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Green Light Filled The Corridor


“GIve me a reason to do it, Snivellus.”

With Sirius’s wand pressed into his jugular, it was quite hard to Snape to speak. “You wouldn’t,” Severus breathed, looking directly into Sirius’s face as he said the words. A part of him sort of wanted Sirius to do it.

Sirius pressed the wand tighter. “Try me, Snape.”

“If you weren’t too coward to do it,” Severus choked ‘round the wand tip pressing to his throat, “You would have done it already.”

Sirius’s fist trembled. “Go on. Call me a coward again. I fucking dare you.”

“Coward,” whispered Severus.

Sirius’s body jolted in reaction, turning to shove Severus Snape into the wall, knocking several books over from a table, as well as a funny potted plant, whose leaves instantly started to drag itself away rather frantically as Severus and Sirius nearly stepped upon it in their forray. Sirius pressed his forearm across Severus’s throat, barring him to the wall. “I have the right mind to finish you off right here and now --”

Then Lily’s voice came from behind the shelves, “Sirius.” Sirius hesitated, glancing over his shoulder at the shelves she hid behind. He could see her eyes peering between book spines at him, imploringly. He scowled, then let Severus go, backing up, but keeping his wand trained on him. “What do you want?” he snarled.

Severus rubbed his throat as the feeling of Sirius shoving against it lifted and he stood upright. He glared at Sirius, then hastened to step ‘round the shelves to see Lily. Shadows cast over the floor, across her face, and over James Potter’s body as he lay there, struggling to breathe. Lily had one hand’s fingers tangled with his, her other palm lay on his chest, right over his heart. She stared up at Severus Snape.

For a moment, Severus stared down at James. He felt sick at the sight of Lily’s hand on his chest - chipped red nail polish as bright against it as the welts and cuts on his skin. To his credit - for a moment, however fleeting of one it was - Severus felt bad for what he’d done. In his head, he saw a flash of James standing over him in the darkness of the tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow, protecting him, arms outstretched to block the snarling werewolf…

James Potter had saved his life, there was no denying that.

And now it was time to return the favor.

“He’s dying,” Snape said.

Lily’s eyes, already wide with tears, went even wider. “Don’t say that!” she snapped, “It’s your fault if he is, being as you’re the one that sent him to the Dark Lord! After what he did for you last year…” Then her voice went ice-cold. “Or are you going to come up with some lie about how he blew up that dock himself and turned himself over to the Dark Lord?”

Severus didn’t say anything.

Sirius’s wand touched Severus’s spine from behind as he crowded ‘round the shelves. “And how are we to know you haven’t called You Know Who already, right now, to have him come down here?” he demanded.

Severus hissed at the feeling of Sirius Black so close as he was, “I haven’t.”

“Then why are you here? Skulking about? Looking for us?” Sirius demanded, “Just haven’t called him yet?”

“We’re all looking for you. Every Death Eater in the castle’s been summonsed to search for you. He knows you can’t have gone far - you can’t disapparate out of Durmstrang. You can disapparate here and there within the underground - up the fjord and around the castle, everything they’ve built here beneath the land - but you can’t go above ground from here anyway except for one. You’re trapped. You’re trapped and every bloody Death Eater there is is on their way.” Severus looked between Lily and Severus.

“Oh no,” Lily breathed.

Sirius felt his throat go tight. He’d been hoping to disapparate them to the Morris Mini at least.

“If you’re going to get him out of here, you’re going to need help.” Severus paused, then wrenched away from the touch of Sirius’s wand, glaring at him. “If you’re going to get him out of here, you’re going to need me.”




Igor Karkaroff - the real Igor Karkaroff - looked at the other Igor Karkaroff - the Maryrose Igor Karkaroff - with a rather shocked expresion. For a moment, he wasn’t sure exactly what he was seeing. Remus Lupin also stared at the two Karkaroffs with an equally shocked expression. In the moment, he realized that he ought to use his wand - and he lifted his wand arm and shouted, “Stupefy!”

A jet of sparks went across the room, but unfortunately Igor Karkaroff came to himself before they could strike him. He ducked ‘round the sparks easily, and they sailed away into the hall behind him. There was a loud shout from the hall and a thump and Remus realized his spell had hit somebody else, somebody following Karkaroff up the stairs…

Peter covered his mouth in surprise as the real Karkaroff announced, “Two can play at this game,” and he jabbed at the air with his own strike. Remus waved a protego charm into place and the spell Karkaroff had sent bounced off the shield and rebounded toward himself. He threw his own protego up - hasty with the angle of it in his speed - and the jet of light ricocheted and struck the other Karkaroff hard in the gut, and sent Maryrose to the floor of the office with force, knocking the wind right out of her.

At this, Karkaroff chuckled and as Remus hurried to see that Maryrose was alright, he shouted, “Expelliarmus!” and Remus Lupin’s wand slipped from his grasp.

“No!” Remus cried and he grappled at the wand as it left his hand and into Karkaroff’s waiting fist.

Peter stared, wild eyed and terrified.

Karkaroff stepped away from the frame of the door, then, and through the door came several figures and Remus’s stomach turned at the sight of them. Rosier, Mulciber, McNair, and Avery. The bullies whose faces he’d rather to have never seen again for all of his life, live and here in the flesh. He stood, just paces from Maryrose, who groaned as she pushed herself from the floor, struggling to get upright.

Accio wand,” said Avery, seeing Maryrose’s wand on the stone, where it had landed when she cried out in the shock of the strike from Karkaroff. Avery grinned as he caught the wand from the air and Mulciber slapped him a high-five of approval.

Rosier grinned at Remus Lupin’s stunned expression. “Well, what a surprise seeing you, Pufferfish!” he snickered. “Dueled your little bitch not an hour ago!”

“Sirius?” Remus asked in surprise.

Rosier grinned, then, slyly, “Should’ve seen what the Dark Lord did to him!”

A great array of horrific ideas went through Remus’s mind and his heart caught fire in his chest and he wished more than anything that he had his wand at that moment for he could’ve torn that tower apart if only he’d had something to conduct the angry power within him at that moment.

And Rosier waved his wand, knocking Remus down rather forcefully. He managed to catch himself so that instead of falling backward, he went down and landed on his knees - hard - and Remus winced at the pain of the stones jolted up his bones and into his hips, bringing tears to his eyes.

“What are you wincing for, Pufferfish,” Rosier laughed, “Should be used to that position, shouldn’t you?”

McNair and Avery snickered.

“Leave him alone,” snapped Maryrose, “You foul-mouthed thing.” And in her anger, she let her disguise as Igor Kararoff fall away and the cluster of boys laughed as she shrank down and her hair turned brightest red.

Mulciber grinned when he saw who it was, “Maryrose Jenkins,” he said, and his eyes danced. “How is our little Reggie-poo?”

Maryrose’s jaw set.

“Dark Lord’s been hoping to see you for some time now,” he added, and he waved his wand and she, too, was knocked to her knees the same as Remus. Maryrose’s voice squeaked as she hit the stone.

Peter started to step forward but Karkaroff turned, wand aimed, smiled, and shook his head. Peter backed down instantly, afraid of feeling the cruciatus again - once had been enough to bring up all of his most dreadful feelings and memories. Until Remus Lupin’s voice had carried through the keyhole in the door, he’d been certain that none of the Marauders would ever come for him. He’d been convinced, huddled in the corner and waiting for Voldemort to return, that he would be forgotten.

I would never forget you, Peter, the voice of the Dark Lord echoed in his mind.

And he trembled.

And the Death Eaters walked into the room, followed by even more Death Eaters from the hallway and Maryrose’s eyes widened as they came, filling the tower room and Remus, sensing her fear, grappled the air between them until he came up with her hand in his. He could feel her pulse shaking through her veins.

Remus stared at his wand in Karkaroff’s fist as the Durmstrang headmaster went to his desk, looking a bit nervous, as though he hadn’t realized how many Death Eaters there had been following him up the stairs...

Nearly fifteen people, Remus realized, doing a quick head count.

Fifteen people against himself, a crying Maryrose, and a whimpering Peter.

He swallowed back the nerves.

And then through the door came Voldemort himself and his fist was tight around the elbow of Regulus Black, who stumbled alongside the Dark Lord and into the tower room. He looked a cross between angry and bewildered as Voldemort twisted him about and came to a stop, the Death Eaters lining the walls of the room as Remus and Maryrose knelt in the center and Peter stood off to one side.

“Where is James Potter?” Voldemort hissed.

“I don’t know,” Regulus answered.

Voldemort squeezed his arm tighter. In his anger, after the humiliation that Sirius Black had put him through, he had returned to Sirius’s brother and wrenched Regulus up and, in his distress, Regulus’s guard down, Voldemort had seen it all. Seen the members of the rescue party, the Morris Mini, the homonculus charm on the old textbook, the plan to go to the Tower Room to rescue Peter while Sirius and Lily rescue James… it’d all been there.

“YOU SAID THEY WOULD COME BACK FOR THEIR FRIENDS!” Voldemort yelled, “THAT SIRIUS BLACK WOULD NEVER LEAVE DURMSTRANG WITHOUT THEM!”

“He wouldn’t!” cried Regulus.

Voldemort drew his wand and aimed it at Regulus’s face. “Tell me where they’ve hidden James Potter.” His wand pressed into Regulus’s cheek.

Regulus answered truthfully, “I don’t know.”

Voldemort did not believe him. He quickly twisted his wand away from Regulus’s face and he released Regulus’s elbow and he crossed the room and he grabbed hold of Maryrose’s hair, wrenching her backwards into himself. And he raised his wand.

Maryrose stared at Regulus through tears.

Regulus’s throat burned.

“Tell me, Regulus,” Voldemort said.

Remus closed his eyes.

There was a very long, trembling pause in which none of the people in the room moved, spoke… or possibly even breathed.

And the Dark Lord lost his patience. “AVADA ---”

And Remus was ready.

He leaped to his feet, knocking Evan Rosier back with a quick pump of his hand to Rosier’s chest, and threw himself at Voldemort, knocking the arm of the Dark Lord askew so that his wand went wildly off course as he finished the curse, the jet of green light flying at the door instead of at Maryrose Jenkins’ head, where it had been intended to go. Fifteen Death Eaters raised their wands and aimed for Remus Lupin and Maryrose Jenkins…. And Remus paused for exactly the beat it would take them to say their spells, looking at the bewildered Voldemort’s face of rage, and then threw Maryrose to the floor.

“PETER! DUCK!” Remus yelled and Peter didn’t need to be told twice.

But all fifteen spells had already been uttered.

And fifteen stunners struck Voldemort at once.

The Dark Lord stumbled and fell onto the floor.

“RUN!” Remus yelled as all hell broke loose, and he dragged Maryrose to her feet and Peter scrambled to follow as Remus and Maryrose ran out of the door of the Tower Room and into the tightly spiraling staircase, moonlight pooling through the windows, the only illumination as they ran. “Accio wands!” Remus cried at the last moment, while all the Death Eaters were reacting to Voldemort’s fall. His and Maryrose’s wands flew to his fist and he threw hers over as they ducked into the stairwell.

Ennervate!” cried Bellatrix Lestrange, panicking as her wand tip pressed into her beloved Lordship.

“GO AFTER THEM!” Voldemort shrieked the moment his wits had returned.

And the Death Eaters went, half of them stampeding along after the fleeing teenagers.

Remus pushed Maryrose and Peter to move ahead of him, his sore knees made more so by the trip onto the stone, he didn’t want to hold them up. He didn’t know what they were going to do. At the bottom of the staircase was a corridor, a long blank corridor that had been so easy to pass through earlier, but now seemed like a death trap, with no place to hide from the spells of the Death Eaters following up behind them.

They reached the bottom of the steps, shouts and curses and promises of death and pain echoing after, and Remus urged Maryrose and Peter to hurry, hurry, hurry as they all hurtled through the dark…

And Remus was halfway down the hall when the first spell only barely missed him.

He wasn’t going to make it.

Another spell nearly struck him.

He dodged it, and fell.

“REMUS!” Maryrose cried.

Sparks burst against the carpet directly beside him…

And then there was a rush of footsteps.

And from around the corner came people he knew - a delegation.

Fabian and Gideon Prewett, followed by Bilius Weasley and Chryselda Blythe, and Dorcas Meadowes.

“AVADA KEDAVRA!” shrieked Bellatrix Lestrange.

And Remus squeezed his eyes tightly shut.

Green light filled the corridor.

And there was a thump as a body fell directly beside Remus.

He didn’t dare to open his eyes.