The silence in the hall was deafening. No one dared to move. While most of the students had no idea what was going on, or why Harry had just bolted like a bat out of hell to capture the fat little rat at the end of the hall, they all understood that whatever it was, whatever Harry's reasons were, they were massive…life-altering…and most of all, dangerous. So everyone was frozen, watching, waiting, for someone to make a move.

Harry was still standing exactly where he had been when he had captured Wormtail, his breathing deep, uneven, and ragged. He was gripping the rat so tightly that one would think he would die if he let go. And inside, that was exactly how Harry felt. His mind was reeling, spinning, turning. So many thoughts and facts were flying through his head that Harry felt dizzy, like he was tumbling through thin air into an unreal universe. And then all of a sudden, his haze cleared and he was left with one thought: Sirius would be free.

This realization immediately stimulated hatred and rage in Harry that he never knew he possessed. A rage at himself, at Wormtail, at fate. Ever since Harry met his godfather, all he had wanted was for Sirius to be free, and to go live with him. Sirius' pass to freedom, Harry's pass to happiness, was Wormtail. That pass was resting in Harry's hand. But there was no one to free. No one to go live with. No one to be Harry's family. Sirius had died. Harry had seen him fall, and furthermore, Harry had been the reason Sirius had fallen. Harry hated himself for being stupid enough to fall for Voldemort's trick. Harry hated Wormtail for being a murderous, deceitful little traitor. And Harry hated Sirius for leaving him all alone. Harry was instantly ashamed of himself the minute that thought crossed through his mind, and feeling the sudden need to do something to break this painful torrent of thoughts, he slowly raised his eyes to look up at the staff table. And when he did, the emotion visible in those emerald orbs was enough to knock anyone senseless.

And for a moment, everyone was senseless. Albus and Harry locked eyes, and through the anger, the joy, the regret, and the unbelievable grief in those eyes, Albus understood what Harry wanted.

Albus broke their gaze and looked out to the sea of students. Their faces were painted with confusion, fear, and curiosity. Albus raised his voice, breaking the oppressive silence, and said, "Prefects, will you please lead your housemates back to the dormitories. We will inform you of any necessities in the morning. Thank you."

As soon as Dumbledore finished speaking the hall erupted into hushed whispers and movement. People were hurrying out of the Great Hall, the first years following the prefects with wide eyes. Throughout the slight chaos that had sprung up, Harry was still standing rooted to the spot, having not moved an inch since his fingers closed around Wormtail.

Sirius, exactly like Harry, was standing frozen in the same position he had been in when he first saw what Harry had captured. When Harry had leapt up, aiming his wand at an invisible target at the other end of the hall, Sirius' heart had climbed up into his throat in fear for his godsons safety. He knew that whatever it was that had put Harry into such a panic had to be big. He had just decided to jump over the staff table and rush to his godsons aid when Harry had yelled for everyone to pick up their feet, and as soon as he saw that lying, cheating, disgusting, miserable rat cowering under the Gryffindor table, he frozen in shock and rage. Now, he was stunned. He had the same reaction Harry did, so many thoughts were flying through his head he was unable to identify them all. He became vaguely aware of someone putting their hand on his shoulder, shaking him slightly and calling his name. He ignored it, until the shaking grew more urgent and he heard someone beside him say quietly but fiercely, "SIRIUS! Snap out of it, mate!"

Sirius jerked and looked around at Remus who was looking at him with concerned and excited eyes. He then looked around him and gave a small start of surprise when he realized that the Great Hall was now empty except for the professors, who were all still standing at the staff table, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Ron and Hermione were standing together of to the side of the Great Hall up near the staff table- Sirius could see them out of the corner of his eye. "Remus…" he whispered. His gaze, however, was focused completely on Harry, who still hadn't moved.

"Remus, why isn't he moving?" he murmured quietly, immediately thinking that Harry had possibly gotten hurt without him knowing it. "He's not hurt, is he? I'll kill him, Remus, I'll kill him…. Oh Harry… the stupid traitor… filthy rat…" Sirius had asked one coherent question about Harry's well-being before his thoughts were jumbled, and he was muttering under his breath with rage burning in his eyes. However, when Dumbledore spoke, his muttering stopped, and he paid complete attention to his surroundings, every muscle in his body tense with anticipation, worry, and anger.

"Harry?" Albus asked quietly but firmly. He got no response. "Harry?" He asked a little louder this time. Still no response. Just as Albus was about to open his mouth to ask again, Snape beat him to it and said harshly, "POTTER! Has capturing Pettigrew somehow affected your hearing, or are you just too dimwitted to find a suitable answer for the Headmaster?"

At this all eyes, including Harry's snapped over to look at Snape. Ron had taken a step forward and was being held back by Hermione, who was frantically whispering in his ear. Minerva, Sirius, and Remus all had looks of fury and disgust on their faces and Remus' hand had tightened on Sirius' shoulder as a silent warning not to do anything stupid. Harry, however, was looking at him calmly and as cool as a cucumber, which only proved to infuriate Snape, but not before Dumbledore noticed the small look of triumph and satisfaction in his eyes.

Harry's level and controlled voice brought everyone's attention back to him. "As much as you like to entertain the concept of my… lack of intelligence, I can assure you that I am not dim-witted." Harry replied with confidence and mocking respect. He continued, "As much as I would love to continue this charming conversation with you, I have more pressing matters to attend to."

With that he walked up to the head table and stood directly in front of Dumbledore. He looked into his eyes and then extended his hand, as if to drop the rat on the table, but stopped. His arm hovered in mid air, extended towards Dumbledore, tightly gripping Wormtail. Harry noticed that it was shaking, but when it had begun to shake, he had no idea.

As soon as Harry hesitated Remus knew what was going through his head. The last time Harry had let Wormtail go, he had gotten away. The last time Harry had decided not to kill him, but to turn him in instead, he had slipped through their fingers and played a major role in bringing Voldemort back. Remus could see Harry's eyes darting back and forth as he played over the two sides in his head, debating with himself what his course of action should be. Remus, throwing back the rage that was threatening to overtake him, and forced thoughts of killing Wormtail himself out of his mind and thought logically; willing Harry to make the right decision. Come on, Harry. We have him this time, we'll turn him in. He'll go on trial, and go to Azkaban. Sirius will be free. You can do it, Harry, come on…

Harry's arm moved slightly back towards him, as if he were going to pull the rat away from Dumbledore and towards his wand. Remus heard Sirius suck in a breath beside him, and knew that Sirius was thinking the same thing he was. Harry would never be able to live with himself if he killed Wormtail. But then Harry shoved his arm out purposefully and although it was still shaking, he opened all his fingers in a swift movement and dropped the rat on the table. All the professors let out a collective sigh of relief, and Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath to regain control of his emotions.

When he opened his eyes again, the uncontrollable shaking that had taken over his body had stopped, and his eyes were masked so that no emotion leaked through. He held his head high and spoke with a steady voice, "Professor Dumbledore, can you conjure a cage for him?"

"Yes, Harry, I believe I can." Dumbledore responded with a noticeable hint of glee in his voice. He raised his wand and muttered a few words and a strong looking metal cage appeared in front of him. He opened it then picked up and proceeded to put several spells on him and the cage before finally placing the rat inside and locking the door. "I put some spells on the cage to make sure there is no possible way for Mr. Pettigrew to escape, and I also put a spell on Mr. Pettigrew himself to keep him from transforming until his trial." Here, Dumbledore paused and regarded him thoughtfully before asking, "You DO want him to have a trial, am I correct, Mr. Potter?"

Harry looked at Wormtail with determination and said, "Yes." He raised his gaze and his eyes met Dumbledore's squarely and continued, "I want my godfather free by the end of the week."

And Sirius felt something explode inside him as he thought he would burst with joy, and two identical grins appeared on Sirius' and Remus' faces.