Severus made sure to spend as little time in the dungeons as possible after 'that' incident. Which meant he had less time to spend with his friends from Slytherin, and spent more time with Lily.
Which was all right by Lily. She loved having her best friend back, but was not in love with the reason why.
She saw the clown. She didn't know what to think, but she knew that if what Severus had tld her was true…then everyone at Hogwarts was in danger.
And as luck would have it she was proven right. Nearly three days after Severus' encounter with the clown a student had gone missing. A Muggleborn 2nd Year named Richard Blake. Every effort was undertaken to find him, but so far nothing.
"It was that thing," Severus told her. "It took him."
"You can't be so sure Seve…"
"Lily I'm sure!" He interrupted her. They both walked into the library to study for their Herbology test. "We have to find some way to stop it."
Lily looked shocked, "Why?"
"What do you mean why? Cause if we don't that thing is going to take more students…and I can't…I can't lose you."
Lily sighed, she knew that Severus was right. "Why can't we go tell Dumbledore about this?"
"Lily, if we both went up and told him that some sort of shape-shifting clown was terrorizing the school he'd probably throw us both in the loony bin!"
Severus ran a hand through his hair. "I'm wondering if there is anything here that can help us." He got up and started walking over to the bookcases. "Ummm…Lily could you accompany me?"
Lily didn't tease Severus, she just quietly joined him so that they both could look for any texts that could help them.
While they went looking for that. In entered Remus Lupin who was early meeting his friends, The Marauders, to study. Or at least try to study.
Remus put his things down on a table and pulled out his second hand Potions textbook. He opened the book to the page about the 'Draught of Living Death' and began reading.
Severus was looking for a book about dark creatures, "Damn. There's nothing here!" He looked over at the Restricted Section. "Maybe if I could get over there."
Lily leaned on the bookcase trying to remain interested, but was becoming rather bored. That changed when out from the corner of her eye she saw a red balloon enter her view. "S-Severus?"
He looked back over to Lily, and then over to where she was lookin. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the Red Balloon. "Do you see it?"
"Y-Yeah! I see it Severus!" Lily tried remaining calm.
The Red Balloon seemed to hesitate for a moment before turning the corner away from them.
Severus kept his wits about him as he waited for 'It' to appear. "Keep your eyes open Lily! This thing can appear from out of nowhere!"
Lily shook her head as she pulled her own wand out. "Any spells you know that can affect it?"
"Riddikulus can weaken its image it uses to scare you. Expelliarmus is another one, and I think that 'It' is susceptible to any offensive type of magic as well!"
While Lily and Severus were looking around for 'It' to appear, Remus Lupin was entranced in his studies when from the corner of his eye he saw a Red Balloon float on by and stop right in the seat opposite of him.
He looked right at it. "Well, who do you belong to?" Remus asked to himself.
"Excuse me, Prefect Lupin? I think that belongs to me."
Remus recognized the voice belonging to the missing 2nd Year Hufflepuff. "Richard! Do you have any idea..?" He turned around to look at the horror before him.
Hanging upside down with his lower half missing was Richard Blake. His mid-drift was currently being consumed by a fully transformed werewolf. One that was familiar to Remus, of course it was…it was him.
Remus shot up and backed away. "You…it can't be! You're…you can't be here!"
'Moony' looked over at him. His jaws covered in the blood of Richard Blake, chewing on the flesh of the 2nd Year student.
"Please Remus, can you please give me my balloon?! It floats, just like me! We all float down there! And you will too!" Richard told Remus as if being eaten alive by a werewolf wasn't much of a bother.
Remus was hyperventilating at the sight of him eating Richard alive. 'Moony' looked over at Remus and in one fluid motion ripped out one of Richard's arms.
"Ow," Richard said nonchalantly, as if he was pricked by a thorn.
The werewolf threw the arm over to Remus, as if he was telling him to chow down along with him.
Remus recoiled at the sight and flinched when Richard's arm was flung over towards him. He looked over towards Moony. "…No…"
Moony stopped chewing and turned his head. The Werewolf snarled as it bared its fangs. Rows upon rows of sharp, jagged fangs bit deep into Richard Blake as he took a chunk of flesh out of him. Moony swallowed the chuck and flung the young Hufflepuff over to the side, right into the fiction section.
The body landed five feet away from where Severus and Lily were. She recoiled in fear as Richard Blake looked on. "Hello Lily! Hello Severus! Can you help me stand up? I can't seem to find my footing!" The visage of Richard Blake began to rot away as he laughed on.
Lily dug her face right into Severus' shoulder as she wept in fear.
Remus stood down from his alter-ego. Like Dr. Jekyll staring down Mr. Hyde. "I am nothing like you." Remus took several deep breaths. "I am not you!"
The werewolf began to growl menacingly. Its claws began to grow in size considerably. "You…are…me!" Moony growled back at Remus!
Remus with tears in his eyes lashed out at himself, "FUCK YOU!"
The werewolf charged at Remus overturning a table in his way. Remus dodged the beast as it lunged towards him.
He escaped into the row of bookcases as Moony chased after him. Remus ran into the row where Lily and Severus was. He didn't notice them as he ran in the opposite direction. 'Moony' rounded the same corner, and looked at Severus and Lily.
Lily backed up in fear as the Werewolf pointed at her, "Later!"
Severus instinctively stood between her and 'It.' "Over my dead body!"
The creature cackled as it bared its rows of teeth, "Patience…it's…not…your…turn!" He began to chase after Lupin, leaving the two of them alone for the time being.
"Okay Sev, I believe you fully now! Let's get out of here!" Lily tugged Severus away.
As much as Severus wanted to go with her, he couldn't. "Not yet…I can't believe I'm saying this, but we have to save Lupin! Come on!" Severus led Lily over to the opposite end of the library.
Remus ran for his life from his werewolf alter ego. He heard the beast behind him, and he dared not turn back.
"Hey Remus?" The new voice surprised him and he turned around to see that a Clown had replaced the beast inside. The Clown still had his sharp teeth and claws baring as he charged after Remus. "DOES WEREWOLF TASTE LIKE HUMAN?"
Remus was horrified as he accidentally tripped over his footing. The Clown reached for the Gryffindor prefect as his mouth began to widen. Remus could have sworn he saw a light emanating from its mouth.
"Sectumsempra!" Severus casted his curse at 'It' and its head came off of its body and fell directly into Remus' lap. Remus was frozen with fear as the Clown looked up at him. "Head's up Remus!"
Remus yelled in horror as he threw the head away.
"Yeouch! Watch it!" His body walked around trying to find its head. "Hey Buster! Over here!" The Clown glared at the three students. "Don't get 'ahead' of yourselves! You haven't beaten me! But you bested me this time!"
The clown's body produced Richard Blake's arm, "In fact let me give you a hand!" The Clown began to clap with the discarded arm as he laughed maniacally.
"You'll see! You'll all float down here! They all float down here!"
Severus, Lily, and Remus ran back out of the bookcases into the waiting visage of Madam Pince. "What is the meaning of this?"
The three of them turned back to see the clown was gone. Head and all. They also saw the massive upheaval of the library tables, chairs, books, and bookcases. Severus, Lily, and Remus all looked at each other. "Would you believe us if we told you a killer clown was responsible for all this?" Severus asked Madam Pince.
It was hours later and Severus, Lily, and Remus were all picking up the mess that was made from their encounter with the creature.
"A killer clown? Really Severus?" Lily asked her best friend as she leaned on the broom given to her.
He shrugged, "It was worth a shot." Severus looked over at Remus who was paler than a bed sheet. "Lupin, are you okay?"
Remus looked over at Severus. "Yeah, I think…I hope I'm okay. Thank you Severus."
"It's okay. I think we'll be okay…for now at least."
Remus looked down at the ground. "I just can't believe that Peter was right."
Lily looked at Remus, "What are you talking about? What was Peter right about?" Severus listened on intently.
"Peter told me for the past several nights he was being stalked by a clown, and we didn't believe him. I didn't believe him."
Severus looked at Lily, and then back at Remus. "Lupin, I think we are going to need to talk with Pettigrew, and soon. Who knows when that thing will strike again?"