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Tweak says, "AZKABAIT = Hudson's Problem"

James C. Potter (stagswagger) wrote in loremrpg,
@ 2011-04-17 22:48:00

Entry tags:

!complete, !incomplete, james potter, peter pettigrew, remus lupin, severus snape, sirius black

Characters: The Marauders & Severus Snape
Setting: Sunday, October 17 at Sundown; the Whomping Willow & Shrieking Shack
Content: NSFW (violence!)
Summary: James is completely oblivious to the game Sirius is playing with Severus, and it doesn't end well.
Status: Incomplete

A romp about the forest on the night of the full moon was long overdue. James had experienced his fill of drama for the weekend, first with the loss to Ravenclaw Saturday afternoon, and then followed by a tense encounter with his ex-girlfriend Lily Evans. That phrase took a while to stick, and frankly it wasn't one he could bring himself to swallow: 'ex-girlfriend.' And to think the entire thing was his fault, as was the match result for that matter. James was beyond convinced he could have beaten Gilderoy to the snitch if only he had made a point to lurk around the git as opposed to flying off on his own. There was no way to truly know, of course, but the boy had himself sold on that opinion nevertheless. It could have had something to do with that rather remarkable necklace Lily had given him just prior to the game. James knew well enough Celtic knots served as a form of good luck charm. Even though Gryffindor had lost the match Saturday, James still felt something good had come out of it. Lily wouldn't have felt inclined to visit him that evening if he had won and was in an impeccable mood. In its own way, that little trinket served its purpose. James refused to take it off for that reason, so when it came time to transfigure into his animagus form, a diamond patch of discolored fur remained on his stag.

He emerged from the edge of the forest in his stag form after roughly an hour of wandering about on his own, cantering toward the Whomping Willow. He knew better than to get within reach of the branches, for the tree wouldn't distinguish between human or animal. Anything that moved was fair game, and he had little need to travel into the tunnel that remained beneath that evening. They learned the night of the last full moon a stag could not make due in the Shrieking Shack, let alone retreating through the tunnel. His rack was far too large for such things. This time around Sirius and Peter would go in ahead of him, meeting Remus and luring him out after his werewolf form had taken place. Then the group would follow James off into the forest. One animal could hold a werewolf's attention, but three for that matter were damn near impossible to ignore.

James tried to consider what Remus was doing at that given point in time, likely already cooped up in the shack as he anxiously awaited the inevitable. Sometimes James failed to see that the evening didn't always mean fun and games for all the Marauders. After all, Moony's transformation usually meant a dulling of his human senses and even potential hazard to anyone he encountered. James, Sirius, and Peter didn't have to worry about such things. The thought managed to distract James from pretending to graze in the nearby grass, but it was a matter of seconds before another noise caught his attention. The stag lifted his head with both ears erect, eyes shifting to the direction of the noise. He expected to find Sirius or Peter popping out at any minute, but his heightened sense of smell told him otherwise. Whoever it was, they didn't carry the usual scent of anyone from his pack. Prongs gave a flick of his tail as he backed away slightly, but just when he was about to make a dart for the trees as would any typical stag in such a situation, he saw Sirius and Peter make their way toward the tree. James tried as he might to catch Sirius' attention, to utilize the Legilimency they had been practicing for such occasions as this. Unfortunately he couldn't seem to break through his best mate's mind. Shifting his head back in the direction of the strange scent again, James darted for the wood where he planned to watch from afar. He had no clue what was happening, but hoped upon hope the stranger would carry along on his own without any help from him. Even moreso, he hoped the individual wouldn't catch his friends in the act of slipping into the hidden tunnel. James didn't need anything else to threaten his potentially enjoyable evening out and about with the pack.

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prefect_wolf
2011-04-18 10:30 pm UTC (link)

Remus had been in the Shack since early Sunday morning, mostly laying around and staring at the ceiling. The last few days had been different; he'd felt more odd and strange than he had in months and unfortunately McGonagall caught wind of his mention of it in his journal and insisted he head out immediately. It did nothing for Remus's mood.

The sun had begun to set and Remus twitched and fidgeted more than usual. Everything was more strained then usual and he felt like he was getting ready to jump out of his skin. The sun sank lower and lower until Remus felt the familiar animal inside beginning to emerge. It was painful, more painful than usual realized with a jolt of alarm. He screamed, his bones on fire and everything around him blurring as the wolf took over.

It took only moments, thankfully and Remus had fully transformed. Lifting his nose to the air he began to search the shack. There had to something there, something to stalk, hunt or bite. He found a weak trail, something far beyond the front door which he pawed at, testing it's strength. He growled when he found it wouldn't budge but growled even louder when he heard a voice coming from the tunnel itself.

Humans.

Moony howled loud and long, snarling at the door as he clawed it angrily. It was magically reinforced, Remus know that, but Moony simply wanted the thing between him and his kill gone and destroyed.

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potions_hbp
2011-04-19 01:26 am UTC (link)

Severus had not made it very far down the tunnel when a light came from behind him. He spun on his heal at his name being called and was surprised to find Potter standing with a lit wand. Severus resisted the urge to curse the piss out of him and instead gritted his teeth.

"Wait for what, Black to run up from behind and hex me? Is this some other elaborate scheme to humiliate me? Got a news flash for you, Potter. It's just you and me, a duel in here would-" At that moment Severus was cut off by a loud, long howl coming from up the tunnel. He froze, panic draining what little color was in his face.

"W-what the fucking hell are you playing at? You probably pushed Black to tell me how to get past the Willow, just so you could lead me to wolves? You fucking git!" Severus didn't know what to do, farther down the tunnel was an animal that sounded hungry. Blocking his exit was Severus' sworn enemy.

If I ever get out of this, Potter will pay dearly...

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stagswagger
2011-04-19 05:17 am UTC (link)

He could hardly claim he was surprised by Severus' response. The more time he wasted not trusting James, however, the less likely it was he'd get out of the situation alive. Anxiously motioning with his wand for Severus to get his pity party out of his system, James tried to suffer through it. Of course James had no plan to humiliate him at this point. There was no bloody audience! Just when James had opened his mouth to say 'Today, Snivelly' the familiar howl cut that train of thought short. James' eyes went wide when he realized just how close they were to Remus at that point in time. He assumed Padfoot and Wormtail were back at the shack already, but that didn't help his nerves. If Remus' transformation had already taken place, it was only a matter of seconds until he was virtually beyond control.

"I didn't push-" James huffed angrily as he walked closer to Severus, finally trying to squeeze past him in order to place himself closer to the shack. "Listen, you stupid fuck. If you don't get out of here soon, you're going to become somebody's dinner." James had been far too close to Severus for his own comfort, but after an extra bit of effort and a great deal of holding his breath in so close a proximity, he finally shoved past the stubborn prat. Motioning with his head back out the tunnel the way they'd come in, he repeated his instructions. "Go. Now." He tried his best to shove Severus along his way, at least to get him started, in hopes James too could make it out in time to get into his animagus form. James Potter was no match for a werewolf, but if he could get out in the open, Prongs could hold his own.

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chienderace
2011-04-19 08:13 pm UTC (link)

Meanwhile, at the other end of the tunnel, Padfoot was doing all he could to restrain Moony. He had arrived with Wormtail, brimming with excitement over the plan he had set in motion. They were going to be rid of Snivelly once and for all, and they'd get to see him run off screaming like a girl, too. It was perfect, just what they needed to perk Prongs up.

Not long after Remus transformed, they heard the sounds of a conversation between James and Snape in the tunnel. Sirius was confused--why was James in the tunnel in human form? That wasn't in the plan. He was supposed to wait on the outskirts of the forest as a stag, as he always did. Sirius thought that he must have gone after Snape, but why would he do that?

Suddenly, the gaping flaw in his plan became sharply apparent to Sirius. Sure, Snape seeing Moony would terrify him, but for him to get close enough to see him, he'd have to be in danger. It wasn't Snape being in danger that bothered Sirius; it was that if Moony got to him, Remus could be expelled--or worse. His stomach filled with dread at the thought. Though normally Padfoot just needed to herd Moony away from the castle until they reached the forest, tonight he needed to keep them in the castle long enough for James to get Snape out of there.

Of course, the werewolf wasn't going to like being restrained. Padfoot couldn't exactly communicate effectively with Wormtail, either. Normally, the Marauders could get enough by with gestures, plus Sirius and James had been working a bit this summer on leglimency, but the complexity of this situation was too much to communicate. Instead, Padfoot settled on planting himself firmly in front of the hole and snarling at Moony, trying to keep him from getting out. Hopefully Wormtail would get the hint and not run through the tunnel to push the knot. If he didn't get the hint, and Moony got away from Padfoot, then things could get ugly.

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potions_hbp
2011-04-19 10:49 pm UTC (link)

Severus was shaking with fear when he saw James begin to panic as well. He had never seen James afraid of anything. He came to his senses a bit when James started insulting him but the words "you're going to become someone's dinner" rang loud and clear. Severus was very uncomfortable when James pushed past him but instantly felt a little at ease knowing that there was now somewhat of a barrier between him and the danger.

Even with this comforting thought, Severus started shuffling toward the tree end of the tunnel. "Don't push me, Potter. Those howls are more than enough to make me want to get out of here." As he neared the end of the tunnel he tripped over a root and almost fell, steadying himself on the walls to avoid going head first into the dirt floor.

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prefect_wolf
2011-04-20 01:17 am UTC (link)

Moony had given up on the door after a few minutes to search another way out of the shack, but he returned to the door after a few moments to find the large black dog snarling back at him and holding him as far away from his prey as possible. It was irritating and the gray hairs on the back on his neck spiked up as his lips curled back; an equally angry snarl building in his throat. The humans were close, still behind the closed door but Moony knew that he could get it to open if the damned dog just moved out of the way.

Swiping at the dog, he barked; hoping to knock the animal off balance and get through the door. The dog didn't interest him in the slightest, other than the fact that he was getting in the way. In one swift movement, Moony reared up on his back legs and swung both paws at the black dog, hoping to knock him off balance.

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chienderace
2011-04-21 03:12 pm UTC (link)

Padfoot was a large dog, it was true. He was a large, solidly built dog who when fully grown would be more sturdy than speedy. At the moment, though, because Sirius was still a teenager, something of the puppy lingered around Padfoot at times. He planted himself as firmly as possible in front of the hole and answered Moony's bark with another challenging snarl, knowing that if the pair of them were to fight it wasn't necessarily likely that he would win unaided.

For Moony's first swipe, he held strong, taking the hit and only skidding a couple of inches to the left. Padfoot regained his footing as quickly as possible, barking at Moony to try and dissuade him from getting out. At the very least, Padfoot needed to buy James and Snape as much time as possible. Before he could try and draw the werewolf off more, though, Padfoot was hit with two paws at once, and because he was still not yet fully grown and muscled, he was knocked off balance as Moony had hoped.

Padfoot was knocked off his feet and slid across the floor, slamming into the wall. It hurt, but not nearly as badly as it felt to see Moony taking off down the tunnel when he recovered his footing. Immediately Padfoot began to bark loudly, trying to warn Prongs as he took off after Moony. Moony was faster than Padfoot as a general rule, but the tunnel was small and cramped, and Padfoot managed to stay not more than a length behind him, occasionally drawing closer and snapping at the wolf's tail in vain.

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stagswagger
2011-04-21 05:29 pm UTC (link)

Though any typical day James would have been thrilled to see such a reaction from Severus, he couldn't even bring himself to tease his rival about it at this point. The wheels were already turning, and though he'd considered collapsing part of the tunnel as a means of slowing Moony down, James couldn't bring himself to do that. It would mean trapping Padfoot back there with him. Besides, it was risky business if too much of the tunnel collapsed, likely dangerous enough to kill them all if the tree above them collapsed as well. Clearly that wasn't an option. James was used to maneuvering around the tunnel, so having someone who wasn't as accustomed to it poke around in front of him, between him and the escape, was slightly irritating. "Today, Snivellus," he snapped back, helping to catch Severus by the back of his shirt when he was tripped up by a root of the tree. Once the boy had regained some type of balance, James shoved him forward a little more, his concerns becoming justified when he heard the commotion behind him.

At first James was worried something had happened to Padfoot or Wormtail, but when the barking commenced, he turned back to see movement toward the end of the tunnel. Before he turned around, James caught a glimpse of Wormtail running ahead of Moony and Padfoot, no doubt darting for the exit. "The knot, Wormtail. The knot!" James called out as the rat darted past him and then beyond Severus. He wasn't sure whether or not his friend had heard him in the midst of the commotion with adrenaline no doubt at an extreme high, but James knew better than to linger. He'd sooner take his chances with the Whomping Willow than the werewolf.

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potions_hbp
2011-04-21 06:54 pm UTC (link)

Severus felt James take hold of his shirt to steady him and almost thanked him before getting shoved to the exit. He turned around to snap at James but the snarling and barking from the other end of the tunnel had Severus moving as quickly as he could toward the exit.

James yelled which made Severus look over his shoulder. Seeing nothing he returned his attention to the ground in front of him as to not trip over another root but jumped when he saw a large rat move quickly past.

"Bloody hell, warn someone when you send your pets out." He glanced over his shoulder again as he kept moving forward. "How are we going to get past the tree?"

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prefect_wolf
2011-04-21 09:49 pm UTC (link)

The black pup was the last thing on Moony's mind after he successfully knocked him off his feet. The door was open to him and the smell of the humans drew him forward, a little slower than the beast would have liked. Barks from behind him bounced off the walls, paired with the voices and yells of Severus and James drove the werewolf into a slight confusion where he slowed down just a touch, until he felt the dog behind him nearly snapping his tail in his jaws.

He was almost there, the smell of human blood filling his nose but just when he thought he had his prey right where he wanted them, Padfoot clamped down tight on his tail.

Howling with a mix of pain and fury, Moony turned and snarled at the dog, tempted to just take the dog out once and for all. Backing up, the exit of the tunnel just behind him the wolf was torn. The last thing he wanted was for his prey to get away.

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stagswagger
2011-04-25 08:53 pm UTC (link)

"Wormtail is the least of your worries right now, Snivellus. Move it!" James urged, keeping on his enemy's heels as they approached the exit. When Severus hesitated, James looked over his shoulder again to attempt to gauge how much time they had. Moony was hot on their trail, but something had managed to cause him to hesitate. James tried to break through Sirius' mind, but the stress of the moment made some complications. Squeezing his eyes shut briefly as if willing his best mate to stay safe, James redirected his attention back to Snape. Moony's howls were becoming more frustrated, almost pained, by whatever was holding him back.

"Didn't he hit the knot?" James blurted it out before realizing that would sound absolutely ludicrous to Severus. A rat obeying commands... who'd ever heard of such a thing?! Letting out a huff in frustration, James crept past Severus and slipped his non-dominant hand through the hole under the willow. On cue, the tree started shifting around in an agitated manner, but luckily it only scraped his arm in an attempt to get James to stop poking around the roots. Retracting his hand sharply as the open wound began to bleed, James turned back to Severus. "I'm going," he declared, not allowing Severus time to react. He knew arguing about it wasn't going to solve anything, and perhaps if nothing else he could distract the Whomping Willow from Severus. James crawled out from under the roots, and immediately the tree began flailing all the more. He spun around to face the entrance to the tunnel, pulling out his wand to cast a hex at the roots. Once they retracted, Severus would have more room to dart out faster.

Unfortunately James' plan worked far too well, and the tree did take him as the bait. He saw the branch coming down on him, but didn't have time to move out of its way. Perhaps it was guilt, perhaps it was karma. Whatever it was, his wand was successfully shattered by the blow. James clung to the branch with his good arm, hoping to drop off next time it got closer to the ground. The tree had other plans for him though, and once it had reached the extent of its height, the tree shook violently in an effort to send him crashing back to the ground. The impact of his fall knocked James unconscious and left him at the mercy of the tree.

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potions_hbp
2011-04-28 09:32 pm UTC (link)

Wormtail? The rat has a name? And Potter trained it to hit the knot in the tree? This is is too fucking bizarre. We need to get the hell out of here

Severus pressed himself against the wall of the tunnel as James skirted past him and looked on as he slipped an arm out of the tunnel entrance. Sure enough, the tree thwapped James' arm and left a bleeding gash on his hand. When James turned back to Severus and said he was going for it, Severus had no time at all to protest before James was crawled out from under the roots and faced the tree with his wand ready. Severus took out his wand and prepared to dart out of the tree to help James but the tree had other plans. Immediately the tree flailed and a branch came crashing down onto James, shattering his wand. Now Severus could only watch in amazement and horror as James clung to the branch and be lifted into the air before the tree shook with such a violent force he was flung from the branch and landed on the ground with a sickening thump. James wasn't moving and the tree was gearing up for more blows.

Severus took a deep breath, quickly crawled out from under the roots, and fumbled for the knot on the trunk to freeze the tree. The fumbling gave the tree a chance to give a couple of blows to James before turning to Severus and trying to get him away from the trunk. A branch blindsided Severus and left a cut across his cheek while another hit from the opposite direction knocking the wind out of him. It was with that blow he was able to find the knot and press it to freeze the tree.

Struggling to catch his breath, Severus pocketed his wand and rushed over to James, trying to shake him awake. "James?! Bloody hell, wake up. Can you hear me? Fucking hell." Severus made sure that James was in fact breathing, just unconscious, then looked around for a sign of life anywhere. Then he heard another howl coming from the tunnel. He needed to move, and he needed to move fast. Severus didn't want to hurt James any more than was already done, but Madame Pomfrey will be able to fix him, right?

Severus pulled James to a kneeling position and then flung one of James' arms over his shoulder trying to stand under the dead weight of the unconscious boy. Severus struggled and buckled under the weight but he slowly pressed on toward the castle, half dragging James. Tears were streaming down Severus' face when he reached the steps of the castle; part from the struggle of carrying another human being, part from fear for the boy's life. He heard another howl as he pushed open the castle door and dragged James inside, making sure the door was secure behind them. At this time of night there was bound to be no one roaming the corridors and Severus set James on a bench just inside the door. Making it up all of the stairs to the Hospital Wing was a feat Severus couldn't do on his own. Against his better judgment but pressed for time he pulled out his wand, pointed it at James, and muttered "Levicorpus."

James' body rose a few feet off the ground and Severus directed the body in front of him and up the stairs. At each landing he paused to make sure no Prefects were doing patrols and with all of the luck a vial of Felix Felicis could bring, he found himself in front of the Hospital Wing doors. Severus gently brought James to the floor and resumed the position of helping him stand while he pushed open the door.

"Madame Pomfrey! Help!"

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