To everyone in that room, those seconds felt like hours. Harry readjusted his grip at least twenty times, and Hermione tried to quietly shuffle towards the exit. Harry ushered the poisonous words to come pouring out, yet they stayed in the back of his mind and did not move.
To end the silence, muffled footsteps were heard from downstairs.
Hermione yelled from her new spot near the exit, "WE'RE UP HERE! WE'RE UP HERE— SIRIUS BLACK— QUICK!"
Sirius's own panic stirred him, dislodging Crookshanks as he tried to scurry out of there. He didn't focus on Harry's grip tightening even further, he just knew he couldn't be caught again and survive.
The footsteps were heavy as they went up the stairs, and had just made it up when another heavy sound resounded through the shack.
Olivia burst out of her room with extreme effort. She had been practicing her powers as she had waited for Sirius, and had been seriously drained of energy. Thankfully, the panic lent her some adrenaline to use. And with another person being added to the mix, she needed to make sure that Sirius and her friends were okay.
The man at the top of the staircase hesitated as he saw her, "Olivia Gaunt?"
Olivia limped towards him for only a step, a menacing look in her eyes, "Are you here to kill him?"
The man's wand hand lowered slightly, "No, I know what really happened."
Olivia winced as she stepped on a loose board and had to brace herself. She hoped she could trust him as she pointed towards Sirius's door, "Go on, then. They're right in there."
The man in the shadows nodded and dashed into the room, leaving Olivia to struggle in the hallway.
Sirius looked upon Remus's face as if he'd never seen it before. When had the boy grown so old? When had one of his best friends become the man aiming his wand at Sirius?
Remus seemed to have a similar reaction, but was much quicker about recovering. He shouted an all-around, "Expelliarmus!" And caught his student's wands in his empty hand.
The trio looked at Lupin in shock as he turned towards the broken man lying in the corner.
"Where is he, Sirius?"
Sirius couldn't believe his ears. The simple sentence that confirmed that the only friend he had left actually believed him sent him on another heartbreaking mood swing. Not letting it show, and never losing eye contact with Remus's irises, he lifted his bony finger towards Ron.
"But then...," Remus had his signature thinking face as he studied Sirius's, "why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless" Remus's eyes broke the contact as they stared off into the distance, "unless he was the one... unless you switched... without telling me?"
Sirius kept his disbelieving eyes on Remus as he nodded. It never ceased to amaze Sirius just how brilliant Remus was, even now.
Harry, in true James-like interrupting, "Professor, what's going on — ?"
Lupin paid no attention to the boy. He approached his skeleton friend and offered his hand, helping him up from his defeated position. And, as Sirius became even more emotional realising that Remus was actually there, Remus embraced him fiercely.
"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione screeched, stepping forward in her outrage, "you— you—"
"Hermione—" Remus broke the embrace and took two steps towards her before she coiled away.
"I trusted you! I covered for you!" Hermione was seething at this point, "and all the time you've been his friend?!"
"You're all wrong— I haven't been his friend, but I am now— Let me explain..."
"NO!" Everyone in the room visibly jumped as Hermione shouted, "Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too— he's a werewolf!"
The silence of her proclamation was broken only by a heavy limping from the hallway. The others looked towards the hall with a slight curiosity, but Remus, who had already met the girl in the hall, continued.
"Not all up to your usual standard, Hermione. Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius Black into the castle nor do I want Harry dead..." An uncomfortable shiver Sirius knew was about his lycanthropy passed over Remus, "But I won't deny that I am a werewolf."
Sirius smiled sadly as he watched his friend squirmed. Remus never wanted anyone to know, and even if someone did, he certainly didn't want them to bring it up.
Ron tried to stand up once again, but whimpered in pain as he fell back on to the wood. Remus stepped forward instinctively to try and help, and Ron shrieked.
"Get away from me, werewolf!" Ron backed away hurriedly, bumping his head slightly into the foot of the bed.
"Ron, can I help with that?" Olivia spoke up from the doorway. She was out of breath both from her journey and her overuse of her powers, but knew that she needed to get into the room and help explain everything before anything escalated too quickly.
"Olivia!" Harry, Ron, and Hermione yelled at the same time. Hermione, who was standing closest, tackled her in a hug.
"Are you okay?" Hermione asked as they broke away.
"Has he hurt you?" Harry asked aloud, rushing towards her and no longer caring if the man in question was right there. He pulled her into a hug, accidentally stepping on her toes in his rush.
"Ah! Careful, Ron's not the only one with a broken leg here. But Sirius hasn't hurt me at all, I swear." She covered her tracks as she pulled away from Harry as well. Olivia limped over to Ron slowly, grabbing a wand from a willing Remus and kneeling next to him.
"Sirius, how did the incantation go again? For the splint?" Olivia asked behind her as she sat on the foot of the bed. She remembered it easily, but wanted to make a point to the others in the room that Sirius had been helping her, not hurting her.
"Fair-oo-lah," Sirius sounded out, quickly catching on to her plan.
"Ferula," Olivia casted, the magical splint wrapping and setting Ron's leg tightly.
"Can someone just explain what's going on?" Ron pleaded after he nodded towards Olivia in thanks.
"Is he here?" Olivia mouthed to Sirius over Ron's head. Sirius put on a grave face and nodded towards Ron. Olivia looked down and noticed the terrified rat face looking up at her from Ron's pocket.
Remus, who had watched the interaction in silence, caught on, "Ron, may I see your rat?"
Ron looked up at him, bewildered, "What does Scabbers have to do with any of this?!"
"Everything. May I please see him?" Remus held his hand out and, after a hesitant nod from Harry and Hermione, reached into his robes to grab him.
Scabbers, however, was not having this and thrashed about wildly. Ron pulled him out by his long, bald tail and held him up in front of him. Crookshanks stood against Sirius's leg and hissed violently.
Remus inched forward with abated breath as he looked at the worn but still familiar rat. Ron, who still had no idea of what was going on, also studied the rat.
"Again, what's my rat got to do with anything?"
Sirius piped in suddenly, "That's not a rat."
Ron looked at him as if he'd grown a second head, "What d'you mean? Of course he's a rat."
"He's a wizard, Ron," Olivia revealed.
Sirius instantly backed her up, popping his p's as if they burned his tongue, "He's an Animagus by the name of Peter Pettigrew."
~~
EDIT Up-to-date author's note: I'm so sorry about the delays, it's the end of the school year and I am slammed with honors work. Thanks for your patience (and keep me in your thoughts with my five-day test on Hamlet 😫)!
~~
I guess this scene has three parts now. This one's longer than average, but MUCH shorter than the last one, thank Jesus.
Anyway, please leave feedback and I hope you enjoyed!