A Broken Slytherin : Lunar Loss (Book 3)

The Animagi

The tension in the shack could be cut with a knife. y/n quickly lowered her wand from Ron's face who was now clutching onto the rat with a vice grip. She turned to Lupin, ignoring Black completely, keeping her wand secured tightly in her fist.

"There were witnesses who saw Peter Pettigrew die," she said, "A whole street full of them."

"They didn't see what they thought they saw!" Sirius yelled savagely, eyeing Scabbers struggling in Ron's hands.

Lupin held up a hand to hush Sirius, "Everyone thought that Sirius killed Peter. I even believed it myself... That is until Harry said he saw Peter's name on the Map. And the map never lies. He's alive and Ron's holding him."

y/n was desperately trying to make some sense out of the outlandish story she had just been told. How could Scabbers be Peter Pettigrew all along? Azkaban must have really done a number on Black's head, but why would Lupin play along with him?

"But Professor..." Hermione started apprehensively, "Peter Pettigrew couldn't be an animagus."

"Oh really? And why is that?" Lupin replied like he was teaching in a class again.

"Because every animagus has to be registered by the Ministry. They keep records of witches and wizards who can turn into animals with things like the animals they turn into, their markings... I looked up Professor McGonagall and there have only been seven animagi this century. And Peter Pettigrew was not on that list."

"Right again Hermione!" Lupin explained, "But the Ministry never knew about the three animagi bounding around Hogwarts."

A loud grunt escaped Sirius's mouth, "If you're going to tell a story then make it quick Remus, I've waited twelve years for this I'm not going wait much longer," he said.

"All right... But I only know how it began-"

Lupin was interrupted by a loud creak behind them. The six of them turned to see that the bedroom door had swung open of its own accord.

"No one's there-" Lupin began peering down the hallway outside the door.

"This place is haunted!" Ron screeched.

"Oh be quiet Ron! It's not haunted!" y/n shouted.

"y/n's right-" Said Lupin.

"Of course I am!"

"Those wails and screams that the villagers were so scared of weren't ghosts, they were me," Lupin pushed his greying back out of his face, "I suppose that's where this all starts: me becoming a werewolf. None of this could have happened without me being bitten." With every word he spoke, the professor seemed to grow more tired and ill stricken. y/n watched him intently as he began to recount the night.

"I was a small schoolboy when I was bitten, just turned seven. My parents tried everything, but back then there was no cure. The potion that Snape and y/n had been making me is a very recent discovery. It makes me safe. As long as I take it the week leading up to the full moon, I keep my mind. I can curl up in my office for the night as just a harmless wolf. And wait for the full moon to pass.

"Before wolfsbane was discovered, I had to become a monster each and every month. Both I and my parents thought it impossible for me to attend Hogwarts. But Dumbledore became headmaster and he was sympathetic. He said that as long as precautions were taken, there would be no reason for me not to attend school."

Lupin turned to Harry. "I told you that the whomping willow was planted the year before I came to Hogwarts, but it was planted because I was coming to Hogwarts. As you all now know, the tree acts as a passageway to the Shrieking Shack from the school grounds. This house-" he looked around at the ravaged house, "-was built to be a place where I could spend my transformations, away from anyone I could harm."