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Nerezza Black
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"All that we've lost lay shattered,
Scattered into ash"
•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••
We all sank behind the pumpkins, watching as the minister spoke with Hagrid.
I felt Fred's hand securely around my waist and was grateful that he was here-seeing BuckBeak getting killed...having to feel what he felt would be emotionally draining for me.
"Ow!" Ron seethed, "Scabbers! He bit me! Scabbers come back!" Ron began chasing after that stupid rat again.
"Ron stop!" Hermione followed after him and so the rest of us began running with them.
We ran through the woods and up a large grassy hill until Ron tripped over a protruding root and fell to the ground whilst Scabbers scuttled down a burrow. What tree had such large roots? What tree was...oh dear.
I held back Hermione and Harry from running any further. The twins stopped as soon as they noticed too.
"That tree...it's" I stuttered.
"The whomping willow..." Harry breathed.
"RON RUN!" I screamed.
Ron was still on the ground even with all of us yelling at him. His eyes went wide like saucers and his trembling hand pointed to something behind us.
"HARRY, RUN, ITS THE GRIM" Ron stuttered frightfully.
A large, black dog stood behind us. His hackles up ferociously, he bared his teeth with a deep bark that sent shivers down my spine. Immediately, I shoved everyone behind me and created a shield of red to protect us-but the dog simply leapt over it and pounced at Ron.
"HARRY! FRED, GEORGE!" Ron cried.
The twins were already rushing to their brothers aid.
I ran alongside Fred but knew I couldn't stay like this for long, I needed to shift. Jumping full pelt at the dog, I shifted into my fox form-I was bigger than a regular fox-nearly the same height as the dog. We growled and snapped at each other whilst he dragged Ron by his trouser leg.
"Holy shit!" Fred cursed in surprise.
"Nerezza! Ron!" Harry yelled after us.
The dog dragged Ron down into the burrow and I quickly followed suit. I sprinted after Ron down the sliding hole as he screamed and yelled after us all, I could hear the dog still growling lowly and knew how terrified Ron would be. I kept running on all fours till I finally reached the interior of a building.
I shifted back into my human form and readied my magic between my fingers. Wait, I knew this place! The shrieking shack...I heard Ron's calls from upstairs and bolted to the room he was in.
"Nerezza!" He hollered thankfully.
I slid next to him and began checking over his wounds.
"Oh god Ron, you muppet, always getting into mess" I teased lightly, trying to calm him down, interrupting his scared ramblings about the dog he'd called the Grim.
Hermione, Harry and the twins burst into the room and all yelled different questions.
"Yes Ron is okay, no we haven't seen the dog, yes I'm an animagus" I said. They seemed satisfied and all nodded, Hermione rushed to Ron's side, "wait a minute Ron...what did you say?" I froze.
"It's a trap! He isn't a dog he's an animagus too!" Ron squealed.
Fred and George moved quickly so that Fred was on the left side of us, slightly in front and George was on the right-their wands drawn protectively. I gathered up my magic ready for a fight.
Our eyeline followed the paw prints until we reached the feet of someone in an Azkaban uniform...
Hermione threw herself in front of Harry and Fred pushed me behind him.
I was shell shocked...that was my father. My father was here and it was the first time I'd ever seen him.
Fred aimed his wand threateningly at my father whilst I gripped onto his free arm in utter disbelief.
"If you want to kill Nerezza or Harry you'll have to kill us too!" Hermione said bravely.
"Only one will die tonight" Sirius said ominously.
"Then it'll be you if you touch Nerezza!" Fred growled.
I emerged from my friends protective shield to get a good look at my dad.
"Or Harry!" George added sternly.
"Or any of our family!" The twins yelled at the same time.
Harry tugged on the back of my knitted jumper to try and prevent me from getting too close to Sirius.
I shook him off, determined to look my father in the eyes.
I felt Hermione's heart swell at how the twins had called all of us their family. I could feel her feeling of acceptance even though she wasn't a pure blood wizard, it was an odd emotion to feel when I was face to face with my murderous Father.
He seemed to pause, his eyes softening and his body relaxing. I saw his eyes glaze over with...tears? No that couldn't be right.
"Dad?" I whimpered helplessly.
I wanted nothing more than to run to him, than to be able to say that he was innocent and cry for his love. But I knew that wasn't possible, he was a mass murderer and he was here to kill us. When I'd called him Dad, his lip twitched in a smile until Harry jumped forward to grab his throat.
Harry dragged him to the floor and aimed his wand and Sirius's head.
"Are you going to kill me Harry?" He laughed menacingly.
"Harry no!" I begged, Fred and George held me back from intervening as I sobbed.
"Nerezza, stop!" Fred begged.
I gave up fighting against their arms and leant my head into Fred's chest. I could feel George's body being wrapped around me as well, the twins forming a protective Weasley wall around me.
My father had done awful things and he deserved to be in Azkaban but I couldn't let him just-die!
"Expelliarmus!" Remus's familiar voice shouted as he disarmed Harry. "Well well Sirius, looking rather ragged aren't we?" Remus approached Sirius with his wand still outstretched at him.
As he looked over at us, his expression was sad when he saw the state I was in.
But I was grinning now, happy he was here to save us.
"Flesh reflects the madness within" Remus jeered.
"Well you'd know all about the madness within wouldn't you Moony?" Sirius joked.
"Moony?" Fred and George repeated.
Remus lowered his wand with a crooked smile before he helped Sirius up in a hug.
"No!" I yelled, I refused to believe this, "no! Remus, No! Please!" I screamed-lunging forward to try and reach the only father figure I'd ever had, the twins held me securely.
"Darling, let me explain" Remus said with pleading eyes.
"Why would we believe a word you say!" Ron yelled, afraid.
Sirius and Remus watched me with a look of...sadness? I fought to get loose and I don't know...hug or kill I couldn't tell. Hermione sprang forward, her eyes angry and betrayed. She forced Harry to stand by Ron as I still fought from the twins grip uselessly. Fred was trying to whisper calming things at me but it wasn't working.
"I trusted you! And all this time you've been his friend!" Hermione accused.
"Mione, please" I sobbed, tears bubbling away, "stop" I cried.
"He's a werewolf! That's why he's been missing classes!" She announced.
No. Remus's secret was out. I kept yelling at Hermione to stop and for the twins to let me go. I needed to just get out of here or go to Remus, I didn't know! Remus was my safety-my home and if I lost him I'd have no one.
"How long have you known?" Remus asked gravely.
"Since Professor Snape set the essay" Hermione replied.
"Well, well, well Hermione you really are the brightest witch of your age I've ever met. Aside Nerezza" Remus said, his eyes landed on my distraught figure and he let a stray tear run down his face.
The odd mixture of strong emotions was too powerful for me to block out-I felt everyone else's fear, betrayal and anger on top of mine and I nearly collapsed under the weight.
"Nerezza, love!" Fred exclaimed.
"I'm alright, the emotions" I panted.
"Enough talk Remus! Let's kill him!" Sirius yelled manically.
"Very well. Kill him." Remus sighed, handing over his wand to a manic Sirius. "But wait one more minute, Harry and Nerezza have the right to know why" Remus said looking down at my hunched figure.
I was knelt on the floor. Fred has taken me in a hug, still whispering things into my ear. I continued to cry silent tears as I looked up at the man who I'd thought of as a father, I loved him with everything I had and this whole time...was anything real? Did he even love me?
"I know why." Harry snarled, "You betrayed my parents. You're the reason they're dead!" Harry's voice cracked from the pain he was going through.
"No, it wasn't him. Somebody did betray your parents... somebody who, until quite recently, I believed to be dead!" Remus began.
I finally realised, it all clicked! Harry saw Peter Pettigrew on the Map yet he was supposed to be dead! All they found of him was a finger yet no body...Sirius was framed! My dad was innocent.
"Who was it, then?" Harry asked.
"Peter Pettigrew!" Sirius and I yelled at the same time.
We shared a look I couldn't decipher before an intruding Snape fired a spell at Remus.
"Expelliarmus! Vengeance is sweet. How I hoped I'd be the one to catch you" Snape said with that sickening drawl he had in his tone. "I told Dumbledore you were helping a friend into the castle. Here's the proof" Snape whipped his wand between Remus and Sirius threateningly.
"Brilliant, Snape. You've put your keen and penetrating mind to the task and once again come to the wrong conclusion. If you'll excuse us, Remus and I have business... to attend to" Sirius jostled.
How much I was like my father. I never knew until now, his joking attitude and witty comebacks were me all over. It spread warmth through my chest.
"Give me a reason. I beg you!" Snape pushed his wand into Sirius's neck and I snapped.
"Touch him and I'll hex you into that bed frame so bad you'll have splinters in your piss!" I snapped, I got up from the floor with my red magic flowing around my hands as Sirius looked on in pride and amazement.
Fred got up, standing bravely next to me with his wand now drawn at Snape.
"Severus don't be a fool" Remus reasoned.
"He can't help it" Sirius teased.
"Seems to be a habit of his" I chirped.
"You two be quiet!" Remus chided us and I couldn't help but smile at my Father.
"I could do it, you know. But why deny the dementors? They're so longing to see you. Do I detect a flicker of fear? Oh, yes. A Dementor's Kiss. One can only imagine what that must be like, it's said to be nearly unbearable to witness, but I'll do my best" Snape jeered.
I propelled my magic at him and he flew into the bed frame, shattering it completely and falling unconscious.
"Nerezza! You attacked a teacher!" Hermione gasped.
"Wicked" Fred and George said.
"Now" I grunted, "tell Harry and I about Peter."
"Nerezza can't you see he's fooling you! They're not your family!" Ron squealed from behind me.
Remus and Sirius seemed hurt by his comment and Remus had to hold Sirius back from charging at Ron. Harry joined my side, wanting to know more about this Peter.
"He was at school with us. We thought he was our friend!" Remus began telling us.
He leant against a broken desk as he spoke and it was physically paining me to not be at his side, protected and safe.
"No. Pettigrew's dead. You killed him!" Harry denied.
"No, he didn't. I thought so too, until you mentioned Pettigrew on the map!" Remus rationalised.
"The map was lying, then" Harry shrugged.
"The map never lies!" Fred and George said.
"Pettigrew's alive! And he's right there" Sirius jabbed his finger in the direction of Ron who grew pale.
"Me?! He's mental!" Ron screeched.
"Not you! Your rat! Scabbers has been in your family for...Twelve years? Curiously long life for a common garden rat! He's missing a toe, isn't he?" Sirius demanded getting frustrated by the minute.
"So what?" Ron scoffed.
"All they could find of Pettigrew was his..." Harry trailed off.
"Finger!" Sirius finished, "Dirty coward cut it off so everyone would think he was dead! And then he transformed into a rat!"
"An animagus" I breathed, Sirius and I made eye contact and he nodded with a soft smile.
"Show me. Give it to him, Ron!" Harry ordered, placing the rat in Sirius's hands.
There, before us, stood Peter Pettigrew. The man responsible for tearing apart my father and I. He was going to die.