Chapter-12
Hello Fam :)
Today, we are focusing on Remus instead of Sirius and James. Is there any ship name for James and Sirius? A shortcut name? (One of the best ones I heard was StarBuck) :P
Happy Reading...
"Our topic today is Rogue werewolves", said their DADA professor. "What is the best way to fight them?"
Beside James, Remus had already stiffened and James had slipped his hand into Remus. Sirius, who was scratching the quill on his parchment, copying an assignment for their next class, had stopped but James had all his attention on letting Remus keep his breath. You are not Rogue. Don't listen to him. He scribbled in his book with his free hand and pushed it towards the boy.
"Confundus. Subdue them", said someone.
"Avada Kedavra on every werewolf", came an answer and when James snapped his head towards the voice, it wasn't very surprising to find it was Snape.
"You can't use the killing curse on every werewolf", said another voice. It was Lily.
"No one asked you, Mudblood", said a Slytherin.
A huge uproar erupted in the class from the Gryffindor side until Lily crossed her arms and stared at the boy. "You think I care about a stupid word? I didn't grow up Pureblood to be insulted by it. So, call me as much as you want. But you know what I can do, if not anything else? I could cut you in half and you would never be able to differentiate your blood from mine. Do you want me to? You know I am capable of it."
If James wasn't busy motioning Sirius to calm down or preventing Remus from bolting out of the class, he would have whistled for Lily. Half of the class was already clapping for their redhead. Personally, James thought she deserved a standing ovation but Lily would kill him if he initiated it.
"They harm people without their minds intact. They are beasts that should be killed before birth", said Snape, totally ignoring the Professor, the Slytherin, and Lily's reply.
"Yeah? Well, then you are supposed to kill all the kids because most of them aren't born werewolves. They are bitten but since you can't predict which kid would be bitten later in their future, are you saying you want to kill every kid?"
Snape was fuming. "I didn't say any kid. I am saying werewolves are savage beasts."
"Thanks for your concern, Snape", said Lily. "I wouldn't prefer the Killing curse on them."
"Even if they had hurt you?"
Lily gritted her teeth. "No killing curse."
Snape rolled his eyes. "Then pray what do you want to do, play all day?"
"Find a cure? So that it would either fully cure them or let them keep their mind at least."
"That's impossible. It wouldn't change their animalistic behavior underneath", said Snape.
A hand punched through the table and it came right behind him. He knew Sirius had finally lost his patience. "I know humans who are more animalistic and have killing urges than werewolves."
"Like who?", asked Snape. "You?"
James saw Sirius grinning from the corner of his eyes. "I am a Black, aren't I?"
Finally, the argument stopped when their DADA teacher clapped his hands. "Yeah, there are various ways to fight the werewolves, anything from subduing them to killing them or inventing new potions. Whichever is effective."
Did he ever say that their DADA teacher was an infuriating emotionless idiot? Snape was openly smirking at Lily, earning a glare from the redhead. When James looked behind Sirius, Sirius muttered 10 years. James nodded. 10 years and they would kill Voldemort, break the curse, and take over the DADA position permanently.
XXX
After the epic discussion of the DADA class, Sirius was fuming and didn't finish his Transfiguration assignment for their next class. This class, Sirius sat beside Lily and were discussing the stupidity of Snape when Minerva called them. "Ms. Evans, Sirius, if you are free enough to break from your very intense discussion, would you mind handing over your assignments."
Lily blushed embarrassedly and handed over her assignment but Sirius jumped on the table, ignoring Minnie's glare. "Minnie, I won't give my assignment until I feel safe in this school."
The truth was, Sirius didn't finish the assignment but James laid back and let him take over the stage. Looks like he was really up for testing Minnie's patience.
Minerva rubbed her head and leaned against the table. Maybe, she also had given up on quietening Sirius. "What's the thing that made you feel unsafe here?"
"The DADA class was all about using the unforgivables and the killing curse on every werewolf irrespective of them being bitten against their will or not. The Slytherins had suggested it and the professor said it could be one of the ways to fight them. If they could use the unforgivables on them, what's the guarantee that they wouldn't use it on us in between the corridors? I am feeling very unsafe here."
Professor McGonagall's eyes flickered towards Remus for a fraction of a moment before she sighed. "Sirius, I would talk to both the Headmaster and the DADA professor regarding this issue. Would you kindly use the bench to sit down now?"
"I am still feeling unsafe, Minnie."
"Sirius, how much did you complete your homework?"
Sirius grinned at her before asking James to look at the assignment. James raised two of his fingers. "Two paragraphs, Minnie."
Minerva smiled. "Submit it by evening", she said and the class screamed for being unfair. She held her hand up, quietening them down. "Those who are submitting by evening, I will cut 10 marks for a late submission."
"Minnie, didn't you say, marks wouldn't decide my personality", said Sirius.
"Sirius, nothing would decide your personality except whatever you want to be. And please sit down on the bench."
Sirius grinned at James before sitting down beside Lily.
After the class, Sirius kneeled down in front of Lily and announced her to be the most beautiful witch inside out to ever grace the grounds of Hogwarts when Remus was asked to stay behind the class. Lily rolled her eyes but then she taught Sirius how to fist bump and Sirius was the happiest until the next few hours. James decided Lily was the perfect person for him to marry but squashed his thought down. He promised not to go down that path.
XXX
Remus smiled at Professor McGonagall as she waved her wand complicatedly towards the door. It was the advanced version of the silencing charm, one difficult to break by students. What the professors didn't know was, the marauders were close to learning that.
"Mr. Lupin, I would definitely talk to Albus regarding dropping this topic but are you okay?"
"Professor, I am fine. I don't think dropping the defence against our kind is a good thing to do. It's a war. the students should learn it. You can't drop the whole chapter just for a person."
"The professor could have been compassionate about the bitten werewolves."
"We can't be compassionate about monsters in war", said Remus.
Minerva squeezed his arm. "You are not a monster, Remus."
"I am dangerous to people around me. They should learn to defend themselves against our kind."
Minerva sighed and let him go. Remus Lupin was one of the most stubborn students she had the pleasure to meet in her entire career.
XXX
"Lily, listen to me."
Lily turned around and crossed her arms on seeing Snape. "I know what your theory is. I still stand by my point. What Remus is, is none of your business."
"And you are defending even after how Black openly defended that monster?"
"That monster is a prefect and he became a prefect by his own capability. If he was really a monster as you claim him to be, I don't think Professor Dumbledore would make him one. Also, more than Sirius, I had defended the werewolves in the class openly. Do you hate me too?", asked Lily. "Oh, who am I even asking this? You hate 'our kind', right?"
"Lily, I never said that. Where is the hatred coming from? Is Potter teaching you? Are they your new friends?"
"No, Snape. We aren't friends anymore. That's all you should care about. You don't have any right to question whom I hang out with because your choice of friends kills people for fun. At least they would after going from Hogwarts. Mine don't. Don't talk to me again."
XXX
"Hey, Lily, can I talk to you for a moment", said James as soon as she came into the common room. "Do you want to-?"
"No, Potter. I am not going out with you ever", she snapped. Half of it was the after-effects of talking to Snape.
James winced and Sirius was beside him in an instant. "No, I wanted to invite you to my house this Easter. Remus and Peter are coming. Alice and Frank would come too if they aren't on their breakup phase." Alice and Frank were so made for each other and have been together since their second year but then they would break every other week only to be back together the next week. It was a running bet that they would be either the first to marry each other after Hogwarts or would break up right after their vows.
"Even if they are, I would say something bad about Frank and Alice would fight me and defend her boyfriend before patching up with him. So, they are definitely coming up", said Sirius.
Lily chuckled. "I am sorry, Potter. I was just talking to...I am sorry, okay? I don't know if I could come. I don't own a fireplace at home."
"You can use your car. We live among the muggles. I grew up with them", said James.
"Me too", said Sirius. "But I was not allowed to interact with them. James taught me everything about muggles. Their library is awesome. It has a whole muggle section in it. It also has books on Einstein."
Lily grinned. "Okay, then. I will definitely try my best. I will talk to my dad. Just give me the address."
James was smiling by the day's end.
XXX
"I heard what you said in DADA class", announced Regulus.
Lily sighed. "Do you also believe in killing every one of them?"
Regulus thought about the question as he sat down beside her. Lily went back to her book, giving him time to think about it. Sirius was impulsive and he would follow whatever his heart said. Regulus, on the other hand, thought before he spoke. Even if a question shook his entire belief system, he would weigh his options, thought about the pros and cons before getting back. Sometimes, it would take days even but then the lessons your family drilled into you for years won't wash away overnight just like that unless you are Sirius, whose only intention in life seemed to defy everything his family believed. Hence, Lily was always patient with Regulus while she didn't bother Sirius. James Potter was the best at dealing with the Black heir.
"I would have no remorse in killing Greyback but not everyone. But I would definitely kill them if they hurt someone close to me."
Lily nodded. It was fair.
"But I wanted to know if you really believe there could be a cure to it?", asked Regulus. "Like to keep their mind?"
Lily shrugged. "Why not? If there's a cure for cancer, there would be a cure for anything."
"Cancer?"
"A deadly muggle disease. It was deadly because there wasn't any cure but now there is and people have recovered from it. I don't know why wizards don't question what's already in the book. The muggles do. Hence, they push their boundaries. Wizards just accept whatever is told to them."
"Maybe because they think they are superiors and their brain developments stop right that point."
Lily chuckled at that.
XXX
James was waiting for Moony to break down throughout the day but he was strong and James was beside him the entire day. But he knew something was up when Remus left the common room early to their dorm. He found the boy's curtains drawn and pretending to sleep. Without a question, James slid beside him and pulled him into a hug. Sirius, who followed him, turned into a dog and jumped on the other side of Remus. James didn't really have any boundaries but Sirius wasn't very comfortable with physical touch unless it was coming from James because James had been doing it since they were four. Sirius also turned into Padfoot when the emotions are too much because expressing grief and feelings wasn't a Black trait either. James patted Padfoot once on the head before wrapping both his hands around Moony. "You aren't a monster, Moony. The Professor is an idiot. You are the best boy the Hogwarts had ever seen and they would be proud of teaching you once they would become the Prime Minister of England someday."
Padfoot barked his agreement, earning a wet chuckle out of Remus.
"Don't think about what the DADA professor said. He is temporary. In 10 years, we would be taking over the DADA position together."
When Padfoot barked again, Remus blindly slapped him and then James. "You two would need mastery for being a professor."
James rolled his eyes. "Are you mad? The pink-haired pig who came last year, do you even think she had attended her schooling at least?", he asked. "We would be fine. And we are saying 10 years. We would gain experience by killing Voldemort in these 10 years."
"You have very high ambitions, Prongs."
"Voldemort is nothing, Moons. You know you could always be a Moony and eat Voldemort. That mutt would help you."
In an answer, when Sirius jumped over Remus to lick James on his face, Remus finally burst out laughing.
I want to include Peter. I really do. Because the marauders were really close and that's the reason it hurt the most when he betrayed his friends. I will try to include him in the story but if I am incapable of, let's just assume Peter was omnipresent during their Hogwarts days and then I will kill him later. :P
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