Insomnia | Fred Weasley |

37. "We need more time." Thanks, Headmaster Obvious

"Yeah, I knew that," Harry told him.

"Well... your parents appointed us your guardians," Sirius continued, though he seemed a little nervous. "If anything happened to them..."

Harry slowed his walk as he seemed to be registering what Sirius was insinuating. Even Alex smiled as she thought of Harry finally getting to leave those horrible muggles he lived with.

"We'd understand, of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle," Sirius told him. "But... well... think about it. Once mine and Alliana's names are cleared... if you wanted a... a different home..."

"What - live with you?" Harry exclaimed slightly, hitting his head on the ceiling of rock. "Leave the Dursleys?"

"Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to," Sirius said quickly, looking nervous. "I understand, we just thought we'd -"

"Are you insane?" Harry exclaimed. "Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you guys got a house? When can Alex and I move in?"

That caused Sirius to turn and look at Harry. Snape was still floating by, though his head was scraping along the ceiling, but no one made the move to correct him.

"You want to?" He asked. "You mean it?"

"Yeah, I mean it!" Harry said more firmly.

A genuine smile broke out on Sirius's face before he looked back at Alliana and Alex, who both had tears in their eyes. Alex sniffled before looking up at her mum.

"We're gonna be a real family?" She asked.

Alliana smiled as she pressed a kiss to Alex's forehead. "Yes, we're gonna be a real family now."

It was silent the rest of the way out of the tunnel as Alex took to just clinging to her mum's side. The touch felt like it had all those years ago and Alex didn't want to let go of it too quickly. There was lost time to be made up for.

One by one, they all came out of the tunnel without any risk of branches attacking them since Crookshanks was standing on the knot on the trunk.

The grounds were completely dark now. The lights from the castle would be the only ones leading them up to it. Alex couldn't help the smile that was rising on her face. She was going to have not only her mum back but her dad as well. They had a lot of time to make up for.

"One wrong move, Peter," Lupin told him with his wand pointed at Peter's chest.

They began to walk up the hill towards the castle. Alex still held her mum's arm as they walked, imagining how much better it would be to live with them rather than Snape. But a cloud shifted and the group was lit up by moonlight.

Sirius seemed to freeze as watched Lupin go rigid. He threw his arm out to stop Alliana and the others from going forward anymore. Alex looked forward at Lupin, whose entire body began to shake.

"Oh, my -" Hermione exclaimed. "He didn't take his potion tonight! He's not safe!"

"Run," Sirius told them as Alliana released Alex and rushed towards Lupin. "Run. Now."

But none of them did when they realized Ron was still chained to Peter and Lupin. Harry tried to rush forward but Sirius stopped him.

"Leave it to us - RUN!"

Alex watched as her mum had transformed as Lupin was finishing his own transformation. She began to fly around Lupin's head, distracting him as Sirius also transformed. He immediately attacked the werewolf, pulling him away from Ron and Peter.

It was all happening so fast that Alex barely registered when Lupin had swiped at Alliana, knocking her to the ground where she fell back into her human form, injured.