[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
Werewolf on the Grounds


James lay, sprawled on the ground where he’d landed when Remus had shoved him, staring up at his friend, eyes wide in horror. He’d never imagined the transformation that Remus went through to be such a terrible thing as what he was seeing right now. Remus’s mouth was open wide in a silent scream that, had it been audible, would have been most ear-splitting, the agony on his face was quite obvious. Remus’s spine cracked so loud that James could literally, actually hear the vertebrae snapping. It was the most sickening sound he’d ever heard in his life.

Remus fell to his knees and clutched at the grass, his fingers digging into the dirt, fur started sprouting all over him, and his neck got bigger and his face seemed to swell out into a snout and James saw, reflecting the moonlight, long, sharp teeth grow from his gums and over his elongated human chin… and then that grew fur, too, and his nose smoothed and turned black and wet and his eyes yellow and the shapes of the pupils altered and ears… tail… claws…

James crawled backwards frantically, suddenly realizing that he was no longer looking at his friend, Remus Lupin, he was looking at a bloody werewolf and there was spittle dripping from his teeth and lips, hungry drool falling… Remus had already smelled the blood… And the werewolf was ravenous for it. The werewolf licked it’s lips and it looked at James, coming towards him menacingly.

James looked around, trying to form a plan, trying to figure out what to do, how he’d escape without being eaten… The werewolf started toward him. James rolled out of the way just as the wolf went to pounce upon his prey and he jumped up onto his feet and ran for the Whomping Willow, praying that Peter had got the tunnel open. They could get in the tunnel and close it, James thought wildly, lock the werewolf out of the tunnel and they’d be safe. It was the only way!

“GET IN THE TUNNEL! GET IN THE TUNNEL!” James shouted as he approached the Whomping Willow, but Peter was still standing at the edge of the leaves, which were still twitching in anger, throwing rocks. He hadn’t got it open yet. James looked over his shoulder. The werewolf was following him, yellow eyes ablaze. There was no time. “PETER - RUN!” James yelled.

Peter turned to see - saw James and the wolf - and he let out a terrified squeak and -- it looked as though he’d disappeared again, like he had done in February in the snow with Greyback, but this time James knew there was probably a fat rat in the grass just where Peter had been.

James ran, bending to grab rocks as he approached and he aimed, though poorly, chucking rocks desperately into the dark under the tree, unable to pause in his running long enough to do it right. It was hard under normal circumstances to hit that knot. It was even harder with the break of a werewolf coming up behind you… What he wouldn’t have done at that moment for Mr. New Scamander’s werewolf whistle! He ran out of rocks and he turned to see the wolf leaping through the air toward him and he winced, closing his eyes and holding up his arms to block his face as the werewolf leaped at him, knocking him down, his claws extended, gripping onto James’s shoulder. There was a struggling lump under James’s back and he realized he’d landed on Peter in his rat form. He tried to arch his back to keep from smashing Peter flat, but the weight of the wolf on him was heavy and he could smell the horrible breath and he thought of the way Fenrir Greyback had played with him, threatening to bite him, and he stared up at this werewolf, such a different experience than it had been with Greyback… but equally terrible. After all, this werewolf… this one was one of his best mates.

The wolf bared its teeth.

James squeezed his eyes shut.

“REMUS -- NO!”

Sirius’s voice rang through the dark.

He’s just come scrambling out of the tunnel, having gone looking for Remus. He’d run the entire way from Hogsmeade in that tunnel, and his breath was still raw in his throat. He ran from the mouth of the tunnel, still in human form, and dashed forward toward where the werewolf had pinned James to the ground.

Sirius rushed forward, tackling Remus ‘round the neck and plowing him over with all his body weight, knocking him off James’s chest. They tumbled over one another, wolf over boy over wolf over boy, rolling a little way down the hill. James rolled, too, freeing Peter and the rat raced beneath the leaves of the Whomping Willow hurriedly.

Sirius grabbed onto Remus’s fur, his fingers tight in the hair, holding on for dear life as the werewolf snapped and snarled and tried to bite him. “IT’S ME, REY! It’s me!” Sirius cried, desperately. “C’mon, come back to me! Come back to me!” They were nearly to the bottom of the hill now, still rolling over one another, Sirius’s legs clamped ‘round the middle of the wolf, keeping himself pressed against his back to keep the mouth and snout away from him as much as possible. Sirius’s back smashed into the ground each time they flipped over. Finally, they’d reached the bottom and the rolling stopped and Remus struggled to pull away from Sirius, drool flying from the snout of the werewolf’s bright teeth. Sirius scrambled the opposite direction, giving himself some space and so he could transform into his animagus form as the werewolf regained his balance from the fall...

James was running down the hill, “SIRIUS!” he shouted, scared for his friend.

“GO BACK TO THE CASTLE!” Sirius bellowed, but James didn’t hear him and he continued on down the hill, thinking he was helping. “Facing a werewolf and he still hasn’t drawn his bloody wand, the idiot!” Sirius groaned. Knowing the only way to remedy this was as Remus’s alpha, Sirius got himself between the werewolf and James’s stupid form running down the hill and he transformed into Snuffles.

“I’m coming Sirius!” James called.

The werewolf had finally regained his balance and he snarled and turned to face the shaggy black dog, his hungry eyes on James over his shoulder. This was more than a fight for a bag of chips, like last time the dogs had fought over food. James was much, much bigger prey. Sirius’s hackles were raised. The werewolf’s were, too, and his teeth bared… both dogs growling lowly at one another, Sirius trembling with the effort to look as menacing as the werewolf did.

James stopped dead in his tracks a few feet away, his eyes wide, and he realized suddenly that coming down the hill had been a very bad idea indeed and he started to back away again.

Suddenly, the werewolf leaped forward and Sirius jumped up and they met each other in the middle, both dogs standing on hind legs, their front paws swiping at each other’s faces violently, their jaws open wide at each other, both sets of fangs long and horrible, though the wolf’s was much longer and much sharper than the shaggy dog’s and James felt sick and stepped on a stick, which cracked beneath his feet and he looked down and for a fleeting moment thought it was his wand but realized it was only a stick.

His wand.

He reached into his pocket and drew the wand, aiming it at the wolf and dog, his hand shaking. He had to help Sirius, but - but they were a tangled mess of grey and black and passing in and out of shadow in the edge of the trees and James didn’t know where to aim. Suddenly Peter had run up beside him, human again, and he, too, had his wand raised and they both watched the dogs fighting, scrambling over one another, snapping and growling. “I can’t aim good! They keep moving!” Peter wailed.

“I know!” James cried. He didn’t dare shoot a stunner, afraid he’d hit Sirius… he wouldn’t be able to fend off the wolf if he was stunned, and the werewolf would bite him no doubt - and not a gentle bite, either. This was a wolf ready to kill.

“What do we do?” Peter asked.

“I dunno!” James answered.

So they stood helplessly, watching, as Sirius fought on against the werewolf, ducking and only just avoiding being bitten in the neck multiple times. He turned and the two of them slammed into a tree, knocking the werewolf over sharply and Sirius used the moment of weakness to his advantage, leaping at him and slamming him into the tree a second time, knocking the wind from the wolf. He went for the neck, grabbing on with his jaw tight and shaking the werewolf violently for a moment.

Peter squeaked, covering his eyes, “Don’t kill him!” he cried, “Don’t kill Remus!”

But the werewolf went limp, not dead, just lying still beneath the dog, panting, catching its breath. The dog held onto the wolf’s neck tightly for several long moments, then released and looked over at James and Peter. He stared deeply at James, then turned his head to the castle.

“He’s telling us to go,” James said.

“But --”

“I think he’s okay,” James’s voice was trembling. “I think Sirius won.”

Peter shivered.

“C’mon.” James grabbed Peter’s forearm and pulled him away, up the hill, toward the castle.

Sirius watched them go for several long moments, then he turned and looked down at the werewolf, laying beneath his feet.

Alpha. Sirius repeated lowly in his mind.

Beta… the wolf responded.

Sirius gently reached down and nudged the werewolf gently with his muzzle. Remus.

But the werewolf didn’t answer, his muscles trembled.

C’mon back to me, Rey… c’mon.

Sirius realized it just wasn’t going to be a good night. He slowly backed off the werewolf’s body, letting him up so he could breathe properly. Follow, he commanded and he turned into the line of the trees of the Forbidden Forest, pausing to be sure the werewolf followed… The wolf stared up at the castle, breathing in the air hungrily. Not food, Sirius thought sternly. Follow Alpha.

The werewolf hesitated and Sirius worried he might have to fight again - he wasn’t sure he had the energy to win a second time - but finally the wolf turned about and walked over to where Sirius was waiting in the trees.




James and Peter snuck into the Great Hall. James’s robes were torn and dirty and he had a scrape on his cheek. They slid onto the bench at the Gryffindor table, trying to be discreet as possible. They’d missed the Sorting Hat’s song, the sorting had already begun and McGonagall was half way though - calling out the name of Josiah Lemmon - as they sank into their places.

Lily Evans glanced over her shoulder at them, shaking her head at their lateness… and then did a double take when she saw the state of James.

What happened? she mouthed the words to him as she clapped politely for Josiah Lemmon becoming a Hufflepuff.

Remus, James mouthed back and Lily’s eyes widened.