Rebirth

Chapter 9: The Chase

Ten minutes later, Hagrid, Sirius and Fang set off for the forest.

"'E's in there, I know 'e is," said Hagrid. "All makes sense when you think about it. The Centaurs've been moanin' about somethin' for ages. I thought they were just still mad wi' me for all that stuff wi' Firenze, but I reckon they think I've let Remus in to the forest. We'll 'ave to watch out for 'em. Nasty bunch when they get riled."

Sirius had spent enough time in the forest to know that it could be a dangerous place, but there was too much at stake for him to feel fear. Fang lead them deep into the forest, sniffing at the ground as he went. He appeared to be on to something. Sirius just hoped he knew what he was doing.

As they walked, through the forest, the light became dimmer and the air became damp and humid. The last time Sirius had been there he had been on the run. The memories of his half-existence came flooding back with the familiar sounds and smells of the forest. He pulled his cloak firmly around him, and tightened his grip on his wand, glancing furtively around for signs of life.

They seemed to walk for miles without the slightest signs of anything other than the usual small forest creatures, but nothing that would suggest that Remus was anywhere around.

Suddenly, Fang came to an abrupt halt. His body became stiff and alert, his ears standing straight upwards.

"What's up Fang?" whispered Hagrid. "'E's on to somethin'," he said to Sirius, looking around for signs of the source of Fang's sudden stop.

For a moment, all three of them listened to the silence, straining to hear something unusual. It didn't take long for them to hear what Fang had detected; the sound of hooves thundering towards them. Sirius looked wildly at Hagrid. He had never encountered the Centaurs before as they had left him alone the last time he had hidden out in the forest. He lifted his wand up in front of him, but Hagrid pushed it back down again.

"Put it down," he whispered urgently. "You don' want te look like you're after a fight. Just keep quiet an' let me do the talkin'"

Sirius obliged nervously. He suddenly wished he'd just come on his own as he had planned. He probably wouldn't have had to confront the Centaurs if he had transformed and walked through the forest as a dog.

Within seconds, the Centaurs appeared as if from nowhere in front of them. Sirius did a rough head count and saw at least ten of them, with possibly some more hanging back in the trees.

"Bane," said Hagrid coolly. "We don' want any trouble. We're just here lookin' for a friend of ours. When we find him we'll be on our way."

The Centaur at the head of the herd walked towards Hagrid, a menacing look in his eyes. Hagrid and Sirius stood their ground, Sirius's fist clamped firmly around his wand.

"Who could you possibly be looking for so deep in the forest?" asked Bane, his voice low and threatening. "I thought I made it clear that you were no longer welcome here."

Hagrid thought for a moment, looking from Bane to the herd behind him nervously.

"E's about so high - " Hagrid held up his hand to his chest. "Grey hair, skinny lookin' bloke. P'raps you've seen 'im."

Sirius noticed a few of the Centaurs exchanging glances. Bane let out a snort of derisive laughter.

"The werewolf?" he asked.

"You 'ave seen 'im then," Hagrid said, his voice calm and nonchalant.

"Yes, we've seen him," Bane said, his voice thick with animosity. "I should have known he would be a friend of yours."

"Yeah, well," said Hagrid, nervousness creeping into his voice. "We need to get him out o' the forest an' back to 'is own kind. P'raps you'd be kind enough to let us know where 'e is so we can get 'im out o' ye way."

Bane stamped his hoof angrily on the ground, inches from Hagrid's feet.

"We do not need to be protected by humans," he scoffed. "The werewolf has already been dealt with." Sirius moved forwards quickly pointing his wand at Bane's chest.

"What have you done to him?" he said angrily. Hagrid put his arm in front of Sirius, trying to push him back but Sirius did not move. He looked Bane in the eye defiantly. Bane studied him for a moment, a look of mild amusement on his face. He turned back to Hagrid, waving Sirius away with a dismissive flick of his hand.

"Hagrid, I am surprised you allow your canine friend to act so foolishly. We did not harm him when he walked among us as a dog, but we cannot promise to extend the same courtesy to a human." Hagrid shot Sirius a dangerous look. Sirius dropped his wand and stood back, still seething with anger.

"'E don't know what 'e's doin'," he said nervously, stepping between Bane and Sirius. "We don't want any trouble wi' ye. We jus' want to get the werewolf an' get out o' here."

Bane paced for a moment in front of Hagrid, regarding him coolly.

"Very well," he said finally. "You will find what's left of your werewolf in a clearing to the north of this path. Take him and leave."

Without so much as a backward glance, Bane and the rest of the herd disappeared into the trees. Hagrid pulled out a handkerchief the size of a towel from his pocket and dabbed at his forehead.

"That was a close one," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Thought I told yeh not to say anything'"

Sirius ignored him and set off in the direction of the clearing at a run. Remus had to be alive. If the Centaurs had killed him he would wipe out every last one of them. He ran as fast as he could, Fang running along side him and Hagrid walking in huge strides behind them. Within minutes, a shaft of light appeared ahead.

Sirius broke through the trees into the clearing, pushing aside branches and twigs that scratched his face and tore his robes. At the edge of the clearing was a large stone that was covered with what appeared to be a bundle of rags. It was Remus. The shadow of a small animal ran from the bundle into the bushes as Sirius approached and for a moment, he was sure Remus was dead.

"Remus!" Sirius cried, rushing towards him. As he approached, the figure spun shakily round, wand in hand. Sirius stopped in his tracks, his breath catching in his throat as he saw his friend. His robes were torn, hanging shabbily from his thin body. His face was black with bruises and there was dried blood caked to his face. But it was the look in his eyes that made the colour run from Sirius's face. They were black, blacker than his own, and pierced through Sirius with an icy coldness that ran through his veins.

"My God, Remus..." he whispered.

Remus stood up, his legs almost buckling beneath him. His wand was fixed between Sirius's eyes. Behind him, Sirius heard Fang growling and snarling, straining under Hagrid's hold on his collar.

A voice came from Remus that was not his own.

"LEAVE," it hissed at Sirius. "LEAVE BEFORE I KILL YOU."

Sirius stood firm.

"Remus, it's me. Sirius," he said softly, advancing slowly towards his friend. Remus looked around as if searching for something and then slowly turned towards Sirius, a pained expression on his face.

"Sirius?" Remus spoke shakily in his own voice. His eyes flickered for a moment, seeming almost human before returning to their cold stare.

"Yes, it's me." Sirius walked slowly closer, his eyes fixed on Remus's wand.

"You're alive," a shadow of a smile flashed across Remus's broken face. "You have to go. Go now. I can't control it," he said, his voice thick with fear, his wand still trained on Sirius.

"It's OK, Remus, it's OK," Sirius forced a smile, inching closer. "I've come to take you home. We can help you."

"You can't help me." Remus backed away, stumbling awkwardly against the rock behind him.

"We can. Dumbledore has found a way," he said urgently. "Please, just come with me. I promise it will be alright." He stretched out a hand to Remus, his eyes pleading with him.

"Sirius... I'm so sorry..." Remus's face stiffened, the words catching in his throat. "LEAVE NOW," came the voice again. Sirius raised his own wand, cautiously, still edging closer to Remus. He heard Fang barking savagely once again.

"Remus - " Sirius started, but Remus was no longer there. The figure in front of him lifted its wand and opened its mouth to speak.

"AVADA -"

Without thinking, Sirius aimed his wand.

"Stupefy!" he blurted out and a bolt of red light shot from his wand before his opponent had a chance to complete his curse.

Sirius flung himself to the ground the second he had completed his spell. He lay still for a moment, the forest spinning around his head. For a second he wasn't sure if he had succeeded or if he was dead, but before he could gather himself together, he heard a dull thud as Remus's paralysed body hit the ground. He stared across at his friend, lying broken and battered on the forest floor, his heart pounding as the adrenalin coursed through his body.

The ground disappeared beneath him as Hagrid roughly pulled him to his feet.

"Are you alrigh'?" he asked, looking Sirius over as he struggled to regain his balance.

"I think so," said Sirius, his heart still beating hard against his rib cage.

"Thought you were a goner for a minute there," he said, smiling shakily. "That's some pretty quick reflexes you've there."

Sirius laughed nervously, suddenly feeling like he might fall over.

"Let's get him back to Dumbledore," he said. "And then I need a drink."

~

The trip back through the forest was mercifully uneventful, though Sirius had a strong feeling that they were being watched. He levitated Remus gently in front of him while Hagrid held on to Fang's collar.

Once safely out of the forest, they were met by a very anxious looking Minerva McGonagall, who sharply dismissed the gaggle of students, straining to see what was going on.

As Sirius laid Remus gently on to a bed in the infirmary, he finally felt calm. Although the Dumbledore's cure may not be absolute, he at least knew that his friend was safe from harm.

He sat down on a hard chair next to Remus's bed and watched over him while Hagrid miraculously produced a flask of red currant rum from his private stash. He drank it gratefully, sinking back into the chair as the warming effects of the alcohol spread through his body.

Within minutes, Dumbledore arrived on the scene, beaming with pleasure. There was no need for him to congratulate Sirius; his gratitude and pride emanated from him with radiant warmth. Sirius wasted no time in recounting the day's events to Dumbledore, punctuated by the occasional comment from a rather over-excited Hagrid.

"He'll be fine now, Sirius. Poppy will attend to his injuries just as soon as we have administered the potion." He smiled benevolently at Sirius, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You look tired. I suggest you get some much-needed sleep. I will wake you the second Remus comes round."

"I'm fine, Albus, really," Sirius said. "I just want to stay with him."

"Very well," said Dumbledore, nodding with understanding. He moved aside as Madam Pomfrey fussed about her patient.

As usual, Dumbledore was right. Within moments, Sirius felt his eyes starting to droop as exhaustion took hold of him, and he fell into a restless sleep on the chair.

Some time later, he awoke with a start. The room was dark but he could see that he was in the hospital wing on a bed next to Remus. He sat up on the edge of the bed and watched his friend sleeping peacefully. He looked much better already. His face had been cleaned and his bruises had faded to a slight yellowing. Nevertheless, Sirius was shocked at how weak he seemed; he was so thin that his skin seemed to be clinging to his fleshless bones.

Sirius watched him intently as the dawn started to break. He wanted his face to be the first thing Remus saw when he awoke.

As the sun streamed through the large windows of the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey bustled into the ward armed with a battery of potions.

"Feeling better?" she asked Sirius kindly. He nodded. "Put some of this on your head," she said, handing him a small piece of cloth that she had dipped into a potion. "Essence of murtlap tentacles. It'll clean that cut right up."

Sirius dabbed the cloth to his head and was surprised to see spots of blood. He must have cut it when he dived to the floor. The potion felt good; he hadn't realised that his head was painful until he felt the soothing effects of the murtlap essence.

"I'm going to wake him up in a minute," said the nurse. "He needs to take some medicine, but he'll have to rest a while after that before he's up and about. He's taken quite a beating. He's got a broken arm, three broken ribs, a punctured lung, broken jaw and quite a few other cuts and bruises besides. Nasty creatures, Centaurs, for all their talk about peace," she chattered away as she attended to Remus, dabbing his gaunt face with various ointments.

"I always liked him. Such a polite boy. Even as a lad with all he had to put up with, you never heard him moaning about it. Right, that should do it," she said, standing back to admire her handiwork. "Professor Dumbledore should be along in a minute. He wants to be here when I wake him up."

Sirius looked at the door expectantly, and right on cue, Dumbledore appeared, accompanied by a very serious looking Alastor Moody, and a grinning Tonks.

"Wotcha, Sirius," said Tonks. "I knew you'd get him back."

"Good to see you," said Moody, his mouth twitching in the corner in a sort of smile.

"You too," he said, taking in the new array of scars on Moody's already disfigured face.

Dumbledore, Moody and Tonks took position around Remus's bed, taking their wands out and pointing them warily at the patient.

"Is this really necessary?" asked Sirius, annoyed at their apparent mistrust.

Moody opened his mouth to speak but Dumbledore silenced him with a look.

"It is merely a precaution," Dumbledore said calmly. "Until he is awake, we do not know if our efforts have worked. I assure you that nothing will be done unless absolutely necessary." He emphasised his last words with another pointed look at Moody.

Sirius said nothing. He understood Dumbledore's caution, but he didn't like the idea of Remus waking up to a face-full of armed aurors.

"Whenever you are ready, Poppy." Dumbledore took out his own wand but kept it by his side.

The nurse nodded and pointed her wand at Remus.

"Ennervate," she said, and quickly stood back behind Dumbledore.

Nothing happened.

Madam Pomfrey stepped out, raising her wand again, but Dumbledore held his hand up to stop her. Sirius stared at Remus, willing him to move.

Slowly, his eyelids started to flicker, his eyes moving beneath them. Sirius moved towards him, deliberately placing himself between Remus and the aurors. Dumbledore placed a hand on Sirius's arm, as if to pull him back, but Sirius stood firm.

"Remus?" he said softly. "Remus, can you hear me?"

Remus opened his eyes.

"Padfoot?" he whispered hoarsely. Sirius stared into his brown eyes.

Sirius jumped back, punching the air.

"He's OK! It worked!" He turned to Dumbledore and the others, grinning inanely. "He's back."

"How can you tell?" asked Tonks, but Dumbledore had already put his wand away and moved towards Remus.

"His eyes are back to normal," said Sirius simply, and turned his attentions back to Remus. "How do you feel Moony?" asked Sirius, sitting on the bed next to his friend.

"Better than I have done for a while," croaked Remus, smiling ruefully. "You've no idea how good it is to see you, Padfoot." He turned to look at the two aurors, his eyes filled with regret. "Moody, Tonks, what can I say. I'm so sorry."

"Think nothing of it," said Moody immediately. "As far as I'm concerned, it wasn't you."

"Yeah, don't be silly Remus," said Tonks, grinning at him.

Madam Pomfrey pushed Dumbledore aside and resumed her fussing around Remus, feeding him potions, dabbing at his wounds and straightening his bedclothes.

"Right, well, if the drama's over, I must insist that everyone leave and let my patient get some rest," she said firmly, as though she had never really thought there was any danger and had simply been humouring them.

"I want Sirius to stay," said Remus immediately.

"Alright, he can stay for a little while. The rest of you, OUT!" she snapped, waving them away from the bed with flapping hands.

"We'll be just outside if you need us," Moody called over his shoulder. Sirius wondered which of them he was talking to.

Alone at last, Sirius turned to his friend.

"Are you alright? Really?" he asked him softly.

"I will be," said Remus. "It's been a trying few months." He paused for a moment, drinking in the sight of his long lost friend. "Padfoot, I'm so sorry about Harry. I blame myself. I should have seen it coming," he said sadly, staring at the ceiling.

"Don't, Moony," said Sirius gently. "From what I hear, you did more than anyone. You were there for him when he needed you."

"I don't know how he stood it, Padfoot." Remus's eyes widened, suddenly filled with anguish and fear. "I couldn't take it. He dealt with it for three months and he never gave in the way I did. He was more powerful than any of us gave him credit for."

"It's over now, Moony. It's all finished," he whispered, placing his hand on Remus's shoulder. Remus stared into Sirius's eyes, his own brimming with tears.

"He died in my arms, Padfoot. There was nothing I could do." His body began to shake, his voice trembling with suppressed emotion. Sirius embraced him in a hug. He had tried to be strong for his friend, to suppress his own grief, but he had contained it for too long and it spilled out. They sat together in silence, their foreheads pressed together as the tears rolled down Sirius's cheeks. He wished Remus would cry, but he knew he wouldn't. Not here at least. In all the years he had known him, in everything that had happened, he had never seen him cry.

In the doorway, a sad smile formed on Albus Dumbledore's lips, and he left them alone, satisfied that it was finally over and his two friends could at long last begin to heal.