Rivalry and Rescue
Please don't let me be too late....Please don't let me be too late....Please....
James Potter's mind chanted the simple phrase over and over again like a mantra, the cadence of it blending with the rhythm of his pounding heart as he ran. He'd just come from the Gryffindor common room, and a conversation with Sirius Black, in which the burly boy had laughingly told him of a prank he'd unleashed on their sworn nemesis, Severus Snape.
Black had told Snape how to get past the protective, lashing limbs of the Whomping Willow, set up to keep anyone from stumbling upon their friend, Remus Lupin. Lupin was a werewolf, and one night each month, during the full moon, he was sequestered away in a lonely, isolated shack, whose only point of entry was through an underground tunnel that began under the roots of the tree.
A sweet, gentle, caring boy in his human form, as a werewolf, Lupin was a crazed, bloodthirsty animal, ready to kill any human that crossed his path. And now Severus Snape was on his way to meet the transformed Lupin, completely unaware of what he was going to find.
James burst out the doors onto the courtyard and sprinted across the grass. The tree stood silhouetted like a grasping black claw, ominous against the enormous full moon, and James's heart gave another lurch. What if he was too late? What if Lupin bit Severus, and infected him with lycanthropy? Or worse, what if Lupin killed him?
Werewolves were already faced with fear and loathing, even by the most educated in the wizarding world. If Lupin did injure or kill the Slytherin, he would be faced with expulsion, at the very least, but more than likely he would face a life sentence in Azkaban, or a death sentence.
Muttering curses under his breath at Sirius and his stupidity, James strained himself to run faster. He had ordered Sirius and Peter to go and fetch Dumbledore. They had both balked at the suggestion, until James informed that he himself was going to tell the Headmaster what had happened, and that it would look better for Black if he did the wise thing and went for help.
He came to a skidding stop at the base of the tree, staring up at the frozen branches. He peered down into the darkness, listening. He couldn't hear anything, but the tunnel was long. Even if Snape had already reached the shack, he wouldn't be able to hear...Lupin tearing him to pieces.
With a strangled groan, James shook off the unwelcome mental image and scurried down into the passage. As he hurried along, he stumbled in the dark, and quickly pulled out his wand.
"Lumos!"
The bluish ball of light illuminated the wet, black walls of the tunnel, and he increased his pace. After a minute, he could hear snarling from somewhere up ahead. Then a terrified scream echoed back through the passageway.
"NOOO! HELP ME!!! SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!"
With a sob of despair, James charged forward. He was too late. Severus would be dead when he got there, torn apart, or perhaps half devoured by the ravenous werewolf. How would he tell Dumbledore? How would Remus react when he learned he had killed his classmate? What would Snape's parents say? What method would the ministry use to execute Remus when they learned he had committed murder?
A figure suddenly flopped into James's view from around a bend in the tunnel. He stared, holding his lighted wand aloft. He just caught a glimpse of Snape's frightened, bloodied face before the smaller boy was yanked back out of sight around the corner, hands scrabbling for a purchase on the rough, rocky floor.
"HELP!"
James rounded the corner, and almost collapsed at the horrific sight. The werewolf had Snape pinned to the floor, leering down at the terrified boy with dripping fags exposed. Snape's left leg was a mess of blood from the mid-calf down, and his trousers shredded. His black eyes were wide and horrified, his chest heaving in fear. He seemed frozen in place, unable to move.
James raised his wand, wincing, and mentally apologizing to Lupin. "Stupefy!" he shouted.
The wolf glanced up at the sound of his voice, and gave a yelp of pain as it was thrown backwards, off of Snape. James charged forward, past the stunned Slytherin, placing himself between the lycanthrope and his would-be prey. Lupin reared up and charged, and James calmly cast another spell.
"Stupefy!"
Lupin gave another pained cry, stumbling backwards. He studied James with wary, yellow eyes, as if sizing up the pros and cons of another attack. He took a few cautious steps toward James, and Potter hit him with yet another stunner. This time, the werewolf retreated fully, tail tucked against his rump, whimpering in pain.
Heart aching with regret, James followed stealthily, and as Lupin loped through the doorway at the end of the tunnel, he flung the door shut. Then he cast a locking spell on the door, and quickly backed away, sweating, hoping that he would not have to cause his dear friend any more pain.
Curious, halfhearted snuffling and scratching were the only sounds from the far side of the door; Lupin was making no attempt to break out. Apparently three stunners were enough of a deterrent to discourage a teenage werewolf.
With a sigh of relief, Potter turned and hurried back up the tunnel. He found Snape right where he'd left him, curled into a fetal ball on the floor. The smaller boy was whimpering, both arms wrapped around his had, as if trying to shut out everything around him. James's heart ached with sympathy, and he knelt beside his rival.
Their animosity didn't matter right now. Childish grudges were set aside, differences overlooked. They were two participants in a terrifying experience, and now all that mattered was that they had both survived. Their war could pick up where it left off tomorrow. For now, they were united in their relief and need for comfort. James set the illuminated wand down on the floor and pulled Severus into his arms.
Snape did not fight him, rather, he returned the embrace and clung to James like a life preserver. He was shaking from head to toe, breath coming in short, sharp, panicked gasps. As James pulled him closer, enclosing him within his arms, the gasps turned to sobs.
James closed his eyes, and felt hot tears burning his own cheeks as Snape cried on his shoulder. He was almost sick with relief. When he'd heard Snape screaming, he was sure he was too late. Seeing the Slytherin alive was overwhelming, and he couldn't hold Snape tightly enough.
"Shhh," James breathed, tangling one hand in Snape's black hair, holding his head down against his shoulder. "Shhh, it's OK....I've got you....I've got you, Severus." His voice broke as he envisioned Snape pinned under Lupin's monstrous form, and he clutched the thin boy more tightly against him, almost making his bones creak.
Snape didn't or couldn't rely, he just sobbed against James's neck, hands clutching spastically at the back of the Gryffindor's sweater.
"It's all right," James soothed tearfully, overcome with relief, rubbing his hand up and down Snape's back. "Shhh, it's all right....You're safe." The reassurances were as much for himself as they were for his charge, James realized. "You're safe....I've got you."
Eventually, Snape's frantic hold on James's sweater loosened somewhat, and he pulled back. James reluctantly loosened his own hold, and turned his face to meet Snape's gaze. The black eyes were haunted and ringed with dark circles, and a trail of blood ran from a cut over his right eye, along his temple.
James raised a hand and brushed the blood away with his thumb, then slid his hand around to cradle the back of the Slytherin's neck, gently massaging the rigid tendons there. Almost as an afterthought, he tugged his tie out of his sweater and used it to gently wipe the tears from his adversary's pale, sunken cheeks.
"Are you OK?" James asked hoarsely, clearing his throat and scrubbing a sleeve across his own eyes.
Snape nodded, chest hitching, unable to speak.
Just then, Lupin gave a great howl from behind the locked door, and it echoed eerily through the tunnel. Snape gave a yelp of terror, thrashing in panic, and James quickly pulled him against his chest, trapping the wiry boy within the circle of his arms.
"Nono, it's OK...shhh...it's OK, relax." Snape fought him briefly, then went limp and nestled against him, his cheek pressed to James's chest. James cuddled him without shame or embarrassment, just weak with relief that the smaller boy seemed to be in one piece. They had averted disaster, just barely.
Lupin howled again, and Snape tensed.
"Easy," James cooed, combing his fingers through Snape's black hair, tucking the Slytherin's head under his chin. He laid his cheek against the smaller boy's crown, no thought in his mind other than providing comfort, making Severus feel safe. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he breathed softly.
Snape murmured something unintelligible, and James pulled back slightly, gazing down at the face pressed to his sternum. "What was that?" he asked softly.
Severus sniffled, then choked back a small sob as he twined his fingers in the front of James's sweater. "I said...th-thank you," he stuttered brokenly. He closed his eyes as James cradled his tear-streaked face in one hand, brushing a thumb over his cheek.
"My pleasure," James murmured, with a little smile. To his great relief, the hint of a watery, little laughing sob was the response. He impulsively lowered his face and pressed a brotherly kiss to the top of Severus's head, then rested his cheek against the spot. He was quiet, just taking relief in the sound of the other boy's breathing.
They sat together on the floor for a long time. Then James shifted a bit, trying to soothe the pins and needles in his foot. Snape moved as well, and gave a small gasp of pain. James suddenly remembered the blood he'd seen on Snape leg, and his own blood ran cold.
He scooted back, raising the illuminated wand to examine the wounds, and winced in sympathy. Snape's lower leg had been slashed, the trousers shredded. It seemed to have stopped bleeding, thankfully, but all the same, James reached up and undid his tie. He removed it, and used it to bind up the wound.
"Is that too tight?" he asked softly.
Snape shook his head. "Am I going to die?" he asked softly, with an obvious quaver in his voice. His black eyes were wide and glassy in the blue light of James's wand.
James gave him a reassuring smile. "No," he murmured softly. "But tell me, did you get bitten? It's very important."
Snape shook his head again, staring at his mangled limb.
"Are you sure?" James pressed, ducking slightly in order to make Snape meet his eyes. "This is crucial, are you certain Lupin didn't bite you?"
"Lupin?" Snape gasped, eyes going wide. "You mean that...that THING...is Lupin?" He turned to stare back down the tunnel, mouth slightly open in wonder.
James groaned inwardly. Well, there went that secret. "Yes, that was Lupin. He's a werewolf." He reached out and took Snape's chin in his hand, and redirected the smaller boy's gaze back to him. "Are you absolutely sure that he didn't bite you?" he asked sternly.
"Yes," Snape replied quietly. "He just clawed me." He wrapped his arms around himself and shuddered, as if suddenly cold.
It was not cold in the tunnel, and James realized the Slytherin was probably going into shock. It was time they got back to the castle. Picking up his wand, he got to his feet, then leaned down and offered Snape an arm. The smaller boy accepted the help, and got unsteadily to his feet. But as soon as he tried to put weight on his injured leg, he gave a cry of pain and started to fall.
Without missing a beat, James caught him, and nonchalantly scooped him up in his arms. Snape made no complaint; he just wrapped his arms around James's neck, and settled quietly against him as James headed back up the tunnel.
James had only taken a few steps, when Lupin let loose with an absolutely thunderous howl, and there was the sharp sound of a large body flinging itself again the door. Snape gave a short yelp, tightening his arms around James's neck.
"Shh, it's OK...it's OK," James soothed, clutching the slim body against his chest. Lupin gave another bellow, and he closed his eyes as Severus began to cry again, his face hidden in the crook of James's neck. The Gryffindor turned his head and began to murmur soft little nothings of comfort into the black hair, quickening his pace along the tunnel.
As he carried Snape, James wondered if the events of the evening would change anything in the dynamic of his relationship with the Slytherin. While tonight they were comrades in arms, so to speak, tomorrow would they be at each other's throats once more? Poor Snape had been through probably the most terrifying ordeal of his life tonight. In a way, they both had, only James had been afraid for others, not himself. Would it change anything between them?
He moved along the tunnel as quickly as safety would allow, anxious to get his classmate to safety.
Sirius was pacing back and forth beneath the Whomping Willow like a caged animal. James had been gone for a long time, and he was terribly worried. He knew James would be in no danger from Lupin; he could simply morph into his Animagus form, and Lupin would take no interest in him. But Snape...Snape would have no protection from the werewolf.
How could he have been so stupid? A prank was one thing, but this.... Sirius ran both hands through his hair, shaking his head with worry. He'd endangered a fellow student's life this time. Snape might very well be dead at this moment. In fact, as the minutes ticked by with no sign of he or James, Sirius began to wonder if in fact the Slytherin had been killed.
What would happen if Snape were dead? Black would be expelled for certain. And Lupin would be imprisoned! Or worse. What if James had been unable to change into Prongs, and Lupin had killed him, too? Sirius sank down onto the grass in misery, shaking his head.
Let them be safe, he pleaded. I don't care if I get expelled, just let them be safe. Both of them.
He heard footsteps, and he raised his head hopefully. But it was only Peter returning, with Dumbledore and Nurse Pomfrey on his heels. Sirius stood up, and was about to go meet them, when he heard noises coming from within the base of the tree. It was the sound of soft crying, mingled with James's voice, low and soothing.
Sirius hurried to the tunnel's mouth, and nearly collapsed with relief at the sight of James making his way up the rough steps, with Snape cradled in his arms, clinging to him. The Slytherin had his face hidden against James's neck, but the sounds of his weeping were still audible as Potter emerged from the tree.
"James!" Sirius exclaimed in relief, moving to meet him. "Thank Merlin, you..." Black broke off in mid sentence, freezing on the spot as James fixed him with an icy, accusing glare. The intensity of it sent a shock of cold down Black's spine. The bespectacled boy just stood there for a long minute, staring Black down, barely contained rage etched clearly on his face.
"Don't...talk to me...just yet, Black," James growled warningly.
Sirius actually stepped back a little in fear at the tone of his friend's voice. Then he watched, silent and remorseful, as James turned on his heel and marched toward the castle with his traumatized burden.
He watched from afar as James consulted with Dumbledore and the nurse. Dumbledore reached out, apparently offering to take Snape from James's hold. But the Gryffindor shook his head, and hefted the Slytherin a little higher against his chest. With a shrug, Dumbledore motioned for him to proceed, and after shooting a brief, stern look toward Sirius, the ancient wizard fell in step behind him. Nurse Pomfrey walked at James's side, her soft voice asking him questions about Snape's injuries.
Peter sheepishly came to stand beside Black, nervously shifting his weight. The portly blonde boy tried awkwardly to talk to him, but Sirius Black just stood there, numbed into silence by the realization that he had spectacularly fucked up.
THE END