The Bonds of Spirit are stronger than the Bonds of Blood

Chapter Twenty Nine

Another full moon was upon Hogwarts. Remus was in bad shape. He couldn't even speak as the effects of the changing moon sent him into a feverish, delusional state. He was in pain and could do nothing more than nod his head yes and no to communicate. Sirius, James, and Peter were incredibly worried about him. He had never been this bad around the full moon before. At least, he had not in the past three years that they had spent with him. First thing in the morning, the day of the full moon, Sirius grabbed Remus and carefully began to take him towards the Shrieking Shack. Once more he borrowed the invisibility cloak from James and moved as swiftly as he possibly could. He navigated the many steps of the grand staircase, guiding Remus while offering up words of comfort. He narrowly avoided a patrol by Mrs. Norris. Luckily he had remembered to keep some scraps in his pockets. Dropping down the delicious morsels of food, he side stepped the calico cat as she happily ate, ignoring their presence. He guided Remus past Filch, silently muttering "It's alright Moony! We're almost there! Just hang on! It's really close now!" In his efforts to comfort Remus, and his joy at having managed to get past Filch, Sirius did not pay attention to his movements and crashed into something. Something that spoke! "What in the name of Merlin's Beard is going on?!" A familiar voice said, though whose voice it was slipped Sirius' mind as he tried to stabilize himself. Sirius grunted, checking to make sure Remus was okay, before looking up to see what he had bumped into. There, in front of him, stood an irritated looking Professor McGonagall. His heart sank, not knowing how he would manage to get Remus to safety now. Sirius knew he should try to run, but for some reason he remained frozen in place. Professor McGonagall raised her hand, moving it gently and slowly forward, until she made contact with the invisibility cloak. She grabbed hold of the fabric and pulled it aside, revealing a worried Sirius and a pained Remus. Startled, she pulled the two off to the side, along a narrow corridor, and whisper yelled "Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, what in the world is going on here?!" Sirius offered some words of comfort, clutching onto Remus to prevent him from falling, before saying "It's really bad Professor. I need to get him to safety. Moony needs to get out of the castle for now. Please, please let us go!" He pleaded with Professor McGonagall, trying to get her to leave them be. Professor McGonagall looked the two boys over before it clicked. Tonight was the full moon. Sirius was incredibly distressed, his eyes darting between her and Remus. Professor McGonagall nodded and said "Follow me." Before turning around and continuing down the corridor. Sirius stared after her, bewildered by her response. Not sensing the boys following, Professor McGonagall sighed, turned around and said "Quickly now! Time is of the essence!" This snapped Sirius out of his stupor. Keeping a careful hold on Remus, he followed her down the corridor to a small, well hidden, door. Professor McGonagall opened the door, revealing the grounds. Straight ahead, though off in the distance, was the Whomping Willow. "Remember this passage well; it's a short cut to the grounds. Filch does not patrol this hall, as it is well hidden. Use it when you need to, but be careful!" Professor McGonagall said. Beginning to walk away, she turned and said "And do take care of Mr. Lupin. And yourself." With that said, she disappeared down the corridor.

Sirius drew the invisibility cloak back around himself and Remus and swiftly began walking towards the Whomping Willow. He was amazed that Professor MCGonagall had been so understanding. She had not tried to force them to go to the Hospital Wing, or made them return to Gryffindor Tower. Instead, she had shown them a shortcut to their destination and even wished them well! He felt immensely proud to have ended up in Gryffindor with her as their incredible Head of House. All of Gryffindor should consider themselves lucky to have ever ended up with such a wonderful person watching over them! She was like the mother they all needed, and he vowed to repay her for all the help she had given them. But first, he had to help Remus. He set Remus down carefully, ducked under the Whomping Willow's club-like branches, and pressed the knot at the base of the tree. When the branches froze in place, he swiftly grabbed hold of Remus once more and led the way to the Shrieking Shack. After cursing the stairs, he brought Remus into the bedroom and laid him down to rest. Covering him with a blanket, Sirius watched over Remus. This was the worst he had ever seen Remus, even worse than their first full moon together. Determined, he stepped up to the boarded up window and whistled. A short while later, his great horned owl arrived. Sirius scribbled a brief note on a scrap of parchment he found in the room, using his wand in place of a quill, to send to James and Peter. He wanted them to know he would be staying with Remus today. He wasn't about to leave Remus alone for any length of time, not when he was like this. He made a note that they should bring food and water whenever they could, and that they should be prepared for tonight. He wasn't sure why Remus was suddenly so much worse, but he had a feeling they would need to change up their full moon routine tonight. Tying the message to his owl, he sent it away quickly, to find James. Sirius sat by Remus, muttering every word of comfort he could think of while anxiously awaiting the night. After breakfast, Peter dropped by. He brought food and water, telling Sirius that James had stayed behind to give excuses for their absences. After promising to come back when he could, Peter left. After lunch, James brought food and water. He told Sirius all about what he had missed so far, and what excuses were being used. Luckily, no one was trying to find out what was really going on. Everyone seemed to believe the lies James and Peter were telling them. Even Professor McGonagall seemed to be helping, as she provided additional excuses for their absences. Wishing Remus and Sirius well, James left. After dinner, both James and Peter returned to the Shrieking Shack, ready to start the full moon night. The trio watched the moon rise from the boarded up window. With a nod, they shifted into their animagus form and waited for their werewolf companion.

The shaggy dog whined sadly, nudging Remus as he tossed and turned. The rat kept watch on the moon, while the stag watched the shaggy dog. As the moon rose higher, Remus grew silent. The rat tapped the stag on the head, signalling the beginning. The stag tapped his front left hoof on the ground, alerting the shaggy dog. With one more gentle nudge to Remus' shoulder, the shaggy dog stepped back and anxiously waited. All was deathly quiet for a few moments, until a great cry of pain rose up from Remus' throat. His bones shifted as he cried out, changing shape into that of their lupine counterparts. Slowly, the cries of pain turned into a lone, heart wrenching howl. The werewolf stood, confused, and looked around the room. Agitated, he tried to lunge towards the stag, but the shaggy dog interfered. With a bark for distraction, he lunged at the werewolf, tackling him back onto the floor. The rat, stag, and shaggy dog became very vocal as the werewolf shook his head. His eyes clear once more, he turned his attention towards the other creatures in the room. He noticed the shaggy dog and gave a series of howling grunts for conversation. The Dog seemed to grin, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth, before giving a bark and leading the way down the stairs. The stag followed behind, carrying the rat on his head. The rat clung to the stag's antlers, trying to maintain balance. The werewolf let out a laughing bark and followed the stag. The four made their way down the stairs, through the secret passage, and out of the trap door hidden by the Whomping Willow. Dodging the clubbed branches, the stag, shaggy dog, rat, and werewolf raced towards the Forbidden Forest. The shaggy dog led the way, egging the werewolf on with his barking, while the stag followed shortly behind, still carrying the rat. They ran through the trees, dodging fallen trees along the way. Smaller creatures, native to the forest, swiftly fled from their tasks as the stag, shaggy dog, and werewolf came bounding through the trees. The werewolf and shaggy dog set about a game of tag, or at least their equivalent. The dog would nip lightly at the werewolf and nimbly dodge away, bounding off to another part of the forest with the werewolf in tow. The werewolf would eventually catch the shaggy dog, send a nip his direction, and bound off in the opposite direction. The stag, not wanting to be left out, joined in their game. He would gently brush his target with his antlers, then rush off as they chased him. The rat would jump from the stag's head to the shaggy dog's head to the werewolf's head and back again. He would hang on to each of his friends in turn, enjoying the feeling as they ran. The four explored the forest, running free and happily. The werewolf seemed particularly pleased. From time to time, a darkness would settle in his eyes, but the shaggy dog was quick to fix this. The rat would sound the alert, giving a series of high pitched squeaks that matched the code they had decided upon earlier. The stag would then move to herd the werewolf towards the shaggy dog, while the shaggy dog would use his strength to shock the werewolf back to his normal self. As the moon began to set, the four returned to the Shrieking Shack, exhausted. Tomorrow they would have to work, but for now they could rest.

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