The great hall was buzzing with students. James and Sirius were in a deep discussion about their upcoming quidditch game. "Hey Remus are you alright? You've been playing with your dinner for a while now" He kept his gaze focused on his plate. "Sorry, zoned out a bit" He set is fork aside and looked up towards me. He looked drained, like he hadn't had any sleep lately. "Clearly, are you okay?" I asked. "Not looking forward to tonight is all" Of course, the full moon was tonight. He never looked forward to it. "Hey, we have a routine now. It'll be okay... Now eat up, you need your strength" He smiled and began eating his dinner. He would be starving by the morning if he skipped dinner. Once the meal was over we rushed to the common room and grabbed our supplies for the night.
"I think we have outgrown the cloak," I thought aloud. "Don't say that Vixy! It fits just fine" James protested. "Yeah for one person" I muttered. It was easier to fit under the cloak when we were little first years. Now trying to fit the five of us is like a joke. "She has a point James" Peter spoke up. Once we were at the edge of the castle I ran towards the whomping willow. "Someones eager" Sirius joked. "I'm happy to be out of that cloak" Once the tree had calmed down, we made our way to the shack. Instead of taking my usual spot on the bed, I decided to join in on the boys game. We ran around the shack chasing one another, poor Wormtail struggled to hold onto Prongs' antlers. It was only when the boys ran upstairs that I heard footsteps. They were different from the boys normal stomping around, these ones sounded more careful. As if they were trying to keep to the shadows. Padfoot seemed to notice too and looked towards me. I motioned back to Moony, he seemed to get the idea and went back to their game. I'll search the shack while they keep Moony entertained.
I started with the entrance, then through the bedrooms and dining room. Nothing, everywhere I looked seemed normal. That was until I heard a scream from upstairs. I rushed up only to see Snape up against the wall, facing the werewolf. How did he get here? Why was he here? I looked towards the others, they seemed just as confused as I did. I then looked back towards Snape, who had his wand raised at Moony. "Sectumsempra!" It was all too quick. I let out a cry in pain and stumbled to the ground. My bones quickly shifted and my fur changed back into skin. I looked over at Prongs, who stood protectively over my trembling body while Padfoot and Wormtail led Moony out of the shack. Snape took this opportunity to flee. Not once looking back at the mess he had created. When the coast was clear, Prongs transformed back into James. "Elsie I need you to stay awake, for the love of merlin please stay awake" In one swift moment he had me in his arms and was rushing towards the castle. I couldn't understand what was happening. "Elsie?!" I looked up at him, I tried to speak but all that came up was blood. The warm liquid seemed to run down my face and seep through my robes. My body ached and all I wanted to do was drift off.
Lilys POV
"LILY!" The pounding at the door grew louder. "Lily just answer it already" Alice tossed a pillow over her head. I grabbed my nightgown and made my way to the door. "James? What on-" I looked to see that his robes were covered in blood. "Please, I need your help" He led me to the boy's dorms. Elsie laid on his bed, blood run down her face and seeped through her robes. "What happened?!" He looked at me with tears in his eyes. "We.. I..." He was lost for words. He collapsed onto his bed, he looked defeated. I turned back to Elsie, the blood was starting to seep into the bedsheets. "Vulnera Sanentur" I muttered the spell three times. The blood slowly returned to her body. I remembered when Severus told me of this spell when I spoke about my interest in healing, I never thought I'd be using it. To this day I'd never come across this spell in a book, I wonder where he found it. "I'll watch over her, you go shower." Silently and hesitantly, James left. My gaze never left Elsie. Although the spell had worked, the curse had left scars. I don't know if they will ever fade.
When James returned, I had finished tending to our friend. "What happened tonight?" I asked him. "I'd have to explain a lot more for you to understand" He spoke softly, as if not to wake our friend. As we watched over her, he explained everything. From how they managed to turn themselves into animagi, to their monthly routine to help Remus. As dangerous as it may seem, I was impressed. It made more sense to why Elsie would sneak out with them all the time too. "Tonight was supposed to be like any other" He buried his face in his hands. "How was I supposed to know Snape would show up? He went to use the curse on Remus but Elsie... She protected Remus, she took the blow" How could Severus know about this? Why would he do such a thing? There was nothing he could gain from it. I guess it explains why he couldn't just go to the hospital wing, how could they explain this to the nurse? Or the headmaster? "Where are the others now?" He looked towards the window. "The forest, Sirius and Peter went out to keep Remus under control while I got Elsie out"
"Thank you... For this. I couldn't have done it without you" I pulled him into a hug. "I'll always be here for you James" We ended up talking until we fell asleep. He told me about all the adventures he and his friends had been on and what trouble they caused during the night. Elsie was right about him, he wasn't as bad as I thought he was. He cared deeply for his friends and others, how did I not see it before? I woke up to the sound of the door creaking open. I looked towards James only to see him resting on my shoulder, fast asleep. I then looked over to Elsie. Still asleep. "Is she okay?" Sirius was the first to enter the dorm. He rushed over to Elsie. "Quiet! She needs the rest" I shooed him away. James must've heard Sirius' outburst, he sat up and rubbed his eyes. "What we really need to worry about is how Snape knew to go to the Shrieking Shack" James said. "He could've been killed, or have killed one of us"
"I'm surprised he even listened to me, if I had known this would happen I would've never told him to go to the shrieking shack" Sirius muttered. "You told him to go?!" We all looked towards Sirius. "I didn't think this would happen! I thought it would just scare him off" James run his hands through his dark hair and sighed. "Sirius you've taken this too far! This isn't a game anymore, Elsie could've been killed" Remus said. "You don't think I know that?!" It all went silent for a moment. "I need some air" He grabbed his jacket and left. "I'll go talk to him" James went on after him, leaving me with Remus and Peter. "Peter, why don't you get cleaned up?" Remus suggested. Without another word, he left too. "I'm guessing James told you everything" Remus spoke up, breaking the brief moment of silence. "He did. You know it won't change anything right? I still care about you Remus. You are one of my closest friends" His smile quickly turned sour. "What if Elsie or James hadn't been there? I could've killed someone" He moved over to his bed and looked towards the window. "You wouldn't have because you are a good person Remus, no one can take that away from you. Not even the wolf inside" His gaze was focused on the window. "You'll always have us by your side"
