The Moon and Star
Chapter Eight
Remus
"An inter-house exchange, shall we call it." Dumbledore's voice boomed through the Great Hall. "Two students from each house shall move to another for one week, joining their lessons and sharing their dormitories. Now, Professor McGonagall, if you will." McGonagall stood from her position at the professor's table, and pulled a scroll from her robes.
"Firstly, Lily Evans and Frank Longbottom, please move to the Hufflepuff table." I watched as the redhead stood and stomped across to the table, flashing pleading looks at both me and James. I shrugged at her, smiling ruefully.
"Severus Snape and Wren Callaghan, please be seated at the Gryffindor table." She said, a grim expression on her face. I blanched as Wren walked slowly over to us, her face nonchalant but her eyes terrified. I feared that what she was so scared of, what what petrified me as well. What if we're near to each other… at the next full moon?
"Alright, boys…sorry, team," Gryffindor's Quidditch captain smirked. Wren, the team's only girl, glared at him, her hand tightening around the handle of her broom. "I know we have a bit of a change in players, but so will Slytherin. Callaghan, I'm trusting you to not mess this up for us, just because you played for them, okay?" He glowered at her from under his thick eyebrows, but she met his stare head-on, not flinching for a second. "James, do what you always do, alright, mate?" James nodded, already focused. "Alright, team, let's go!" I sneaked out of the room (technically I wasn't supposed to be there) and went to find Sirius. When I got to the Gryffindor stand, he was already incoherently screaming his head off. Something about the Snitch… the Slytherin keeper and…
"Sirius!" I chastised, "You can't say that! You know very well it wouldn't fit up there." He sniggered, and I promptly rolled my eyes at him, turning my attention to the two teams flying onto the pitch. James took his position above the box in the centre of the pitch, and Wren hovered behind the captain, gripping her bat menacingly. She was the only female Beater in any of the houses, and was by far the best of them. The Quaffle was launched into the air, and the game began.
"Wren, you are a legend!" Sirius yelled, hugging her roughly. Wren laughed, patting him on the back.
"It was fun to play against them for once." She said, her smile dropping slowly.
"What do you mean?" James asked warily.
"Oh, nothing I just…" Wren froze, her face a picture of horror. My heart dropped. I slowly turned my head to the window, fearing the worse. Out through the clouds appeared a silver orb of death and destruction; the bane of ours lives.
"Run." I whispered. Sirius grabbed James and Peter by the elbow, sprinting deep into the castle. I gazed at Wren, hoping to comfort her.
"You need to go," She screamed suddenly, "We can't both stay! Please, Moony, trust me!" I looked into her deep ocean eyes, and knew we couldn't stay where we were without… I dashed past her, and felt a rush of air as she sprinted in the opposite direction. I knew the second her feet hit the grass, as a deafening howl split the air, and I resisted running to her as a thump echoed through the corridor. I dodged the streams of moonlight flittering through the stone windows until I believed I was far enough away. I rounded the corner, and was doused in moonlight. I felt myself dripping away as my muscles tensed and my vision blurred, but not before I caught the terrified face of Severus Snape.
Sirius
James, Peter and I sat rigidly in the common room, eager to help out our friends. I glanced at the clock; 5:48. They should be back soon. I sprang up, unable to sit still any longer. The door opened silently, and my eyes widened. Remus crept in, shutting the door with a small click. He turned away from the door, and jumped at the sight of us standing there.
"You guys been up all night?" He asked wearily, running a hand over his face.
"Yeah," James admitted, "We were worried, I mean… this is your first time with another werewolf around,you know?"
"Thank guys, but I'm really tired. Let me know how Wren is?" He stumbled forward and I caught him in my arms, worry for him clouding my mind.
"Of course," I whispered, helping him to the stairs, "I'll tell you in the morning."
I wandered back down the stairs, sitting heavily in the chair by the fire. "What if she's not okay?" I muttered, mostly to myself. I looked up as the door opened, anxious to see if Wren was unharmed. The door creaked open, and the silhouette of Wren casted an eery shadow in the doorway.
"Wren?" James crept towards her, concern lacing his voice. He stilled as she took a single step forward, a ray of light hitting her face. Her eyes were hooded, a fresh cut still bloody on her cheek. She looked up and her eyes met mine, and I knew something was disastrously wrong.
"Remus got back okay?" She murmured.
"Yeah, yeah, he did." James closed the distance between them, embracing her tightly. Wren raised her arms, and her pale hands came into the light. I gasped, horror widening my eyes. Her hands were coated in crimson blood, but there were no cuts that I could see.
"What happened?" I breathed. James took a step back, and sucked in a breath.
"I don't remember exactly, but… there was something, or someone there, and… I remember the feeling of their flesh in my teeth, and their blood on my claws…" She gasped and sank to the floor, sobbing. James crouched in front of her as I rushed over to them.
"Hey, hey, hey, it'll be alright. Do you remember whereabouts this was?" His voice was almost patronising, but it seemed to soothe Wren.
"I… I could feel grass under my feet, but it was… it was…"
"What? What was it?" I felt as if I was pushing her and hated myself for it, but we had to try and find whatever it was she had injured.
"It was completely dry," she whispered, eyes wide, "It's raining outside, Pads. The ground I stood on was bone dry, a little crumbly at that. They were… wandering across the space, unaware of me. I… I don't think it was human, but I'm just so glad it wasn't Moony." She was slowly getting her act together, and we really had to get moving. I pulled her to her feet, smiling reassuringly.
"Let's go."
James
"Oh, Merlin," I breathed. Lying on the grass under the cover of a huge fir tree was none other than Snivellus, the little grey-haired Slytherin we'd been… tormenting, basically, for the last year or so. It was mainly just Sirius and I, just for a bit of fun, you know, but it seemed we weren't completely heartless towards him.
We ran to his side, franticly checking him over. He had a deep cut along his abdomen, and his pale face had a blue tinge to it.
"He doesn't look good," I muttered, "Let's take him to Madam Pomfrey." Sirius nodded without a word, and we hauled him up, taking his small frame in our arms. Wren walked with unfocused eyes next to me, tripping over her own feet every so often. After depositing Snape with a concerned Madam Pomfrey, we went back to the dormitory, anxious to tell Remus what had happened. I shoved open the door, my mouth already half open, when I walked smack bang into Remus as he buried out of the dorm.
"What's wrong?" I asked, brow creased in a frown.
"Wren. Where is she?" He pushed past me, only relaxing once his arms were around her. He sighed, releasing Wren.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah… if a little traumatised." She half-joked, her eyes still a little dead, the ghost of a smile on her pale lips. "We… we need to find Lily." She said vaguely, wandering off in the direction of the door. I have to admit, my heart leapt a little at the sound of her name, but I had to say, Lily had been acting a little strangely. Every time she had seen us with Wren, her face had tuned cold, boarding on malicious, and she stalked away, not meeting my eyes. I had no idea what brought on this crazy behaviour. It couldn't be that… no. She's not… jealous, is she?
We strode down to the edge of the forest, just by the little hut that stood there. Lily looked as if she was on fire in the morning light, her bright hair flowing over her shoulders. Her back was to us, but I could tell she was furious. She whipped around, and strode towards us, her delicate feet gaining her a surprising amount of ground in a mere few seconds. She stopped in front of Wren, but she was, in fact, only gathering momentum.
Lily slapped Wren right across the face, fire in her eyes. Wren's head snapped to the side, but she didn't react any more than that. She calmly turned her head, hiding her blazing cheek in her hair.
"What are you doing?" Lily panted.
"Offering you the other cheek." Wren smiled, her tone just as calm as her demeanour. Lily hesitated, but her fire was quickly reignited. Her hand was a blur as she slapped Wren once more. She took a step back, taking a deep breath, calming herself.
"I get it, Lily." Wren said softly, "I intruded. These are your boys. I'll leave you in peace." She turned, and walked off into the forest with nothing but the clothes on her back. Her wand lay, discarded, on the floor. I was stunned, my feet rooted to the ground. Sirius was frozen, until his eyes suddenly cleared. He sprung to life, running after Wren, horror in his face and his voice as he desperately called her name. Remus stood, too horror-struck to move. Lily walked serenely up to me, giving me her best puppy-dog eyes.
"You think I did the right thing, don't you, James?" She asked, her hands resting on the back of my neck, "She was taking you away from me, and I… wasn't okay with that." She stared into my eyes, and I positively melted. This was all I'd ever wanted to hear from her.
"Don't listen to her, Prongs." Remus was behind me, warnings in his eyes, alongside something I hadn't seen before. Hate. "The little bitch knows you're in love with her, and will do anything for you to be on her side. She's manipulative, and frankly, she's… let's go, James." His eyes turned from merely warning to murderous as he stalked into the forest. I gazed after him, undecided. On one hand, it was my free best friends in the world running off into the Forbidden Forest, and on the other… the girl I was completely and utterly in love with, telling me she felt the same way, all I had to do was stay there with her. Three against one.
"I…"
"Yes?" Lily's eyes lit up, and my heart broke.
"I'm sorry, Lily, I…" I gently took her hands from my shoulders, and walked slowly after my friends. My sorrow was so extreme; I couldn't handle it. I broke into a run, my feet thundering the ground. I pushed myself to the limits, until my body could no longer take it as it was. My hooves struck the damp grass, my antlers catching on branches as I galloped through the forest.
Wren
You can't cry. Not now. I mentally reprimanded myself as I walked through the forest, my cheeks on fire. I knew what I had done wrong, and hoped they would see it too. Do you really wish that? That your best friends would leave you for her? The dam was broken, and I sank to the ground, my body wracked with sobs. My deranged head invented a fantasy that Sirius was calling my name, searching for me.
"Stop it…" I cried, "Stop torturing me!" I screamed into the night, clawing at my head. Rough hands pulled at my arms, wrenching them from my face. I shut my eyes tightly, unwilling to see what had come to kill me.
"Open your eyes." It wasn't a fantasy. I peeled my tear-filled eyes open to see Sirius crouching in front of me, my hands in his. I was so ready to stand with him, to go back and find the others, but Lily's terrible stare burning my soul kept me down. I shook my head, even as Sirius wiped my face with his thumb, tears of his own glistening in his eyes.
"Please," His voice cracked as he begged, "Please, Wren."
"I'm here, Wren." Remus' face swam into view, "Can you stand for me?" I finally focused on his eyes, and it felt as if liquid gold was pouring into my scorched soul, soothing me, coaxing me. Remus steadied me as I stood, my knees weak. A huge stag trotted up to us, nudging my face with his muzzle. I wrapped an arm around his neck, and whispered in his ear as we wandered back to the castle,
"Thanks, Prongs."