Runaways (Don't Save Me Book 2)

Chapter 56: Lies and Old Friends

"I'm sorry, Y/n. I hope you'll forgive me."

There was barely enough time for his words to sink in before he pushed me behind him, quickly pointing his wand at my feet and muttering a spell I didn't recognize.

"Severus, what are you...?" It took a moment for me to realize that my feet were glued to the ground. I stood there, unable to move my feet as Severus moved closer to Sirius. "Severus, no! Please don't do this!" I struggled to move but it was no use. It seemed as if my feet had been rooted deep within the ground.

"Now, where were we?" Severus hissed, advancing on Sirius, his wand aimed directly at him. Before I realized what was happening Harry had aimed his wand at Severus, blasting him backward. His body slammed into the bed frame, breaking it as he was knocked unconscious.

"No!" I screamed, but I felt instant relief as my feet were unglued from the ground. I looked back and forth between Sirius and Severus. The man I once loved and the man I loved today, though it was getting harder and harder to tell which category belonged to whom anymore. My feelings were tangled up in a mess of emotions that no longer made any sense. Everything I thought I knew was a lie.

"Fuck!" I screamed, tears streaming down my face. Sirius quickly moved toward me. "How did things get so messed up?" I sobbed as Sirius pulled my body against his.

"I'm sorry, love... I'm so sorry," he whispered. I pulled away, not looking at him, and moved toward Remus, who was laying on the floor, ropes still tied around him. I released him from the ropes and he stood up, rubbing his arms where the robes had dug into his flesh. Remus placed a comforting hand on my arm as Harry pointed his wand at Sirius.

"Tell me about Peter Pettigrew."

"He was at school with us. We thought he was our friend," Remus answered.

"No. Pettigrew's dead. You killed him!" Harry shouted, pointing his wand at Sirius before Remus quickly stepped in between them.

"No, he didn't! I thought so too until you mentioned seeing Pettigrew on the map."

"The map was lying then!" Harry yelled.

"The map never lies! Pettigrew's alive... and he's right there!"

I quickly turned my head to where Sirius was pointing but I only saw Ron.

"Sirius, if this is some kind of joke, I swear!"

"No, Y/n! It's not. The rat! I-it's Pettigrew!"

"Sirius, that doesn't make any sense!"

"Scabbers has been in my family for-." Ron was instantly cut off as Sirius interrupted him.

"Twelve years! Curiously long life for a common garden rat! He's missing a toe, isn't he?!"

"Oh my word," I whispered as the realization sunk in and everything I thought I knew came crumbling down around me. A web of lies woven so intricately yet all it took was a single tug to send it all tumbling down. "All they could find of Pettigrew was his..."

"Finger!" Sirius finished. "The dirty coward cut it off so that everyone would think he was dead! And then he transformed into a rat!" Sirius hissed, standing over Ron who was holding a squealing Scabbers. I felt the tears forming behind my eyes as I realized everything was a lie.

"Show me," Harry ordered. Sirius began struggling to get the rat from Ron as I moved closer to Remus. Remus lifted a hand, wiping my tears as he held my face.

"Remus... tell me this isn't a trick... tell me this is true."

"It's true, Y/n. I saw Pettigrew on the map myself."