There was another thundering bang and a section of the wall flew towards the wolf, crashing to the ground at his feet and bringing with it a gust of wind that smelled delicious. It was a familiar scent, and he'd enjoyed ripping it apart the last time he'd encountered it. A deep growl of anticipation rumbled through his throat as he eyed the creature the smell was coming from.

It stood In the opening of the wall on its hind legs, holding a stick in one of its front paws, and it felt dangerous. The creature raised its front leg, pointing the stick at him, and a bolt of light shot from the end, hitting the wolf's front leg and making him yelp.

It hurt.

Springing from his crouch, the wolf ran at the creature, sinking his teeth into the leg holding the stick that had caused him pain and a thrill of pleasure shot through him. It felt so good to bite.

The creature made a loud, high-pitched noise which hurt his ears, and Moony let go, moving his attention to the creature's stomach and biting down again. It didn't take long for the noise to stop and the creature to fall silent. He wanted to keep biting until there was nothing left to bite, but another scent filled his nose, brought to him on a gust of wind and he looked back up.

It was Outside.

Everything he remembered from last time was right there. The soft, springy stuff that felt so good against his paws, and the giant plants that were so fun to run through, were tantalisingly close.

With one last longing look at the creature lying at his feet, the wolf made his choice and ran into the Outside. There would be plenty more delicious creatures, but this might be his only chance to escape his prison, and if he didn't take it, he could be trapped forever.

He smelled more of them within seconds and followed the scent into the trees, winding through the plantlife silently for some distance until… there. Just ahead of him were four more of the creatures, each of them holding a stick like the last one had been. He knew how much those sticks could hurt, so he hesitated, but the smell of four of them together was too good to resist for long and he burst from the bushes that covered his presence and pounced at the closest of them.

Before he could get his jaws around any part of it, though, he was hit by something that burned and he yelped, backing away as the four creatures surrounded him in a circle. They were all pointing their sticks at him, taking it in turns to shoot him with burning pain. He tried to dash out of the gaps between them, but they kept herding him back with their pain sticks, making noises at each other that he couldn't understand.

Suddenly, one of them dropped to the floor, then another. A moment later, all four were lying still and silent like the one he'd bitten before and a familiar feeling engulfed him.

It was safety, and warmth, and home. It was The Fighter. His pack must have followed him.

He turned his head to look for them, but all he saw was another one of the creatures, and it was holding a stick that was pointed at him.

Before he could react, the creature lowered the stick and made a noise he recognised. It was the noise his packmates made when they arrived every day, and the wolf stared at the creature in confusion, sniffing the air. The scent coming from the creature was the same delicious smell as the others and the urge to sink his teeth into it was intense, but it didn't feel like the others. It felt safe, not dangerous. Like a friend. Like a packmate. Like the Fighter.

He whined and tucked his tail between his legs. The urge to attack was overwhelming, but every sense he had was telling him this creature was the same being that had eased the unbearable loneliness his life had been before. Biting the other creatures had made them quiet and still, and he didn't want his packmate to be quiet and still.

The Fighter took a step closer, making more noises he couldn't understand, and the wolf flattened his ears against his head and growled, trying to make it stay back. The closer it got, the harder it was to not bite it. It worked. The Fighter stopped moving, but continued making noises.

Bite it.

It smells so good.

No.

The wolf shook his head hard and fast, trying to get rid of the thoughts. He couldn't hurt the Fighter. His first packmate. The one that had ended his loneliness. He wouldn't. But he couldn't stay there, either.

He threw his head back and howled at the glowing white circle in the sky, and then he turned, launching himself into the trees and running as fast as he could away from the temptation. Away from his packmate.

It took less than a minute for James to retrieve the Cloak from the passageway, bidding a quick goodbye to Peter, but by the time he returned, Sirius was out of sight. With one last glance in the direction his friend had been heading, he donned the Cloak and started down the path to Hogsmeade, walking as quietly as possible.

He didn't know who the masked people were, or why they were holding the villagers hostage in the street, but he knew they were probably dangerous. Good people didn't do such things. Well, except for Professor Tenebris, but she was a unique case. As he drew closer, he could see that Peter had been right. They all had their hands tied behind their backs. Apart from Evans and Madam Rosmerta, the rest of the hostages all seemed to be at various levels of drunk. They must have been the last customers of the night, kicked out at closing time.

There were two masked and cloaked figures standing guard, facing them. James could sneak up behind the hostages and untie them in the hope they'd be able to overpower the guards, but they'd probably had their wands confiscated and it was unlikely to work. He could get them all hurt, or worse. Before he could decide whether to try it or not, another figure walked towards the group from further down the street, coming to a stop in front of them and lowering the hood of his cloak.

He was hideous, with waxy, bone-white skin and eyes so blood-shot there was no white left that James could see. His nose was barely there, and he was as bald as a newborn baby. An air of evil hung around him like a cloak, making James shiver.

'You lied to me, Rosmerta,' he said, his tone ice-cold. 'I was kind enough to allow you to give me the information of your own free will and you thank me by setting a werewolf on me?'

'What?' Madam Rosmerta's voice was high and shaky with fear. 'I don't know what you mean.'

'There was a werewolf in that house. Don't pretend you didn't know.'

'I swear, I had no idea. You have to believe me.'

'I don't have to do anything,' the man said. 'And you will tell me how to get into the school, whether you want to or not. Bellatrix.' One of the guards approached him silently, her head bowed with respect. 'Show this witch what happens to people that disappoint Lord Voldemort, but silence her first. I don't want the whole street waking up.'

'It would be my pleasure, my Lord,' Bellatrix said, turning her wand on Rosmerta. 'Silencio. Crucio.'

James watched in horror as Madam Rosmerta fell to the floor, her mouth open in a silent scream. It only lasted a few seconds before Bellatrix lifted the curse, but that was long enough to leave the usually cheerful barmaid, a sobbing mess at her feet.

'Finite incantatum. Where's the entrance to the secret passage the students use to get out of school?' Bellatrix demanded.

'I don't know,' Madam Rosmerta sobbed as a plan began to form in James' mind. 'I swear.'

Gripping the pendant in his hand, as he hurried to the Three Broomsticks, James yanked his Marauder's Crest hard, breaking the clasp. He pocketed the pendant quickly before twisting the ends of the chain around both his hands and tugging hard to snap the chain into two pieces, placing one half in each of his hip pockets. He wanted to be prepared in case this Voldemort guy brought a second hostage. He slipped through the door and pulled off the Cloak, shrinking it before he tucked it into a back pocket. Then, with a deep breath, he sauntered back out onto the street, letting the door bang closed behind him to draw their attention.

Immediately, three wands turned on him. 'Incarcerous.'

Half a second later, James' arms were tugged behind his back and his hands bound together with rope. Shit. That was going to make his plan a little harder. He should have kept the chains in his hands.

'Identify yourself,' Lord Voldemort demanded.

'I'm James. James Potter,' he answered, making his voice sound scared.

'Come here, Mister Potter.'

James did as instructed, walking forward slowly to lend an air of reluctance to his actions, and stopped beside Madam Rosmerta. She was still on the ground, her face streaked with tears, but she wasn't crying any longer. Instead, she was looking at him with undisguised concern.

'Potter,' Lord Voldemort said, sounding thoughtful. 'That's a strong Wizarding name. You're a pureblood?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Will you help me, Mister Potter?'

'What do you want me to do?'

'It's quite an easy task,' Lord Voldemort said. 'I just need you to tell me how you came to be in the village tonight?'

'Oh, sure. There's a passage in the cellar of the Three Broomsticks.' He could almost feel Evans glaring at him, but he didn't look at her.

'Indeed?' Lord Voldemort said, turning his head to look at Madam Rosmerta. 'I find it hard to believe you didn't know about a secret passageway in your own pub, Rosmerta.'

'If I knew about it, do you really think I would have left it there? Risk being robbed?'

Lord Voldemort pointed his wand at her. 'Silencio! Crucio!' He smiled as she writhed in pain and James' stomach threatened to revolt, but he kept his composure. 'That will teach you to lie to Lord Voldemort,' he said when he finally lifted the spell. 'I hope you're not lying to me, Mister Potter.'

'I'm not,' James said. 'I swear.'

Lord Voldemort hummed. 'There's an easy way to find out for sure. You don't mind, do you?'

James tilted his head a little. 'Don't mind what?'

'If I question you under the Imperius curse.'

'I don't know what that is.'

Lord Voldemort smirked. 'It's not painful, but it will prevent you from lying.'

James shrugged, trying to look casual, though his heart was racing. This might ruin everything. 'Alright.'

'Imperio.'

All at once, all of James' anxiety and fear melted away, leaving nothing but a sense of pure contentment. The feeling was vaguely familiar, some distant thought suggesting he'd felt this way before, but he didn't care enough to chase it down. It didn't matter. Everything was wonderful.

'Is there a secret passage to Hogwarts in the cellar of the Three Broomsticks? Answer truthfully.'

'Yes,' James said.

'Tell me exactly where it is.'

'In the floor,' James said. 'You can't see the hatch, though. You have to know where it is.'

Lord Voldemort sighed and lifted the spell, causing all of James' feelings to rush back with the force of a tidal wave. He hadn't given anything away, though, thank Merlin.

'Finite Incantatum,' Lord Voldemort said, and the ropes binding James' wrists fell away.

'Thank you, sir,' James said politely, rubbing his wrists. 'Would you like me to show you where the trapdoor is?'

'Potter!' Evans hissed. 'You're not really going to do this, are you?'

'Silence, mudblood,' Lord Voldemort snapped. 'Mister Potter, do you know this girl?'

'Yeah, she's in my year at school. You won't hurt her, will you?'

'You care about her?'

James hesitated but decided to be honest. 'Yes.'

'Let's hope your taste improves with age,' Lord Voldemort said. 'Bring the mudblood, Bellatrix. If Mister Potter tries anything, she can pay the price. I prefer not to spill pure blood if I can help it.'

'No,' James said, pretending to be upset that the man was doing exactly what James had hoped he would. 'I've done everything you asked. Please…'

'Stop your whining, and lead the way, Mister Potter. You're embarrassing yourself. Corban, stay here and guard the hostages. I'll be back soon.'

'Yes, my lord.'

'I can walk by myself, thank you,' Evans snapped, pulling her arm out of Bellatrix' grip, and striding quickly to catch up with James. Bellatrix went to grab her again, but Lord Voldemort held up a hand to stop her.

'She's not going anywhere.'

'I can't believe you're doing this. I knew you were an ass, but I didn't think even you would do something this awful,' Evans said when she caught up with him.

'He'll hurt you if I don't,' James replied, loud enough to be heard by the two adults following them. Then quieter, 'Trust me. Please.'

They reached the door to the Three Broomsticks, and James led them inside and through to the cellar. 'It's just in here. One sec.' It didn't take him long to find the camouflaged trapdoor, and he pulled it open, giving Lord Voldemort a triumphant smile. 'There you go.'

'After you,' Lord Voldemort said, waving him in with his wand.

James acted reluctant, but his heart was racing with excitement. Everything was going exactly right. 'Are you sure you need me to come? It's just a straightforward passage.'

'You and the girl will go first.'

'She can't jump down with her hands tied,' James pointed out. 'She'll fall.'

Lord Voldemort pointed his wand at Lily and the ropes vanished, freeing her arms, and she rubbed at her wrists.

'Go.'

'Yes, sir.' James immediately jumped down before pulling one-half of his Marauders' chain from his pocket. The moment Evans landed next to him, he grabbed her hand, pulling her close. 'Take this and keep hold of it. When it vibrates, run,' he whispered directly into her ear.

Evans took the chain and tightened her fist around it, nodding seriously. 'Is it like your dorm room?'

James grinned. She was so smart. 'Exactly.'

They both wiped the smiles off their faces when Bellatrix landed in the passage, not wanting to give anything away.

'What are you whispering about?' she demanded, pointing her wand at them.

'She's scared. I was trying to comfort her.'

'Pathetic,' Bellatrix sneered. 'But what can you expect from a mudblood?'

Lord Voldemort was the last to lower himself into the passage, and he closed the trapdoor behind him. 'After you,' he said, waving them forward.

James hid his smile as he led the way down the passage with Evans beside him. He attempted to enlarge the gap between them and the adults by walking faster, but they kept pace easily. However, the faster they were moving, the more chance there was of them falling over when their feet glued themselves to the floor of the passage, and that would give him and Evans a few more seconds to make it around the next bend. With that in mind, he increased the pace again, right before he passed through the trap.

As he'd hoped, the adults sped up too, before coming to an abrupt halt, flailing their arms as they tried to keep their balance. The chain in his hand vibrated and James grabbed Evans' hand, tugging on it as they both broke into a run.

'Stupefy!' Bellatrix screamed, and a half-second later, a jet of red light flew past his head.

'Avada Kedavra!' Lord Voldemort roared, and James gasped as they rounded the corner. He'd shot a Killing curse at them! The sickly green light hit the wall of the passage and it exploded, sending rocks flying out in all directions, and James pulled Evans to his chest, covering her with his body so she wouldn't get hurt as small fragments pelted his back.

When the noise stopped, he released her and looked around. The ceiling had collapsed, blocking the passageway completely. Even if Voldemort and Bellatrix escaped the trap, it would take them a little while to get through it safely.

'Sirius said you're coming down the Three Broomsticks passage, so Tenebris and I are on our way to the school end in case you need back-up,' Peter's voice said in his head, and James let himself relax. If Sirius knew that, he must be okay.

'Come on,' he said. 'We've got quite a way to go before we get back to school.'

'We need to hurry,' Evans said, falling into step beside him. 'We need to tell someone what's happening.'

'Peter's already doing it. I sent him back before I came out.'

'Oh,' she said, and her voice sounded a little calmer as she continued. 'Good. That's good. What were you doing here, anyway?'

James shrugged. 'Restocking our butterbeer supply. What were you doing here?'

Her eyes skirted away and James knew exactly what she'd been doing; looking for the werewolf. 'I was just out for a walk. Couldn't sleep.'

He nodded like he believed her. 'What passage did you use?'

'This one.'

'Liar,' James said with a chuckle. 'You wouldn't have made it past the trap.'

She grinned at him, unrepentant. 'Why is the passage trapped, anyway?' You don't want anyone else to use it?'

'Actually, we think it's the one the murderer used to kill Professor Hawthorne. We were hoping to catch them if they came back.'

'So you don't believe it was Emhio, either?'

'You think she's innocent too?'

'It doesn't seem right, but the aurors wouldn't have arrested her if they didn't have evidence, would they?'

James frowned. 'That's what I used to think, too. But they were friends. She would never have hurt him.'

'That's what I thought. But I didn't see what I could do about it. No one's going to take the word of a thirteen-year-old girl.'

'We've been collecting witness statements from people she rescued from the lake to prove she's not evil, but I'm not sure how much good it will do.'

They were quiet for a minute, both lost in thought, until Evans broke the silence, holding her hand out to him. 'Oh. Here. You probably want this back.'

James put his hand out and she dropped the chain fragment into his palm. 'Thanks.' He pocketed the metal and then remembered what they'd been talking out before she'd distracted him, 'So, which passage did you really use? Can't have been the Honeydukes one, not when they're closed.'

'It comes out in a cave at the edge of the village,' she said. 'There's one in Honeydukes?'

'In the cellar,' James said, nodding. 'We haven't found the cave one yet. I don't suppose you'd tell me how to get into it?'

'Absolutely not,' Evans said, smirking at him. 'Bet we can find the Honeydukes passage before you find the cave one.'

'No cheating,' James said. 'You have to discover it from the school end.'

'Agreed.' Evans held her hand out and James shook it.

The end of the passage was just up ahead, so James took out his wand to open the archway, but before he reached it, it opened and Peter was standing there with Professor Tenebris behind him.

'Hey, Sirius told me where you'd gone. Are you okay?' Peter asked, walking up to him and reaching for his hand.

James took it and squeezed once, cancelling the alarm, before letting go. 'Yeah. Sirius and Remus?'

'They're both fine.'

'Where's the attacker?' Professor Tenebris asked.

'Back there,' James said, pointing down the passage. 'Stuck in our trap. There are two of them. Lord Voldemort, and Sirius' cousin Bellatrix.'

'Headmaster,' a gravelly voice said, pulling Albus from the depths of sleep and back to reality. He'd been dreaming about Ariana. She'd been warning him about something. A coming danger, but she hadn't been making much sense, and the dream was rapidly disappearing even as he tried to remember it, as dreams so often do.

'What is it?' he muttered, turning to peer at the miniature gargoyle sitting on his bedside table.

'Peter Pettigrew is at the door. He says it's urgent.'

The words sent a chill down his spine, and he was instantly awake and reaching for his glasses. 'Send him up at once.'

'Yes, sir.'

Grabbing the first robes he laid his eyes on, he pulled them on over his nightclothes before summoning his wand into his hand with a flick of his wrist and striding to the door. He reached his office moments before Pettigrew barrelled into the room, panting for breath.

'What's happened?' Albus asked, quickly crossing the room to him.

'People… attacking the village… broke the door open… Remus escaped.'

The boy was red in the face and could barely speak as he tried to get air into his lungs, which was no good at all. Albus needed information, and he wasn't going to get it like this. Thankfully, he'd studied a few books on healing magic in his youth and he flicked his wand at the boy, casting a blood-oxygenating charm to help him get his breathing under control.

'Now, tell me again,' he said.

Pettigrew nodded. 'There are people attacking the village. They have hostages, and they broke down the door. Remus escaped. Sirius went after him, and James went to see if he could help the villagers. He sent me to get you.'

'You did the right thing. Can I ask you to do something for me now?' Pettigrew nodded again, so Albus continued. 'I need you to alert as many teachers as you can, and tell them to go to the village.'

'What are you going to do?'

'There are a few privileges afforded to the Headmaster. Apparating within the Castle is one of them. I will meet the other teachers there.' With that, Albus turned on his heel, holding his breath as he was transported through the uncomfortable tunnel of apparation. He materialised in the centre of the village and found himself immediately under fire as shouted incantations came from all directions.

Albus was no slouch when it came to duelling, though, and he deflected the spells with ease before taking a moment to get his bearings. Madam Rosmerta was huddled on the ground, surrounded by five others in various states of inebriation. They would be of no use to him. The attackers were spread out along the main street, the closest were right next to the hostages. Two of them. Albus designated them his priority.

It didn't take him long to realise that these people, as menacing as they looked in their masks and hooded cloaks, had very little in the way of formal duelling experience. They were slow, unimaginative, lazy in their casting, and Albus was unimpressed with how little time it took to scare them into apparating away, leaving their fallen behind. 'Accio wands,' he said, when the last of them disappeared. He concentrated his spell on the street, and all the wands in the area flew towards him. He caught them one by one as they reached him before turning his attention to the hostages.

'Are you alright, Rosmerta?' he asked, moving closer. 'Here, let me cut those ropes for you. Diffindo. There, can you stand?' Rosmerta nodded and Albus helped her to her feet.

'Albus, you need to get back to the school. Two students. They took him through the passage in my cellar.'

'Took who?'

'Lord Voldemort. Except, he didn't look like his photo in the paper. His face, it was ruined with dark magic. Absolutely ruined. He's evil, Albus. And he's in the school. I tried to stop him. Told him there was a passage in that old boarded-up house, hoping the ghosts would get him, but there was a werewolf in there! They let it out. Oh gods. We need to get inside.'

'Professor!'

Albus turned, and almost sagged with the weight of his relief when he saw the eldest Black boy dashing towards him, whole and unharmed.

'Mister Black. Quickly. Where's Remus?'

'He ran into the forest. Where's James?'

'He took Lord Voldemort into the castle. Rosmerta, can you show me the passage they used?'

'He took them down the one in your cellar?' Black asked.

Rosmerta nodded and Black started laughing.

'Oh, James, you fucking madman. There's a trap in that passage. James will walk straight through it, but anyone else will be stuck.'

'There was another student with them, though. Lily Evans.'

'James wouldn't have left, Lily,' Sirius said. 'Not a chance.'

Albus opened his mouth to tell them that they really needed to stop wasting time, when he spotted a large tabby cat bounding towards him down the street and he paused, waiting as she closed the distance and transformed into his friend and deputy, Minerva McGonagall.

'Albus, what's happening?'

'The village was attacked by Lord Voldemort and his followers. They released Lupin, and he's loose in the Forest. James Potter and Lily Evans have taken Voldemort into a secret passage to the school, which Black tells me is booby-trapped to prevent anyone but Potter through.'

'And me, Peter, and Remus.'

'The point is unless Potter improvised a way around it, Miss Evans is likely trapped with Lord Voldemort. There is a werewolf loose in the Forest, and potentially victims in the immediate vicinity.'

Minerva nodded, understanding his message. 'Go, I'll deal with this.'

'Here.' He passed her the wands. 'Some of these belong to the hostages. The others are from the attackers.'

'That one's mine,' Rosmerta said, plucking one of them from Minerva's fist.

'Mister Black, stay here. Professor McGonagall will bring you back to the school when we know it's safe.'

Black nodded, and Albus turned back to Rosmerta. 'Show me.'

She led him into the pub and down into the cellar, pulling the trapdoor open when they reached it.

'Stay here,' Albus said. 'If I don't come back in twenty minutes, assume the school has been captured and alert the Aurors.'

She shook her head. 'That bastard tortured me with the Cruciatus curse. If he's trapped in there, I want a shot at him.'

'As much as I understand your desire for revenge, Rosmerta, I need you to return to Minerva. She needs to speak to you about the werewolf.'

'It's Remus Lupin, isn't it? He's a sweet lad. I won't tell anyone, Albus. You have my word. He saved my life tonight. Him and his friends.'

Skimming the front of her mind, it was clear that she was being honest. She never would have revealed the passage to Riddle. Not even the threat of death would have persuaded her to give up the children to him, and had she not had the 'haunted' house to divert his attention to, she would have died to keep the location of the passage a secret. She truly believed that Lupin's very existence, along with Potter's timely arrival, had saved her life.

Albus inclined his head. 'That is good to hear. His condition is not his fault.'

'Of course not,' Rosmerta said, rolling her eyes before jumping down into the passage.

Professor Dumbledore turned on his heel and vanished, and Peter blinked at the empty space twice before remembering he had a job to do and jumping back into action. As he ran down the spiral staircase, he thought about which teachers it would be best to alert.

McGonagall was the obvious first choice. She could turn into a cat and get there much quicker than anyone else. However, Flitwick was closer, and he was a duelling champion. Tenebris was also a duelling champion. He should get her too. And there might be injuries, so he should wake Pomfrey up.

With his plan made, Peter took the shortest route he could think of to reach Flitwick's personal quarters and pounded his fists on the door. Flitwick was frowning when he opened the door, clutching a robe around his shoulders.

'Yes?'

'Dumbledore sent me,' Peter said, talking quickly. 'Hogsmeade is under attack and he needs you to meet him there.'

Flitwick's face turned serious, his sleepiness vanishing in an instant. 'Understood. I'll be right there.'

Pomfrey was next. Thankfully, she was already awake, checking on a patient, and when Peter ran through the double doors and onto the ward, she'd taken one look at his face and summoned her cloak. 'Is it Remus?'

Peter nodded. 'Partly. The village is under attack, and they let Remus out. He's loose, and he's hurt at least one person, maybe more.'

'I'll take the new passage to the Whomping Willow and go that way. It's more direct than the path to Hogsmeade,' she said, turning back around and heading into her office.

Peter ran back out and pounded down the stairs once more, this time to fetch McGonagall. She came to the door in a tartan dressing gown, but when she saw who it was, she left the door open, moving back to her bedroom as she spoke, 'What's happened?'

'The village is under attack. Dumbledore asked me to fetch as many teachers as I could. They blew the door off the Shack and let Remus out.'

She returned from her bedroom dressed in robes and hurried back towards him. 'Go then,' she said before shrinking into her cat form and bounding down the corridor towards the Grand Staircase so fast she was nothing but a blur.

'Remus is okay, and exploring the Forest, but James took the leader into the Three Broomsticks passage,' Sirius' voice said in his head as he was running to Tenebris' quarters, replacing the previous message of, 'That was stupid,' that had been playing in his mind on repeat since just before he'd reached Dumbledore's office. He laughed, half in relief that Sirius and Remus were okay, and half at James' absolute lunacy.

He pulled out his wand automatically as he neared Professor Tenebris' door, experience had taught him not to approach her without it, but she didn't attack him when she opened the door, merely raising an eyebrow in question. 'The village is under attack,' he said. 'Dumbledore sent me to alert the teachers, but I just got a message from Sirius saying James took the leader into a secret passage that leads to the school, so I think we should meet him at the other end.'

'Where's the passage lead?' she asked, stepping out and closing the door behind her.

'Near the old Defence classroom,' Peter said, leading her down the corridor. 'In the dungeon. We think it was used by whoever killed Professor Hawthorne last year, so we put a trap in it like the one in our dorm.'

'Oh?' she asked. 'You thought the killer might strike again?'

'We thought they might, but so far nothing.'

His chain vibrated as they reached the Grand Staircase, and he shivered. 'Someone's stuck in the trap. We need to hurry.'

'Can you let James know we're on our way?'

Peter nodded, focusing on his anxiety-inducing scenario, and sent a message telling him they were heading for the other end of the passage. It was far more difficult to do than usual due to the speed at which they were moving, but he managed it. Their footsteps echoed eerily as they ran through the empty Entrance Hall before turning into the dungeon stairwell and dashing down the steps. When they reached the door that blocked the old Defence corridor, they stopped and Peter reached for the handle.

'Isn't that door supposed to be locked?'

'Yeah,' Peter said, pushing it open as he tried to catch his breath. 'We picked… the lock.'

She chuckled. 'Of course, you did.'

Peter led her to the section of wall that concealed the passage and noticed her giving the door to the old Defence classroom an unreadable look as they passed it. 'It's alright, there's nothing in there anymore.'

'You've been in there since..?'

'Yeah, when we were searching for a nearby passage.'

She nodded. 'So, how do we open it?'

'Aperimihi,' Peter said, and the archway opened before him, revealing James and Lily just coming around the closest bend. He walked towards him, offering his hand when he got close enough, knowing James would want to cancel the alarm as soon as possible. 'Hey, Sirius told me where you'd gone. Are you okay?'

'Yeah. Sirius and Remus?' James took his hand with a grateful smile, squeezing once before letting go.

'They're both fine.' Peter said, unable to make a more detailed explanation with Lily there.

Professor Tenebris walked up behind him. 'Where's the attacker?'

'Back there,' James said, pointing down the passage. 'Stuck in our trap. There are two of them. Lord Voldemort, and Sirius' cousin Bellatrix.'

She nodded. 'Are you injured?'

'Might have some scratches and bruises,' James said. 'Voldy shot a Killing curse at us and it blew up the wall of the tunnel.'

'Alright, Peter, can you take them to the Hospital Wing? I'll go and see if they're still stuck in the tunnel.'

'I can, but I sent Madam Pomfrey to the village, so there's no one there.'

'No doubt she'll be back at some point. It's too dangerous for you three to come with me.'

'She's right,' James said to Peter, then to Tenebris, 'You might have trouble getting through, though. The rockfall blocked off the whole passage.'

'I'll manage,' she said, waving them off.

The trip back up to the Hospital Wing was much slower than the trip down had been, and Lily started straight in with the awkward questions.

'Why did you ask if Sirius and Remus were okay?' I thought it was just you and Peter stealing butterbeer.'

'First, buying, not stealing. We leave the money. And two, they were out together doing… well, I'd rather not know what they get up to when they're alone, to be honest.'

Lily laughed. 'Yeah, that's fair. Were they in the village, too?'

'Yeah,' Peter said, thinking that was the safest answer. 'I think they were going for a walk around the edge of the Forest. They're not back yet.'

'But you said they're okay? Haven't you seen them?'

'No,' Peter said. 'We have notebooks we can write to each other in. He sent me a message that way.'

'How did he know James was in the passage?'

'He didn't say. I guess he spoke to someone in the village? I sent McGonagall, Flitwick, Pomfrey, and Dumbledore, so I'm sure they've defeated the attackers by now.'

They reached the Hospital Wing and walked onto the ward. It was mostly empty. Only a couple of beds were occupied and they had their curtains drawn.

'Are you hurt?' James asked Lily, dropping his voice to a whisper.

She shook her head. 'No, you stopped any of the rocks from hitting me. Thanks for that, by the way. I don't think I said.'

James smiled. 'Any time. Why don't you and Pete go up? I can wait here for Poppy by myself.'

'Are you sure?' she asked. 'I am tired, but I don't want to leave you by yourself.'

'I'll be fine. Really.'

'Alright. If you're really sure.'

'I said I was.'

She nodded. 'See you in the morning?'

'Make it the afternoon,' James said. 'I'll probably be sleeping until midday.'

'I don't blame you,' Lily said with a small laugh.

She turned towards the door, and Peter shared a relieved look with James before joining her. He'd rather stay and see for himself that Sirius and Remus were alright, but someone needed to go with her and make sure she actually went to Gryffindor Tower, and Peter was the obvious choice since James was injured.

He took comfort in the fact that James was probably wishing it could be the other way around, even more than he was.

Minerva turned to Black the moment Albus and Rosmerta left, handing him the wands. 'Untie the hostages and return their wands to them, but don't let them leave yet. I need to speak to them first.'

Black gave her a nod, showing he understood, and turned away to carry out her instructions. Meanwhile, Minerva had a less pleasant task to carry out. With no more effort than it took to blink, she melted into her cat form and sniffed the air, catching the scent of blood. Following it, took her to the house Lupin had been using to transform in since he started Hogwarts, and laying on the floor right in the doorway was the cause.

After transforming back, she cast a quick diagnostic charm and let out a breath of relief to find the man still alive. It was a small mercy. If the authorities found out what had happened tonight, Lupin would be in just as much trouble whether he'd killed the man or merely infected him. But the authorities were not going to find out if she had anything to do with it.

It only took a minute for her to perform the Memory charm, removing the night's events from his mind, and apparate him to St Mungo's. She deposited him at the entrance and left. Someone would find him soon enough. She had more important things to do than babysit a criminal waiting for medical assistance.

Further searching of the area revealed four individuals laying in a rough circle, all of them unconscious but uninjured apart from a few bruises probably caused by their fall to the ground. Black's work? Pettigrew had said he'd gone after Lupin himself while Potter had gone into the village. How had he duelled four fully grown adults and emerged victorious?

She shook her head. There would be plenty of time to discuss the how, when, and why later. Right then, she had a job to do. Four Memory charms later, she'd apparated them individually to different parts of Diagon Alley, leaving them to wake up from Black's (rather impressive) Stunning charms naturally.

After a thorough circuit of Hogsmeade, where she'd found two more unconscious wizards and repeated the same treatment she'd given the others, she returned to the main street to deal with the innocent victims of the night's events, arriving to find Filius and Poppy already there.

'Minerva,' Poppy said by way of a greeting when she transformed back. 'I've given them all an examination, but apart from a high blood-alcohol level, they're all fine.'

'Thank you, Poppy. I've dealt with the attackers that were injured,' Minerva said, smiling at her before turning her attention to the four wizards and one witch waiting for her. 'I'm sure you're all eager to get home to your beds, and I apologise for keeping you here, especially after such a horrific ordeal. However, it was necessary, because the werewolf that escaped tonight is a student of Hogwarts, and I must ask that you promise to tell no one of their presence here.'

'You can't be serious, woman,' one of the wizards said. He was an elderly man, going bald on top, and his face was deeply wrinkled. 'If there's a werewolf in the village, we need to kill it, not protect it.'

'Over my dead body,' Black said, brandishing his wand at the man. 'And also, don't speak to her like that. Her name's Professor McGonagall, not woman.'

'Thank you, Mister Black,' Minerva said. 'Your loyalty to both your friend and myself is commendable, but I have the situation under control. If I require your assistance, I will ask for it.'

'Sorry, Professor,' Black said, lowering his wand and his head sheepishly.

'Professor,' the witch said. She was a middle-aged woman who looked beyond tired. 'You can't really expect us to allow a werewolf to continue transforming in the village. I have children.'

'That's exactly what I expect. He cannot escape unless someone uses extremely powerful magic to open the door like they did tonight. And if that extremely unlikely event were to happen again, I would hope your children would be safely indoors where they should be on a full moon.'

'Of course, I keep my children inside on a full moon. That's not—'

'Do you lock their windows too?' Black interrupted. 'Remus would recommend that. That's his name, Remus. He was four years old when he saw a werewolf in his garden and opened the window to pet it because he thought it was a dog.'

The witch's eyes filled with tears. 'That's so young.'

Black nodded. 'Yeah, he was practically a baby, but he still frequently calls himself an idiot for opening that window. Doesn't blame his parents for leaving it unlocked, just himself. So lock their windows, yeah? Remus would hate himself forever if he hurt anyone, but especially a kid.'

She wiped her eyes and sniffed, looking torn.

'But that's not safe, either. A werewolf could easily smash a window,' one of the wizards said. This one was the youngest of the group, no more than twenty-five, with long blonde hair that needed a good wash and scruffy robes.

'He wouldn't,' Black said, turning to the man. 'He wants to be outside. If he got out again, he's more likely to run into the Forest than a house, as long as he can't smell people. He doesn't want to hurt anyone, but the smell of humans makes him attack. It's an instinct, nothing more.'

'How can you possibly know that?' the old man said. 'You some kind of expert on werewolves, boy?'

'Quite possibly,' Minerva said, deciding to back him up since he was doing a better job than her of convincing them. 'I don't know of anyone else who's spent as much time with a werewolf in wolf form as he has. I recommend you listen to him.'

'Impossible,' the man said. 'He'd be dead.'

Black rolled his eyes. 'I'm not in the same room as him. I stay on the other side of the door. He can't smell me, but he knows I'm there. If I'm late or don't come, he gets upset and hurts himself, but when I show up, he acts like an excited puppy, running around and howling. He has feelings, and he cares about me. He's not just a mindless beast.'

'He'd kill you if he smelled you though, no matter that he "cares" about you.'

'Actually,' Black said, tilting his head a little. 'He didn't. I went after him when he escaped and I found him. He looked me right in the eyes, and I could tell his instincts were pushing him to hurt me, but he fought them. He growled at me to make me stay back when I tried to move closer, and then he ran in the opposite direction.'

The fourth person in the group nodded. He'd been silent up until that point, listening to the others but keeping his own opinions to himself. The man was middle-aged and dressed in muggle clothes, setting him apart from the rest of the group. 'Well,' he said. 'I've heard enough. As far as I'm concerned, the kid can stay. May I go?'

'You can't be serious?' The old man said. 'That thing needs to die.'

'He's just a kid, Gerald. Stop being a dick all the time.'

'A kid that turns into a murderous beast,' Gerald said.

The man pointed at Black. 'He's just told you the wolf isn't murderous. Why is it this kid is braver than you? You should be ashamed of yourself.'

'Braver? Or stupider?' Gerald asked with a sneer.

'That's a bit harsh, mate,' the blonde man said. 'He's not stupid for being a good friend. And I agree with Matty, the kid can stay.'

'I'm surrounded by madmen,' Gerald said. 'What about you, Jonas? You haven't said anything.'

The last man looked startled to be addressed so directly. 'Oh, um. It's fine. I won't say anything.'

'No, you never do, do you? Fucking coward.'

'That's enough,' Minerva snapped. She couldn't abide bullying. 'Gerald is it? I'm afraid you've left me no choice. Stupefy.' She flicked her wand at him before stepping forward to catch him as he fell.

'Minerva,' Poppy said, her voice soft and shocked. 'What are you doing?'

'Are you prepared to let Lupin be kicked out of school because of one bigot?'

Poppy chewed her lip for a moment before making a decision. 'No one seems to need my services, so I'll be off now,' she said, turning away.

'That's probably a good idea. Potter and Evans led Lord Voldemort into a trap, and they may be hurt. Albus is looking for them.'

'What are you going to do to him?' the witch asked, looking nervous.

'Just erase his memory of this evening. He'll assume it's the result of the drink.'

'Will you do that to me, too? If I don't agree to stay quiet?'

Minerva looked her in the eye. 'Yes.'

She nodded. 'Alright. I won't tell anyone about Remus. Please, don't take my memory.' She looked at Black. 'I need to remember what he told me.'

Filius stepped forward. 'Would you all agree to having a Tongue-tying charm placed on you regarding the events of this evening? It's a simple charm, and won't harm you. It will only prevent you from communicating the information in any way.'

Matty was the first to agree, stepping forward with a careless shrug. 'Sure, no problem. It'll stop me slipping up.' Once Filius had cast the charm on him, he waved to Black. 'Hey, tell your friend thanks for the rescue, yeah? That Voldemort dude was crazy. Thought I was gonna die tonight.' Then he turned and walked off down the street.

Jonas was next. 'Just do it,' he said, screwing his face up like he thought it was going to hurt, which, of course, it didn't. 'Is that it? Is it done? That wasn't so bad. Can I go now?'

The witch stepped forward next. 'Do you mind?' she asked the blonde man. 'I need to get home and pay the babysitter.' Before she left, she nodded to Black. 'Tell Remus I'll lock the windows.'

Filius cast the charm on the final man and he left with a nod to each of them. Then they all turned their attention to Gerald.

'Would you like me to do it?' Filius asked. 'I don't mind.'

'No, I've already done this seven times tonight. Best only one of us is arrested if this is discovered,' she told him.

'For the record,' Black said several minutes later when they were on their back to the school. 'If you didn't already have my undying loyalty, you'd have earned it tonight.'

'That's good to know,' Minerva replied, arching an eyebrow at him. 'One can never have enough undying loyalty.'