Sorry for such a delay. I've been swamped. With no further a due here's Chapter 7! Enjoy.
The night was chilly. A crisp wind met Sirius and James as they stepped out into the darkening grounds, dreading their second night of detention. The two boys headed in the direction of the large, murky lake. Across its banks loomed a gnarled and twisted tree. Sirius and James traipsed towards it, not quite ready for the grueling work that lay ahead. A few feet from the Whomping Willow, James stopped in his tracks. He knelt down, searching for a stick. After finding one, he handed it to Sirius, who cautiously approached the tree. It quivered as Sirius neared a rather large limb. When Sirius reached out to jab the nearest thorny bulb, the tree sprang into motion. Sirius missed his target as it swung over his head.
"Get another stick!" Sirius yelled over his shoulder, quickly ducking to avoid one of the tree's flailing limbs.
A few moments later, James was at his friend's side, attempting to stop the tree. Sirius jumped aside as another limb came smashing down between him and James, but the thorns still managed to scratch his left arm. Seconds later, another limb twisted around the tree's trunk and cloths-lined James. The boys dashed around the tree for what seamed like hours. Until, James made one last exhausted heave and poked a limb. The tree instantly froze. Relieved, Sirius collapsed onto the ground nursing his left arm, which was sporting four bleeding gashes.
"You alright, mate?" James asked, who had a welt on the side of his head.
"I'll make it. And you?"
"Fine."
"I say, let's rest!"
Not needing a second invitation, James doped to his knees. The boys sat on the moist ground for a few minutes. Now that they weren't working, it became apparent how cold it was, and they started to shiver. Suddenly, a wolfish howl erupted from what seemed like the roots of the Womping Willow.
"Hey! Did you hear that?" Sirius asked.
James glanced up into the night sky. There accompanied by many twinkling stars, hung a brightly shining, full moon.
"Look!" James exclaimed, pointing towards the white orb.
"The howl-it came from a werewolf." Sirius said, putting the pieces together.
"Exactly, but it sounded like it came from under the tree. Why would any werewolf be underground?"
"Then it must not be a werewolf!" Sirius said getting up. He glanced around him, there was nothing but darkness. He circled the tree.
"There is hole on the other side of the trunk. Come on, I want to see where it leads!'
The boys simultaneously disappeared down the trunk's chute. Moments later, they thudded to the ground.
"Lumos." They whispered in unison.
"We must be underground now. This is wicked!" Sirius whispered.
Their wand light only reached a few feet ahead of them.
"Don't move too fast, in case we come across something dangerous." James cautioned.
Slowly the two friends inched along the earthen corridor, the mysterious groans and howls increasing in magnitude all the way.
"What's that?" James whispered, stretching his wand farther in front of him.
"It looks like a staircase," Sirius replied, as the old, rickety steps became more detailed. They ascended the steps as quietly as they could, careful not to make them squeak. Just as the children reached the landing, a yelp followed by a howl issued through the disheveled building. In front of them a door stood, cracked open. Sirius advanced to the door and peaked through the slit. Inside the room, a bleeding werewolf hunched in the corner, whimpering. Its bowed head slowly rose, now intently staring at Sirius's face. The whimpers immediately turned into ferocious snarls. The werewolf shot up and bounded toward the door. Sirius and James turned on their heels and raced down the steps. Behind them, they heard the werewolf come in contact with the door, making it slam shut. Sirius and James didn't care that they were now out of harm's way. As if they were in hot pursuit of prey, the two spooked boys flew through the underground corridor. They climbed out of the hole, resurfacing at the foot of the Whompping Willow. The tree was still frozen in the same position it was in before they left.
"Did you see it?" Sirius panted.
"Yeah! I thought we were going to be bitten!" James said.
"I did too, but we were being stupid. It couldn't have touched us. How was it going to get through that door?"
"I don't know, but I do know it had to be a human transformer. Pure werewolves don't go locking themselves up in old shacks."
"In that case, we have to see who comes out of the hole in the morning!"
"We'll keep watch from the dormitory."
"Oh, no!" Sirius said, changing the subject, while looking at the sky. There was now a hint of light on the horizon. "We have to finish pruning the tree, or we'll be in even more trouble!"
The two boys worked for an hour plucking out infected thorns from the tree's bulbs. They finished the job by pouring a vile of Strong Growth Potion on the tree's roots. Professor Slughorn, the potions master, had given them the potion on their first night of detention.
Finally finished with detention, the boys made the trek back up to the castle, while the first morning sunlight rays peaked over the horizon.
Back in the dormitory, Sirius said,"I don't think I can stay awake to see who comes out of that hole."
Across the room, Peter sat up in his bed. "What are you doing?"
"Don't worry about it." James replied hastily, plopping down on his four-poster.
"But...I can help," Peter said.
James sighed. "If you insist. Sit at the window, and keep watch on that tree by the lake. If you see anyone around it, tell us when we wake up."
"And don't fall asleep, because you might miss someone." Sirius added.
"I just realized." James said looking at Remus's bed. "Remus still isn't back, he has been in the Hospital Wing all day. Let's go visit him tomorrow, Sirius. See if he is OK and all."
"Can I come?" Peter asked excitedly.
"Whatever." Sirius said laying his head back on his pillow, instantly falling asleep.
A/N: Please review!