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How We Ended Up Here


Albus Dumbledore ran up the path from Hogsmeade with Peter Pettigrew panting along behind him. Peter was flushed in the face and came to an abrupt halt when he found the scene before the Shack. Fabian and Gideon Prewett stood back a ways, wands raised, as Newt Scamander stood before them with his wide open briefcase directly behind him, clumsily rolling about on the ground, letting out great guffaws and snorts as the erumpent - huge and lumpy with her great glowing horn - stared at him with her beady little eyes.

Tina Scamander approached them, clutching a wriggling, growling, snapping little ball to her chest, great clawed paws swiping up at her from within. Her eyes were wide and fearful, “Oh thank heavens, Mr. Dumbledore, you’re here!” she said hurriedly, her voice quavering with worry, “I’m afraid something terrible’s happening - in the Shack, please come quickly!”

Tearing his eyes from the altogether fascinating display of Newt Scamander capturing the erumpent in the yard, Dumbledore turned and swiftly followed after Tina as she led the way back into the dusty old Shack, stepping carefully over the debris that were the front door wall. There came a crash upstairs and Dumbledore glanced up them curiously before stepping ‘round the broken beams and plaster.

They came into the living room just as James Potter was pulling an unconscious Severus Snape up from the tunnel through the trapdoor. James dropped Severus’s prone body onto the wood floor and dropped down himself, breathing hard, a cut across his cheek, his robes torn and oxford stained horribly across his chest with dirt and grass… his hair a mess, stuck through with a few twigs from the Whomping Willow. Sirius Black came up behind him, his face blotchy and tear stained amongst the dust and dirt patches that covered it. He quickly closed the trap door behind him.

“Dumbledore,” he breathed the name, seeing the man before him.

James turned to look, wincing at the sharp pain that went through his ribs.

Tina clutched Bradley as he wriggled, letting out little yipping howls as he struggled. “Where’re Remus?” her voice was laced with heavy fear.

“Down there,” Sirius replied, “Probably just waking up. James got him with a pretty good stunner.”

James nodded.

Dumbledore stepped forward quickly, looking Severus Snape over, then glancing between James and Sirius for a moment. His eyes turned to Tina. “Poppy should be just about arriving, please show her in, Mrs. Scamander.”

“Yes sir,” Tina nodded and she hurried out of the Shack.

Dumbledore looked between the boys again. “What happened here?”

“Snape was coming to see the werewolf,” James said quickly, cutting off Sirius before he could confess to anything at all. “I heard about it and I came to stop him from getting killed.”

Dumbledore hesitated, “Who else knows about this?”

“Just us and Peter Pettigrew, sir,” James replied.

“Did Severus Snape see the werewolf?” Dumbledore questioned.

“Only briefly… it was dark… and he… he sort of hit his head on a root in the tunnel, s’what made him pass out,” James answered.

Sirius was staring at his hands.

“And what part did Mr. Black play?”

James was silent.

“I told him how to get in.”

James closed his eyes, not wanting Sirius to tell Dumbledore, not wanting his friend to get in trouble. Sure, Sirius had done wrong… but it had been for good reasons, and he’d been through quite enough already, hadn’t he? But that would be quite the hard thing to explain to an adult who did not fully know the politics of the situation at hand.

Sirius continued, “I told him how to get in the tunnel. And when. And I planned to scare him. To…” he paused. His plan made no sense without divulging his greatest secret - all their greatest secrets - that they’d become animagi for Remus’s sake. Sirius’s eyes filled with tears. There was only one end to the means that would make sense. He looked up at Dumbledore, “I meant for him to end up bitten.”

James cut in, “You didn’t! You didn’t know Remus was out here!”

Sirius’s voice shook, “I did. I - I meant for it.” He looked at Dumbledore. “James did nothing but save him. Wasn’t involved in planning. He figured it out and came and saved Severus Snape before I could ….unleash the, uh, the werewolf. And he stunned Re--- the - the werewolf and - saved Severus. That’s -- that’s that.” Sirius took a deep breath, “So… go on and expel me.”

Dumbledore’s voice was calm. “We’ll discuss this at the castle.”

Madam Pomfrey came rushing in then, followed by Newt Scamander, carrying his briefcase. He paused in the door of the living room. “Is he alright?” he asked, skidding into the room. He looked about at Severus, James, and Sirius, then to Dumbledore as Madam Pomfrey ran over and began tending to Severus Snape’s bleeding temple without a word. “Remus? Is R-Remus okay?”

As though to answer the question, there came a vicious barking from below James in the tunnel, and the trapdoor jarred against the weight of him. Dumbledore waved his wand and the door stopped moving, even as the werewolf banged against it below. Dumbledore looked at Newt Scamander. “It does not sound as though there are any damages, Mr. Scamander.”

There was a crash upstairs.

They all looked up.

Newt pointed to the ceiling. “‘Scuse me. That… That sounds like it might be one of mine.” He patted his briefcase and turned, running up the stairs behind him.




Sirius glanced at James as they followed behind Dumbledore up the castle stairs to his office. His eyes were wet as he climbed alongside James, his throat aching as he looked about. This really would be it, he told himself, Dumbledore would expel him and there’d be no hope at all of coming back. He’d end up back at Grimmauld Place, back in that terrible bedroom… Walburga would finally get to cruciatus him to death and he’d let her. He wouldn’t even fight it, he decided, and he set his jaw with determination.

James looked over to find Severus Snape glaring at him from behind his curtain of greasy hair. He was scowling. James forced a tight smile and Severus turned away quickly, tugging his ripped cloak closer ‘round himself.

Peter toddled along several steps behind the others.

Dumbledore’s office was dark aside from the moonlight streaming through long windows. He flicked his wand at the fireplace and instantly the warm glow joined the pale blue moon… Fawkes blinked awake, lifting his head from beneath his wings slowly, looking over the headmaster and the four boys following him, and Dumbledore magicked extra chairs about his desk. He sank into his own seat as they shuffled about until they were seated before him - Severus, James, Sirius, and Peter in order, all bandaged up or healed by Pomfrey, still in their various states of disarray.

They all at in silence for several long moments.

It was Severus who spoke first, “Mr. Dumbledore - sir - they’ve been sneaking out of the castle all year, they’ve been concealing the werewolf in the Shrieking Shack. Sirius Black tricked me into going out onto the grounds --”

“Because you were reading my mind,” Sirius said, looking over, “I never said a bleedin’ word out loud, you nosey git.”

“The mind is not a book to be opened at will and read at leisure!” snapped Severus.

James rubbed his eyes behind his glasses.

“You were threatening us, threatening Remus. He’s been through enough!” Sirius shouted, “I was protecting what’s mine! PROTECTING WHAT’S MINE!”

“BY RISKING MY LIFE? BY FEEDING ME TO YOUR BLOODY WEREWOLF, YOUR WEREWOLF THAT SHOULDN’T EVEN BE HERE BY LAW!”

“A STUPID LAW!”

“A LAW PUT INTO EFFECT TO SAVE THINGS LIKE THIS FROM HAPPENING! TO SAVE PEOPLE FROM BEING BITTEN BY THE FILTHY WEREWOLVES!”

“THEY’RE PEOPLE! THEY’RE PEOPLE! YOU KNOW REMUS LUPIN WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO YOU IN EVERYDAY LIFE!”

“YES AND HOW PLEASED HE WILL BE TO FIND THAT YOU’VE USED HIM AS A WEAPON!”

Sirius’s eyes burned and he turned, wrapping his arms about himself.

Severus hissed, “Now there is a demonstration of true love, if I ever saw one. He must be so bloody proud to call you his boyfriend.”

“At least I didn’t have to use amortentia for him to fall for me,” Sirius snarled.

James rubbed his temples.

“Well he ought to adore you when he finds out what you’ve done!” Severus sneered.

Sirius closed his eyes and he gripped the hand rests of the chair.

“STOP IT!” Peter shouted suddenly, breaking a heavy silence that fell over the four of them. Everyone’s heads turned to look at Peter Pettigrew, stunned by the outburst. “STOP FIGHTING! STOP FIGHTING AND BEING MEAN TO EACH OTHER! THAT’S HOW WE ENDED UP HERE TO BEGIN WITH!!” He stood up, fed up. “You two are family, and you two only hate each other because you love the same girl! It’s stupid! IT’S SO STUPID! Sirius, this was a stupid thing to do to get back at him for being horrible, but Severus you were horrible to Remus! And Remus didn’t bloody do anything to you! Remus never does anything to anybody except be incredibly nice and sweet! And James has done so many good things this year and nobody has given a damn! You can’t blame him when he acts out! I know what it’s like to want attention for doing something good and nobody notices! Nobody’s noticed loads of things I’ve done! Half the time, you don’t even notice I’m in the group at all - nobody ever does! But James isn’t as used to being overlooked. And Severus, you tell Lily loads and loads of lies about him. She’s only just started talking to him like he’s a human being because of you! You know how many chances Lily Evans has given you to be kind? SO MANY CHANCES and you know how many chances she’s given James Potter? LIKE NONE! And it’s because of you and I’m SOOOOO SO SO SO SO SO TIRED OF YOU ALL FIGHTING! ALL THE TIME!!!! I’M TIRED OF IT!!!! JUST GET ALONG!!!! There’s enough fighting without YOU LOT FIGHTING!”

Dumbledore ran a palm over his beard as Peter sat back down, the other three boys - even Severus Snape - hanging their heads.

Dumbledore paused. “Well,” he said, “That pretty much sums up what I have to say on the subject, actually.”

James looked up.

“You’ll all serve detention for the next three Saturdays.”

Sirius looked up, eyes wide, “But sir, James’s birthday is a --” he stopped when Dumbledore glared at him. “Yes sir.”

“One hundred points will be docked from Slytherin and Gryffindor for the actions of Sirius Black and Severus Snape --

Severus looked up with wide eyes of disbelief and anger, betrayal upon his face.

“And there shall be one hundred fifty added to Gryffindor for James Potter’s bravery, and twenty for the efforts of Peter Pettigrew.”

There was silence in the office.

“Now -- Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, Mr. Pettigrew -- you will all return to your dormitory. Mr. Snape, I will need a further few moments in your company, please.”

James, Sirius, and Peter got up, and headed for the door, James’s lips pursed, his fists balled, knuckles white with frustration. Sirius scurried along behind him. It was Peter that paused in the doorway and looked back, it was Peter who spoke up. “Mr. Dumbledore,” he said. And Dumbledore looked at him. “Sir, doesn’t James deserve more than a hundred-fifty points, sir?”

Dumbledore said, “Mr. Pettigrew, we shall discuss it at a later time. Now -- pip, pip.”

Peter’s face burned in anger and he turned, pulling the door closed a bit faster and harder than he needed to.

When they had left - and they had paused long enough to be sure that they were down the staircase and past the gargoyles - Dumbledore’s eyes turned to Severus. He hesitated. “Mr. Snape, do you believe, for even a moment, that there was a werewolf on these grounds beyond my knowledge?”

Severus looked up and met Dumbledore’s gaze.

He sat down with a sigh, “I’m old, Mr. Snape, but I am not senile and I am aware of the things that go on in this castle. I am aware of the… competition… that has raged between you and Mr. Potter for these past five years, aware that you and your cousin Mr. Black do not get along. I am aware, Mr. Snape, of the things that transpired last year in the Lestrange Manor, when your mother, Eileen Prince, was murdered,” Severus’s eyes went down, away from Dumbledore’s at the mention of his mum, “And I know that you are under the erroneous impression that Mr. Black is at fault for her death. But Mr. Snape, he is not. He is not.”

Dumledore peaked his fingers before his mouth a moment, watching Snape very carefully.

Severus stared at the desk’s wood surface, his eyes moving over the grain.

“You put a lot of stock, Mr. Snape, in blood - in purity of blood - although you yourself are only half-blood, am I correct?”

Snape nodded slowly.

“And isn’t it true that Miss. Evans, the girl whom you and James have both chased tirelessly after for five years -- isn’t it true that she is of muggle birth?”

Severus nodded again.

“There is so much more to this life than blood, Severus.”

Severus closed his eyes.

“I must now request of you a favor, and a very important one indeed, Mr. Snape,” Dumbledore said, standing up, “And it will be entirely up to you to choose whether you shall keep it or you shall pass the opportunity to do me this honor by.” Dumbledore’s hands were on his desk’s surface and he cleared his throat so that Severus would look up at him. “For twenty nine days a month, Remus Lupin is a boy. A half-blood boy with no mother and no father. He is a boy with no home to speak of, except an empty four walls and artefacts of a life he once had. He is a boy with little to call his own, with threadbare clothes. He is a boy who doubts his self-worth, who questions if he is good or if he is evil, who fears being unloved because of what he is.” Dumbledore looked very, very hard at Severus. “Does that not sound familiar to you?”

Severus’s jaw trembled ever so slightly.

Dumbledore came ‘round the desk and he sat down in the seat James had just left, facing Severus, even with Severus - no longer asking as a figurehead, no longer asking as headmaster of the school, but as an equal, eye-to-eye, even with Severus. “Please, Mr. Snape, do not speak of this night - of Mr. Lupin’s condition - to anyone. It is desperately important. Everyone deserves a chance in this life, Mr. Snape, even the poor, orphaned boys whose lives are not always under their control, who have darkness living in their souls. Give Mr. Lupin the chance that I continuously give to you.”

And Dumbledore reached out and took Severus Snape’s left hand in his.

He turned his hand over.

The pale wrist was bare.

Dumbledore’s eyes met Severus’s. “No matter what, Severus, so long as I am the headmaster of this school -- Hogwarts will always be here to welcome you home.”