AN: So sorry for not updating sooner. The one present I did not expect to get this year was a cold. I practically passed out on the couch for a week. It was dreadful. Anyway now that its the new year I should be updating all of my stories more. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.
Hermione POV
I cried silently as Professor Snape held me tightly in his arms. That had hurt! I sniffled and my stomached churned when I noticed the blood all over my hands.
"Well, hello, Peter," Professor Lupin said. I looked up and gasped sharply. They had been telling the truth! A twitchy looking man stood in the middle of the room his eyes darting towards the door. "Long time, no see."
"S - Sirius... R - Remus..." Even Pettigrew's voice was squeaky. Again, his eyes darted toward the door. "My friends... my old friends..."
Black's wand arm rose, but Professor Lupin seized him around the wrist, gave him a warning took, then turned again to Pettigrew, his voice light and casual.
"We've been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night Lily and James died. You might have missed the finer points while you were squeaking around down there on the bed -"
"Remus," gasped Pettigrew, little beads of sweat were gathering on his forehead. "you don't believe him, do you...? He tried to kill me, Remus..."
"So we've heard," said Professor Lupin, more coldly. "I'd like to clear up one or two little matters with you, Peter, if you'll be so -"
"He's come to try and kill me again!" Pettigrew squeaked suddenly, pointing at Black, and I saw that he used his middle finger, because his index was missing. "He killed Lily and James and now he's going to kill me too... You've got to help me, Remus...Severus!"
Black's face looked more skull-like than ever as he stared at Pettigrew with his fathomless eyes.
"No one's going to try and kill you until we've sorted a few things out," said Professor Lupin.
"Sorted things out?" squealed Pettigrew, looking wildly about him once more, eyes taking in the boarded windows and, again the only door. "I knew he'd come after me! I knew he'd be back for me! I've been waiting for this for twelve years!"
"You knew Sirius was going to break out of Azkaban?" said Professor Snape his voice vibrating through my body. It was cold and calculating and Black turned to Professor Snape a strange look on his face. "When nobody has ever done it before?"
"He's got dark powers the rest of us can only dream of!" Pettigrew shouted shrilly. "How else did he get out of there? I suppose He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named taught him a few tricks!"
Black started to laugh, a horrible, mirthless laugh that filled the whole room.
"Voldemort, teach me tricks?" he said.
Pettigrew flinched as though Black had brandished a whip at him. Professor Snape stiffened too but didn't say anything.
"What, scared to hear your old master's name?" said Black. "I don't blame you, Peter. His lot aren't very happy with you, are they?"
"Don't know what you mean, Sirius -" muttered Pettigrew, his breathing faster than ever. His whole face was shining with sweat now.
"You haven't been hiding from me for twelve years," said Black. "You've been hiding from Voldemort's old supporters. I heard things in Azkaban, Peter... They all think you're dead, or you'd have to answer to them... I've heard them screaming all sorts of things in their sleep. Sounds like they think the double-crosser double-crossed them. Voldemort went to the Potters' on your information... and Voldemort met his downfall there. And not all Voldemort's supporters ended up in Azkaban, did they? There are still plenty out here, biding their time, pretending they've seen the error of their ways. If they ever got wind that you were still alive, Peter -"
"Don't know... what you're talking about...," said Pettigrew again, more shrilly than ever. He wiped his face on his sleeve and looked up at Professor Lupin. "You don't believe this - this madness, Remus -"
"I must admit, Peter, I have difficulty in understanding why an innocent man would want to spend twelve years as a rat," said Professor Lupin evenly. He had a good point. My trust in my professor and Mr. Black was slowly growing but I still had some questions. Some things didn't completely add up.
"Innocent, but scared!" squealed Pettigrew. "If Voldemort's supporters were after me, it was because I put one of their best men in Azkaban – the spy, Sirius Black!"
Black's face contorted.
"How dare you," he growled, sounding suddenly like the bearsized dog he had been. "I, a spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than myself? But you, Peter – I'll never understand why I didn't see you were the spy from the start. You always liked big friends who'd look after you, didn't you? It used to be us... me and Remus... and James..."
Pettigrew wiped his face again; he was almost panting for breath. I darted a look at Professor Snape but he was staring at Pettigrew with a hatred he usually reserved for Harry. "Me, a spy... must be out of your mind... never... don't know how you can say such a -"
"Lily and James only made you Secret-Keeper because I suggested it," Black hissed, so venomously that Pettigrew took a step backward. "I thought it was the perfect plan... a bluff... Voldemort would be sure to come after me, would never dream they'd use a weak, talentless thing like you... It must have been the finest moment of your miserable life, telling Voldemort you could hand him the Potters."
Pettigrew was muttering distractedly; I caught words like "far-fetched" and "lunacy," but I couldn't help paying more attention to the ashen color of Pettigrew's face and the way his eyes continued to dart toward the windows and door. He was going to make a break for it the first chance he could. I needed to ask my questions now. Before anything else happened.
"Professor Lupin?" I asked timidly timidly. "Can - can I say something?"
"Certainly, Hermione," said Professor Lupin courteously.
"Well - Scabbers - I mean, this - this man - he's been sleeping in Harry's dormitory for three years. If he's working for You-Know-Who, how come he never tried to hurt Harry before now?" My voice was shaking but I tried to act as brave as I could.
"There!" said Pettigrew shrilly, pointing at Ron with his maimed hand. "Thank you! You see, Remus? I have never hurt a hair of Harry's head! Why should I?"
"I'll tell you why," growled Professor Snape. "Because you never did anything for anyone unless you could see what was in it for you. Voldemort's been in hiding for fifteen years, they say he's half dead. You weren't about to commit murder right under Albus Dumbledore's nose, for a wreck of a wizard who'd lost all of his power, were you? You'd want to be quite sure he was the biggest bully in the playground before you went back to him, wouldn't you? Why else did you find a wizard family to take you in? Keeping an ear out for news, weren't YOU, Peter? Just in case your old protector regained strength, and it was safe to rejoin him..."
Pettigrew opened his mouth and closed it several times paling drastically. He seemed to have lost the ability to talk. I was absolutely shocked. Professor Snape was shaking with barely repressed rage. Where had that come from? I shook my head and thought of another question.
"Er - Mr. Black - Sirius?" I asked timidly.
Mr. Black jumped at being addressed like this and stared at me as though he had never seen anything quite like me. His dark eyes were locked on mine.
"If you don't mind me asking, how - how did you get out of Azkaban, if you didn't use Dark Magic?" I had to ask. It had never been done before! But this shell of a man had escaped.
"Thank you!" gasped Pettigrew, nodding frantically at me. "Exactly! Precisely what I -"
But Professor Lupin silenced him with a look. Mr. Black was frowning slightly at me, but not as though he were annoyed with me like everyone else would be. He seemed to be pondering his answer.
"I don't know how I did it," he said slowly. "I think the only reason I never lost my mind is that I knew I was innocent. That wasn't a happy thought, so the dementors couldn't suck it out of me... but it kept me sane and knowing who I am... helped me keep my powers... so when it all became ... too much... I could transform in my cell... become a dog. Dementors can't see, you know..." He swallowed. "They feel their way toward people by feeding off their emotions... They could tell that my feelings were less - less human, less complex when I was a dog... but they thought, of course, that I was losing my mind like everyone else in there, so it didn't trouble them. But I was weak, very weak, and I had no hope of driving them away from me without a wand...
"But then I saw Peter in that picture... I realized he was at Hogwarts with Harry... perfectly positioned to act, if one hint reached his ears that the Dark Side was gathering strength again..."
Pettigrew was shaking his head, mouthing noiselessly, but staring all the while at Mr. Black as though hypnotized.
"... ready to strike at the moment he could be sure of allies... and to deliver the last Potter to them. if he gave them Harry, who'd dare say he'd betrayed Lord Voldemort? He'd be welcomed back with honors...
"So you see, I had to do something. I was the only one who knew Peter was still alive..."
"It was as if someone had lit a fire In my head, and the dementors couldn't destroy it... It wasn't a happy feeling... it was an obsession... but it gave me strength, it cleared my mind. So, one night when they opened my door to bring food, I slipped past them as a dog...It's so much harder for them to sense animal emotions that they were confused... I was thin, very thin... thin enough to slip through the bars... I swam as a dog back to the mainland... I journeyed north and slipped into the Hogwarts grounds as a dog. I've been living in the forest ever since, except when I came to watch the Quidditch, of course. You fly as well as your father did, Harry..."
He looked at Harry, who did not look away.
"Believe me," croaked Mr. Black. "Believe me, Harry. I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them."
Harry's face paled and he nodded jerkily. He trusted Mr. Black just as much as I did.
"No!" Pettigrew had fallen to his knees as though Harry's nod had been his own death sentence. He shuffled forward on his knees, groveling, his hands clasped in front of him as though praying.
"Sirius - it's me... it's Peter... your friend... you wouldn't -"
Mr. Black kicked out and Pettigrew recoiled.
"There's enough filth on my robes without you touching them," said Mr. Black.
"Remus!" Pettigrew squeaked, turning to Professor Lupin instead, writhing imploringly in front of him. "You don't believe this wouldn't Sirius have told you they'd changed the plan?"
"Not if he thought I was the spy, Peter," said Professor Lupin. "I assume that's why you didn't tell me, Sirius?" he said casually over Pettigrew's head.
"Forgive me, Remus," said Mr. Black.
"Not at all, Padfoot, old friend," said Professor Lupin, who was now rolling up his sleeves. "And will you, in turn, forgive me for believing you were the spy?"
"Of course," said Mr. Black, and the ghost of a grin flitted across his gaunt face. He, too, began rolling up his sleeves. "Shall we kill him together?"
"Yes, I think so," said Professor Lupin grimly.
"You wouldn't... you won't...," gasped Pettigrew. And he scrambled around to Ron. "Ron... haven't I been a good friend... a good pet? You won't let them kill me, Ron, will you... you're on my side, aren't you?"
But Ron was staring at Pettigrew with the utmost revulsion.
"I let you sleep in my bed!" he said with disgust.
"Kind boy... kind master..." Pettigrew crawled toward Ron "You won't let them do it... I was your rat... I was a good pet..."
"If you made a better rat than a human, it's not much to boast about, Peter," said Professor Snape harshly. Ron, going still paler with pain, wrenched his broken leg out of Pettigrew's reach. Pettigrew turned on his knees, staggered forward, and seized the hem of my robes.
"Sweet girl... clever girl... you - you won't let them... Help me..."
Professor Snape growled darkly and pulled me further on the bed out of Pettigrew's reach. "S-Severus?"
"I'll kill you myself if you don't BACK AWAY!" I stiffened as Pettigrew turned to Harry. Professor Snape wrapped his arms tightly around me and pulled me against his strong chest.
"Harry... Harry... you look just like your father... just like him..."
"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HARRY?" roared Mr. Black. "HOW DARE YOU FACE HIM? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES IN FRONT OF HIM?"
"Harry," whispered Pettigrew, shuffling toward him, hands outstretched. "Harry, James wouldn't have wanted me killed... James would have understood, Harry... he would have shown me mercy..."
Both Mr. Black and Professor Lupin strode forward, seized Pettigrew's shoulders, and threw him backward onto the floor. He sat there, twitching with terror, staring up at them.
"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort," said Mr. Black, who was shaking too. "Do you deny it?"
Pettigrew burst into tears. It was horrible to watch, like an oversized, balding baby, cowering on the floor.
"Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord... you have no idea... he has weapons you can't imagine... I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen... He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me -"
"DON'T LIE!" bellowed Mr. Black. "YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!"
"He - he was taking over everywhere!" gasped Pettigrew. "Wh - what was there to be gained by refusing him?"
"What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed?" said Mr. Black, with a terrible fury in his face. "Only innocent lives, Peter!"
"You don't understand!" whined Pettigrew. "He would have killed me, Sirius!"
"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" roared Mr. Black. "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"
Mr. Black and Professor Lupin stood shoulder to shoulder, wands raised.
"You should have realized," said Professor Lupin quietly, "if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Good-bye, Peter."
I covered my face with her hands and turned my face into Professor Snape's chest. He rubbed his hand against my back and I waited for the words that would end Pettigrew's life.
"NO!" Harry yelled. I looked up in shock as he ran forward, placing himself in front Pettigrew, facing the wands. "You can't kill him," he said breathlessly. "You can't."
Mr. Black and Professor Lupin both looked staggered.
"Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents," Mr. Black snarled. "This cringing bit of filth would have seen you die too, without turning a hair. You heard him. His own stinking skin meant more to him than your whole family."
"I know," Harry panted. "We'll take him up to the castle. We'll hand him over to the dementors... He can go to Azkaban... but don't kill him."
"Harry!" gasped Pettigrew, and he flung his arms around Harry's knees. "You - thank you - it's more than I deserve - thank you -"
"Get off me," Harry spat, throwing Pettigrew's hands off him in disgust. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it because - I don't reckon my dad would've wanted them to become killers - just for you."
No one moved or made a sound except Pettigrew, whose breath was coming in wheezes as he clutched his chest. Mr. Black and Professor Lupin were looking at each other. Then, with one movement, they lowered their wands.
"You're the only person who has the right to decide, Harry," said Mr. Black. "But think... think what he did..."
"He can go to Azkaban," Harry repeated. "If anyone deserves that place, he does..."
Pettigrew was still wheezing behind him.
"Very well," said Professor Lupin. "Stand aside, Harry."
Harry hesitated.
"I'm going to tie him up," said Professor Lupin. "That's all, I swear."
Harry stepped out of the way. Thin cords shot from Professor Lupin's wand this time, and next moment, Pettigrew was wriggling on the floor, bound and gagged.
"But if you transform, Peter," growled Mr. Black, his own wand pointing at Pettigrew too, "we will kill you. You agree, Harry?"
Harry looked down at the pitiful figure on the floor and nodded so that Pettigrew could see him.
"Right," said Professor Lupin, suddenly businesslike. "Ron, I can't mend bones nearly as well as Madam Pomfrey, so I think it's best if we just strap your leg up until we can get you to the hospital wing."
He hurried over to Ron, bent down, tapped Ron's leg with his wand, and muttered, "Ferula." Bandages spun up Ron's leg, strapping it tightly to a splint. Professor Lupin helped him to his feet; Ron put his weight gingerly on the leg and didn't wince.
"That's better," he said. "Thanks."
Professor Snape slowly stood up and held out a hand to me. I placed my hand in his and he pulled me up. "How does your nose feel?"
"Warm and tender." I muttered gingerly touching my nose. It hurt horribly and I grimaced in pain. Professor Snape leaned closer and looked me over.
"I think it's broken." He muttered pulling out his wand. "Episkey!"
My nose twitched and clicked into place. I gasped in pain and tasted blood in my mouth. "Shit that hurt!"
"Hermione I'm so sorry!" Harry said darting over to me.
"Its fine Harry." I muttered spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"...And two of us should be chained to this," said Mr. Black, nudging Pettigrew with his toe. I think I just missed some of a conversation. "Just to make sure."
"I'll do it," said Professor Lupin.
"And me," said Ron savagely, limping forward.
"I think I have a better idea." Professor Snape looking over at Mr. Black.
"Yes?" Mr. Black asked raising his eyebrow slowly.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Pettigrew's body stiffened and Mr. Black nodded in approval.
"Very smart...Severus." Professor Lupin said swallowing thickly. "Now let's get out of here."
The seven of us slowly made our way through the house and then down through the tunnel. Professor Snape was standing so close to me I could feel his breath on my neck. A shiver raced down my spine as I pulled myself out of the hole. Professor Snape scrambled out a moment later as I stretched out my back.
Mr. Black and Harry drifted off to the side talking quietly. Professor Snape was looking over Ron's leg. He suddenly pulled off the bandages and Ron was standing straight, his leg healed.
"Thank you." Ron said grudgingly. Professor Lupin nodded at Professor Snape who nodded back. Pettigrew hung in the air his eyes flicking around desperately. I shivered in disgust and looked pointedly away at the clouds. The moon shone brightly through the clouds. It would have to be full to be that bright...OH MERLIN!
A cloud shifted and the full moon shone brightly. I stumbled back in shock and felt two arms wrap around me. They were stick thin and felt wrong. I looked up slowly into the sunken eyes of Mr. Black. His eyes were roving around my face in alarm.
"What is it? What's wrong?" He asked gruffly.
"The moon!" I whispered. Mr. Black's waxy face paled and he pulled away from me. His head snapped towards Professor Lupin who just saw the moon. His whole body started to shake and Mr. Black threw me away from him towards Professor Snape. He caught me easily and glared at Mr. Black.
"Black!" Professor Snape snapped.
"Snape get them out of here, now!" Professor Snape turned and paled when he saw the sky.
"Let's go!" He gripped my arm and snatched at Harry who had tried to run forward. We ran towards the Forbidden Forest and I chanced a glance over my shoulder. The last thing I saw as Professor Snape pulled me into the forrest was a large gray wolf lunging at a big black dog.
AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize and motivates me to update faster.