Deconstructing the Myth

Severus knew, though, Minerva's belief was pure myth as both James and Lily had studied the Dark Arts with him when they'd discovered they'd graduate school and be expected to fight in the war the Dark Lord had launched against the Wizarding populace.

Mainly because Albus had told James his parents had been killed by Death Eaters and James was determined to get payback for them. And where James led the other Marauders would follow. None of them, including James, had realized James was following only where Albus led him. And that was straight to an early grave. An early grave all of the Marauders were now filling.

Well at least James, Lily and Sirius were. Only Pettigrew and Lupin were left. The weakest of the Marauders. The cowards of the group. At least, Severus thought those two were still alive.

The morning after that full moon event of Potter's third year, Albus had announced the Marauders had died together making a final stand for what they'd valued in life.

But Severus didn't believe him because his story of the events made no sense and Severus knew the old man wasn't reporting a firsthand eye witnessing of the events. In his story, it'd been a human Lupin turned werewolf and a human Sirius against a human Pettigrew on a full moon night.

Only the gullible and those who truly didn't know the men involved would've believed that story. Which was most of the targeted audience, Severus would admit. Only Potter and posse and his Slytherin students had realized Lupin was a werewolf and so wasn't in human form that particular night.

But Severus knew the men involved. And he knew Pettigrew wasn't brave enough to face a completely human Lupin and Black together when he knew both had full cause to be angry at him and were justifiably wanting revenge on him. No way would he face a turned Lupin in his own human form.

Plus, Severus had seen Pettigrew return to his natural form and run off into the forest before he'd escorted Potter and posse to the infirmary.

And Severus knew there was just no way there was no way the Pettigrew Rat would have been found and forced back into his human form in the Forest. A rat had too many hiding places in that forest. Severus knew Pettigrew wouldn't have turned human again before sunrise.

Furthermore, Sirius had no bite wounds or claw marks from the wolf. Which he certainly would have. Because werewolves don't discriminate. While supposedly Pettigrew did when they were discovered on the shores of the Lake.

How exactly had they gone from chasing the Rat in the forest in their animal forms to fighting as humans on the shores of the lake? Because Severus had seen Black changing into the grim-like dog to distract Lupin from Potter. Well, Black and Pettigrew anyway. because there was no way Lupin had been a human being that night.

And then there was the supposed death of Lupin. Dementors don't attack werewolves. So what exactly had killed Lupin? Pettigrew? The idea was ludicrous. Pettigrew wouldn't have squeaked 'boo' to a werewolf Lupin.

Let alone attempted to kill him. Especially on that particular night when Lupin had just discovered Pettigrew was a Death Eater and responsible for getting James and Lily killed by the Dark Lord and leaving Harry an orphan.

When he'd just discovered Pettigrew had lied and faked his own death to frame Black for his crimes so he could escape justice himself. No, Pettigrew would never have faced the werewolf in his human form that night.

And why was Black in human form when he knew damn well Lupin was in his werewolf form without the Nice Doggy potion benefits as well as the abundance of dementors floating around the grounds all looking for him with complete permission to dine on his soul?

Not even revenge on Pettigrew would've been worth exposing himself to two different but very potent creature threats. As much as he'd hated how stupid and belligerent Black could be at times, the man wasn't that stupid. And he did know Black very well. Just as he'd known both James and Lily.

Because back then, in their seventh year, when Lily had realized she wouldn't be able to stop the Marauders from taking an active role in the brewing war, she'd talked James into coming to him and requesting his help in learning to properly defend themselves against the spells the Death Eaters used in battle.

As she'd put it, "How can we protect ourselves against spells we've never heard of and have no familiarity with?"

She had suggested him because she knew the Slytherin students were learning the dark arts spellwork right alongside the light arts Dumbledore approved of but he was the Slytherin student she knew and trusted most.

Severus had been learning from his house mates while they were learning from their families. Because they were Slytherins and an Albus Dumbledore Hogwarts had no future for Slytherin students. So she'd gone to him and convinced him to share his learning with her and the Marauders in order to maybe save all their lives.

The Marauders didn't want to learn all the Dark Arts. Just the spells and their counters they might encounter in a fight with Death Eaters. The theory behind the spells didn't interest them. Nor did the more esoteric of the available spells.

Only those they'd most likely encounter when they crossed wands with the Death Eaters. Thanks to Lily, they'd realized the simple light spells they were taught at Hogwarts wouldn't serve them well in a war where the other side was using dark spells they had no knowledge of and couldn't shield against or properly counter.

As Lily had told James, "If you truly want to avenge your parents, wouldn't it be better to survive your first encounter with the group that killed them so you can get them all before they escape justice and go on to kill other peoples parents?"

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