Running in the dark

Chapter 24

tw- homophobic slurs

There were body-binding curses on both of them and they were in a Slytherin dormitory, bound to chairs, back to back to one another. It was empty.

"Mulciber brought you here, your nose is bleeding," Remus said to James.

"Who brought you here?" James asked.

"Snape, he pushed me into a bush and used some jinx on me, bloody sliced my eyebrow then used a silencing charm, bound me with this curse, and then brought me here when the coast was clear," Remus explained.

"What do you think he wants?" James asked, he sounded much angry than usual.

Before Remus could answer James the door swung open and Snape and Mulciber were back. "Don't even try and yell, there's a silencing charm," Snape said, he seemed rather calm about the circumstances.

"What do you want Snivellus?" Remus asked, he was far away from his usual negotiations of kindness or not seem bothered, but now he was livid.

Snape looked over to Mulciber who came over to Remus and punched him in the gut. "What I want," Snape sneered as Remus began to cough, he had already developed quite a bad one since that evening in the bathroom.

"Is for you to speak, when I ask you to speak," he finished, his eyes sending daggers at the two as they glared back at him.

"Well Lupin, you're always a bit of a smart-mouth, would you mind telling James what this is?" Snape said pulling out a vial and showing it to Remus, James couldn't see it his back now facing Snape.

"Veritaserum," Remus said, his voice a whisper, he felt sick. If Snape gave that to him, he could know that Remus was a werewolf.

"You're sick Severus, you're sick, what the hell is wrong with you," James began to yell and Remus let out a horrified gasp after watching Mulciber come over to James and punch him, there was a horrifying crunch, a broken rib, and James let out what sounded like a strangled scream that he was trying to hold back not to give Snape the satisfaction.

"It's almost been two hours," Sirius muttered as he was beside Regulus in the common room. "Maybe check your ruddy map then," Regulus said and Sirius rolled his eyes before going to grab the map and then walk back to the room, he tapped on it with his wand and was soon looking around for the pair's names and then he found them in the most unexpected place.

"Reg- whose dorm is above yours?" Sirius asked, his words soft, scared.

"Snape's, why?" He asked, rather confused by Sirius' tone.

"Son of a bitch, we need to go,"

The potion had been forced down James' throat and now Mulciber was walking over and getting ready to do the same to Remus. He forced the vile to his mouth and Remus drank some before spitting it back in his face.

"Fuck you," he shouted.

Mulciber punched him in the face before forcing the liquid down his throat.

"Alright then Potter, you can go first, tell me one of your biggest secrets?" Snape chuckled.

It slipped out of his mouth without James' consent, without the control he wished he had, "I always want to be the one there for everyone, to be able to understand what they're going through, and when I can't, I feel like I'm failing?" He spoke.

"Of course, this is one of Potter's secrets," came Mulcibers voice in a low chuckle, that was probably the first time he'd said a word this whole ordeal.

"Fine, Lupin how did you get those bruises over Christmas?" Snape asked.

"Stop this Snape, stop being a fucking asshole!" James yelled, James barely ever yelled or swore, and this earned him another punch in the gut which was still screaming in pain with his broken ribs.

Snape didn't even look at James but waited for Remus to answer. "My dad abused me, only got out because of James and Sirius,"

Snape then turned back to James, not looking a bit phased about what Remus had revealed, "What's going on with you and Regulus Black?"

"I and Regulus are dating," James spoke, he sounded pained to have the words forced from him.

His lips curved into a satisfied smirk "Fags, the lot of them, how disgusting," he said and nodded to Mulciber to hurt them again, they both got hard kicks to the shin

He then turned back. to Remus "Lupin, what's your biggest secret?"

James felt sick enough that he'd just been made to say that, but he knew Remus' biggest secret, and if Snape knew, all hell would break loose, he was sure of it.

The answer burnt Remus' lips and he began to say as the door banged open "I'm a"  his mouth was covered in seconds and the end came out muffled, he raised his head to see Sirius, his face only held fury, his hand still on Remus' mouth, his wand raised at Snape.

Regulus' wand was raised to Mulciber and then he yelled out "Petrificus Totalus," paralyzing Mulciber who fell on the floor at the same time Sirius yelled a sleeping charm at  Snape, who fell on the ground asleep before he could even react.

Regulus turned and freed them both from their magical binds. Remus had to take Sirius's hand off his mouth as Sirius was still staring daggers at the now-sleeping Snape.

"He needs to go to the hospital wing, broken ribs," Remus said, the deafening crunch still in his ears.

"So do you," Sirius said, he had snapped out of his anger and only concern was on his face.

James stood up and he winced. Regulus took this as his sign to put an arm around James and help walk him out. Regulus and Sirius didn't have a clue what had happened, all they knew was that Snape and Mulciber were going to pay.

Remus stood up, his face hurt and so did his gut, he knew his face was still bleeding from Snape's earlier curse, and that Sirius wouldn't let Remus avoid the hospital wing, so the four began to walk towards there.