CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
RELATIONS
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I glared at Lupin and Sirius. "You said Peter before. Peter who?" I asked them.
"Pettigrew. He was at school with us. We thought he was a friend." Lupin explained.
"No, Pettigrew's dead. He killed him." I look accusingly at Sirius.
Sirius laughed, but Lupin interjected. "I thought so too, that is, until Harry mentioned seeing Pettigrew on the map."
I turn quickly to my brother. "What?"
"I was walking in the corridors one night with the Marauder's Map, and I saw Pettigrew's name on it." Harry shrugged, then looked at Lupin. "But you took it from me and said the map was lying!"
"The map never lies." Sirius scoffed. "Pettigrew's alive. And he's right there." Sirius pointed to Ron.
Ron went white with fear. "M-me? He's mad!"
"Not you, idiot. Your rat!" Sirius rolled his eyes.
"Scabbers? Scabbers as been in my family for-"
"Twelve years." Sirius raised his eyebrows at me and I nodded, confirming it. I would know, I grew up with the Weasleys. "A curiously long life for a garden rat. He's missing a toe, isn't he?"
Ron was confused. "So what?"
My eyes widened with realization. "All that was left of Pettigrew was a-"
"Finger." Sirius finishes grimly. "Dirty coward cut it off so everyone would think he was dead. Then he transformed into a rat."
It made perfect sense. Harry and I look at each other. I want to believe him. I tell him.
Me too. But he was in Azkaban! What if he's bluffing? Harry replied.
We noticed everyone staring at us, confused on what we were doing. I realized we never had told anyone about our... ability. I ignore them and Harry and I turn to Sirius.
"Show us." We say at the same time.
I glance at Scabbers, who was frantically moving in Ron's grasp.
Lupin and Black turn to Ron, who hold Scabbers protectively. "What're you going to do to him?" He asks nervously.
Sirius and Lupin exchange a glance. "Together?" Lupin asked.
"Together." Sirius nods.
Scabbers frees himself from Ron's grip and makes a run for it, but Lupin and Sirius shoot a spell at the rat at the same time, and in mid-run, Scabbers transforms. There now a sat a short man with thinning hair.
"S-S-Sirius... R-Remus..." He grinned slightly. "My old friends."
Ron and I backed up in disgust, now knowing we grew up with that in the house. Pettigrew's eyes darted from the window, to the door, and then he made a run for it.
Sirius and Lupin grabbed him and pushed him back, pointing the wands at him. Pettigrew scanned the room until his eyes landed on Harry and I.
"Harry! Look at you! And Giovanna, I was there as you grew up. You both look like your father! Like James. We were the best of friends, he and I-"
"Shut up!" Sirius yelled. "Don't speak to them that way! Don't speak of James in front of them!"
"I didn't mean to!" Pettigrew wailed. "The Dark Lord, you have no idea the weapons he possesses! Ask yourself what you would've done, Sirius! What would you have done?"
"Died! I would have died than betray my friends! And you should have realized, Peter, if Voldemort didn't kill you-"
"We would." Lupin scowls.
"No, please, you can't!" Peter spots Ron. "Ron! Haven't I been a good friend? A good pet? You won't let them kill me, will you? I was a good rat..."
Ron drew further back in disgust. Peter turns to Hermione.
"Smart girl! Clever girl! Surely you won't let them..." Hermione shook her head and stepped back a step.
Peter then turned to me. But I had figured it out by now. The story about betraying my parents and selling them out to Voldemort was true, only it was Pettigrew, not Sirius.
"Giovanna! You're smart! I was a faithful pet-"
"Faithful?!" I roared. "You're calling yourself faithful?! You killed my parents! And you're asking me to spare you?! You fucking hypocrite! I'll bloody kill you myself if Lupin and Black don't!"
I glance at Sirius, who looked thrilled, and Lupin who looked surprised. "You're in Slytherin, aren't you?" Sirius looked at me in wonder.
"Is there a problem with that?" I raised my eyebrow, and Sirius shook his head. Him and Lupin advanced on Pettigrew, their wands raised.
Harry stepped forward. "No."
Lupin and Sirius looked at Harry. "Harry, this man-" Lupin began.
"I know what he did." Harry cut him off.
"Are you bloody mental?" I exclaimed, looking at my brother in utter shock.
'We'll take him to the castle." Harry says, ignoring me.
"Bless you, boy! Bless you-" Pettigrew tried to bow down to Harry, grabbing his feet, but Harry kicked him away.
"Get off of me! I said we'd take you to the castle. After that, the dementors can have you." Harry scowled at the man. I smirked, fist pumping my brother.
But my smirk soon fell as I looked at the trembling man before me.
Harry's P.O.V
Giovanna looked at Pettigrew with so much anger and hatred it scared me. And when she said she would kill him, I believed that she actually could perform the killing curse in a heartbeat.
She looked so much like Tom Riddle.
Our group began to leave the Shrieking Shack, Harry and Sirius helping Ron walk. "Sorry about the bite." Sirius apologized. "I reckon that twinges a bit."
"A bit?" Ron asked hysterically. "A bit? You almost tore my leg off!"
"I was going for the rat!" Sirius exclaimed defensively. "Normally I have a very sweet disposition as a dog. In fact more than once, James suggested that I make the change permanent. The tail, I could live with. But the fleas... they're murder."
I laugh quietly to myself as we all exit the trunk of the Whomping Willow. As we exited, I stood next to Harry and Sirius, and I noticed Sirius staring at the castle. It was glowing in the dark night.
"Beautiful, isn't it? I'll never forget the first time I walked through those doors. It'll be nice to do it again, freely." He looks at Harry. "That was a noble thing you did back there. He doesn't deserve it." He then looks at me, grinning. "But you... I'd think you'd really murder him back there if your brother wasn't so sensible."
I wanted to grin but couldn't. "I would." I glare back at the short man. "I still could. You just give me the go ahead-"
"Oh, shut up." Harry sighs. Sirius looks at us, amused. I wonder how close he really was with our father. They were obviously friends, but how good of them?
"Well, I don't think our father would want his two best friends to become murderers for a worthless piece of vermin like Pettigrew." Harry shrugs.
"And I guess I shouldn't kill him. When he's dead, the evidence goes with him. If he's alive," I now grin up at Sirius, "you're free."
"I don't know if you two know this, but Harry, Giovanna, when you two were born, James and Lily made me your guardian." Sirius says.
Oh, so that's how close they were.
"Like-" I start,
"-our-" Harry states,
"-godfather?" We ask together, making Sirius laugh as he nods.
"You're family!" I cry happily. "I mean, I have the Weasley's and Harry as the Dursley's, but you're... real family." My voice breaks at the end.
Sirius nods, and I notice a trace of tears in his eyes. I don't hesitate to throw my arms around him. Harry does the same, creating a group hug between the three of us.
"And, well, I understand if you, Harry chose to stay with your aunt and uncle, and Giovanna you with the Weasley's, but, so you know, you could-" Sirius begins.
"Come live with you? When?!" Harry exclaims excitedly.
"Soon as my name's cleared."
Harry instantly smiled and nodded happily. I glanced over at Ron. "Well, I think I'd alternate between the Weasley's and you, but yes of course!"
And for once, I finally felt like I had a home that was truly my own.