The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part Two

LXXII: 23 June, 1994

The howl that ripped through the night was a long, low, careening sound that seemed to fill the entire sky. Sirius could almost imagine the ground shaking because of the sound, but that wasn't true... it couldn't be true... all in his head... really. He just had so much more at stake tonight than usual.

Remus Lupin was fully transformed. His wolf form was enormous. It always had been, of course, it hadn't changed, but somehow in the situation Sirius couldn't help but think that the wolf looked even larger than he ever had, like an insurmountable wall of muscle and ferocity. The wolf turned on the black dog that stood facing him, and the wolf mimicked his motions, also squaring off and digging his paws into the ground, the hackles on the back of his spine rising up, yellowed teeth bared.

Sirius growled.

The wolf growled right back - twice as loud.

Remus... Remus... Remember who you are... 

The saliva coming from the wolf's mouth dripped in great strands that dripped over his jowls and onto the ground, and his lips quivered menacingly, his stance deepening, daring the dog to take even one step - even just one step closer...

Stay with me, Rey...

The wolf took a step forward and Sirius stood his ground. He couldn't step back. The wolf would see that as a sign of weakness, he knew. So he stayed and growled as deeply as he could. Being much smaller - a regular dog, he was smaller even than a regular wolf, not to mention the brute that was before him, and he knew the only thing that gave him an edge now was that once, so many, many moons ago, he, Sirius, had been the wolf's Alpha.

This wolf before him, though, did not have an Alpha. This wolf before him had been his own Alpha for twelve years and there was no hope of breaking that.

Without warning, the wolf leaped toward Sirius and Sirius vaguely heart Hermione's scream from somewhere to his right, by the Whomping Willow. The wolf lunged for Sirius's, catching his shoulder and Sirius let out a yelp of surprise and kicked his hind legs into the throat of the wolf, making him release. Sirius reeled and snapped at the wolf's face, dodging another lunge so that the wolf over compensated and staggered. Sirius bit at the legs, running and snapping, going around the left side of the wolf so that to see him, the beast had to turn with him, turn away from the Willow.

The wolf lunged again and Sirius quickly ran forward, dodging under the wolf so that the wolf landed and rolled a few turns closer to the tree line.

He had to keep the wolf interested in him, had to keep the wolf lunging and leaping and inch him slowly across the lawn of the school. That was the only hope. He growled and the wolf made another lunge forward. This time, Sirius couldn't completely dodge it and he turned to snarl back at the wolf and their jaws locked, claws ripping at one another, the wolf's paws much larger and legs longer to reach Sirius, tearing at his skin. But Sirius was quicker because of being smaller, and once he'd got the wolf standing on his hind legs in this battle pose, Sirius dropped down and bolted once more around the dog, this time to the right - again, turning him away from the Willow, again luring him toward the tree line.

The wolf growled all the louder, his anger growing as he moved.

Sirius leaped at it, snapping his mouth on the wolf's neck. The wolf let out a yelp of pain as Sirius tasted blood and he released quickly - not wanting to actually hurt Remus, of course - but the moment he let up the bite, the wolf bucked and threw the dog across the grass so that Sirius landed - hard - on his side and let out a yelp of pain as his senses blacked out for a moment.

"Where'd he go!" 

"That way!" 

"Quick, my wand!"