I staggered a little as it happened.
The room seemed to be spinning, everything in motion moving backward, but only the three of us standing still in comparison. The light in the room grew slightly brighter as it became earlier in the evening again. We could hear bits of chatter but couldn't make anything out. Finally the movements stopped with a jolt and we were left standing there alone in the ward. Apparently Madame Pomfrey was elsewhere, which was lucky, for she wouldn't have had a clue as to how we had appeared in the middle of her infirmary. I was still a tiny bit weak in the knees from the curse Snape had hurled at me earlier in the evening, but otherwise I was okay.
"Let's go," Hermione whispered urgently, and removed the time turner from around our necks. We tiptoed for the door, wincing as it creaked open. Then we sped down the stairs, making our way out of the building. We looked left and right constantly, alert for anyone who might realize we were out of place.
Once we had made it to the lawn, we stopped to regroup.
"Tell me where I need to go, Harry," I said in a low voice, still paranoid someone might hear us.
He and Hermione motioned for me to follow them as they passed the Whomping Willow, giving it a wide berth as it shook threateningly. He stopped suddenly at the edge of the glade where it went sharply downhill, and said, "Here. He turned into a rat and ran down the hill here."
"I need to find something to mark it, for when I come back," I said, searching around for a stick or other object that would stand out. I had one other place to go first, before coming back here to wait. Finding a large branch that seemed to be a good candidate, I thrust it into the ground and rechecked for the millionth time to make sure my wand was secure.
"Harry -" I said suddenly. Then I couldn't think of the words to say what I felt. Please save my husband. He knew what I meant, and nodded. I touched his face with my hand, and said, "Be careful. You too," I added, to Hermione. I patted her arm. She nudged Harry, and they ran off into the darkness.
I ran, myself, but in the other direction. I needed to make it to the DADA classroom in a hurry to find what I was looking for. I moved swiftly across the lawn and up through the courtyard. I had almost made it to one of the castle doors when I heard the sound of footsteps speeding behind me. Panicking, I ran faster without looking back, but was suddenly tackled on the hard ground by my unknown assailant. I landed with a thud, trying to protect my belly, and felt for my wand. I found it, rolling around on my back, to see the great black dog on top of me. I gasped for breath and cursed as he transformed into Sirius.
Without uttering a word, he yanked his wand out and pointed it straight at my chest.
"Who are you?" he demanded. He forced the wand up until it was against my neck.
"Sirius! It's me, Laura. What are you doing?" I cried, terrified. I couldn't think why he would be doing this. The thought occurred to me in my panic that maybe all those years in Azkaban had caught up with him, and he had finally gone mad. But that didn't make sense. He had been perfectly sane when I had seen him just earlier. As these ideas swirled around my head, he spat out viciously, "What have you done with my wife?"
"It is me! Why are you doing this?" Hermione's words as we had prepared earlier came back to me suddenly. Horrible things have happened to wizards who have meddled with time. No one can see us. I realized in my fright that Sirius had seen me very recently, and in a totally different place. He must have thought this version of "me" was a trick of some sort. "Sirius," I pleaded again, "I'm Laura. I swear!"
He kept the wand trained on me, but backed away slightly, looking very mistrustful. "Alright then. Prove it."
Now I realized I would have to tell him about the time turner, and that could destroy everything. If he thought he was going to fail at this, he might not have the will to even try to capture Pettigrew. Who knew what could happen.
I tried a different tack instead. "I can prove it. Ask me anything. But hurry! We don't have much time!"
He looked a bit disconcerted by this. "Our son's middle name."
"Sirius."
"First place we ever met."
"Officially, or where we really met?"
He lowered his wand more. "Really met," he said.
"Diagon Alley. You zapped it from my memory, but apparently you harbored a desire to lay me down over one of Florean Fortescue's outdoor tables and have your way with me." I supposed I didn't need to go into that much detail, but every little bit had to help.
Now he brought his hand to his side and looked suspiciously at me. "How ... did you get over here?"
"I can't talk about it. Sirius, I have to go! You have to go!"
"What do you mean? I'm not going anywhere until you explain it to me."
"I have to go inside for a minute!" I was desperate.
He grabbed my arm and said, "No! I'll go with you."
"You can't go in! You've got to be -"
"Got to be what?" he asked urgently, voice lower now.
"Away from here. I can't talk to you!"
I wrenched my arm away and tried to walk toward the door again. He ran in front of me, blocking my way. "Where exactly are you going?"
"Defence classroom. Now go!"
"I'll go with you. Don't argue with me!"
I was exasperated, and growing scared. If he didn't get where he was supposed to be, everything would be irreversibly destroyed. "No, stay here in the bushes," I said. "I'll be back in just a moment!"
He watched me suspiciously, and said, "Alright, then. Hurry!"
I practically ran into the school and down the deserted hallway. Reaching the Defence classroom, I tried the knob. It was locked. I took my wand out and hissed "Alohomora!" then tried again. The door opened this time. I rolled my eyes as I walked in, wondering why wizards bothered locking doors to begin with. I glanced quickly around the room until I found what I was looking for. A stout, medium-sized cage, which looked as though it could hold several rats, sat on top of a large cabinet.
"Accio cage!" I pointed the wand again, and it immediately came flying to me, almost knocking me over, in fact.
Seizing it, I made for the classroom door again. As I closed it behind me, I could hear the sound of cackling and glass breaking in the distance. Peeves. Shit. I made a run back for the door, hoping the poltergeist was in the other direction. Fortunately, our paths didn't cross. I swung the door open again and exited into the night. A faint glow emanated from behind one of the mountains in the distance, and I knew the moon was slowly rising.
"Just a moment," I heard a familiar voice say behind me. Slowly, I turned to see Severus Snape pointing a wand at my husband. "Well, Black, I knew I'd -"
His words were cut short. "Petrificus Totalus!" I yelled, and he keeled over, immediately stiff and unmoving.
"Nice one!" Sirius exclaimed with approval.
I didn't answer, but motioned for him to go with me. I went at a rapid pace in the direction of the place I was to wait.
"What are you doing with a cage?" Sirius asked, resuming his step beside me as I walked back through the deserted courtyard.
"Never mind me. You have to ... be somewhere else." We walked quickly down the steps onto the lawn.
"What are you talking about? I'm going back to get Pettigrew, no matter what happens!" As soon as he said it, I thought of something.
"Back ... where?" I asked curiously.
"The kneazle told me he's in Hagrid's hut, hiding out."
"Sirius -" I began, and halted.
"What?"
"You're going the wrong way! He's not going to be there!"
"How the hell do you know that?"
"I just do!" I thought quickly, wondering how much I would have to tell him without blowing everything.
"He'll be going toward the Whomping Willow. Harry's friend will have him ... the ginger-haired one. That's all I can say."
He looked at me, comprehension dawning on his face. "God, Laura, what did you do?" he whispered, horrified.
"What do you mean?" I tried to look away.
He grabbed my shoulders, making the cage swing against me. He forced me to look at him. "How do you know this? Something's going to go wrong, isn't it? Tell me how you know!"
I was mute, trying to think of a good explanation. Before I could, he said, "Did you use a time turner?"
I didn't answer at first, then I attempted a lie. "I – I don't know what that is."
He grimaced. "You are one hell of a lousy liar! You did use one! What's going to happen?? Why do you have a cage??" He shook me as he spat the words out. "I'm not going to get him, am I?" His words sounded desperate. Hopeless. Defeated.
I took a deep breath and touched his face. "Yes. You are. Just ... do what you have to do," I said encouragingly. "It'll work out." I tried to sound confident, but my voice broke slightly. "I have to go."
He stared at me in shock as I looked back, tracing his features mentally. In case I never saw him again.
Then I leaned over to him and gave him a soft kiss. "I love you. I will always love you. I will never stop. Be careful."
He found his voice. "And I love you, Laura. More than anything. If ... something happens, we both know that for sure this time, right?"
I almost cried. "Nothing's going to happen," I whispered. "Now, you go do your thing and I'll do mine." I thought again, and said, "If you see me later, uh, don't worry. I'll be alright. Now stay close to the Willow, out of sight. Just do what feels right," I repeated.
We kissed again, more slowly this time. He touched my hair, my face, squeezed my hand ...
Then he was gone.
I took the cage, now growing heavy, and headed off in the darkness for my waiting spot.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
I sat in the darkness for an eternity, it seemed. I was positioned close by so I could see the Whomping Willow clearly. I trained my eyes on it every few minutes, willing myself not to jump up and go interrupt what was happening there. Before long I saw Sirius/Padfoot dragging Harry's friend down into the hollow at the tree's base, and cringed again when I noticed the odd angle of his leg. Then I could see the tree going after Harry and Hermione, until they were able to get through the tangle of branches and make their way down into the tunnel. I wondered where the other Harry and Hermione were, and if they could see what was happening also.
Eventually Lupin came along, silencing the tree, and I followed shortly thereafter. But as soon as I reached the base of the trunk, there was Snape, who immediately stupefied me, in revenge. I watched myself fall over and vowed I would get him for that. Then I clutched my wand nervously, periodically wiping sweat off my hand and worrying that the wand might slip when I needed it. I practiced any spells I thought I would need, flicking the wand in the dim glow of a moon that hadn't quite shown itself yet. I kept the worst thoughts at bay, telling myself this plan was going to work. I had set the cage, door open and ready for the rat, close by and convenient for me to shove him in there when the time came.
After several more minutes of waiting in the increasing cold, which I now knew from experience was due to dementors growing ever closer, I noticed, with renewed panic, all parties exiting the Whomping Willow. Lupin and Pettigrew were chained, along with an injured Ron. I could see Snape lying prostrate, floating through the air, and Sirius speaking to Harry as they emerged. Sirius spotted me and sank down beside me as I slowly awoke. He murmured words in my ear, and kissed me. Then he helped me to my feet, and we stood a few moments talking before he convinced me to go back up to the castle. I saw myself turn and leave reluctantly.
The night grew brighter. Stars dimmed as a cloud continued to float lazily across the sky, revealing the full moon. My heart skipped a beat as I saw Remus begin his horrible transformation and the resulting chaos. Sirius was screaming at the kids to run away. As I watched these events unfold, I held my wand at the ready as Sirius transformed, defending them from the werewolf. After fighting with Sirius/Padfoot for a few minutes, the Lupin werewolf turned and raced off into the forest.
Just then Pettigrew picked up Lupin's discarded wand, hurling curses around him, which knocked Harry's friend and Crookshanks unconscious in short order. He then suddenly shrivelled up, or at least it appeared that way, as he turned into the rat while Harry hurled a spell aimed at him. The rat bounded away and was headed straight for me, but I stayed hidden until just the right moment. Then, when I knew I could wait no longer, I stood up and whispered "Stupefy!" fiercely. A burst of light emanated from my wand as Wormtail halted immediately and lay there motionless but still breathing. I picked him up roughly and thrust him into the cage. Victory.
Suddenly I remembered I had a husband on the scene, who was likely injured. I looked around wildly, trying to find him. As soon as I spied him, he galloped away from the glade and into the woods, blood flying in huge droplets from his muzzle and body as he fled. I ached to follow him, but knew I had to return to the castle with Pettigrew. It was the only reason I was there, and I couldn't deviate from that plan.
A chill permeated the air, and I could see what looked like hundreds of dementors swarming around the sky in the direction Sirius had taken. I staggered to my feet, holding the cage, and reluctantly hurried off toward the castle, saying a silent prayer for Sirius, and that Harry and Hermione would be successful.
Not even five minutes later, as I trekked back toward Hogwarts, I noticed another glow, not the moon this time, but something white, indescribable, emanating from the woods where Sirius had disappeared. The same dementors were now hurling away through the sky, their dark shadows accents against the white-hot radiance. I watched for a moment in wonder and with tears in my eyes, hoping with all my heart this meant Harry had managed to save Sirius.
Once back at the castle, I followed Dumbledore's urgently issued instructions to the letter. I raced up the stairs to his office, pleading with the immobile stone statue before I remembered the correct password he had given me. Then the stairs shifted and I was carried up further until I came to his door. I knocked frantically. The door opened and Dumbledore stood there, looking down at me holding my cage. The stupefy spell was slowly wearing off; the rat seemed to be regaining movement. He uttered a terrified squeak when he saw Dumbledore again, scrambling to the back of the cage as if protecting himself.
Dumbledore actually smiled with satisfaction. "I wondered when you were going to show up again," he said pleasantly to the rat. "Come in," he added to me. "We'll wait here. I take it you went back to get him?" He motioned toward Pettigrew. I nodded, wondering how he knew. "Where and when did you leave from?" he asked.
"With Harry and Hermione, in the hospital wing. It was right about midnight." My voice was scratchy, and I cleared my throat nervously.
He said nothing further, but merely sat behind his desk appearing supremely unconcerned, fingers entwined and resting on his stomach. I wondered why he was silent, but waited for him to speak first. The rat continued to squeak hysterically, but both of us ignored him.
Several minutes passed as I squirmed uncomfortably, then a distant bell tolled one time to indicate that it was 11:30. Almost midnight.
Suddenly Dumbledore stood up and announced, "Time to go, Laura." The rat squeaked even louder and was rewarded with a few taps from the professor's wand, rendering him immobile once more.
"That should take care of him for a while," Dumbledore said, smiling at me. "I fortified the cage as well. If he wakes up, he has no way to transform or escape. Even if he tries anything, Fawkes will let me know. Now, we need to visit the infirmary." He patted my shoulder encouragingly.
I rose and followed him out of the office, looking back anxiously at the rat, who was unmoving, as promised.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
As we walked out of Dumbledore's office and down the hallway toward the infirmary, my heart pounded in my chest, afraid that the worst was going to happen. The whole time turner concept was confusing enough to make my brain hurt, but I had a feeling that this particular version of me should stay out of the way until the last second, which was right before midnight, when I had originally gone back.
The hallways were empty, all the students having retired to their dormitories already. The echoes of our footfalls pounded around us, then we were approaching the hospital wing. The professor motioned for me to deposit myself in a tiny alcove close by the infirmary, so no one could easily spot me. Then, I was to enter when the clock began to chime the hour. He left me then, entering the wing with a final wink in my direction.
Several minutes had passed, then I heard rapidly approaching footsteps of more than one person. I leaned back into the shadows, hiding, then as they came near to the door, I saw that it was Harry and Hermione. Just at that moment, the bell began to toll the midnight hour. Dumbledore emerged just as they opened the door. I went to them quickly, touching Harry's arm silently.
He looked at me, startled, then with relief when he saw it was me.
"What happened?" I whispered anxiously. "Did you get him?"
He smiled. "We did," he said breathlessly, then the three of us walked in to see the other group of us disappearing into nothingness. I grew teary-eyed once more with relief. Dumbledore looked at Harry. "Well?"
"He's gone, on Buckbeak," Harry said with a grin.
I started at this. "Gone?" I asked in surprise and dismay.
"Yeah, he figured it was best until we knew for sure if you had gotten Pettigrew. Did you?" I nodded.
We quickly entered the room, and Dumbledore left, locking the door behind him.
"Is he okay, Harry?" I asked, sniffing. I wiped my eyes absently.
"Oh yeah," he reassured me, smiling proudly. "He -"
His words were interrupted by the sound of an angry voice, growing ever louder, and another one joining it in argument. Then Professor Snape entered the infirmary, pushing the heavy door back with a bang in his anger. Fudge and Dumbledore followed him.
Confusion reigned as Madame Pomfrey, in the midst of Snape's rant, argued indignantly for them to leave her patients alone, but she was largely ignored.
Snape launched into a long protracted rant about Sirius' escape, as I stood there in shock at his venomous diatribe. Fudge's expression went from shock to anger at this behavior, and back to shock again, until Snape eventually stormed out in the mother of all snits.
Fudge suddenly noticed me standing there, observing the whole mess. "I think it best for you to come with me," he said coldly. "We have some things to discuss regarding your husband."
I looked to Dumbledore for reassurance, and he gave me a tiny wink. "Well, Cornelius, I believe a long talk is definitely in order. Let us all return to my office." He put a gentle hand on my shoulder, guiding me along. Which was good, considering my legs were now the consistency of rubber. I turned to look longingly at Harry again, wishing he could give me more information. But there was no time now.
We walked back to the office, more calmly than last time, though Fudge kept shooting me nasty looks. When we arrived, the minister immediately began to pace, evidently thinking furiously about what to do with me. He vaguely noticed the cage containing the scruffy, half-bald rat but didn't pay it much notice. I saw Dumbledore flick his wand toward it, and the rat slowly came back to life. As he blinked his small beady eyes, he saw that the Minister of Magic was standing in the room with him, and immediately started squealing in renewed terror. Fudge stopped, staring at this anomaly.
"Dumbledore, what's the matter with your rat?" he asked, irritated.
The professor smiled. "He realizes that it's all over now, I presume." As these cryptic words registered with Fudge, who didn't yet comprehend the meaning behind them, Dumbledore pulled out a small amber bottle which he handed to Fudge.
"Read the contents, but silently," he commanded.
Fudge looked increasingly bilious, as though he'd had a bad supper, but took the bottle, examining it.
He shrugged, as if to say, "so?" then glanced at me covertly, assuming that Dumbledore wanted me to take it.
"Do you agree that it's authentic?" Dumbledore asked.
"Absolutely," he agreed with a smug look at me.
The professor took his wand, waving it once more in the direction of the cage. Nothing seemed to happen. But he walked over to it and carefully unfastened the latch. Reaching in, he gently took hold of the panicking rat, and removed him. Fudge watched him, perplexed.
"What in the name of Merlin are you doing, Dumbledore?" he demanded.
Dumbledore merely smiled at him, then set the rat down. Before Pettigrew could move two inches, however, he was hit with a spell. As Fudge and I watched incredulously, the rat became larger, legs and arms branching out, facial features quickly becoming distinctly human, until a short snivelling man stood before us, clearly terrified. Fudge didn't look so happy, himself, but regarded the man in front of him with no small degree of alarm.
"Who on earth is this?!" he asked, backing away.
"This," Dumbledore said quietly, "is Peter Pettigrew."
Fudge sputtered. "Pettigrew?! But he's d-dead!"
I stood still throughout this exchange, waiting for some acknowledgement before speaking.
"That's what he wanted everyone to think, these past twelve years. Do you not recall, though, Laura here telling you about him?" Dumbledore delivered these words casually, as if talking about the weather. Fudge appeared increasingly dyspeptic.
"No!!" cried Pettigrew suddenly. He then whined pitifully, looking wildly around the room.
"I think it's time." Dumbledore stated, ignoring Peter. He tilted his head in the vaguest motion toward the amber bottle filled with liquid.
Fudge looked increasingly bewildered, but nodded his head slowly in agreement.
Before Pettigrew could react in any way, Dumbledore grabbed the bottle, popped the cork, and gripped him by the hair, forcing his head back. He thrust the entire contents of the flask down the other man's throat, Pettigrew choking as he shook his head back and forth. When the professor was satisfied that the contents had been swallowed entirely, he stood straight and tall. Pettigrew now slumped a bit, eyes glazed over.
"Tell me your name." Dumbledore spoke clearly, fiercely.
"Peter Pettigrew." The answers were flat, without emotion.
"Where have you been the last twelve years?"
"Living as a rat."
"Where?"
"The pet of a wizard family."
"What is their name?"
"Weasley."
"You are an animagus?"
"Yes."
"When did you learn this?"
"As a student at Hogwarts."
"What happened on October 31, 1981?"
"People died."
"Who?"
"James and Lily Potter. Twelve muggles in London."
"Who killed them?"
"I killed the muggles."
"Who killed James and Lily Potter?"
"Lord Voldemort."
"How did he know where to find them?"
"I told him where they were."
"How did you know?"
"I was their secret keeper."
"Who made you secret keeper?"
"James Potter."
"Was someone else secret keeper before you?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
"Sirius Black."
"Why were you made secret keeper after him?"
"As a bluff."
"What does that mean?"
"They thought Lord Voldemort would never think to use me for his cause."
"Who thought that?"
"Sirius Black and James Potter."
"Why did you tell Lord Voldemort about James and Lily?"
"He ordered me to tell him where they were."
"Were you working for him?"
"Yes."
"For how long?"
"Over a year."
"Did Sirius Black kill anyone on October 31, 1981?"
"No."
"Why was he in the street that day?"
"Trying to kill me."
"Why would he do that?"
"Because I betrayed his friends."
"You caused the explosion?"
"Yes."
"What happened to your finger?"
At this point Fudge looked wildly at the hand in question.
"I took it off myself."
"Why?"
"To make it look like I'd been blown up."
"Sirius Black went to prison for twelve years for your crimes?"
"Yes."
Dumbledore looked at Fudge at this point, who was busy staring at Pettigrew in horror. "Have you heard enough? Or shall I continue?" he asked softly.
Fudge, who appeared shellshocked, shook his head slowly. He turned to me for the first time in several minutes, and said, "Do you know where Black is?"
I shook my head mutely. I had no idea where he had gone.
As Pettigrew stood there as if in a trance, Fudge slumped down in the nearest chair, trying to absorb this new information.
"Black is ... innocent." He stated it flatly. "Merlin's beard, the Daily Prophet will have a field day with us."
I turned to him and spoke for the first time in several minutes as Pettigrew stood, still wooden. "You poor thing," I said, not bothering to control my fury and contempt. "And here my husband has rotted away in prison for twelve years, not knowing he had a son. My heart was broken, wondering what the hell happened to him. I was institutionalized once because of it, for God's sake. You never even gave him a trial. I hope they crucify you." I had fresh tears in my eyes when I was done.
He had the grace to look abashed at this, but stayed quiet for a moment.
"Here's what's going to happen," I said next, tears streaming down my face. I pointed my finger in his face. "You will give him a full pardon, publicly. You will proclaim his innocence in every major newspaper and media outlet, wizard, muggle, whatever. You will admit that the ministry screwed up twelve years ago. You will make amends no matter how it makes you look. Do you understand?"
He appeared stony faced and defiant at first, but then I yelled, "We've suffered enough!" and he gave a deep sigh, saying "alright" in the direction of the floor.
"I want your word you will not hurt Sirius any more."
He nodded slightly. "Is that a yes?" Dumbledore asked, for the record.
"Yes." he said, though it obviously killed him. Bastard.
Then, inspiration struck. I took another look at the snivelling coward Pettigrew standing before me, and before he knew what was happening, I kicked him in the stomach. He doubled over in pain, wheezing. Fudge looked helplessly at Dumbledore, who suddenly had decided to examine his fingernails. I felt good for the first time all night.
