Chapter 28
After leaving Remus in the hospital wing with Madame Pomphrey, the other marauders developed a plan to follow Severus Snape and prove that he was a werewolf once and for all. "Okay, so sunset's in 30 minutes, so we have just enough time to find Sneverus before he turns. I have the map and the invisibility cloak here in my bag." said James as he reached in his red bag. The boys spent the week before finding the entrance and password for the slytherin dorms. James remembered that Friday night when they finally gained entrance.
"Keep up, Peter!" James snipped in a hushed tone. The marauders were tip-toeing beneath the invisibility cloak after dinner one night while following Severus to the hallway outside the Slytherin Common Room.
"I can't believe we're doing this. We could get in so much trouble!" Remus whispered.
"Sh!" Sirius said.
"Who's there?" Severus suddenly asked. The boys held their breath. Severus turned to a grey wall and said "Wolf's Blood" and the wall started to magically open like Diagon Alley. Severus stepped inside and the boys followed before the gate closed. The Slytherin common room was decorated in ancient green furniture and silver lamps. Malfoy, Domante, and a second year girl named Gina were gathered playing chess.
"Hello, Severus." Malfoy said.
"Hello." Severus said but he kept walking to a staircase that lead downstairs, presumably to the bedrooms.
"Hold on, now. Where is my essay for Astronomy?" Malfoy said as he got up.
"I'm not going to do anymore homework for you, Malfoy." Severus said.
"Now, you will or I'll have Domante beat you until that fat Pomphrey can't tell who you are." Malfoy said. Severus, who had his hand on his wand in his back pocket, quickly drew it and said expeliarmus and all three opposing wands went flying into his hand.
"Listen here, I do not take bullying lightly. Though I may not look like it, I am an extremely dangerous person with hidden and dark talents. I don't have time for spoiled daddy boys like you. Goodnight." Severus said as he dropped their wands and left. The marauders looked at each other in horror and left.
"See, Remus. He even said that he had hidden dark talents. I'm positive he's a werewolf now." James said that night in the Gryffindor common room.
Now, the three boys once again were underneath the invisibility cloak snooping outside the Slytherin common room. They approached the wall and said the password "Wolf's Blood" and entered.
"Okay, so the map says that Sneverus is in a room right by his bedroom." James said while analysing the map.
"Why do you think he's there?" Peter asked.
"It's getting close to sunset, maybe he transforms in there!" Sirius suggested.
"Let's go see, wands at the ready." James instructed.
The boys walked down the stairs and entered the boy's bedroom. James lead them accros to the uncharted room on the map where Severus's footsteps were stopped.
"It's 4:21. He would have changed by now." James whispered.
"Let's find out." said Sirius. Peter was practically white with fear. James mouthed the numbers 1, 2, 3 and shouted "Alohamora!" and the door swong open and the boys remained under their invisibility cloak. "Caught you!" James screamed, but the boys were disappointed to not find a werewolf. Instead the room they had opened was the boy's bathroom and Severus was taking a bubblebath.
A very startled Severus screamed "who's there?!" and grabbed his wand and a towel.
"Run! Run!" Sirius shouted and the boys ran away under the invisibility cloak. In only a white towel, Severus followed them through the invisible boy's bedroom up the stairs and into the common room where he was stopped by Lucius, Domante, Gina, and practically the rest of the Slytherin dorm. They all looked at him and burst into laughter. Severus turned red and turned around.
"Is taking bubble baths one of your very special dark talents, Severus?" Lucius asked while laughing. James, Peter, and Sirius managed to escape the Slytherin dorm and bursted into laughter in the hall.
"Too bad he wasn't a werewolf." Sirius said while wheezing.
"Seeing him covered in bubbles in the middle of his common room was satisfying enough!" James said back.
"Too bad Remus wasn't here." Peter said.
"No, Remus probably would have killed me for doing that to his friend." James said while still laughing.
"Let's get some rest before we have to go to that stupid Astronomy thing." said Sirius.
Around 11:50pm, all the first years from Slytherin and Gryffindor met at the top of the Astronomy tower. Lily was there with Severus who still was red from the day's events. James overheard him venting his problems to Lily.
"As I was trying to follow the invisible intruder, they led me straight into the full Slytherin common room in only a towel. I'm the laughing stock of the Slytherins. It was the most embarrassing moment of my life!"
"It's all going to be find. You'll catch the immature idiots who did that to you, I know you will." Lily reassured him.
"Okay, class, gather around the railing and turn your focus to the full moon, the eclipse will be happening soon." Professor Estrella said to his class. The class gathered around the railings and looked to the sky. James stood between Lily and Sirius.
"Wow, it's beautiful!" Lily admired.
"Yeah, it really is." James said.
"Really James Potter? I never took you for one who finds beauty in anything, just quidditch." Lily sassily said.
"No, I find a few things beautiful, trust me." James said as he watched Lily's glowing green eyes being spellbound by the moon.
This moment was interrupted when Peter Pettigrew, who was standing furthest from the railing because "He didn't like heights" said "Professor I think I hear something coming up the stairs."
"Don't worry about it, Pettigrew. Come admire the constellations." Professor Estrella said as his gaze was fixed on the moon.
James and Lily turned around because they heard noises coming from the metal stairs as well. "Professor, he's telling the truth." James said. The rest of the class turned to look what they were talking about.
A very annoyed Professor went to the top of the staircase and shined a lumos maxima. All he could see was two green dots, reflections of animal eyes. They squinted and the professor with a horrific realization screamed "Run!" Before the beast leapt from the bottom step all the way to on Estrella. The children screamed and ran to the other side while some grabbed their wands. They watched in horror as the werewolf bite the young professor's muscular right shoulder. He screamed and started swearing in Portuguese.
The werewolf got off of him and turned his attention to the thirty children. James and Sirius and Severus took out their wands and started to throw every curse they knew at the beast, but nothing seemed to slow it. He nonchalantly strutted to in front of the children and seemed to fix his gaze on Lily. The werewolf seemed to lean back, preparing to lunge but suddenly it stopped and laid down in pain. It gave yelps and seemed to be transforming back into a human.
"What's happening to it?" Peter asked from the corner.
"The eclipse!" Lily Evans shouted as she pointed to the moon, rather the black circle that was covering the moon. "It's changing him back."
The children moved over to their injured teacher and started escaping down the stairs, a very scared Lucius Malfoy the first to go. Soon only Estrella, James, Lily, Sirius, Severus, Peter, and a few others were remained when James noticed the naked man who was once the werewolf stand up before the railin. "What's happening?!" The man screamed frustrated.
"You've met your time, Frederick Greyback!" Professor Estrella said as he raised his wand and said "Flipendo". This pushed Frederick back, he flipped over the railing, and screamed as he fell down the long fall to the earth.
"That was for Katelyn." Professor Estrella said as he passed out in Lily's lap. The children ran to the railing to watch and were surprised to see just before he hit the ground, he apparated and disappeared in a black smoke before their eyes.
"He didn't die." James said in horror. They watched as the lunar eclipse ended.
"Come on, we must get the Professor to the hospital before he bleeds to death." Lily said. "Help me carry him."
"Does this mean that he'll turn into a w-wearwolf?" Peter asked squeamishly.
"Yes, but he still saved our lives." Sirius answered.
"He should be considered a hero." James added in an admiring tone. The children carried Professor Estrella's large unconscious body until they found Professor Mcgonagall in the hall. She sent the children to bed right away and transported herself and Estrella to the infirmary. Meanwhile, another werewolf howled and scratched at the walls of the shrieking shack, and on it's own flesh - Remus slept inside the beast, unbeknownst to the events that occurred that evening.