A Hogwarts Legend: Changing Paths [3]

Chapter Thirty Three

Unedited

Chapter Thirty Three - "Tutant meenage neetle teetles."

I've never been part of a stranger group. Crookshanks leads the way down the stairs; Lupin, Pettigrew and Rom go next, looking like contestants in a six-legged race, Elinor and Maya trailing behind them. Next comes Professor Snape, drifting creepily along, his toes hitting each stair as we descend, held up by his own wand, which is being pointed at him by Sirius. Harry, Hermione and I bring up the rear.

Getting back into the tunnel is difficult. Lupin, Pettigrew and Ron have to turn sideways to manage it; Lupin still has Pettigrew covered with his wand. I can see them edging awkwardly along the tunnel in single file. Crookshanks is still in the lead. I go right after, Sirius, who's still making Snape drift along ahead of us; he keeps bumping his lolling head on the low ceiling. I have the impression Sirius is making no effort to prevent this.

"You know what this means?" Sirius says abruptly to Harry, as we make our slow progress along the tunnel. "Turning Pettigrew in?"

"You're free," says Harry.

I'm totally not eavesdropping...

"Yes ..." says Sirius. "But I'm also - I don't know if anyone ever told you - I'm your godfather."

"Yeah, I knew that," says Harry.

"Well ... your parents appointed me your guardian," says Sirius stiffly. "If anything happened to them ..."

Sirius pauses for a moment.

"I'll understand, of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle," says Sirius. "But ... well ... think about it. Once my name's cleared ... if you wanted a ... a different home ..."

"What - live with you?" Harry says, accidentally cracking his head on a but of rock protruding from the ceiling, making me snigger quietly. "Leave the Dursleys?"

"Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to," says Sirius quickly. "I understand. I just thought I'd -"

"Are you mad?" says Harry, his voice easily as croaky as Sirius'. "Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in?"

Sirius turns right around to look at him; Snape's head is scraping the ceiling but Sirius doesn't seem to care.

"You want to?" he says. "You mean it?"

"Yeah, I mean it!" says Harry.

Sirius' gaunt face breaks into the first true smile I've seen upon it. The difference it makes is startling, as though a person ten years younger I'd shining through the starved mask.

"AWHHHHH!" I squeal from behind them and they both turn to look at me.

"Shut up," Harry mutters.

Grinning, I glance down at my arms, my eyes landing on the crescent scar on my wrist.

"Hey," I show Harry, "we match."

We both laugh awkwardly. This is cool.

"So we're siblings," I say slowly, and Harry nods. "How do you feel about that?"