Year Three
Disclaimer: All of this is based upon the lovely J.K. Rowling's work. I own nothing except for a few non-canon characters to be introduced along the way. All of the paraphrased or direct quotes are from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, text copyright 1999 by J.K. Rowling. This story also borrows and incorporates several ideas from They Shook Hands by Dethryl, which is posted on Schnoogle, and I highly recommend as it is a great fic.
Everything is in the British-English spellings and feel free to Brit-pick.
"blah": dialogue
'blah': thoughts
"blah": Parseltongue
"blah": Legilimency/Telepathy
Chapter Thirty-Five: Cave Canem
"So what's the plan," Draco asked as they all gathered around.
The Animagus shook his head, picking up the Invisibility Cloak. "I'm going, and you three are staying."
"You and what wand?" Holly put in with a distinct smirk.
Sirius reached for his holster, "What do-" His fingers found nothing but air. Silvery blue eyes flickered to his goddaughter, shining with something rather like approval. "Perhaps I should rephrase that."
"Oh, do tell?" Blaise said, sniggering lightly.
"Holly and I will go on along, while you two wait here," the man suggested, trying his best to sound authoritative.
Draco fingered his own wand. "Try, try again."
"Er… all of us will be going, and I best not argue," Sirius corrected dejectedly.
"As Luna would say," Blaise put in with a very satisfied air, "we have a winner."
"That rather does sound like something I'd say," Luna commented as she breezed in through the door. She glanced around the room, taking in the scene. "Oh, this does indeed look like fun. Are we going on a treasure hunt?"
Sirius gave a venomous grin. "More like taking out the trash. We found Pettigrew."
Luna's entire demeanour shifted. "Where?" she asked as Tom phased out of his diary into the room proper.
"Hagrid's hut," Holly replied, and she showed the two newcomers the map. "We were just planning what to do."
"And no, before you ask. We can't all go," Sirius inserted quickly. "I mean, we simply won't all fit under the cloak, and that's the only way we'll manage to get on and off the grounds with all the professors about and patrolling."
Luna just smiled and hummed to herself. "I expect that Tom and I will stay here then. If you're not back in an hour, I'll fetch Professor Lupin, shall I?"
It was Holly who answered, "Please do. But only after an hour. And only Remus. You might as well tell the others, too. Milli go berserk when she finds out we went off without telling her."
Blaise didn't seem too happy with the suggestion but wisely remained silent.
"Just Lupin?" Tom questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Are you certain you don't want a back-up?"
"What about Severus? What?" Draco demanded when they all turned to look at him. "What if Lupin's not there when you go to find him? We'll undoubtedly need someone on the faculty to help us. Unless you lot want to run off to find Dumbledore, but he'd probably be a hard sell."
The Animagus rolled his eyes. "That's all well and good, but Snape wouldn't work. Aside from the fact that he utterly loathes me, there is the little problem of him being a Death Eater. The Ministry would have a field day. One follower of Voldemort trying to telling them the truth about another follower." He breathed out heavily, nostrils flaring.
"Well, there is that," the boy responded with a wounded look. "There's no need to get shirty about it. I was only trying to help." He gave an elegant shrug.
"We'll just go for Remus." Holly added with a sigh, "He knows both Sirius and Pettigrew and would give us the benefit of the doubt when we tried to explain."
Tom inclined his head. "Fine. So what exactly do you plan to do? Just go to Hagrid's and summon the rat? Make it sound like you found him and are giving him back to Weasley?"
Sirius seemed to think about it. "Basically. Let's just keep this simple." He nodded to himself. "Plus, I'll be a cat. It's not like he'll know it's me."
"The rest of us will just go up and have tea with him," Holly responded. "I mean, we've done it before. He won't notice anything strange."
"How are you going to explain this sudden visit to Hagrid?" Tom asked, rubbing his chin with one hand. "Especially with all that's been happening? The Dementors and all. Pettigrew is certain to notice that something odd is going on and bolt. And Draco's going to be with you. He's not exactly Hagrid's favourite person."
Everyone was stumped for a moment, trying to come up with an excuse. Sirius shifted from foot to foot with a sense of anxiety, not that anyone could blame him.
"Buckbeak," Holly put in suddenly, green eyes gleaming. "His execution is today. It's perfect."
"What? No! Dammit." Draco made a face. "He's not exactly going to want to see me then. I suppose, I'll just stay underneath the cloak, while the others go in."
Sirius prodded them, "So it's decided then? We need to get going. Pettigrew won't be there forever."
There was a consensus of agreement.
"You'll be careful, won't you?" Luna twisted her skirt in her hand. "The mumbas have been rather uppity lately, and I fear they might get you if you don't watch out."
"We will, Luna, Tom," Holly replied sincerely as they headed out the door.
The Ravenclaw watched silently as her friends left. She sighed as they closed the door behind them, face completely unreadable as she tucked her feet beneath her and sat on the floor. One minute faded into the next without any comment.
Finally, Tom walked over to her. "We're not actually going to stay here." It was a statement and not a question.
"Of course not. We'll inevitably have to rescue them, and I don't suspect Professor Lupin will be too useful in that."
Tom snorted. "What with it being the full moon and all." He paused to consider. "We'll give them their hour. Then, it's on to Lupin followed by Snape. Or perhaps we'll just send him an anonymous letter." He considered the possibilities. "Despite what the mutt says, he's still the best choice. Dumbledore will believe him before anyone else."
Luna nodded sagely as she climbed to her feet. "Exactly."
It was easy enough to get out of the castle, if a bit crowded underneath the cloak. As tall as Blaise and Draco were getting, they'd soon only be able to fit two people, but it would do for now. Holly carried Snuffles in her arms as they went, passing by Fudge and a few of his lackeys and managing to exit through the Entrance Hall doors just as Professor Rosetta entered. The sun was in the process of setting as they raced across the grounds and arrived at Hagrid's without seeing anyone else. However, there, they ran into problems.
Hagrid was not alone in his hut.
"It's the Gryffindors," Holly muttered heatedly. She turned to her friends.
Sirius stiffened in her arms.
"What?" both Blaise and Draco asked.
Holly leaned in. "They're here. Inside! Ron, Hermione, and Neville. And I think that they have Scabbers."
"What!" Blaise and Draco said together again, sounding like a broken record. They exchanged a look over her head.
"What are we going to do?" the brunet questioned on his own.
"We can't just bust in there," the other boy inserted. "And there is no way they're just going to let us walk off the rat." He shifted very slightly.
Holly exhaled in a rush. "Just think for a minute. We can come up with something. It'll be fine, Sirius," she added to her godfather.
He was tense underneath her fingertips, stiff and quivering. His fur was standing on end. Almost like he had stuck his finger in a Muggle electrical outlet or been struck by a Static spell. Holly did her best to calm him, hand brushing over his little kitten body. But it didn't seem to be working.
Blaise unexpectedly said, "We can just stick with the plan. Draco will stay here, while we go in. Then, we'll grab Pettigrew when they leave. It can't be too much longer. Fudge will be here any moment."
"I could distract them somehow," Draco added in. "I'll have the cloak, after all."
Holly glanced at him. "Like how?"
He seemed stumped. "I could..."
The boy glanced around, searching for something of use. His eyes landed on Buckbeak, who was tethered on the far side of the cabin. A sudden idea formed in his mind, one that he both liked and hated.
Draco made a face. "I could set the bloody hippogriff loose. That'll definitely distract them."
Holly snorted. "Just loosen the knot a bit; I'll do the rest." She absentmindedly scratched behind Snuffles' ears. "That way he'll still be here when Fudge and his minions arrive. And my, won't they be surprised when Buckbeak gets away?"
With that, Holly and Blaise threw off the cloak and approached the hut, Sirius still firmly in her arms. They were let in seconds after knocking, only to have Hagrid subsequently throw himself on them. The two Slytherins managed to pry him off with Neville's help. And afterwards, they stood awkwardly casting glances at the others as Hagrid tried to go about making tea.
They tried to strike up a conversation, but it was difficult. Holly could both feel and see Pettigrew held firmly in Ron's hands. He was squeakily struggling to break free, much to the redhead's chagrin. It took every ounce of self-control she possessed not to stun him on the spot, which was the last thing they needed to do with so many witness. But just as her restraint withered to the breaking point, Hagrid suddenly ushered them out, certain that Fudge would arrive soon. The enormous man all but shoved them out the backdoor, and something unfortunate happened in that moment.
Ron stumbled and tried to catch his balance.
And Pettigrew, the opportunist that he was, used the opportunity to escape, wiggling out from between his fingers. Sirius immediately jumped from her arms and gave chase. Ron let out a shout and followed after. The other two Gryffindors hesitated for a fraction of a second, stopping to look at each other in confusion. Finally, Neville darted off in the same direction, Hermione on his heels. Holly hedged on following. It was too dark now to properly see where they'd all gone.
Instead, the girl tugged Blaise along behind her, immediately zeroing in on Draco's position. The two of them ducked beneath the cloak, and the girl unfolded the Marauder's Map; it was faster than trying to find them with her Mind Magic. She scanned over it as she searched for both Sirius and Pettigrew. Holly figured that one had to be pretty close to the other.
"They're headed towards Hogsmeade." Draco pointed towards an area of the map.
"That leads to the Shrieking Shack," Holly corrected with a distinct frown. "Sirius told me that was where Remus used to transform. The entrance is just under the Whomping Willow."
"Well, it looks like Weasley is right there with them," Draco replied, using his wand to light up the map. The boy watched as Ron followed the two Animagi to the edge and disappeared. "And the rest of the Gryffindors are just behind."
Blaise shook his head. "We have to go, too. No telling how they'd react if either Pettigrew or Sirius transform. And Sirius will need backup. Pettigrew was a Death Eater, after all."
Holly folded the map with a flick of her wand, and they hurried to the Whomping Willow. The tree was already swaying, meaning that Neville and Hermione had probably come and gone. Still, it was easy enough to find a stick on the ground and press the knot at the base. The willow instantly stopped thrashing, and the three Slytherins quickly went inside.
The tunnel was earthen, low and slopping. Blaise's hair brushed the ceiling as they slowly crept forward, not entirely certain what they would find at the end. Holly could sense the others in the distance, but it was too chaotic to get a clear reading of any of them. She only knew that they were alive and in relatively good condition.
The Slytherins exited the tunnel into a room with faded and peeling wallpaper. What furniture was present was smashed to pieces, complete with jagged claw marks and what appeared to be bite impressions. Holly felt people just overhead, in the master bedroom, and she directed her friends to go up the creaking stairs. They moved as quietly as they could, and she did her best to send a mental warning to Sirius. But his mind was closed off and distant, obviously focused on something else.
Wands at the ready, they approached. Holly opened the door with a mental nudge. And she entered the room, the other two just behind her.
Ron was on the bed, panting and clutching his bleeding leg with one hand. Scabbers was held firmly in the other. Hermione knelt next to him, hair absolutely wild and clothing in disarray. Neville stood in front, facing the doorway. He seemed to be in the best condition out of all of them with only a few scraps.
"Behind you," Neville shouted as he spotted them. "It's a trap."
Hermione tearfully added, "He's an Animagus."
The three Slytherins whirled around. The door slowly swung shut, a man standing where it had just been. He was handsome, black hair hanging past his shoulders. His blue-grey eyes gleamed in the dim light, alive and flashing. And he had a wand in each hand, undoubtedly with two others in the pocket of his robe.
Holly studied him for a heartbeat. "Hello, Sirius." She lowered her own wand, her friends following suit.
The Gryffindors gaped, Ron's mouth dropping open.
Sirius beamed. "Holly, Blaise, Draco, how kind of you to drop in. We were just getting to the good part."
"But... you know him?" Hermione asked weakly.
Holly glanced at her. "We've met. And I believe he has something very interesting to show us."
"Don't listen to him," the redhead bit out painfully. "He's completely round the twist. Scabbers isn't human." He clutched his pet closer to his chest as Sirius moved to look at him.
"You shouldn't move your leg so much," the man stated, eyeing the large gash. "You'll only make it bleed worse. I can heal it for you though." He stepped closer.
The boy scooted back on his elbows. "Stay away from me. And Scabbers. He's just a rat."
"But that isn't a rat, Ron," Holly informed him, tone even but firm. "That's Peter Pettigrew."
"Impossible. Ridiculous," Hermione interrupted. "Black must have gotten to you."
Ron was all too quick to agree. "You've gone mad. The lot of you. Black's gone and Confounded you. He's working for You-Know-Who. He'll kill us all if we trust him."
"I don't think they've been spelled," Neville broke in calmly, the sole voice of reason. His Housemates stared at him, but he merely shrugged. "Look at them. Do they seem Confounded? Or crazy?" His gaze flickered from one Slytherin to the next. "I think that we should hear them out." He gave his friends a fierce look before nodding at the Slytherins. "Go on, Holly."
But Draco broke in before she could say anything. "Give them their wands back, Sirius. It's the only way they'll listen."
Sirius gazed at the boy for a moment, eyes flickering to his goddaughter. At her nod, he tossed all the wands back.
"There. Happy?" Blaise inquired rhetorically. "Will you listen now?"
Obviously, the Gryffindors didn't know what to think. They exchanged a bewildered glance but remained silent. Holly took that as her cue.
"Pettigrew is an Animagus. They're both Animagi," she stated loudly, overriding what Hermione was about to say. "Both unregistered. They learned here at school, along with my dad."
"But why?" the other girl asked. "Why would they do that? It doesn't make any sense."
"For a friend." When they looked at her with disbelief, Holly sniffed and added, "He was a werewolf, and they could only keep him company as animal. But I won't tell you who it is. Don't bother asking." She shot them a glare when Hermione narrowed her eyes. There was a tingle at the back of her mind, but her attention was quickly directed away from it.
Ron shook his head. "And you expect us to believe all this? Black could've lied to you."
"That sounds rather farfetched," Hermione stated with equal disbelief. "Can you prove any of it?"
"Well," Blaise cut in, "it's easy enough to check. I just happen to know a Revealing spell." He avoided mentioning that Sirius had taught it to him. "Watch. It turns red in the presence of humans."
He slowly flicked his wand under the Gryffindors watchful eyes and cast the spell on Holly. A cloud of reddish smoke surrounded her for a moment before disappearing.
Blaise gestured. "See. It's red. And if Scabbers is really an Animagus. It'll turn red, too."
As he moved toward Ron, Holly felt a tickle at the back of her mind. She tilted her head in concentration. Another person was approaching, at the top of the stairs, but it wasn't Remus. Instead, it was-
The door flung open, Professor Snape outlined by the frame. Instantly, everyone lost their wands, even Sirius. Holly, however, managed to pull hers back telekinetically, slipping it into her robes without anyone noticing. In the meantime, Snape pocketed the others.
"Professor, what are you doing here?" Draco asked after a moment of stunned silence.
The Potions master stepped further into the room. "I received an anonymous letter. It told me where I could find a particular escaped criminal, along with several of my Slytherins." His dark gaze went from one person to the next and settled on Sirius, taking in his rather normal appearance. "And what do we have here? The infamous Sirius Black? Are you so inhuman now that Azkaban didn't even have an effect?"
The other man stiffened, but before he could say anything, Holly stepped in front of him.
"Please, sir. It's not what you think," she said softly. Green eyes looked up at him imploringly
His hands twitched. "Miss Potter, have you lost what precious little sense you have?" the Potions master questioned heatedly, fingers tightening on his wand. "Step away from him. He's dangerous. An escapee from Azkaban. One out for your precious head!"
Holly took a step forward, still trying to reason with her Head of House. However, he used the opportunity to quickly lunged forward and grab her robe. He jerked her away and to the side of him, his wand firmly fixed on Sirius the entire time. The Animagus inched towards them, but Professor Snape swished his wand dangerously in the other man's direction.
"Give me a reason, Black," the teacher said in his most venomous tone, the tip of his wand glowing. "Give me a reason, and I swear I will. You will not touch her again." He gestured for Sirius to move to the far wall and away from the students.
The Animagus grudgingly did so. "This isn't what you think, Snape. I wasn't going to hurt them."
"I highly doubt that," the Potions master replied nastily, turning so that he could watch everyone in the room. "I don't know what spell you used on them, but believe me, Black, I won't fall for it so easily."
Draco practically begged, shifting forward, "Professor, please just give us a chance to explain."
Snape's eyes went to him. "You can explain later, Mr. Malfoy. There will be plenty of time for that after we get back to the castle."
The man moved then. He might have been going to simply tie Sirius up. Or perhaps something more sinister. They'd never know, for as his attention momentarily focused on Draco, Holly moved. She carefully slipped her wand free and cast the first spell that entered her mind. The Stunner hit Snape in the side. He never even saw it coming, landing in an unceremonious heap on the floor.
"You just cursed Severus," Draco stated obviously as Sirius bent to retrieve everyone's wands.
"I had to." Holly sighed weakly. "He's going to be so furious." She finally lowered her arm and knelt to check on her teacher.
"Maybe he'll blame them and not you." Blaise inclined his head to the Gryffindors, who were all too stunned by what had just happened to notice.
"I dare say he might," another voice interrupted, male and quite clearly amused.
They whirled around to see yet another professor.
Remus Lupin.
"Hello, everyone," he greeted pleasantly, like he hadn't just walked in on a colleague being curse behind his back. "I just heard a most fantastic story from Miss Lovegood. She seemed to believe that I can find Peter Pettigrew here, alive and well." His eyes travelled to Sirius and froze, staring for several very long minutes.
"And you believed her?" Ron put in incredulously.
Draco sniffed. "Look, Weasley. You can't possibly believe that all of us are Confounded. Let the man handle it. He'll do it better than any of us could."
Ron just gawked at him. For once, he didn't argue. Even Hermione remained quiet, face oddly blank as she watched Lupin with a peculiar expression, biting her lip. The man didn't seem to notice. He had yet to shift his attention from Sirius. And Sirius just stared back.
"Er... Professor?" Neville prompted after a minute.
Remus started. "Ah... yes. Yes, of course." He visibly shook himself. "Where is he, Sirius?"
The other man swallowed thickly and glanced away. "On the bed. With the boy."
Remus finally looked at Ron and moved towards him. He reached out one hand to shut the door as he went by, but someone breezed inside just then.
"Am I late? Oh, are we having a party?" Luna questioned cheerfully. "I do believe I'm overdressed," she added, seeing that her companions were in various states of disarray. "And I am sorry, Professor Lupin, but I couldn't just stay behind while my friends were in trouble."
"What is with you people?" Neville asked as he gaped at her.
Holly rubbed a hand over her face as Luna sidled up to her. "I suppose that our hour was up."
Luna studied her watch. "It is now."
The older girl sighed and simply watched as Remus talked to Ron.
"Could I see your rat please?" the professor gave him a winning smile.
He took the squealing and struggling rat into his own hand. Remus brought him to the centre of the room, and both he and Sirius raised their wands. There was a flash of light, and then, where there had once been a rat... was now a man. A short and balding and altogether unpleasant looking man. What was left of his colourless hair stuck straight on end, and he was wringing his pudgy hands nervously.
"It is true then," Remus said in a hollow and shocked voice. "It's all true. Everything Luna told me." He looked at his old friend again. "I'm so sorry, Sirius. So very sorry. How could I have ever doubted you? How could I have ever believed him?" His face hardened as his eyes went back to Pettigrew.
"Re-Remus... Sir-Sirius." The little man attempted to smile at them.
"Well, hello, Peter. Long time, no see," Remus replied, tone pleasant but demeanour deadly. "It's been what? Over a decade since you betrayed Lily and James to their deaths."
The traitor squeaked. "I-I... would... never-"
"Oh, give it up," Sirius cut in fiercely, teeth gritting together. "We all know it was you. Why else would you still be alive and in hiding? You knew that Voldemort's followers would be after you, would think that you'd tricked them. And you couldn't go to Dumbledore. He'd realise the truth about everything once he saw you."
Pettigrew flinched at the name of his master. "No... I'm... innocent..." he defended, watery eyes red rimmed.
Draco inserted in a haughty voice, "You had years to find Dumbledore if you were innocent. And obviously, he could've protected you. Not even the Dark Lord could ever defeat him."
"But you didn't," Blaise continued with a razor sharp smile. "You couldn't."
Luna watched as Pettigrew looked everywhere but at Holly. "And even now, you can't look her in the eyes," she commented softly. "The true mark of a guilty man. Everyone knows you did it, even them." The girl gestured to the Gryffindors.
They were too shocked to say much of anything. Ron seemed deeply disturbed by Scabbers' true identity, clearly remembering that the rat had slept in his bed. Hermione was trembling noticeably, hand held over her mouth. Neville just glared at Pettigrew, lips a thin line.
The traitor wrung his hands again. "But... no... Lily and James."
"You were passing information for over a year before they died. Don't bring them into this," Remus replied, pleasant face taking on a dangerous cast. "They trusted you. Invited you into their home. Let you spend time with Holly. And you all but killed them."
Pettigrew didn't answer. He turned away, shaking as he tried to breathe.
"Nothing else to say for yourself, Peter?" Sirius inquired after a few minutes, raising his wand. "You should have died, you know. Died instead of betraying your friends. As we would have done for you." He lifted his chin resolutely. "Well, I guess this is goodbye then."
Pettigrew screeched in terror. He was on the verge of wetting himself as the tip of Sirius' wand flared.
"Goodbye, Peter," Draco put in cheerfully, giving a jaunty wave.
The others just watched in a sick sort of fascination as Sirius gave a dead little smile.
The rat dove for Remus, grovelling on his knees. But the werewolf kicked him away. Pettigrew then moved to Neville, only to jerk back as the boy lifted his own wand. One by one, the traitor beseeched each of them. Until finally, he went to Holly. She stared at him for a moment before calling off her godfather.
"Don't get any ideas, rat. I am not saving you," Holly replied to Pettigrew's squeak of gratitude, eyes glowing the colour of the Killing curse. "It's just that your dead body won't be proof enough for Fudge." Her gaze flickered to Sirius, and she gave a forceful nod. "We'll take him to the headmaster. He'll know what to do."
Her godfather inclined his head and stepped back to stand near the Gryffindors. His wand was still fixed on Pettigrew, nevertheless.
"But there's one thing I don't understand," Hermione finally said several seconds later.
Ron goggled at her. "One thing?"
"How did you know?" She made a gesture towards Pettigrew. "Mr. Black, how did you know that Scabbers was Pettigrew out of millions of rats? And how did you ever get out of Azkaban, for that matter? It's supposed to be impossible."
Sirius blinked at being addressed like this. "That is a very long story. I'll be sure to tell it to you one day." His attention went to Ron then, and before the redhead could even protest, Sirius started to examine his injured leg.
His goddaughter watched them curiously but remained silent.
"The boy got hit by the willow on his way in," the Animagus explained with a shrug. "He wouldn't let me heal it earlier." He waved his wand and the long gash instantly closed, leaving only a red line that was rapidly fading to pink. "That should do it, but you'll probably still need to go to the nurse, just in case. You've lost some blood."
In the meantime, Remus tied up Pettigrew with a flick of his wand and set some kind of spell to keep him from transforming. Blaise walked over to his Head of House, gently levitating the man. It took several minutes for everyone to get situated, and Sirius and Remus went to exit. They arrived at the door at the same time, bumping into each other.
"Sirius," the professor breathed.
"Remus."
There was a distinct cough behind them.
"Er..." Remus responded articulately. "Later... We'll talk later."
With that, their very odd party left the master bedroom and traversed the stairs. Remus led them through the tunnel, his wand still trained on Pettigrew, who was just beside him. Ron and Neville were right behind, their wands also out. Next was Blaise, levitating Professor Snape, followed by Hermione and then Draco and Luna. Holly and Sirius brought up the rear.
They left the tunnel and started across the grounds. Night had fallen, but the entire sky was overcast. Not a star or the moon in sight.
But then, a cloud moved, moonlight peeking through.
Remus froze. Neville nearly ran into him but managed to stop in the nick of time. Sirius jogged forward to see what was going on. However, he came up short as his friend hunched over and began to shake.
"Run," Sirius whispered, eyes impossibly wide. "Run now."
He leapt at Remus, transforming into a dog mid-air. Their professor snarled, entire body lengthening. A snout formed where there had once been a mouth and nose. Fur burst from his skin, clothes ripping as he grew in size. He let lose a terrifying howl.
Remus was turning into a wolf.
"He must not have taken the potion today," Draco realised in horror. "Severus was too busy to give it to him." He started to back away, taking Luna with him.
Blaise gave a strangled sound, wand held in suddenly limp fingers. The spell holding Professor Snape upright abruptly ended, and it was only through Holly's quick thinking that he didn't crash to the ground. She revived him with a wave, but while her attention was focused elsewhere, Pettigrew made his move.
He lunged at his redheaded escort, grabbing his wand. There was a burst of light as he both freed himself from his restraints and blasted Ron and Neville off their feet. The two boys hit the ground hard, Ron's head connecting and making him see stars. Hermione hurried over to them, helping Neville pull her other friend to his feet, but he swayed dangerously.
"Oh, Merlin. We have to go, Ron," Hermione begged, pulling at him with tears in her eyes. "He's the werewolf. The one they learned to be Animagi for."
Meanwhile, Pettigrew cast another spell on himself. He then transformed and disappeared into the night. No one even saw which direction he'd gone.
And even as that was happening, Sirius and the werewolf were just feet away, locked in a deadly battle. The wolf was massive, easily the size of Sirius in dog-form. Perhaps even larger. The Animagus' blood dripped from his canines as he ripped chunks of fur and flesh free. Sirius, in turn, snapped back. He body checked the wolf, keeping him from the others.
They could only watch with horror.
"Move!" Holly all but yelled. "Move now!" She gave the redhead a shove to get him going and turned to her Head of House. "Come on, Professor. We have to get out of here." She helped the dazed man stand straight and dragged him along. Her head swivelled around then, feeling fear coming off her bonded in waves. "Blaise. Blaise, we have to get out of here."
However, Blaise didn't move. He just stood there, staring in abject terror. The boy watched as the wolf tore into Sirius with a sickened sort of interest. It was like seeing some kind of catastrophe. He just couldn't look away, revulsion and fear keeping him rooted to the spot.
"Come on, Zabini. Move," Draco stopped to shout at him, but his friend didn't even hear him. "Bloody hell. Accio Blaise Zabini." The blond boy groaned as Blaise smacked into him but somehow stayed on his feet. "Move it." He and Luna all but carried the brunet away.
Regardless, they weren't fast enough. The wolf viciously threw Sirius from him and darted after, seeing its prey escaping. It caught up easily and instantly zeroed in on Blaise. The boy made a noise in his throat, like he wanted to scream but lacked the ability. He stepped back automatically as the wolf prepared to pounce.
There was a shrill call then, more like a trumpeting before the charge. Suddenly, a greyish blur ploughed straight into the wolf, rolling around in a ball of fur and feathers, talons and teeth. Seconds later, the wolf was tossed back as Sirius joined the fray, and it struggled to its quivering paws before running off into the woods.
The Animagus transformed back to a human and dropped to his knees. He was bleeding fiercely from several places, including a not so shallow cut on his neck. As for their saviour, Buckbeak trotted over to them. Or more specifically, over to Draco. The hippogriff gave a pleased sound and nuzzled the blond's neck. He just stood there in shock, too confused to notice Blaise lose what was left of his dinner in the nearby bushes. Holly did her best to comfort him, rubbing his back as she looked on helplessly.
Professor Snape grabbed his aching head, moaning faintly as he straightened. He half-staggered over to Sirius, but the Animagus was in no condition to defend himself. The Potions master reached into his robes, and Sirius stiffened from his spot on the ground, knowing there was little he could do. His own wand had been lost in the fight. However, the other man simply pulled out a purplish potion.
"Drink this." Snape practically shoved the bottle in Sirius' face, and at his mutinous expression, the professor growled. "Maker, Black! I'm not going to poison you after you saved us from a bloody werewolf. And I highly doubt that I'd survive both a four-way duel and a vengeful hippogriff if I dare try anything."
Sirius blinked and reluctantly drank his potion. "Thanks," he murmured as his injuries sealed shut. He unsteadily climbed to his feet, helped by Luna as Snape marched off to check on his students.
Nearby, the three Gryffindors were trying to get their bearings. Ron moaned, clutching his pained head, blood on his fingertips. Hermione was doing her best to calm herself; she had one hand firmly over her heart, fingers twisted into the fabric of her shirt. Neville took a deep breath beside her. He had one hand on the redhead's shoulder to keep him stable.
Meanwhile, Holly gently led Blaise over to Sirius. Draco soon joined them, Buckbeak trotting up behind.
"How did he get free?" Holly asked in an aside, watching as everyone else moved to their group. "I never untied him. I forgot in all the rush."
"Must have done it himself after I loosened the knot," Draco replied, shock still evident in his tone. "But he's got great timing. We'd have died for sure."
Blaise groaned at that. His pupils were dilated, sweat clinging to his forehead.
Holly was about to speak again, but she abruptly stopped. Something was wrong, infinitely wrong. There was a creeping presence coming towards them, menacing and deadly. She exhaled, seeing her breath in the suddenly freezing air. And the darkness around them deepened, no longer tranquil and inviting.
"No," Sirius mouthed beside her. "Please no."
Neville sighed heavily. "Circe, what is it now?" He struggled to keep Ron from tipping over.
"Dementors," Snape replied tersely. "Come. We must leave."
They ran. All of them headed for the Entrance Hall, but there was the flap of cloaks in front of them. That way blocked, they turned to go for the road to Hogsmeade. However, the air turned colder, even more Dementors barring the way. Screams rang in Holly's ears, becoming louder and clearer with every heartbeat. She drew up her strongest mental shields, but even that wasn't enough to drown them out. A shriek echoed in her head, a flash of green eyes and red hair.
The professor started to direct them to the woods, but he knew it wouldn't work in seconds. More Dementors poured out from between the trees. And they turned to the only option available to them. Yet, even as they went, they knew it was a trap. The Dementors were driving them towards the lake, trying to box them in.
Professor Snape raised his wand. "Expecto Patronum."
And some sort of animal burst forward, but Holly was too distracted to see what. It flew ahead, soon lost in the sea of Dementors.
"Expecto Patronum." Holly joined her own magic. She only formed a silvery mist though, the best she'd ever been able to do.
The mist soon faltered as the Dementors swarmed closer, wiping her mind clean of all happiness. She couldn't think, couldn't concentrate. All of her energy and power were tied up in maintaining her shields.
Beside her, she distantly heard the Potions master again calling his Patronus. He had figured out what was happening, doing his utmost to rectify the situation. Yet, it was too little and too late as they reached the water's edge. The Dementors swooped in and formed a solid was of cloaked forms, blocking any and all escape. They floated closer, and a putrid stench filled Holly's nose. A decaying hand reached for her face, only to snap back. The pressure on her mind unexpectedly lifted, leaving her in the peaceful shadows of her own thoughts. She blinked as she caught sight of something on the lake.
An animal, bright and radiant as the sun, raced across the water towards the hoard of Dementors. It twisted this way and that, silvery body dancing as it snapped and snarled at each enemy it even came near. And like that, the horrible things were driven off, fleeing for their very lives.
She came back to herself in a fog; her mind was hazy and cloudy, aching from the effort of keeping her shields. Both Draco and Sirius were on the ground, alive but unconscious. Blaise was frighteningly close to it, not having kept his feet. Luna was on her hands and knees, head bowed. The three Gryffindors were in equally bad shape. Professor Snape was the only other person still standing, but he was very obviously shaken.
"That was amazing, Professor," Holly murmured in a breathless voice as she managed to focus on him. She swayed precariously.
"That wasn't me, Miss Potter," the Potions master corrected. His eyes were wide, and his hands shook ever-so-slightly as he attempted to steady her. "That wasn't my Patronus at all."
However, the girl didn't catch the last part. Black was etching into her vision. Her head swam, and her body was so very heavy.
"Miss Potter!" Holly heard in the distance as she sank to the ground, sand beneath her fingertips. "Potter! Holly!"
But then, all she saw was black. And Holly knew no more.
Cave Canem: Beware of Dog.
AN: I couldn't quite finish before our cruise, and I didn't have my laptop with me. Anyway, this section of the story is in its final few chapters, so enjoy it while you can. I plan to take a little break in between years. Also, I'm doing a re-edit of my other big series, and I think that I may start writing on it again.
To everyone who reviewed: Thanks.
Chapter Thirty-Six: Past Imperfect
Ever Hopeful,
Azar
Updated and Edited:
08/08/10