All in the Family

Chapter 56: The Dementor's Kiss

Silver glinted all around them. In the dark woods it highlighted every aged line in the trees and every hollow on the ground, gave every blade of grass a new sheen. It was in the very air of the full moon, casting bright shadows on the only nearby cottage too far off in the distance for most eyes to see, and shined on the bars of the reinforced cage.

For the first time, Remus was too distracted to notice, and he wasn't the only one.

"Let me go! I'm going to kill him, I swear I will-"

"Sirius, think about what you're saying!" Remus pleaded, holding him with shaking hands. "He hasn't-"

Peter slowly appeared before them, just behind James, his other form so small the other four hadn't even been able to pick him out in the gloom. "I, James, Sirius, I couldn't, Remus you know I could never-" this only enraged Sirius further as he struggled harder, and Remus started to lose his grip.

For a moment Peter thought he was seeing double, he flinched farther back into the corner as he thought Sirius broke free, but it was Regulus who was suddenly in front of him, then pivoted on the spot and shoved Sirius farther back into Remus' arms.

"What's the matter with you?" He snarled so fiercely into the others face, their resemblance was more prominent than ever. "He's spent ages defending you, never giving you one bit of shite over-"

"Sirius!" Remus' voice pleaded behind him, to listen he supposed, as the shaking increased, but he just tried to shove him off again, and found the grip on his arms turning inhumanly tight. He didn't know what he was going to do to Peter yet, maybe shake him next, force him to really see what he'd done rather than that look of shock still in his face still ebbed with fear-

"Padfoot get out of there!" Some instinct in him began the change right along with Moony before he even heard James, but the werewolves hold only tightened, Remus' guttural screams of pain growing fainter as the howling grew around him.

As cloth tearing to shreds joined the cacophony, James' last shout of someone get the damn book was the last true sane noise before Prongs slammed into the pair at full force. He didn't know for several long painful seconds if he'd intervened in time as the black dog was finally able to shake himself loose, bleeding over the pristine surface of their enclosure.

There was not nearly enough space for anyone's liking, the four painfully non-animagus wizards could only cower in the farthest corner away as the three animals brought new meaning to the term fur flying.

The melanistic deer had the brute almost pinned to the floor through his tangle of antlers, the enormous black dog had his jaws secured into the werewolves two hind feet no matter how many times he was slammed against the bars for his efforts, and the tiny purple book had wound up in the thick of it all.

They should have summoned it. They could have tried to help. Wormtail saw all of this, and bristled at being the one called a coward this night as he danced between the ones who would always be larger than him, and began nudging the book along. He'd been helping to distract this particular werewolf for nearly two years now, and like the basilisk before, was completely fine with being the distraction as he finally gave a good enough shove that it slide across the wet surface and landed at Evans' feet. He'd watched for too long as her hands darted forward, not seeming to think twice about scooping up the now weeping cover as more droplets scattered around, Prongs was starting to lose his tenacious grip on the slick surface and Moony's jaws snapped on flesh at last.

Wormtail spun on the spot and hissed in protest, biting the snout and dancing back farther away as his ear throbbed. Blood began dripping into his eyes now, he longed to change back and see the true damage, but knew better. The werewolves bite would not contaminate animals, but he feared risking changing back too soon.

All he could do now was listen, as Evans began mirroring their horror in Harry's life. It started out with just the tiniest bit of hope they all needed, if Sirius really adopted Harry as was being implied than surely this mayhem of a life would end! Then it all went wrong, of course, in both lives. Moony's struggles were slowly breaking him free, and a massive swipe of his paw now added Prongs' blood into the mix, his hooves unable to get any more purchase as he bellowed and was left a mess of limbs. Padfoot made a last, desperate lunge, teeth sinking into Moony's scruff and pulling with all his might as the werewolf's contagious jaws ached for his pray, just as Evans reached the ending with Harry blacking out and the dementors likely murdering Sirius, and it was all Peter's fault.