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Chapter Ten

Maria suppressed a chuckle and pointed her wand at Snape's back. Grinning maliciously, she stunned the Potions Master, then quickly cast another spell, one she simply referred to as the puppet spell. It worked in a similar manner to the Imperious Curse, but it could only really be used on an unconscious person, as it controlled the body, but not the mind. That allowed her to use it in good conscience, even if it did make things slightly inconvenient from time to time. In this case however, everything was fine. Nobody could see her, and while some of the wolfsbane potion had spilled, the majority was still in the cup. Not that it mattered anyway, seeing how she had a spare flask full of the stuff which she planned on giving Lupin, but at least she hadn't made a mess. It was fairly late in the evening, so she was confident that nobody would notice that Snape was walking around with his eyes closed.

Maria knew that Snape was a good man. Past experiences and Dear had hammered this into her multiple times. All the same, some petty part of her refused to let all of the past go. Maybe it was her mind's way of reminding her of her origins, making it so she always had the urge to mess with Snape whenever she met him outside of combat. Considering some other aspects of her past, she figured it was better than some other impulses her brain could have given her. It was certainly better than what Dear would have given her. She carefully maneuvered the man into an out of the way classroom and propped him up against the desk. Glancing side to side to make sure nothing was amiss, she quickly wiped his memory of the last few seconds, then replaced it with an alternate memory. When he came to, he'd remember trying to deliver the potion to Lupin, but his 'rightful' concern about Sirius not having been found yet had caused him to go into the wrong classroom, and then he'd tripped on a desk leg and fallen over, at which point he'd managed to contact her and give her instructions before passing out. Nodding, she rolled him over, wincing as the potion spilled out over the ground, then shrugged and left, confident that she'd prevented that particular snag from the upcoming confrontation.

At the same time

Sirius sighed heavily. On the one hand, things were going better than he'd ever imagined. Remus had immediately grasped the situation and hugged him like a brother. And while Harry, Ron, and Hermione were certainly surprised, the information Maria had given Harry, which Harry had relayed to his friends, had made it so that they weren't horrified. At the very least, they were willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and not assume Sirius was evil and out to kill Harry. The problem, as it always was, was Peter. In this case, the particular problem was convincing the three students that 'Scabbers' was, in fact, Peter. He would have thought that the rat's obvious panic, despite the fact that there wasn't a cat or anything else that would frighten a normal rat, was evidence enough, but there you go. He briefly wondered how exactly the Weasley twins Maria had told him about had never noticed that the map was indicating that a wizard named Peter Pettigrew was sharing their little brother's bed, then dismissed the thought. Peter had been there when the map was created, it wouldn't be surprising to learn that he'd discovered a way to subvert it that he'd forgotten to apply in his panic.

"You're mental!" Ron snapped, glaring at the two of adults in the shack.

"You need new material Ron." Remus said, sounding slightly amused, if tired. "That's the third time you've said that."

"Well, it's true!" Ron said defensively. At least the boy was holding tightly onto Peter's tail, preventing the cowardly traitor from running away.

"You still don't believe us? Even after I explained the whole thing to you?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The only thing you told us was that you broke the law, but everybody at risk, betrayed Dumbledore's trust, and almost killed Professor Snape." Hermione pointed out. "And even if all that is true, we still don't have any reason to believe you." Harry, for his part, remained silent, mulling everything over. Realizing his mistake, Sirius snapped his fingers.

"Of course! How stupid of me." He said. "Here, let me offer you proof." He climbed off of the bed, closed his eyes, and turned into a dog and back again. "That proof enough?" He asked, smiling. Hermione paused, glancing at Ron, who looked shocked, and Harry, who looked convinced, and quickly rallied.

"It proves that you're an animagus, but it doesn't mean that Peter is…was one too." Sirius resisted the urge to groan, and opened his mouth to fire off a retort, but someone else beat him to it.

"You know Hermione, there's a point where logic stops being an asset and becomes a hindrance." Maria said, amused, as she pulled the invisibility cloak off. Everyone, even Sirius who knew that Maria would try to make an 'entrance', jumped at her sudden and unexpected appearance. Maria grinned at the looks on their faces and tossed Harry the cloak. "You really need to stop leaving that thing lying around." She told him with mock severity. "I mean, seriously. After the Norbert fiasco, you'd think you'd have learned your lesson." She then turned to Hermione, taking advantage of everyone's surprise. "I meant what I said Hermione. You're overthinking this."

"Maria?" Remus asked, the first besides Sirius to regain his voice. "What are you doing here?" Maria shrugged, then pulled out a red hip flask, distinctly different from the one she kept her medicine in, and handed it over to her fellow professor.

"Snape was too busy to bother delivering your potion, and he asked me to bring it to you. When I arrived at your office, I saw that you were gone, but the map on your desk told me everything I needed to know. I poured the potion into a hip flask and headed after you."

"Wait, you knew the whole time?" Harry demanded, staring at her. Maria sighed.

"I suspected. I didn't find out about everything for sure until Easter break or so." She told him wearily. "Like I told you, there were several things that were…off about Sirius' case, so, when I found him on one of my strolls around the grounds, I was more inclined to listen to him then turn him in. I hid him, fed him, and convinced him not to break into the castle to try and kill Peter. I'm still not sure how you were planning on doing that by the way." She said, turning to look at Sirius. "Seriously, you're a huge dog." Sirius grinned.

"Nobody questions a dog that looks like it know what it's doing." He said. Maria rolled her eyes and moved on.

"So yeah, the way I see it, Scabbers is most likely Peter. Mind if we test?" She asked. Ron looked at her warily, though he seemed more willing now that he realized that two non Snape teachers were in on this.

"What are you going to do?" He asked, looking first at Maria, then at Remus.

"It's a simple charm." Remus assured him, taking back control of the situation. "If it works, it'll force him back into his human form. If not, then it won't hurt him in the slightest. The light it creates might disturb him, but that's it." Ron stared at the three adults, then at his two friends. Hermione shrugged helplessly, her natural trust of teachers combating her disdain for rule breakers. Harry, on the other hand, nodded. He trusted Maria and Remus completely, and he was willing to give Sirius the benefit of the doubt. The man certainly didn't seem mad or violent. He'd been surprisingly nice about the whole thing when he wasn't talking about Peter, even if he'd been a bit exasperated at times, and had seemed to be a genuinely good man. Ron nodded, and carefully handed Scabbers over to Remus, who cupped his hands, holding the rat firmly.

"Care to do the honors?" He asked Sirius, curious as to where his old friend had gotten a wand. He pushed that thought aside as Sirius nodded, grinning ferally, and pressed his wand against the struggling rat's head. A second later there was burst of blue light, and Remus quickly stepped back as a small man appeared on the ground of the shack.

"S—Sirius… R—Remus…" Peter said slowly, his eyes darting around. "My friends…my old friends." Sirius' wand arm twitched, Remus stopped him, placing a hand on his arm. To Sirius' surprise, Maria didn't say anything. All her attention was focused on Pettigrew, but her face was blank, an emotionless mask that frankly disturbed him a little.

"Satisfied?" Maria asked the three teens, all of whom nodded dumbly, speechless. "Good. Care to tell your 'old friend' how this is going to go Professor?" Remus stared at her, startled, then nodded.

"Peter, please do not insult my intelligence by claiming to be innocent. No innocent man would spend twelve years as a rat, especially not when his only 'enemy' is safely in Azkaban and you have easy access to Dumbledore. Moreover, I consider Maria and Sirius to be two of the smartest people I know. If they are convinced of your guilt, then I have no doubt that you are, in fact, guilty. So, here is what's about to happen. They're going to take you back to the castle, and you will confess everything to Dumbledore. He will, undoubtedly, summon the Minister, and, after that, Sirius will be pardoned and you will go to Azkaban." Maria snorted at that last part, but said nothing. Lupin gave her a weird look, but then focused back on Peter when the other man let out a small moan.

"Az….Azkaban? But that means the Dem…Dementors." Sirius nodded, the grin still on his face.

"Indeed it does Peter. Indeed it does." He said, gesturing with his wand. "Now, stand still and let me tie you up." Peter backed away, and started to shrink.

"No!" Maria spat, hitting him in the back with a stunner. Harry looked over at her, about to voice his thanks for her quick action, but stopped. For a split second her face had been twisted into a mask of pure hatred towards Peter. He'd never seen so much hatred on a person's face, even Snape's. "I don't believe in second chances." Maria said softly in response to Harry's stare. She pulled out the Marauder's Map and checked it, then gulped. "Professor, I'm afraid this is where we must part ways." She said, nodding towards Remus, who nodded. "Sirius, do you think you can manage a Patronus?" She asked, casting a cheering charm on herself. Sirius looked over at Harry, then nodded. "Harry, same question." Harry looked at his godfather, realized that he'd never have to go back to the Dursleys' and nodded. "Alright, good. The Dementors have noticed Sirius' presence, and they probably realize that you three aren't technically supposed to be here. So, here's the plan. I'll go ahead, since my Patronus is the largest and can do the most. Harry, you'll go after me. We'll need our Patronuses to circle around us. Hermione and Ron, we'll need you to carry Pettigrew so Sirius won't be accused of modifying his memory. Sirius, I want your Patronus to focus on protecting the three…well, four, of you. Once we get to the school though, I'm going to need you to turn into a dog, just in case. Everybody got that?" They all nodded, and Maria smiled grimly, then turned around and took a deep breath. "Let's go." She said grimly.

"Expecto Patronum!" Maria, Harry, and Sirius called out simultaneously. A second later, an elephant and a stag strode down the hallway out of the Shack, followed closely by Harry and Maria. Sirius' wolf patronus began circling around the other four and they followed Harry and Maria out, Hermione and Ron holding Peter as they walked. As expected, the Dementors fell on them the minute they exited the shack, but the patronuses kept them at bay.

"You will leave." Maria ordered, remaining surprisingly firm on her feet. "I am a teacher at this school, and the shack is the property of the school. No rule has been broken, and we will be missed." The Dementor that seemed to be in the lead pointed at Sirius. "We are taking him to Professor Dumbledore now." Maria growled. "You will not interfere." The Dementor stayed very still, still pointing at Sirius. "You will have a meal soon enough, but not now. Or do you really wish to be on the receiving end of the wrath of Dumbledore again?" The Dementors stared at Maria in silence, then turned around as one and left.

"Impressive." Sirius said as they continued on their way.

"Thank you." Maria said, nodding in acknowledgement of the complement. The Dementors did not bother them again, and they were able to reach the front doors of Hogwarts relatively quickly. "Alright Sirius, we're clear." Maria said, checking the Marauder's Map and dispelling her patronus. Sirius nodded, dispelled his own patronus (as did Harry) and turned into a dog. "Good. Now, let's go." Maria said after making sure that everything was good. As they made their way through the castle however, Maria came to a stop and turned around, looking sheepish. "Sorry you two, I'm an idiot." She told Ron and Hermione, pulling out her wand and pointing it at Peter. The two teens let out a sigh of relief as the man was lifted into the air, out of their arms. "I'm sorry; I get a little scatterbrained sometimes." Maria apologized again, and they resumed their journey. They soon reached Dumbledore's office, but Maria just stood there, frowning and bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet.

"You do know the password, don't you?" Harry asked somewhat nervously after almost a full minute of this.

"What? Oh yeah." Maria assured him. "I'm just trying to figure out how to maneuver Peter through here." She paused, and then shrugged. "Oh well, nothing for it. It's not like he'll be in any state to whine about a few bruises and lumps once this over. Jelly Babies." The gargoyle jumped to the side, and they hurried up the stairs, Maria being somewhat careful with Peter. She wasn't too concerned about hitting his head and bruising him, but she didn't want to kill him either. Fortunately, no marks had appeared on her arms, so she figured she'd be okay.

"Miss Evans?" Dumbledore asked, sounding surprised as the small group entered his office. He opened his mouth, probably to ask what the three students and a dog where doing with her, when he noticed Peter floating above Maria's head like some sort of bizarre balloon. "Is that…Peter Pettigrew?" He asked, sounding even more surprised.

"Indeed it is." Maria said, smiling. "And he has quite the story to tell. Do you happen to have any Veritaserum, or do you think you can get the truth out of him without it?" Dumbledore considered her for a moment.

"I believe that I can get the truth from Mr. Pettigrew, but perhaps you should get some when you return these students to the Gryffindor Common Room, just in case." Maria nodded.

"Come along Ron, Hermione." She said, turning and walking for the door. The two she'd indicated followed her, while Harry stayed where he was.

"You should go as well Harry." Dumbledore prompted.

"I'd like to stay Professor." Harry said respectfully, glancing at Sirius, who was still in dog form.

"It will be a long night." Dumbledore said in way of warning.

"I'm already awake Professor, and I've already finished all of my exams." Harry said, his voice still respectful, but also determined.

"…Very well." Dumbledore said after a moment's pause, conjuring up a large armchair, which Harry sunk into, nodding his thanks to Dumbledore as Sirius sat at his feet, his tail wagging. Maria smiled and left the office, Hermione and Ron close behind.

Ten minutes later

Maria returned to Dumbledore's office to find Harry and Sirius in the exact same position, Dumbledore standing in front of his desk, Peter crouching on the ground looking terrified, and a bewildered Fudge and two aurors standing off to the side, watching the whole thing. "Here you are Professor." She said, handing the potion over to Dumbledore.

"Thank you Miss Evans. If you would be so kind?" She nodded, and the together they forced the Veritaserum down Peter's mouth. Once he was certain Peter had taken all the potion, Dumbledore began asking questions. "Are you really Peter Pettigrew?"

"Yes."

"Who betrayed Lily and James Potter to Lord Voldemort?"

"I did."

"And how did you accomplish such a feat?"

"I was their Secret Keeper."

"Not Sirius Black?"

"No."

"Why didn't Lily and James inform anyone of the switch?"

"It was felt that that would be the safest course of action, that nobody would suspect me of being the Secret Keeper."

"And how did you escape capture for so long?"

"I turned into a rat and hid, becoming the pet of a wizarding family."

"Who killed those Muggles on the day you faked your death?"

"I did." Dumbledore nodded, and then turned to Fudge.

"I believe that answers all your questions Cornelius, unless you can think of any more." The Minister of Magic shook his head, rapidly twirling his bowler hat and looking very distressed.

"No no, it's quite alright. This is going to be a disaster though…once that Skeeter woman gets a hold of this…the Daily Prophet will have a field day." He muttered, staring into space.

"Actually sir, there are two things you can do that, if you do them immediately, will allow you to come out on top." Maria said gently. Fudge turned to her. Normally he'd never take advice from someone so young, but he was desperate. Moreover, Dumbledore clearly trusted her, and trusting Dumbledore was deeply ingrained in his own psyche.

"And what is that young lady? I assure you, any advice would be greatly appreciated."

"First off, apologize." Maria told him. "Hold a press conference and personally release all the relevant information, and then acknowledge that the Ministry made a mistake. Emphasize that it was made while the war was on going, but don't act as though you're trying to make excuses. In addition, pardon Sirius Black of all charges and offer him reparations for time served unjustly. It should be equal or greater than the value of his bounty. Make it clear that you realize you made a serious error, and that you're very contrite about the whole thing, as well as pointing out that you did indeed catch the true culprit. If you need a scapegoat, I'd recommend Barty Crouch. The press already distrusts him, and he really is the reason that Sirius didn't receive a trial, so you'll come off as a man telling the truth." Fudge nodded eagerly. His politician's brain had assessed the whole plan and found the whole thing very appealing.

"And the second thing?" He asked. Maria glanced at Peter.

"Now that you've found the true culprit, the press will be howling for blood. Moreover, Mr. Pettigrew has proven to be a serious escape risk. I think it'd be better for everyone concerned if he met the Dementors tonight."

"But…he hasn't received a trial yet. Wouldn't the press attack me for doing that?" Fudge asked, concerned. Maria shook her head.

"He has already confessed his crimes in front of you, two aurors, and Professor Dumbledore. Should there be any doubt, you can easily assuage their fears by allowing them access to a pensieve and one of your memories. Besides, he lived as a rat for twelve years. Most people will see that as a big enough admission of guilt." Fudge nodded.

"Do…do you have any objections Albus?" He asked Dumbledore. The Headmaster frowned; staring intently at Maria, then shook his head slowly.

"Just keep the Dementors out of the school Cornelius." He said, sounding tired. Fudge nodded, and the two aurors grabbed Peter and dragged him out of the office. Dumbledore sighed and walked around the desk to his chair and sat down heavily.

"I believe that, for the time being, we will have to call this a night. However, I would like to speak to all three of you tomorrow." He said, looking at Harry, Sirius, and Maria, his eyes lingering on her.

"Of course." Maria said, nodding. "Come along Harry, Sirius." Maria said, leading the other two out of the office.

Author's Notes

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