Ron was shaking as he held Scabbers tighter to his chest. Calla moaned. "Just give him the rat, Ron."
"No!" Ron said indignantly. "I - I still don't trust you. Professor Lupin, you - you don't know what you're talking about! He's a rat, he's just a rat, he's my rat! He's rubbish, he's not a - an animagus!"
"I'm afraid he is," Remus said softly. "Give us Peter, Ron, and you'll see."
"This is mad!" Ron was still insisting. Calla rested her head against one of the bedposts, and it still thumped as she squeezed her eyes shut, her blood roaring in her ears. "He's Scabbers! You - you really broke out of Azkaban to - to kill Scabbers? I - I mean, there's millions of rats. How's he meant to know which is Scabbers, if he's been locked up in Azkaban for so long!"
"That is a fair question, Ron," Remus said. "How did you know it was him, Sirius?"
There was a rustling of crumpled paper as Black took something out of his pocket. Remus let out a small sigh.
"It was in the Daily Prophet," Sirius Black's hoarse voice was saying. "When Fudge came to Azkaban last year, he brought the paper with him, and I - I saw the photo, and I saw him. I asked for a closer look, said I liked the crossword and I looked at it. And I knew it - I knew it was him, Remus. See his front paw? There's one toe missing there, see."
"Yeah?" Ron said defiantly. "He's always been missing that toe."
Calla cracked her eyes open, staring. The photo of the Weasleys in Egypt was in Remus' hand, and he was staring at it like he had seen a ghost. "My God," he said, looking up at them. "That was all they found of Peter Pettigrew..." Calla took in a deep breath. "His finger. Of course. So brilliant. He cut it off himself?" Calla shuddered at the thought. That was horrible.
"Just before he transformed," said Black. "When I cornered him he yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd betrayed James and Lily, as if I would! I didn't even get the chance to curse him before he blasted the street and those Muggles to pieces, with the wand he had behind his back. He killed everyone within twenty feet of himself. And then he transformed and ran down to the sewers. With the other rats." He spat the last few words, face contorted in hatred, and Calla felt suddenly certain of Sirius Black's words.
"But - but Scabbers... Look, he probably just had a fight with another rat or something! He's been a good rat, he has, he bit Goyle for us once, didn't he, Harry?" Harry stared at him. "He's been in my family for ages, right-"
"Twelve years," Remus said quietly. "Isn't it? Awfully long time for a garden right."
"We took good care of him!" Ron insisted. "He was Percy's first, too, he always took care of him, he's lived a good life! He's not - he's not Peter Pettigrew!" He was holding the shaking rat to his chest. "I swear it, he's not!"
"He's been ill, though," Calla said quietly from the bed. "You said he's been ill since Egypt. That was... That was when he... Broke out."
Ron was staring at her. "Calla! You can't be serious!"
"I'd guess he's been losing weight ever since he heard Sirius was on the run," Remus told Ron. He was still awfully calm about everything, or trying to be, at least. "He isn't looking very well, now, is he?"
"You leave Scabbers alone!" Ron said, scrambling away. "He's not - you've gone mad. It's been Crookshanks, not him, that mad cat's been chasing him all year! Harry, Harry, tell him, they'll listen to you! Crookshanks kept attacking him, that's why he's been so stressed out! Scabbers is a good rat! They've got the wrong rat!"
But it wasn't just Crookshanks, Calla thought. Scabbers had been ill even before than, that was why they'd gone to get the rat tonic. And, she thought, the shopkeeper had said that Crookshanks was very intelligent. The two cats, as if on cue, purred in Calla's lap.
"That cat isn't mad," Sirius Black croaked hoarsely. He reached out a bony hand to stroke Crookshanks' head and Calla stared at him, hardly daring to move even though she was beginning to believe it, and to believe him. Everything was making sense. It all added up. "He's the most intelligent of his kind I've ever met." Matilda hissed. "And Calla's cat's very smart too. But Crookshanks recognises Peter for what he was the moment he saw him, and when he saw me, he knew too, that I was no dog. It took a while for him to trust me, but when he did he began to help me. Once I was able to communicate with him, he started helping me..."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked. "Helping you how?"
"He tried to bring Peter to me but couldn't. So he brought me the passwords for the Gryffindor Common Room, stole them from a boy's bedside table, I believe-"
"Neville," Calla said shortly. "Neville's table, wasn't it?"
Black looked at her. "Peter got wind of what was going on," he said slowly, "and he ran for it. This cat, Crookshanks you call him, told me Peter had left blood on his sheets. I suppose he'd bit himself. Well, faking his own death had worked once before, hadn't it? Why not again?"
"Faked his own death so you wouldn't kill him," Harry said furiously. He looked at Remus. "So he's alive, that doesn't make him innocent!"
"No," Remus said sternly. "Harry..."
"You kept following me," Calla said. "Us. Magnolia Crescent, and Harry said he saw you at the Quidditch match, and - and Crookshanks and Matilda led me to you that night. And that day by the forest." He could have killed him any of those times, and he didn't.
"You seemed to take to me better," Black said. "And your little kitten - Matilda, did you call her? - got along with the cat, and so did that owl. I thought I ought to see if you'd trust me. If I could, in the end, reveal myself, tell you the truth." She could only stare at him. "But I didn't come here to explain things. The time has long passed for that. I came here for the rat."
"No!" Harry shouted, and Calla startled. "I mean, you - you can't!"
"Harry," Remus said. "We thought for so long that Sirius betrayed James and Lily, and that Peter had tracked him down and confronted him, but it was the other way about. Wasn't it? Don't you see? Peter betrayed your mother and father. Sirius tracked him down."
"But - but how?" Calla asked, looking between them both. "I thought-"
"But he said so!" Harry yelled, eyes pleading. "Before you came here, Remus, he said he killed them, he admitted it!"
"Harry," Black croaked, shaking his head very slowly, his eyes too bright and his face too pale. "I as good as killed them. I persuaded Lily and James to switch the Secret Keeper to Peter at the last minute, persuaded them to use him instead of me. I was a coward. I thought I would be too obvious, that Voldemort would come after me. I'm to blame... was meant to check on Peter, the night your parents died. I went to see him, check on him, Make sure he was still safe, but he was gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle, and then I went to the house, to Godric's Hollow and when I saw it, destroyed, I - I knew. I saw their bodies and I realised what - what Peter had done. What I'd done."
His voice broke; he was shaking now, all over, like a hanging skeleton about to fall apart. "Enough," Remus said, voice unusually steely. "There is one way to settle this. To know for sure. Ron, give me that rat."
"What are you going to do to him?" Ron asked, shrinking back.
"Force him to show himself," Remus said tensely. "If he really is a rat, then it won't hurt him."
"You - you're sure?" Ron said, shivering. "You won't hurt him!" Remus nodded and at long last, Ron held Scabbers out to Remus, who took him.
Scabbers started to squeal, twisting and turning every way he could, trying to slip out from Remus' grip, his black eyes bulging out of his head. "Ready, Sirius?" Remus asked, and Calla shuddered as Black reached to take Snape's wand from the bed. She stared up at him, half terrified of knowing the truth. But she knew they had to know.
"Together?" Black said, eyes looking like they were burning with anger and determination. For vengeance.
"I think so," Remus said quietly. He held Scabbers tightly in one hand and his wand in the other, and the rat squirmed, squealing. "On the count of three." Calla shut her eyes; she wasn't sure she wanted to see what would happen. "One, two - THREE!"
She could still see the flash of light before her eyes, and heard Ron's yell. "Scabbers!" Calla opened her eyes just enough to see as the rat hovered, frozen in the air, and then thumped back onto the ground. She gave a little squeal, pulling her legs up onto the bed and dislodging Crookshanks and Matilda, who both leapt off the bed and padded over to where Scabbers lay. There was a moment of silence before another blinding flash of light, and Calla jumped, and then-
The rat was growing. Not just growing, changing at the same time. A head shot up from the ground with matted hair, and limbs sprouted from a furry body and the next thing Calla knew, there was a man standing there in front of them, cringing and wringing his hands, looking absolutely terrified for his life. Crookshanks was spitting at him, snarling, and Matilda turned to look at Calla with wide eyes.
The man was very short, and had the appearance of someone who had once been plump and lost a lot of weight in a very short space of time. His face was a little squished, and rather than a beard he seemed to still have whiskers, and his whole body shrank on itself, it seemed, like it wished to be as small as a rat. His face was grubby like Scabbers' fur, and his features remained rat-like; his small, watery eyes, his pointed nose, his little mouth. He looked around shakily at them all, eyes darting to the door and back again. It was him, Calla knew. She curled her fingers around her wand, which was next to her on the bed.
"Well, hello, Peter," Remus said in a pleasant sort of way, not sounding particularly shocked at all. "Long time, no see."
"R-Remus," Pettigrew squeaked, opening his arms. "S-Sirius. My old friends."
He made a move forward, and Black raised his wand as Remus pushed Pettigrew back again. His eyes darted wildly to the door. Remus' hand was around Black's wrist, keeping him from using any spells. Yet.
"We've been having a little chat, Peter, about the events of the night James and Lily died. You may have missed some of the finer points, squealing around on that bed."
"Remus," gasped Pettigrew. "You don't believe what he's saying, do you? You - you can't believe him! He tried to kill me, Remus!"
"So we've heard," Remus said coldly. "I have one or two small matters I'd like to clear up with you, Peter, if you'd be so kind."
"He's come to kill me again!" Pettigrew squealed. "He's going to kill me, Remus, Remus, you can't let him! He killed Lily and James and now he's going to kill me, too, Remus, you have to help me!"
But it was adamantly clear that Remus was not going to help him. "No one's going to kill you until we've sorted a few things out," he said lowly. Black's eyes darted to Remus and then back again.
"Sorted things out?" Pettigrew squealed, eyes darting about. "I knew he'd come after me! I knew he'd be out again, on the loose, mad! I knew he'd be back for me! I've been waiting for this for twelve years! Remus!"
"You knew Sirius was going to break out of Azkaban?" Remus asked, his brow furrowed. Pettigrew's eyes darted to Calla and she shuddered, shuffling over closer to where Harry was standing. "Break out of Azkaban, when no one was done so before?"
"He has Dark Powers!" Pettigrew exclaimed, pointing a shaky, claw-like finger. "Powers the rest of cannot imagine, tricks he was taught by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named! That's how he got out, it's the only way, how else? He's mad, Remus, you know the Dark magic his family used! It's him, he's going to kill me!"
Black started to laugh; it was a cold laugh, the kind that doesn't feel any humour, and it filled the room. Calla shivered uneasily and she quietly beckoned Matilda back onto the bed beside her. "Voldemort taught me tricks?" Black said, and Pettigrew flinched. "What? Afraid to hear your old Master's name? I don't blame you, Peter. Your lot aren't very happy with you are they?"
"Don't know - what you mean - Sirius-" Pettigrew muttered, twitching as he shuffled back. "Don't - don't have any - idea - what you're - on about-" he was breathing very, very quickly, and his forehead shone with sweat.
"You haven't been hiding from me from twelve years," snarled Black. "You've been hiding from Azkaban, from your Death Eater friends. I've heard them talking in there, Peter, in their sleep. They're furious with you. They think the double crosser's double crossed them. Think you tricked Voldemort, sent him to his death that Halloween night. And not all of Voldemort's supporters ended up in Azkaban, did they? No, there are plenty still out there, biding their time and pretending they know nothing, but there are plenty who'd love to get their hands on you. If they ever got the slightest wind that you were still alive, Peter..."
Pettigrew whimpered pathetically. "I don't - know - what - you're - talking about!" he said shrilly, backing away. He wiped his face on his sleeve, looking up at Remus. "You believe me, don't you, Remus? You can't believe this - this madness!"
"I must admit, Peter, I have difficulty in understand why an innocent man would choose to spend twelve years of his life pretending to be a rat," Remus said evenly.
"Innocent, but scared!" Pettigrew squealed. "If Voldemort's supporters really were after me, it would be because I put one of their best spies into their Azkaban, Sirius Black!"
Black's face twisted with hatred. "How dare you," he growled, suddenly looking very much more like the massive dog he turned into. "I, a spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than myself? But you, Peter - oh, I'll never understand why I didn't see you were the dog from the start! You always liked big friends who'd look after you, didn't you? It used to be us, didn't it? Me and Remus... And James."
Pettigrew again wiped the sweat off his face, and panted desperately for breath, looking quite pained. "Me? A spy - must be out of your mind... I never... Don't know how you can say such a thing..."
"Lily and James only made you Secret Keeper because I suggested it," Black hissed venomously. Pettigrew took another stumbling step backwards, sweating profusely. "I thought it was the perfect plan... An excellent bluff... Voldemort would be sure to come after me... Would never dream they'd use a talentless, pathetic, cowardly thing like you ... It must have been the finest moment of your miserable little life, wasn't it, telling Voldemort you could hand him the Potters."
Pettigrew kept muttering, eyes darting around nervously to the windows and the walls, his face going ashen and his hands shaking. Calla clung tightly to Matilda.
"Remus," Hermione said timidly, stepping forward. "Can - can I say something?"
"Certainly, Hermione," Remus said, not sounding very surprised that she had something to say. But Calla stared at her curiously, not sure at all what might come out.
"Well, see, Scabbers - I mean, this, this man - has been sleeping in Harry's dormitory for three years now. If he'd wanted to hurt Harry, if he really was working with You-Know-Who, how come he's never tried to hurt him before now?"
"See!" Pettigrew said, latching onto her words immediately. "Exactly! You see, Remus, see? I have never hurt a hair on Harry's head, or Calla's! Why should I?"
"I'll tell you why," said Black, advancing on him menacingly. "Because you never did anything for anyone unless you could see that there was something better in it for you. Voldemort's been in hiding for twelve years, they say he's half dead."
In hiding. Half dead. Those words rang in Calla's ears as she stared at Black. "You weren't about to commit murder right under Albus Dumbledore's nose, were you? For a wreck of a wizard who'd lost all of his power! You'd want to be quite sure he was the biggest bully in the playground before you went back to him, weren't you? Why else would you find the Weasleys, a wizard family to take you in, rather than living on a street or with some Muggles? No, you wanted to keep an eye out, keep watch and keep your eyes open to hear of any news, any stirrings from your master and his old supporters. Just in case your old protector gained strength again, just in case it was safe again to rejoin him..."
Pettigrew gaped, opening and closing his mouth several times. It seemed the rat had nothing else left to say.
"Er - Mr Black - Sirius?" Hermione said timidly. Calla stared at her, the way she'd addressed him. Black had jumped at it, too, like he wasn't used to being addressed like that. He looked at Hermione like being spoken to politely was only a distant memory, long since forgotten. "If you don't mind my asking," Hermione went on, "how did you get out of Azkaban, if you didn't use any Dark magic?"
"Thank you!" Pettigrew gasped as though he had been frowning and had just come up for water. "Thank you, exactly! That is precisely what I-"
Remus silenced him with a sharp look. Black was frowning at Hermione, as though pondering his answer for a very long time, and Matilda mewed curiously towards him. "I don't quite know how I did it," he said very slowly. "I think the only reason I never lost my mind is because I knew I was innocent. That wasn't a happy thought, so the Dementors couldn't suck it out of me. But it kept me sane and knowing who I am... It helped me keep my power... So that when it all became too much for me... I could transform in my cell... Become a dog. Dementors can't see, you know..." He swallowed deeply, wincing. "They feel their way towards people. They sense their emotions... They could tell that my feelings were less human ... Less... Complex, when I was a dog. But they thought, of course, that I was simply... Losing my mind, like everyone else in there... So it didn't trouble them. But I was weak, so very weak, and without a wand I had no way of driving them away from me... I couldn't do anything...
"But then I saw Peter in that photo," he said, a little colour and fire flickering back into his hollow eyes, "I realised that he was at Hogwarts with Harry and Calla... That he was perfectly positioned to act, if word ever reached him that his precious Dark Lord might be returning to power... Ready to strike the moment that he could be sure that he had allies... So that he could deliver the last Potters to them... If he gave them Harry and Calla, who would dare to say that he'd betrayed Voldemort? He'd be welcomed back with honours into their ranks...
"So you see, I had to do something. I was the only one who knew that Peter was still alive."
Hermione had said something earlier, when she was busy accusing Remus - it felt so long ago - that she'd heard the Minister saying something... That he kept saying it, over and over. He's at Hogwarts. Not Harry, not Remus. Peter Pettigrew.
"I believe you," Calla whispered. Everyone turned to him, and Black stared at her, mouth open, eyes wide. "I - I believe you."
"Thank you," he croaked, eyes wet. "Thank you, Calla."
"I-" Harry started. "I don't under-"
"I knew I had to stop him," Black said. "Knew I had to make sure you two were safe, that he was away from you. I'd kill him, carry out the murder I was blamed for. So when the Dementors opened by cell to bring me my food, I slipped past them as a dog... It's so much harder for them to sense animal emotions, they're not made for it... They were confused... I was thin, very thin... Thin enough to slip through the bars... I swam all the way back to shore... I had to see you, know you were alive, and I heard you mention Remus and I knew you would be for now... So then I journeyed North and slipped inside the Hogwarts grounds disguised as a dog... I've been living in the forest ever since... Except when I came to see the Quidditch, Of course, and when I saw Calla... You fly excellently, Harry," he said. "Just as your father did..." He held Harry's gaze. "Believe me. Believe me, I did not betray James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them."
And finally, to Calla's relief, Harry nodded. "No!" Pettigrew shouted, falling to his knees. He shuffled forward on the dusty floor, grovelling, his hands clasped in front of him as though he was praying, and he shook, swaying where he knelt. "Sirius- it's me, Peter, your friend!" Black kicked out at him. "Ron!" Pettigrew whined. "Ron, I was your rat! I was a good rat, wasn't I, you said so, please, please!"
But Ron was recoiling, disgusted by Pettigrew. He stared at him, horrified. "Remus!" Pettigrew squealed. "Remus, please! Wouldn't you know if they had changed the plan?"
"Not if Sirius believed me to be the spy," Remus said lowly, and Calla's breath caught. The final pieces clicked into place, and her eyes fixed themselves on Pettigrew's shivering form. "I assume that is why you didn't tell me, Sirius?"
"Forgive me, Remus," said Black.
"Not at all, Padfoot, old friend." He was rolling up his sleeves now, holding his wand tightly. Calla's gut twisted but she knew what they'd do, and what had to be done. She'd seen that vision, of the rat in the forest and that horrible, broken skeleton. She was sure now what it meant. If they let the rat live, he'd have nowhere to go but scurrying back to his master. "And Sirius, will you in turn, forgive me for believing you were the spy?"
"Of course," said Black, and a grin ghosted his gaunt and tired face. "Shall we kill him together?"
"Yes, I think so," Remus said grimly, and Calla squeezed her eyes shut. She knew it had to be done, but she didn't want to see it.
"You wouldn't... You won't!" She could hear Pettigrew scrambling on the floor.
"Ron! Ron, haven't I been a good friend, a good pet? You won't let them kill me! Ron, you're on my side, aren't you?"
"I let you sleep in my bed!" Ron cried, sounding revolted.
"Kind boy..." Pettigrew was saying, "kind master... You won't let them do it. I was your rat... I was a good rat..."
"If you were a better rat than person, that's not much to boast about."
She heard a thud, and scrambling on the ground, and a Hermione-like squeal. "Sweet girl... clever girl... you won't let them... help me..."
She could hear him move again, coming closer, and breathed heavily, not daring to look at him, just cringing backwards. "Calla... Calla... You always liked me, didn't you? Kind girl, smart girl, so much like your mother... You have her eyes..." She felt a hand on her ankle. Calla shrieked at him, kicking back.
"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO CALLA?" Sirius roared. "HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT LILY?"
"Harry..." Pettigrew was saying, sobbing. Calla shivered on the bed. "Harry, Harry you look so much like your father. James wouldn't have wanted me killed. James would have understood, Harry, he would have shown me mercy..."
There was a thud as Pettigrew was thrown back onto the floor. Matilda whimpered, curling up in Calla's arms.
"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort," said Black, voice shaking. "Do you deny it?"
There was a wail as Pettigrew burst into tears and Calla squeezed her eyes shut even tighter. She wanted it to be over, wanted to leave this awful room and forget. Just do it, she pleaded silently. Just let it end.
"Sirius," Pettigrew was wailing. "Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord... He has weapons... You can't imagine, Sirius... I was scared, I was so scared... I was never brave like you and Remus and James were... I never meant it to happen... He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me..."
"DON'T LIE!" Sirius shouted, and Calla jumped, squeezing Matilda tightly. She couldn't watch this and she wished she couldn't hear it, she just wanted it to be done. "YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES MADE YOU THEIR SECRET KEEPER! YOU WERE HIS SPY!"
"He - he was taking over everywhere!" Pettigrew grasped. "Wh-what was there to be gained by refusing him?"
Calla shuddered on the bed, feeling tears stinging her eyes and beginning to spill over her cheeks. Her head was pounding, and she felt cold. It had to stop, just stop. This place was bearing down on her, and there was a lump stuck in her throat. She wanted to go, and she didn't want to actually see him die.
"What was there to be gained by refusing the most evil wizard who ever existed?" Black bellowed, voice shaking with fury. "Only innocent lives, Peter!"
"You don't understand!" Pettigrew whined. "He would have killed me, Sirius!"
"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" Black bellowed. "YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS AS ANY OF US WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"
"You should have realised," Remus said quietly, with such an awful edge to his voice that it made Calla want to scream, "that if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would." She shook, squeezing her eyes tight shut and looking down. She didn't want to see that green light; clamped her hands over her ears so she wouldn't hear the spell. There was a muffled sound of Remus' voice and then a yell - from Harry.
She didn't dare look, but she took her hands away form her ears. "You can't kill him," he said breathlessly. They had to, Calla whined inwardly, but she didn't want them to, not at all, not here, not now. "You can't."
"Harry," Black snarled, "This vermin is the reason you have no parents. This cringing bit of filth would have seen you and your sister die too, without turning a hair. You heard him. His own skin meant more to him than your entire family did."
"I know," Harry panted, rather shakily. "We'll take him up to the castle and hand him over to the Dementors. He can go to Azkaban, but ... Just don't kill him."
"Harry!" Pettigrew gasped, and Calla cringed at the sound. She still hardly dared to look at the scene before her. Remus had been about to kill someone. Even if it was Pettigrew... "You - thank you - it's more than I deserve - thank you."
"Get off me," Harry muttered. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it because I don't think my parents would have wanted Remus and Sirius to become killers. And I don't think Calla does, either." She nodded silently from the bed. "Not for you."
The only sound Calla could hear was Pettigrew wheezing, trying to catch his breath. Then she heard a sigh. "You're the ones who truly have the right to decide," she heard Black say. "But think... Harry, Calla, think what he did."
"He can go to Azkaban," Harry said firmly. "If anyone deserves to go to that place, then it's him."
"Very well," Remus said. "Stand aside, Harry. I'm just going to tie him up."
She heard footsteps and then someone laid a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes snapped open, and it was just Harry. She shivered as she sat up straight, watching Remus and Sirius set about tying ropes around the still shaking Pettigrew, and Ron and Hermione both staring, white-faced, by the wall.
Black's wand was still pointed down at Pettigrew. "If you transform, Peter," he said. "Understand, we will kill you. Do you agree, Harry, Calla?"
Harry nodded, and Calla did the same nervously. But she wasn't sure Azkaban would be right for Pettigrew; if Black could transform to escape, so could he. She hated the thought of either of the other two options, though. Death or - or the Dementor's Kiss.
"Right," Remus said, taking on his professor voice again. "Ron, I can't mend bones nearly as well as Madam Pomfrey can, nor would I want to try right now. I think it's best if we strap your leg up before we take you to the Hospital Wing."
"Remus," Calla whispered quietly, eyes urgent. Her godfather frowned and gave Ron a quick nod before he came over.
"Are you hurt, Calla?" She shook her head.
"I... He needs to have the Kiss," she said, choking on the words. His eyes widened. "I - I know it isn't right, but neither's killing him, but if he goes to Azkaban, he can break out again, and - and I've had a vision and he... He'll go back to him, with no other option." She shook her head violently from side to side. "We can't let him, Remus, w-we-"
"Shh." He placed a warm hand on her arm. "It's alright. We'll handle it."
"But-"
"Calla," Remus told her gently. "It'll all be okay. I'll speak to Dumbledore and Fudge, we'll make sure he can't go back to Voldemort." Pettigrew gave a squeal and Black shot him a venomous look. Calla wiped at her tear stained cheeks and nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Come on. Let's get you to your feet."
She stood up, still managing to hold Matilda. She was a little wobbly, and her head still hurt, but she managed it. Remus set about strapping Ron's leg, and Harry and Hermione came to Calla's side.
"What about Professor Snape?" Hermione asked in a small voice, pointing to his body. In everything, Calla had quite forgotten he was there.
"There's nothing seriously wrong with him," Remus said, bending over Snape and examining him, taking his pulse. "You were just a little, er, enthusiastic. Perhaps it may be bee if we wait to revive him until we're safely back in the castle. We can take him up like this."
"Mobilicorpus," Remus muttered, and as though held by invisible puppet strings, Snape was hauled up into the air, hanging vertically with his head lolling about helplessly. Calla cringed at the sight, turning away. She picked up the Invisibility Cloak, tucking it into her pocket, and put the wand in her other one so that she could carry Matilda, who she didn't want to get lost in the tunnels.
Crookshanks padded over to them, sniffed Matilda, and then mewed, nodding. "Two of us should be chained to this," Black said, nudging Pettigrew with his foot. "Just to be sure."
"I'll do it," said Lupin.
"And me," said Ron fiercely, face set harshly as he wobbled over. It appeared he'd taken the reveal of Scabbers' true identity as a personal offence.
Black conjured thick, heavy-looking manacles from the air, and secured them around Remus, Pettigrew and Ron.
Then Crookshanks leapt off of the bed, padded softly over to the door with his tail waving high in the air, and led them all out.
