The whole house was shaking, the wood creaking under his feet, the musty smell of the walls corroded by mould and woodworm getting into his nose. He froze, his eyes fixed on the thick, matted brown fur, on the bright yellow eyes of a fully transformed werewolf, on the sharp fangs, on the saliva that dripped from his black snout.
He thought he was dreaming; he would wake up. As soon as he felt the sharp teeth on his skin, he would wake up.
Quick footsteps made the beast turn its attention towards the entrance of the room. James Potter had stepped between them; his wand casting spells that made the beast take a few steps back.
"Get out of here! Fast! He will kill you!"
But Severus was unable to move. James dragged him off toward the stairs, both stumbling, rolling down the dusty steps until they hit the cracked floor of the hallway below. That strong blow and the excruciating pain in his back made Severus react, made him realize that he wasn't dreaming.
James was already on his feet and grabbing his arm he was trying to get Severus to head back towards the tunnel entrance. Remus wouldn't be able to reach them once they slipped through the small opening.
"SNIVELLUS, GET UP! MOVE!"
James hadn't realized that the werewolf was stalking him from the top of the stairs, roaring wildly as he pounced at him. Severus, watching from the corner of his eye as the massive figure lunged at the young man, rose quickly, jumping over him, knocking James back to the ground, away from the wolf's claws.
"INCARCEROUS!"
"CONFUNDUS!"
"IMPEDIMENTA!"
The curses came out of both wands and hit the monster's body, giving them time to reach the room where their only escape route was. James closed the shattered door behind him, securing it with an enchantment that didn't seem to be strong enough to hold off the werewolf for long.
"Into the tunnel, Snivellus! — James yelled, pointing his wand at the door, trying to keep it from collapsing from the beast's ferocious claws.
"What about you?"
"I'll be right behind you".
Severus slipped through the small opening and onto the cold, trodden earth, James falling right on top of him. The sound of the door collapsing and the chilling wail of the wolf as it saw its prey slip away made both young men crawl quickly, fleeing from the blood-curdling image of jaws trying to squeeze into the small hole. They ran as fast as the narrow tunnel would allow them, until they could only hear their racing hearts and gasping breaths.
"He tried to kill me..." — Severus panted as he dropped to the ground, staring up at James with wide eyes.
"He can't control himself when he's transformed... Remus didn't mean..."
"I'm not talking about Lupin. Black. Sirius Black wanted me to die tonight".
"Sirius was just playing a prank, you're not dead, Snivellus..."
"My name is not Snivellus, Potter!" — He interrupted him in an agitated voice.
James Potter took off his glasses and wiped the sweat from his face, avoiding looking at the pale Slytherin.
They both continued their journey back to Hogwarts in total silence.
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It Rains
FanfictionSeverus Snape couldn't get over his shock when he heard his name being spoken by that muggle. Severus? Are you Severus Snape? Laurel knows about his childhood, she knows about his family, thanks to the stories of the old Tobias Snape. A Muggle caugh...
