Pawprints In The Dungeons

Hi. One-shot in Marauder-time. Probably going to be used later in my epic Marauder-time story. Invented in about three hours, because I'm feeling very sorry for Regulus today. Hope you like it :) Thoughts appreciated.

4.30pm at Hogwarts, and the castle was full of bustling students; eager to return to their common rooms and dump their bags after a long day of studying.

Minus his usual group of fellow Marauders, Sirius Black was lounging against a wall in the Charms corridor, trying to spot James Potter amidst the crowds. A head of black hair caught his attention, but it wasn't that of his best friend.

"Reg!"

The youngest Black ignored his brother, and continued to trail after a crowd of older Slytherins, who sneered openly at Sirius as they stalked past him.

"Regulus!" Irritated at being ignored by his own flesh and blood, Sirius ran after them, his long legs catching up in a matter of moments. "Reg!" He all but tackled his brother, dragging him away from the crowd, and into a classroom doorway. "Why were you ignoring me?"

"I can't be seen with you, brother." Regulus spat out the word. His eyes flickered to the faces of the people passing them in the Charms corridor.

"Tough. What have you done?"

Regulus tried to twist out of his brother's grip.

"LOOK at me!" Sirius snapped, one hand clamped vice-like upon his brother's shoulder, the other gripping his face, holding his chin in place.

"They made me, Sirius," said Regulus, coldly. "You can't protect me all the time... even if you wanted to. You can't protect your friends, even if they're right under your nose all the time."

"Who? James? Reg, if you don't-"

"Not Potter. The ill-looking one. Lupin."

Fire snarled in Sirius's gut. "What the fuck have you done to Remus?"

"Even if I tell, you can't help him, Sirius." Regulus's voice wasn't sneering; merely stating a fact.

"Where is he?" Sirius demanded, almost shaking his little brother.

"The dungeons."

"Slytherin common room?" Sirius's stomach dropped – how to get Remus out? "Reg, you'll have to get him out."

"I can't; they'll kill me!" Regulus protested, still squirming in Sirius's grip.

Sirius's eyes took in his brother's fearful eyes; his angular, pureblood facial features, so similar to his own; his inky-black hair, neatly tied back. In a seconds thought, Sirius ripped Regulus's hair-tie out, and ruffled out the neat hair into a more casual disarray, letting it fall into his brother's equally grey eyes.

"What are you-?"

Sirius swept his own hair back, and tied it up, trying to recreate Regulus's style.

"Sirius, what-?"

Sirius grabbed his brother's tie knot, and tugged it out from under his jumper, ignoring the protests of his sibling. He claimed the green and silver tie for his own, and hastily pressed his own scarlet and gold one into Regulus's hands.

"Sirius, you can't be... serious." Regulus winced.

Sirius laughed, and swiftly re-tied the Slytherin tie around his neck. "Password?"

"Sirius, don't! They'll murder you if they find out!"

Sirius quirked an elegant eyebrow expectantly.

"Crucio. Sirius, be careful. Please."

Sirius touched his forehead in a mock salute as he strode away quickly, weaving through the crowds.

Regulus looked down at the scarlet and gold silk in his hands, and knotted it around his neck, desperately hoping that Sirius wouldn't fuck his life up further.

Sirius descended the staircase from the dungeon corridor smoothly, and walked briskly through a cellar, coming to a stop in front of an unassuming grey wall.

"Crucio," he murmured, and a passage leading to the common room was revealed.

It was low-ceilinged, with a greenish light from both the lamps, and the ceiling, given that it extended partway under the lake. There were several low-backed black and dark green leather sofas, and there were a few bookcases and cupboards, all made of dark, walnut wood, with skulls lining the tops.

Sirius shivered; both the atmosphere and temperature were cold.

He glanced around, and soon found what he was looking for; a gang of seventh years were crowded around a body on the floor. He edged his way in to get a better look.

Rodolphus Lestrange was leading the attack. Seventh year, surrounded by jeering cronies. Sirius gripped his wand tightly in his pocket, prepared for a confrontation.

Remus was curled up on the floor, looking very, very ill, and very, very stubborn.

Typical.

Lestrange seemed to grow tired of Remus's lack of reaction, and Stunned him swiftly, laughing, before leading the group away. Sirius's eyes zeroed in on Remus's wand sticking out of the Slytherin's back pocket.

Once alone, Sirius bent down next to Remus, and revived him with a quick, quiet spell.

Remus eyed him curiously for less than two seconds, before realization hit his mature, scarred face. "What are you doing here, you idiot?"

"Rescuing you." Sirius wracked his brains for an idea. "Rem, you look like death. What have they done to you?"

"The usual," shrugged Remus. "How the hell are we going to get out?"

"Pass. Any ideas?"

Remus gazed out of the window, which showed a landscape of underwater. The Giant Squid passed by. The water was darker now. "Sirius, we have to get out. Now."

"Rem, I need more time to think..."

"Sirius. It's full moon tonight. Think faster."

"You're meant to be the brains!" Sirius exclaimed, his insides growing hot; he had forgotten about the full moon.

"My head's swimming," said Remus, burying his face in his drawn-up knees. "I think I may pass out. Or vomit. My insides seem to be made of worms."

"Hang about... vomit, you say?"

Sirius shot a swift curse at Remus from across the room.

There was a pause, and then the young werewolf began to throw up vigorously, attracting the Slytherins.

"Jesus... Rod, he looks like shite. Maybe we should let him go to the Hospital Wing," suggested one of the cronies, eyeing the expensive leather nearby.

"Yeah, bored of him anyway. He wasn't much fun." Rodolphus looked around the common room. "Oi. Black. Take him out of the dungeons, will you?"

Sirius highly resented the manner that Rodolphus was speaking to him in, but also marvelled at his own perfect guesswork. He gingerly approached Remus. "Come on, Lupin."

Remus managed to get to his knees, but standing seemed to be an impossible effort. Sirius's heart ached not to be able to help his friend. Instead, he turned to Rodolphus. "Have you got his wand? Might be a bit fishy if you kept it."

Rodolphus grunted in response, and handed Sirius the wand, before walking into his dorm.

Meanwhile, Remus had managed to pull himself to his feet using one of the armchairs. He stumbled after Sirius as best he could, still throwing up from the charm.

Once safely outside the dungeons, Sirius lifted the charm, and caught Remus in his arms as he fell to the floor, barely able to breathe. Sirius rubbed his back soothingly as the werewolf recovered his breath, and looped his arm under his shoulders, supporting Remus as they hastily walked up two staircases, and out into the grounds through the main doors.

The moon above them was barely concealed by mist; like an albino orange covered in pith.

The touch of it caused Remus to groan in pain, bending over at his waist, and Sirius had to physically drag him for the next few steps, until they reached the Whomping Willow.

Sirius had to let go of Remus in order to find a long stick, and when he returned after prodding the correct knot, Remus was curled up on the ground, moaning horribly.

"Rem, come on..." Sirius knelt down next to his friend, and supported him as he gently but firmly pulled him to his feet.

"It hurts," Remus whined, sounding very pained and unusual.

Remus never whined. Sirius whined. About having to go to detentions. Remus never whined. Not even if he had detention because of Sirius.

They stumbled up the passageway, and entered the Shrieking Shack. Remus collapsed onto the battered bed, moaning as though his insides were turning to acid.

"Are you staying tonight?" Remus gasped out.

"I'm here, Moony. I'm always here." Sirius packed their wands away into a secure cupboard, along with the robes that Remus passed to him - neatly folded.

"I hate this," Remus whispered. "I hate this."

"How long?" Sirius inquired, lightly.

Remus rolled his shoulders experimentally. "Five minutes, maybe less." He looked at Sirius. "Thanks for getting me out. Who knows what might have happened..."

"You would have done the world a favour," Sirius joked, strongly. "Slytherin House wiped out. Hogwarts would rejoice."

"Hmm," was all that Remus said, through very tight lips. His face contorted in sudden pain, before smoothing out again. He crouched down on the floor, breathing heavily, as Sirius stood uncertainly, unable to help or dull his friend's pain.

"How did they get you, anyway?" Sirius asked.

"I think I was kidnapped. They put a shrinking spell on me. Regulus carried me back to the dungeons in his pocket. It was a very strange experience. I'd hate to be a rat like Peter."

"Reg pocketed you?" This enraged Sirius more than it should have done.

"They forced him, Sirius; I don't blame him."

"I do!" said Sirius, hotly. "You can't just... pocket people! That's wrong and very unusual!"

"Indeed." Remus let out a long, canine whine as the transformation began to take hold, starting with his heart.

Remus heard his name being called by Sirius, but all he could do was scream in pain as his coronary artery blocked, starving his heart of blood and oxygen. Once stopped, his heart could then shrink, while his liver and kidneys also failed and shrunk, followed by the rest of his internal organs; tearing and reforming in a far more grotesque way. His nails grew longer, sharper, and his hands elongated, stretching into vicious claws. Hair pushed up through his aching skin like daisies covering a grave. His skull stretched, as though being moulded like putty, the bone cracking and growing and hardening to form the shape of a wolf's. Finally, his guttural screaming morphed horribly into a loud howl, as the wolf took over his mind with relish.

Remus and Sirius walked back up to the castle the next morning, both exhausted and faintly bloody.

"That tie is still Slytherin colours," Remus informed Sirius, as they entered through the large gates. He tapped it with his wand, and it swapped to Gryffindor gold and scarlet. "There. Good as new."

"Cheers, Rem," said Sirius, sniffing hopefully at the air as they entered the Great Hall for breakfast. "Pancakes. Brilliant."

"I hope Peter hasn't eaten all of the chocolate sauce," said Remus, sounding genuinely worried.

Both boys' paces quickened as they made their way to the Gryffindor table.

"Sirius."

Sirius and Remus turned, and found Regulus standing to their left, looking awkward.

"Thank you, Regulus," Remus murmured, low enough so that no one else could hear, but clearly enough for the young Black to know that he was sincere.

Sirius pulled the hair-tie off, and shook out his long, artfully chopped midnight locks. "Tie your hair up, Reggie – you look common."

The corner of Regulus's mouth turned up slightly as he tied his hair back neatly. "See you, blood traitor."

"Ciao, baby brother. I got your back." Sirius winked at his brother, before they went to their respective tables.

"Peter, surrender some of that chocolate to Moony, otherwise he'll nibble your bum next month," Sirius warned, taking a stack of pancakes for himself, and pouring half a pot of golden syrup on top of them.

Just another full moon with the Marauders...

Thoughts? Pretty please? xxx