Chapter 7
Christina walked into Dumbledore's office and frowned when all the professors were in the office as well. From Professor Binns to Professor Snape. Professor McGonagall gave the young lady a smile and gestured for her to walk toward her "uncle".
"You do realize, Ms. Dumbledore," Professor Snape spoke, "that if your wrong about this crazy theory of yours that you are in a lot of trouble for being out of bed this late and making us all get up."
"Hey, I didn't get you up, I just got him up," she looked over at Professor Lupin. "Besides, I'm willing to take this risk if it means setting free a man who was wrongly condemned."
"Headmaster," Snape sighed, "she wasn't even old enough to remember any of this when it happened. Are you seriously going to indulge this?"
Professor Dumbledore looked down at her with a kind knowing smile, "She is my niece, Severus, remember? The last few months, according to much of the staff, she has been quite busy in the library researching something that hasn't had anything to do with school. If a student is that committed then I believe we should give her a chance. Please, my dear, continue."
She took in a deep breath and set the cage down on the headmaster's desk, "When I open the cage could you levitate the…rat so he doesn't escape while I attempt to perform the spell?"
"Attempt?" Professor Snape sneered. "You have never performed the spell before? How do you know its, Pettigrew?"
Christina turned to the Professor and glared, "When we last really spoke, sir, you didn't seem to be too against the idea. I believe you said that you couldn't believe that Sirius actually did it! You said my theory was crazy on trying to prove it! Now! No disrespect to you sir, but I am going to make this right!"
"I would listen to her, Severus," Dumbledore told him with a proud smile.
"Please dear," McGonagall spoke. "continue, and I will help if you need it."
"Thank you," Chris smiled before returning to look at the cage. She unlatched it and watched as the headmaster let the rat float into the air. For a moment she closed her eyes, This has to work, she told herself, the universe brought me here for a reason, this has to work. She took in a deep breath and pointed her wand at the rat as she spoke, "Vicissitudo tergum!"
The rat began to shift and form slowly while it let out an uncomfortable squeak. Chris took a step back as the rat's hands began to grow into human hands and his body grew massively. The last thing to change was his hideous head into a man's head. Before them floated a pudgy grimy looking man. His eyes widened and at first nothing was said. Christina crossed her arms over her chest and looked over at Snape, "Told you so," before looking back at the rat.
"Oh thank goodness!" the small pudgy man spoke. "Professor Dumbledore! You have come to save me from being trapped as a rat!"
"Don't try and weasel your way out of this, Peter," Professor Lupin spat darkly behind him.
"Remus!" Peter attempted to look happy to see his friend. "Old friend! I never thought I would see you again!"
"I will alert the Minister, Headmaster," McGonagall spoke before quickly heading off.
"Thank you Minerva," Dumbledore nodded before looking over at Snape. "Get him tied up until we can figure out the best action to be taken. Remus, I believe you and Christina had better go wake up Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter."
"When you say Weasley you mean Ron right?" Chris asked.
A smile crossed over the old man's face and he nodded, "Yes, my dear. Now you had better get a move on. Harry needs to know the truth of what occurred the night his parents died. I fear he may know the wrong version."
XxXxX
"How did you know?" Professor Lupin asked as the two of them walked toward the Gryffindor tower.
Christina looked at the older man and sighed, "I can't tell you. It's difficult to explain period."
"But you knew, about his Animagis form," Remus insisted. "You knew the name that we gave him in school, Wormtail. None of us even knew that Peter had been James and Lilly's Secret Keeper…"
"And you didn't did you until now? I didn't even have to tell you that, sir," she reminded him. "You figure that out on your own. When it happened, did you even think Sirius had done it?"
A look of displeasure crossed his face, "Before it happened… Sirius thought I could be a traitor, he didn't trust me because of the assignments I had been sent on… So in turn I stopped trusting him… I should have known. We were the best of friends in school, before you-know-who began to really terrorize our world nothing could have ripped us apart. But then all that secret keeping… I just assumed Sirius had been assigned their secret keeper… I never thought of Peter…"
"And that's probably why he chose to make Lilly and James make Peter their Keeper," she whispered. "But what no one knew was Peter had become a traitor, a spy. Imagine how it would have been if Sirius had been the Secret Keeper. They might still be alive today."
The professor paused in front of the portrait of the fat lady, his eyes closed, "I was such a fool. I was alone for so long, all my friends thought dead or in prison… If I had only seen…"
Christina turned and looked at her teacher, "No one knew, Professor. Only Sirius knew that secret and if he told anyone they wouldn't believe him. As far as they knew, by how the evidence pointed, he had done it. Now we're fixing it, we'll make good. You'll see."
"Lilly would have liked you," Remus chuckled after Christina gave the password and they walked into the common room. "You are so much like her, kind, smart, a knack for finding out things that no one knows."
"Just like your secret?" she asked.
He completely froze, "You've… You've known? How?"
"Well the signs are obvious to those forced to review were-wolves, and well," she smirked. "Same way I knew about Pettigrew and I can't tell you."
He nodded, "It never bothered you that I was…?"
"Never thought twice about it except when Professor Snape subbed for you," she assured him. "Now come on. We have to explain the truth to Harry and tell Ron his rat was a double crossing no good bastard."
"Language," he warned.
"You would say it too."
XxXxX
Christina sat outside of the Headmaster's office while Harry, Ron, the Minister, Remus, and Dumbledore all sat inside talking. She wanted to go get Sirius, she wanted to tell him that his name had been officially cleared now that the Minister had seen Pettigrew with his own eyes. The young woman pulled her knees toward her chest as she stared at the ground. It was nearly six in the morning and her lack of sleep was beginning to catch up to her, "Why does all the important stuff happen at night?" she asked herself out loud. "Oh, that's right, the bad only wonder at night," she rolled her eyes at herself. "And now I'm talking to myself….wonderful."
The young woman instantly stood when Harry walked out with Ron. Professor Dumbledore was right behind them, "Now all we have to do is find my Godfather," Harry spoke looking back at the Headmaster.
Dumbledore looked at Christina, "Would you happen to know where to look?"
Chris bit her bottom lip and nodded her head slowly, "Yes sir, I do… Has the Minister cleared his name yet?"
"Yes he has, and he is having some special arrangements made to…ehem….apologize for such a horrible mix up, also has called the Daily Prophet to have the story written straight away," Dumbledore sighed. He seemed to be hiding something but Christina chose to worry about it later.
"If you could wait here I'll go get him," Christina offered.
"Wonderful," Albus smiled. "Now hurry off, young lady. I will keep Harry and Ron here until you arrive with him."
XxXxX
"Sirius?" she called gently as she walked into the shrieking shack. Her eyes peered from one way to the next until she made her way up to the bedroom. "Sirius," she smiled when she caught sight of him. He was asleep rather unceremoniously on the bed.
Christina crept over and sat next to his sleeping form, "Sirius," she whispered while gently touching his shoulder. He didn't move, just let out a snort and rolled his head. A small smile appeared over her face and she leaned down as if to whisper in his ear, "SIRIUS!" she screamed.
The man suddenly jumped and fell off the side of the bed, sending Christina with him, "Bloody hell woman!" Sirius griped. "You never do that! You rouse a man gently from his sleep, not jerk him from his sleep. Could have killed me."
She tilted her head to the side, "Your just paranoid buddy boy. I have good news."
His eyes lit up, "Peter is…?"
"Under custody as we speak and your name has been cleared. Professor Dumbledore would like to see you. Harry is waiting for you too," she told him, a small tear had managed to escape from his eyes. "Come on," she grabbed his hand and stood up.
He nodded his head and they were both off, their hands still intertwined.
XxXxX
The moment they made it to the Headmaster's office their hands dropped, both realizing they had been holding hands the entire way over. Somehow they managed to miss the students. Christina wasn't sure how but she wasn't about to ask. Taking in a deep breath she knocked on the office door then slowly opened it. The moment the door was fully open there was a flash in her face and she fell back into Sirius's arms. A camera had gone off, taking a picture of both of them.
"Oh!" a very nauseating voice spoke. Before them stood a very obnoxious looking woman with a bright green outfit, bright blond hair, and one of those quick notes quills. " You must be the Headmaster's niece, Christina Dumbledore?"
"Yeah," she answered slowly, not even glancing at the hand the woman had offered her, "Rita Skeeter, right?"
"Oh, so you've heard of me?"
"Unfortunately," Sirius growled as he moved in front of Christina. Chris's face reddened slightly at how protective he was being. "Professor Dumbledore, could I ask her to leave, now?"
"Yes, you may Sirius. We were just finishing up an interview with the Minister, weren't we Miss Skeeter?" the headmaster asked.
Rita looked at the two had just entered and a smile crossed her lips, "Of course, Professor. I believe the public would love to know about this…interesting development."
Christina glared at the woman as she left before turning back to the look around the room. Ron was standing next to Harry who was staring at his Godfather in an uncertain manner, "I wonder," Professor Dumbledore spoke, "if you would come with me for a moment, Minister? I would like to talk to you about the case of the Hippogriff Hagrid has the Mr. Malfoy has set a complaint against? Christina would you care to join us?"
"Could she stay?" Sirius asked. "It might help to have her around to explain everything to Harry…to explain what he doesn't know…"
"Of course son," Dumbledore nodded. "This way Minister."
As soon as they left a long moment of silence passed between the four. Christina finally gave a sigh and pushed Sirius toward Harry, "I believe you have something to say to him don't you?"
Sirius looked at her, unsure if he should say it, "What if…"
"You said you wanted to if you got the chance, now's your chance, do it or I'll tell him you and James were lovers," she warned. "Talked about him as if you were."
Sirius gave her a face, "Not helping."
"Then I'll ask," she smirked. "It won't be as endearing from me though."
"fine," Sirius took in a deep breath and looked back at Harry. "I don't know if you know, Harry, but when you were born, James and Lily made me your godfather…" he paused, collecting the right words.
"I know," Harry assured him, he was watching him with anticipation.
The older man took in another deep breath, "And, well, I'll understand if you choose to stay with your aunt and uncle," Chris made a noise that sounded between a laugh and a cough, "but, so you know, you could-"
"When?!" Harry jumped at the chance. "Come live with you?!"
A smile crossed the man's face. Christina felt in awe of the smile, it was his first real smile in such a long time, "Well since my name has been cleared, as soon as your next term ends. You can come spend Christmas with me if you like. I won't have much…but…"
"Yes!" Harry cheered before suddenly throwing himself at his Godfather and giving him a hug.
Both Ron and Christina smiled at the exchange. Sirius cleared his throat and looked around, "If you wish to bring any friends with you, you can," he insisted. "Ron of course can come."
"Brilliant," Ron smiled while gently punching his best friend in the shoulder.
"Sorry about your rat Ron," Christina spoke up. "I'll get you an owl if you like? Little one, we can name him Pigwidgoon."
They all paused and looked at her.
"What?" she asked. "I just felt bad about making him lose a pet, forget about the part where it was some sleazy pudgy dude."
Sirius got a very serious (ha ha) looking on his face before they turned to see Dumbledore and Minister Fudge walk back in, "Mr. Black," the Minister spoke, "on behalf of the wizarding community I would like to apologize formally for what was wrongfully done to you."
Chris rolled her eyes inwardly and looked over at Sirius who grimly took the man's hand and shook it, "Anything else, Minister?" the man asked attempting to remain calm.
"One more thing," Fudge spoke. "As further apology we have a few…errr… I suppose the word gifts will suffice for now. If would be so kind as to follow me? We will be done by the evening hour and you will be able to spend time with your… God son."
Sirius looked back at Christina then Dumbledore, "Can you come?" he asked her.
"I have class," she pointed out. "I kind of need to go… In fact all three of us need to get down to breakfast or we're going to miss it," she told the boys. "I could do with some coffee myself. We'll see you later, ok?"
He almost looked like a scared teenage boy, "Right… Promise?"
She laughed gently, "Yes, I promise, come on you two."
Note: WOOO!!! Another update, I am on a roll, let me tell you! So much to get to… Ah, good times, let me tell you! Well anyway, hope you enjoyed, next chapters should be good. The time line of the world has been changed but… What will happen the next year…or the next or….well you know.
But review cause it gives me motivation to keep writing! Thanks to those who did last time! Love you guys!
