𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗔𝗭𝗞𝗔𝗕𝗔𝗡 [𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚍]

Chapter Fourty Six: The Storm

‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ ･⋆✵⋆･ ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

Sirius, James and Peter hurried to the Willow, only stopping for a moment to wait for Hagrid to go back inside his cabin so he wouldn't see the Willow freeze for the second time in a night and get suspicious.

The grounds were silent as always at this time but there was something off. Something felt out of the ordinary.

And that's when Sirius saw it.

A lone figure dressed in robes dark enough to blend in with the night, wand out and face turned to the Whomping Willow. The figure made a small pebble levitate to the knot at the base and the Willow froze.

"Who's that?" asked James and there was panic in his voice.

Realization hit Sirius like a bucket of ice water to the face. "Snivellus." he breathed, his stomach sinking.

"Sirius? What did you do?" whispered James in disbelief before sprinting out from under the Cloak.

Sirius and Peter tried to run after him while still covered by the Cloak but James was much faster and was already pulling Snape from the brim of the tunnel that led to Moony's Shack but the damage was done.

The Willow started moving again after James had dragged Snape a good distance away from it.

Snape's face was ashen and clammy from fright but his eyes gleamed with menace. "So that's where he goes, is it?" he hissed. "Wait till I tell someone about this." he cackled and scrambled away towards the castle.

The three boys were too in shock to move but Sirius snapped out of it first and tried to follow Snape but James grabbed his wrist and held him back.

"Let go. We have to stop him." Sirius yelled back, trying to tug his wrist free with his eyes still glued to Snape's bat like profile retreating towards the castle.

"Oh, no. You don't decide what we do." growled James, his hold on Sirius tightening. "What the bloody hell were you thinking telling him? That's bloody Snivellus for heavens sake."

"James! We can still stop him!" Sirius tried to argue.

"Stop him? Stop him how?" yelled James. "You're not suggesting we kill him, are you? Because that's the only way we can stop him from spreading Moony's secret now. You've seen to that."

"But . . ."

"Just shut up, Sirius. You've done enough." said James, letting go of Sirius's wrist and racking his fingers through his hair angrily. "All we can do now is go back to the dorm and pretend like we don't know what Snivellus is talking about if someone asks."

"Maybe it's better if we lay low for tonight." said Peter calmly. "Don't want to get caught." he added and threw the Cloak back on all three of them.

They walked back to the castle in complete silence because James refused to talk to Sirius at all and Peter was mad at him too but tried to tone it down.

The boys sneaked back into their dorm and got into bed unusually silently.

Sirius didn't bother changing into his pajamas and spent the whole night staring up at the canopy of his four poster, wondering if Remus was ever going to forgive him for this. He can't even remember why it seemed like a good idea in the first place to him to send Snape that note. Maybe it was all the firewhisky.

Sunlight finally streamed through the windows of the Marauders' dorm, washing it in an amber glow, and Sirius sprung out of bed like he'd been burned.

"Where are you going?" James asked when he saw this. It looked like he hadn't slept either. He had dark circles under his bloodshot eyes.