ONCE AGAIN, THERE she was, at the feet of the majestic Whomping Willow. The images of the Dementor that attacked her flashed back in front of her. If she had to imagine a slow death it would be the image of that same Dementor. The kind where you're helpless and feel like giving up even when you're still conscious enough to make decisions. But that time she wasn't alone; together with Hermione and Harry they tried to fight their way inside the tree.
Thanks to Hermione's wits, they finally stumbled in the entrance to the Shrieking Shack, although, the two didn't know it yet. Wendy ventured first, knowing it would all be okay, but still frightened by the atmosphere of the weird place. Ron, who was previously dragged by a big black dog, was found inside one of the rooms of the falling house, understandably frightened.
"It—it's Sirius Black!" Ron said pointing right behind them.
Hermione instinctively put herself before Harry, remembering the stories told by everyone when the prisoner of Azkaban escaped. Wendy, on the other hand, took a step forward and put her hands up to show Sirius that she intended no harm.
Upon closer look, Sirius looked worse than Wendy imagined. The movies didn't do enough to show his pale skin and bruises. Skin that seemed to be the only layer after his bones. Hair so long and dirty she could smell from where she was standing. If someone saw him looking like that, they couldn't be blamed for thinking badly of him. But Wendy knew better and so, smiled kindly at him.
"Move aside, kid, I have business to attend to," He spat.
"I underst—"
"NO, YOU DON'T!" He screamed but after seeing the scared expressions of the other three kids, he calmed his voice and chuckled, "No, you don't."
"Yes, she does," Remus Lupin came out from the shadows, with wand ready in his hand. He took a closer look at his old friend, not expecting to see him anymore after James died, "finally, the flesh reflects the madness inside."
Sirius grinned for the first time, "you should know tons about madness inside."
They hugged, probably the first of years of contact from anyone from both of the parties. One because he was put in solitude for the acts of a different name, and the other because he put himself in solitude for the acts of a different creature.
Wendy pulled out a solution from her pocket, and stepped closer to her professor, "take this, please."
Remus looked at the hands of the little girl, a potion that he only saw a few times as he didn't have the privilege to make his own. Wolfsbane potion. A highly advanced potion, not for the makings of a young witch of third year, especially if it was just her first year in a magical world.
"It's safe, I promise."
"Wasn't really that what I was worrying about," He took it from her hands. "How long did you know?"
She simply smiled at him, deciding for the best of all to not answer the question.
"What is that?" Harry asked.
Hermione, quite surely, answered, "wolfsbane potion... for werewolves."
"The brightest witch of your age indeed," Remus glanced at Hermione after taking in the disgusting potion. "Couldn't have you made it taste better?" He asked Wendy.
"I simply followed the instructions—I'm not a magician," she said as she received weird looks from all. "It's a muggle saying—forget it. I hear now how stupid it sounds."
"Enough with these small talks," Serius said with malice in his voice, "let's kill him."
"There won't be any killing here," Snape arrived and looked coldly at the prisoner of Azkaban. "Just me finally getting my revenge."
Harry stepped forward with Hermione's wand, firstly pointing at Sirius, but then promptly pointing it at Snape. Wendy was quick to react, remembering the books and movies, and pushed her potions professor away. She couldn't stop him but she received Harry's expelliarmus instead. She was blown out towards the wall behind her and gasps from Harry himself and all others filled the room.
Wendy didn't expect it to turn out like that, but with the thought that they would at least be safe from the dangers of a werewolf, she let herself fall deep into an unconscious state.
Snape shot Harry a look, knowing that the blow was supposed to be his. But couldn't do much as he felt the need and responsibility to take care of Wendy. With everyone worried about the girl, the rat took this chance to flee from Ron's grip.
"Scabbers!" Ron called out for his beloved pet.
Sirius quickly grabbed Snape's wand to direct it towards the rat. Faint blue lights appeared to blow the dust around until Sirius and Remus, finally, were able to turn Scabbers into Peter Pettigrew, who got stuck in a whole as he was trying to run away.
Harry stepped in after Sirius and Remus freed him from the hole, but right before they could kill the traitor of his parents, "Stop, no one is going to kill anyone tonight—There has been enough pain." He said looking at Ron in the corner and Wendy still unconscious. Hermione and Snape on her side checking for injuries.
"Oh, thank you, thank you, Harry!" Peter said genuinely grateful, and walked towards the boy.
Harry stepped back, "we will still give you to the authorities and probably will be sent to Azkaban—where you belong. I thought that I would have been angry at you, disgusted, even wanted to kill you myself... but I can only bring myself to pity you."
Peter grimace at his words. He wasn't bright but he knew that against three great wizards and three other young ones, he had no chance in fighting. He looked down in defeat.
Wendy has started to regain consciousness and she found herself in the arms of her own professor of the Dark Arts. She looked herself around noticing before them Snape with his wands towards Peter, and even farther to the front of the small tunnel, there was Sirius and Harry helping Ron walk.
"Hey, Wendy, everything is okay now," said Remus glancing down at her and then forwards to see his old friend with his old friend's son. Resemblance of his father was quite uncanny, and he couldn't help himself to tear up a little remembering his best of friends, "everything is going to be okay."
Wendy, still a bit drowsy and in pain from Harry's spell, looked up at her professor. How lonely it must have been for him. After a long time of doubts between him and his friends in the first war. Having to find out two of his best friend's death and a very kind soul that was Lily Evans. The only friend left, Sirius Black, blamed for the deaths of said friends and sentenced to Azkaban. Alone and afraid of his own skin. A prison of a transformation each and every month. Having to endure the solitude and madness that could have gotten into him, just to keep safe everyone else.
Wendy looked up at the man with sad eyes. She then looked at Sirius and her vision started to fog a bit again, until she fell asleep, seeing only the silhouette of a now free man.
Out of the Shrieking Shack, they paused and put down Ron on a near rock, where they found the Whomping Willow unbelievably still. Remus put down Wendy beside Ron and the boy offered to hold her up. Hermione took a deep breath in, finally receiving fresh air instead of years worth of dust. But looking up she noticed the full moon coming out from the clouds and quickly searched for Remus. This last was keeping an eye on Peter, whilst staying in guard of Wendy. But he soon started to feel the effects of the wolf inside him come out.
Unlike the usual, the wolf was slow and Remus stepped backwards trying to tame the creature inside him. Hermione called out for Harry, who was talking to Sirius, waking up Wendy in the process. Wendy, looked around and quickly studied the situation and was fast to call for Snape, "KEEP AN EYE ON PETER!"
Snape, startled by his own student giving him orders, followed through and held his gaze at the plotting Peter. Wendy stood up, receiving a wave of dizziness from her possible concussion. But she fought through it and slowly and carefully stepped closer to Remus, "Professor, please—go back inside the Shrieking Shack."
The man, holding his head, looked towards Sirius and Peter. Wendy knew that, even with a creature stronger than him pressing to get out, his first priority would still be his friend. But, unfortunately, the monster pushed and Remus could only roar in pain.
"You said it— everything is going to be okay now—have more faith in yourself and allow yourself some rest," Wendy said struggling to balance herself up.
The man looked at her, before running back in the hole that would lead to the Shrieking Shack, where he would be able to sleep through his transformation.
Wendy stumbled down a bit, but was held up by Hermione, who smiled proudly at her, "you should let yourself rest too, you know?"
The rest of the company followed through Harry's plan to bring Peter back in the castle, where Dumbledore and the Ministry would take the situation at hand. But as they were so close to the castle a storm of Dementors, that was guarding the perimeter of the castle, appeared in front of Sirius.
The man, unarmed, put himself before his newly found godson. Despite not being able to defend himself, he was ready to die rather than see Harry in pain. Fortunately, Harry took out his wand and called out the spell he has been working with Professor Lupin.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Another Dementor came creeping around the two and Hermione stepped forward to keep safe Harry's back, even if she wasn't trained to fight Dementors. Because of this, and putting herself between a Dementor and its prey, she received a cold and soul-sucking kiss that brought her down to her knees.
Shortly after, what seemed to be every Dementor set out to search for Sirius, was around the group distracting even Snape from his duty of guarding Peter. The Dementors started to drag themselves around and attack every person that was there; Sirius most of all.
Snape finally acted upon his instincts and called out his patronous, a silver light of hope pushing the Dementors away. Wendy saw Peter run away from them and she was ready to follow after him, to stop the war that was ready to start if he managed to escape, but a Dementor stopped her.
These creatures were all same-looking, no way to distinguish one from the other, but Wendy could have sworn that this was the same one from months before that. Panic started to flood her mind but fought it with a new sense of hope, Sirius was back and she was able to stop Remus's wolf side from doing more damage. She just needed to get Peter back, who was, at every second, getting farther.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" She screamed with determination.
The image of a dog cast the Dementor away, alongside some few other that were on her way. Wendy, still shocked by her abilities of making a corporeal patronous, stared at the shape of her charm. The image of a dog facing the Dementors turned around and slipped his tongue out playfully. Wendy couldn't help herself but tear a bit when Diego faced her. Diego, the dog that accompanied her through her journey in adulthood, a gift from her brother when they started to live far apart, in order for her to not feel so alone in a world without him.
She sobbed a little, at how precious and deep the significance of her patronous was really for her. Something that reminded her of her life before, of the loss of her family, to accompany her in this new life so far away from home.
Diego, smart as he was in his real form, faced towards the woods where Peter fled and Wendy shook of her feelings of homesickness. She looked back at the others, Harry still fighting off Dementors together with Snape, and the stomach-aching image of Sirius on the cold floor and Hermione on her knees defenseless. Diego barked, getting Wendy's attention, and like he has spoken to him, she nodded and ran to Peter, convinced that Harry would have saved himself, once again.
At the start of the trees she saw again the shadow of Peter running far off and Diego barked running after him, but was cut off by Buckbeak. The hippogriff was prancing up and down in the forest, seemingly alone, but Wendy knew that Harry and Hermione couldn't be too far off.
"They need your help!" She screamed, "I got to find Peter Pettigrew, but you have to save them! I know you can!"
She only hoped that Harry heard her, and after hearing branches and leaves breaking under two pair of footsteps she smiled at herself without looking. Wendy ran after Diego, easy to find because of its bright silvery light. The patronous was digging a hole with his paws, Wendy moved closer, studying the hole. A small hole, yet big enough to fit Peter in his animagus form. There was no point in continuing her way to find him. The hole could have led anywhere and she wasn't small enough to fit.
She fell down on the misty grass of the forest in defeat. The feeling of failing the whole Wizarding World, but herself most of all, overwhelmed her. Somehow, she thought that by preventing the return of Voldemort she would have woken up back in the train on her way home. She allowed herself to cry as the light that was beside her faded away as bad thoughts plagued her mind once again.
Notes:
The chapters are getting longer and longer, hopefully it's not a problem, but I can see it become a little heavy. I'll try to keep it within a range next time!