Hi friends! Welcome back to another chapter! We've made it to chapter 20!

This chapter has been long awaited, so I won't rattle on too much.

~Enjoy!

PREVIOUSLY

"Together?" Black croaked out, intensity lighting in his face again.

"I believe so," Remus nodded. "On the count of three…"

At the final count a flash of blue lights erupted from both of the wands, as the Rat dropped out of Remus' grip and onto the floor with a loud final squeal. The scrabble of claws on hardwood rang out as another flash of light lit up the room.

Ed watched, equal parts fascinated and horrified as the spell worked, limbs twisting and extending from the small body. Unlike when he had seen Minerva transform in the past, this was far from the sleekly graceful transition between animal and human form. A few seconds later a man huddled on the floor in place of the scrappy-looking rat, cringing and wringing at his hands.

He was short, with unkept, colorless hair that thinned drastically to a bald patch on the top of his head. Something of the rat lingered in the man's pointed face and small, watery eyes. Those eyes flickered quickly between everyone in the group and the door.

"Well, hello, Peter," Remus' voice was falsely pleasant, nonchalant as though rats frequently erupted into long dead old school friends. "Long time, no see."

"S-sirius! R-r-Remus!" Pettigrew's voice was squeaky, his gaze flickering back and forth between his old friends and the door. "My – my friends! My old – my old friends…"

Ed quickly reached out to grasp Black's boney wrist as it rose, Remus' firm warning look causing the convict to back off. Black tugged his wrist out of Ed's hand with a huff, as Remus turned back to Pettigrew.

"We've been having a little chat, Peter," Remus' voice had taken a light and airy tone, that in no way matched the hard expression on his face. "about the night that Lilly and James died. You probably missed some of the finer points while you were squeaking around down there on the bed–"

"R-Remus!" Pettigrew squealed out, a fine sheen of sweat beading along his pasty skin. "you- you don't believe him, do you? He! He – He tried to kill me Remus!"

"So we've heard," Remus' voice chilled. "I'd like to clear up one or two little things."

"He's come to kill me again!" Pettigrew squeaked suddenly, thrusting his hand out to point clumsily at Black, using his middle finger in place of his missing index. "He killed Lilly and James and now he's gonna kill me too! You've gotta help me, Remus!"

Ed held back a snort at the man's sniveling attempts, deciding only to step in when he deemed necessary. Besides him, Black's skull-like features were locked on the former rat, staring with dark, fathomless eyes.

"No one is killing anyone until we've figured some things out," Remus soothed icily.

"Sort things out?! Sort things out!" Pettigrew's eyes were desperately darting around the room, lingering on the boarded windows and lone doorway. "I knew he'd come for me! I've been waiting all this time for him! I knew he'd come to kill me!"

"You knew Black was going to break out of Azkaban. When no one has ever done it before," Ed couldn't stop himself from deadpanning.

"He's got dark powers the rest of us could only imagine!" Pettigrew shrilled. "How else! Tricks taught by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named himself!"

Black laughed, a grinding, mirthless laugh that filled the dusty room.

"Voldemort, teach me tricks?" He sneered out, baring his teeth in a mockery of a smile when Pettigrew flinched violently. "What? Scared of your old master's name? Don't blame you, Peter. His lot aren't very happy with you."

Pettigrew's sputtered attempt at a denial was steamrolled over as Black launched into his own grating rant about what he had overheard while at Azkaban. "-If they ever got wind…"

Pettigrew continued to protest, rubbing at his watery face with his sleeve and turning to stare up at Remus. "You do-don't believe all of this…do you Remus—"

"I must admit," Remus stared down his nose at the sniveling man. "I'm having some difficulty understanding why an innocent man would want to spend twelve years as a rat."

"Scared! Innocent but Scared! If You-Know-Who's supporters were after me, it was because I put one of their best men in Azkaban! The spy! Sirius Black!"

Black's face twisted into a snarl, voice lowering into a deep growl. "How dare you. How dare you. I, a spy for Voldemort? I should have seen it from the start! You've always liked to find big friends to cower behind. First it was us…me and Remus. and James. Even Lilly!"

Once again Pettigrew's protests that he wasn't a spy were cut off by Black's hiss, "Lily and James only made you Secret-Keeper because I suggested it." Black's voice was so venomous that Pettigrew flinched again, stumbling back a step. "It was the perfect plan. Subvert expectations…Voldemort would surely go after me, while no one would expect us to use a weak, talentless thing like you…must have been the greatest moment of your pathetic life, telling Voldemort you could hand him over the Potters. Your FRIENDS."

Black ended his rant with a rasping shout, as Ed watched Pettigrew's ashen face continued to dart back towards the windows and door. When the rat's gaze lingered on the door for a moment too long Ed took a step forward directly into is line of vision, making him flinch and hastily look away.

Ed moving seemed to startle everyone else in the room, as all of the kids also flinched.

"Erm…M-mr. Black? Sirius?" Hermione asked timidly.

The man jumped, blinking at her owlishly like he'd never seen anything quite like her.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you escape out of Azkaban, if you didn't use dark magic?"

"Thank you!" Pettigrew gasped out, turning to nod frantically at her. "Exactly! P-Precisely as I was –"

The rat sputtered to a stop with a sharp look from Remus, while Black frowned slightly at Hermione. He didn't look upset or annoyed, but more like he was considering how to answer.

"I…don't know how I did it…" He hesitated, speaking slowly. "I think the only reason I never lost my mind was that I knew I was innocent. That wasn't a happy thought, so the dementors couldn't suck it out of me. Kept me from losing who I am. Helped me keep my powers…so when it became too much…I transformed. Became a dog. My emotions were so much more…simple. As a dog. Less human. Less complex."

Ed blinked, connecting the dots. "Dementors are blind. And I'm assuming there weren't a lot of human guards going around the cells."

Black flinched when Ed spoke, eyeing him warily as he nodded, "Yeah, there weren't many human guards. But I was weak. Very weak. And had no hope of driving the dementors away from me without a wand…but when I saw that picture of Peter, hiding away at Hogwarts where Harry was at…perfectly positioned to act if the dark side was gathering strength again."

"It was as if it had lit a fire within me. It wasn't an emotion, per-say. But it was an obsession. Something the Dementors couldn't destroy…it…it gave me strength. Cleared my mind." Black's sunken features were haunted. "One night, when the door to my cell was opened to bring in food I slipped past them as a dog. I was…am, thin. Extremely thin, enough that I could slip between the bars. Swam back to the mainland as a dog and went north. Slipped onto Hogwarts grounds as a dog and have been living in the forest ever since."

Ed huffed silently, mentally kicking himself for not placing any wards around the edges of the forest.

"I did come out to watch your Professors' fight…and the Quidditch, of course," Black continued, eyes flickering towards Ed, before zeroing on Harry, who met the dark gaze steadily. "You fly just as well as your father did, Harry…"

Black's rasping voice thickened, "Please, believe me, Harry. Believe me that I never betrayed James and Lilly. Ever. I would have died before I betrayed them."

Something finally seemed to click inside Harry, who's jaw tightened and nodded.

At the boy's firm nod, Pettigrew let out a wail, falling to his knees. Ed watched with disgust as the man groveled from person to person, pleading desperately.

Eventually Pettigrew had turned towards Harry, shuffling towards the boy, whimpering out, "Harry…Harry please...you look just like your father, Harry."

Black immediately started snarling again, yelling hoarsely over Pettigrew's begging, as Harry shuffled backwards away from the man, looking disgusted.

The argument lasted a few more minutes, with Black practically forcing Pettigrew to admit that he had been the spy. The man had clearly chosen to side with Voldemort well before the Potters had been killed, submitting to the fear of the who he had considered the more powerful of sides.

Something in the back of Ed's mind connecting the now bawling man to a balding officer he had dealt with all those years ago. Greedily choosing power and money, while hiding behind the most powerful ally he could find. Yuko? Yoki? Something like that.

Ed zeroed in to the conversation again as Remus leveled up even with Black, the two wizards leveling their wands at Pettigrew. He made a move to step forward as Remus' spoke, his face impassively cool, "You should have realized, Peter, if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Good-bye."

Ed quickly stepped forward, opening his mouth to stop them from actually doing anything, but was interrupted by Harry, to his surprise.

"NO!"

Harry ran forward a few steps to stand in front of Pettigrew, facing the two older wizards. "You can't!"

Both Remus and Black froze, looking stunned.

"But Harry…you know that this pathetic vermin is the reason you don't have parents," Black croaked out a moment later. His gaze darkening and voice grinding into a snarl again as Ed stepped around the two to stand next to Harry. "This cringing pile of garbage would have seen you die too! Happily! His own pathetic skin was far more important than your entire family!"

"I know," Harry's eyes were wild, flickering between Ed for support and pleading with Remus and Black. "We…we can take him back up to Hogwarts. Hand him over to the dementors…to Azkaban…but don't kill him."

Ed quickly turned to glare back towards Pettigrew, cutting off the man's attempt to throw himself at the boy, "Get off me!" Harry kicked out towards the man, who fell back with another loud whimper. "I'm not doing this for you! I don't. I don't want my dad's friends to be murderers. I don't think he'd want that. And I don't want you guys to be murderers either."

This seemed to make both of the older wizards pause and think, looking over at each other.

"Besides," Ed drawled, placing a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder. "The reappearance of a supposed dead man is damnable evidence for exoneration." Ed sent a pointed look towards Black.

Ed point seemed to be the final push they needed, as Remus and Black finally lowered their wands, sighing in disappointment. Under his hand Ed could feel Harry relax, just a little.

"Fine," Black huffed out.

"Very well," Remus shook his head, explaining a he lifted his wand again. "Don't worry, I'm just going to restrain him."

"Go ahead, Remus," Ed glared down at the whimpering excuse of a man, who huddled down under the aim of Remus' wand. "We should be getting ready to head back up to the school. But first…"

After another gentle squeeze to Harry's shoulder, Ed stepped over to some of the only sturdy wood left in the room. With a quick clack he transmutated two wooden stockade like handcuffs out of the crumbling wood. As blue lighting flickered across the room he was highly aware of all of the other occupants in the room watching him intently.

"Black, I believe you. But you are still a wanted criminal. With Pettigrew here we can get you pardoned, but for now, if you wouldn't mind." Ed waited for Black to respond, as he stalked over to Pettigrew and forced the rat's wrists behind his back, and into the cuffs. Another quick flash of alchemy and the restraints became one solid block of wood again.

Once he stepped away, Remus stepped forward and sent his own set of cord like ropes to wrap themselves around Pettigrew's mouth and midsection, further binding him.

At the man's muffled sound of complaint, Remus' expression hardened again, "If you transform, Peter, we will kill you."

Ed could see Harry nodding in agreement to this when Pettigrew turned towards the boy. The rat ended up turning to Ed, who merely quirked his brow at the man and turned to Black, the other set of cuffs in hand.

Black looked hesitant at the prospect of being restrained, as Ed shrugged again, "For you, this is mostly for show…you've seen that I haven't charmed or cursed them, and I won't let the dementors get to you."

Remus turned away from Pettigrew to send Black a pleading look, "Please trust him, Sirius."

The man heaved a heavy sigh and held his wrists out to Ed, only to look surprised when Ed cuffed them in front of him, instead of behind his back.

"Like I said, just for show," Ed shrugged, stepping back and touching the circle on his blade lightly to transmutate it into more of gantlet style, just in case.

"So that's real alchemy," Black rasped, as he leaned forward to watch the metal of Ed's armor shift and wrap it's way fully around his forearm and around his hand. "Fascinating."

"Isn't it?" Ed mused, shifting his arm to show the gaunt man the circle engraved in the plating. "But you've seen it in action already, haven't you? When I was sparing my commander."

Black blinked in surprise as Ed smirked, crossing the room to where Remus was already inspecting Weasley's leg, "R…right. Sparing."

"How's it look?" Ed asked his coworker, who had already eased Weasley's shoe off his foot, and had been checking his pulse and sensations.

"Definitely broken," Remus had cut away Weasley's pant leg and was prodding at the deep bruising that had already formed along his shin. "But I don't trust myself to fix it with magic."

Ed nodded in agreement as he spelled a disinfectant and bandage around the bite marks around Weasley's arm.

"How you feelin' Weasley?" Ed glanced up as he knelt down next to the boy, taking a closer look at the blotching along his shin. He had set a broken leg a few times before, including the leg of one of his soldiers during a training exercise gone wrong, but he had to remind himself that Weasley was a sheltered child. Reaching into his side pocket Ed pulled his handkerchief out and handed it to the boy.

"Hurts," Weasley understandably whimpered slightly as he reached out to grasp at Hermione's sleeve. Ed had a feeling the red-head was starting to lose the adrenaline rush the students were undoubtedly experiencing all night.

"Bite into this if you think you'll need it. We're gonna set this and get it splinted. 'N it's not gonna feel good," Ed grunted, gently taking the bent limb after quietly explaining to Remus what he wanted to do.

Weasley looked scared, but took the cloth and stuffing it in his mouth in time to stifle a scream as Ed grabbed at his knee and ankle and Remus braced the boy's thigh. A few minutes later Ed had maneuvered the boy's leg until it was back to even with the boy's other ankle, wincing along with the boy's muffled sounds of pain. Once it had been straightened, Remus spelled a thick, well-padded wrapping of bandages around the injured leg to splint it. Once that was done, Ed stood and clapped, placing his hands on the torn-up bed frame to create a pair of crutches, while Remus gently helped the boy to his feet.

Once the boy was steady on his feet Ed turned to assess the room again. Black had already heaved Pettigrew to his feet, snarling another soft threat to the restrained man.

On his way across the room, Ed paused at Harry, who was looking exhausted, but determined, "You've made a good choice, Harry. I'm proud of you."

The boy gaped at Ed for a moment, before flushing and ducking his head, mumbling something under his breath about checking on Weasley.

Snorting softly, Ed walked over to where Severus was still slumped, debating for a moment if he should revive him.

"He should be okay…but maybe we should wait until everyone is safe?" Remus sounded nervous from where he was watching next to the students. Ed glanced over to the other professor, noting the man was unconsciously rubbing at the marks circling his wrists, and remember the blinding rage Severus had been overcome with.

"Yes, that's probably for the best," Ed sighed, shaking his head as he heaved the unconscious man over his shoulder with minimal effort. Unsurprisingly Severus was scrawny at best underneath the billowing robes he favored. "Now, let's get a move on."

With Crookshanks the cat leading the way, Remus after him holding one of the ropes leading to Pettigrew's restraints and Weasley stone faced hobbling along after with another of the ropes, they started down the tunnel. Harry and Hermione followed behind the trio, while Black and Ed took up the back of the group, Ed hunching to keep Severus from scraping the low ceiling.

Once they made it outside of the whomping willow, Ed overheard Black talking to Harry, about how Black was his godfather. Surprise struck Ed as Black's meek offer to take in Harry once he was pardoned was met with enthusiasm.

Harry's willingness to leave to live with the man, despite the fact that he barely knew Black, stirred some of the other flags Ed had noted about the boy during the year. Something in the back of his head filed the fact into the questions he had planned on asking Dumbledore about the boy.

Soon enough the group had made it out of the tunnel, and out from under the willow, which Ed was surprised to find frozen solid from the ginger cat sitting on one of its knotted roots.

Ed took a deep breath of fresh air, knowing happy endings aside he had a long night of reports to deal with. He wasn't going to bed any time soon, that's for sure.

The brightening of the area around them caused Ed to break out of his thoughts and look up, just as a loud groan rang out in the previously silent air.

The little cloud cover shifted and cleared away.

Ahead of them Remus was standing rigid, staring up at the full moon. Just as he saw the stiff form a memory of the still full goblet that sat on Remus' desk a few hours ago flickered its way across Ed's mind.

"Behind me!" Ed barked out, dropping Severus off his shoulder and quickly reaching to shove Harry and Hermione back, his wand switching between Pettigrew and Remus. The man's groaning increased as he hunched forward, agony pitching the sounds up into a sharp whine.

Ed's stomach lurched at the deep sounds of grinding bones and ripping skin as Remus' face elongated, joints bending and cracking unnaturally. His back hunched, each vertebrate cracking loudly into place as scruffy fur ripped its way through his skin. His hands clenched, flexing out into long, clawed paws.

Ed wrenched his gaze away, and over towards where Weasley was still standing next to Pettigrew's bound form, "He didn't take his potion tonight…he's not safe! Weasley! Get over here!"

"Elric! Leave it to me!" Black was standing next to Ed, holding out his shackled hands. Before he could do anything two things happened; the werewolf lurched forward on to all fours and Pettigrew heaved forward towards Remus' dropped wand, twisting to grab it.

Before Ed could react, Weasley was launched away from where he was still frozen in fear, and Pettigrew transformed.

Ed snarled, throwing a few stunning spells towards where he could see the rat attempting to scuttle away with a whip of his naked tail.

"Ron!" Ed couldn't tell if he had hit anything as Harry and Hermione cried out together.

In front of them the werewolf turned, raging golden eyes zeroing in on Ed, teeth bared.

"Oh…SHIT," Ed yelled as the Werewolf launched forward in a scraggly gray blur. He threw up his right arm just in time for the beast to clamp down onto the armored limb. He could feel the metal bend beneath the large teeth, but not break, thank Truth.

Ed's shoulder screamed in protest as he used the momentum to stumbled a meter or two away from the terrified students. Large claws dug into Ed's chest as he struggled to keep his balance, painting his front in what felt like liquid fire.

With a mental apology to Remus, Ed jerked his arm one way and used his left leg to land a firm kick to the barreled ribs, wincing as he felt ribs crack under his metal limb.

The werewolf let out a sharp yelp, releasing his arm and jumping back, jagged yellowed teeth snarling and ears pinned back.

Ed stumbled back upright, doing his best to ignore the feeling of blood running down his chest. Ed had just enough time to flick his wand blindly black towards Black to release the shackles around the man's wrists before the werewolf lunged again.

For a split second the rage in the beast's eyes broke into terrified horror, just long enough that the lunge jerked down towards Ed's left leg. Ed couldn't hold back the yell of alarm as razor sharp teeth clamped down on his automail limb just above the knee, grinding in with a screech of metal.

"PROFESSOR!" Hermione's scream rang through the night, over the yells of the others.

Ed was pulled off his feet with another yell as the beast's eyes lit with rage again and it thrashed right to left, jaws clamped firmly into the metal. Stars danced across his vision as his head connected with a rock, just as the outer plating of his leg gave out, sharp teeth tearing through the delicate wiring and mechanisms making up the artificial limb.

With the world spinning around him, Ed tried his best to kick at the raging face with his other foot, only for it to snarl and dig it's teeth further into the prosthetic.

Ed grit his teeth, clapped his hands together and slammed them down to the ground, all the while continuing to try his best to kick at the beast's face. The ground beneath him caved in slightly, as a blunt pillar of stone shot up slam into the werewolf's neck and chin, forcing it up and away from Ed.

He couldn't stop the scream that was torn from his throat when instead of letting go, the werewolf clamped down even tighter as it was forced away and twisted. Something in the connecting port grit, and the nerves lit on fire, as the stone finally ripped the large wolf away from him. 'FUCK!'

Ed found himself stunned for a moment as his back hit the ground again, his mangled automail hitting a moment later and sending another wave of agony from his port.

As soon as the wolf managed to stumble up to its' feet a large black dog slammed into it with a snarl, latching to the wolf's neck and dragging it away from him. The two locked jaws, snarling loudly, claws ripping at each other.

Ed heaved himself up onto his elbow and furiously blinked away the black spots that threatened to overtake his vison. Black was flung to the side with a loud yelp, as Ed snarled and pulled his gun out and unloading the full clip into the ground around the two. He had specifically aimed at the feet of the wolf, causing it to turn back to him with a snarl and allowing Black a moment to launch back onto it's back. Despite his quickly wavering consciousness, none of the bullets had hit either, just as he had planned.

Riza would be proud.

"Professor!" Potter and Granger were running closer, as a howl ripped through the air, followed by a distant snarl.

Ed looked away from the teenagers to see the hulking form of the werewolf galloping away from them into the forest. Glancing around to where Black was bleeding from gashes across his muzzle and back Ed tried his best to keep himself pushed up onto his elbow. Once again his vision swam, blackening around the edges, but stubbornly held on to what little focus he could find, slumping back. He knew he couldn't pass out now.

"Sirius, Pettigrew's gone!" Harry called to the bearlike dog, rousing Black enough to scramble back up to his paws and take off, bounding away across the grounds.

"Professor! We need to get you up to the castle!" Granger came to a stop next to Ed, hands waving frantically around his bleeding chest, looking panicked. A few yards away Potter was futilely trying to wake up Weasley.

"I don't know what's wrong with him!" Potter sounded panicked as well, only to whip his head towards the forest at the sound of pained yelping.

"Wait, Potter- Harry!" Ed tried to stop the boy as Harry stood, staring over towards where the whimpering sounded again. "Damn it! Stop!" Ed's vision blurred, liquid fire spreading across his chest as he tried to sit up to grab at Hermione's robes, the edge of the fabric slipping fruitily out of his fingers as she quickly followed after Harry.

"Fuuuck," Ed groaned, his automail was mangled, searing pain pulsing through his damaged port. The world spun again, as he looked down at the bloody gashes on his chest, his head throbbing as he felt a streak of blood leak down the side of his face.

He slumped back, dimly realizing that the night sky was drifting.

…

Dementor after dementor floated by, headed in the same direction that Potter and Granger had run. Despite the alarm that rang loud at the realization the guards had left their posts Ed felt himself drop off the cliff to unconsciousness.

Aaannnddd another cliffhanger…kinda…Sorry~

But worry not loves! Everything is gonna be just fine ;3

As always, thank you all for your amazing comments, each and every one of them make my day!

Have a happy Halloween and a great morning/day/evening!