The three injured Gryffindors made it down the tunnel, which had abruptly ended. A hatch lay just above their heads, so Harry opened it and hoisted himself up. Being the kind person he is, he helped Ariana and Hermione up. The white-haired witch got to her feet, biting back a groan as her bruises stung. She looked about, taking her eerie surroundings.
Wallpaper was peeling off of the wooden walls in strips and shattered furniture lay strewn everywhere, looking like a sea of splintered wood. Ariana's eyebrows twisted when she saw stains - suspiciously similar to dried blood - blotting the dirty floorboards.
What was even worse, was that the building was swaying. Doors rocked back and forth on their hinges and the foundations creaked, giving the impression that the building was about to fall down at any given moment. It made Ariana feel quite uneasy.
"We're in the Shrieking Shack, aren't we?" Hermione enquired, her eyes searching the building she stood in.
"Yes," Ariana said under her breath, nodding her head a little.
She noticed Harry staring at the floor and followed his line of vision... and saw huge paw prints on the dust.
The witch heard the ceiling creak above them, signalling movement. The three students dashed up the rickety wooden staircase, arriving on the landing.
"Look," Ariana whispered, pointing at the ground. A wide stripe cut through the dust, looking like something had been dragged inside a room on their left... Ron.
"Nox," Ariana and Harry incanted almost silently, the lights at the tip of their wands going out.
They ran through the open doorway to seen Ron sitting upon a sagging bed, clothing his bleeding foot.
"Ron! You're okay!" Hermione gasped.
"The dog - where's the -"
"He's the dog. It's a trap! He's an Animagus!" Ron said frantically, pointing a shaking finger at the door.
Ariana glanced dish at the floor. The paw prints lead towards the wall. As the shack swayed, the battered door slammed closed, revealing none other than Sirius Black.
He wore disgusting dark prison clothing, his black hair was matted down to his shoulders and his skin resembled that of a corpse; sallow and grey.
Ariana and Hermione immediately jumped in front of Harry, using themselves to shield him from Black. The white-haired witch kept Harry behind her with a vice-like grip, determined to die for her friends if need be. Ron, ever the loyal friend, hauled himself up and clung to Ariana and Hermione to remain upright; the colour drained from his face.
"If you want Harry, you'll have to kill us too!" he shouted.
"No. Only one will die tonight," said Sirius darkly, his open lips revealing filthy, rotting teeth. He loomed towards them, looking like the walking dead.
"Did you hear me?" yelled Ron defiantly, "you'll have to kill all four of us!"
"Then it'll be you!" Harry growled, tearing himself free of the girls' grips.
"Harry!" Ariana called, but nothing could call him back from the rage he felt.
She did feel since of it herself, but she knew Sirius wasn't directly responsible for her mother's death. Ariana still wanted to punch that creepy grin from his manic face.
Harry had tackled his Godfather to the ground, holding his wand in the man's face. Ariana noticed how his hand trembled with fury, and she considered if Harry would actually injure the criminal.
Sirius laughed madly. "Are you going to kill me, Harry?"
Before Harry could respond, the door slammed open and Lupin steamed in, brandishing his wand.
"Expelliarmus!" He exclaimed, disarming Harry. He inclined his head, signalling the boy to move, which he did.
As soon as Harry reached them, Ariana and Hermione pulled him behind then once more. The witch with the blue eyes slowly inched her hand towards her wand.
"Well, well, Sirius. Looking rather ragged, aren't we? Finally the flesh reflects the madness within," Lupin hummed, standing over Black with his wand aimed at his head.
"You'd know all about the madness within, wouldn't you, Remus?" Black taunted.
The two men regarded each other, the moment taut with tension. Then, to the Gryffindors' shock, Lupin hauled Sirius to his feet and embraced him like a brother.
"I found him. It's him. Let's kill him," Sirius whimpered with excitement.
Ariana's jaw hot the floor for a moment, then she pulled it back up. Fury rose within her, so she raised her wand and aimed the tip at Lupin.
"Expelliarmus," she incanted, causing the man's wand to fly to the other end of the disgusting room. Ariana's wand remained aimed at both men, prepared to strike at any moment.
Hermione took a few pissed steps forward. "No! I trusted you! We covered up for you! And all this time you've been his friend! He's a werewolf!"
After Hermione outed him to a dumbfounded Harry and Ron, Lupin immediately threw a questioning look at Ariana, and she recognised the accusation in his eyes.
"Don't look at me like that, I said nothing," she stated firmly.
"What do you mean, 'I said nothing'?" Ron asked, his eyes searching Ariana's.
"We can have this discussion later," Ariana said, her voice low and firm.
"How long have you known?" Lupin asked, his eyes boring into Hermione's.
"Since Professor Snape set the essay," answered Hermione.
"He'll be delighted. He assigned that essay in the hope that someone would realise what my symptoms meant," Lupin said coolly, moving to retrieve his wand, and then forced a laugh. "You two really are the smartest witches of your age I've ever met."
"Yes, you two glow like the sun. And
you howl at the moon," Sirius scoffed, sarcasm dripping from his leather-like tongue. "Enough talk! He dies. Now. If you won't do it with me, Remus, I'll do it alone."
"Wait, Sirius -"
"I did my waiting! Twelve years of it! In Azkaban!" Sirius roared, his chest heaving with adrenaline.
Ariana lowered her wand when Lupin retrieved his, keeping it out of his sight so he couldn't disarm her. She held her head high, breathing heavily, keeping her face as blank as a stone. The witch remained in front of Harry, with Hermione at his other side.
Lupin looked between Sirius and his students. "Very well, kill him." He passed Black his wand. "But wait one more moment, Harry has a right to know why."
Ariana was seething, her anger as white-hot as a fire. She gripped her wand with such strength that she began to hurt her hand, but it did not matter in the slightest.
"I know why. You betrayed my parents. You're the reason they're dead," Harry said loudly, stepping forwards.
"No, Harry, it wasn't him. Somebody did betray your parents, bit it was someone, who quite recently, I believed to be dead," Lupin retorted.
"Who was it then?!"
"Peter Pettigrew!" Sirius interjected, spitting the name as if it was poison. "He's in this room right now." His voice changed into a cruel sing-song. "Come out, come out, Peter. Come and play!"
Ariana peeled her eyes away from the madman and peered into the hallway, her ears picking up on footstep running up the stairs, heading straight for them...
~~~~~
Question:
Which quote originated from Sirius Black?
A: "This sort of thing is exactly what Dumbledore was talking about. You-Know-Who’s only been back two months, and we’ve started fighting among ourselves. And the Sorting Hat’s warning was the same - stand together, be united."
B: "I am sorry too. Sorry I will never know him - but he will know why I died and I hope he will understand. I was trying to make a world in which he could live a happier life."
C: "If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."
Congratulations to Blackstars36 for answering the previous question correctly.