Catch me if you Can

Duel Against a Werewolf

I had to admit getting through the tunnel was the hardest part yet. Crouching, with Pettigrew and Ron by my side, probed to be very hard, and I could barely breathe, to avoid hurting my ribs more than they were already. I could hear Sirius and Harry talking in the background, but I couldn't distinguish any words, as Pettigrew was wheezing heavily beside me, and Ron was grunting from the pain in his leg.

Finally, the tunnel started going up..Crookshanks darted up first; he had evidently pressed his paw to the knot on the trunk, because when I went up, I was not attacked once again by some nasty branches. Uncle Lupin kept his wand stuck in Pettigrew's back and we watched as Hermione, Harry, dad and Snape(flotting) came up. The grounds were very dark now; the only light came from thedistant windows of the castle. We started making our way there. I tried breathing in deeply, but still couldn't. I couldn't wait to get into the castle, have Madam Pomfrey fix my ribs, and to see Bill again. It felt like an eternity since I last kissed him..

"One wrong move, Peter," said Lupin threateningly ahead. Pettigrew whimpered but kept on going.

Suddenly A cloud shifted. There were suddenly dim shadows on theground. I looked up and saw a full moon, glaring down at me. 

"Holy shit"I gasped. I looked back and saw Uncle Lupin go rigid. 

"Ron, I need to let go of my restraints with Pettigrew. Can you handle him alone?"I demanded quickly. Ron nodded afraid, and I mutter a spell to detach myself from Pettigrew.

"Stay where you are"I warned him, before turning around, to face Uncle Lupin.

 "Run," Dad suddenly said. "Run. Now." I shook my head at him. I couldn't leave him. I just couldn't. I watched as he pushed Harry and Hermione away.

 "Leave it to me — RUN!"he yelled to me. There was a terrible snarling noise. Lupin's head was lengthening.So was his body. His shoulders were hunching. Hair was sproutingvisibly on his face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws. I yelled, as Uncle Lupin was now a werewolf. I took my wand out, and pointed it to him, not to sure what spell to use. 

"Stupefy!"I yelled, but it reflected off his body. All it did, instead, was anger him, as he turned to me, snarling.

Suddenly, dad, who has now transformed, pounced on Uncle Lupin.. They werelocked, jaw to jaw, claws ripping at each other. I gasped, as Pettigrew had dived for Lupin's dropped wand. Ron, unsteadyon his bandaged leg, fell. There was a bang, a burst of light,  andRon lay motionless on the ground. 

 "Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled. "Staywhere you are!" 

It was too late. Pettigrew has transformed and was running away. I tried chasing after him, but he was too small, and scurried away in the grass. 

"Fuck"I muttered, but didn't have time to deal with this. I went to go check on Ron, but he only looked knocked out. Then, I saw something else, that made my blood run cold. 

My dad, still in his dog form, was limping, blood spurting from his muzzle.

"Dad!"I yelled, running to him. Uncle Lupin started running again, in dad's direction, to attack. 

Now what I did next, was, as my dad would say in the future, stupid dangerous, but what my friends found heroic and brave. I pushed my dad out of the way and took the blow from Uncle Lupin. I felt myself be projected in the air, before landing on the ground. I grunted as the pain in my ribs exploded. Uncle Lupin was not done with me however, as he growled, and punched on me. He slashed my arms with his front paws, and I screamed in pain. 

"Uncle Lupin, please stop, please, it's me! It's Max!"I pleaded to the werewolf, though I knew it wouldn't do anything. I smelt his breath and slobber trickled down his muzzle onto my face. His eyes were shining in the moonlight. Suddenly, I felt the weight be taken off of me, as dad pushed Uncle Lupin off of me, and pinned him down. I tried crawling up, but my arms were bleeding too much to be much use.

"Sirius, he's gone, Pettigrew transformed!" Harry yelled. Dad, as though his mission changed suddenly looked up from his struggle. I could tell he was in a dilemma. Was he going to stick around to save us from Uncle Lupin, or was he going to go after Pettigrew?

"Dad, go! Just go!"I yelled hoarsely, slowly getting back up and raising my wand weekly. Dad, though he couldn't talked, gave a soft growl, before pouncing off into the grass, in the search of Pettigrew. 

Uncle Lupin, who had lost his attacker, was getting back up, growling and snarling.

"Flipendo!"I yelled to Uncle Lupin. To my surprise, he was projected back, and landed in a thump about 50 meters away. The bang echoed through the grounds. It didn't take Uncle Lupin long to recover from that blow however. Within a few seconds, he was back on his feet, angrier than ever.

Suddenly, we all heard it. A dog whimpering, in pain.

"Dad"I turn to Harry, who heard it too. 

"GO!"I yelled to him. He nodded resolutely, and took off into the forest. 

"HARRY!"Hermione yelled, running after him, leaving Ron and Snape on the ground defendless. I swore, realizing I'll need to protect them both. Uncle Lupin started running at me once again. 

"Ventus!"I yelled, creating wind the force of a hurricane, propelling him back once again. I kept yelling this spell, over and over again, hoping that he would eventually give up and retreat somewhere away from us. He didn't. The more I did it, the more he was able to fight back, and got closer and closer. Swearing, I stopped, knowing it wouldn't help anymore. Seizing this split second opportunity, he pounces once again on me, knocking me back. This time, I hit my head on a tree root as I fell, and felt as though my head was split open. I screamed in agony, as his claws deepened in my skin. My wand was propelled back by the force, so I was wandless, and had no hopes of saving myself. Everyone was gone. 

I never thought this would be how I would die. But I guess this was it. I felt a tear trickle down my cheek, as I whispered the last thing I would want anyone to hear me say: "I love you Bill"

Uncle Lupin howled, and suddenly there was a blast, and he was propelled away. Shocked, though in too much pain to get back up, I move my head just enough to see Uncle Lupin whimper and run into the woods. 

"Max! Oh god, Max"I heard the voice of my saviour yell. and I felt hands on my arms. I painfully look up to see Bill, white as a ghost. 

"Oh bloody hell Max, your arms are all clawed up. Did he bite you?"

I slowly shake my head in denial. 

"Do you have her and your brother? I need to find Black, Granger and Potter!"I heard Snape yell. I guess he finally got back to his senses.

"Yeah, just go!"Bill yelled back, and he softly put an arm under my knees, and neck, pulling me up. I felt my head go back heavily. He swore loudly.

"Fuck, your head's bleeding Max. Dear God"he said, sounding very afraid, though his voice was sounding further and further away.

"Am I?"I whispered, slowly touching the back of my head, which was damp. I pulled my hand back to my face, and in the light, I could see it in blood. I felt stars starting to appear, though they weren't from the sky. Bill seemed to sense something, because as he conjured a spell to project Ron in midair, he said: "Max, you need to stay with me ok? Stay with me, I love you, I need you"

"I love you too"I said heavily, and closed my eyes. Death didn't seem so bad right now. The pain will go away one and for all. 

"Max, c'mon, stay with me. I love you"Bill begged, his pace quickening. 

"I'm sorry Bill.."I whispered, as I felt the pain in my head slowly disappearing, as I fall unconscious.