Amulet of Time 3: The Wolf and The Pelican

Chapter 25: Reactions

Sev lay on his back and stared blankly at the rapidly darkening sky. The full moon shone brightly to his left, creating a convenient distraction. James sat off to one side, panting heavily and watching the Whomping Willow intently. Neither moved for the longest time, each lost in their own thoughts. They were only interrupted by the heavy beating of wings as a large leopard landed next to them. Both watched as Harry changed back into his human form and rushed over to them.

" James! Severus! Are you alright?"

" I'm fine, Harry," James said, " But I'm not so sure about Snape. He had a pretty big shock."

" Sirius told me what he did. Trust me, he won't do something so stupid again."

" How do you know? I mean, Sirius just doesn't think things through properly."

" James, I can't believe you're going to let him off lightly!"

" Harry, calm down. Nothing bad happened. Sirius was just playing a prank."

" How can you defend him? Sirius may be immature, but he's not completely stupid. He did it on purpose. Maybe he didn't think through all of the consequences, but sending someone blindly into a place inhabited by a live werewolf is obviously dangerous. Sev could have been bitten. Or mauled. What would have happened to Sirius if Sev had been killed?"

" He didn't think…"

" You're right. He didn't think. And if he comes near me or Sev again, he won't be able to think for a very long time. James, do you know how long it takes to wake from a magically induced coma?"

" No…"

" Well, you can tell Sirius from me that any more pranks like this and he'll find out from first hand experience."

" You wouldn't…."

" Sending a year mate to his death is something I wouldn't do, but exacting revenge is another matter. Tell him to stay away from me and my friend."

" But, Harry…."

" I don't want to hear it, James. I'm not angry with you, just disappointed you are taking Sirius' side. I know he's like a brother to you, but he's lost my trust. You asked me last month why Sirius wasn't selected to join the Order of the Phoenix. This is a prime example. How do you think the rest of the Order would have reacted if one of their youngest members killed our one and only spy in Voldemort's ranks? Do you think they would have been pleased? He would have been executed on the spot for treason. You may think he's responsible enough to join such an important organisation, but as you have seen tonight, he will not be ready for a long time."

" I see your point. Getting our spy killed would be bad…"

" It would be worse than bad. It would be disastrous. Imagine how many lives Sev will save over the years. If that was taken away, Sirius would be responsible for more than just Sev's death, but the deaths of those he could have saved. Innocent people who just want to live their lives."

" I'll talk to him."

" Good. Thank you for saving Severus, I wish I could have been here to do it myself, but things didn't work out that way. I know Sev will resent you for this, but there's nothing I can do to change that, and good will come from it in the future. For now, I think it would be best if you left."

" Sure Harry, if that's what you want."

" Please."

James turned and headed back to the castle, his body beginning to shake as the shock started to set in. He hadn't expected everything to work out like this. He knew Sirius was wrong to do what he did, even to a Slytherin. If the spy had been killed, it could have had really bad consequences. As he reached the main doors and pushed them open, he decided to head straight to bed. It had been an eventful evening, and he just wanted to sleep it off. He would talk to Sirius in the morning.