THE WEREWOLF AND THE SLYTHERIN

"Well, thank you very much for helping me, Severus, you may leave now... It is already almost twelve at night, go on, hurry," Professor Slughorn said, collecting the dried mistletoe in a wooden jar on the work table. Snape nodded and ran towards the wooden door of the Potions classroom, pushing it open, and instead of heading down into the Slytherin dormitory, he ran up to the entrance and peered out through the open door. If Black was right, then something was definitely going on near the Whomping Willow.

Snape slowly inched towards the huge tree that now stood still, making a slow grunting noise as if it were snoring. Suddenly he heard some movement- someone was behind him. He quickly turned to see Professor McGonagall approaching him with an anxious and a bit angry face.

"Mr Snape, what do you think you are doing out of bed?" she questioned him suspiciously. He stood there, waiting to think of a reply fast; he felt his heart beat against his chest. 

"I-" he said, but was suddenly interrupted. A huge howl echoed through the entire area, as it issued from far away- it seemed like the howl came from the dark eerie haunted building in Hogsmeade, the Shrieking Shack.

McGonagall had a very scared look on her face. She nervously looked around, trying to think of what to do, and then looked straight at Snape. "Go to your dormitory. Now," she ordered, and Snape knew very well that McGonagall was a person he wouldn't want to argue with. He nodded and ran off towards the dungeons- but a thought occurred to him. If McGonagall was being nervous, there sure was something wrong, and he knew that Black was right- there is something by the Whomping Willow, and he needed to know it.

He hid behind a marble column near the Great Hall, waiting for McGonagall to return to her staff room. As she walked up the stairs and vanished into the second floor, Snape came out of his hiding place and ran into the grounds of Hogwarts.

He rushed towards the Whomping Willow, trying to see what Black was talking about. He looked around everywhere, but nothing seemed odd. But then he heard it, a low grunt- an angry terrifying breath of fear. He looked around quickly, and under the roots and branches of the Whomping Willow, through a hole big enough for him to crawl through, he saw something- something with white glinting eyes. Terror struck him, but not more than anxiety. He clutched his wand very tightly, and repeated a spell he made himself in his head, under his breath, as if practising; "Sectumsepra, sectumsepra, sectumsepra..."

And he slowly tried to descent himself into the hole, and as he peered into it again, the white eyes appeared again with ivory-white teeth the size of his fist, and sharp as swords. The creature slowly emerged into the faded light of the full moon, grunting lowly, baring its teeth at Snape. He felt his heart beat faster than ever, cold sweat rolling down his face in beads. And then he saw the werewolf much more clearly as it pounced on him with a large howl. He screamed out very loudly, and as the white dagger-like teeth closed in on his skin, he felt something tugging at him from behind. The next thing he knew, he was hanging on something that looked like- antlers?

Whatever that was, it carried him very smoothly and swiftly, as if it were a speedy deer. And the next second, he was standing on solid ground again, near the entrance to Hogwarts. He looked around and saw James Potter standing there, panting and gasping for breath loudly. He was exhausted and sweating very much. Snape tried to gather whatever just happened.

Fullmoon... Lupin... Werewolf...

And then he bit his lips tightly. "Lupin is a...?"

Potter slowly nodded, and took out his wand, aiming it right at the middle of Snape's forehead. "If you tell about this to anyone, Snivellus," he said with rage in his throat. Snape gulped, knowing very well that the footsteps he just now heard on the floor above were Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall thundering downstairs after Snape's scream.