Alright. So I lied, this is not the final chapter. This is ending up longer than I thought it would, so instead of making you all wait for an undetermined ammount of time, I figured I would go ahead and post what I have. I hope that the climax lives up to expectations, and that this section doesn't seem pointless without the rest of the ending completed.
I have finished my GREs and so hopefully will have the time to get this finished up soon, but until then I hope this will tide you all over.
**Warnings**
Violence, foul language, references to underage sexual situations, and arson/destruction of property. Obviously, just because I write it doesn't mean I think you should do it and all that good stuff. Please don't get me into trouble. ^^;
Enjoy!
As Sirius opened the door James handed him a few folded articles of clothing, giving him a subtle congratulatory smile.
"For Remus." He said, "They might be big, but I figured he'd appreciate them."
"Thanks." Sirius smiled, glad that James had Remus' comfort in mind. He also wanted to give him a victorious thumbs up but decided it would be inappropriate.
When Remus had finished dressing they emerged from the bathroom together, holding the other's hand tightly. James and Peter had finished packing the explosives into a few small tote bags.
"Just remember that we don't want to throw these too close to the residential wings." Sirius said as he pulled one of the totes onto his shoulder. "We don't want anyone getting trapped by the fire."
The others nodded, but didn't seem to have much to say. They were all feeling a nauseating combination of excitement, fear and uncertainty. They were all taking a huge risk by doing this. Sirius had been certain that once the police were there and he was able to explain why they'd done it, show them what Greyback had done, and maybe even find a way to make Greyback confess, that they'd all be absolved. None of them were terrible certain of this any more. Feeling more secure as a group, they all left the room quietly, leaving James with the strange sensation that he would not be seeing that room again.
"We should get the kitchen first. With the gas stoves in there it'll get bigger faster than anywhere else." Sirius said quietly as they walked down the hall, none of them trying to avoid the cameras.
"Right." Was all that James said in response.
Peter was having a hard time keeping his knees from shaking as they made their way down the still dark hallway. He stared guiltily at every camera, imagining his face on the news that night, under the header "Mentally unstable boys burn down school."
"Are you sure about this?" Remus found himself whispering to his boyfriend, feeling a small thrill at the title.
Sirius squeezed the slight hand that he held onto, but as he opened his mouth to speak, wanting to reassure him, they heard the sound of quick footsteps behind them. Turning, they saw what they'd hoped to avoid. Greyback had rounded the corner with two men they all recognized as school security, their matching uniforms giving them away. Slughorn was catching up to the group in the background, trying to catch his breath from the short run.
"There he is!" Greyback shouted. "The long haired one!"
Out of reflex Sirius pulled Remus behind him, putting himself between him and Greyback.
"Now, hold on just a minute!" Slughorn huffed out, a hand on his rounded belly, as the other waved about to get everyone's attention, still trying to catch his breath. "I think we all need to calm down a bit here."
"Mr. Slughorn, Sir," Greyback said through his teeth, "Forgive me for rushing things, but Mr. Black did stab me."
Sirius couldn't stop the triumphant grin that split his face, seeing Greyback having to bow to Slughorn's wishes made him feel more confident.
"That's right, I did. And I'd do it again!" Sirius said with a boasting glare, unable to remove the smile from his face.
"I understand that the two of you have some problems with each other," Slughorn continued, trying to be diplomatic. "but I think that if we all went back to my office-"
"Remus." Greyback interrupted, ignoring Slughorn's sputtering. "Come away from him, right now. That boy is dangerous."
Sirius could feel Remus tense where he was hiding behind him, his body shaking slightly as the man addressed him directly. Remus could feel the ghost of the control that Fenrir had over him tugging at him, urging him to do as he said. It was a sense of duty, a guilt of disobeying, and a fear of punishment that left him fighting the urge to go to the familiar embrace of the older man. Then he felt Sirius' grip on him tighten and the gesture brought with it a surge of courage. Remus steeled himself and came out from behind Sirius, taking his hand firmly.
"No." Remus surprised even himself with the strength of his refusal and he felt Sirius squeeze his hand in approval and encouragement. "I'll never let you touch me again!"
"Remus…" Greyback growled in warning, the sound filling the hallway with a foreboding that could be felt by everyone.
"No!" Remus just raised his voice even more, though he did take a step back, his own shoulder sliding behind Sirius' where he felt more secure. "I'm not doing anything you tell me to any more, you-" He seemed to be unsure of what to say next, obviously not experienced at insulting the older man. "you child molester!"
In any other situation, the put-down may have been laughable, as the terminology was too formal for a good insult, but in this case, they all seemed to feel it was uncomfortably specific. Sirius could feel Remus shaking like a leaf behind him and he squared his shoulders in an attempt to make him feel more secure.
"I was only thirteen fucking years old, you piece of shit!" Remus screamed, feeling empowered all of a sudden. "I'm not letting you do this to me any more!"
"Excuse me?" Slughorn stuttered from where he was standing with the two security guards, looking at Greyback with comically wide eyes now.
"He's off his medication." Greyback said coolly before turning back to look at the four boys. "He's got no idea what he's talking about."
"I think we'll see if he knows what he's saying when the cops show up." Sirius said boldly, blocking Remus from the threatening gaze that Greyback was sending him.
"And how do you plan to get the cops? Gonna use your cell phone?" Greyback sneered at them.
"Not exactly." Sirius said with a mischievous grin.
"Fire in the hole, lads." James said conversationally as he chucked the now lit explosive over the heads of Sirius and Remus.
Greyback had begun advancing on them until he saw the flaming jug arc over their heads, and had enough sense to stumble back away from them just before the jug hit the floor in the space between the two groups. With a loud pop the container burst, the fuel carrying the fire in every direction. The oil stuck the flammable concoction to the walls and ceiling, leaving a ring of fire in corridor. Both groups had not expected such an intense explosion and as the boys reeled away from the flames they tripped over Peter, who had apparently toppled over from the shock of the impact.
"We should go now." Remus said, seeming a bit shocked their homemade weapons.
"Right." Said James, the same look of disbelief on his face.
The heat coming off the fire was surprisingly intense, trapped as it was in the small space, and nearly everyone had turned away from it, bringing hands up to block their faces from the heat. Sirius had not turned away though. He and Greyback were locked for the moment in a stare that communicated everything that words could not. Pure hatred was being sent from both sides, the heat of which left the fire feeling like a cool breeze. They both had the sudden sense that one of them was not going to make it out of this conflict alive.
"Come on!" Remus shouted over the fire alarm that had begun blaring without Sirius noticing. "Sirius, come on!" he continued, giving the other boy's arm a sharp tug.
"Right." Sirius said as he finally broke eye contact with Greyback, the four of them turning and running away from the flames. "Lets get to the kitchens!"
Greyback watched the four teens disappear down one of the adjoining corridors, feeling unadulterated fury bubbling up inside of him. Suddenly he turned to one of the security guards, grabbing him by his uniform vest.
"Go phone the police! Tell them that we don't need any assistance. And you!" He said, tossing the first guard aside to grab the other. "Put this fucking fire out!"
Neither of the men seemed brave enough to question his orders, and both dashed away, one going for a phone, the other for a fire extinguisher. Greyback knew that he would have to go the long way around to find them again, and was quickly leaving to do just that, ignoring Slughorn's sputtering orders for him to stay put so he could speak with him. He'd always held a certain amount of contempt for Slughorn's pathetically weak personality, and while it had given him free reign to do as he pleased, always knowing that he would be able to manipulate the stout man, he also found it repulsive. He thought that perhaps the pathetic man may need to die tragically in the fire. It was a pleasant idea, but he knew that he had to take care of the matter at hand first, namely, getting rid of the troublesome Sirius boy and retrieving his property. He had put far too much time and effort into training Remus, shaping him into the perfect pet, to let him slip through his fingers now.
The boys held tightly to their bags as they pushed their way through the panicking students who had been awoken by the fire alarms and were now trying to evacuate the building. The shouting, in addition to the continued siren was nearly deafening, and they all had to keep hold of each other so as not to be separated by the waves of students. They were fighting the current in their attempt to get to the kitchen, and knew that they did not have much time. Finally, James was able to pull their small caravan into an adjoining corridor that housed classrooms and not dormitories, leaving it clear.
"Greyback's gonna try and keep the police out!" Sirius shouted, now that he could be heard. "We have to make sure to put on a show they wont be able to ignore!"
They all continued silently until they arrived at the cafeteria, each of them jumping the counter in turn to make their way back into the kitchens.
"Peter, Remus, go round and turn on all the stove tops!" Sirius ordered as he and James each pulled out an explosive.
"W-what?" Peter stammered while Remus did as he was told.
"We need the gas to feed the fire and make the explosion bigger. Turn them all on!" Sirius barked at him.
"B-but, this is really dangerous!" He complained.
"Yeah, Pete, bombs usually are." James said as he and Sirius both set a jug in different places in the room, then hurried to help Remus turn on every burner.
Without lighting the burners the gas was left to filter out into the room, and soon they could all smell the sharp scent of propane filling the air.
"Right." Sirius said as he positioned himself at the jug he'd left unlit on the floor. "We'll light these and then probably have about a minute or so to get as far off as we can."
"Probably? Probably?" Peter was shouting now. "You're gonna get us all killed!"
"Well if you don't want to help us any more than get the fuck out! I'm tired of listening to your god damned whining!" Sirius said, not pausing as he struck the lighter and began lighting the rag fuse.
"You're all nut cases! I can't believe I let you talk me into this! I haven't even gotten to throw one of those things yet!" Peter continued shrieking.
"Don't worry, Peter." James said with a laugh as he lit his. "You can throw the next one."
"Yeah?" Peter asked, seeming surprisingly excited.
"Sure. Now lets get the fuck out of here."
Without looking back they all left through the main kitchen doors, and before they got to the end of the hallway the gas had caught and fire shot through the doors and out into the cafeteria with a huge, percussive blast that knocked all four boys onto their stomachs. They were silent for a long time, only able to hear the alarms still ringing and the sound of fire crackling behind them. They all remained where they were, huddled close to the ground, wondering how long their ears were going to ring. Eventually they turned to look at each other, each boy mirroring the look of terror and excitement and utter shock that the other had on his face.
Slowly James and Sirius began to exchange a grin, and before long the other two boys had joined them and they all were laughing where they laid on the ground. It may have seemed a strange reaction, but the nervous tension that had built inside of them had to be released somehow, and laughter was the form it took.
"Wow" James finally spoke.
"Yeah." Sirius agreed, pushing himself to his feet before helping Remus up.
"I think that may get their attention." Remus said, eyes wide and a nervous grin still on his face.
"So where next?" Sirius asked, looking around to be sure they were alone, a nervous feeling that Greyback may turn the corner any moment still plaguing him.
"Locker rooms." Peter suddenly said boldly.
"Why there?" Asked James.
"I bloody hate sports. It'll be satisfying for me." Peter said matter-of-factly.
"That's the spirit!" James shouted, clapping him hard on the shoulder.
With their plan of action decided on, they all took off again, heading toward the locker room. They all felt a thrill of excitement as they ran toward the back of the school. They were excited that their plan was working so flawlessly, and that they seemed to be running into no real obstacles. All they heard was their running footsteps, sirens, and impending victory.
In retrospect, Sirius would insist he felt the air around him tense with dangerous vibrations just before Greyback's arm swung out from around the corner where he was hiding down a separate corridor. Sirius, leading the pack, had nothing between himself and the blade that lodged into his upper pectoral. As fast as it had happened, he was aware of every second of it. He felt the blade scrape against bone as it lodged itself between his collarbone and his uppermost rib. He felt the weight of the hilt of the blade as it thumped against his skin. He felt the cold shiver run down to his toes and back up again to make his hair stand on end. In the next second, the blade was yanked from his body with a twist, sending another shudder through him as metal scraped bone again.
Sirius found himself tumbling backward, several sets of hands catching him as he felt himself begin to sweat, the pain finally starting to catch up with him. He heard himself shout, but it sounded like it was coming from somewhere else, he also thought he heard Remus calling his name as tried to regain his footing.
"The game's over, boys." Greyback said quietly as he came from around the corner, wiping the blood from his knife onto a small rag.
Sirius felt hot blood soaking into his shirt and running down his chest, and for a moment had a hard time hearing what Greyback was saying. His shoulder was on fire, and with each beat of his heart it throbbed painfully. The other boys were rooted to the spot in fear.
"You two," Greyback said to James and Peter. "are going to evacuate the building right now, and speak of this to no one. Remus, you're going to come with me." He said, turning his cold eyes back on his prey.
"Like hell he is!" Sirius shouted, Greyback's words bringing his world back into sharp focus as a surge of adrenaline deadened most of the pain in his shoulder.
With his good arm, he slung his tote that still held two heavy jugs in it toward Greyback, catching him off guard, pummeling him in the side of his head. Given his condition, no one had expected Sirius to retaliate so effectively.
"Run!" Sirius shouted as he grabbed Remus with his good hand and drug him down the hall as Greyback stumbled against the wall.
The other boys did not argue, but Sirius knew that they only had a few moments head start, so when they reached a dead end, with only two direction choices, he stopped, turning to the others.
"You lot go on. Use up every one of those things! I'll distract Greyback." Sirius said, obviously a bit out of breath.
"What?" James spat, shocked by the stupidity of his idea. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"Shut it!" Sirius snapped back, "We don't have time to argue. Get the police here and I won't have to die."
"I'm coming with you." Remus said suddenly.
"Rem, I don't-"
"I'm coming with you!" Remus raised his voice over Sirius'.
There was a moment in which Sirius felt as though they were communicating silently. He felt Remus' stubborn intentions drift over to him, he could read them in his eyes that were glowing more brilliantly than he'd ever seen them, and he knew that not only would he be unable to dissuade him, he didn't want to. They were supposed to be together in this moment. They would face Greyback together, and they would come out victorious.
"Right. We'll distract him." Sirius said, turning back to James and Peter. "You two go that way. Here." He took Remus' tote and gave it to James.
"Shouldn't you at least have these for a weapon?" He asked, shocked, though he still took the bag.
"Blowing him up might look bad to the cops." Sirius said with a bit of a grin. "Now go on. We'll head this way. Don't stop." He clapped James on the shoulder with his good hand and gave Peter a nod, who was looking sickly pale.
"You really think this is gonna work?" Remus asked quietly as they watched their friends disappear down the corridor.
"I hope it does." Sirius said honestly before hissing, bringing his good arm up to cradle his other, the weight of which was beginning to hurt his shoulder.
"He's gonna kill you if he gets the chance." Remus said, turning to inspect his wound.
"We'll just have to not give him the chance, then." Sirius said with a surprisingly resilient smile on his face.
They felt their bodies chill as they heard the heavy footfalls belonging to Greyback coming up the dark hallway. Distracting him was far easier in theory than it would be in practice.