Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story other than Nikki.
Earlier:
"Sirius!" I whispered, shocked. I started to walk towards Sirius, gradually going faster until I'm running. Crookshanks gets off of Sirius's chest, and he stands up. I gently push Harry aside, and stand in front of Sirius. My hands cup his cheeks. "You're alright." Sirius's head comes down and our lips collide. We kiss for what seems like two seconds, but actually was two minutes. Ron's shouting, Hermione's gasps, and Harry's rage doesn't penetrate the cloud of love that surrounds Sirius and I. Then, we part and give each other the biggest hug we've ever given. I want to stop time and live just in this moment, the smell of sugar and smoke in the air. But, I can't. I let go of Sirius and turn to face the Golden Trio's shock and fury.
Nikki POV:
"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WAS THAT, NIKKI?????" Ron shouted. I cringe.
"Ummmmmm, Itimetraveledintohissixthyear,fellinlovewithhim,andwe'vebeenmeetingherelikeeveryweek?"
"Say that again, but slower."
I sighed. "I time traveled into his sixth year, fell in love with him, and we've been meeting here like every week."
"YOU PERVERT!!! PREYING ON MY SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD SISTER??? HOW DARE YOU!!!!!!"
I look behind me at Sirius. His face is full of shock from Ron and I looking alike. "Yeah, I have more brothers than just Fred, George, and Percy. There's Bill, Charlie, and Ron. I also have a sister named Ginny."
"Okay then. You have a really large family."
"Oh, yeah. Ron, Sirius is not a pervert. Remember, the last time I knew him was when we were both sixteen. So really, it's not like I could just fall out of love with him. Changing the subject, where's Scabbers?" I can hear Sirius groan.
"Why can't I hide anything from you?" He questions. I giggle.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Just. Give. Me. Scabbers."
"No!! I can't believe you, Nikki! You don't deserve to be Head Girl. You are helping a mass-murderer into the castle!!" Hermione said, appalled.
I sigh. "Great job, Hermione. The most important part of that thing was wrong. Sirius isn't a mass-murderer. His boggart is him as a Death Eater, for Merlin's sake." I turn around and walk closer to Sirius. I go on his left side and pull his sleeve up. I see only pale white skin. "Hermione, where do Death Eaters have the Dark Mark?"
"Umm, on their left forearm. What does that have to do with any-oh."
"HE KILLED MY PARENTS!!!! HIS BEST FRIENDS, AND HE KILLED THEM!!!"
"Harry, shut the bloody hell up! Ron, give me Scabbers. Now." I groan in exasperation and whip my wand out. "Accio Scabbers!!" The rat zooms towards me and I catch him. I hand him over to Sirius.
Remus, who up until this point has been very silent, says, "Where is he, Sirius?"
Sirius points to his hand, at the rat that is currently flailing around in his grasp.
"But then... why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless, unless he was the one... unless you switched... without telling me?" Remus walks over to Sirius and I and pulls Sirius into a bro hug. I smile and join in.
I hear Hermione yelling. "I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Remus, Hermione, and Harry exchange words. I facepalm.
"Can we just get on with it? Please?" I comment, frustrated with how long the explanation is taking with interruptions all the damn time.
"NO!" Hermione screamed. "Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too-he's a werewolf!"
I slow clap. "Well, that's only one for three. He is a werewolf, but he hasn't been helping Sirius get into the castle. Why would he want his best friend's son dead?"
Remus tries to help Ron get up, but Ron being Ron, he shouts, "Get away from me, werewolf!"
I look over at Sirius, whose face is a dark thundercloud. I grab the hand that isn't holding Scabbers and squeeze it. His face immediately softens. "RONALD WEASLEY!!! How dare you???? He was trying to help you, even though the only thing you've been doing in here is yelling at Sirius and me, but you turn him away? DID YOU EVER REALIZE THAT THE REASON HIS ROBES ARE SHABBY ARE BECAUSE HE'S DISCRIMINATED AGAINST FOR BEING A WEREWOLF!?!?!?!?!?!? You need to apologize, right now." I take in several deep breaths, trying to lower my temper. Sirius looks at me and raises an eyebrow. I roll my eyes. "Oh, you stop it. Bad dog!" He smirks at me. I tilt my head, confused at what he's going to do. Then, he barks like a dog. I burst into peals of laughter, chortling so loudly that I don't hear what Remus is saying to Hermione and Harry.
I look at Scabbers, who is shaking even more. I hear the final part of what Remus says, and then Sirius comments. "An Animagus, by the name of Peter Pettigrew." I gasp. My brain starts to connect all the dots in rapid speed. I remember when Percy first got the rat.
August 23rd, 1988
It was the day after my 12th birthday. I had just taken a bath, and then I saw Percy's new rat: Scabbers. He had somehow gotten into my room. I thought he was just a rat. I walked down the hall to my room in just my towel. Then, I grabbed my clothes and started to get ready for the day. For some reason, I saw the rat looking intently at me, almost like he was perving on me.
"Percy, could you get your rat out of my room? I don't want him in here." I asked loudly, trying to get Percy to hear me through all of the din in the Weasley household.
I start pacing the room, Sirius looking at me like I'm insane. "Change that rat. Now," I bite out, teeth gritted in anger. Sirius and Remus fight each other with words. Remus wants to tell Harry the whole story while Sirius wants to kill Peter.
"Nicolette, any help here?"
"Sirius. I have an idea. Please, just hear me out?"
"Okay, Coley. Make it quick."
"So, we tell Harry, Hermione, and Ron the story about the four Marauders and explain why Peter was the Secret Keeper. We change Peter back, but don't kill him. If we don't, we could make you free because then Peter being alive is more than enough proof that you are innocent. You don't have to hide here anymore. You can get out of this Shack without glamours on. You could see me graduate. We could have a life together. Please, do this for me."
Sirius looks down at me as he mulls over my suggestion. "Fine. But, we'd better hurry up." Remus and Sirius explain about the Marauders and how they became Animaguses for Remus. I nervously bite my lip. The door had opened seemingly on its own. Oh no. Snape's here under Harry's invisibility cloak. They talk about a prank on Snape that Sirius had pulled.
Sirius shook his head. "The only reason I did it was because he used you against me." This makes me hate Snape even more. Then, I see Snape with his wand pointed straight at Remus. I scream as Snape wraps ropes around Remus that tighten until he can barely breathe.
"Oh, Ms. Weasley. The Gryffindor slut." Sirius glares at him.
"Don't you dare call her that, Snivellus," Sirius barks out, almost shaking in anger. Sirius starts to advance towards Remus, but Snape puts his wand right in the middle of Sirius's eyes.
"Give me a reason," he whispered. "Give me a reason to do it, and I swear I will." Sirius stopped dead. Oh, that was a terrible pun!! I slowly inched my way forward until I stood in the middle of Sirius and the wand.
"Don't you dare. Don't you dare harm him," I said softly, drawing myself to my full height.
"Coley, no! Don't do this. You don't know if he would kill you!" Sirius whispered, panicked.
"They'll be very pleased to see you, Black... pleased enough to give you a little kiss, I daresay." My legs buckle, and I sink down to my knees. Sirius's face goes white. He bends down towards me, trying to comfort me. I'm too terrified to calm down. I'm sobbing, trying to take a deep breath. It's not working.
"Coley. Coley!! It's okay, just breathe. I'm here. I won't leave you," Sirius whispers softly as he kneels next to me. I launch myself into his arms, trying to convince myself that he actually is here and not getting the kiss as we speak. His arms wrap around me as we sit there in silence.
"Oh, stop your blubbering. Your life is going to be a lot easier without this mutt around."
"How dare you. How DARE YOU???? You have the audacity to almost choke a teacher, convict an innocent man that is MY BOYFRIEND and the love of my life, and you tell ME to stop blubbering? Lily would be ashamed." With every word I grow angrier and angrier until I'm nearly shouting. Snape's eyes widen and I see a hint of remorse when I say Lily's name. It vanishes a second after. Snape starts to leave the room with Remus, Harry doesn't let him, and the Golden Trio all hex Snape as one. I exhale, glad that he's unconscious.
Sirius tries to explain that Peter was the Secret Keeper. His voice breaks. "Oh, Sirius. You didn't kill James and Lily. Peter did. Voldemort did. Not you." I stay near Sirius as he explains the story, trying to give him strength to finish the story.
Remus tells Ron that, "If he really is a rat, it won't hurt him."
Remus and Sirius point their wands at Scabbers. In unison, they shout, "Animalis autem homo!!" The jet of blue-white light from their wands streaks into Scabbers, who turns immediately into Peter Pettigrew. Ron yelled out, appalled at his rat.
I watched as Peter tried pleading his case to Remus. Then he saw me. Great, just perfect. Note the sarcasm. "Oh, Nicolette! The prettiest girl I've ever seen. Wasn't I such a good rat?" Sirius almost snaps, lunging at Peter but then thinking better of it.
"Umm, no. Don't flirt with me, don't touch me, don't stare at me. Don't do anything to me, and most certainly DON'T CALL ME THAT!!" Sirius stands in front of me, guarding me from Peter. I step to the right of Sirius and wrap my arm around his waist in a side hug. Sirius immediately wraps his arm around my waist as well. Peter glares at Sirius's arm. Dirty rotten pervert. Hermione starts asking questions to Peter, then she asks a question to Sirius, calling him "Mr. Black." I snort, looking up at Sirius. His face is contorted into a look of disgust for the name.
"Please, call me Sirius. Mr. Black was my father, a-"
I finish his sentence. "pureblooded bigot that hated Gryffindors and anyone who doesn't like the Death Eater ways. Does that sum him up?" Sirius nods at me, smirking lightly.
Sirius explains how he got out. When he describes how Dementors 'see,' a haunted look appears in his eyes. "I journeyed north and slipped into Hogwarts grounds as a dog. I got onto the Hogwarts Express, and Coley found me there. We planned a distraction and I went to the Shrieking Shack."
"You should have realized," said Remus quietly, "if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Good-bye, Peter."
"Did you hear a word about what I said before? If we get Peter to the castle, Fudge wouldn't have the ability to deny your innocence! You could be free! Please, Sirius! Don't kill him; I'm pretty sure Peter would love Azkaban."
Sirius slowly lowers his wand. "Okay, Coley. Come here, Peter. Let's get you tied up."
Harry agrees with me, which helps Remus agree as well.
We walk out of the Whomping Willow, Sirius and I pulling up the rear. "Hey, Coley?"
"Yeah, Star-boy?"
"Would you like to live with me? I mean, after I get freed and all-"
Smiling, I pull his head down and kiss him. His hands go to my back and my hands go up to his hair. We kiss for a minute and part, breathless. "Is that a yes?" Sirius smirks.
"What do you think? Of course it is!" Sirius walks over to Harry and begins talking to him. If I had to wager a guess, I'd think that Sirius is asking Harry to live with him as well. I gasp, seeing Remus start to transform.
"Coley: keep everyone safe!! I'll take care of Remus!"
"No, Sirius-" He transforms, leaping at Remus the werewolf. I scream as Remus gets a good scrape on Snuffles. I see Snape awake. I transform immediately into my dog form and get in on the fight. As I transform, I see a glint of Pettigrew's rat tail running away under the moonlight. Remus runs away, feet pounding into the grass. Snuffles and I look at each other, nod, and start chasing the rat. Then, hundreds of Dementors appear above us. Snuffles, whimpering, shifts into his regular human form with no control over it. Reliving my worst memories, my dog form fails me and I go back to a human. I stagger over to Sirius and collapse next to him. His hand moves to my hand, and I squeeze it. I pass out just when Harry and Hermione arrive. Everything goes black.
Author's Note: Wow, this is a long chapter. I didn't include every single part of the skirmish. Just the important parts. There really isn't anything else to write. I can't believe I'm almost done with the first Harry Potter book in this story!
QOTD: Would you rather fight Remus as a werewolf with Sirius or fight Dementors with Harry and Hermione?
AOTD: If I'm an Animagus, Remus. If I'm not an Animgaus, Dementors.
-GryffindorPadmeEaton