Alright guys, here's the next one. Super AU here because I realized that if Remus and Sirius had some kind of understanding in the Shrieking Shack, then they have to have met sometime before. Because generally Remus thought that Sirius was the traitor and as calm as even Remus is, I doubt even he could keep that calm knowing the traitor was right there. So there's a brief meeting here and a drawn out one later on. So Enjoy!
Remus Lupin woke up, cold, hungry, tired and sore.
He felt something wet and yet somewhat comforting, brushing against his cheek. It was a very familiar feeling, he just couldn't place it. He heard a small whimpering sound...like a dog or something. He pried his eyes open and saw a large shaggy black dog licking at his cheek. His mind was still clouded with sleep and made his eyes slowly drift closed once more. And after a while he heard the soft whimpering of the dog again. And then he felt a soft paw on his cheek and a lick on his nose.
And then suddenly something inside Remus clicked; there was one person that had ever placed a paw on his cheek and licked at his nose after his transformations.
He shot his eyes open and his pupils darted around furiously "Sirius?" he whispered, the urgency clear in his voice.
But this time, there was no black dog, there was no soft whimpering or comfortable licking. Remus closed his eyes again. Was he just imagining it? Was he just imagining Sirius coming to him in his dog-animagus form after such a hard transformation? The thought hurt very dearly, and so Remus cast it aside.
He reopened his eyes(and almost hoped to see the dog again) and the first thing he saw was the floor at an oddly angled eye level. It took him a moment to realize he was lying on the floor of the shrieking shack; the very same place he had come for transformations when he was in school. Once Remus recognized himself to be on the cold, dirty floor, he attempted to lift himself up.
And after a few failed tries(his limbs felt like someone had chewed them up and then reattached them to his body) Remus decided to just survey his wounds for a bit. He recognized a few new bite marks on his right arm, a slash on his left arm, a few scratches on his chest and neck and a nasty gash on his right leg. For 13 years now the wolf was without the pack of animagus James, Peter and Sirius that had kept him company and away from tearing at himself. And now that he was alone again, he had to resort back to biting and scratching at himself. And Merlin's beard did it hurt.
Remus knew he would definitely have to call in sick for a few days. Which he felt very bad about because he was told that Snape was substituting his classes. His poor, poor Gryffindors. They would be crushed if they walked into the defense room and saw Snape. Absolutely crushed.
Remus sighed and shook his head, then winced as it pulled at one of the scratches on his neck. He decided to give standing up another go, and this time managed to get on his feet by leaning on the old piano at the corner of the room. He grabbed his clothes from on top of it and(with much, much difficulty) got himself dressed.
He then, still leaning on the piano for support, groaned. It was going to be torture trying to make it back to the castle undetected in his currents state, not to mention he could barely move without pulling some wound or other.
Nevertheless he managed to pull himself out of the shrieking shack and make it back to Madam Pomfrey in one piece. She immediately rushed to patch up his worse than usual injuries and told him he would have to stay for at least 2 or 3 days more.
Joy.
She also told him that he should refrain from moving around to much and that he needed plenty of rest. But sleep didn't come too easily to Remus.
He lay awake in bed thinking back upon what had happened right after he had woken up in the shrieking shack. With the black dog. He still wondered if he had imagined it, but something told him that it was very much real. And it could have just been another black dog, but something told it it was Sirius.
But why...why would Sirius come to him? Sirius wasn't stupid and he probably knew Remus was pretty god damned pissed off at him right now. Well...at least he thought he was pissed off.
Remus's feelings towards Sirius where very unclear these days. In the beginning, right after James and Sirius's death, Remus was convinced that there just had to be a missing piece, that Sirius just couldn't do something like that. But after 13 years of searching for that missing piece to no avail, doubt started to creep in. Until now, Remus was truly beginning to believe that Sirius was the one that had done it. Though he was still open to any sign of that one missing piece....and if Sirius wanted to talk to him...
"There's not point in simply laying there, dear. You might want to actually get some rest" Madam Pomfrey smiled just before stepping out the door. Remus simply smiled until she left and turned to his side, then quickly turned back as a sharp pain shot up his arm.
This was going to be a long...long recovery process. Both mental and physical.
HP
HP******HP
HP
As Remus stepped into his Gryffindor class three days later, he smiled broadly at the miserable faces of his favorite students. They immediately cheered up upon seeing him though, and the second he reached his desk, they broke out in complaints about Snape's behavior.
"It's not fair, he was only filling in, why should he give us homework?"
"We don know a thing about werewolves-"
"-two rolls of parchment!"
"Did you tell Professor Snape we haven't covered them yet" Remus frowned. Snape was really trying to get him fired wasn't he?
But as soon as Remus asked, the babble broke out again.
"Yes, but he said we were really behind-"
"-he wouldn't listen-"
"two rolls of parchment!"
Remus smiled at the indignation on every face. He really did love these kids.
"Don't worry, I'll speak to Professor Snape . You don't have to do the essay."
"Aw" he heard from a very disappointed looking Hermione "I've already done it."
"Then extra points for you, Hermione" Remus smiled. Her face visibly lit up, and on that note he began the lesson.
They had a very enjoyable lesson. Remus had brought along a tank full of hinkypunks, little one legged creatures that looked as though it were made of wisps of smoke, rather frail and harmless-looking.
"Lure travelers into bogs" Remus said as the class took notes "You notice the lantern dangling from his hand? Hops ahead, people follow the light, then-"
The hinkypunk made a horrible screeching sound against the glass.
When the bell rang, everyone gathered their things and with a last grin at Remus, began to leave, Harry among them, but-
"Wait a moment Harry, I'd like a word."
He watched as Harry doubled over and walked back to his desk.
"I heard about the match" Remus said as he put a cloth over the hinkypunk's tank "and I'm sorry about your broomstick. Is there no chance of fixing it?"
"No" Harry said with a sigh "The tree smashed it to bits."
Remus sighed as well "They planted the whomping willow the same year that I arrived at Hogwarts" he realized ha had just given away a small detail to his lycanthropy, and that if Hermione by any chance found this out she would put two and two together... "People used to play a game, trying to get near enough to touch the trunk. In the end a boy called Davey Gudgeon nearly lost an eye, an we were forbidden to go near it" he redeemed himself, hoping Harry would buy that he had never been near the tree after that.
"Did you hear about the dementors too?" Harry asked with clear difficulty.
Remus looked at him quickly, back at the healer's wing he had made a mental note to speak to Harry about that but had completely forgotten till now."Yes I did" he nodded "I don't think any of us have ever seen Professor Dumbledore that angry. They have been growing restless for some time...furious at his refusal to let him inside the grounds...I suppose they were the reason you fell?"
Harry nodded hesitantly "Why did they have to come to the match?" he said bitterly.
"They're getting hungry" Remus said coolly, shutting his briefcase with a snap "Dumbledore won't let them into the school, so their supply of human prey has dried up...I don't think they could resist the large crowd around the Quiditch field. All that excitement...emotions running high...it was their idea of a feast."
"Azkaban must be terrible" Harry muttered. Remus nodded grimly, thinking of his old friend.
"The fortress is set on a tiny island way out to sea, but they don't need walls and water to keep the prisoners in, not when they're all trapped inside their own heads, incapable of a single cheerful thought. Most of them go mad within weeks.
"But Sirius Black escaped from them" Harry said slowly "He got away..."
Remus was bit stunned to hear Harry say Sirius's name like that. His briefcase slipped from his grip and he had to react quickly to catch it.
"Yes" he said straightening up, and regaining his posture "Black must have found a way to fight them" it felt odd to say Black and not Sirius, like he was used to "I wouldn't have believed it possible" he spoke like every other wizard in London would.
There was a small silence before Harry hesitantly spoke "Erm, Professor...about those lessons...you know...for repelling the dementors..."
"Ah yes" Remus nodded "How about eight o'clock this evening? The History of Magic classroom should be large enough...I'll have to fetch that boggart that Mr. Filch was going to do away with then, since we can't bring a real dementor into the castle to practice on..."
"That sounds good" Remus could hear the relief in the boy's voice.
"Good, well I'll see you then" Remus smiled as the next class began pouring in.
Harry simply nodded before he took off.
HP
HP******HP
HP
At exactly eight o'five that evening Remus stepped into the History of Magic room. As he did, he spotted Harry waiting patiently for him, studying the large trunk that he had left there about an hour ago.
"What's that?" Harry asked as his professor walked to him.
"That, Harry, is the boggart" Remus said shedding off his cloak.
"Oh...cool" Harry said, trying to sound as though apprehensive at all.
"So..." Remus said taking out his wand, indicating that Harry should do the same "The spell I am going to try to teach you is highly advanced magic, Harry-well beyond Ordinary Wizaring Level. It is called the Patronus Charm."
"How does it work?" Harry asked nervously.
Remus smiled to himself; this was exactly how Sirius, James and Peter had reacted when he offered to teach them the Patronus Charm. "Well...when it works correctly it conjures up a Patronus which is a kind of anti-dementor-a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the dementor" Remus explained using the exact same words he had spoken to the Marauders back in their third year. He remembered James's hilarious reaction to it as clear as daylight:
"So how exactly does this Patronus Charm work Moony?" Sirius raised a brow.
James and Peter simply looked on curiously.
"Well...when it works correctly it conjures up a Patronus which is a kind of anti-dementor-a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the dementor" Remus explained.
"Whoa...I just had the sudden mental image of myself crouching behind a Hagrid-sized figure, holding a club!" James cried bluntly.
The other three Marauders burst into laughter, subsequently having the same image in their minds.
Remus shook off the thought with a mental grin and continued "The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the dementors feed upon-hope, happiness, the desire to survive-but it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the dementors can't hurt it. But I must warn you, Harry, that the charm might be too advanced for you. Many qualified wizards have difficulty with it" he said truthfully.
"What does a Patronus look like?" Harry asked curiously.
"Each is unique to the person who conjures it" Remus replied.
"And how do you conjure it?" Harry asked the obvious.
"With an incantation, which will work only if you are concentrating, with all your might, on a single, very happy memory" Remus said indicating Harry to think of such memory.
He waited patiently for the boy and after a while Harry said slowly "Right."
"The incantation is this-" Remus cleared his throat "Expecto Patronum!"
"Expecto Patronum" Harry repeated under his breath "Expecto Patronum."
"Concentrating hard on your happy memory?" Remus asked.
"Oh, yes" Harry smiled "Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum-"
Remus felt a rush as a small wisp of silvery light whooshed out of the tip of Harry's wand.
"Did you see that?" Harry said excitedly "Something happened!"
"Very good" Remus smiled remembering James's reaction to his first silvery wisps. "Right then, ready to try it on a dementor?"
"Yes" Harry said gripping his wand tightly and moving to the middle of the deserted classroom.
With a slow movement of his fingers, the locks on the trunk clicked open. Remus then grasped the lid and pulled it open.
A dementor slowly rose from the box, its hooded face turned towards Harry, one glistening scabbed hand gripping its cloak. The candles across the classroom flickered, then went out. The dementor stepped from the trunk and started o sweep silently towards Harry, drawing a deep rattling breath. A wave of piercing cold broke over the room and Remus wondered how long he would let it go before having to step in.
"Expecto Patronum!" Harry yelled, but nothing happened "Expecto Patronum! Expecto-"
Remus rushed in front of Harry as he saw the boy begin to waver and stepped in front of the dementor, which immediately twisted into a white orb. Remus stared hard at what was the full moon floating in front of him for a moment before he heard a heavy thump behind him. He figured that was Harry falling to the floor.
"Ridikulus!" He said with a wave of his wand. The orb inflated itself and shot right back into the trunk, which Remus closed with another flick of his wand. Once the locks were secured, he rushed to Harry's side.
"Harry" he called softly, giving the boy's shoulder a soft shake "Harry" he called once more.
The teen jerked back to life.
"Sorry" he muttered Remus helped him sit up. He noticed the cold sweat trickling down behind his glasses.
"Are you alright?" he asked in a genuinely concerned voice.
"Yes..." Harry said looking around.
"Here-" Remus fished a chocolate frog out of his pocket and handed it to the boy "Eat this before we try again. I didn't expect you to do it your first time; in fact, I would have been astounded if you had."
"It's getting worse" Harry muttered, biting off the frog's head. "I could hear her louder that time-and him-Voldemort-"
Remus suddenly paled. Just the thought of his two friend's death made him feel terrible inside. "Harry, if you don't want to continue, I will more than understand-"
"I do!" Harry said fiercely., stuffing the rest of the chocolate frog into his mouth "I've got to! What if the dementors turn up at our game against the Ravenclaws? I can't afford to fall off again. If we lose this game then we've lost the Quiditch Cup!"
"Alright then..." Remus said, realizing he probably wanted to stop more than Harry. "You might want to select another memory, I mean to concentrate on...that one didn't seem to have been strong enough."
He allowed Harry some more time to think of another memory.
"Ready?" Remus asked as Harry gripped his wand tightly and looked up.
"Ready" Harry nodded.
"Ok then, go!" Remus said pulling off the lid once more. The room went icily cold again. The dementor glided forward, drawing its breath; one rotting hand extended towards Harry-
"Expecto Patronum!" Harry yelled "Expecto Patronum! Expcto Patro-"
Remus rushed forward once again as Harry stumbled. He shot the boggart back into the trunk once more before turning to Harry.
"Harry" he called gently "Harry..." he frowned as the boy failed to respond "Harry! Harry...wake up..."
Remus was relieved to see the boy's green eyes flutter open. Harry looked extremely dazed for a moment before he recognized where he was.
"I heard my dad" he muttered breathlessly as he sat up and looked Remus in the eyes.
Remus suddenly noticed the tears on Harry's face, mingling in with the sweat. He suddenly felt very choked up "You heard James?" he said as low as he could, as not to show too much emotion.
"Yeah..." Harry brushed his sleeve against his eyes "Why-you didn't know my dad, did you?"
"I-I did as a matter of fact" Remus swallowed "We were friends during our school years. Listen, Harry-perhaps we should leave it here for tonight. This charm is ridiculously advanced...I shouldn't have suggested putting you through this..." Remus said, desperately trying to hold back the overwhelming emotions forming inside of him, thinking about James...begging to Voldemort for mercy.
"No!" Harry half yelled. He stood up quickly "I'll have one more go. I'm not thinking of happy enough things, that's what it is...hang on..."
Once again Remus allowed him his time. And after a while he spoke "Ready?" he said against his better judgment "Concentrating hard? Alright-go!" He pulled the lid off the trunk and for the third time, the dementor rose out of it; the room felt cold and dark-
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry yelled with more aggression "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" He growled, staring straight at the dementor.
The dementor halted as an almost blindingly white shield spewed from Harry's wand. It hovered between him and the dementor. Remus grinned broadly as Harry, with the precision of an auror, lowered the boggart back into the trunk. Remus laughed as he closed the lid over the top and took a few breaths before he looked to Harry, who stumbled over a bit.
"Fantastic job Harry!" Remus cried as he grinned at the boy. A slow smile spread across his face as well. "I did it..." he muttered breathlessly.
"Yes, that you did" Remus smiled "Well done, Harry. Well done!" He leaned over the trunk as he looked up and saw Harry leaning against one of the near by columns.
"Well, done" Remus smiled as he walked over to the boy. He was so proud he couldn't even describe it "Here take this" he said handing a chunk of chocolate to Harry. The two of them sat down next to one another on the small stairs bordering the columns.
"And just so you know Harry, I think you would have given your father a run for his money" Remus grinned "And that, is saying something."
"I was thinking of him..." Harry smiled contently "And mum."
Remus simply listened, all his negative thoughts of his late friends having been overthrown by pride for their child.
"Seeing their faces..." Harry spoke softly "They were talking to me...just talking...that's the memory I chose...I don't even know if it's real" he chuckled "It's the best I have" he smiled to his professor. And his professor smiled back.
HP
HP******HP
HP
Well, there you go. I hope the flashback wasn't too random, I just really wanted to stick that in there XD
Reviews are appreciated =]