The Grim ➸ R. Weasley

Understanding

  
    
  
   
"If you haven't been helping him." Harry said, with a furious glance at Sirius. "How did you know he was here?"

"The map." Lupin answered. "The Marauder's Map. I was in my office examining it —"

"You know how to work it?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Of course I know how to work it." Lupin waved his hand. "I helped write it. I'm Moony — that was my friends' nickname for me at school."

Moony. Moony. Moony. Moony.

Jamie repeated that name in his head over and over. A faint memory, so faint and blurry he wasn't sure it was real or an obscure dream. The room was dark but a face came into view, disheveled dirty brown hair and eyes so bright they could make anyone feel warm. And one phrase kept repeating, over and over like a broken record.

Faon this is your uncle Moony.

"You wrote —"

"The important thing is, I was watching it carefully this evening, because I had an idea that you, Ron, Hermione, and Jamie might try and sneak out of the castle to visit Hagrid before his Hippogriff was executed. And I was right, wasn't I? Or well, almost." Lupin said with a glance at Draco, clearly taken back that the boy showed. He started to pace, he ran a hand through his messy brown hair.

"You might have been under your father's invisibility cloak, Harry—"

"How d'you know about the Cloak?"

"The number of times I saw James disappearing under it. . ." Said Lupin, he waved his hand. "The point is, even if you're wearing an invisibility cloak, you can still show up on the marauder's map. I watched you cross the grounds and enter Hagrid's hut. Twenty minutes later, you left Hagrid's, and set back toward the castle and ran into Jamie and Draco. But you were accompanied by somebody else."

"What?" Said Harry. "No, we weren't!"

"Scabbers?" Said Jamie.

Lupin stopped pacing and started directly at him. "I couldn't believe my eyes. I thought the map was malfunctioning. How could he be with you? And then I saw another dot, moving fast towards you, labeled Sirius Black. . . I saw him collide with you; I watched as he pulled you two into the Whomping Willow." He stopped to peer at Ron.

"Do you think I can have a look at the rat?"

"What?" Asked Ron. "What's Scabbers got to do with this?"

"Everything. Could I see him, please?"

Ron hesitated, glancing up at Jamie, who determinedly stayed at his side, Jamie nodded and Ron pulled out Scabbers. Scabbers was thrashing wildly, Ron had to hold him by the tail. Lupin moved closer slightly to observe the rat.

"What?" Ron demanded, holding Scabbers close to his chest.

"That's not a rat." Sirius Black croaked.

"What d'you mean—of course he's a rat —"

"No, he's not." Said Lupin quietly, eyes sad. "He's a wizard."

"An Animagus. By the name of Peter Pettigrew."

Jamie blinked, stunned. He fell onto the spot next to Ron. It took a couple of seconds for it to sink in before Ron spoke.

"You're both mental."

"Ridiculous!" Hermione said faintly.

"Peter Pettigrew is dead — he killed him twelve years ago!" Harry pointed at Sirius.