth pointed his finger at his chest. "Don't let me be seeing you in the Hog's Head ever again, maggot!"

At the sight of Aberforth's sneer, James wondered how angry the barman would be if he knew about James' brief stint in his storage room, and he decided not to ask about the portrait in the Hog's Head or the tunnel into Hogwarts. Scowling back at the bartender, Mundungus marched off into the tunnel, and Dumbledore addressed Mr. Lupin before following.

"Lyall, I think now is the time for you to come clean to your son's friends. Remus is not the only one who has had a rough day, though I would recommend that you talk to him in the morning as well."

Lowering his head, Mr. Lupin nodded. "Of course."

Dumbledore patted his back before walking into the tunnel with Aberforth. Once they had been left alone, James, Sirius, and Peter all turned to Mr. Lupin.

"Well," the golden-haired wizard sighed, smiling thinly at the boys, "I suppose I had better start at the beginning. You all know how Remus was bitten at the age of four," he said, waiting for James, Sirius, and Peter to nod. "He doesn't remember much of that day aside from the actual event, so he won't recall how I came home that afternoon swearing about the idiocy of my coworkers." Pausing, he looked at the ground and shook his head. "But there's something that I could never bring myself to admit, not even to Hope or poor Remus . . ."

"You see," he finally whispered hoarsely, turning up his eyes to the ceiling, "that night was all my fault."

Briefly glancing towards the others at the look on Mr. Lupin's face, James comforted, "I'm sure it wasn't, sir—"

"But it was," he interrupted, shaking his head. "I made the mistake of insulting that werewolf who just disappeared."

"You mean Fenrir Greyback?" Peter gasped.

"But then," Sirius interjected, "he's the one who . . ."

Licking his lips, Mr. Lupin could only bring himself to nod, and the boys stared at him with open mouths. Taking a rapid breath, Mr. Lupin explained, "It was a day like any other at the Ministry, aside from the homeless man that had been brought in for questioning after the deaths of two Muggle children. I shouldn't have even been at his hearing, but I couldn't help myself when he passed by. I saw right through his Muggle disguise, although he pretended to be overwhelmed by the situation, gasping at every little sign of magic and even coming to tears when he learned of the Muggles' deaths. He put on a remarkably convincing show, but it was the day before the full moon, and I recognized the signs . . ."

Gulping, he continued, "My coworkers thought that I was delusional, and I grew unreasonably angry when it became clear that Greyback would walk free. I called werewolves soulless, evil, deserving nothing but death—" Cutting off, he held his face in his hand for a moment before speaking. "I know better now, of course, but I've never forgotten what I said. I regret it every day."

After another pause, Mr. Lupin said, "Greyback escaped the Ministry before his memory could be wiped, and I had the gall to feel vindicated. I had been right, and no one had believed me. Never once did I think of the insults I had spouted, not once for my family's safety, and Greyback came for Remus the next night. I should have been prepared for the attack after what I said, but the thought didn't even cross my mind until I woke up to Remus' screams . . ."

Looking away, he took a steadying breath. "Remus never complains, of course. But I can see through his smile when he's hurting, and it's enough to drive me mad. If it wasn't for me, he would still be a normal boy, he wouldn't have to go through what he does every month, he wouldn't have to hide himself from everyone around him, he wouldn't—"

Choking up, Mr. Lupin broke off as the boys all stared at him, digesting his words. Finally, James spoke, quietly but firmly. "You need to tell Remus."

Not meeting his eyes, Mr. Lupin waited a moment before nodding. "I know," he answered quietly. "I should have told him years ago. Tomorrow, when he's back to normal, I'll—I'll tell him. The whole story this time."

After a long pause, James and the others backed away from Mr. Lupin and trooped into the tunnel to join Dumbledore and Aberforth. Mr. Lupin did not move after them, and they left him standing alone in the empty cavern, staring at the spot where Greyback had vanished.