Just A Prank

James and Snivellus burst forth from the Willow, James collapsing on his back, panting and Snivellus stumbled onto the grass, retching up nothing in particular in fear, on his hands and knees. Sirius moved from around the corner to survey the two and briefly wonder where Wormtail had disappeared too. He had been sulking since James had yelled at him and was even angrier at how guilty he felt. It's not that big a deal, it's just a prank! He mulled the thought over and over. It didn't seem like much of an excuse, but it was all he had. He hadn't wanted Snivellus to actually get hurt. So why had he done it? To see the look on his face when he saw a werewolf? Sirius looked at him. It was hard to see his face, his head was bowed but Sirius had no doubt that he had seen Moony. Snape glanced up and around and Sirius' insides twisted as he realised that the look of terror across Snivellus' face wasn't as nearly satisfying as he had hoped. Sirius reluctantly moved closer and almost jumped out of his skin when he felt a gnarled hand fall onto his shoulder. He spun around and came face to face with Argus Filch. Oh no. "What are - Merlin's beard what's wrong with these two?" The man moved his lantern over to James and Snivellus, taking in the way James had screwed his eyes up and was wheezing slightly, and Snivellus who was shivering uncontrollably. He looked to the curiously still tree then down to them. "Bloody hell you killed it. Detention for the lot of you." James began to laugh hysterically on the ground and Sirius spotted yet another figure, huge and unmistakable. Rubeus Hagrid the gameskeeper. "Hey, what're you lot doin here?" Sirius groaned, he didn't want an audience. Hagrid leaned over and picked up James causing him to yelp. "Easy!" He cried before straightened his robes. "Sorry," Hagrid said gruffly.

"HE TRIED TO KILL ME!"

Everyone froze, turning to Snivellus who was shaking and pointing an accusatory finger at Sirius.

"YOU WERE ALL IN ON IT! WEREN'T YOU!"

Filch shuffled away from Sirius to join Hagrid and Sirius took in each and every face. Hagrid and Filch's confused (Filch's looking more suspicious that Hagrid) expressions, then James and Snivellus. James wasn't laughing anymore and had a particularly grim expression that was laced with disappointment that made Sirius feel about 2 feet tall. And most surprisingly, the look on Snivellus' face had felt like someone had stabbed him, right in the gut. It wasn't the hatred, loathing disgust. It was the look of...what was that...? The expression one had once they realised someone could actually sink further than the already low standard they held for them? There was a look in his eye that made Sirius feel very uncomfortable. Despite the fear and humiliation, a distinct expression of sharp odium, like a stern teacher. It reminded him of his father. Stop looking at me like that. "He...tried...to...kill...me..." Snape said, anger drebching his voice, suddenly snatching up his wand. "Don't you dare!" James cautioned.

"Wise words." The group jumped as Albus Dumbledore stepped out of the shadows, accompanied by a shivering Peter Pettigrew who was greatly wishing that he was snuggled up in his four poster in the boys dormitory.

X XXXXXXX

Never, in all his years, had Albus Dumbledore ever seen so much chaos in his office. He wasn't even sure the silencing spells he had put on the room would work. Not at these decibels. Severus Snape was in hysterics, batting away Madam Pompfrey who was trying to get him to drink a calming drought, while Sirius had been yelling at Peter for 'snitching' before yelling at James for making a big deal out of nothing. James had yelled back for him to not take it out on Peter and that he was a bloody ignoramus, no smarter than Mary MacDonald's old ball of fluff she called a cat. Sirius had then yelled that he didn't have to go in there to get Snivellus (Dumbledore understood this to he a rather unfortunate pseudonym for the Slytherin) and Dumbledore had finally had enough. He yelled at them all to be quiet in an unusually loud timber, using his wand to amplify his voice. Poppy used the temporary stunned silency to finally shove some of the potion down Severus' throat before the boy finally slumped into of the armchairs, breathing heavily. "Never in all my years have I seen such behaviour," Dumbledore said quietly. James, Sirius and Peter all immediately looked towards the floor.
"You are young wizards, two years shy of adulthood. I suggest you act like it." Silence.

"Right," Dumbledore said evenly, sitting in the soft chair behind his desk, "who wants to go first?" His eyes landed on Sirius. Sirius shifted uncomfortably underneath his gaze before sighing. "Please, Sirius, would you care to explain why your friend Peter came to me with a wild story about danger involving you, James and Severus here?" Sirius swallowed and Severus' eyes snapped up at the sound of his name. "Well..." Sirius' eyes looked to Fawkes as he plucked up the courage to speak, trying to appear unfazed. "I...told Sni- Snape how to get past the Whomping Willow." He looked to his shoes. Dumbledore leaned forward. "How do you know how to get past the Whomping Willow?" Sirius' eyes flicked to James and Peter and James bit his lip. "Remus told us ages ago. Uh, second year."

"So why did you tell Severus?"

"Because -"

"Because he wanted me to get killed! He hates me!" Severus suddenly burst, the draught had apparently not yet taken effect and Dumbledore raised a hand for silence. "You will get your chance to speak Severus." Severus glared at Sirius before settling back in the armchair. Sirius winced at the outburst. "I...I just wanted to scare him a little, honest headmaster." He could see the portrait of his ancester staring at him out of the corner of his eye. "To scare him with what Sirius?" Sirius's eyes suddenly bulged before fidgeting in his seat.

"Remus sir..."

"And why would Remus scare Severus?"

"Because it's a full moon sir."

"And why is that relevant?"

"Because he's a werewolf sir."

Severus watched Sirius and Dumbledore avidly, how the headmaster had seemed unperturbed at Sirius' confession. The old man knew. Of course he knew. It was all making sense. Severus stared at Dumbledore and Dumbledore met his gaze briefly before looking back to Sirius.

"Yes Sirius. Remus is a werewolf. How long have you known?"

James spoke. "Sir, we all knew, we kind of pushed Remus into a corner, we were just worried Sir."
Sirius nodded before swallowing, brushing his hair out of his face and adding, "he told us that the Shack isn't really haunted, that it was just a place that you had fixed to the Willow tunnel to keep him safe when he transformed."

"Yes," said Dumbledore, standing up from his plush chair. "To keep him safe."

Sirius began to sink into his seat, James and Peter exchanged glances.

"Sirius, why do you think Remus needs to be kept safe?"

Sirius flashed an eye to Severus, the expression was back, the one of odium.

"Because people might want to expose him."
Severus scowled back.

"Any other reasons?"

Sirius stared blankly, then began to fidget again.

"To protect him from himself perhaps? To not cause harm to himself...or others? Why not just keep him in the castle?"

Sirius began to sink again.

Dumbledore's eyes bored into the boy. "Why Sirius?"

"Because it would be dangerous sir."

"Why Sirius?"

"Because werewolves are dangerous to humans sir."

"Why is that Sirius."

"Because they might bite and infect or kill people sir."

"So why did you tell Severus how to get past the Willow."

"Because I...thought it...would...be funny...sir."

"Did you warn him about the probable danger?"

"No sir."

"What’s funny about almost getting a student killed
Sirius?"

"Nothing sir...but I -"

"But nothing." Dumbledore's eyes were ice. Sirius held his gaze, wavering a little. James looked to the floor.

"You are a very foolish boy." Dumbledore gazed at him over his half moon spectacles.

"Have you any idea of what you have done? Could have done?" He suddenly turned to James. "James. Petter said you ran in to save Sever-".

"He didn't save me" spluttered Severus, "I'm not a damsel in distress!"

"Quiet Severus," instructed Dumbledore at the same time Sirius mumbled "too ugly to be a damsel..." under his breath. James looked between the three before swallowing, supressing a laugh with difficulty and adjusting his glasses. "Yeah I-I did. I could see Remus transforming at the top of the stairs. I don't think he registered us two. I think..." he sighed. "I don't think he realised anyone was there. But I can't say for sure."

"He looked right at me!" Severus interjected. "It...it was..." Severus looked down to his knees, his hair falling down his face, his eyes wild. Dumbledore watched him carefully.

"I see," Dumbledore said softly. "But the infected human remembers their transformation as well as vague memories in wolf form."

He turned back to Sirius. "So you can tell him tomorrow why he remembers scaring Severus here half to death and his friend being dangerously near him when he should have been safely away." He looked at Sirius, disappointment etched into his face.

"Headmaster...?"

Dumbledore looked up. He had almost forgotten Poppy was still there. She had a rather protective hand resting on Severus' trembling shoulder. Dumbledore nodded. "I understand, I just need to hear him now then I will hand him over to you." He gestured for Sirius to move away and Sirius went to stand next to James who pointedly looked away from him, to Sirius' dismay. "Alright Severus" said Dumbledore heavily. "What happened?"

XXXXXXX

Severus Snape had not stopped shaking as he was ushered up the steps into Dumbledore's office by the Headmaster himself and Professor Slughorn, who still had his bib on from a late night snack. Behind him, he could hear bickering from Potter, Black and Pettigrew. It seemed like half the school had been summoned to find out what had happened as he was herded up the staircase. He wondered where Lily was, as he watched groups of students be shooed away by various head of houses, Professor Flitwick balanced precariously on a bannister and Peeves gleefully glided through first years causing them to cry out in disgust as his ice cold prescence passed through them. Even the Fat Lady was staring intently, gossiping with Sir Caodgan. Severus had felt like he was having an out of body experience. The dissonance between the fear and dread he had experienced in the shack compared to the warmth and familiarity of the castle wasn't computing in his brain. Furthermore, despite the shack being miles away, he felt like it was right around the corner. And the thought of the nearness of the wolf was causing him to go into hysterics. It was like he was right behind him, breathing down his neck. He couldn't do this. He couldn't breathe. He had started to babble and Madam Pomfrey had appeared from a corridor and had tried and tried to still him so he could take the calming drought. But he didn't want to. He needed to speak, to let them know that Remus was a werewolf. That Sirius had apparently known and tried to use him as a weapon to take out his least favourite classmate. But he had been silenced and sat stunned to hear that Lupin's affliction was apparently an open secret. One that Dumbledore himself had orchestrated. He continued to listen as Dumbledore bored into Sirius. He looked towards the portrait of someone he recognised to be a relative of Black and former Headmaster and Head of Slytherin, Phineas Nigellus. He had a crease on his forehead and Severus suddenly sat up straighter and fixed his robe. The portrait gave an almost imperceptible nod of approval before casting his gaze towards Dumbledore. Finally, now he could speak.

"I was just on my way back from the library," he said slowly, teasing out every word in an effort to stop his voice from trembling. His voice had broken over the summer and he liked to think his newly deeper tone made him sound older than he was. "When I saw Sirius waving me over to the Willow." He gave an condemnatory glance to Sirius. "He told me that he had something cool to show me, then I saw him press the knot, and it made the Willow stop swiping at me, like it had frozen." Dumbledore nodded. "He then showed me how to do it then the tunnel, and said I should explore it because it was cool." Dumbledore looked to Sirius then back to Severus.
"So you went inside it?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to explore it."

"And you found the Shack in your exploration."

"Yeah. And I heard...heard groaning."

"What else."

"Just that. I - I thought it was a ghost, and Sirius wanted to scare me with it. But I...I saw...I saw Lupin." Severus felt Madam Pompfrey's grip on his shoulder tighten and felt the backs of his eyes began to sting and a lump form in his throat. "Um...he...um" dammit no he couldn't cry. Crying was for weak people. He wasn't a crybaby. He hadn't cried in years and he wasn't about to start now. Especially in front of James and Sirius. But the more he blinked the more tears seeemed to come. It was becoming painful to speak. He couldn't swallow, his throat hurt and he was having a heard time seeing the Headmaster as his purple form began to swim in his eyes. He shook his head. No. And he concentrated on making the lump go down and to blink away the salty tears that threatened to glide down his face. He could feel his nose getting red and bit his lip. His throat still hurt. But he could speak easier now. "I saw Lupin transform. Then Potter was there all of a sudden, told me to run so we ran." He glanced a begrudging glance at him. "Sirius was waiting for us. Then Filch arrived, then Hagrid then you."

Dumbledore folded his arms. "Thank you Severus." Severus sank back into his seat. He was exhausted. But he surely wasn't going to sleep. He thought of Remus. Merlin, how was he supposed to face him now? He terrified him. He couldn't forget the way he screamed. Another thought came to it, something he had realised as Filch and the others arrived. What if Remus had been in on it too? Oh why couldn't this have been on bad dream? He knew one thing for sure. He wasn't going to trust Sirius Black ever again.