A Light at the End

A Light at the End- 3rd year

Disclaimer= I do not own the world OR characters of JK Rowling, I'm just choosing to make my own spin on things.
I have used 2 chapters from POA, I have changed it slightly but kept the dialogue the same (sort of).

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." C.S. Lewis

Chapter 1.

It was June 6th 1994 when Ron was dragged down to the Whomping Willow by a Black Grimm.
Harry and Hermione tried to follow but the branches from the tree were whipping back and forth so fast and violently it stopped them. Finally Crookshanks darted forward between the branches and placed a paw upon the knot on the trunk. Abruptly the tree became motionless.
"Quick Harry" said Hermione. Slowly with their wands out, they slunk beneath the tree, to find there friend.
They moved as quick and silent as they could, although having to almost bend at the waist slowed them down. It felt like the tunnel went on forever, finally they came to an incline and then with a final twist, they could see a dim light ahead through a small opening.
Both raising there wands, before going forth. A room lay ahead, a very messy, dusty room. Wallpaper was peeling from the walls, stains that looked disgustingly like blood were on the floor, all the furniture was upturned and broken as if it had been smashed up and the windows were all boarded up.
With a quick glance at Hermione, whom looked very freighted. Harry gave her a nod and then proceeded forward.
At first glance the room looked deserted, until they noticed an open doorway leading to a shadowy hallway.
"I think were in the Shrieking Shack, Harry" gasped Hermione.
Harry glanced around and noticed a chair, it was wooden. Large chunks had been torn from it and one of the legs looked like they had been ripped off.
Suddenly they heard a creak from above, with a quick nod to each other, they made there way to the open doorway.
There they made there way up a crumbling staircase. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, except from a strip across the floor, where something had been dragged up the stairs.
They reached the landing.
"Nox" they both whispered together, and the lights from their wands extinguished. There was only one door open. They crept towards it, they could hear movement from behind the door, a low moan and then a deep purring.
Looking at each other and giving one last nod, holding their wands tightly, Harry kicked the door wide open.
Crookshanks lay upon a four poster bed with dusty hangings, purring loudly at the sight of them. On the floor beside the bed, lay Ron clutching his leg, which looked like it stuck out at an odd angle.
Harry and Hermione ran across the room to get to Ron.
"Are you ok, Ron?"
"Where's the dog gone"
"Its not a dog" moaned Ron, gritting his teeth in pain "Harry, its a trap..."
"What..."
"He's the dog, he's an Animagus" exclaimed Ron.
Ron was looking over Harry's shoulder. Harry spun about.
The man was hiding behind the door, he closed it with a snap.
Knotted, unkept, dirty hair hung to his elbows, sunken eyes and waxy paper coloured skin stretched across his face, so tightly, he looked emaciated.
He bared his teeth in a yellow grin.
"Sirius Black!" exclaimed Hermione.
"Expelliarmus!" Sirius croaked, pointing Ron's wand at them.
Harry and Hermione's wands soared out of their hands, across the room and Black caught them. Stepping forward, his eyes fixed on Harry.
"I thought you would come and help your friend" he said hoarsely. His voice sounded as though he hadn't used it in a long time. "Your father would of done the same for me. Brave of you, not to go for a teacher. I'm grateful, it will make things a lot easier...".
The taunt about his father stung through Harry's ears, as though Black had screamed it at him. A boiling hate erupted through Harry, leaving no room for fear. For the first time in his life, he wanted his wand back in his own hand, not so he could defend himself, but so he could make Black suffer. Without thinking about it, he started forward, but two pairs of hands grabbed him and pulled him back. "No, Harry!" Hermione gasped in a frightened voice, Ron spoke to Black however, "If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us, too!". Attempting to stand up as he spoke, the colour draining from his face, he swayed slightly as he spoke.
Something flickered in Blacks haunted eyes. "Lie down," he said quietly to Ron. "You will damage that leg even more."
"Did you hear me?" Ron said weakly, clinging painfully to Harry to stay upright. "You'll have to kill all three of us!"
"There'll only be one murder here tonight," Black said with a wide grin.
"Why's that?" spat Harry, trying to pull himself free from Hermione and Ron's grips. "Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering a whole muggle village to get to Pettigrew... What's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?"
"Harry!" Hermione whimpered. "Be quiet!"
"HE KILLED MY PARENTS!" roared Harry, and with a final pull, he freed himself from Hermione and Ron's grips and lunged forwards...
He forgot all about magic, he forgot how short and skinny he was, he also forgot that he was only thirteen years old, whereas Black was a tall, full grown man.
All Harry could think about was revenge, revenge for his parents, revenge for Peter Pettigrew and revenge for the muggles, whose lives Black had destroyed. And he didn't care how hurt he got in return.
Perhaps it was the shock of Harry doing something stupid, but Black didn't raise the wands in time. One of Harry's hands gripped Blacks thin wrists, forcing the wands away, the knuckles of Harry's other hand collided with the side of Black's head and they fell backwards, into the wall....
Hermione screamed, Ron yelled. There was a blinding flash as the wands in Black's hand sent a jet of sparks into the air which just missed Harry's face by inches. Harry felt the skinny arm under his fingers twisting madly, but he clung on, his other hand punched Black anywhere he could reach.
But Black's free hand closed round Harry's throat...
"No," he hissed. "I've waited too long..."
The fingers got tighter, Harry choked, his glasses askew.
Then he saw Hermione's foot swing out of nowhere. Black let go of Harry with a grunt of pain. Ron had thrown himself on top of Black's wand hand and Harry heard a faint clatter....
He pulled free of the tangle of bodies, and saw his own wand roll across the floor and threw himself towards it, but...
"Aurghhh!"
Crookshanks had jumped in, sharp claws extended, sinking into Harry's arm, Harry threw him off, but Crookshanks now darted towards Harry's wand...
"NO YOU DON'T!" roared Harry, aiming a kick at Crookshanks, that made him leap aside, spitting. Harry grabbed for his wand and turned...
"Get out of the way!" he shouted at Ron and Hermione.
They didn't wait to be told a second time. Hermione, with her lip bleeding, gasping for breath, scrambled to get out the way, snatching her and Ron's wands in the process. Ron crawled across the floor, slouched against the four poster bed and collapsed against it, panting, white faced with a tinge of green, clutching with both hands, his broken leg.
Black was laid against the bottom of the wall. His emaciated chest rose and fell quickly as he watched Harry walked towards him slowly, his wand pointing straight towards Black's heart.
"Going to kill me, Harry?" he whispered.
Harry stopped above him, his wand still pointing at Black's heart, looking down at him. A bruise was visible around Black's left eye and his nose was bleeding.
"You killed my parents," said Harry with a slightly shaky voice, his wand held steady though.
Black stared up at him out of those sunken eyes.
"I don't deny it," he said, quietly. "But if you knew the whole story..."
"The whole story?" Harry repeated, a furious pounding in his ears. "You sold them out to Voldemort, that's all I need to know!"
"You've got to listen to me," urged Black. "You'll regret it if you don't.... you don't understand..."
"I understand a lot better than you think," said Harry, with a shaky voice. "You never heard her, did you? My mum... trying to stop Voldemort killing me... and you did that.... you did it..."
Before another word could be spoken, Crookshanks leapt onto Black's chest, and settled there, right over Black's heart. Black blinked and looked down at the cat.
"Get off," he muttered, trying to push Crookshanks off of him.
But Crookshanks sunk his claws into Black's robes and wouldn't move. He turned his face towards Harry, and looked up at him with big yellow eyes. To his right, Hermione gave a dry sob.
Harry stared down at Black and Crookshanks, holding his wand tighter. Harry raised his wand. He was going to get his revenge. He stood there frozen, just staring down at Black. Ron's breathing could be heard from by the bed, Hermione was making no noise.
And then the sound of muffled footsteps could be heard, from downstairs.
"WE'RE UP HERE!" Hermione screamed.
"WE'RE UP HERE! SIRIUS BLACK! QUICK!"
Black made a startled movement, that almost toppled Crookshanks off of him. Harry still gripping his wand, stood frozen to the spot. The footsteps could now be heard thundering up the stairs.
The door to the room burst open, Professor Lupin came thundering through it, his face white, his wand raised and ready. His eyes roamed over Ron, lying on the floor, over Hermione quivering next to the door, to Harry, standing over Black with his wand raised. And then lastly he cast his eyes upon Black, crumpled, emaciated and bleeding at Harry's feet.
"Expelliarmus!" shouted Lupin.
Harry's wand flew from his hand, as well as the two that Hermione was holding. Lupin caught them all in a swift grab, then moved further into the room, staring at Black whilst he did, who still had Crookshanks lying against his chest.
Harry stood there, feeling dumbfounded. He hadn't done it. His nerves had failed him. Black was going to be handed back to the Dementors.
Then Lupin spoke, in an odd shaky voice, that held suppressed emotions. "Where is he, Sirius?"
Harry looked over at Lupin quickly. He was confused by what Lupin meant. Who was he on about? He looked over at Black again.
Black's face held no expression. For a few seconds, he was just motionless. Then very slowly, he raised his hand, and pointed at Ron. Confused, Harry glanced over at Ron, who also looked very confused.
"But then..." Lupin muttered, staring at Black so intently it seemed like he was trying to read his mind, "...why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless...." Lupins eyes suddenly widened, as though he was realising something, something no one else could work out. "...Unless he was the one... unless you switched... without telling me?"
Slowly, without breaking eye contact, Black nodded.
"Professor Lupin," Harry interrupted loudly, "what's going...?"
But he never got to finish his question, because, Lupin then lowered his wand, walked over to Black and pulled him up to his feet, Crookshanks fell to the floor and then he embraced him like a brother.
Harry felt like his stomach had fallen out.
"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione screamed.
Lupin let go of Black and then turned towards her. She was now standing up, with her finger pointing towards Lupin, with wide eyes.
"You... you..."
"Hermione..."
"...You and him!"
"Hermione, calm down...."
"I didn't tell anyone!" Hermione shouted. "I've been covering for you..."
"Hermione, listen to me, please!" Lupin shouted. "I can explain..."
Harry was shaking with anger.
"I trusted you!" he shouted at Lupin, his voice shaking in anger, "and all this time you've been his friend!"
"You're wrong," said Lupin. "I haven't been Sirius' friend for twelve years, but I am now... let me explain..."
"NO!" screamed Hermione, "Harry don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too... he's a werewolf!"
There was a ringing silence. Everyone's shocked stare's on Lupin, who looked remarkly calm, though rather pale.
"Not at all up to your usual standards, Hermione," he said. "Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry dead..." Shivering as he said it. "But I won't deny that I am a werewolf."
Ron tried to stand back up, but fell back down again, whimpering in pain as he did.
Lupin made towards him to help, looking concerned, but Ron gasped. "Get away from me, werewolf!" He spat.
Lupin stopped dead. Then, with a lot of effort, he turned towards Hermione, and said, "How long have you known?"
"Ages," Hermione whispered. "Since I did Professor Snape's essay..."
"He'll be delighted," said Lupin coolly. "He set that essay hoping someone would realise what my symptoms meant. Did you check the lunar chart and realise that I was always ill at the full moon? Or did you realise that the Boggart changed into the moon when it saw me?"
"Both," said Hermione quietly.
Lupin laughed but it sounded forced.
"You're the cleverest witch of your age I've ever met, Hermione."
"I'm not," Hermione whispered. "If I'd been a bit cleverer, I'd of told everyone what you are!"
"But they already know," said Lupin. "At least, the staff do."
"Dumbledore hired you when he knew you were a werewolf?" Ron gasped. "Is he mad?"
"Some of the staff thought so," said Lupin. "He had to work very hard to convince certain teachers that I'm trustworthy..."
"AND HE WAS WRONG!" Harry yelled. "YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HIM ALL THIS TIME!" He was pointing at Black, who had crossed the room, and sat upon the four poster bed. Holding his head in a shaky hand. Crookshanks leapt up, and stepped into his lap, purring. Ron moved away from the pair, dragging his leg along with him.
"I have not been helping Sirius," said Lupin. "If you'll give me a chance, I'll explain. Look..."
He threw each of them their wands back. Harry caught his own, stunned.
"There," said Lupin, sticking his own wand back into his belt. "You're armed, we're not. Now will you listen?"
Harry was now more confused, thinking this could be a trick.
"If you've not been helping him," he said, with an angry glance towards Black, "How did you know he was here?"
"The map," said Lupin. "I was in my office examining it..."
"You know how it works?" Harry asked suspiciously.
"Of course I know how it works," said Lupin, waving his hands about impatiently. "I helped write it. I'm Moony... that's the nickname my friends' gave me at school."
"You wrote...?"
"The important thing is, I was watching it carefully this evening, because I had an idea you, Ron and Hermione might try and sneak out of the castle to visit Hagrid before his Hippogriff was executed. And I was right, wasn't I?"
He was pacing whilst talking, watching them. Little bits of dust, rose as he walked.
"You might have been wearing your father's old Cloak, Harry..."
How d'you know about the Cloak?"
"The number of times I saw James disappearing under it..." said Lupin, waving an impatient hand again. "The point is, even if you're wearing an Invisibility Cloak you show up on the Marauder's Map. I watched you cross the grounds and enter Hagrid's hut. Twenty minutes later, you left Hagrid, and set off back towards the castle. But you were accompanied by somebody else."
"What?" said Harry. "No, we weren't!"
"I couldn't believe my eyes," said Lupin, still pacing, and ignoring Harry's interruption. "I thought the Map must be malfunctioning. How could he be with you?"
"No one was with us!" said Harry.
"And then I saw another dot, moving fast towards you, labelled Sirius Black.... I saw him collide with you, I watched as he pulled two of you into the Whomping Willow..."
"One of us!" Ron said angrily.
"No, Ron," said Lupin. "Two of you."
He stopped his pacing, his eyes moving over Ron.
"Do you think I could have a look at the rat?" he said evenly.
"What?" Ron said. "What's Scabbers got to do with it?"
"Everything," said Lupin. "Could I see him, please?"
Ron hesitated, then put a hand inside his robes. He pulled out Scabbers, whom was squeaking and thrashing about desperately, Ron had to hold him by the tail to stop him escaping. Crookshanks stood up on Black's lap and made a soft hissing noise.
Lupin moved closer to Ron. He seemed to be holding his breath as his gaze roamed over the rat.
"What?" Ron said again. holding Scabbers closer to him, looking afraid. "What's my rat got to do with anything?"
"That's not a rat," croaked Sirius Black suddenly.
"What d'you mean...of course he's a rat.."
No, he's not," said Lupin quietly. "He's a wizard."
"An Animagus," said Black, "by the name of Peter Pettigrew."
Everyone just stood frozen for a moment, shocked by that statement.
Then Ron voiced what Harry was thinking.
"You're both mental,"
"Ridiculous!" said Hermione faintly.
"Peter Pettigrew's dead!" said Harry. "He killed him twelve years ago!"
He pointed at Black, whose face was twitching madly.
"I meant to," he growled, his yellow teeth bared, "but little Peter got the better of me... not this time, though!"
Crookshanks went thumping to the floor, as Black lunged for Scabbers, Ron yelled as Black landed on Ron's leg.
"Sirius, NO!" Lupin yelled, launching forward and dragging Black away from Ron again, "WAIT! You can't do it just like that....they need to understand... we've got to explain..."
"We can explain afterwards!" snarled Black, trying and failing to throw Lupin off of him, the other hand still clawing at the air to get to Scabbers, who was twitching and squealing wildly, scratching at Ron's neck and face whilst he tried to escape.
"They've...got..a...right...to...know...everything!" Lupin panted, still trying to keep Black back. "Ron's kept him as a pet! There are part's of it even I don't understand! And Harry... you owe Harry the truth, Sirius!"
With that Black stopped fighting, though his hollowed eyes remained fixed on Scabbers, who remained tightly gripped in Ron's bitten, scratched and bleeding hands.
"All right, then," Black said, eyes still fixed on Scabbers. "Tell them whatever you like. But make it quick, Remus. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for..."
"You're nutters, both of you," said Ron shakily, looking around at Harry and Hermione for support. "I've had enough of this. I'm off."
He tried to lift himself from the floor with his good leg, but Lupin had raised his wand again, pointing it at Scabbers.
"You're going to hear me out, Ron," he said quietly. "Just keep a tight hold on Peter while you listen."
"HE'S NOT PETER, HE'S SCABBERS!" Ron yelled, trying to force the rat back into his pocket, but Scabbers was fighting too hard, Ron swayed and nearly fell over, Harry caught him and pushed him back down to the bed. Then, ignoring Black, Harry turned to Lupin.
"There were witnesses who saw Pettigrew die," he said. "A whole street full of them..."
"They didn't see what they thought they saw!" said Black savagely, still watching Scabbers struggling in Ron's hands.
"Everyone thought Sirius killed Peter," said Lupin, nodding. "I believed it myself until I saw the map tonight. Because the Marauder's Map never lies... Peter's alive. Ron's holding him, Harry."
Harry looked down at Ron, and as their eyes met, they silently agreed, Black and Lupin were both mental. Their story made no sense whatsoever. How could Scabbers be Peter Pettigrew? Azkaban must have done a number on Black after all but why was Lupin agreeing to this maddening story?
Then Hermione spoke, in a trembling, would be calm sort of voice, as though trying to will Professor Lupin to talk sensibly.
"But Professor Lupin... Scabbers can't be Pettigrew... it just can't be true, you know it can't..."
"Why can't it be true?" Lupin calmly replied, as though they were in class, and Hermione had simply spotted a problem in an experiment with Grindylows.
"Because.... because people would know if Peter Pettigrew had been an Animagus. We did Animagi in class with Professor McGonagall. And I looked them up when I did my homework... the Ministry keeps tabs on witches and wizards who can become animals, there's a register showing what animal they can become, and their markings and things.... and I went and looked Professor McGonagall up on the register, and there have only been seven Animagi this century, and Pettigrew's name isn't on the list..."
Harry barely had time to be astonished at the effort Hermione went to for homework, when Lupin started laughing.
"Right again, Hermione!" he said. "But the Ministry never knew that there used to be three unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts."
"If you're going to tell them the story, then get a move on, Remus!" snarled Black, who was still watching Scabber's desperately still trying to escape. "I've waited twelve years, I'm not going to wait much longer."
"All right.... but you'll need to help me, Sirius," said Lupin, "I only know how it began...."
"Lets start at the beginning, me becoming a werewolf... None of this could of happened if I hadn't been bitten.. and if only I hadn't been so foolhardy..." Lupin started looking tired. Ron started to interrupt but Hermione shushed him, watching Lupin beadily.
"I was a very small boy when I received the bite. My parents tried everything, but in those days there was no cure. The potion that Professor Snape has been making for me is a very recent discovery. It makes me safe, you see. As long as I take it in the week leading up to the full moon, I keep my mind when I transform... I am able to curl up in my office, a harmless wolf, and wait for the moon to wane again. Before the Wolfsbane Potion was discovered, however, I became a fully fledged monster once a month. It seemed impossible that I would be able to come to Hogwarts. Other parents weren't likely to want their children exposed to me. But then Dumbledore became Headmaster, and he was sympathetic. He said that, as long as we took certain precautions, there was no reason I shouldn't be able to come to school..." Lupin sighed, and turned his gaze to Harry. "I told you, months ago, that the Whomping Willow was planted the year I came to Hogwarts. The truth is that it was planted because I came to Hogwarts. This house.." Lupin looked miserably around the room, "...the tunnel that leads to it... they were built for my use. Once a month, I was smuggled out of the castle, into this place, to transform. The tree was placed at the tunnel mouth to stop anyone coming across me whilst I was dangerous."
Harry couldn't understand where this story was going or what it had to do with Scabbers, but he was listening raptly anyway. Other than the sound of Lupins soft voice, was Scabbers squeaking frighteningly.
"My transformations in those days were.... were terrible. It is very painful to turn into a werewolf. I was separated from humans to bite, so I bit myself and scratched at myself instead. The villagers heard the noise and the screaming and thought they were hearing particularly violent spirits. Dumbledore encouraged the rumour... even now, when the house has been silent for years, the villages don't dare to approach it... But apart from my transformations, I was happier than I had ever been in my life. For the first time ever, I had friends, three great friends. Sirius Black... Peter Pettigrew... and, of course, your father, Harry.... James Potter. Now, my three friends could hardly fail to notice that I disappeared once a month. I made up all sorts of stories. I told them my mother was ill, and that I had to go home to see her... I was terrified they would desert me the moment they found out what I was. But of course, they, like you, Hermione, worked out the truth.... And they didn't desert me at all. Instead they did something for me that would make my transformations not only bearable, but the best times of my life. They became Animagi."
"My dad, too?" said Harry, shocked.
"Yes, indeed," said Lupin. "It took them the best part of three years to work out how to do it. Your father and Sirius here were the cleverest students in the school, and lucky they were, because the Animagus transformation can go horribly wrong... one reason the Ministry keeps a close watch on those attempting to do it. Peter needed all the help he could get from James and Sirius. Finally, in our fifth year, they managed it. They could each turn into a different animal at will."
"But how did that help you?" said Hermione, sounding confused.
"They couldn't keep me company as humans, so they kept me company as animals," said Lupin. "A werewolf is only a danger to people. They sneaked out of the castle every month under James's Invisibility Cloak. They transformed.... Peter, as the smallest, could slip beneath the Willow's attacking branches and touch the knot that freezes it. They would slip down the tunnel and join me. Under their influence, I became less dangerous. My body was still wolfish, but my mind seemed to become less so while I was with them."
"Hurry up, Remus," snarled Black, who was still watching Scabbers with a horrible hungry look upon his face.
"I'm getting there, Sirius, I'm getting there... well, highly exciting possibilities were open to us now we could all transform. Soon we were leaving the Shrieking Shack and roaming the village by night. Sirius and James transformed into such large animals, they were able to keep a werewolf in check. I doubt whether any Hogwarts student ever found out more about the Hogwarts grounds and Hogsmeade than we did... And that's how we came to write the Marauder's Map, and sign it with our nicknames. Sirius is Padfoot. Peter is Wormtail. James was Prongs."
"What sort of animal....?" Harry began but Hermione cut across him.
"That was really dangerous! Running around in the dark with a werewolf! What if you had given the others the slip, and bitten somebody?"
"A thought that still haunts me," said Lupin heavily. "And there were near misses, many of them. We laughed about them afterwards. We were young, thoughtless... carried away with our own cleverness. I sometimes felt guilty about betraying Dumbledore's trust, of course.... he admitted me to Hogwarts when no other Headmaster would have done so, and he had no idea I was breaking the rules he had set down for my own and others' safety. He never knew I had led three fellow students into becoming Animagi illegally. But I always managed to forget my guilty feelings every time we sat down to plan our next month's adventure. And I haven't changed...."
Lupins face took on a hateful expression full of disgust. "All this year, I have been battling with myself, wondering whether I should tell Dumbledore that Sirius was an Animagus. But I didn't do it. Why? Because I was too cowardly. It would have meant admitting that I'd betrayed his trust while I was at school, admitting that I'd led others along with me.... and Dumbledore's trust has meant everything to me. He let me into Hogwarts as a boy, and he gave me a job, when I have been shunned all my adult life, unable to find paid work because of what I am. And so I convinced myself that Sirius was getting into the school using Dark Arts he learnt from Voldemort, that being an Animagus had nothing to do with it... so, in a way, Snape's been right about me all along."
"Snape?" said Black harshly, finally moving his eyes from Scabbers, to land on Lupin. "What's Snape got to do with it?"
"He's here, Sirius," Lupin said with a heavy sigh. "He's teaching here as well." Looking up at Harry, Ron and Hermione.
"Professor Snape was at school with us. He fought very hard against my appointment to the Defence Against the Dark Arts job. He has been telling Dumbledore all year that I am not to be trusted. He has his reasons... you see, Sirius here played a trick on him which nearly killed him, a trick which involved me..."
Black snorted.
"It served him right," he sneered. "Sneaking around, trying to find out what we were up to... hoping he could get us expelled..."
"Severus was very interested in where I went every month," Lupin told Harry, Ron and Hermione. "We were in the same year, you know, and we... err... didn't like each other very much. He especially disliked James. Jealous, I think, of James's talent on the Quidditch pitch.... anyway, Snape had seen me crossing the grounds with Madam Pomfrey one evening as she led me towards the Whomping Willow to transform. Sirius thought it would be.... err... amusing, to tell Snape all he had to do was prod the knot on the tree trunk with a long stick, and he'd be able to get in after me. Well, of course, Snape tried it... if he'd got as far as this house, he'd have met a fully grown werewolf... but your father, who'd heard what Sirius had done, went after Snape and pulled him back, at great risk to his life... Snape glimpsed me, though, at the end of the tunnel. He was forbidden to tell anybody by Dumbledore, but from that time on he knew what I was..."
"So that's why Snape doesn't like you," said Harry slowly, "because he thought you were in on the joke?"
"Yes, unfortunately," replied Lupin.
"So what has this got to do with Scabbers?" asked Ron sounding confused.
"When Lily and James went into hiding, I was originally the secret keeper, but we switched at the last minute, you see..." said Black, turning to face Lupin, "Forgive me, Remus, you was away all the time."
"No hard feelings," replied Lupin.
Turning back to Harry, Ron and Hermione, Black continued, "Due to me being close as brothers with James, it was too obvious I would of been the secret keeper, so we switched to Peter."
"Why wouldn't they have suspected Peter, if you was all so close?" asked Harry.
"Because Peter, acted like a tag along, we was close but not as close," said Remus sadly.
"We knew there was a spy amongst us, but none of us could have guessed it would of been Peter, he always seemed so shy and unconfident," said Sirius. "So Peter, had obviously taken Lily and James's where abouts to Voldemort, and then you know what happened next."
"Yes, I do," said Harry sadly.
Sirius gave Harry a sad look. "After I heard, I attempted to hunt Peter down, I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I had betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself.... and sped down into the sewer with the other rats. Not before cutting off his own finger."
"So, how do you know this is Peter?" asked Ron.
Black put one of his skinny hands into his scruffy robe pocket, and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, which he smoothed flat, and held it out to show the others.
It was a photograph of Ron and his family, that had been in the Daily Prophet the previous summer, and there, on Ron's shoulder, was Scabbers.
"How did you get this?" Lupin asked Black, shocked.
"Fudge," said Black. "When he came to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter, on the front page... on this boy's shoulder... I knew him at once... how many times had I seen him transform? And the caption said the boy would be going back to Hogwarts... to where Harry was..."
"My god," said Lupin softly, staring from Scabbers to the picture in the paper and back again. "His front paw.."
"What about it?" said Ron defiantly.
"He's got a toe missing," said Black.
"Of course," Lupin breathed, " so simple... so brilliant... He cut his own finger off!"
"Look, Scabbers probably had a fight with another rat or something! He's been in my family for ages, right..."
"Twelve years, in fact," said Lupin. "Didn't you ever wonder why he was living so long?"
"We... we've been taking good care of him!" said Ron.
"Not looking too good at the moment, though, is he?" said Lupin. "I'd guess he's been losing weight ever since he heard Sirius was on the loose again..."
"He's been scared of that mad cat!" said Ron, nodding towards Crookshanks, who was still purring on the bed.
But that wasn't right, Harry thought suddenly... Scabbers had been looking ill before he met Crookshanks... ever since Ron's return from Egypt... since the time when Black had escaped...
"This cat isn't mad," said Black hoarsely. He reached out a skinny hand and stroked Crookshanks's fluffy head.
"He's the most intelligent of his kind I've ever met. He recognised Peter for what he was straight away. And when he met me, he knew I was no dog. It was a while before he trusted me. Finally, I managed to communicate to him what I was after, and he's been helping me..."
"What do you mean?" breathed Hermione.
"He tried to bring Peter to me, but couldn't... so he stole the passwords into Gryffindor Tower for me... As I understand it, he took them from a boy's bedside table...."
Harry's brain seemed to be struggling to catch up to everything that was being said. It seemed so mental... yet...
"But Peter got wind of what was going on and ran for it... this cat... Crookshanks, did you call him? told me Peter had left blood on the sheets... I suppose he bit himself... well, faking his own death had worked once..."
These words were like a slap to the face for Harry.
"And why did he fake his death?" he said furiously. "Because he knew you were about to kill him like you killed my parents!"
"No," said Lupin. "Harry.."
"And now you've come to finish him off!"
"Yes, I have," said Black with a menacing look at Scabbers.
"Then I should have gone for a teacher!" Harry shouted.
"Harry," said Lupin hurriedly, "don't you see? All this time we've thought Sirius betrayed your parents, and Peter tracked him down... but it was the other way around, don't you see? Peter betrayed your mother and father... Sirius tracked Peter down..."
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Harry yelled. "HE WAS THEIR SECRET KEEPER! HE SAID SO BEFORE YOU TURNED UP, HE SAID HE KILLED THEM!"
He was pointing at Black, who shook his head slowly, the sunken eyes were suddenly over bright.
"Harry.... I as good as killed them," he croaked. "I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last minute, persuaded them to use Peter as their Secret Keeper instead of me... I'm to blame, I know it... the night they died, I'd arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, he was gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. It didn't feel right. I was scared. I set out for your parents' house straight away. And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies... I realised what Peter must have done. What I'd done."
His voice broke. He turned away.
"Enough of this," said Lupin, and there was a steely note in his voice Harry had never heard before. "There's one certain way to prove what really happened. Ron, give me that rat."
"What are you going to do with him if I give him to you?" Ron asked Lupin tensely.
"Force him to show himself," said Lupin. "If he really is a rat, it won't harm him."
Ron hesitated, then after a few tense seconds handed the rat over to Lupin. Scabbers began to squeak without stopping, twisting and turning, his tiny black eyes bulging in his head.
"Ready Sirius?" said Lupin.
Black approached Lupin and the struggling rat, and his wet eyes seemed to be burning in his face.
"Together?" he said quietly.
"I think so," replied Lupin softly, holding Scabbers tightly in one hand and his wand in the other. "On the count of three then. One... Two.... THREE!"
They both pointed their wands and then a bright blue light shone about the room.
The rat froze and then slowly it hit the floor. There was a white blinding flash of light and then....
It was like everything sped up, a head was shooting upwards from the ground, limbs were next to sprout out, and before you know it, there stood a balding man, wringing his hands.
Crookshanks was spitting and snarling at the man from the bed, the hair on his back standing on end.
He was a very short man, hardly much taller than Harry and Hermione. His thin, colourless hair was a mess and there was a large bald patch on top. He was short, fat and had rat like features.
Next moment, the door came bursting open and Professor Snape came storming in wand raised.
"Surprise, surprise. You three, again," drawled Snape.
Lupin put his hands in the air, as if to say I'm innocent. "You've got it wrong, Severus."
"Spill," said Snape in a sneer.
With Sirius and Blacks wands pointed at Peter, they retold Snape the story.
Snape turned his wand towards Peter and shouted "Desisto Mutatio", "Incarcerous", "Silencio". Peter was now tied up, silenced and stuck being a man.
"He's not going no where now!" said Snape angrily.
With a flick of his wand, he produced his Patronus, spoke quietly too it and then sent it off.
Snape's doe Patronus swept away through the wall.