The Collision Theory | Remus Lupin

69. Everything goes to shit

With dinner not yet being served , I make my way to the common room, slightly breathless by the time I stumble in. To my dismay, neither the boys nor Lily are anywhere to be seen, "So much for the welcoming commitee."

I climb the stairs to the dorms, which are also empty- not surprising for this time of day. Throwing my case onto my bed, I get ready to empty everything out, but a flash of white fluttering to the floor catches my eye. I pick up the loose parchment, finding a familiar scrawl etched into it.

If we don't see each other,

bring a few bandages, the rest
is with me.
With love, Sirius

The full moon.
I mentally slap myself for forgetting such a thing, but then something heavy, cold washes over me. I smooth out the crinkled piece of parchment, frowning at the hurried cursive loops of his handwriting. 
Where could they even be? 

There's still time till sunset, and they usually aren't gone so early. Maybe I'm just fretting, being paranoid-

"Aylin!" I turn around just in time to process the fact that I'm about to be tackled. Specifically by a mass of red.

I wheeze as my life is almost squeezed out of me, "Lily- Evans, please."

She pulls away, and I notice that the spark in her green eyes are missing, and her face is pale, tired. Lily holds onto my arms tightly, looking as though she is on the verge of hysteria, "It's been Hell."

"Wow, that was dramatic," I laugh, but I stop quickly as her expression doesn't change, "you're serious? What happened?"

"James and Sirius had some spat about..." Lily takes in a deep breath, "Snape. Sirius got annoyed with something he said, and James didn't want to chase Snape about it. Insults were thrown. Sirius is stropping. James is moping. They're both shouting. Peter is stuck between sides. Remus is... coping."

"I was gone for two days," I sigh, sitting on my bed. Lily sits beside me, "where is everybody?"

"James took Remus to... y'know," she makes a small gesture with her hands to fill in, "and Sirius is off ranting somewhere. That boy has a lot of bottled up anger, it's a bit scary."

"I should go then," I get up once more, exchanging my cloak for the black one, and throwing my empty satchel over my shoulder.

"Let me help."

"Go and tell Sirius to get a grip and do his duty," I squeeze her hand, hurrying towards the exit, "I would be grateful."

"Good luck," the last I see of Lily before descending the stairs is her smiling weakly, wringing her shaking hands.  The climb down is always faster than the ascent, and I find myself bolting down the moving staircases, a cold fear settling in my chest. I slow my pace as I turn towards the Hospital Wing, breathing deeply to control my heartbeat. Everything outside is basked in an amber glow, and the grounds seem deserted through the window-

"Shit," I hiss as I catch sight of a cloaked figure scurrying through the shadows of the castle towards Whomping Willow. It's too tall to be James, too lanky to be Sirius. Then a name surfaces in my head: Severus.
Forgetting the need for bandages, I rush out of the castle, legs burning as I urge myself towards that damned tree before him. My lungs shriek in pain in the cold spring air,  and I can barely cast, "immobulus."

The tree ceases to move, and I slip into the tunnel, starting for a sprint as soon as I hit the muddy earth below.
Screw my fear of the dark, I think to myself, we're in too deep shit for this.
I can here footsteps behind me, albeit advancing slowly and cautiously, but there none-the-less. The trapdoor has been propped open, ajar this time. Pulling myself up, I find that it is because James was just about to lock it. His eyes widen when he sees me , "Lin-"

"No time," I shake my head quickly, "someone's coming through the tunnel and I don't think it's Sirius. It could be Snape."

"Black is upstairs," James answers quickly, furrowing his brows. It doesn't slip my attention that he uses Sirius' last name, "go, hide yourself in the small room. It's without windows boarded up."

I understand his silent message: leave through the window if anything happens. Instead I nod, "What about?.."

"Let me handle it," He pushes me towards the stairs as the footsteps from the tunnel become clearer, "go, Novak."

"Potter! Lupin! I know you're there!" My breath hitches at my throat at the voice of Severus Snape, and I stop midstep at the top of the stairs, heart hammering faster by the second.

I can just about see James, wild-eyed as he tries to stop Severus from climbing up, "How did you get here?"

"I overheared the inbred." Snape hisses, referring to Sirius, "Now, get your filthy blood-traitor hands off of me."

"You can't come in here!" James yells, trying to push the boy back.

"I can handle a mutt."

"No you can't!" James recovers from Snape's words quickly, "Just go! You're a sixth year, you won't get out of this alive."

I assume that Snape struggles in the few seconds of leading silence, because he grunts, his tone malicious, "How would you know?"

"Don't be a wanker, Severus." James' voice drops low as an eery silence fills the shack, "Now you have exactly one minute to get to the other side of the tunnel before Remus loses his state of mind, sniffs you out and kills you. Go."

A cry slices through the air, something inhuman, something that makes my heart leap, my eyes brim with tears. Remus. Snape tries to conceal the fear in his voice but fails, "Fine."

I hear the trapdoor close, and James turn the key on it, along with a hastily muttered incantation, and then he gets off of his knees with a groan. Silently, I slip into the room that he described and shut the door before he climbs the stairs, James stops right outside, "He almost saw you, your curiosity could have got you into trouble. Keep quiet alright? I'm going to deal with Moony."

Oh shit, he knows. I don't make a move until I'm certain that he's in the room that Remus is in, then slowly make a crack in the door, enough to see what's happening.

I bite my lip to stop myself crying out when I catch sight of Remus stumbling towards James, "I thought I heard-"

"Moony-"

"-Snape," Remus rasps, clinging on to James, who helps him to a kneeling position. When he is met by silence, his voice is even quieter than before, "it was him, wasn't it?"

James doesn't respond, only glares at Sirius, who had until previously been perching on the bedpost. Sirius, for once, is unable to form an answer, "I- didn't think- I- I was annoyed-"

"Save it," Remus growls, and Sirius' eyes flash with fear. Remus coughs up blood as bones crack, and he lets out a strangled cry, clutching James' arm for support. Sirius goes to his aid, but Remus pushes him away harshly. He is just in my life of sight, looking as though he's fighting against himself to run to Remus' aid.

James backs away from the kneeling boy, and Peter, who had been out of my line of sight, says, "We can't leave it any longer."

I think I've got concussion.
This can't be happening.
There's a stag. And a dog. And a rat.
Exactly where the boys stood.
But that isn't the only thing that makes my mind reel and my stomach feel as though it's backflipping. It's horrid.
Between the animals, I catch glimpses of Remus. Shaking violently. Clawing at the floorboards. Screaming blasphemies. The silence following rings in my ears, quickly filled by more bones snapping, and a growl that is not human.
I don't tear my eyes away.
The outwards physical change is quick and my vision is blurred by tears, but I see the moment the Remus we know is gone, taken over by his counterpart.