Title: Remus' Nightmare Realized
Rating: T
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Remus, Severus
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.
Word Count: 1,195
Summary: AU. Remus is in shackles before the Wizengamot.

Notes:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Magical Law & Government - Task - Write about a trial in front of the Wizengamot. You must not use a canonical trial that occurred in the novels (a.k.a Harry's hearing about the Dementor Attack in Little Whinging). Prompt: (object) Shackles / (dialogue) "This is an outrage!"

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Memory Day - Write a story that contains a flashback or an old diary entry/letter etc

Ultimate Patronus Quest Challenge: Class F - Amphibia & Reptiles - 11. Newt: Write about someone being expelled from a magical school (can be someone canon like Hagrid or someone else).

The TV Show Episode Monthly Competition: A Curious Thing - Write about the day being saved by the last person you'd expect.

Words and Title Competition: Title must contain two nouns

Remus didn't look up from the shackles that held him in place. He always felt like a bit of a monster, but this was the first time he thought of himself as a true beast.

He did his best to not cry, knowing it wouldn't help his case.

He had already been expelled from Hogwarts, and it was looking as if at the very least, he would be sent to Azkaban. At the very worse, it would be execution or the Dementor's kiss.

He swallowed. He should have known nothing good would come out of him going to school with normal kids. He should have seen how it was going to be for him right from the start.

His mind went back to how he ended up in this position.

Remus was groggy as he woke up finally. His head hurt and his bones ached. His tongue came out and swiped along his lower lip. There was an odd taste in his mouth. He didn't know what it was, but it wasn't a taste he ever experienced before.

He looked around, surprised to not see any of the Marauders. They were usually with him when he woke up, and they stayed with him until Madam Pomfrey could be heard.

His eyes landed on large puddles of blood. That was new. No matter how painful his transformations were, they never made him bleed so badly.

What had happened last night?

He heard sounds and looked up and was shocked to see Dumbledore along with an Auror enter the Shrieking Shack.

Dumbledore's eyes weren't twinkling and he looked as if he aged fifty years since the last time Remus saw him.

"What's going on?" he asked fearfully. If an Auror was there, it couldn't be good.

Sure enough, with a sneer on his face, the Auror said, "Remus Lupin, you are under arrest for attacking Severus Snape in your werewolf form."

"What?" Remus yelled, his heart pounded erratically. "No, I didn't. I couldn't." He shook his head, even as his eyes went back to the massive blood.

He thought he was going to pass out as the Auror put magical cuffs on him and dragged him out of the Shrieking Shack.

""Dumbledore!" Remus screamed.

"I'm sorry, my boy. There's nothing I can do."

When he saw the early morning light, he witnessed James and Sirius fighting to get to him, but they were held back by Professor McGonagall.

"This is an outrage!" James yelled.

"It wasn't Remus' fault; it was mine!" Sirius yelled.

They were ignored, and Remus was forcefully pulled.

His worst nightmare had come true. He had hurt, and possibly killed, a human being.

That was the last time Remus saw his friends. Until the trial. They were there in a show of support for him, but he wished they weren't.

Later on, Dumbledore had visited him in the Ministry holding cell, and he learned what happened. Sirius had led Snape down to the Shrieking Shack as a prank. James had tried to stop it, but he had been too late and Remus, in werewolf form, had mauled the Slytherin.

Snape was alive, but he too had become a werewolf.

Remus wanted to hate Sirius. It was his fault; he had used Remus as a weapon. He couldn't hate the other boy, though. No matter how bad Sirius got, Remus didn't think he ever wanted to truly hurt Snape; he just didn't think before he acted.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Lupin?" the judge asked.

Remus looked up. His eyes went to the Wizengamot, and he noticed there wasn't a friendly face among them. They all thought he was nothing more than a mindless beast.

Still, he did have something to say.

He took a deep breath. "I never asked to be a werewolf, and if I had any control, I would never hurt anyone. Snape and I were never friends, but I never wanted this to happen. And I will forever live with the guilt of it. I know nothing is going to sway you from whatever decision you've already made, but I am sorry. All I ever wanted was to go to school, learn, and make friends. Those are such simple things that most people take for granted. My desire for normalcy led to this, and I wish I had listened to my parents and decided to be homeschooled. Then Snape wouldn't be going through what he is now. I just hope he knows how truly sorry I am."

The judge turned to the Wizengamot. "Well, there you have it. Are you ready to vote?"

There were nods.

"First we'll vote on whether he's guilty or not guilty, and then we'll decide on what punishment Mr. Lupin should face."

Remus closed his eyes. It was already decided he was guilty; the vote was just mere formality.

And like he expected, every hand went up when they were asked if they thought he was guilty.

Now it was sentencing time. Remus didn't have much hope. Snape might have not been killed, but being turned was almost as bad in the eyes of the Wizarding world.

"Wait! Stop!"

Everyone looked.

Remus was shocked to see Severus Snape with a deep laceration along his face, down to his neck, running in through the main doors.

"What's he going to say? How much worse for me does he think he can make it?' Remus thought.

"Okay, I have something to say. As the victim, I think I have the right."

"Go ahead, Mr. Snape," the judge allowed.

"I've always hated Lupin and his friends. Lupin wasn't as bad as the rest of his merry band of idiots, but I still hated him. This wasn't his fault, though. He had no control when he was transformed. And he didn't lure me to that place in hopes to hurt me. He had no idea it was going to happen and despite how I feel about him, he shouldn't be punished when he didn't have any say in it. You want to punish him because he's a werewolf. What about the one who set up the whole thing, though? Sirius Black goaded me to go there, and he knew what Lupin was. You won't touch him because of who his family is, though. Lupin doesn't deserve the Dementor's Kiss or Azkaban. He couldn't help it. I don't want him to be punished for this," he finished.

Remus blinked. He never expected Snape would try to save him. Maybe Snape was hoping Sirius would get the punishment instead; he did blame Black in his impassioned speech, but still, Snape could have ignored Remus' part altogether and tried to just lump him in with Sirius.

The judge looked at the Wizengamot and most of them seemed unhappy with the whole idea of letting Remus go punishment free. "Well, we'll take what you said into account," the judge reluctantly agreed.

Snape looked at Remus. His eyes still held hatred, but they also held just a tiny bit of compassion.

Remus bit his bottom lip. Was Snape's speech going to be enough to save him? He really didn't know.