Chapter 25: Give Me A Reason

Disclaimer: This chapter includes passages, or similar passages from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Those passages are property of J.K. Rowling.

Third Year

The moment Hagrid let Tawny and Remus through the gates, they did their best to hurry up to Remus's office. They had to check the map immediately. Once the map was unlocked, Remus spread it out as full as it could be across his desk. Both took a side as they scanned intently for any sign of Peter.

"There!" Tawny cried, pointing to his footprints on the map, his name hovering over them in its name banner. "Oh no. Remus, he's with Harry, Ron, and Hermione."

"That's not the only person he's with." Remus pointed to the approaching name banner and footprints. Fast approaching was Sirius's name banner and footprints. "We may be too late." Just as Sirius's name appeared, it vanished, along with Peter's and Ron's.

"Where did they go?"

"They must be off the map."

"Remus, look where they are?" Hermione and Harry's names were right beside the whomping willow, and the tunnel leading off the map.

"Sirius is taking him to the shrieking shack."

"We have to go, now!" Tawny yelled, heading for the office door. Remus, forgetting to lock the map, followed her out of the door.

The two began rushing down the corridors, trying to find the fastest route to the shack. Tawny could remember doing the same thing years ago, following Sirius out to the shrieking shack as quickly as he could. She could only hope he didn't make it there faster than he normally would've.

Just as Remus and Tawny turned a corner headed for the front doors of the castle Tawny heard, "Ms. Lovegood? What are you doing here?"

Stopping in her tracks, Tawny turned around to see Minerva McGonagall approaching her and Remus. "Minerva… I…" They had been so busy trying to get out to the willow that they had completely missed the professor in the corridor.

"Remus, Albus didn't tell me Tawny was visiting. It's the end of the term, Harry should be home in a couple of days. Is something wrong with him?" For the first time, Tawny and Remus could not come up with an excuse. They just stood there, searching endlessly for a reason as to why Tawny was there. But their minds were too preoccupied.

Luckily, Professor McGonagall realized very quickly what was wrong. Looking directly a Tawny, she asked the one question she already knew the answer to. "You know where he is, don't you?"

Tawny remained silent, unsure how to answer. Would McGonagall help them? Or take them directly to Dumbledore's office for knowing the whereabouts of Azkaban's only escaped convict and most wanted man alive.

With a quick glance in both directions, the professor said, "Go." Tawny's was aghast. "Go now before I change my mind."

"Thank you," Tawny whispered before running after Remus.

It didn't take long before she caught up with him at the edge of the whomping willow. Before Remus could even attempt to levitate a stone to hit the knot on the willow, Tawny left forward, transforming into her animagus and scampering up to the edge of the tree.

She had learned that trick from Peter years ago. His animagus was so small that he had been able to sneak past without signaling the willow. Although Tawny's rabbit animagus was bigger, she still was fast enough to slip by and hit the knot, pausing the tree before it had enough time to react.

"That's one way to do it," Remus smirked as he followed a rabbit size Tawny into the secret passageway.

Tawny transformed back into herself as soon as Remus entered the tunnel. Noticing him struggling, she did her best to help him through.

"Lumos." She whispered as the tip of her wand lit up, giving the pair a light to guide their way.

As they walked, Tawny's heart was pounding. After all this time, she was finally going to see Sirius in person. If everything went well, Sirius could be a free man that night. All they had to do was get to Peter before Sirius finished him off.

Surely, they could. Even at the slow pace that they were going, they had to reach the shrieking shack before Sirius killed Peter. Not only were they not that far behind everyone, but she knew Sirius better than anyone else. He was going to have to make a dramatic speech before he did anything. He couldn't help it. It was just his style.

"You should go on without me. I'm slowing you down." Remus said, trying to slither out of Tawny's hold on him.

"You said it yourself, Sirius needs us both."

"Sirius loves you. One look at you and he'll do whatever you say." Tawny scoffed at his words.

"Bullocks. I begged him not to go after Peter that night, Remus. He didn't listen then. He needs you, and I need you to make sure that he listens now. He can't say no to both of us."

"What if we're too late, Tawn?"

"I hope to Merlin we aren't."

The rest of the walk, the two remained in silence, focusing on the fight ahead of them. Tawny didn't know what was running through Harry's head. Was he scared? Would he believe them? Would he believe Sirius? How would they convince him? She was starting to rethink her choice to keep Harry out of the loop. She didn't want to scare him then… but she didn't ever think that Harry would be in the situation he was now…

"There it is!" Tawny said, pointing her wand at the trap door at the end of the passageway. Letting go of Remus, she pushed it open, letting it fall backward with a clash.

But that wasn't the only clash she heard. She paused when she heard a loud thud come from upstairs, followed by a loud crashing and voices and gasps of pain she couldn't help but recognize. "Remus, we have to get up there!" Tawny pushed herself up through the doorway and extending both her hands to Remus, helping him through.

Remus winced in pain as he nearly tripped coming through the door. "Bloody full moon." He murmured as he followed Tawny up the staircase, the boards creaking with every step they took.

"Going to kill me, Harry?" Sirius' voice rang out, making Tawny's breath catch in the back of her throat.

"Tawny and Remus believed in you. I did too. Not anymore. You may have come to kill me, but you're not going to get the chance." Hearing his words, Tawny practically dove through the door, her wand ready and the spell on the tip of her tongue.

"Expelliarmus!" Tawny cried. Harry's wand flew from his hand, directly into hers.

Silence fell over the room as the attention shifted from Sirius to Tawny. Harry backed away from Sirius, the sting of betrayal in shining in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Harry. I couldn't let you hurt him."

Remus came barreling in the room, nearly crashing into Tawny in the doorway. "What did I miss?" He asked, seeing the scene in front of him. He looked down spotting the extra wand in Tawny's hand. "What did you do?"

Tawny didn't respond. Instead, she dropped Harry's wand to the floor and rushed over to Sirius. She nearly fell to the floor as he sat up, meeting her halfway. Tawny threw her arms around his neck, holding him as tightly as she could. Instantly, Sirius wrapped his arms around her torso. Tawny could feel him relaxing in her arms.

Tears began rolling down her cheeks as she buried her head in his neck. After twelve years, finally, she saw him in person. Finally, they were together again. "You should've told me what you were planning. I would've understood. I would've helped you."

"I couldn't risk you getting caught and being sent to Azkaban, too." Tawny leaned back and cupped his face with both hands, looking directly into his eyes, now glassy with tears.

"It would've been worth the risk."

"What? You would've helped him?" Harry's question broke up the moment, directing Tawny and Sirius's gaze to him. If Tawny thought Harry was hurt before, this moment didn't even compare. "How could you? And you-" He looked to Remus. "You too?"

"Harry, you don't understand-"

"I understand just fine. He's trying to kill me, and the both of you, the people that I thought loved me, would have helped him at the drop of a hat!"

"We do love you!"

"YOU'RE LYING!" Harry roared. "If you loved me you'd never do this!"

"That's not the only thing they're lying about," Hermione added. "Remus – h-he's a werewolf!"

"You didn't tell him?" Sirius asked Remus, looking surprised.

"Of course, I didn't tell him! I didn't even tell either of you!"

"I told you she'd figure it out, Remus."

"This is not the time to say, 'I told you so, Tawny!'"

"So, it's true?" Harry said, interrupting their bickering. "You really are a werewolf."

"Yes." Remus nodded reluctantly.

"I knew something was wrong. You haven't been ill at all, have you? And you knew, too, Tawny. I asked you about it, and you lied right to my face."

"I wanted to tell you, Harry. I just didn't know how."

"How about, 'Happy Christmas, Harry. Let me let you in on a secret that controls my bloody life!"

"That's one way to put it." Remus turned to Hermione. "How long have you known?"

"Since Professor Snape assigned the essay."

"You've known for that long and didn't tell me?" Harry said, surprised.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to. I thought if I figured it out, Dumbledore was sure to."

"Dumbledore already knows. So, do all of the staff."

"What?!" Hermione, Harry, and Ron yelled in unison.

"He willingly hired a werewolf?" Ron asked, clearly confused.

"He let me attend school here as one, so yes."

"He's mad!"

"Some of the staff thought so. I had to work hard to convince certain professors I was trustworthy-"

"What did you do? Lie to them too?" Harry said bitterly.

"Harry, we may have lied to you about Remus being a werewolf, but that was the only thing. I promise!"

"You've been pretending to love me."

"Darling you have this all wrong. Please let us explain. Sirius isn't here to kill you!"

"He's here to kill someone! If it not me, then who the bloody hell is it?"

"Him!" Sirius said, pointing a bony hand at Ron's chest.

"Me?" Ron gasped.

"Not you! Your rat!"

"Scabbers? Why would you want to kill him?"

"That's not a rat!"

"What d'you mean? Of course, he's a rat." Ron asked, clutching a squirming Scabbers close to his chest.

"No, he's not. He's a wizard." Remus said.

"An animagus." Sirius corrected. Standing up, slowly. "By the name of Peter Pettigrew."

"Now, you're telling me Pettigrew isn't dead? Was that another lie you told me?"

"No, Harry, we thought he was. Remus and I only recently found out he was still alive."

"Pettigrew can't be an animagus, the ministry would have known about it. Professor McGonagall told us that the ministry keeps records of all the animagi."

"Peter isn't on the registry. Neither is Sirius. They became animagi when where were still at school together." Remus stopped, hearing a loud creak behind him. Briefly checking the hallway for visitors and coming up empty, he continued. "When James, Sirius, and Peter found out about me being a werewolf, they did everything they could to be with me during the full moon. That included becoming unregistered animagi."

"My dad was an animagus?"

"Yes. His was a stag." For the first time that evening, Tawny could've sworn Harry had smiled for a brief moment. "Once they mastered their transformations, they joined me on every full moon. They kept my mind at ease, brought me back when the wolf took over. I was able to leave the shrieking shack during the night, and travel throughout the forest, Hogsmeade and the castle grounds with them."

"A loose werewolf on the castle grounds?"

"I never said it was a good plan, Hermione." Remus continued, adding, "Our trips throughout the grounds and Hogsmeade gave us the ability to know more about the castle than anyone else. Harry, I told you I wrote the Marauder's map, remember? I wasn't the only one. Your dad, Sirius, and Peter wrote it with me. The names at the top the map: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, that was us. I was Moony because of the moon, Sirius was Padfoot, Peter was Wormtail, and your dad was Prongs."

"That was reckless to do that! You could've bitten someone!"

"I know. It was irresponsible, and we weren't thinking clearly. I wasn't thinking straight just then. I was too caught up being incredibly happy and honored that three people were willing to break the law just, so I didn't have to be alone on the full moon anymore."

"So, no one else knew about you being a werewolf, and my dad, Sirius, and Peter being illegal animagi?"

"I did. So, did your mum, Harry. Other than that, no one else knew. It was our secret."

"That's why when I confronted Peter that night, he was able to slip away from me," Sirius said, speaking up. "Just before he transformed when I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to heat that I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew up the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of him, and then sped down into the sewer with the other rats."

"I've heard enough of this." A familiar voice rang out. Appearing out from under the invisibility cloak, wand drawn was none other than Severus Snape. "You've concocted an entire story just to convince Potter and Lovegood to be on your side. They may be naïve enough to believe you, but you can't convince me, Black."

"Snape. I should've known you'd show up." Sirius spat, his words laced with disgust.

"Severus-" Remus began but was immediately interrupted by Snape.

"I told Dumbledore that you had to have been helping Black all along. He insisted that you couldn't have, but here you are. And you, Lovegood… You've probably been helping him too, haven't you?"

"You fool." Remus spat. "Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back in Azkaban?"

Snape, not seeming to like Remus's response, aimed his wand at Remus. Silently, he cast a spell shooting ropes out the end of it, binding Remus so tightly that he was unable to keep his balance and fell to the floor with a thud.

"How dare you!" Sirius raged, charging at Snape.

"Give me a reason," Snape seethed, stick his wand into Sirius's throat. "Give me a reason and I swear I will."

"No!" Tawny shouted, pushing the two apart and leaping between them, her wand at the ready.

"Get out of my way, Lovegood."

"Make me," Tawny said, her voice steady. She tightened her grip on her arm. Everyone in the room could feel the tension intensify, their glares filled with hatred.

"He's a killer."

"No, he isn't. But if you go through with this, you will be."

"How can you have so much faith in him? At one point you hated him just as much as I do."

"He changed. I can't say the same for you, Severus."

"You think he's changed?" Snape laughed coldly. "Black is still the same man that tried to have me killed years ago. He may not have succeeded with me, but he did with Pettigrew and the Potters."

"I was just trying to scare you Snivellus, not kill you, you slimy git!" Sirius yelled, making Snape tighten his grip on his wand.

"Look at me!" Tawny yelled, forcing Snape to look at her instead. "If you want to kill Sirius you'll have to kill me too."

"The ministry will understand. They know that you would never let anything happen to Black. I explain that I was just defending myself."

"This isn't about going to the ministry or doing the right thing for you. You hate him, and you hate me. So, you know what," Tawny loosened her grip, letting her wand fall to the floor between them. "If you are going to kill me, do it."

"Tawny, no!" Sirius tried to plead with her.

"Do it, Severus. Kill me in front of my godson. Kill me in front of her son." Even it was just for a moment, Snape waivered. That was all that was all it took.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Just like that, Snape was thrown backward into the floor, knocking him unconscious.

Looking back, Tawny could see not only Harry but Hermione and Ron with their wands raised. Hermione was wide-eyed, and Tawny could tell that she was in absolute shock of her actions.

"Harry…"

"Show me! I probably just earned detentions for the rest of my days at Hogwarts for that. So, show me. Prove to me that you aren't lying about this. Prove to me that the man I have heard endless stories about isn't the killer everyone says he is. Prove to me that Scabbers is Peter Pettigrew."

"Harry – It's Scabbers! Of course, it's not Pettigrew! He's been in my family for-"

"12 years," Remus said, as Sirius untied his binds. "That's quite a long time for a rat, Ron," Remus added.

"I take care of him!"

"It doesn't look like it," Sirius added. "Look how thin he is, probably due to the stress of knowing I was after him. He's been evading me for months, faking his death, and trying to flee the castle."

"He's just a rat!"

"Let us perform a spell then. If he's really a rat, it won't hurt him." Tawny pleaded, walking over to Ron, who was holding the squealing rat as close to his chest as possible. "Please, Ron."

"Hand him over, Ron," Harry said sternly, adamant on finding out the truth.

"It won't hurt him?" He asked Tawny.

"Not a bit," Tawny promised. With a sigh, Ron held out the rat. Tawny had grabbed him by his tail, gripping it tightly so it wouldn't slip from her grasp.

She returned to her spot by Remus and Sirius, holding the squirming rat out in front of her.

"Together?" Sirius asked.

"On three." Remus nodded. "One – two – THREE!" A jet of bright blue light shot out of Tawny, Sirius, and Remus's wands. With a flash, in the center of the three, the grey rat dropped from Tawny's grasp and began to shake and grow, transforming back into a human.

If Harry, Hermione, and Ron were not convinced of Peter's animagus form before, they sure were now. Their mouths were open and eyes wide, staring at the shell of a man in front of them.

"Hello, Peter." Remus began, smirking at his old friend. "It's been too long."

"R-Remus…. S-Sirius… T-Tawny… my friends…" Peter reached out to Tawny, but Sirius swatted his hand away.

"Don't you dare touch her, Wormtail."

"So, it's true… Everything you've ever told me…"

"Harry, darling, we wouldn't lie to you about that," Tawny said softly.

"Y-you don't believe them, do you? P-Please, he tried to kill me. I barely escaped with my life!" Peter panicked.

"You shouldn't have." Sirius seethed.

"See! He tried to kill me then, and he's going to do it now! I had to hide! I knew he would come after me!"

"You knew Sirius was going to break out of Azkaban when no one has done it before?" Remus questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"He – he's got dark magic!"

"Save it Wormtail. Tell Harry the truth! Tell him how you were a spy for Voldemort!" Peter shivered at Sirius's words. "What's wrong, afraid to hear your old master's name? The master you served for a year before you betrayed James and Lily! The moment you became James and Lily's secret keeper you sold them out! You handed them directly to Lord Voldemort you spineless piece of filth!"

"I had to!" Pettigrew squealed, tightening into a ball to protect himself from an enraged Sirius. "He – he was taking over everywhere! He was going to find them regardless. If I didn't help him he would have killed me too, Sirius!"

"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, JUST AS ANY ONE OF US WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!" Sirius was standing over Peter, his wand forced under Peter's chin. Peter was wailing, his whole body shaking as tears streamed down his face.

"I'm so s-sorry, Sirius!"

"Sorry does not bring back James and Lily! Sorry does resurrect those muggles who you obliterated in order to frame me! SORRY DOES NOT CHANGE ANYTHING!"

"If – if I could take it back, I would!"

"You've already admitted you killed them, there is no use in lying anymore, Wormtail! You latch on to the strongest, most powerful people. When James, Remus, and I weren't strong enough for you anymore you moved on to Voldemort. You would betray anyone to save your skin. You wouldn't change a single thing about that night and you know it!"

"I – I just wanted to make it out of the war alive…"

"You may have survived the war, but you won't survive tonight." Sirius finished, stepping back to fully raise his wand. If was possible, Peter curled up even tighter, clenching his eyes shut as he choked on his tears.

Unable to watch, Hermione turned to hide her face in Harry's shoulder.

"No!" For the second time that night, Tawny had jumped in front of a wand. This time, her fiancé's. Without a second thought, Sirius lowered his wand. "You can't kill him."

"Oh, Tawny, thank you!" Peter cried, grabbing on to Tawny's legs.

"Peter, touch me again and your finger is not the only appendage you'll be missing." Peter gulped and crawled back. "I can't let you kill him, Sirius."

"Do you know what he's done to us? He deserves to die!"

"Do you not think I want that? Believe me, Sirius I would love for you to kill him. You're right. What he has done to us, to James and Lily, to Harry… He does deserve death."

"Then why should I spare him? Give me a reason."

"Me. I'm the only reason you need." Sirius froze for a moment, clearly not expecting that to be her response.

"You keep saying that Peter is the reason you lost everything. Yes, you lost Lily and James. Yes, you lost the ability to raise one hell of a godson. But you didn't lose me. I have never, for a second, given up on you Sirius. So, don't you dare give up on me. Peter deserves to die, but his testimony can save you. You will finally have proof that Peter was the one that betrayed James and Lily, that he killed those muggles. If he's dead, he can't tell all that to the ministry. If you kill him tonight, any chance of you coming home to me dies with him."

"Would he really testify?'

"He will testify, even if that means I have to personally pour the veritaserum down his throat. Your name will be cleared. You can come home. And instead of you being kissed by the dementors, it will be him." Peter whimpered behind her, scanning the room hoping for an exit. Unfortunately for him, Remus's eyes were glued to him, and his wand (as well as Harry, Ron, and Hermione's) was ready for any of Peter's sudden movements.

"If you're not going to spare him for yourself, do it for me. Do it for Remus to have one of his best friends back. Do it so that you can finally help raise Harry like you should have been able to do before. Do it so we can have the life together we were supposed to have already started twelve years ago." Stepping away from Peter, she reached forward to take Sirius's hand. This time, she spoke more softly than before. "Please, Sirius. Let's take him to Dumbledore." Sirius was silent, just staring down at his and Tawny's intertwined hands.

Tawny could see the pain and struggle in Sirius's eyes. She knew that he wanted nothing more than to get revenge for James and Lily. But at the same time, she could sense he was coming around, that everything she was saying was getting to him, making him change his mind.

"Sirius," Harry said, stepping forward. Sirius looked up, staring at the boy who so closely resembled his father. "My dad wouldn't want his best friend to become a killer just for Peter. Do it for my dad."

That was the final thing they needed to convince him. "Okay, we'll take him to Dumbledore." He sighed. "Tie him up, Moony."

"My pleasure, Padfoot."