The Shrieking Shack

Ron huffed, throwing himself in the seat across from Harry.

"I can't believe Zabini got his mum to kill ol' Buckbeak," Ron whined, eyes forlornly staring at the sandwich he was making.

"It's not right," Ginny said, sitting down next to her brother. She pouted. "Don't you agree, Harry?"

Harry shrugged. "I mean, he did attack somebody." He glanced up, seeing the two redheads staring at him, mouths dropped. "But of course, it's totally unfair of Zabini to go to the ministry over a scratch."

"It was more than a scratch," Draco said with a snort.

"What, Malfoy? You the one defending the Snake?" Ron said with a sneer.

"Like I need the money," Draco said, arms crossed. "Though, come to think of it-Weasley-you could use a few extra galleons after that trip this summer. Were you their prosecutor?"

Ron scrunched his nose. "What of it, Malfoy?"

"I just heard you took a trip." Malfoy quirked a brow. "Did you have to lease your burrow to a band of hobbits?"

Hermione snorted, choking on her pumpkin juice.

Ginny grimaced. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

"For your information, Malfoy." Ron glared. "Dad won a lotto at work."

"Did your mum die of shock?" the blond asked, smirking.

Harry knit his brow together. "Draco, you saw their mum at the train station." He crossed his arms. "Unless there's a wizard around here practicing necromancy, I highly doubt she 'died of shock'."

"Well, actually, there is a wizard…" Hermione started. Draco cut her off.

"Oh, Harry. You're no fun."

"Ferret face, you're just mean," Harry said.

"But you promised…"

"You promised what, Harry?" Ron asked, frowning.

"Why don't we go and help Hagrid make it through this tough time?" Ginny suggested, pointedly looking at the boy-who-lived.

"I don't know if that's a good idea…" Hermione started, but before she could say anything else, Draco pulled her out of her seat and over toward the entry hall.

"Oh, yes it is." The blond smiled, grey eyes sparkling. "I want to see you rearrange someone else's face."

"Draconus Lucius Malfoy," Hermione said, wrenching her hand out of his grip. "I am not going to punch anybody."

The next thing the trio knew, they were sitting in Hagrid's hut. Hermione was nursing her hand with a bag of ice. Draco sat back, smirking.

"Not a word," the brunette muttered, the ice shifting in her bag.

"I didn't say anything," the blond said, smiling wide.

"You were thinking too loudly."

Draco shook his head. "Was I really that important?"

"For the fifteenth time, yes," Harry said, rubbing his eyes.

Hagrid walked over to make some tea. "Now, 'Mione, don' let that Finnegan boy get te' yah." He grabbed a cup. "He just don' know when te' keep his...Hey!"

The trio jumped.

"What is it, Hagrid?" Draco asked, rushing over to take a peek.

"Oi, Harry," the man turned to the boy-who-lived, "ain't this Ron's missin' rat, Scabbers?" He held up a squirming rodent.

Draco jumped, eyes widening. "There he is!" He grabbed for the rat. Hagrid pulled the pet away, holding him in the air.

"Whoa there, Malfoy. Gotta be careful with 'em there rats." He held the rodent close to his beard. "They're delicate creatures."

The blond rolled his eyes, ignoring the growling Dragon.

"You know, you're right. Sorry, Hagrid. Ron's been…" he scrunched his nose, tilting his head to the side, "very worried about him. Yeah, that's it. He's kept us up at all hours of the night crying over him." Draco grabbed for Scabbers once more. "I should take it back to him so I can get some beauty sleep."

Harry continued. "Yeah, we should...uh...go give it to Ron." Dragon growled again, causing Hermione to grab onto the scruff of his neck. The animagus lunged. Pettigrew squeaked and bit Hagrid's hand.

"Oi!" Hagrid let go of the rat in favor of massaging his thumb. "Hard grip, 'at 'un."

Dragon lunged again, escaping Hermione's grasp. Now free, the dog dashed out of the hut.

"Padfoot," Harry called out, rushing after him.

"Harry!" Hermione ran after him.

Draco turned to the giant. "Hagrid, I'm so sorry to be rude, but we really need to go." With that, the blond followed his friends to the Shrieking Shack.

Dragon disappeared underneath the tree. Harry grabbed the closest stick and froze the Whomping Willow. All three filed in underneath the hole in the tree and made their way to the Shrieking Shack.

When they got there, they saw Sirius holding Pettigrew at wand point.

"You traitor! Lily and James trusted you. You betrayed them!"

"Sirius, you don't understand." The rat shook in terror. "The dark lord, he Imperiused me."

"Dragon…" Draco called out. When that didn't get the animagus's attention, he tried something different. "Sirius!"

But the grim didn't hear him. Instead, he growled, pushing his wand into Pettigrew's throat.

"You should have died for them." Sirius scowled. "James and Lily would have done the same for you."

Hermione stepped forward. "Sirius Orion Black, put your wand down!"

The man glanced at Hermione.

"He betrayed them. They're dead because of him." Sirius looked over at his godson. "Your parents, Harry."

The boy stepped up to where Hermione and Draco stood. "Padfoot, they're right." He shook his head. "Killing him will not bring them back. It also won't help you." He walked over and placed a hand on his godfather's shoulder. "We need Pettigrew alive."

Sirius tilted his head. His wand arm slackened, almost relaxing, when Remus came storming into the shack.

"Sirius, put the wand down." The werewolf raised his own wand, preparing for a fight.

"Moony, it wasn't me, I swear," Sirius pleaded, turning to face his friend.

Remus's eyes widened. Where the hell did Sirius's hair come from? He shook his head to regain focus.

"Why the heck is your hair blond?" the DADA professor asked. Sirius smiled cheekily and changed into the blond grim. Remus's jaw dropped. "Wait, you were Dragon?" The werewolf's eyes narrowed. "You've been here all this time and you haven't tried to kill Harry?"

Draco quirked a brow. "You act like that's surprising. How many godfathers do you know actively trying to harm their godsons?"

Remus looked over at Pettigrew, tilting his head. His gaze bounced back to Dragon. "You were innocent. You never betrayed James and Lily, did you?" His wand slackened for a moment, before it tensed and turned to Pettigrew. "What happened that night, Padfoot? Weren't you their Secret Keeper?" His eyes narrowed at Pettigrew. "You weren't, were you?"

Sirius shook his head. "Nope. Changed it last minute."

The lycanthrope glared. "You idiots!"

"You're the idiot, Lupin," a voice said, causing everyone to jump. Professor Snape waltzed into the room, scanning it before his eyes widened. He shoved the flask he was holding into Remus' hands. "Drink, now."

The werewolf smiled and took the flask, drinking it down in one gulp.

"Expelliarmus," Harry yelled at Professor Snape. The man's wand flew out of his hand into the air.

"What? Why did you disarm me?" the potions professor snapped.

"So you don't kill Sirius."

"Although I'd love to, I'm not here to kill Black." The potions master crossed his arms. "I'm here for answers...and to make sure Lupin doesn't kill you all." He rubbed his eyes. "On the way to give him his potion, I overheard his little spiel about someone being alive, and how that was impossible."

"It's Pettigrew, Uncle Sev," Draco said, stepping up to his godfather. "He never really died that night when Sirius found him."

"When Lupin ran out of his office, I followed him." Professor Snape glared at the man. "Someone needed to make sure he took his potion. I heard his little rant just now about Black being Dragon." His brow furrowed. "That explains so much."

"So, you don't think I'm guilty?" Sirius asked, hopefully.

The potions professor rolled his eyes.

"Oh, you're guilty of many things: being a bully, being an ass, attempted murder…" Professor Snape crossed his arms. "But turning in Lily and James Potter? No, I do not think even you would stoop that low." He glared over at Pettigrew.

"No, it was Pettigrew. He set me up!" Sirius turned to face his now captive audience. "You see, he's a rat…literally. We became animagi our fifth year. Pettigrew can turn into a rat. He yelled out to gain everyone's attention, then the street blew up. He cut off his finger, and turned into a rat. He was the spy for Voldemort."

Professor Snape's eyes narrowed. "So that's why the Dark Lord was always muttering to his lap at meetings."

Draco snorted. His godfather turned to him, head tilted in confusion.

"Nothing. Just imagining the Dark Lord talking into his lap."

The potions professor shook his head, but remained silent.

"I don't understand how he could have come up with that." Severus, Sirius, and Peter stared at the lycanthrope. "Pettigrew, not You-Know-Who."

Sirius shrugged. "He never was very smart."

"The dark lord must have come up with the plan and had the rat carry it out," the potions master said. He turned to Black. "How in the world did you, Potter, and Pettigrew become animagi?"

"A conversation for another time, Snape," Sirius said with a sigh.

The dark man sneered. "That suggests there will be another time."

Remus just held his head in his hands. "I remember now why I hated our Slytherin-Gryffindor classes."

"Would you really hand me over to the dementors? Knowing I'm innocent of this crime?" Sirius asked, eyes widening in horror.

"Would you have paused for a second before doing it to me?" the potions master asked, eyes narrowing. He shook his head and crossed his arms. "I would not turn you in for this crime, but there still is the fact you are guilty of attempted murder."

"Can we just move on?" Remus asked, rubbing his temples. "Sirius has yet to explain what happened. They claimed he made a confession on scene."

"I convinced James and Lily to switch secret keepers," Sirius explained, his voice tight. "I thought it was the perfect bluff."

Hermione and Harry sighed, dropping down onto the bed. This was going to take a while. Draco sat down next to them, enthralled. Why hadn't Black been in Slytherin?

"So, you see," Sirius said, summing up the events that led to his incarceration, "it was a goose chase, with me as the red herring."

Remus slapped him over the ear. "Idiots! Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell Dumbledore?"

"We did tell Dumbledore." The animagus scowled. "Who do you think cast the charm?" Everyone in the room gasped. Hermione and Harry sat up straighter. "I was the witness. Pettigrew nor the Potters could've been. They were the Secret Keeper and the Secret. Therefore, Dumbledore had to cast the spell."

"Why didn't you ask me?" Remus asked.

Sirius averted his eyes, letting them watch his shuffling feet.

"Voldemort was promising perks to werewolves." The animagus stared back at the wolf. "You have to admit, you were away so often and you couldn't tell us where you were." He glanced back down at his scuffed shoes. "We thought-well, I thought-that you could have been the spy."

Snape scoffed. "Lupin? A spy?" He rolled his eyes. "He can barely his own secrets, let alone someone else's."

Remus and Sirius glared at him.

"Not everyone here knows my secrets," Remus said, eyes bouncing over to the three students in the corner.

Harry raised his hand slowly.

"Actually…"

The lycanthrope's jaw dropped. "How?"

The boy shrugged. "Hermione found out when Professor Snape gave us that paper to write. Then, she asked Sirius and he told us."

Sirius's brow furrowed. He glanced over and caught his godson's eye. He nodded in comprehension.

"Yeah, I-I," the animagus shrugged, "I thought they had the right to know-Harry being Prongs' son and all."

"But Draco and Hermione?" Remus asked, arms crossing.

"Hermione would've told Draco anyway."

The two professors nodded in agreement. Hermione's mouth dropped and she crossed her arms. She looked over at her friends for support. Draco and Harry stared at her.

She huffed. "Fine."

"We should get out of here," Sirius said, checking his watch. "It's almost past curfew and we need to get these kiddies off to bed."

Remus gaped. "Did...did I hear correctly?"

"If you had not asked, Lupin, I would have sworn I was hallucinating." Professor Snape shook his head slowly.

"Sirius Orion Black is asking us to help him follow the rules."

The animagus shrugged his shoulders. "I'm a godfather now. I should try to be a bit more responsible."

The potions professor sighed, spelling Pettigrew back into a rat before handing him over to Remus. The others followed him out toward the passage way.

Halfway toward the entrance, Remus stopped. "Oh, wait!"

"Really, Lupin?" The Slytherin professor smacked his head. "Twenty-eight years of transforming into a beast and you still forget?"

The lycanthrope glared, before turning and running back into the Shrieking Shack. Harry stopped, head tilted.

"Wait!" He cried out, eyes widening. "He has Pettigrew!"

The whole group stopped and turned around. Professor Snape and Sirius both began running toward the shack. Howling and shrieking echoed through the hall. Sirius changed into Dragon and darted toward the werewolf.

Harry started to run after him, but a hand on his shoulder kept him there.

"We must get back to Hogwarts, Mr. Potter," the potions master said, squeezing the boy's shoulder gently. "Your godfather will be fine."

The boy nodded and followed his two friends out of the passageway and out into the cool night air. Sirius came out behind them, panting.

"He's gone," the animagi said, kicking the nearest root. "When I got there, Remus had transformed. He looked so much better than the last time I had seen him." He begrudgingly looked at Professor Snape. "Thank you."

"Just doing what the headmaster forces me to," the man said, shrugging.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Take the praise for once in your life. I don't give it often." The professor huffed. Harry's godfather shook his head. "I searched. That rat was nowhere. I couldn't even catch his scent."

Harry sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Well, quick, transform. The dementors can't know you're here if he's not caught."

Sirius grudgingly turned back into Dragon. They all began walking up to the castle.

Hermione let out a moan. Draco's brow furrowed, eyes narrowing in confusion. The girl pointed at the entrance. Ministry official stood guard at the front of the castle. Snape winced and turned to the quartet.

"I may have sent a patronus to the headmaster asking for ministry personnel." The Gryffindors glared at him. He threw his hands in the air. "Well, excuse me for being concerned that a werewolf was on the loose."

"You did what?" Harry, Draco, and Hermione yelled in unison.

"Like I said, there was a werewolf on the loose without wolfsbane. He could have killed you all." He crossed his arms and huffed. "I was doing my job."

Draco sighed. "Seriously?"

Dragon barked happily.

"This is not the time, Bla…Dragon," the professor snapped.

"You have to explain this to them," Harry pleaded.

Professor Snape nodded his head. "I will do my best to defend your godfather's innocence." Dragon barked again. "Shut up, Black."

They finished their trek to the headmaster's office. The professor stayed his hand and motioned for Harry and Dragon to come with him.

They found the minister and the headmaster, talking. The headmaster rose when he saw his potions master, student, and dog.

"Severus," Dumbledore sighed in relief, "you found them."

"Yes," the potions master nodded, "all is well. There is no need to fret. Lupin took his wolfsbane and is currently sleeping in the Shrieking Shack. However," the man crossed his arms, "there is something that you should know."

"What could we possibly need to know other than that Harry Potter-the Savior of the Wizarding World-is safe?" Fudge asked, walking over and slapping the poor boy on the back.

The professor looked over at Harry right as Harry winced. Had the minister's pat been that hard? It wasn't like the man worked out. He wasn't that strong. Was it possibly the minister's blathering on about Harry's status in the wizarding world? Shouldn't the boy be beaming with pride? He shook his head. Not the time, Severus.

"Sirius Black is innocent," Harry said forcefully. "Pettigrew set him up."

The Minister of Magic let his mouth drop. Silence filled the air for a few moments before he burst into peals of laughter. Dumbledore narrowed his eyes and scoffed.

Professor Snape sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Yes, a thirteen-year-old child and a death eater, who would they believe more?

"Good one, my boy," the minister said, once again patting the boy on the back.

"But it's true, Minister," the potions master said.

"What?"

"You must be joking." Dumbledore stared at his spy, brow quirking. "Severus, are you defending Sirius Black?"

Professor Snape laid a hand on Harry's shoulder to stay any further Gryffindor tendencies.

"It's the truth, Headmaster," the potions master said. "And I will not let an innocent man be kissed, no matter how much I despise him." He crossed his arms. "Pettigrew is alive and was disguised as a pet rat for the past twelve years."

"Nonsense." The minister shook his head. "We found Pettigrew's wand exploded and only a finger left of him."

"He set up his own death and turned into a rat." Professor Snape continued, glaring at Fudge. It was insulting-really-how little they trusted him. However, this was the type of tale a death eater would tell: mass murderer Sirius Black is innocent and not a death eater.

"Peter Pettigrew, a rat? Are you saying he's an animagus?" Dumbledore asked. Snape inclined his head.

"This is preposterous." Fudge stomped his foot. "All the animagi are registered. We do not have Pettigrew in the registry. Hence, Pettigrew was not an animagus."

"Do you really think everyone registers themselves?" the professor asked, scoffing. "Do you know how many wizards and witches out there are running about unregistered? You wouldn't even be able to count."

Dragon whined. Professor Snape glared again.

Harry scrunched his nose. Dragon was getting antsy. "Maybe I should let him outside."

"That would be best," the potions master said with a nod.

The boy dragged Dragon out of the headmaster's office and closed the door on him.

"Sorry about that, sirs. He gets very claustrophobic sometimes." Professor Snape glared at Harry. The boy shrugged.

Fudge shook his head. "I'll hear no more about this." He pointed at Severus. "I don't know why Dumbledore trusts you." He raised his voice. "Headmaster, since there is no more trouble about, I will be leaving."

"But wait…" Harry yelled. Professor Snape grabbed Harry's shoulder and squeezed firmly. The boy shut up.

Fudge marched out of the headmaster's office, not looking back once. A sudden shriek pulled everyone out into the hall. Dragon currently had a strong hold on the minister's pant leg.

"Dragon, no," the boy said apathetically. The head of Slytherin let go of Harry to allow him to get his dog under control. He grabbed Dragon by the collar and pulled him back. "Sorry, Minister. He gets a little aggravated sometimes."

"It's alright, Harry." The Minister glared at both boy and dog. "All it takes is a little training and that issue can be resolved." He turned back to the group. "Good day."

"You idiot!" Professor Snape said once they were out of earshot. Hermione and Draco ran over, panting, to see what the commotion was about.

"What's wrong, Uncle Sev?" Draco asked, bending over his knees.

"Why didn't you let me handle it?" the professor asked, ignoring his godson. "If you had just let me deal with things, we would have been able to get your beloved dog-father out of trouble. Now, they will never believe us when we claim he is innocent."

Harry nodded silently. "You're right, Professor Snape."

"And another thing, I…" The man stopped, mouth ajar. "Did...Did you just say I was right?"

"I should have let you do the talking like you asked me to."

The professor's mouth bobbed for a few moments, before he pulled himself up to his full height.

"I appreciate your admission, Mr. Potter. That is the true sign of a responsible adult."

Harry smiled. "Thanks, sir."

Draco bid goodnight to the professor, and they all headed up to the Gryffindor common room.

"Do you really think they'd have believed Uncle Sev if you hadn't said anything?" Draco asked as the two boys walked up to their dorm.

The other boy shrugged. "I don't know, but at least I'm on good terms with the professor now."

The blond nodded. "Makes sense." He yawned. "Welp, better get some beauty sleep."

Harry smirked, watching his friend disappear under the covers. He loved this new life.