Disclaimer: All herein belong to JKR. I own nothing and am too poor and humble for anyone to waste time suing. (Best disclaimer I've read recently ran something along the lines of: "If JKR knew what I was doing with her characters she'd chase me with a spanner". I don't think she'd be quite that cross with me. I live in hope, anyway.)

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Chapter 30: Remus Doesn't Help

If it was any other mysterious tunnel Harry would have taken things slowly. But he knew this tunnel – more importantly, he knew what was at the end of it and who might be getting close to the end already. If he hadn't come back in time, would James Potter be racing along here instead? Would James be further ahead and stop Severus before the door into the Shrieking Shack was opened?

Did Severus have his hand on the latch now?

Harry ran faster. "Severus!" he shouted. "Severus, stop!"

The only sound he heard was the patter of his feet on the dirt as he raced through the darkness.

When he finally got to the end of the tunnel and charged up the steps he was gasping for breath and his chest ached with fear. He skidded to a stop at the awful sight:

The door into the Shack was open.

Harry gripped his wand tighter and mouthed a petrification hex just to be sure he remembered it. "Severus?" he called again more softly. "Severus? Are you in here?"

There was a nasty hollowness deep in his gut at the sight of the empty room. Once upon a time it had been a basement; a few chairs had been stacked by one wall but something had toppled them and left them scattered around an upturned table. That something had also ripped legs off the chairs, splintering them and leaving deep tooth marks. Harry picked up one of the chair legs as he crept through the room and up the stairs, which creaked under his feet. When he stepped on the second step something shifted a fraction under his foot and there was a sharp click. Harry jumped, but then saw a lamp hanging from the ceiling spluttering into reluctant life. Oh – that was different from the last time. The lamp gave out only a meagre amount of light, but it was better than the lumos spell. With a flick, Harry put the wandlight out and continued up the stairs.

"Severus," he whispered hoarsely.

The door above him was flung open, revealing a room thinly lit by a lamp hanging from the ceiling. The scanty light outlined a tall, cloaked figure. Every nerve in Harry's body screamed: Death Eater! Without hesitating, Harry cast the hex at the shadow in the doorway.

The figure toppled as the hex hit it square in the chest.

"Oh, shit." Harry dropped the chair leg as he hurried up the steps and crouched over the figure that was lying flat on its back. "Severus? I'm sorry… Finite incantatum."

Severus blinked up at him balefully, then twitched his feet. "What the hell did you do that for, Lovegood?" he spat.

Harry put his wand in his pocket and helped Severus up. "I thought you were a monster."

"Oh, like I've never heard that one before…"

Harry shook his head and brushed some dirt of Severus' shoulder. "Maybe you should give people a business card or something first, just to make sure they know you're human."

"And what ever gave you the impression I was human?"

Harry stared at him until one dark eyebrow raised. "Gotcha."

Harry snorted. "Come on, funny person."

"In a minute. But you shouldn't have taken the glamour off…"

Harry grimaced at the memory. "Trust me, it was necessary. I'll explain later. But right now we have to get out of here."

But when Harry grabbed his arm Severus shook him off. "No. Lupin's here. He's – someone just dumped him here without his robes or anything. And he's sick… really sick –"

"I know. That's why we've got to get out of here. Right now."

Severus stared at Harry. "And people tell me I'm callous…!"

Harry gritted his teeth and grabbed Severus' arm again. "Look. We can get back down into the tunnel, shut the door, and I'll explain it then."

Severus twisted his wrist, breaking Harry's grip with the ease of practice, then drew himself up to his full height and glared down his nose at Harry. At this age he wasn't much taller, especially given how much Harry had grown this year, but he had the whole glaring-down-nose thing down pat. Especially when he folded his arms like a roosting bat. He had just opened his mouth to say something that probably wouldn't endear him to Harry when there was a sharp cry from the room behind them. Severus turned. "He may be a complete and utter tosser and I'm amazed I'm arguing his case when I should be standing over him gloating or something while he writhes in deservèd agony, but he needs help," he growled, as if he was taking Remus being ill as a personal affront. Probably it was the idea of giving help to the Gryffindor that gave him the expression of a camel about to spit. At another, more pained, cry, he shifted as if he was about to go and see to Remus.

Harry grabbed him just in time.

"Let go of me!"

"No, you stubborn git! We have to leave! Remus is a –"

A low growl throbbed through the air. Even the light cast by Harry's wand and the lone lamp hanging from the ceiling vibrated at it.

Severus' fingers, which had been trying to pull Harry's off his arm, froze. Then dug into Harry's hand. His eyes widened. "What the hell was that?" he breathed.

Harry shook his head, took out his wand again, and pulled Severus towards the steps down to the basement. This time Severus followed without hesitation.

They crept back down the stairs, discreetly shutting the door behind them, and scurried across the basement.

They were almost at the entrance of the tunnel when something crashed against the door above.

"Oh, shit." Harry wasn't sure if he or Severus said that. Both of them froze for a millisecond then shot towards the tunnel.

There was another mighty crash and a howl of frustration and blood-lust.

The door burst open.

The strength of the werewolf ripped the hinges out of the doorframe and threw the door across the room, where it smashed into splinters against the wall. The werewolf didn't bother with the stairs – it flew in an arc through the doorway, twisting with mindless rage mid-air and landing four-square between Harry, Severus and the exit.

It stood, legs splayed, hair bristling, and rippled back its upper lip in a snarl. A thin stream of infectious saliva dripped to the floor as it fastened its smouldering yellow eyes on the two boys backing away from it.

Harry was just about to ask Severus, who was grey with fright, if he knew any good spells when the werewolf lunged at him.

Harry flung up his wand-arm instinctively, shouting a spell which arced out to hit the werewolf in the snout. The spell seemed off somehow – the werewolf shook it off in little sparks of crimson light, snarled, and snapped at Harry's hand.

Harry stepped back as the werewolf prepared to leap again and raised his wand. Severus beat him to it. "Lupus somnolens," he shouted.

The werewolf staggered as the spell hit it, the ferocity in its yellow eyes dimming for a moment. It shook its head as if dizzy.

"Run," Severus hissed, already darting around the befuddled werewolf towards the tunnel. Harry mirrored him on the other side of the wolf…

…Which shook its head and whirled, ready to sink its teeth in Harry's leg.

It missed when a skinny figure leaped on its back in a flurry of flying robes. The wolf had nearly reached Harry when the sudden weight of its passenger knocked it sideways and almost far enough away from Harry – almost, but not quite far enough. Its snapping jaws bit down on the wand in Harry's hand. There was a crackle of magic and a yelp as the wand splintered between the wolf's jaws.

"My wand!"

"Stuff your bloody wand up your –" Severus broke off as the wolf slammed him into the wall. "Oof! You can get a new one… Do something!"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Harry shouted as the wolf twisted and tried to savage its rider.

"I don't know!" Severus shrieked back, his face as firmly locked in terror as his arms and legs were locked around the wolf, which was now rolling to try and loosen his hold. "Do something!"

"Like what?"

"Like kill it and don't let it kill me!" He gagged and spat: the werewolf had flicked saliva into his mouth. "Merlin – it's going to infect me," he moaned. "Kill the fucking thing!"

"I can't kill it – I don't have a wand! And it's Remus!"

Grimacing and trying to wipe his mouth on his shoulder while not losing his grip and getting killed, Severus managed to shout, "Well, Remus is about to fulfil a life-long ambition and eviscerate me!"

Harry had to give him credit – even while hanging on for grim life to a thrashing, foaming werewolf, Snape could use words of more than two syllables. Then he suddenly remembered he had Sirius' wand. Where had he put it? Oh yes – in his pocket. He snatched it out. "I'm going to petrify both of you –"

"You're trying to kill me!" Severus howled – at the same time as the wolf, which, snarling and frothing again, headed towards Harry with murder in its eyes. Harry managed to step aside just as Severus untucked one ankle from around the wolf's belly and kicked it in the flank. The wolf roared at this new outrage and spun, trying to bite Severus' leg. Severus kept his arms wrapped tightly around the beast's neck – so tight the wolf coughed as its air was cut off – but any lack of oxygen wasn't slowing it down, unfortunately. Severus wasn't strong enough to strangle the wolf, but he was, luckily, strong enough to stop it bending its head around far enough to bite him. But he was weakening. "That spell will work on me but not – argh! Stop it, you ghastly creature! – but not on a werewolf…"

"I'll aim for the wolf. Try and slow it down for a moment." Lucky he hadn't told Severus it wasn't his wand…

Severus said something incredibly obscene (and unlikely ever to be achieved without significant magical intervention) as the wolf galloped around the room, leaping and plunging as it went.

"It's trying to buck you off," Harry said, grabbing one of the chairs and holding it out to fend off the wolf as it feinted at him again.

Severus managed to get out two whole sentences during leaps and charges: "Buck me … off? It's certainly … succeeding … several … letters … further down the … alphabet, so … if you … will please – Argh!"

The wolf slammed him into the wall; harder, this time. There was a thump that sounded unhappily similar to someone's skull hitting a plank, and the wolf snarled in triumph.

Eyes half-closed and rolling up so that only the whites showed, Severus let go of the werewolf. It whirled and –

– and Harry hit it with the petrification hex just as it tried to sink its teeth into Severus' face.

The wolf staggered and dropped, falling onto Severus. Severus didn't make a sound of protest.

That wasn't a good sign.

Harry, wand at the ready, crossed the room in three long strides. The wolf glared up at him but didn't move.

Excellent.

Steeling himself, Harry grabbed it by scruff and tail and pulled it off the Slytherin.

Oh, damn. Blood covered Severus' face, running down from his greasy hairline to mask him in red.

"Severus?" Harry shook him by his shoulder. "Severus?"

"Ngh?" Midnight eyes opened. It would have been more reassuring if they hadn't been slightly crossed. Harry swore he saw a couple of stars spinning around in them.

"Come on. We have to go."

"Ngh?"

There was a low rumble from the werewolf. One paw twitched.

Severus' eyes uncrossed immediately. He grabbed Harry's hand, Harry dragging him onto his feet, and staggered towards the tunnel. Harry helped him down into the tunnel and looked back into the room just in time to see the wolf stand up groggily and shake itself off.

Yellow eyes fixed on Harry and Severus. The wolf growled again, baring its teeth.

Claws scrabbled on the floor as it lurched to its feet and charged.

Harry and Severus bounced off each other as they grabbed at the door handle: Concussed or not, Severus was the one who yanked the door closed with a crash that echoed away up the tunnel. It was followed by another, louder crash, as the wolf slammed into it from the other side. The hollow boom echoing away down the tunnel was even extra loud in the pitch dark.

"Lumos," said Harry, and Sirius' wand flicked into life even better than Harry's had done in the Shrieking Shack. Oh – that explained it, he realised as he took a better look at the wand. It was his. Remus had just chewed up Sirius' wand. He should have felt a little guilty, perhaps, but all he felt was relief it wasn't his wand.

Severus peered muzzily at it from behind the greasy hair hanging over his face, which looked even worse covered with blood. "Thought the wolf ate your wand?"

"I saw Sirius and took his. I was using it by accident – that's what Remus chewed up."

"Ha. Lucky. Maybe ironic, too. Ge' back t' you on that one… brain not working…"

"Come on. We have to get you cleaned up."

"Th's cut. Werewolf spit." Severus tried to wipe his face with his sleeve.

"Stop that," Harry sighed.

"Don' wanna be a werewolf."

Damn. That smack into the wall had really rattled Severus' brain. "Let it bleed – that'll help clean it out. Come on. We'll get you to Madam Pomfrey." Harry tried to sound comforting, but inside he was starting to get very worried indeed. What was the greatest threat: the concussion, or the open wound exposed to werewolf saliva?

ooOOoo

Harry was thoroughly sick of tunnels. That walk back down the steps and along the tunnel from the Shrieking Shack to Hogwarts seemed endless. Mercifully, Severus kept quiet and was quite docile. Harry kept Severus' arm over his shoulder to make sure the other boy kept up and, more importantly, to stop him falling over. There was something a bit off about Severus' balance. But as they continued Severus grew steadier. The howls from the Shrieking Shack behind them grew fainter and finally disappeared. Unfortunately the smell of blood on Severus stayed: thick, metallic and instinctively disturbing. They hurried through the dark tunnel in silence, each thinking their own thoughts – which were probably along very similar lines: Harry kept trying to remember how infectious werewolf saliva was (highly, was the word that came to mind) and if the infectious agent needed to be embedded into muscle by a bite or if it could latch onto a new host through a more superficial wound.

He'd been told that the best thing for a bite was to let it bleed itself clean.

Well, Severus seemed to be doing a good job of that; Harry worried if the Slytherin would have any blood left in his veins by the time they got back to Hogwarts; most of it seemed to be soaking into their robes by the smell of things.

He sighed with relief when the tunnel finally sloped sharply upwards. Severus was walking without help now, although Harry made sure he stayed within catching range in case the Slytherin stumbled. "Nearly there," he said.

Severus nodded. "Good. I've got the ancestress of all headaches."

"What day is it, do you know?"

"Well, it could be Saturday, but I think it may still be Friday. I met up with that arsehole Black at about ten-thirty. And I'm not concussed, if that's what you're trying to ascertain."

"I guess not – you just used 'ascertain' in a sentence. So I guess you might feel up to answering why you've turned into the sort of complete twit that goes haring off down tunnels on the say-so of someone who's got a proven track-record of wishing him harm, hmm?" Harry bit out the words. Now that the werewolf was behind them he was almost shaking with fury at Severus. And Sirius, of course – but Severus had been the one stupid enough to go into the tunnel.

"No. I wanna get out of here. Don't feel well."

Harry stifled a sigh. "We're nearly out. Hopefully the Whomping Willow doesn't try and kill us on the way out. Maybe it'll bash some sense through your thick skull."

"How'd you know about the willow? And Lupin?"

"I'll tell you later," lied Harry.

"Promise?"

"No. I'm still pissed off with you for nearly getting killed. No promises." And when Severus paused at the exit Harry grabbed his bony wrist and dragged him out. "Come on. I don't know how well that door back there will hold a werewolf."

That did the trick. Severus pushed him through and tumbled out after him. They scurried out.

"Phew," said Harry, lying on his back and staring up at the branches of the Whomping Willow as they lazily passed in front of the stars. "Now let's –"

The first branch nearly killed him. Instinct made Harry roll out of the way as the long branch whipped down. It slashed a furrow into the ground.

"Where's the knot?!" Severus yelped.

"I can't remember! Run!"

The second branch lashed out, cutting off their path. Harry looked up just in time to see the third raise and begin its killing stroke.

The first syllable of a fire spell was on his tongue when the branch quivered to a stop.

Harry gaped at the now motionless tree. "Severus… did you…?"

"No. I did."

The voice was eerily familiar. Harry looked around for the source and saw a slim figure with messy black hair throw a long stick away Light glinted off frames as the figure adjusted its glasses.

Then the figure pointed its wand directly at Harry and said, "Revelo veritas."

The spell hit Harry and washed through him as if he wasn't really there. It tingled a little, but otherwise had no effect.

"So," drawled the figure. "That's your real face, is it? I think I deserve to know why it's almost the same as mine."

James Potter pointed his wand at Harry again.

ooOOoo