Nico di Angelo and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Chapter Twelve: The Murder

Where is who? I look around, trying to spot another person in the room. Black points straight at Ron. I look around the ginger, half expecting someone to leap out from the dark.

"Unless... He was the one.... Unless you switched... Without telling me?" Lupin is mumbling. Black nods slowly.

"Professor Lupin," Harry interrupts. "What's going-"

He stops as Lupin lowers his wand. He grabs Sirius' hand and helps him up, Crookshanks falling off. They hig like long lost brothers.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione screams. "You- you and him!"

"Hermione, calm down-"

"I didn't tell anyone! I've been covering up for you!"

Lupin and I speak at the same time.

"Hermione, listen to me please! I can explain." "Hermione let him talk."

Now Harry joins the shouting match. "I trusted you! And all this time you've been his friend!"

"You're wrong. I haven't been Sirius's friend for twelve years, but I am now, let me explain."

"NO!" She shouts.

"Hermione..." I roll my eyes. I don't know who to trust, but I knew I couldn't choose without hearing what he had to say. "Just-"

"NICO BE QUIET!" She turns her fury on me, causing me to flinch, looking down. Not the smartest idea to turn your eyes away from the danger, but I couldn't help it.

"Harry don't trust him. He's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too! He's a werewolf!"

My eyes snap up at the last sentence. I stumble back, tripping and falling against the wall. My hand flies to my neck, to one of my newest scars.

Portugal. Lycoan. Wolves. Orion.

My ears are flooded with a loud ringing, only faintly able to hear Lupin speaking, and Ron shout. I can't breathe. I can feel it all over again, see it all over again. The claws ripping through my jacket, my skin, the blackened and dead field, just barely making it to the statue with Reyna and Hedge.

Lycoan. Werewolves. Claws.

The flashback ends soon enough by Lupin approaching me. I try to scramble back, eyes wide with panic as I press against the wall.

"I'm not going to hurt you Nico. Calm down." He holds out my wand. I keep one hand on the floor, using the one from my neck to snatch the wand, instantly pointing it at him just in case. His eyes flick over to the scar on my neck, cringing when he sees the claw marks. He slowly stands back up, moving back over to where he had been.

"There," Lupin sticks his wand back in his belt. "You're armed, we're not. Now will you listen?"

I look around, the others also have their wands back.

"If you haven't been helping him, how did you know he was here?" Harry brought up a fair point. I realize that I'm still on the ground and stand shakily, leaning on the bed for support. I feel drained.

"The Marauders Map. I was in my office, examining it."

"You know how to work it?" Harry looks suspicious.

"Of course I know how to work it." Lupin waves impatiently. "I helped write it. I'm Moony. That was my friends' nickname for me at school."

"You wrote-"

"What's a maraud-"

"The important thing is, I was watching it carefully this evening, because I had and idea that you four might try and sneak out of the castle to visit Hagrid before his hippogriff was executed. And I was right, wasn't I?"

He starts pacing, patches of dust billowing at his feet.

"I watched you cross the grounds and enter Hagrid's hut. Twenty minutes later, you left Hagrid, hiding while waiting for the friend left inside."

He turns his gaze to me, and I feel whatever colour I had drain from my face. He had seen me shadow travel.

"Until he was in the woods, behind you. The four of you set off back to the castle, but you were now accompanied by somebody else."

"What?" Says Harry. "No we weren't!"

"I couldn't believe my eyes." Lupin ignores him. "I thought the map must be malfunctioning. How could he be with you?"

"No one was with us!"

"And then I saw another dot, moving fast towards you, labelled Sirius Black... I saw him collide with you, watched as he pulled two of you into the Whomping Willow."

"One of us!" Ron sounds angry.

"No, Ron. Two of you."

He stops pacing, eyes moving to Ron.

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

"What? What's Scabbers got to do with it?"

"Everything. Could I see him, please?"

Ron hesitantly pulls out Scabbers, who's thrashing desperately. Ron had to hold his tail to keep him from escaping. Crookshanks hisses softly at him. Lupin never takes his eyes off of the rat, moving closer.

"What?" Ron asks again. "What's my rat got to do with anything?"

"That's not a rat." Sirius croaks suddenly, uttering his first words in a while.

"What d'you mean? Of course he's a rat."

"No, he's not." Lupin is quiet. "He's a wizard."

"An animagus," Says Black. "By the name of Peter Pettigrew."

Word count: 1465

Another chapter!

I have had a long ride today, and am continuing on to the next chapter swiftly. Oof. Still in author mode.

I'm getting sick so maybe I'll have more time to write.

I shouldn't announce this, just in case it doesn't happen, but I have a plan and I really hope I can do this for you guys. I want to finish this book by christmas, and have the next book out on Christmas. Don't hold me to that promise.

Anyway, peace out Matchsticks!

Love,
Sammy