Crossing the Line: Part II

James, Sirius and Peter helped the exhausted, newly human Remus back towards the castle. Instead of heading to their dormitory, as they normally did, they went straight to the headmaster's office, knowing there was no other way to deal with the situation. But as they stood in front the guardian gargoyle, they realized none of them knew the password.

"I wonder if it's the same as the last time I was here. It wasn't that long ago." James mused. He cleared his throat. "Pepper Imp." He said loudly. The gargoyle didn't move. He sighed. "Ah well, it was worth a try, I suppose."

Remus lifted his head from James' shoulder and rasped, "Candyfloss." The Gargoyle leapt aside, allowing access the rotating spiral staircase that led to Dumbledore's office. He let his head fall back onto James' shoulder. "I came by a couple of days ago. He likes to keep me updated on the latest discoveries about my…furry little problem." He smiled wearily and straightened. This had been a particularly bad transformation, and when James revealed what had happened with Snape, he'd taken it very badly. All energy seemed to have left him, and he wouldn't even look at Sirius.

James kept his arm around Remus' shoulders and they stepped onto the staircase. Immediately it began to move. Sirius waited a few moments so there would be a few steps between them, then climbed onto the stair. When they reached the door, James lifted a hand and knocked slowly, three times. It sounded like the pounding of a judge's gavel.

After a few moments, the great oak doors opened and Professor Dumbledore stood before them. He looked down over his half-moon spectacles, eyes unreadable. "I am certainly glad to see that you four are alright." He said evenly, looking at each of them in turn. "Though I must express my severe disappointment that we have found ourselves in the current situation." His eyes fixated on Sirius, who lowered his head. "However, I am currently discussing matters with Mr. Snape."

"Professor – " began James, but Dumbledore raised a hand for silence.

"I am attempting to explain this, ah, misadventure to him. I will need some time." He glanced at Remus' pallid skin and sunken eyes. "Perhaps, in the interim, Mr. Pettigrew might escort Mr. Lupin to the hospital wing?" He eyed Peter, who jumped to follow his suggestion. James let go of Remus, whose thin body looked so weak it was a wonder he could even stand. "You two," he looked from James to Sirius, "may wait here until I have finished with Mr. Snape." He turned, the doors closing with an ominous thud behind him.

For a moment, nobody moved. James gave Peter a shove. "Well, off you get. Remus needs some rest." Peter and Remus cautiously made their way down the staircase and into the corridor. As they disappeared from view, James turned to Sirius. "What the bloody hell were you thinking?" He said flatly. Sirius didn't move. He was leaning against the wall, eyes downcast. "Go on, tell me."

Slowly, Sirius lifted his head. He looked very tired. His eyes met James' for a second, then he looked away, mumbling under his breath.

"What?" James asked, feeling the anger bubbling in his chest.

"I don't know."

"You don't know." Repeated James. Sirius glanced at him, and looked away again.

"Yeah."

James snorted derisively.

Sirius looked straight at him this time. "Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking!" He said, louder. "I thought it'd be a laugh to really give him a scare. He's such an easy target, but he makes enough trouble for us, doesn't he? Always trying to figure out what rules we're breaking and stuff."

James stared disbelievingly at his friend. "So you thought it'd be funny to see what would happen if you put him up against a werewolf?" He hissed. "You realize he could've been killed? Or bitten? Do you think Remus would ever forgive himself if he bit someone?"

Sirius looked at him, a pleading look in his eyes. "I only meant for him to hear the noises. They're scary enough on their own. Then he was supposed to run away."

"Well, obviously you underestimated him."

"Yeah, who'd have guessed Snivellus was that brave?" He attempted a smile, but it withered under James' icy glare. He sighed. "I thought if we all stuck with Remus after he transformed, we could keep him in check while Snape ran, but then you stayed with him and tried to help him –

"So it's my fault?" James scoffed.

"No!" Sirius shouted back. "But, you stayed with Snape, so I ran to help Peter. But Remus was already transforming, and there's only so much Peter can do, you know? Before I knew it, the transformation was over, and it had been a really bad one, you could tell. I was the only one of us left around. So I booked it back down the tunnel to warn you and tried to hold him off while you got out with Snape. You know the rest."

James did. When he'd returned to the tunnel to help Sirius, he and Remus had been locked in a ferocious battle of teeth and claws. James had transformed and together, he and Sirius had managed to force Remus back into the room at the end of the tunnel where they kept him until he became human again.

Sirius sank to the stone floor. After a moment, James joined him. "I guess something like this was bound to happen sooner or later." Sirius looked up. "I mean, we've been going at him for years, haven't we? One of us was eventually going to raise the stakes. You were just the first one stupid enough to think of it." He ran a hand through his hair, making some stick up at the back.

Sirius let his head fall back against the wall. "At least nothing happened."

James glared at him, "Nothing happened?"

Sirius looked defiant. "Well no one actually got hurt, did they?"

"That's not that point!"

At that moment, the oak doors opened and Dumbledore appeared, followed by a furious looking Snape. James and Sirius scrambled up. Dumbledore laid a hand on Snape's shoulder. "You may go. But remember what I have told you." Snape shrugged Dumbledore's hand off and started down the stairs. As he passed James, he gave him such a look of pure loathing that James took a step back in surprise.

Cautiously, Sirius and James followed Dumbledore into his office. It was familiar to them; they had been here many times before. Faux the phoenix was drowsing on his perch. All the silvery instruments shone in a peaceful sort of way. However, almost every single portrait of a Hogwarts Headmaster or Headmistress was glowering down at them. A few were still asleep.

"Sit, please," said Dumbledore. They sat. "I think I need not explain to you the severity of the situation." He looked at them over his half-moon spectacles. "I'm sure you are well aware of how your little prank could have gone terribly wrong, with deadly consequences." He paused. "Am I wrong?"
"No, sir." They both said.

"That's something, I suppose." He smiled briefly. "I thought if I let you to discuss it for a while on your own, you might come to the same conclusion I have." James and Sirius looked at him warily. "I am well aware that you have been personally victimizing Mr. Snape for some time now. I had hoped the thrill of it would dissipate as time went on, as you matured, but I was proven wrong. Which does not happen very often, I might add." Another pause. "However, I believe this incident may have provided you both with some much needed perspective."

He eyed them both, waiting for a response. They nodded. "Good. However, punishment is warranted." Sirius bowed his head again. James stared at a point beyond Dumbledore's head, waiting for the axe to fall. "I think, one hundred and fifty points from Gryffindor for Mr. Black's serious lack of judgment. Your Hogsmeade visitation privileges are suspended until further notice, and you will serve detention with Professor McGonagall every Saturday evening until the end of term. Mr. Potter –" James jumped. "You will serve detention with Mr. Black for half of his given time. But," he raised his voice over Sirius' objections that he was the only one to blame. "You will receive fifty points for protecting the life of an enemy in the face of great personal risk." James and Sirius stared. "Despite your admittedly reprehensible behavior toward Mr. Snape in the past, you did not let your personal antagonism toward him keep you from doing what was right." He looked meaningfully at both of them. "You may go."

James and Sirius stood, bewildered, and turned to leave. As they walked back toward the doors, James turned back. "Sir?"

"Yes?"

"What about Snape?"

"What about him?"

"Well, how did you explain everything?"

"I told him the truth."

Sirius gasped. "But—

"I told him that your friend is a werewolf, and that I have been aware of this fact for quite some time. I also told him that should he tell anyone what happened here tonight, he would be expelled." He gazed at them carefully. "You may leave."

Naturally, by midday everybody was talking about how James Potter saved Severus Snape from the Whomping Willow. Though the rumors themselves were mostly false, the essential detail – that James had saved Snape – remained intact. No mention of werewolves, however. James supposed Snape must have complained to one of his cronies and been overheard. By dinner, people were coming up to him, asking him things like, "Is it true five branches were pinning him down?"
"I heard half his ribs got broken and you pulled him out without a scratch!" At this, James lifted his shirt and showed off the gloriously black and purple bruise that was blossoming over his midsection. Girls squealed and boys shuddered in sympathy. Snape was nowhere to be seen.

Sirius was receiving similar treatment. While everyone knew James had pulled Snape from the clutches of the murderous tree, they also knew that Sirius was the one who had convinced him to go to the Whomping Willow in the first place. He wasn't taking the attention very well. The last boy to clap him on the shoulder and say, "Well played, Sirius," was rushed to the hospital wing with a broken nose. When a girl walked by them in the corridor and laughed, "Wish I'd seen his face!" Sirius punched the wall so hard, his knuckles started to bleed.

James was trying to get Sirius to let him use a healing charm when they rounded a corner and ran headlong into someone carrying two large boxes. The boxes went flying, their contents going everywhere. James, Sirius, and the person they had hit were lying in a heap on the floor. James had fallen on top of somebody but he'd lost his glasses in the melee and couldn't tell who it was. A grunt from his left told him it wasn't Sirius. Then, a familiar voice growled, "Get off me, Potter!" and he was shoved backward so hard he slid a few inches on the stone floor. He found his glasses and put them on, blinking rapidly. It was Lily Evans.

She stood and smoothed her robes. Her red hair was tangled and her robes dusty, but James thought she had never looked prettier. Her eyes flickered angrily as she surveyed the damage of their latest run-in. Sirius sat up, rubbing his head. "Sorry, Lily." He said grumpily and continued down the hall, cradling his bleeding hand.

Lily took out her wand. Instinctively, James reached for his own and quickly scrambled to his feet. Lily blinked, and then laughed. She had a lovely laugh. Grinning mischievously at James, she said, "Don't worry, Potter. I'm not going to hex the man of the hour." She flicked her wand and the contents of her boxes began to reorganize themselves.

James rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. Snape was one of Lily closest friends - or had been. Earlier in the term, James had used him as a test subject for the popular spell levicorpus. Lily had come to his defense but in thanks he'd called her a mudblood. It was one of the reasons James' hatred of him had intensified over the last few months. He didn't know if Lily had forgiven him or not, so he decided to tread carefully. He really wasn't in the mood to be hexed.

He watched admiringly as all the bits of paper, crushed inkbottles, and other things repaired and rearranged themselves neatly into their boxes. She really was superb at charms.

Lily surveyed her handiwork. It was as if nothing had happened. Professor Flitwick would be pleased. Suddenly she remembered she wasn't alone. She glanced up to see James Potter staring at her with a very odd expression on his face. "What are you thinking?" she asked before she could stop herself.

He looked surprised, and rightly so – she'd never asked him something so personal. "Uh," he blushed a little, "I was thinking that you're really good at charms."

"Oh." She felt her cheeks warm. He roughly ran a hand through his black hair, making it even untidier. She found he did this either when he was nervous or when he was flirting. She couldn't really tell which it was at the moment.

"What about you?" He asked.

She looked blankly at him. "What?"

"What are you thinking about?"

She felt her whole face flush. She stooped to pick up her boxes, letting her long red hair shield her blushing. Rather than say she was wondering if he was flirting with her, she said, "I was wondering if it was true. You know, about Severus." She frowned as she said his name. It still hurt to remember the way he'd called her 'mudblood' so easily.

"Uh, yeah, sort of."

She raised an eyebrow. "Sort of?"

He looked away. "Well, all his ribs are fine and he wasn't pinned down or anything. I just grabbed him and pulled him out before he really got hurt, that's all."

"Oh my, is James Potter being modest?" She was finding her footing again. Sarcasm was safe ground.

He grinned, finally seeming to recover from whatever weird mood he'd been in. "Well I'm not denying I saved his life, am I? I mean, that's the most important part." As she stood he took the boxes from her arms. "Now, where do these go?" His voice was muffled, as most of his face was now covered. Lilly chuckled as she steered him down the corridor.

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