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| FAMILY REUNION |
song: mirrors by justin timberlake.
☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:✧*⋆.*:･ﾟ✧.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ☾
THERE WEREN'T MANY THOUGHTS RUNNING THROUGH ARA'S HEAD AS HER HAND STILL HELD ONTO HARRY'S. The four of them stood transfixed with horror under the Invisibility Cloak. The very last rays of the setting sun were casting a bloody light over the long-shadowed grounds. Then, behind them, they heard a wild howling.
"Hagrid," Harry muttered. Without thinking about what he was doing, he turned back, but Ara, Ron and Hermione seized his arms.
"Harry no!" Ara said.
"We can't," said Ron, who was paper-white.
"He'll be in worse trouble if they know we've been to see him. . ." said Ara. She pushed her lips in an attempt to not show how upset she was, but by the way Harry gave her hand a gentle squeeze, she knew she hadn't fooled him.
Hermione's breathing was shallow and uneven.
"How — could — they?" she choked. "How could they?"
"Come on," said Ron, whose teeth seemed to be chattering.
They set off back toward the castle, walking slowly to keep themselves hidden under the cloak. The light was fading fast now.
By the time they reached open ground, darkness was settling like a spell around them.
"Scabbers, keep still," Ron hissed, clamping his hand over his chest. The rat was wriggling madly. Ron came to a sudden halt, trying to force Scabbers deeper into his pocket. "What's the matter with you, You stupid rat? Stay still — OUCH! He bit me!"
"Ron, be quiet!" Hermione whispered urgently. "Fudge'll be out here in a minute —"
"He won't — stay — put —"
"Control the stupid rat!" Ara whispered harshly, biting her lip anxiously.
Scabbers was plainly terrified. He was writhing with all his might, trying to break free of Ron's grip.
"What's the matter with him?"
But just then they saw it — stinking toward them, his body low to the ground, wide yellow eyes glinting eerily in the darkness — Crookshanks. Whether he could see them or was following the sound of Scabbers's squeaks, they couldn't tell.
"Crookshanks!" Hermione moaned. "No, go away, Crookshanks! Go away!"
But the cat was getting nearer — "Scabbers — NO!"
Too late — the rat had slipped between Ron's clutching fingers, hit the ground, and scampered away. In one bound, Crookshanks sprang after him, and before Ara, Harry or Hermione could stop him, Ron had thrown the Invisibility Cloak off himself and pelted away into the darkness.
"Ron!" Hermione shrieked.
She, Ara and, Harry looked at each other, then followed at a sprint; it was impossible to run full out under the cloak; they pulled it off and it streamed behind them like a banner as they hurtled after Ron; they could hear his feet thundering along ahead and his shouts at Crookshanks.
"Get away from him — get away — Scabbers, come here —"
There was a loud thud.
"Gotcha! Get off, you stinking cat —"
Ara, Harry and Hermione almost fell over Ron; they skidded to a stop right in front of him. He was sprawled on the ground, but Scabbers was back in his pocket; he had both hands held tight over the quivering lump.
"Ron — come on back under the cloak —" Hermione panted. "Dumbledore — the Minister —they'll be coming back out in a minute —"
But before they could cover themselves again, before they could even catch their breath, they heard the soft pounding of gigantic paws. . . Something was bounding toward them, quiet as a shadow — an enormous, pale-eyed, jet-black dog. Ara recognized it.
"Snuffles?" said Ara, eyebrows furrowed.
Harry reached for his wand, but too late — the dog had made an enormous leap and the front paws hit him on the chest; he keeled over backwards in a whirl of hair; he felt its hot breath, saw inch-long teeth —
Thankfully Ara had already made her way over and pushed the dog aside; it rolled off him as she helped Harry sit up and Ara could tell that by his faraway look he was dazed. She placed a hand on his shoulder, willing him to try and stand up, she could hear Snuffles growling as it skidded around for a new attack.
Ron was on his feet. As the dog sprang back toward them he pushed Ara aside; the dog's jaws fastened instead around Ron's outstretched arm. Ara lunged forward, she seized a handful of the brute's hair, but it was dragging Ron away as easily as though he were a rag doll —
"Ron!"
Then, out of nowhere, something went to hit Ara across the face but Harry got there and pushed her out of the way so he was hit instead, it was so hard he was knocked off his feet again.
"Harry! You self-sacrificing idiot!" Ara groaned loudly, going over to inspect his now bloody face. "Are you okay?"
"Perfect," he sarcastically croaked out, making Ara roll her eyes.
From the corner of her eye, Ara could see something rapidly make its way towards Hermione, she quickly went over and yanked her friend to the side, all while getting hit in the ribs, getting all of her air pushed out of her.
"Who's the self-sacrificing idiot now?" Harry said as he groped for his wand, blinking blood out of his eyes. His eyes still scanned her worriedly despite his words.
"Ha ha," Ara scoffed, an arm slung over her ribs.
"Are you alright?" Hermione stressed.
"Oh yeah, I just need to breathe for a moment," Ara grimaced, she was bleeding too, she had a cut on her abdomen.
"Lumos!" Harry whispered.
The wand light showed them all the trunk of a thick tree; they had chased Scabbers into the shadow of the Whomping Willow and its branches were creaking as though in a high wind, whipping backwards and forward to stop them going nearer.
And there, at the base of the trunk, was the dog, dragging Ron backwards into a large gap in the roots — Ron was fighting furiously, but his head and torso were slipping out of sight —
"Ron!" Harry shouted, as he and Ara tried to follow, but a heavy branch whipped lethally through the air and they were forced backwards.
All they could see now was one of Ron's legs, which he had hooked around a root in an effort to stop the dog from pulling him farther underground — but a horrible crack cut the air like a gunshot; Ron's leg had broken, and a moment later, his foot vanished from sight.
"Harry—Ara — we've got to go for help —" Hermione gasped.
"No!" Ara cut her off. "We don't have enough time—"
"Ara — we're never going to get through without help —"
Another branch whipped down at them, twigs clenched like knuckles.
"If that dog can get in, we can," Harry panted, darting here and there, trying to find a way through the vicious, swishing branches, but he couldn't get an inch nearer to the tree roots without being in range of the tree's blows.
"Oh, help, help," Hermione whispered frantically, dancing uncertainly on the spot, "Please . . ."
Crookshanks darted forward. He slithered between the battering branches like a snake and placed his front paws upon a knot on the trunk.
Abruptly, as though the tree had been turned to marble, it stopped moving. Not a leaf twitched or shook.
"Crookshanks!" Hermione whispered uncertainty. She now grasped Ara's arm painfully hard. "How did he know —?"
"I love that cat," Ara mumbled.
"He's friends with that dog," said Harry grimly. "I've seen them together. Come on — and keep your wands out —"
They covered the distance to the trunk in seconds, but before they had reached the gap in the roots, Crookshanks had slid into it with a flick of his bottlebrush tail. Harry went next; he crawled forward, headfirst, and slid down an earthy slope to the bottom of a very low tunnel. Crookshanks was a little way along, his eyes flashing in the light from Harry's wand. Seconds later, Ara slithered down beside him, Hermione right behind her.
"Where's Ron?" Hermione whispered in a terrified voice.
"This way," said Harry, setting off, bent-backed, after Crookshanks.
"Where does this tunnel come out?" Hermione asked breathlessly from behind Ara.
"I don't know. . . It's marked on the Marauder's Map but Fred and George said no one's ever gotten into it. . . It goes off the edge of the map, but it looked like it was heading for Hogsmeade. . ."
"I think. . .this goes to the Shrieking Shack," whispered Ara uneasily.
They moved as fast as they could, bent almost double; ahead of them, Crookshanks's tail bobbing in and out of view. On and on went the passage; it felt at least as long as the one to Honeydukes. . . All Ara could think of was Ron and what the Snuffles might be doing to him. . .the last time she saw the dog it didn't appear malicious, so she didn't know why so suddenly he wanted ginger for dinner.
And then the tunnel began to rise; moments later it twisted, and Crookshanks had gone. Ahead, Ara could see a patch of dim light through a small opening.
She, Harry, and Hermione paused, gasping for breath, edging forward. They raised their wands to see what lay beyond.
It was a room, a very disordered, dusty room. Paper was peeling from the walls; there were stains all over the floor; every piece of furniture was broken as though somebody had smashed it. The windows were all boarded up.
Harry glanced at Ara, who looked quite uneasy but nodded at him, then at Hermione, who looked very frightened but nodded too.
Harry pulled himself out of the hole, staring around. The room was deserted, but a door to their right stood open, leading to a shadowy hallway. Hermione suddenly grabbed Ara's arm again. Her wide eyes were travelling around the boarded windows.
"Ara," she whispered, "I think you were right, we're in the Shrieking Shack."
Ara looked around. Her eyes fell on a wooden chair near them. Large chunks had been torn out of it; one of the legs had been ripped off entirely.
"Ghosts didn't do that," Harry said slowly.
"Maybe this used to be an animal's hideout or something like that," Ara said quietly, watching the scratch marks on the walls.
At that moment, there was a creak overhead. Something had moved upstairs. The three of them looked up at the ceiling. Hermione's grip on Ara's arm was so tight she was losing feeling in her fingers. She raised her eyebrows at her; she nodded and reluctantly let go.
Quietly as they could, they crept out into the hall and up the crumbling staircase. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust except the floor, where a wide shiny stripe had been made by something being dragged upstairs.
They reached the dark landing.
"Nox," they whispered together, and the lights at the end of their wands went out. Only one door was open. As they crept toward it, they heard movement from behind it; a low moan, and then a deep, loud purring. They exchanged a last look, a last nod.
Wand held tightly before him, Harry kicked the door wide open.
On a magnificent four-poster bed with dusty hangings lay Crookshanks, purring loudly at the sight of them. On the floor beside him, clutching his leg, which stuck out at a strange angle, was Ron.
Ara, Harry, and Hermione dashed across to him.
"Ron — are you okay?"
"Where does it hurt?"
"Where's the dog?"
"Not a dog," Ron moaned. His teeth were gritted with pain. "Ara, Harry, it's a trap —"
"What —"
"He's the dog. . . He's an Animagus."
Ron was staring over Ara and Harry's shoulder. Both of them wheeled around. With a snap, the man in the shadows closed the door behind them.
A mass of filthy, matted hair hung to his elbows. If eyes hadn't been shining out of the deep, dark sockets, he might have been a corpse. The waxy skin was stretched so tightly over the bones of his face, it looked like a skull. His yellow teeth were bared in a grin. It was Sirius Black.
"Expelliarmus!" he croaked, pointing Ron's wand at them.
Ara's, Harry's and Hermione's wands shot out of their hands, high in the air, and Black caught them. Then he took a step closer. His eyes were fixed on Harry at first, but they soon turned to the side, to Ara, and his expression slightly softened.
"I thought you'd come and help your friend," he said hoarsely. His voice sounded as though he had long since lost the habit of using it.
For the first time in a while, Ara was at a loss for words, staring back at her father with a fearless expression. She'd been dreading this moment for as long as she could remember. She trembled slightly as she stared straight at him, refusing to let her head down as she held her chin high. It was as if she were standing in front of a mirror so to speak. Even though he looked ragged and filthy, their resemblance was overwhelming.
Their eyes were the absolute same, the shape, the dark long lashes, the colour. . .Ara had always liked her eyes. It was very rare to encounter others that had the same shade, she supposed it was a Black thing, and that's why they were so easy to spot.
Ara's lips curled in disgust as she slightly moved her frame so that she could be standing slightly in front of her friends, acting as a human shield if Black dared to try anything. He kept glancing her way, almost uncertain, but there was a look in his eyes that resembled tenderness. She ignored it, she would not be manipulated by him.
He suddenly turned his gaze to Harry. "Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful. . . it will make everything much easier. . ."
Ara could tell that the taunt about Harry's father had made him incredibly angry, by the way his eyes had flashed with so much hate and his jaw clenched, Ara could tell that Harry had had enough. And before she knew it, he started forward, but Ara and Hermione grabbed him, holding him back.
"No, Harry!" Hermione gasped in a petrified whisper.
"You have no wand, no way to defend yourself, don't be stupid," Ara urged him in a quiet mumble, her eyes trained on Black as if expecting him to attack at any moment.
Ron, suddenly, spoke to Black.
"If you want to kill my sister and Harry, you'll have to kill us too!" he said fiercely, though the effort of standing upright was draining him of still more colour, and he swayed slightly as he spoke trying to stand in front of his sister, who was unusually quiet at the moment as she inspected the man in front of them.
Something flickered in Black's shadowed eyes.
"Lie down," he said quietly to Ron. "You will damage that leg even more."
"Did you hear me?" Ron said weakly, though he was clinging painfully to Ara to stay upright. "You'll have to kill all four of us!"
"There'll be only one murder here tonight," said Black, and his grin widened.
"Only one?" Ara voiced loudly. She didn't understand, there was a strange look in Black's eyes, it almost seemed like a combination of determination and desperation.
"Why's that?" Harry spat, trying to wrench himself free of Hermione, Ara only held his wrist. "Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew. . . What's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?"
"Harry!" Hermione whimpered. "Be quiet!"
"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD! HE KILLED ARA'S MUM!" Harry roared, and with a huge effort he broke free of Ara and Hermione's restraints and lunged forward —
Perhaps it was the shock of Harry doing something so stupid, but Black didn't raise the wands in time — one of Harry's hands fastened over his wasted wrist, forcing the wand tips away; the knuckles of Harry's other hand collided with the side of Black's head and they fell, backwards, into the wall —
Hermione was screaming; Ron was yelling and Ara was having a battle within herself, not knowing if she should hold Harry back or simply let him get it out; there was a blinding flash as the wands in Black's hand sent a jet of sparks into the air that missed Harry's face by inches; Harry felt the shrunken arm under his fingers twisting madly, but he clung on, his other hand punching every part of Black it could find.
However, when Black's free hand had found Harry's throat, Ara decided she had enough.
"No," Black hissed, "I've waited too long —"
The fingers tightened, Harry choked, his glasses askew. But before Black could do any more damage Ara was quick to send a blow to his face, almost breaking his nose. Black let go of Harry with a grunt of pain and Ara tugged Harry behind her, glaring down at Black as Ron threw himself on Black's wand hand —
Ara fought free of the tangle of bodies and saw her own wand rolling across the floor; she made a grab for it but—
"Argh!"
Crookshanks had joined the fray; both sets of front claws had sunk themselves deep into Ara's arm, she glared at him, "I take it back, I don't like you."
Ara threw him off, and she barely noticed that Harry had made a grab for his own wand, which was lying just beside hers but Crookshanks now darted toward Harry's wand —
"NO YOU DON'T!" roared Harry, and he aimed a kick at Crookshanks that made the cat leap aside, spitting; Harry snatched up his wand and turned —
"Get out of the way!" he shouted at Ara, Ron and Hermione.
Ron and Hermione didn't need telling twice. Hermione, gasping for breath, her lip bleeding, scrambled aside, snatching up her and Ron's wands. Ron crawled to the four-poster and collapsed onto it, panting, his white face now tinged with green, both hands clutching his broken leg.
Ara, however, stayed put, with her wand clutched so hard in her hands that her knuckles were turning white. Harry opened his mouth to probably tell her to get out of the way, she looked at him with an expression of loathing, though it wasn't directed at him, but at the criminal in front of them, and so Harry closed his mouth, because he knew that Ara needed closure just as much as him.
Black was sprawled at the bottom of the wall. His thin chest rose and fell rapidly as he watched Ara and Harry walking slowly nearer, Harry's wand pointing straight at Black's heart.
"Going to kill me, Ara? Harry?" he whispered.
Ara hated the way he'd said her name, the way his eyes visibly softened, how he looked at her like he actually cared. It was all an act. His frame trembled as he looked at her, his hands tightening into fists as if he were restraining himself to reach out and hold her.
Ara stopped right above him, scowling down at him, her wand still tightly in her grasp as Harry moved beside her, his own wand pointed at Black's chest. A livid bruise was rising around Black's left eye and his nose was bleeding.
"You killed my mum, your own wife. You killed Harry's parents, all for what? Approval from some hypocritical blood supremacist?" Ara snarled, her heart beating rapidly but her arm was steady as she pointed her wand down at him.
Something flashed in Black's sunken eyes as he stared back at them.
"I don't deny it," he said very quietly. "But if you knew the whole story."
"The whole story?" Harry repeated, a furious pounding in his ears. "You sold them to Voldemort. That's all we need to know."
"You've got to listen to me," Black said, and there was a note of urgency in his voice now. "You'll regret it if you don't. . . You don't understand. . .Ara please. . ."
His eyes. . .they showed so much desperation and honesty that Ara almost believed him. Almost.
"We understand a lot better than you think," said Harry, Ara could hear the shakiness in his voice. "You heard of her, did you? My mum. . . trying to stop Voldemort killing me. . . and you did that. . .you did it. . ."
Before either of them could say another word, something ginger streaked past them; Crookshanks leapt onto Black's chest and settled himself there, right over Black's heart. Black blinked and looked down at the cat.
"Get off," he murmured, trying to push Crookshanks off him.
But Crookshanks sank his claws into Black's robes and wouldn't shift. He turned his ugly, squashed face to Ara and Harry and looked up at them with those great yellow eyes. To their right, Hermione gave a dry sob.
"Harry. . ." said Ara, her tone unsure and hesitant, her eyes locked with Black as he stared back at her pleadingly. "Perhaps we should hear the whole story first—"
"Are you defending him?!" Harry scoffed, an unbelieving look on his face.
"Of course not!" Ara yelled back at him, rounding at him. "But I have to know the whole story! You have to know the whole story! There's always two points of view. I have to know. . ."
Ara and Harry glared at each other, though Harry was the first to look away.
She could see his heated stare as he stared down at Black and Crookshanks, his grip on his wand tightening as if he were about to make a move. He raised the wand—
"Harry, no." Ara grabbed his wrist, preventing him from going any further.
Ara felt so helpless, so confused. She had no idea why her brain was telling her to wait, why her heart was begging her to slow down. She'd never felt this torn, she had her Mum's murderer at her feet and yet she was hesitating. Why?
The man on the floor was the one who brought on all the problems in her life. He was the poison consuming her already hectic world. But. . .there was something about him, something that told her to listen. . .he looked tired, defeated. . .his pupils were dilated as he stared at her, none of the harshness that was present on his WANTED posters was visible. Instead, there was love swirling in his eyes as well as longing.
Ara's lips parted in a breath, the hand holding her wand was shaking as she held his gaze for a moment before she tore her eyes away and stared at Harry once more. His eyes contained unmistakable anger and she understood, she couldn't blame him. They both had reasons to despise the man before them. The difference was that Harry was ready for retribution and Ara was stopping him. For what reason? She wasn't sure. Ara slightly shook her head, her gaze still contained rage but there was a silent plea as well, and Harry's hand hesitated mid-air as he sucked in a breath.
Ron's ragged breathing came from near the bed; Hermione was quite silent.
And then came a new sound —
Muffled footsteps were echoing up through the floor — someone was moving downstairs.
"WE'RE UP HERE!" Hermione screamed suddenly. "WE'RE UP HERE — SIRIUS BLACK —QUICK!"
Black made a startled movement that almost dislodged Crookshanks. The door of the room burst open in a shower of red sparks and Ara and Harry wheeled around as Professor Lupin came hurtling into the room, his face bloodless, his wand raised and ready. His eyes flickered over Ron, lying on the floor, over Hermione, cowering next to the door, to Harry, standing there with his wand covering Black, to Ara, who had her wand in hand as she held Harry back, and then to Black himself, crumpled and bleeding at Ara and Harry's feet.
"Expelliarmus!" Lupin shouted.
Ara and Harry's wands flew once more out of their hands; so did the two Hermione was holding. Lupin caught them all deftly, then moved into the room, staring at Black, who still had Crookshanks lying protectively across his chest.
Ara released Harry, feeling a weird sense of accomplishment. She still didn't know if she cared if Black lived or died, but she knew she needed answers and the only one that could provide them was her father.
Then Lupin spoke, in a very tense voice.
"Where is he, Sirius?"
Ara looked quickly at Lupin. She didn't understand what Lupin meant. Who was Lupin talking about? She turned to look at Black again.
Black's face was quite expressionless. For a few seconds, he didn't move at all. Then, very slowly, he raised his empty hand and pointed straight at Ron. Mystified, Ara and Harry glanced around at Ron, who looked bewildered.
"But then. . ." Lupin muttered, staring at Black so intently it seemed he was trying to read his mind, ". . . why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless" — Lupin's eyes suddenly widened, as though he was seeing something beyond Black, something none of the rest could see, "—unless he was the one. . . unless you switched. . . without telling me?"
Very slowly, his sunken gaze never leaving Lupin's face, Black nodded.
"Professor," Harry interrupted loudly, "what's going on —?"
But he never finished the question, because what he saw made his voice die in his throat. Lupin was lowering his wand, gazing fixed at Black. The Professor walked to Black's side, seized his hand, pulled him to his feet so that Crookshanks fell to the floor, and embraced Black like a brother.
Harry felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. Ara looked at the two, her mouth slightly parted with shock.
"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione screamed.
Lupin let go of Black and turned to her. She had raised herself off the floor and was pointing at Lupin, wild-eyed. "You — you —"
"Hermione —"
"– you and him!"
"Hermione, calm down —"
"I didn't tell anyone!" Hermione shrieked. "I've been covering up for you —"
"Hermione, listen to me, please" Lupin shouted. "I can explain —"
Harry could feel himself shaking, not with fear, but with a fresh wave of fury, he then glanced at Ara, who had an unreadable expression, her insides lurched with the unpleasant feeling of betrayal.
"I trusted you," Harry shouted at Lupin, his voice wavering, out of control, "and all the time you've been his friend!"
"You're wrong," said Lupin. "I haven't been Sirius's friend, but I am now — Let me explain. . ."
"NO!" Hermione screamed. "Ara, Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too — he's a werewolf!"
There was a ringing silence. Everyone's eyes were now on Lupin, who looked remarkably calm, though rather pale.
"Not at all up to your usual standard, Hermione," he said. "Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry and Ara dead." An odd shiver passed over his face. "But I won't deny that I am a werewolf."
Ron made a valiant effort to get up again but fell back with a whimper of pain. Lupin made toward him, looking concerned, but Ron gasped, "Get away from me, werewolf!"
"Ron!" Ara instinctively said.
Lupin stopped dead. Then, with an obvious effort, he turned to Hermione and said, "How long have you known?"
"Ages," Hermione whispered. "Since I did Professor Snape's essay. . ."
"He'll be delighted," said Lupin coolly. "He assigned that essay hoping someone would realise what my symptoms mean. . . Did you check the lunar chart and realise that I was always ill at the full moon? Or did you realise that the Boggart changed into the moon when it saw me?"
"Both," Hermione said quietly.
Lupin forced a laugh.
"You and Ara are the cleverest witches of your age I've ever met, Hermione."
"I'm not," Hermione whispered. "If I'd been a bit cleverer, I'd have told everyone what you are!"
"But they already know," said Lupin. "At least, the staff do."
"Dumbledore hired you when he knew you were a werewolf," Ron gasped. "Is he mad?"
"Some of the staff thought so," said Lupin. "He had to work very hard to convince certain teachers that I'm trustworthy —"
"AND HE WAS WRONG!" Harry yelled. "YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HIM ALL THE TIME!"
He was pointing at Black, who suddenly crossed to the four-poster bed and sank onto it, his face hidden in one shaking hand. Crookshanks leapt up beside him and stepped onto his lap, purring. Ron edged away from both of them, dragging his leg.
"I have not been helping Sirius," said Lupin. "If you'll give me a chance, I'll explain. Look —"
He separated Ara's, Harry's, Ron's and Hermione's wands and threw each back to its owner; Ara caught hers, as her eyes darted in between Lupin and Black with uncertainty.
"There," said Lupin, sticking his own wand back into his belt "You're armed, we're not. Now will you listen?"
"If you haven't been helping him," Harry said, with a furious glance at Black, "how did you know he was here?"
"The map," said Lupin. "The Marauder's Map. I was in my office examining it —"
"You know how to work it?" Harry said suspiciously.
"Of course he knows," exhaled Ara, her fingers flexing on her wand as all eyes turned to her. "He helped write it after all. He's Moony —"
"He wrote —?" Harry started.
"The important thing is, I was watching it carefully this evening because I had an idea that you, Ara, Ron, and Hermione might try and sneak out of the castle to visit Hagrid before his Hippogriff was executed. And I was right, wasn't I?"
He had started to pace up and down, looking at them. Little patches of dust rose at his feet.
"You might have been wearing your father's old cloak, Harry—"
"How d'you know about the cloak?"
"The number of times I saw James disappearing under it. . ." said Lupin, waving an impatient hand again. "The point is, even if you're wearing an Invisibility Cloak, you still show up on the Marauder's Map. I watched you cross the grounds and enter Hagrid's hut. Twenty minutes later, you left Hagrid, and set off back toward the castle. But you were now accompanied by somebody else."
"What?" said Harry. "No, we weren't!"
"I couldn't believe my eyes," said Lupin, still pacing, and ignoring Harry's interruption. "I thought the map must be malfunctioning. How could he be with you?"
"No one was with us!" said Harry.
"And then I saw another dot, moving fast toward you, labelled Sirius Black. . . I saw him collide with you; I watched as he pulled two of you into the Whomping Willow —"
"One of us!" Ron said angrily.
"No, Ron," said Lupin. "Two of you."
He had stopped his pacing, his eyes moving over Ron.
"Do you think I could have a look at the rat?" he said evenly.
"What?" said Ron. "What's Scabbers got to do with it?"
"Everything," said Lupin. "Could I see him, please?"
Ron hesitated, then put a hand inside his robes. Scabbers emerged, thrashing desperately; Ron had to seize his long bald tail to stop him from escaping. Crookshanks stood up on Black's leg and made a soft hissing noise.
Lupin moved closer to Ron. He seemed to be holding his breath as he gazed intently at Scabbers.
"What?" Ron said again, holding Scabbers close to him, looking scared. "What's my rat got to do with anything?"
"That's not a rat," croaked Sirius Black suddenly.
"What d'you mean — of course he's a rat —"
"No, he's not," said Lupin quietly. "He's a wizard."
Then Ara understood what they were saying, the rat was —
"An Animagus," said Black, "by the name of Peter Pettigrew."
☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:✧*⋆.*:･ﾟ✧.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ☾
AHHHHH HIIIII!
ARA AND SIRIUS MEET AT LAST!!
Also, love the fact that somewhere very deep inside, Ara knows he's innocent. VERY DEEP. Like, her instincts just telling her to hear him out. . .
qotd: favourite father-daughter duo? I'd have to say one of my faves is Tokyo and the Professor from Money Heist. They're so tragic and sad.
Remember to COMMENT and VOTE!
See you next chapter lovelies! Ily <33