A/N: Sorry about the late update! Work got too demanding!
Quick Summary: Lily and James have broken up! James is quietly devastated and this has manifested in his magic: unable to complete full transfigurations and subconsciously transfiguring quills into lilies (which he quickly turned into roses but have unfortunately wilted prematurely but he still keeps them), his potion also went very wrong. His Quidditch is suffering and Sirius has decided to take it into his own hands and has tricked Lily to meet him in the outer courtyard.
Lily is emotionally destroyed but was adamant about 'making the right choice' until Sirius got through to her. Remus has resurfaced from a brief spell of disappearance with a horrendous love bite and has been feeling sick since…
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I SPY, TRAP!
Remus tried not to stumble. Sirius may think that he needed to go see Madam Pomfrey but that was the last thing he wanted to do, all that he wanted was to see her. His love, if only he could find herWith one look from her beautiful eyes she could heal him of all ailments. His sluggish limbs were ready to dance at the glorious thought of her. He released a contented sigh that did not help his already labored breathing.
Quidditch practice had ended long hours ago and the time that had passed since was nothing except pure agony. Hidden away in an obscure part of the school Remus had pined the pain away, rocking back and forth, feverishly adamant that he was fine whilst fine tremors of emotional and physical pain racked his body. His heated mind started to pass in and out of consciousness and he began to lose touch with the outside world. The nausea was intense and inside something stirred, changed and moved. It was frighteningly familiar.
Agonized, Remus looked up to the window and saw a pale, sickly half moon. The sight might have comforted him had its incomplete appearance not felt so surreal, almost unreal. His body and mind chased the cycles of the moon. The beast within gnawed impatiently and it grew steadily before it was only a hair from tearing its way out yet the moon was incomplete!
Something was wrong.
His vision changed before him and his senses grew keener. The moon appeared to swell and swoon before his very eyes although it gained no more fullness and remained little more than a swollen crescent. Oh how that 'little more' tormented Remus' mortal soul!
With a kind of horror that he had never known, Remus cried out in desperation and pain. He wasn't ready to transform! It wasn't safe for him to transform! His human voice rang out weak but it was quickly swallowed by a more guttural moan. Limbs extended and joints collapsed and reformed with a design to become a deadly predator. Sinews twisted and strengthened and course hair sprouted. Impressive teeth formed a yawning maw that could crush fragile bone stretched forth under a snout.
James! Sirius! Help me…
With that last desperate plea, his mind was shoved and pushed aside, into a hidden niche and the 'wolf seized control. Sharp clawed and hackles risen, a werewolf crept within the halls for the first time in Hogwarts' history, slowly and purposefully…seeking the freedom of the night and escaping the confines in which its pitiful human counterpart lived in.
Blood. It could smell blood. A fresh kill beckoned and the werewolf followed.
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"This is bad. Very bad!" James paced the bedroom floor. Sirius had been gone a long while and James was immensely worried. He couldn't say what he feared more: Lily coming back brainwashed or Sirius coming back maimed, either seemed equally likely.
"It can't be that bad." Peter tried to console.
James tried not to tear his hair out. "Trust me it can be that bad."
"Padfoot isn't going to hurt her or anything. At least I don't think he would…if there was a chance that he would I'm sure it's small."
James wasn't too comforted by that. "That's not the only thing I'm worried about. What if Lily, I dunno, retaliates or she gets too pissed off? Seriously! Being on the receiving end of her Stinging Hex isn't fun and I know that from first hand experience-"
"Oh yea, I remember that, third year on the train, right?"
James stopped halfway in his pacing caught up between the painful memory and the thought of Lily and Sirius firing hexes at each other. This has got to be the worse thing ever! What was he thinking letting Sirius talk to her alone? "Oh God! I've gotta go save Padfoot!" With that he grabbed a cloak before thundering out of room and flying out of the Common Room.
The main doors were long since closed and bolted so James took several flights of stairs down aiming to exit via a secret passage from the dungeons. He stopped abruptly when something flickered out of sight around the corner. He stared at the spot where it had disappeared before approaching with caution.
A very cold breeze carrying the smell of snow greeted him.
In front of him was a door and behind it in the room beyond was an exit hidden behind a movable pillar. The cleverly concealed short tunnel behind the pillar led directly outside into the main courtyard.
But something was amiss…
Through the open door under the gloomy light he could see that the pillar had already been moved aside and the tunnel was exposed. Someone had gotten here before him but who else apart from the Marauders knew about this exit?
The answer came easily and James almost laughed at his own paranoia. The answer was of course Sirius. He must have chosen this tunnel for the same reasons that he had. Despite this he trusted his better judgment and entered slowly. It was unlike Sirius to be so careless and leave a secret passage uncovered like that and the air…the air that came through carried the freshness of snow but also something more…tangy…coppery even. He took a deeper breath but was still unable to discern the smell-
Wham-
James almost jumped out of his skin as multiple bolts of bars suddenly shot down from the ceiling and slammed into the ground surrounding him. A trap! He whipped around wand at hand but the surprise had cost him precious seconds and he was too slow.
"Expelliarmus!"
His wand flew out of his hand and clattered against the wall before falling to the floor, rolling out of reach. "SNAPE!" James burst out.
Severus emerged from where he had hidden in the shadows with a lamp in his hand. It cast a ghostly glow on his pale face and lit up James' predicament well.
"What the hell is this?" James demanded, touching the 'bars' of the apparent cage that held him prisoner. They were bars all right, solid and sturdy but it looked like it was made from…water? When he withdrew his hand it was wet!
"POTTER!" Snape seethed. "What are YOU doing here?"
"I could ask you the same question! And what is this shit? Let me out!" He slammed his palm onto a 'bar' but if anything it hurt his hand more than brought his freedom closer.
Snape cursed his luck. Potter had once again foiled a plan. He counted himself lucky that he was one to be well prepared so he had enough of the potion to make another Water Cage. The problem at hand was Potter; he couldn't let him be involved but neither could he let him out now. The loud-mouthed fool would have the school in an uproar in an instant.
Too many interferences and problems with too little time…
James hit the bars again bringing Severus back to the most unfortunate scenario that was laid out in front of him. "OI! GREASE HEAD! I SAID LET ME OUT!"
"Be mindful of your words Potter." Snape warned and for a split second he had ventured a step closer to James' liquid prison. It occurred to James that if he were to lunge out he might just be able to grab him by the neck-
Too late. Snape, who'd had his eyes firmly fixed on his must have somehow realized before James had even reacted. He snapped back and maneuvered himself way out of reach.
How had he known what he was about to do even before he decided to do it?
Suspicious James glowered at Snape some more. A smile lifted the corner of Snape's thin mouth. He was clearly baiting him.
"Still haven't figured it out yet Potter? And everyone thinks the wonder boy is oh so very clever."
James snapped his eyes from his and broke the eye contact instantly. He shook his head in disgust. One of the reasons why he'd always made at least a little effort in Defense Against Dark Arts lessons was because he hated the Dark Arts with a passion. Growing up with parents who dealt on the forefront of wizards and witches gone-bad had instilled the hate. Nearly every spell, potion and charm was innocent in itself (excluding the obvious Unforgivable Curses plus certain artifacts), however every single one of them could be misused thus easily turned into a Dark Art.
Snape had just obviously mistreated such a skill. Legilimency.
To be sure many of the greatest wizards in the world probably practiced Legilimency. He'd be very surprised if Dumbledore himself wasn't apt at the art but the fact that Snape was using it so abusively made it a Dark Art to James that instant and he hated him for it.
"Don't you dare try to pull something like that ever again!" He threatened.
"What are you going to do about it?" he swept his eyes over the watery prison for emphasis. "You are imprisoned and wandless."
Smug bastard. James clapped his hands together just once and then twice, applauding him with mockery. "Well done, fantastically observed. Would you like some House points for that?"
For all of James' bravado he understood that Snape did have a point. What could he do?
He had never wanted to physically hurt anyone as much as he did now. He would give up all his chocolate frog cards and maybe even his beloved broom for just one solid punch on Snape's face.
James closed his eyes and silently counted to ten and then to twenty before cracking open and eye. To his dismay Snape's pallid face was still there.
"What's wrong Potter? Praying?"
"Nah, I was hoping that if I couldn't see you, you might go away. Too damn wishful and optimistic." James sighed feeling that he would do himself no favors to lose control. "Look, Snivellus. As much as I would like to stay and play, I really must go, I have a date. Yes, a date. With a girl. Lily. The girl you will never get to date." He let his sentences come out short like punches, each punch was below the belt by any standard but James wasn't feeling too sensitive. It was all a lie anyway and since he couldn't punch him because of the sheer fact that he couldn't reach him, he might as well have a good dig around where it hurts.
Snape's jaw stiffened and he looked like he really had been punched bellow the belt. James took this as a good sign and couldn't help but feel pleased that he'd managed a decent dig. "She's out there waiting for me right this second, she's going to be almighty pissed if I turn up late. I'll even tell her it you and your stupid water cage's fault and then we'll see who gets it-" James paused observing Snape's weird reaction. He'd been expecting anger; an offensive reply in the least but far from it Snape seemed…alarmed.
"Lily is supposed to meet you out on the grounds? Where? When?" Snape demanded. If possible his usually pale face grew paler. His unexpected reaction surprised James and he didn't reply immediately. "I asked you where? Or have you grown so insufferably stupid to not understand the simple question?" His snapped his voice gaining volume with each word.
"I don't answer to snakes." James said stubbornly.
Snape's hands clenched into bony fists. "Potter, I'm telling you now that if she is out there she could be in some serious trouble, now tell me, is she out there now or not!"
Now it was James' voice that rose in volume. "Trouble? What do you mean trouble? You had better not be trying to hurt Lily or I'll have you skinned-"
"Listen Potter, tell me is she out there?"
But James wasn't listening, he was too angry to be listening. "Snivellus, I swear, if she so much as loses one hair I'm going to-"
"You wolf friend will be transforming tonight!" Snape shouted over James' rising anger.
James sat back on his heels, stunned. "Don't be absurd, full moon isn't for a few weeks."
"The moon is not the only thing that can trigger a transformation." Snape growled. He gritted his teeth. He'd already wasted a lot of time. The poison used on Lupin weakened him; accelerated his transformation so that they could retrieve his blood in its purest werewolf form. The potion was complete even with the blood taken from him in his human form but a few more drops of the pure blood made the properties of Insania Insoltus unimaginable.
The 'wolf was supposed to fall into the trap not this idiot!
This wasn't the only available exit although it was the easiest route to take. They had made sure the werewolf would be attracted to this site first so they could capture and prison him safely until they had what they wanted... But what if the werewolf had found another way out? The students were safe in their dorms and common room thanks to unseen charms and spell protection but Lily wasn't, she was outside!
James fell silent and stone still, only a muscle twitched on his clenched jaw. "What have you done to Moony?" he demanded, his voice dangerously low. "If you dare exploit his condition or hurt Lily I will make sure that it will be the last thing you ever do." He meant it, he really did. Anger coursed his veins.
"Where is she?" Snape asked relentlessly. "Where!"
"Let me out!"
Snape stared at him furiously before he wordlessly spun and ran out via the tunnel. He cared not for the thing that lay in the shadows of the tunnel and jumped over it before hitting the ground at full speed hoping to get to Lily first.
James threw himself at his liquid prison but it was as if he'd thrown himself at steel bars. He stumbled back his shoulder throbbing. "LET ME OUT!" He threw himself at the bars again. "SNAPE!" But he was long gone. He knew that Snape was a competent wizard but Lily…the thought of her being in danger killed him.
His desperation grew and he threw his shoulder into the bars again. A few more tries left him winded and absolutely fumingly furious.
"Think James THINK!" He clawed at his hair.
Wand I need my wand-
Any train of thought fell short of an emergency crash when he realised that he was no longer alone…
A creature slinked into the room. Heavy claws clicked on the stone as it stalked slowly and purposefully into the room. It didn't even pause as fresh blood drove it further in…and the smell of living, moving flesh brought its senses to a painful frenzy. It turned its head and looked at James with predatory yellow eyes.
James stared back. "Moony."
The werewolf sniffed the air, coming close enough to the bars for James to smell the damp fur-
Without warning the 'wolf lunged into the bars, its heavy body hit it with a force hard enough to create a resounding clang. James jumped back as it bounced off and shook its head, a guttural growl escaping from the throat.
Flesh…meat…it needed to feed…
James positioned himself away from all four sides of his prison in case Moony tried to take a swipe at him from between the bars. Changing to his Animagus form would do him no good while locked up.
The werewolf seemed to have something else on mind…or could sense something that was more attractive than James for it did not test the water prison again but moved away.
James watched helplessly as Moony disappeared into the open tunnel but the clicking of claws did not get far. He could hear slurping and the crunching of bone along with snapping jowls. His stomach lurched. Moony was eating something in the passage. The smell that he hadn't been able to recognise was clear to him now. It was the smell of blood.
Fresh blood from a fresh body.
Placed strategically in the passage to lure the werewolf there and maybe to something beyond…
James wanted to kill Snape. Puzzles pieces began to drop into place among his jumbled thoughts. Snape had planned for Moony to have a premature transformation; somehow he had influenced the change! James didn't know why but being stuck in a cage made out of water, it seemed obvious that Snape had planned to trap Moony in this cage. Except it all went wrong when he turned up and now he was locked up and Moony was about to escape into the open. Lily and his best friend were in danger!
"Accio WAND!" James roared. His wand twitched on the floor but his sheer need and determination won over and it soared to meet his open hand.
"Reducto!" The explosions that from the end of his wand was spectacular but to his dismay the water cage seemed to swallow the spell without once breaking. "Reducto! Reducto! REDUCTO!" Whether he like it or not the cage was not moving as spell after spell dissolved into the watery bars. "AAAGH! WHY IS THIS NOT WORKING!" He screamed, his breaths coming out in short gasps and bent over fighting for control.
He frantically tried to recall every potion lesson that he had ever had but nothing remotely close to anything he'd ever learnt resembled this contraption…
Water…Lily…water…Sirius…water…Moony… it had to have weakness!
The answer presented itself as suddenly as the cage. Fire.
"Flagrate!" Fire swirled out from his wand like golden fiery rope. He used the simple spell to draw circles around him, spinning as he did. He surrounded himself within the rings and spun so quickly that he felt like a cyclone made from fire. With an extra burst of strength he pushed the rings outwards. The bars hissed and steamed where the wild rings of fire touched it and finally torched it. The whole room was aglow and steam hissed until at last the cage collapsed in on itself .
Drenched James released the spell and ran to the tunnel, almost slipping on the floor as he did. The tunnel was empty… except for something that lay on the floor. A Body. He couldn't even tell what it was anymore since there was nothing left but some fur and a collection of large bones dripping with blood.
"LILY!"
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A/N: Whoo Hoo! I can't believe this is chapter 60 already! I never thought that I would get this far. I hope you all enjoyed! xxx
