A/N: Ladies and Gentleman, I apologise for the wait! I've been incredibly busy this half-week. This chapter was also incredibly hard for me to write, due to slight writers block. Thankfully, I got through it! Also, I would like to emphatically celebrate the fact that, with the previous chapter... I BROKE 1,000 VIEWS! That might not seem like such a big achievement, compared to the other fanfictions out there, but I am genuinely so proud of that. I never imagined this would get more than a few hundred views! Also, I'd like to explain the fact I've now put Book 1 in front of all current chapters. There will be three major parts, which will be the books. Book 1 will focus on the Marauders at Hogwarts, which is the current one. Book 2 will focus on the First Wizarding War. That book should be the longest of the three. Book 3 will focus on the Second Wizarding War. The Marauders will be the focus point of the first 2 books, while the 3rd will be mostly Remus and Sirius. As for what happens in the actual Harry Potter books, I'm leaving all that out. It'll all be what is happening off-camera (for want of a better word :P) So, yeah! Enjoy the chapter and, as always, follow, favourite and review! Your loving author, Josh :)
Remus was dreaming. He knew he was dreaming, but he couldn't wake up. He felt trapped, but he didn't care. He was home, and it was very sunny. The acres of his land behind his house were practically shining with the sun, as the emerald grass reflected the light beautifully. Remus was sat at the top of a small hill, looking over the field below. There was a small breeze, and the sky looked clear; in short, a perfect day. Remus was very happy and at complete peace. He knew what his state was. He knew he was on Death's edge, but he didn't care. He couldn't stop it now. If Death visited him, he'd be ready. He wasn't entirely sure how he'd got into this situation. He remembered the Slytherins, running and then... Nothing, really. Remus frowned, and a slight shadow appeared over the field. Remus shook his head, and the shadow faded, leaving the field once again in sunshine. Remus smiled softly, and the breeze became more pleasant. Remus knew he was in complete control of this, and was using it to his full advantage. Remus felt freer than he ever had before, and it showed. In this, Remus was free of his affliction. This made him feel very happy. There was no heaviness weighing upon his mind, no fear of connections. In fact, now that he thought about it, his friends appeared before him. The vividness of their features surprised Remus, and he congratulated himself on his imagination and memory. His closest friends; the Marauders and Lily. Remus smiled and went down to join them. Remus' smile faded when he saw the expression on their faces. They were pale, worried and, though Remus knew this was his imagination, seemed to have just stopped crying. "What? What is it?" Remus asked, his voice more energetic than normal.
"You're dying, Remus." Lily whispered to him. Remus felt his pallid tone return, as the colour drained from his cheek. The sunny day dissolved into... Well, nothing. Not hot, not cold. There was no breeze. In short, the weather ceased to be weather. The four still sat near him. "
"What? No, I'm just unconscious." Remus said, almost trying to convince himself, rather ironically.
"Yes, you are... But there'll come a time you aren't 'just unconscious'. It'll be soon. Your wounds are serious, Remus." Sirius whispered to him. The boy's normal raven-coloured hair looked dull and limp, and the grey eyes stared at him with an abject sadness. "Remus... The bleeding won't stop. Poppy's tried everything. Murtlap, Charms, bandages... Nothing will work."
"So... I'll bleed to death?" Remus asked, swallowing a lump in his throat.
"We don't know." James spoke, his voice much less confident than it was usually, "Remus, we genuinely don't know."
"But I can't die." Remus laughed nervously, "I'm only 16. Dumbledore won't let me die."
"Dumbledore says he's never seen the effects of a curse being so drastic... No-one has any clue what curse it was." James looked at him.
"I'm sorry, Remus." Peter said meekly, "If it hadn't been for me, you wouldn't all have been looking for me, and you wouldn't have gotten into that first duel. If you hadn't have gotten into that duel, the Slytherins wouldn't want to hurt you and... You wouldn't be here."
"Petey... It wasn't your fault. It was bound to happen." Remus comforted him, patting him gently on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I won't die."
Outside of the dream, Remus was dying. "It won't stop." Madam Pomfrey looked exhausted, and grief-stricken. I've minimised it, but it won't stop bleeding." Her voice was very quiet, and she was sat next to Remus' bed. Several times, she'd had to change the sheets because his wounds wouldn't stop oozing. "I've tried everything, Mr. Lupin, I really have." She sounded apologetic, and Sirius noticed tears in her eyes.
"Poppy, it isn't your fault." Professor McGonagall tried to smile kindly though, due to the worry she felt, it came out like a grimace. Instead, she simply patted her friend's hand.
"My son..." Lyall whispered, and seemed to shrink a little. Behind him stood the Marauders. They all looked deathly pale, and none of them uttered a word. "What happened? Who did this?" Suddenly, Lyall's voice was filled with barely contained rage. "Who hurt my son, Albus?"
"I am not at liberty to say, Mr. Lupin." Dumbledore informed him diplomatically, "Do not fret, however. They will be dealt with appropriately."
"Good." Lyall seethed. Sirius went to stand beside Madam Pomfrey, who looked completely distraught.
"W-Will he be okay, Madam Pomfrey?" Sirius asked, in an usually timid voice. Poppy looked up at him with kind eyes, though her face remained sad.
"I don't know, dearie... I really don't know." Her voice was quiet, though it was easily heard over the deafening silence in the room. Sirius nodded, and broke from the group, almost running from the room. They all watched him go, frowning, but said nothing.
"I've written to a friend of mine at St. Mungos, who will be here in a few hours. They might be able to do something. Horace has written to... Well, one of his 'contacts' and is currently awaiting a Blood Replenishing Potion. All is not lost, Poppy." McGonagall's comforting smile was achieved this time, and the others felt somewhat comforted. Lyall frowned at the Prophet, lain on the desk. The headline read 'MURDER AT HOGSMEADE! HOGWARTS SAFE?' Lyall felt a sting of rage at this point, and he gave Dumbledore a steely glare. The elderly wizard didn't even blink. Lyall groaned, and walked from the room.
Sirius was sat in the Entrance Hall. The atmosphere was strangely subdued that morning, and no happy yells rang out. Members of the Duelling Club that passed Sirius gave him a kind smile, which he tried his best to return. He can't die,thought Sirius, I need him. Sirius felt selfish for thinking it, but it was true. Sirius needed Remus, more than Remus would ever know. Sirius doubted even he knew how much he needed Remus. "Please..." Sirius whispered, tears filling his eyes, "Please let him live. Remus told me about you. About a God that everyone believes in, in the Muggle World. If you're real, I'm begging you. I'll do anything. I'll stop philandering, I'll give to charity... Just let him live and... Let him be okay." Sirius was praying. Praying to a God he'd never really researched. All Sirius knew was that he'd do anything to save Remus. He'd happily pay any price. When nothing happened, Sirius hung his head in his hands. Sirius was devastated, truly and honestly. I can't live without him. I can hardly breathe without him. With a small smile, Sirius remembered a Muggle song he'd heard Remus sing once, and quietly began to sing the words. "I can't live, if living is without you. I can't live, I can't give anymore..." Sirius got no further, as his voice cracked, and the mask broke. Tears flowed thick and fast, and Sirius shook with silent sobs. Without knowing who the arm around him belonged to, he collapsed into the person. When he finally opened his eyes, he could hardly make Lily out, owing to the tears clouding his eyes. "I don't want him to die, Lily." Sirius whispered.
"I know, Sirius, I know." Lily whispered kindly, holding him as he collapsed into more sobs. When people stopped to look, Lily's hand twitched towards her pocket, and they quickly left. "He'll be fine, you know that!" She smiled comfortingly at him when he looked at her, "Every teacher in the school is trying to help. Slughorn's written to everyone he knows, Sprout's making as much as she can with what she can, McGonagall's never left his side since we left, neither has Madam Pomfrey."
"I know, Lily... But I can't lose him." Sirius' voice was very quiet, and he sounded genuinely terrified. He looked at her, and all pretence of the 'bad-boy' Sirius Black disappeared. Sirius looked so mortal, and Lily felt her heart ache for him. She'd never much liked Sirius before the 'Mudblood' incident last year, but now she could see the true Sirius, a broken, rather vulnerable boy, abused by his parents and siblings. "Lily, I love him." Sirius whispered, and broke into fresh sobs.
"So do I, Sirius." Lily whispered, holding her to him.
"No, I mean..." Sirius' words were interrupted with sobs every few seconds, "I mean I love him." Lily felt her heart shatter at this, and she closed her eyes, as tears filled them.
"Oh, Sirius..." She whispered, and she could hardly keep her voice stable, "Sirius, he loves you too."
"Wh-What?" Sirius asked, sobs stopping. In fact, Sirius had just felt his heart skip a beat or two.
"He loves you so much. He always has. That's why he's been distant." Lily confided in him, "He didn't think you cared..."
"I do care... I care more than I can ever say." Sirius looked very sober for a second, before looking down, "More than I might ever get to say."
"Don't think like that." Lily said, a bit sterner than she would have liked. Lily was terrified too, and she didn't want to think her best friend was dying above her head. All of a sudden, there was a massive rush, and both of them stood, expecting an attack of some kind. McGonagall was running surprisingly fast for her age, seemingly down to Slughorn's office. "Professor?" Lily asked, "What's going on?"
"Black, Evans... It's Remus. He's..." She looked stricken, "He's fading." She said, and hurried to the office. Simultaneously, both Sirius and Lily took off at a sprint towards the Hospital Wing, neither saying a word.
Remus' heartbeat was fading. Madam Pomfrey, Professor Dumbledore and Lyall were rushing about, getting various potions, equipment and performing various spells. James and Peter were stood against the wall, looking ashen-faced. James was shaking his head meekly, muttering 'No' like a mantra, over and over again. Sirius and Lily rushed in, and Sirius began to run to Remus. "Not yet, Sirius!" Madam Pomfrey shouted, "Don't touch him... With his state, his body couldn't take the shock of his nerves being stimulated." Sirius looked at his fading friend's pale face, and fell to his knees.
"No... Remus." He whispered, having to be physically brought back by Lily. McGonagall returned soon later with a worried-looking Slughorn, and a bottle of red liquid.
"I have it, Albus!" Slughorn announced, walking over to Remus' almost lifeless body, "I have the potion."
"Good, Horace." Dumbledore nodded, looking at Remus.
"Now, how to apply it, seeming as the boy is too weak to take the sensation of touch." Madam Pomfrey asked, looking thoroughly stressed.
"I have an idea." Sirius spoke up, his heart pounding in his chest. Very slowly, he walked over to Remus, and beckoned Slughorn to come closer. Slughorn approached with the potion, and Sirius began.
Remus was looking around as his world was destroyed piece by piece. Remus was still stood in the field, though his friends were gone. The storm was raging around him, and darkness seemed to swallow him whole. Remus knew by now he was dying. Remus was terrified, stressed and, most devastatingly, alone. Remus closed his eyes, ready for the inevitable doom when, snapping him out of his reverie and almost giving him a heart attack, Remus heard a voice from the sky. The voice was familiar. Sirius' voice, Remus decided. Sirius was speaking, yes, but Remus couldn't see him. Oh, how he wished he could see Sirius, to hold him for one last time. The voice was clear, above the hurricane, but Sirius wasn't shouting. Sirius' voice seemed to become the wind, and it whispered into his ear. 'Remus... Remus we can't lose you. It seems stupid, but we're nothing without you. Without you, we'd be caught every single time we attempted a prank.' Remus felt his heart beating loudly, and he opened his mouth to speak, but nothing happened. 'Remus, please... Don't die. We don't know what they did to you, but it looks bad. You're strong, though. You'll make it through, you have to.' Again, Remus opened his mouth, and felt a sudden rush of air, before collapsing to the ground.
"He's... He's gone." Madam Pomfrey sounded dumbfounded, as Remus stopped breathing. Sirius felt his insides turn to lead, and the others, teachers, Marauders, Lily and Lyall alike, sagged against the wall.
"No. No! NO!" Sirius found himself shouting, "Remus, get your backside back to this mortal coil. You. Can't. Die." Sirius didn't sound angry, he sounded determined. Remus still didn't breathe. Sirius voice turned to desperation. "Please, Remus... Not now. There's so much I need to say, that I should have said so long ago. Fight that Reaper off, damn it!" Sirius groaned, and hung his head in his hands. "I can't live without you, you dumb idiot. Fight it, you're stronger than any curse they can throw at you. Even the Killing Curse couldn't kill you, now fight it." Sirius' voice was unsympathetic, instead sounding stern at his friend, "If you don't, I'll kill those Slytherins myself, Remus... You don't want your Sirius to be a murderer now, do you?" Sirius chuckled softly, though it had no visible effect. He'd tried humour, anger, encouragement and guilt-tripping Remus back to life... There was only one thing for it, Sirius decided. Taking a deep breath, Sirius leant close to Remus' ear, so no-one else could hear, and whispered: "Please don't leave me... Please, Remus. I love you. I can't bear to lose you. You'll never understand how much I'm willing to pay to get you back." Sirius was just about to give up, when a shout rang out, causing Sirius to practically jettison himself back.
"It's open! His mouth's open!" Slughorn exclaimed, before gently pouring the red potion into Remus' recently opened mouth, which he swallowed immediately. A few of the Detectors around the room slowly stopped animating, and Poppy sighed in relief.
"He's stable again." She whispered, collapsing into a chair. Sirius looked at Remus, sighing. Very aware of everyone staring at him, Sirius stepped over to Remus and took his hand again, sitting beside him. Sirius no longer cared about who stared, or who knew. Sirius loved Remus, and was happy enough to show it in front of Remus' father, who looked at the display and frowned tightly. The man looked at Sirius, and then at his son. He walked over to Remus, and smiled softly.
"Gave me quite a fright there, Remmy." Lyall chuckled nervously. "I thought you were going make me outlive my son. I don't want that, Remus." He said, before looking at Sirius, "Listen to me, Sirius... Keep him safe, you hear me?" Lyall's voice turned stern.
"I will, sir. I promise." Sirius smiled fleetingly at Lyall, who nodded. Lyall then departed from the room, looking somewhat annoyed.
"Sirius, mate?" James asked, in a rather soft voice, "You okay?"
"I..." Sirius turned to him. James simply nodded. "Yes, I think I'll be fine."
"Alright... Well, I think I'll try and catch the end of Breakfast, don't you agree, you two?" James shot a look at Lily and Peter. They both nodded, and followed him out, leaving Sirius and the Professors with Remus, who was unconscious, but stable. The Professors, apart from Madam Pomfrey, left soon after. Madam Pomfrey walked over to Sirius, and stroked his arm reassuredly.
"You can stay for a while, dearie. I'm sure Minerva won't mind."
Lyall was upset. It was evident on his face, from how he walked and from the low growl that emitted from him whenever someone, staff or student, attempted to talk to him. His son had just died, and a boy could help more than he could? That didn't seem right to him. Lyall groaned, and dropped his head into his hands. There was nothing he could do to help his son, and that stung. Knowing, however, that Sirius Black saved his son's life, when, as a father, he should have been able to, tore at Lyall's self-confidence. Lyall didn't know how he felt about Sirius, to be honest. One minute, he wished to protect the outcast Black and, the next, he wanted to throttle him for getting his son into these situations. Lyall didn't know which he felt at the current moment. The revelation that they, or at least Sirius, felt something for one another, hadn't come easy to Lyall, either. Lyall had always wanted a grandchild. It took a lot away from him to realise he may never get one. Lyall knew he idolised Black, Potter and Pettigrew, more than Remus himself would admit. Lyall knew how deep his feelings ran for the boy, and he'd seen the worry in Decebal's eyes, too. Remus never told him anything about the romance (or lack therein) of romance, and Lyall had never asked. Lyall, admittedly, had assumed Remus didn't want romance. Rather ashamedly, Lyall now found himself slightly disgusted at the idea. Lyall didn't feel at all sorry for the feeling, but knew he shouldn't feel it. It was his son. He was supposed to be happy for him, no matter what. Despite what he should have felt, Lyall felt disgusted at the idea. He did not approve.
Elsewhere, the Darkness rips its eyes away from Hogwarts. It felt a rumble of discontent at the silence. Its followers were sleeping in their beds. Allowing itself a dark chuckle, the Darkness attempted to imagine the sight that awaited their wives, children and servants when they found them dead in their beds, throats neatly slit. The Darkness could almost imagine the blood, spattered up the walls of the rooms. All would be locked from the inside. This wouldn't confuse those of Wizarding heritage though, for the few that resided in Muggle dwellings, it would traumatise and confuse the ones affected forever. The Darkness returned his eyes to Hogwarts, now smiling darkly. The Darkness felt no remorse for the feeling of satisfaction at the deaths. No-one would ever know past those that first found the bodies. The murderers that the Darkness had had his more loyal followers hire would take care of that. Soon, it would be time for them to depart the mortal plane too, though the Darkness would see to that itself. "No more loose ends." It whispered, smiling softly at the cowering man beside him. The man was still scarred from the death he had suffered. The Darkness hadn't just reanimated him, it had revived him. It had cost him, though. The man was now pledged to serve the Darkness until he died. This was how the Darkness recruited followers. It was amazingly pathetic, the human will to survive. They never thought of what it cost them. It had heard many of them remark that nothing was worse that death. How wrong they were. The Darkness kept their souls from them, though allowed them access to emotions. When it needed to punish them, it hurt their souls. With no physical protection, the agony of having their souls rent was enough to make them submit to his every will for eternity. That was a good catch. Those he revived could never again die naturally. Though the Darkness kept this from them, those 'revived' were still dead. They were little more than Inferi, on paper. In reality, it was extremely difficult, extremely black magic. Of course, the Darkness could still terminate them. Often, the Darkness had to punish one of the unfortunates, just to make an example. The cowering spectacle beside it would soon become as mindless as the rest of them, though that would only be achieved by destroying the man to such an extent that he begged for mercy, begged for servitude. The Darkness would willingly oblige.
Sirius sighed softly, head resting on Remus' side. What if he doesn't wake up? The thought wouldn't stop entering his mind. He was sure it had entered everyone else's too, but it felt different. He knew he was being selfish, keeping Remus all to himself, but... Sirius knew that he wouldn't forgive himself if he left, and he didn't want other people around. Last time Sirius had left, Remus had practically died. Sirius wasn't going to risk it again. Sirius looked at Remus' face, pale and still. Sirius thought, with a pang of fear, that Remus looked like he was dead. He had what was the look someone in a casket would have. It was too peaceful for Sirius' liking. The thought brought on fresh tears, doubling Sirius over so he was crying into Remus' shirt, a fresh white one (provided by Madam Pomfrey). He didn't know how long the fresh sobs came but, before too long, a hand was on his shoulder. Sirius looked up and, rather obviously, saw Madam Pomfrey. She smiled a very kind smile at him. She said nothing, simply sitting next to him. "He can't die." Sirius managed, though he choked halfway through the sentence.
"I don't think he will, dearie." Madam Pomfrey looked at Remus, "You forget, I'm the one who tends to him after the Full. He's very strong, dear." She was speaking very quietly.
"What curse can do this?" Sirius asked, looking at her. The thought had crossed his mind several times.
"I honestly don't know, Sirius. I've never seen anything like this. It's a very dark wizard who comes up with a curse like that..." Madam Pomfrey answered, frowning. "I've tried everything. Dittany barely works. Even now, the wounds haven't completely closed. He'll be fine, though." Madam Pomfrey hastily added, after she saw the worried look on Sirius' face. When Sirius looked down, Madam Pomfrey sighed softly, "He cares just as much as you do." She whispered softly, smiling slightly at him. Sirius looked away, blushing softly.
"I... I don't know." Sirius mumbled. Madam Pomfrey nodded.
"I need to write an owl... I'm at my desk, if you need me."
Severus Snape was in an abandoned bathroom, looking into the mirror. His potions book lay spread on the floor, the page that contained the curse 'Sectumsempra' facing upwards. Severus had been violently sick and had been a nervous wreck since he'd used the damn thing. Despite his knowledge that he was to be allowed to stay at the school, while several others wouldn't be. Macnair had been expelled by the Headmaster on the spot, after several similar incidents. Severus had only barely escaped a similar punishment. The Headmaster had very sternly warned them, however, that they would be punished in a 'manner befitting the seriousness of their actions'. Severus didn't know what that would be, though he knew it wasn't good. Severus screamed at his reflection, cracked as he felt. He didn't mean to do that. He'd never tried out that curse before, and had possessed no intention to cause that much damage. Now, Severus truly knew the danger of his spells, and felt physically sick with himself. He didn't care so much about Remus, rather than the reaction Lily had given. The expression of hatred and disgust she'd shown him, when she saw him among the ranks of the Slytherins that had hurt Remus... It chilled him. Severus couldn't care if Remus died, so long as Lily didn't hate him. No-one could ever know it had been him who performed that curse, and no-one (to his knowledge) would ever know. Severus Snape was not ashamed at what he'd done. He was simply ashamed that he'd been caught.
The Common Room was silent, though at least half of the House was currently there. Everyone now knew of the torture Remus had suffered. James, Peter, Lily, Emmeline, Evan and Kingsley sat in front of the fire, the dying embers reflected dimly in each pair of eyes. The silence was agonising. No-one could bear to look at the group in front of the fire, whose friend was in such danger. Their minds, however, were on separate things to the others, though it all concerned Remus. Lily's mind was on her best friend, and the possible effect the curse could have long-term, as well as Severus being one of the guilty; James' mind was firmly fixed on Sirius and Remus' dynamic. James had always assumed they liked each other, though neither seemed willing to admit it. His suspicions had been all but confirmed when he'd found them in Remus' bed... 'Cuddling'; Peter's mind was on Remus' bravery, how he'd mustered the courage to shout for help. Also, it was occupied in the darker recesses with the effect of the magic, and the horrifying images that had befell them, when they'd seen him; Marlene's mind was occupied with guilt, at shouting at him because of some stupid party! And now, he was bleeding in the Hospital Wing, teetering on the edge of Death; Emmeline's mind was on Sirius, and how the boy must feel about the entire situation. He must be devastated; Evan's mind was on Keiran. Keiran had found out about Remus' almost death at the same time as Evan, and had a rather more emphatic reaction. Keiran had ran. To where, no-one had bothered to find out. Ah well, probably best to leave him be for now... Poor guy. Evan thought, sighing; Kingsley's mind was fixed on Lyall, who he'd attempted to talk to previously. It was obvious that the man wasn't only upset with the situation, but uncomfortable. It wasn't particularly helpful to his son, that the man seemed to prefer solitude in times of stress. One thing united their minds, however: They were all terrified of what might happen to Remus.
End of Part II - The Not-So-Secret Society
