Harry Potter and Claire Smith Adventures: Book Three

The Mask Of Peter Pettigrew

What little color there was in Black's face left it.

"You—you've got to hear me out," he croaked. "The rat—look at the rat—"

But there was a mad glint in Snape's eyes that Claire and Harry had never seen before. He seemed beyond reason.

"Come on, all of you," he said. He clicked his fingers, and the ends of the cords that bound Lupin flew to his hands. "I'll drag the werewolf. Perhaps the dementors will have a kiss for him too—"

Before they knew what they were doing, Claire and Harry had crossed the room in three strides and blocked the door.

"Get out of the way, Potter, Smith, you're both in enough trouble already," Snape snarled. "If I hadn't been here to save your skins—"

"Professor Lupin could've killed either one of us about a hundred times this year." Harry said. "We've been alone with him loads of times."

"Yea, Harry even took anti-dementor lessons with him alone," Claire said. "If Lupin was really helping Black, why didn't he just finish Harry off then?"

"Don't ask me to fathom the way a werewolf's mind works," Snape hissed. "Get out of the way, Potter, Smith."

"YOU'RE PATHETIC!" Claire yelled. "YOU WON'T EVEN LISTEN TO THEIR SIDE OF THE STORY!"

"JUST BECAUSE THEY MADE A FOOL OUT OF YOU AT SCHOOL DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULDN'T HEAR THEM OUT—" Harry was cut off by a raging Snape.

"SILENCE! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT!" Snape shrieked, looking madder than ever. "It seems arrogance runs in both your families, Potter, Smith. I just saved your necks; you should be thanking me on bended knees! You would have been well served if he'd killed you both—now get out of the way, or I will make you. GET OUT OF THE WAY POTTER, SMITH!"

Claire and Harry made up their minds in a split second. Before Snape could take even one step toward them, they had raised their wands.

"Expellarimus!" they yelled—except that theirs wasn't the only voice that shouted. There was a blast that made the door rattle on its hinges; Snape was lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall, then slid down it to the floor, a trickle of blood oozing from under his hair. He had been knocked out.

Claire and Harry looked around. Both Ron and Hermione had tried to disarm Snape at exactly the same moment. Snape's wand soared in a high arc and landed on the bed next to Crookshanks.

"You shouldn't have done that," Black said, looking at Claire and Harry. "You should have left him to me…."

"A lot of good that would've of done," Claire said. "You don't even have a wand. Besides, I don't know about Harry but I've always wanted to do that to Snape. However, it wasn't as rewarding as I thought it'd be."

"Claire!" Hermione said in a horrified whisper. "We attack a teacher! We're going to be in so much trouble!"

Claire raised an eyebrow. "Hermione, we surpassed getting in trouble when we snuck out to Hagrid's hut."

Claire then noticed Lupin struggling against his bonds. Black bent down quickly and untied him. Lupin straightened up, rubbing his arms where the ropes had cut into them.

"Thank you, Claire, Harry," he said to them.

"We're not saying we believe you," Harry told Lupin.

"Then it's time we offered you some proof," Lupin said. "You, boy—give me Peter, please. Now."

Ron clutched Scabbers closer to his chest. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Just give him the rat, Ron," Claire said annoyed.