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Harry's P.O.V.
Sirius Black, the man who was the cause of his parents' demise, stood before them.
He looked like a man who hadn't seen daylight in decades, which, Harry supposed, he hadn't.
His waxy skin sketched across the bones of his hand, the hand that was brandishing Ron's wand in their direction.
"Expelliarmus!"he said, voice hoarse.
Harry, Y/N, Ron and Hermione's wands were blasted from their grip, rendering them defenseless.
Black's eyes were fixed on Harry and Harry stared back defiantly. He wasn't going to let this piece of filth intimidate him.
Unconsciously, before he even knew what he was doing, Harry sidestepped so he was in front of Y/N, blocking her from Black's view.
"I thought you'd come help your friend," Black said. His voice sounded strained, as though he hadn't used it for a while. "Your father would have done the same for me...Good, you didn't run for a teacher. It will make it easier..."
Frozen, Black's taunt about his father rung in his ears. Hate building in his chest, Harry wanted his wand back. He didn't want to defend himself, he wanted to hurt. He wanted to kill.
He stared forward, but two pairs of arms held him back. Y/N whispered frantically in his ear, "Harry, you can't! I know, I know you want to, but please..."
"Harry, no!" Hermione said in a petrified whisper.
Ron, however, stood up very suddenly, causing him to sway on the spot. When Y/N and Hermione reached to help him, still holding Harry, he brushed it off.
"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!" he said fiercely.
Harry thought his heart melted a little, at that.
A look that Harry couldn't figure out flashed across Black's expression. "Lay down," he said quietly to Ron. "You'll hurt your foot even more."
"And who hurt his foot in the first place?" Y/N snapped.
Hobbling the length (a couple steps) over to Harry, Y/N and Hermione, Ron said weakly, "Did you hear me? If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill all of us!"
With a weak chuckle, Black grinned. "Only one will die tonight," Black told them.
"Why's that?" Harry spat. "Didn't stop you last time, did it? Didn't stop you when you killed my parents, didn't stop you when you blew that street to bits!"
Black just heaved a sigh.
Harry wanted more of a reaction. Black didn't deserve to stay quiet. He wrenched his arm out of Hermione's grip, but struggled slightly with Y/N's. When he did, she loosened her hold, but held his hand.
"What's wrong, Black? Gone soft in Azkaban?" Harry taunted.
"Harry!" Hermione groaned. "Be quiet!"
"Harry, stop," Y/N whispered warningly in his ear, her breath tickling his neck. "You're making this worse than it needs to be-"
"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!" Harry roared. It hurt him, to see Y/N's face, but he broke free from Hermione's grasp and lunged at Black.
Harry forgot he was thirteen and wandless, whereas Black was a full-grown wizard with a wand. He didn't care - all he knew was that he wanted to hurt Black and he didn't care about the hurt he got in return.
"HARRY!" Y/N shrieked.
Possibly out of shock, Black didn't raise the wand in time. Harry grabbed his waxen wrist, pointing the wands that Black had stolen away and bashed his fist into Black's head.
Y/N and shouting, Hermione and screaming and Ron was yelling. There was a blinding flash as the wands Black held shot a spell that missed Harry by centimeters.
Harry felt Black's thin arm twist under his, but he kept punching-
Black's free hand found Harry's throat.
"No," Black hissed. "I've waited too long..."
His skinny fingers tightened, constricting Harry's airways, Harry choked, glasses askew...
Hermione's foot came out of nowhere, kicking Black in the stomach. He let go with a grunt of pain.
"And stay down," Hermione warned, stance defiant.
Another long groan emitted from his mouth and Harry realized that Y/N had stomped on his stomach for good measure.
"Fuck you," Y/N spat. "You and your goddamn Deatheaters."
Harry knew that it was personal to Y/N, too, since her parents were tortured by Voldemort's followers.
There was a clatter as the wands fell from Black's grip. Y/N hastily collected them and handed them out to their respective owners.
"Thanks," Harry muttered.
"Don't mention it," Y/N said, trying to catch her breath.
Sprawled on the floor near the bed, Black laid. Harry approached him and came to halt, wand directed at his chest.
"Going to kill me, Harry?" Black asked in a crazed whisper.
"You killed my parents," Harry said, not answering, his voice shaky. His hand was steady, though.
Black stared up at him through sunken eyes. "I do not deny it..." he said quietly. "But if you knew the whole story-"
Harry gave a derisive laugh, "The whole story?" he said. "You sold them to Voldemort! That's all I need to know."
"You've got to listen to me," Black told him. There was a note of urgency in his voice, now.
"We'll listen," Ron said comfortingly.
"Really?" Black asked, his eyes alighting with hope.
"Yeah," Ron said. Then, his face suddenly hardened. "Through the bars of your cell."
Again, Black groaned, "You'll regret it if you don't...you don't understand..."
"I understand better than you think I do," Harry said coldly. "You never heard her did you? My mum...screaming, trying, pleading with Voldemort so he wouldn't kill me... you did that."
His rage was almost uncontainable, but before Harry could do anything, a flash of orange streaked past him. Crookshanks settled on Black's chest, right over his heart.
"Get off," Black murmured, trying to push the cat off him.
But the cat didn't budge. It sank it's claws into Black's ripped, dirty robes.
Hermione gave a dry sob from Harry's right, hugging onto Y/N and Ron tightly.
His grip tightened on his wand. Okay, so what the cat was there. So what he had to kill Crookshanks, too? He was in league with Black and if Black wanted to keep the cat alive, that meant he cared more for Crookshanks than he did for Harry's parents.
Harry raised his wand. The moment was right. The moment was now.
Y/N grabbed his wrist, "Harry, no," she said firmly. "Look, I'm all for laughing in the face of danger...but not right now. It'll end really badly."
Everyone fell silent, the seconds lengthened, Harry standing there frozen.
Then, came a new sound.
Muffled footsteps were heard downstairs...someone was here.
"UP HERE!" Hermione screamed. "WE'RE UP HERE! PLEASE - SIRIUS BLACK - HELP!"
Harry should do it, he had to do it.
The footsteps thundered up the stairs - Harry still hadn't done it.
The door burst open in a shower of red sparks. All their wands went flying once more, into the hands of-
Professor Lupin?
"Dad?!" Y/N said, shocked.
Harry stood there, feeling suddenly empty. He hadn't done it. His nerve had failed him, he had failed his parents.
Black would be handed to the Dementors.
Then, Lupin spoke, his voice holding suppressed emotion. "Where is he, Sirius?"
"Dad?" Y/N said again, voice weak and confused. "Why are you calling him that?"
It was almost as though her uncle didn't hear her. He strode past her and looked to Sirius, who simply jerked his head at a now-sitting Ron.
"But then..." Lupin said. "Why hasn't he shown himself until now?" he asked, staring intently at Ron. "Unless..."
Nobody else, but Black, apparently, knew what he was talking about.
The quartet traded glances and Harry saw Y/N. She looked confused, she looked angry.
"Unless...he was the one...unless you two switched without telling me...?" Lupin trailed off.
Very slowly, without taking his gaze off of Lupin, Black nodded.
"Professor Lupin?" Harry asked. "What's happening?"
Lupin didn't answer.
"Dad?" Y/N tried. "Dad, please, what's going on?" she said desperately.
Again, there was no answer. Instead, Lupin walked over to Black and held out a hand. The quartet collectively gasped when Black took it.
"What are you doing?" Y/N demanded weakly. "Dad...please...what are you doing?"
Once more, no answer.
Lupin gripped Black's hand tight and pulled him to his feet, Crookshanks falling off Black's chest.
Once Black was upright, Harry noticed that he was significantly shorter than Lupin. He looked up into the Professor's face, then suddenly, Lupin pulled Black into an embrace.
The quartet's face's dropped.
Harry could only imagine what Y/N was thinking.
✦
Y/N's P.O.V.
Her uncle was hugging Sirius Black as though he was an old friend.
Her uncle was hugging Sirius Black, convicted and escaped mass murderer, the reason Harry's parents weren't alive.
"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione screamed, taking the words right out of Y/N's mouth.
"Dad...?"
Remus let go of Black and glanced at Hermione, then turned his full attention to Y/N.
"Listen, please," Remus pleaded. Y/N couldn't say anything. Was her uncle friends with this monster?
"NO!" Hermione said. "I kept QUIET ABOUT YOU!"
"Hermione-"
"I TRUSTED YOU!"
"Dad, why?" Y/N finally managed out.
"I can explain..." Remus said slowly, softly.
"NO!" Hermione yelled, turning to Harry. "Harry - don't..." she glanced at Y/N. "Don't trust him! He's a werewolf - he's helping Black into the castle and he wants you dead!"
Well, that stung Y/N a little bit.
There was a ringing silence and Y/N broke it.
"Hermione?" Y/N asked. "Why would you even think that? Why would dad want Harry dead - you don't, do you, dad?"
"Hermione," Remus chuckled. "Not up to your usual standard, I'm afraid. I was not helping Sirius into Hogwarts, I do not want Harry dead," he said. "But I will not deny - I am a werewolf."
Ron made a valiant effort to get up again, but stumbled. Remus stepped forward, looking concerned, but Ron flinched away. "Get away from me, werewolf!"
"Ronald," Y/N growled. "Would you like to say that again?" Her wand was with Remus, but her fists would do just fine. "Or do you want another broken foot?"
Remus stopped dead in his tracks, then turned to Hermione once more. "How long have you known - I'm assuming, I'm hoping, Y/N didn't tell you?"
"Of course I didn't, dad," Y/N said hotly. "She figured it out on her own."
"Since Snape set the essay," Hermione. "Ages ago."
With a small chuckle, which, Y/N thought, was inappropriate for the situation, Remus said, "I guess he'll be happy, then. Professor Snape set that essay hoping someone would see the symptoms and figure out what I am."
Y/N was barely even listening. She was still focused on the fact that her uncle was treating Sirius Black like a good, old friend.
"I noticed," Hermione said firmly. She glanced at Y/N, a sad look in her eyes.
Remus laughed, "You're the cleverest witch if your age, Hermione," he said.
"CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT WHY YOU'RE HOLDING HANDS WITH A MASS MURDERER?" Y/N finally shouted to her uncle.
Her fists were clenched and her palms were tingling like never before.
Her heart was pounding so loudly, she was angry. Angry at her uncle, angry at Sirius Black, angry at her situation.
And then, the palm of her hand, she felt something materialize. Something with a handle, something sharp.
Then it was gone.
Leaving Y/N thoroughly confused.
"All the staff know about my lycanthropy and I'll explain, kid, if only you let me-"
"Y/N, why didn't you tell us that your uncle was a werewolf?" Ron demanded. "Dumbledore hired you, knowing you were one?"
Y/N shot him a piercing glare and said, "Ronald, worry about yourself for once. So what he's a werewolf?"
Ron withered under her gaze, looked away and mumbled a, "Sorry..."
Remus sighed, "Dumbledore had to work very had to convince...some...of the staff that I was trustworthy-"
And then Harry said something that made Y/N's heart break.
"WELL HE WAS WRONG!" Harry bellowed. "YOU'VE BEEN HELPING BLACK INTO THE CASTLE THIS WHOLE TIME!" he was pointing to Black, who had sat down on the floor once more, Crookshanks settled on his lap.
Her blood was boiling, but she knew that Harry was angry and just as confused as she was. It wasn't anything personal...she didn't think differently of Harry for his outburst.
"Harry James Potter," Y/N spat. "One more word -"
"I have not been helping Sirius, now let me explain-"
"Better hurry it up, dad," Y/N said darkly.
With a deep breath, Remus tossed their wands back to them. Y/N caught hers and gripped it tight. "You're armed, we're not," Remus said. "Now listen."
"You have three minutes," Harry said.
"If you haven't been helping him, dad," Y/N began. "How did you know he'd be here?" she shot a furious glance at Black.
Honestly, everyone was pissing her off right now. Harry, Ron and Hermione were scared of her uncle for no reason, her uncle was friends with a murderer, and said murderer was a murderer - so, enough said there.
"Well," Remus said. "After the events of...a certain evening," he shot a look at Harry and Y/N. "I was in possession of a certain map...the Marauders Map...and was in my office examining it and it's contents and passageways."
Harry scoffed, then a confused look fell across his face. "You know how to work it?"
"Dad...how do you know what it does?"
"Of course I know how to use it," Remus said, waving his had impatiently. "I helped write it. I was Moony - that was my friends' nickname for me at school."
What?
"You wrote-"
"The important thing is," Remus cut off. "Is that I was watching it carefully. I had a suspicion that you four would sneak out to visit Hagrid before the execution - and I was right, wasn't I?"
He started to pace, looking at the four of them, dusting rising with every step.
"Okay, maybe you were right, dad, but that doesn't explain everything!" Y/N said.
"I'm getting there, kid. Now, you four might have been under the Invisibility Cloak-"
"How do you know about that?" Harry asked sharply.
Y/N knew that the only teacher aware of the Cloak was Dumbledore, the Headmaster.
Remus rolled his eyes. "The number of times I saw James disappear under it..." he crossed his arms. "The point is, even if you're under the Cloak, you appear on the Map. I watched you cross the grounds and go into Hagrid's hut. But...when you left, there was another person with you."
"No, there wasn't!" Hermione said.
"Are you seeing things?" Y/N asked. "It was just us."
"I couldn't believe my eyes," Remus said, ignoring their interruption. "I even thought the Map was malfunctioning - he couldn't be with you..."
"No one was with us!" Harry said.
Okay, maybe it really wasn't the time to be having such thoughts...but Harry was really hot. Especially with the anger in his voice, the darkening of his emerald eyes...the clench of his already defined jaw...
"And then I saw another dot, labeled Sirius Black and he pulled two of you into the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack..."
"He only brought me," Ron snapped. "What are you talking about, Professor Lupin?"
"No, Ron," Remus said. "Two of you."
Her uncle approached Ron and said, "Can I see the rat?"
Ron hastily put a hand over his chest pocket, where, Y/N realized, Scabbers was hiding. "What's Scabbers got to do with it?" Ron asked.
"Everything," Black hissed. "Give Moons - er, Remus, the rat, boy."
"Don't talk to my brother like that," Y/N snapped at Black. Sure, she was pissed at Ron, but he was still her friend.
Hesitantly, Ron reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out the struggling rat. He had to hold Scabbers by his balding tail.
Remus observed the rat carefully, he seemed to be holding his breath as he intently gazed. Then, his eyes widened.
"What is it?" Hermione asked.
"Why is a rat so important?" Y/N said. "It's just a rat."
"No, it's not just a rat," Black croaked from his spot on the floor.
Harry glared at him, "Then what is it?"
Ron just scoffed, still gripping Scabbers tightly. "Of course he's a rat!"
"No, hes not," Remus said quietly. "He's a wizard."
"An Animagus," Black said. "By the name of Peter Pettigrew."
It took a few seconds for the absurdity of the statement to kick in, but when it did, Y/N laughed.
She laughed. Like doubled over laughing.
"Has Black corrupted your mind, dad?" she asked Remus. "You're both so utterly mental!"
"Absolute lunatics..." Ron muttered.
"Ridiculous..." Hermione said faintly.
"Peter Pettigrew is dead!" Harry said. "He killed him!" he pointed to Black, whose face twitched.
Black lowered his voice, "I meant to," he growled. "But little Peter got the better of me...not this time, though!"
Crookshanks was thrown onto the floor as Black suddenly lunged at Scabbers, landing on Ron's broken leg, causing Ron to howl in pain.
"Sirius, NO!" Remus yelled, catching Black by the shoulder and stopping him.
Good thing, too, or Y/N would've hexed the scruffy man.
"You can't just do that, Sirius! We've got to explain!" he said, holding the man back firmly.
Black began to thrash, trying to wriggle out of Y/N's uncle's grip. "We can explain later!" he said, clawing at the air, attempting to reach Scabbers, who was squealing wildly and scraping Ron in the face.
"They've - got - a - right - to - know - everything!" Remus said, still trying to restrain Black. "Ron kept him as a pet! There's are parts to it that I don't even understand. And Harry - we owe Harry the truth...and Y/N, I owe it to her."
Stopping his struggles, Black fixed his hollowed eyes on each of them in turn. "Fine, tell them whatever you want. But make it quick, I want to commit the murder I was inprisoned for..."
"You're nutters, both of you," Ron muttered.
"One of them," Y/N corrected in a hard voice.
Ron looked around at Y/N, Harry and Hermione. "I've had enough of this, I'm off."
When they said nothing, Ron attempted to lift himself off the ground. Remus pointed his wand at Ron and said, "You're going to hear me out, Ron. And keep a well grip on the rat."
"Dad, lower your wand," Y/N said harshly. "Never at my friends. You never point your wand at my friends."
Remus's gaze immediately softened, he lowered his arm. "I'm sorry, kid... but you have to hear us out."
"There were witnesses who saw Pettigrew die," Harry said. "A whole street full of them..."
"They didn't see what they think they saw!" Black defended savagely, not taking his eyes off Scabbers.
"Everyone thought Sirius killed Peter," Remus said, nodding. "So did I - until tonight, until I saw the Map. And the Marauders Map never lies. Scabbers is Peter, if you would just let us prove it."
If this was about anything else, Y/N would've been on Remus's side. But this was just so incredibly absurd!
Hermione spoke in a trembling voice, "He can't be Animagus, because I went through all the records of Registered Animagi for an assignment! He wasn't there - there have only been seven Animagi in this century and his name wasn't on the list!"
So that's why Hermione had dragged Y/N to the library that one time.
With a laugh, Remus said, "Right again, Hermione! But the Ministry never knew that there were three unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts!"
"Three?" Y/N asked, confused.
"I'm getting to that, kid."
"Hurry it up, Remus," Black complained, glancing at Y/N's uncle.
Remus rolled his eyes, "Could you wait for a moment?"
Black gave a crazed laugh. "I did my waiting!" he exclaimed. "Twelve years of it - in Azkaban!"
"You are such a drama queen, y'know that? Never changed," Remus grumbled. "I only know how it began..."
Remus trailed off, there had been a loud creak behind them. The door had opened of its own accord. He strode over to the landing and looked around. "Nothing there..."
"This place is haunted!" Ron said, terrified.
"That's what Herms said the villagers say...hear screaming all the time...think it's ghosts," Y/N muttered, looking around the deteriorating room.
Sighing, Remus said, "The Shrieking Shack was never haunted...no ghosts. The screaming and howling was made by me," he said, head down.
"What...?" Y/N asked. What did he mean?
"I never told you much about my school days, did I, kid?" Remus asked with a dry laugh.
Everyone was silent for a moment, then he continued, "Well, it all started when I became a werewolf. None of this would have happened...if I hadn't been bit, if I hadn't been so foolhardy-"
"Stop," Y/N and Black snapped at the same time.
She looked at Black with disdain, then continued, "You told me that story - it isn't your fault!" she said. "You were young, Greyback was evil - what were you supposed to do?"
With a little chuckle, Remus said, "It scared my sister out of her wits - she cried for so long it felt like I would go deaf. I thought...well, I thought she might think of me as a monster."
What the hell?
"My mother would never," said Y/N. "She put me in your care - you're not a monster!"
He waved it off, "Professor Snape has been making me Wolfsbane potion. As long as I take it, I can curl up in my office...a harmless wolf, and wait for the moon to wane again."
Before anyone could interrupt, Remus went on, "When I was a kid, it wasn't likely that I could come to Hogwarts, due to my lycanthropy. But then Dumbledore became Headmaster...and he accepted me," he said. "The Whomping Willow was planted the year I came to Hogwarts with the sole purpose of serving as the entrance to the Shrieking Shack."
Everyone was listening with rapt attention.
"So," Remus paused. "I was taken to the Shrieking Shack to transform...and it was painful, oh it was painful. But for the first time in my life, I had friends who supported and loved me. These friends being Sirius, here," he pointed to Black.
Black shot him a grin and Remus rolled his eyes.
"Peter Pettigrew..." Remus said with a scowl. Then, it changed to a smile. "And, of course, Harry's father - James Potter."
"You were friends with my father...?" Harry asked quietly.
Y/N knew that if this went well, Harry would probably interrogate her uncle on every thing his father ever did.
"Yes, Harry, your father," Remus smiled. "But they didn't know about my condition - they found out, though. Observant, they were," he said as though he was reminiscing, "I thought they would dessert me...but they did the opposite."
"They became Animagi?" Y/N guessed.
"But why would that help you?" Hermione asked.
"A werewolf is only a danger to humans," Remus explained. "So they turned into animals. Peter was the rat, small enough to slip beneath the branches of the Willow. Sirius and James turned into animals large enough to keep a werewolf in check."
"Did you ever attack anyone?" Ron asked worriedly.
Remus shook his head, "No - I doubt any student ever knew. I also doubt anyone found out as much about Hogwarts ground and Hogsmeade than we did. That's how we made the Marauders Map...and signed it with our nicknames."
All focus was on him.
"Well, you're Moony, obviously," Y/N scoffed.
Sirius chuckled, "It was the first name we came up with - easy, really."
"You can't speak yet," Harry spat at Black, who put his hands up and muttered a "Merlin, sorry," under his breath.
Harry when he was annoyed? Y/N absolutely loved it - well, not when it was directed at her. But in general...
"Yes, I was Moony," said Remus. "Sirius was Padfoot, James was Prongs."
"What kind of animal was-" Harry began, but Remus wasn't finished speaking. He went on,
"I was guilty for betraying Dumbledore's trust...going out in the grounds like that...but for the first time in my life, I had friends," he said.
"Dad..." Y/N said softly. She walked up to him and wrapped him in a warm hug. She hadn't known any of this. This was all new.
Remus hugged her back, but kept talking, his voice filled with self-disgust. "I battled with myself all of this year, debating whether to tell Dumbledore about my misdeeds...about the still-open secret passageways that Sirius knew of. I never did."
"And Snape - did you know he teaches here!" Black exclaimed as Y/N let go of her uncle and returned to her friends.
"No Sirius. I didn't know Snape teaches here - how would I know? It's not like I work here," Remus replied sarcastically.
"Shut up, Moons," Black said. "Snape's a right foul git."
"Er, we know that," Ron said. "But why do you think that?"
Remus sighed, "He went to school with us here. Kept wondering where I snuck off to every full moon...almost died, trying to get into the Whomping Willow because Sirius and James played a prank on him."
"He's hated us ever since," Black provided.
"Is this why Snape actually despises Harry, Ron, Hermione and I? All because Harry's dad pissed him off?" Y/N scoffed.
"All because of some stupid prank?" Harry asked. "That's why Snape hates you - because he thought you were in on the joke?"
"That's right," sneered a voice from the doorway. Taking off the Invisibility Cloak, wand pointed at Remus, was Severus Snape.
Hermione and Ron screamed, Black leapt to his feet and Harry jumped as though he had been given an electric shock.
Not Y/N, though. She wasn't going to let Professor Grease scare her.
Harry, however, decided that he would step in front of Y/N again. There wasn't even anything dangerous this time - it was just Snape - but it made her heart flutter all the same.
"I found this at the base of the Whomping Willow," Snape said, throwing the Invisibility Cloak at Harry's feet. "Very useful, Potter, thank you..."
"You're welcome," Harry scoffed sarcastically.
Snape glared at Harry, but his face was full of suppressed triumph, looking at their expressions.
"How did I know you were here, you may ask," Snape began.
"Well, we didn't ask though. We're also rather busy, so you can see yourself out," said Y/N.
He ignored her.
"I went to you office, Lupin," Snape said, jerking his head at Remus. "To give you your potion...when I a certain map lying on your desk. Once glance told me all I needed to know - you running into this passageway and out of sight," he tutted.
"Severus, please-" Remus said, but Snape cut across him.
"I've been trying to convince Dumbledore that you were no good all along," Snape sneered. "Looks like I was right."
Black suddenly snarled, "Don't talk about him like that," he said. "Now, why don't you run along to play with your Chemistry set?" Black taunted.
There was a loud, BANG! and Remus had cords tying his wrists and clamped over his mouth. Y/N and her friends unlooked in horror.
How dare he do that to her uncle?
"That'll be two for Azkaban tonight," Snape jeered.
If it weren't for the fact that he was Snape, Y/N thought he sounded positively cheerful.
The quartet was frozen when Snape approached Black and pointed his wand between Black's eyebrows. Black rolled his eyes.
"Give me a reason," Snape whispered. "Give me a reason and I swear I'll do it."
Everyone was standing there in a stupor. Ron was still struggling with Scabbers when Hermione stepped forwards.
"Professor Snape-"
"He doesn't deserve to be called that. Stop it, Herms," Y/N huffed.
Hermione continued anyway. "It wouldn't hurt to hear them out...would it?"
"Miss Granger," Snape spat. "You, Weasley, Potter and L/N are already facing suspension for out of bounds and in the company of a convicted murderer and a werewolf. Hold your tongue."
"It was a valid comment!" Y/N said angrily, starting towards Snape. She still had her wand.
"And you, Miss L/N!" Snape snarled, his wand now on her.
She froze. A whole grown ass Professor was threatened enough to turn his wand on her? She was nothing short of flattered.
"What about me?" Y/N shot back.
"Your track record is already tarnished - could you do one year without being insufferably terrible?"
Y/N gently redirected his wand with her finger and didn't answer, looking at Snape with raised brows. Snape's face twisted in rage, but before he could say anything, Hermione said,
"But...If there was a mistake..."
"KEEP QUIET YOU STUPID GIRL!" Snape bellowed at Hermione, wand back at his side. "DO NOT MEDDLE IN THINGS YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"
Hermione fell silent. But unlike the other times, she had no tears in her eyes. Instead, her face was set in defiance.
Snape then turned back to Black, "How I wanted to be the one to catch you - revenge is sweet..." then he turned his gaze to Remus.
"Yeah, yeah," Black said. "Two for one deal, whatever. If you take the rat to the castle - " he gestured to Scabbers, " - I'll come quietly."
Shaking his head, Snape laughed, "Why? When the Dementors can be called here?"
Y/N's heart just about stopped. If Black was going to be given to the Dementors...what would happen to Remus?
"And the werewolf," Snape said lowly. "I don't know what they'll do with him - couldn't care less. Probably shove that dangerous-"
"PROFESSOR LUPIN ISN'T DANGEROUS!" Harry, Ron and Hermione shouted.
"MY DAD ISN'T DANGEROUS," Y/N yelled at the same time.
Before Snape could say anything, Harry yelled,
"YOU'RE PATHETIC!" he bellowed. "JUST BECAUSE THEY MADE A FOOL OF YOU AT SCHOOL-"
"SILENCE! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT!" Snape shrieked, looking like a madman. "LIKE FATHER LIKE SON, POTTER. AFTER KNOWING I'VE SAVED YOUR SKIN FROM TWO DANGEROUS-"
And Y/N didn't take another second to decide. In a flash, she raised her wand and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"
But she wasn't the only voice that spoke.
Four disarming spells hit Snape at the same time. His wand soared high into the air and landed on the bed, beside Crookshanks. He flew backwards into the wall and slid down, his head lolling at a concerning angle.
Well, it would be concerning if Y/N actually cared.
"You shouldn't have done that," Black reprimanded. "You should've let me handle it."
"We just attacked a teacher!" Hermione whimpered. "A teacher!"
"Hermione, calm down," Ron said. "It was just Snape."
He was still holding Scabbers, his hands bloody and scratched.
Remus was struggling against his bonds. Y/N started forwards at the same time as Black. They both freed him from the cord.
"Thank you, kid. Thank all of you," Remus said, half hugging Y/N and half hugging Black.
"Can we kill Peter now?" Black asked hopefully, then was visibly disappointed when Remus looked down at him and shook his head.
"Scabbers," Ron corrected.
"Hand me the rat!" Black demanded.
"How do you know that this particular rat is Peter Pettigrew! There are like, a bajillion rats at Hogwarts!" Ron shot back, clutching a wriggling Scabbers to his chest.
"That's right - " Remus said. "Sirius, how do you know that this rat is Peter?"
Black rolled his eyes and brought a hand to his pocket. He whipped out an old, yellowing, slightly soggy piece of parchment. Upon unfolding it, Y/N saw that it was the Daily Prophet...specifically the edition where it showcased Ron's family in Egypt.
"See there?" Black asked, pointing to something.
Everyone got closer to look. He was pointing at Scabbers on Ron's shoulder, more particularly, his...feet?
Kinda weird but alright...?
"What's so special about his paws?" Harry asked.
"Ew, Black," Y/N scrunched up her nose. "Do you have a thing for rat feet?"
"Not the time, Y/N!" Hermione muttered in her ear.
"No, look there!" Black said, ignoring Y/N. "Look closer...see, Moons? The rat is missing a toe!"
While Remus's eyes widened, Ron said, "Okay...? Why does that matter?"
"Because-" Remus started, but Y/N and Hermione seemed to be on the same wavelength. They beat him to it.
"Because the only thing left of Peter Pettigrew...was his finger..." they said together.
"Of course..." Remus breathed. "So simple...yet...so brilliant. He cut it off himself? I would assume he would've been too chicken."
Black nodded, "Right before he transformed. Screamed to the street that I betrayed Lily and James, blah blah blah. Before I could curse him, he blew the street apart - and fled down to the sewers with the rats."
Ron shook his head, "You guys are definitely mental. Scabbers has been in my family for ages!"
"Twelve years, in fact," Remus said. "Bit of a long lifespan for a common rat, isn't it, Ron?"
"We've been taking good care of him," Ron answered defensively.
"Actually, he hasn't been looking too good lately, Ronnie. If you hadn't noticed, of course," Y/N supplied.
"That's because of that damn cat!" Ron exclaimed, pointing at Crookshanks. "He ran away because of it."
Black said, "Well, he left blood on sheets, after I tried to kill him - didn't he? Crookshanks here told me. He faked his own death once, he could do it again-"
"And why did he fake his own death?" Harry asked. "BECAUSE YOU TRIED TO KILL HIM! LIKE YOU KILLED MY PARENTS!"
"No," said Lupin. "Harry-"
"AND NOW YOU'VE COME TO FINISH PETER OFF!"
"Yes, I have!" Black said, glaring at Scabbers.
"Then, we," Harry gestured to everyone, "Should've let Snape take you!"
"Harry, just listen," Remus said. "All this time, we thought Sirius betrayed your parents but it was the other way around!
"NO, HE WAS THEIR SECRET KEEPER!" Harry yelled, pointing at Black. "HE TOLD VOLDEMORT! HE GOT THEM KILLED!"
The hurt in Harry's voice was becoming unbearable. All Y/N wanted was to ignore this mess, hug Harry and comfort him for the rest of the night.
But she couldn't.
Instead, she grabbed Harry's outstretched hand. He let her, and she interlocked their fingers. Y/N began to rub gentle circles with her thumb to calm him down.
Black finally spoke once more. "Harry, I as good as killed him," he said in a very small voice. "Peter and I - see, we switched last minute.... I convinced Lily and James. I thought, why would Voldemort go after someone who wasn't strong, or smart?" he gave a dry laugh. "Turns out, old Peter was working for him all along."
Remus hugged him tighter.
"I arranged to check on Peter the night they'd died...but when I got to his hideout, he was gone. Then I heard the news. I rushed to their house...saw their dead bodies, everything destroyed..." he trailed off.
Y/N could see traces of tears in his eyes.
"And I knew what Peter had done," he ended, voice breaking. "What I'd done."
"Enough of this," Remus said. His voice was steely, but Y/N knew that he was preventing himself from sobbing. "Ron, give me the rat."
"What will you do if I give him to you?" Ron demanded.
"We will perform a spell - don't panic. If he really is a rat, it won't hurt him," said Remus, hand out.
Ron, still grumbling, handed a panicking Scabbers to Remus.
Black strode over to Crookshanks and snatched Snape's wand off of the floor. Snape was still hunched on the floor and Y/N purposefully stepped on his foot while moving out of the way.
"Together?" Black asked, beside Remus once more.
"Together."
Without a word, there was a blinding flash of light. For a moment, Scabbers lifted from Remus's hand and floated mid-air, his form twisting wildly - Ron yelled - the rat hit the floor.
Another flashing light and then - to Y/N, it was like watching a stop-motion. Not that she knew what that was, but Harry had described them.
Speaking of Harry, he was gripping her hand incredibly tight, but it was okay with Y/N. It felt protective, in a way, and she thoroughly enjoyed that. And the feeling of his hand in hers-
Focus.
Sprouting from Scabber's little limbs were arms and a head. Then, there was a man in his place. Crookshanks hissed loudly.
He was hardly taller than Y/N, plump and balding. His nose was twitching as though he was still a rat. He was very grubby, as though the grime from his days as a rat stayed with him. His eyes were small and watery, the pupils so large that Y/N couldn't discern what color his eyes were.
Y/N, Harry, Ron and Hermione's jaws collectively dropped.
"Well," Remus said cheerily. "Hello, Peter," he said as though he was greeting an old friend.
Which, he was, in a way. Just...not the good way.
"Long time no see!" Remus added brightly.
Well, this was going to be an interestingly messy conversation. And honestly? Y/N was living for it.
─── ☆: *.⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ .* :☆ ───
hey guys...!! 😅
okokok ik i said more frequent updates but i js started a new sem so....😅
ALSO THIS PART WAS SOOOOOO BORING TO WRITE OMG 😭
so like if u were incredibly bored reading this im sorry don't hate me but its...yk...lowkey important!!
anywayyyyy, gimme ya'lls life updates if u wanna ❤️❤️
also guys i should stop signing off as "dizzyann1e" thats so boring its js my user
so! vote! should i sign off as...
dizzy :
diz :
annie :
anne :
other (give ideas 🙏🙏) :
okayayayay, as always, VOTE N COMMENNNTT ! !
ily pookies !! bye !! ❤️
- dizzyann1e