Remus woke up with a gasp. He was huddled in a corner of the Shack, his face to the wall, completely naked, just like the other times he had gone from werewolf back to human. And just like the other times, his head hurt. It was already beginning to fade, though. Just like the other times.
So, why did he feel like there was something different, this time? Something wrong?
He thought about that for a couple more seconds and then groaned. Whatever it was, he would think about it later. Now he had to dress and go back to the school and his friends.
That was when he noticed the strange smell in the air. It was a thick, somehow metallic smell, and he couldn't help but think how familiar it seemed. What the bloody hell is this, now? That smell hadn't been there the other times.
He rolled onto his other side with a grunt...
...and found himself staring into Severus Snape's eyes.
He screamed and recoiled. What was Snape doing in the Shack? Had he somehow found out about Remus' secret? If that was the case, how had he got through the Whomping Willow?
"Severus..." Hands shaking, he made to lift himself up. "I...how..." That was when his eyes took in the rest of his surroundings. That was when he screamed again. That was when he realized what the source of that strange smell was.
It was blood. Everywhere in the room. The floor, the walls, even the ceiling.
Severus' blood. From his body, which had been torn to pieces with an animalistic fury, the pieces scattered throughout the room with claw and bite marks on almost all of them. The head was right in front of Remus, staring at him with lifeless black eyes.
"No..." Remus' body was shaking uncontrollably as realization dawned. One of his worst fears had come true.
"WHAT HAVE I DONE!"
XXX
By nature, Peter wasn't a hateful person. There were just a few things that he actually hated. One of these, was being around people who were arguing furiously. He could thank his father for that, those times that he and Mum would fight for hours on end with Peter trying but failing to block out their voices. That had stopped with the man's death a few months before Peter left for Hogwarts. Peter had dared hoping he wouldn't have to listen to people fighting anymore.
How vain his hopes had been.
"WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?!"
Peter had never seen James that angry. It was to be expected, though, with what had happened...
"I really don't understand, James." Sirius said. "It's just Snivellus. I mean, we...you never liked him."
"I DIDN'T WANT HIM DEAD, FOR FUCK'S SAKE!"
Meanwhile, Remus was sitting in a corner, naked and hugging his knees. He was staring in front of himself, without so much as making a sound, and didn't seem to notice the fighting. Peter didn't even want to imagine how he was feeling. They had tried to talk to him, even just to ask how he was, but he hadn't answered.
Sirius scoffed. "It's his fault, anyway. I didn't force him to come here. I..."
That was when James suddenly punched Sirius' face hard. Peter gasped. Sirius just stared at his friend, eyes wide and mouth open, as if he couldn't believe what had just happened.
"You really don't get it, do you?" said James through gritted teeth. "Teasing and pranks are one thing. But this...Merlin's balls, Sirius, just look at that!" He pointed to Snape's head. "Look at poor Remus!"
Sirius glanced at their naked friend. A shadow seemed to pass on his face, and he averted his eyes soon after. He looked as if he had only just realized what had happened.
"You think I don't care about Remus? He is my friend, too!" he mumbled, and Peter could swear he felt a little drop of shame in his voice.
"You should have kept that in mind before telling Snape." James moved as if to throw another punch. Sirius noticed this, and his hand went to his pocket, undoubtedly to retrieve his wand.
Peter felt a jolt of fear run through his spine. He had to intervene before they hurt each other, or worse. Swallowing his natural tendency to cowardice, he screamed.
"GUYS, STOP!"
Time seemed to freeze as James and Sirius stopped in mid-action and turned their heads toward Peter.
Peter gulped and stood, hands shaking furiously. "Please...stop for a minute, and think." He stared at his friends. "What you are doing...do you think it's good for Remus? Do you think he likes hearing us fighting?"
To be honest, it didn't look like Remus had heard anything of what had been going on. However, Peter was sure that screaming would be of no help.
"We...we are friends. We shouldn't be..."
"What should we do, then?" James suddenly said. "This isn't something that can be swept under a rag. We can't...we can't just pretend that it never happened."
James was right, of course. To begin with, Remus had just gone through a horrible experience. And Severus...even if they left the corpse in the Shack, or buried it in the Forest, sooner or later people would notice that a student had disappeared. And what if he had told someone where he was going? What could they do?
Peter then said the very first thing that came to his mind.
"We need to call Dumbledore."
A moment of silence, and then Sirius barked a small laugh. "Why not call the Aurors directly, then?"
"Sirius!" said Peter. "Think about it. He has always helped us students. And he is very, very intelligent. More than...than us. He will find a way to...to fix this. He will know what to do."
Sirius didn't answer. James, however, nodded at Peter's words. "Peter is right. Dumbledore is our best option."
Peter made a small smile. He was glad that James agreed with him.
"I will go call him." James added. "You...you two stay here with Remus."
