Magic? || Years 1-5

Snape: Year 3

"Professor Snape -- it -- it wouldn't hurt to hear what they've got to say, w-would it?" She whispered cautiously.

"Miss Granger, you are already facing suspension from this school. You, Miss River, Potter, and Weasley are out-of-bounds, in the company of a convicted murderer and a werewolf. For once in your life, hold your tongue," Snape hissed.

"But if -- if there was a mistake -- " Hermione tried once more, treading just as lightly as she had before.

"KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL! DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Snape roared, sparks flying out the end of his wand.

Amisty felt her eyes narrow, and she would've gone flying at him if it hadn't been for Hermione's warning grip on her wrist.

"Vengeance is very sweet. How I hoped I would be the one to catch you..." Snape breathed, dark eyes blazing.

"The joke's on you again, Severus. As long as this boy brings his rat up to the castle I'll come quietly..." Black snarled back, jerking his head at Ron.

"Up to the castle? I don't think we need to go that far. All I have to do is call the dementors once we get out of the Willow. They'll be very pleased to see you, Black... pleased enough to give you a little Kiss, I daresay..." Snape replied.

Black's pale face somehow lost even more color, "You -- you've got to hear me out. The rat -- look at the rat -- "

"Come on, all of you. I'll drag the werewolf. Perhaps the dementors will have a Kiss for him too -- " Snape snapped his fingers, the binds around Lupin wrapping around his hands. His path was obstructed, however, as Harry stepped in front of the door. "Get out of the way, Potter, you're in enough trouble already. If I hadn't been here to save your skin --

"Professor Lupin could have killed me about a hundred times this year. I've been alone with him loads of times, having defense lessons against the dementors. If he was helping Black, why didn't he just finish me off then?" Harry argued.

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

Amisty let out a strangled breath, and Harry's blazing emerald gaze drifted to her for a split second before returning to their teacher with even more fire.

"YOU'RE PATHETIC! JUST BECAUSE THEY MADE A FOOL OF YOU AT SCHOOL YOU WON'T EVEN LISTEN -- " He shouted furiously, hands fists at his sides.

"SILENCE! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT! Like father, like son, Potter! I have just saved your neck; you should be thanking me on bended knee!" Snape was fuming. "You would have been well served if he'd killed you! You've have died like your father, too arrogant to believe you might be mistaken in Black -- now get out of the way, or I will make you. GET OUT OF THE WAY, POTTER!"

And Amisty couldn't hold back any longer.

Wand held so tight in her grip her knuckles turned white, gaze tinted with red, she shouted, "Expelliarmus!"

She hadn't been the only one. Harry, Hermione, and Ron had all shouted the same spell at the same time.

Snape went flying, hitting the back wall with a loud crack and when he hit the floor the faintest trace of blood trickled down the side of his head. His wand went soaring across the room, landing beside Crookshanks.

"You shouldn't have done that. You should have left him to me..." Black muttered, staring at Harry with wide eyes.

"We attacked a teacher... We attacked a teacher... Oh, we're going to be in so much trouble -- " Hermione whined, shifting her weight nervously from foot to foot.

Black untied Lupin quickly, who got up, rubbed his arms, and examined the cuts the ropes had left.

"Thank you, Harry," He didn't smile, but the warmth in his tone was there.

"I'm still not saying I believe you," Harry growled.

"Then it's time we offered you some proof. You, boy -- give me Peter. Now," Black ordered, turning to face Ron.

The redhead was very pale, holding the rat close to his chest.

"Come off it. Are you trying to say he broke out of Azkaban just to get his hands on Scabbers? I mean... Okay, say Pettigrew could turn into a rat -- there are millions of rats -- how's he supposed to know which one he's after if he was locked up in Azkaban?" Ron asked.

"You know, Sirius, that's a fair question. How did you find out where he was?" Lupin turned to the dark haired man, frowning.

Black didn't verbally reply, instead pulling out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and spreading it flat before holding it up for them to see. It was the photograph of Ron and his family in Egypt.

"How did you get this?" Lupin asked, shocked.

"Fudge. When he came to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter, on the front page... on the boy's shoulder... I knew him at once... how many times had I seen him transform? And the caption said the boy would be going back to Hogwarts... to where Harry was..." Black replied.

"My God. His front paw..." Lupin's pale gaze was shifting between photograph Scabbers and real-life Scabbers, the surprise evident on his face.

"What about it?" Ron asked sharply.

"He's got a toe missing," Black replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Of course. So simple... so brilliant... he cut it off himself?" Lupin asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"Just before he transformed. When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself -- and sped down into the sewer with the other rats..." Black replied, now back to glaring at Scabbers.

Amisty sifted through her memories, trying to think as to why this was so shocking.

Lupin's next words finally brought it into perspective, "Didn't you ever hear, Ron? The biggest bit of Peter they found was his finger."

And suddenly, she didn't doubt them any longer.