Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs
It took a few seconds for the absurdity... "You're both mental. "
"I don't think I'd have believed it myself," Arthur admitted.
"Ridiculous!"... not this time, though!"
"You can't murder him in front of the children!" Mrs Weasley cried. She paused, blinked and spoke again, "I mean you shouldn't murder him at all."
And Crookshanks was thrown... we've got to explain -"
"Oui!" Fleur said crossly. "Zat would be a very good idea."
"We can explain afterwards!"... you owe Harry the truth, Sirius!"
"If you'd killed him then Voldemort might not have come back," Harry muttered. A part of him still blamed himself for deciding to take Wormtail to the dementors. Everything might have been different if he didn't.
Black stopped struggling... I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for. . . "
Sirius frowned. "Snape your potion really is extraordinary. If this is what I'd be like almost a year after leaving Azkaban without it."
Severus's face barely changed but his lips curled ever so slightly. "You've also been in Azkaban for a shorter period of time."
"Only a few years," Sirius muttered.
"You're nutters, both of you,"... "A whole street full of them. . . "
"Good lad," Moody said. "You've got good senses. Get straight to the heart of the matter."
"They didn't see... Ron's holding him, Harry. "
"Tell him what did happen then!" young Charlie complained.
Harry looked down at Ron... but why was Lupin playing along with him?
"Don't just presume they're wrong," Moody groaned. "Get the full story out of them first. See what evidence they have."
Then Hermione spoke... Peter Pettigrew had been an Animagus.
"That's presuming everyone keeps the law," Amelia huffed. She was definitely going to put legislation before the Wizagmot to put up anti-animagi wards around key locations after this.
We did Animagi in class with Professor McGonagall... Pettigrew's name wasn't on the list. "
Several people looked confused. Were there really so few?
"Only seven?" Astoria asked, sighing. She'd always wanted to try becoming an animagus but if only seven people had done it in a century it must be even more difficult than she had thought.
Harry had barely had time to marvel inwardly... three unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts."
"I mean it is a little hard to believe," Amelia said. "You were school children."
"If you're going to tell them the story... The bedroom door had opened of its own accord.
"Who's there?" Blaise asked.
All five of them stared at it... "This place is haunted!" said Ron.
"Don't just look around," Tonks groaned. "You're a wizard! Use the human revelio charm."
"It's not,'... The screams and howls the villagers used to hear were made by me. "
"And a couple of other students over the years," Albus said softly. "Not many mind you."
He pushed his graying hair... and if I hadn't been so foolhardy. . . "
"That's not fair," Sirius said. "You shouldn't blame yourself."
He looked sober and tired... She was watching Lupin very intently.
Mrs Granger didn't look very impressed. Why was Hermione allowed to interrupt but not the boys?
"I as a very small boy when I received the bite... wait for the moon to wane again.
Several people glanced at the werewolf. That still didn't sound good. "Is it painful?" Theo asked.
Remus blinked. "Yes. Like every bone in my body is breaking and reforming in a matter of seconds. It's excruciating. I wouldn't wish it on anyone."
"I'm sorry, sir," Theo said. "That sounds awful."
Remus brushed off the concern. "Advances are always being made. Perhaps one day we'll find a cure."
Of course, he didn't say what he actually thought. That it would only happen if the wixen world came to care for people like him. Something he didn't see happening any time soon.
"Before the Wolfsbane Potion was discovered... want their children exposed to me.
No one dared say anything. Even those that disliked werewolves because they'd come to realise that losing Harry's favour might be bad for them.
"But then Dumbledore became Headmaster... stop anyone coming across me while I was dangerous. "
"Wards would probably have been better," Bill grumbled. That tree had no business being on school grounds.
"Or better yet," Rookwood said, "escort him through the floo network to another location entirely."
"We really should have forests designated specifically for werewolves," Harry said. "Where they can go and spend the full moon, safely warded to keep humans out and them in. Then they could run free."
Remus smiled at the young man and was surprised to hear many in the chamber murmur their agreement. He would have expected werewolf rights to be a sticking point. There was an awful lot of prejudice in their world.
Harry couldn't see where this story was going... so I bit and scratched myself instead.
"Did you want to bite people?" Daphne asked, nervously.
"It's so much a desire or want as an instinct," Remus tried to explain. "Humans are our natural prey. A free werewolf that doesn't come across a human will likely wake up with a mouthful of feathers or fur. Small creatures like rabbits and chickens are pretty fair game for a werewolf."
The villagers heard the noise... the villagers don't dare approach it. . . . "
"Well, it wasn't empty the entire time," Albus said. He had to admit he'd quite enjoyed helping those rumours along.
"But apart from my transformations... James Potter. "
"Finally!" Sirius sighed. "You finally acknowledged you were friends with James."
"Now, my three friends... Hermione, worked out the truth. . . . "
"Like we'd ever abandon you," Sirius gruffed.
"And they didn't desert me at all... They became Animagi. "
"Right under my nose," Minerva said, shaking her head.
"Sorry, Minnie," Sirius said cheekily, making the older woman blush.
"My dad too?"... three years to work out how to do it.
"Well, it is very advanced magic!" young Minerva huffed. It wasn't an easy task.
Your father and Sirius here were the cleverest students in the school,
Severus scoffed. They were clever enough he supposed. But he and Lily were the ones competing for the top spot in potions, not to mention Severus had always been one of the best at defense. Charms was Lily's too. He'd admit they were good at transfiguration though.
and lucky they were... Finally, in our fifth year, they managed it.
"FIFTH YEAR?" Minerva looked close to fainting.
They could each turn... they kept me company as animals," said Lupin.
"They didn't?" Young Mrs Weasley couldn't believe her ears.
"A werewolf is only a danger to people... I became less dangerous.
"How is that even possible?" Amos asked, almost eagerly.
"I still don't understand it," Remus said. "I think it was about acceptance. With a pack, the wolf is more docile."
My body was still wolfish, but my mind seemed to become less so while I was with them. "
"Amazing," Tonks said.
"Hurry up, Remus,"... roaming the school grounds
"That was highly irresponsible!" Mrs Weasley said crossly. What if they'd stumbled across a person?
Remus couldn't even look at Albus. The older wizard hadn't said anything but he could just imagine the disappointment he'd see there.
and the village by night... Sirius is Padfoot. Peter is Wormtail. James was Prongs. "
The adults were all looking disapproving but the kids thought the whole thing sounded like some big adventure.
"What sort of animal -?" ... What if you'd given the others the slip, and bitten somebody?"
"Hermione! Harry was talking," Mr Granger said. "While I understand your concern, you can't just talk over people like that."
Hermione grimaced. She hadn't even noticed that she'd done it.
"A thought that still haunts me,"... carried away with our own cleverness. "
Albus sighed. "You were children. Children rarely truly understand the consequences of their actions."
"I sometimes felt guilty about betraying... And I haven't changed. . . "
"You didn't make us become animagi!" Sirius growled. "That was our choice. And it was usually us talking you into the more reckless stuff."
Lupin's face had hardened... and Dumbledore's trust has meant everything to me.
"Remus," Dumbledore said softly, "while your actions were unwise, I don't blame you for them. You were trapped in that house. I should have come up with a better solution."
He let me into Hogwarts as a boy... Snape's been right about me all along. "
Severus frowned. His older self wasn't right. Not really.
"Snape?"... a trick which involved me -"
Sirius grimaced. He didn't want to talk about this again.
Black made a derisive noise... hoping he could get us expelled. . . . "
"I don't think that," Sirius said, looking at Severus, his eyes beseeching.
"Severus was very interested in where I went... didn't like each other very much.
"Understatement," Severus and Sirius said in unison.
He especially disliked James... the Quidditch field. . .
Severus scoffed.
anyway Snape had seen me crossing the grounds... Snape glimpsed me, though, at the end of the tunnel.
The adults all glared at Sirius.
He was forbidden... he knew what I was. . . . "
"I should have been expelled," Sirius said shortly.
"Yes, you probably should have been," Albus said. "But I've always believed in giving people second chances. And Remus should not have to suffer for your actions."
"So that's why Snape doesn't like you,"... his wand pointing directly at Lupin.
"Oh, great," George grumbled. "Just what we need more pre-teen drama from the adults. We're never going to hear the end of this story."
"That's the end of the chapter," Flitwick said.
"How many chapters are left?" Blaise asked eagerly.
"Four more."
"Can we keep reading?" young Theo asked.
"Absolutely not," Mrs Weasley said. "It's time for your potion lesson with Professor Snape."
Ron groaned. "You know he's only going to make us prepare ingredients again."
"Half the work is in good ingredient preparation, Ronald," Hermione retorted.