Naruto had never been part of a stranger group. Crookshanks led the way down the stairs; Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron went next, looking like entrants in a six-legged race. Next came Professor Snape, drifting creepily along, his toes hitting each stair as they descended, held up by his own wand, which was being pointed at him by Sirius, Harry stood next to him as Naruto and Hermione brought up the rear.

Getting back into the tunnel was difficult. Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron had to turn sideways to manage it; Lupin still had Pettigrew covered with his wand. Harry could see them edging awkwardly along the tunnel in single file. Crookshanks was still in the lead. Harry went right after Black, who was still making Snape drift along ahead of them; he kept bumping his lolling head on the low ceiling. Harry had the impression Sirius was making no effort to prevent this.

"You know what this means?" Sirius said abruptly to Harry as they made their slow progress along the tunnel. "Turning Pettigrew in?"

"Yeah no more have to sneak you food from the castle," Naruto cut in with a snicker but stopped when he was shushed by Hermione.

"Hermione," Naruto quietly said as Sirius and Harry talked making sure they wouldn't be overheard. "I'm sorry I've been lying to you, all of you. . .I was just trying to help Sirius, and... And if you don't want to be together anyway. . . I'll understand." Naruto said as he looked into the girl's eyes. Hermione didn't speak for some time she just looked right back at the blond. Naruto think that she was finished with him turned away and started to move forward as a pain started to grow in his chest

"Naruto," Hermione had stopped the boy by grabbing a hold of his hand. "I'm not mad at you for what you did to help Black. . . But I'm hurt that you didn't think you could have trusted me with this. . . You don't have to do everything alone anymore so please. . .please let us, let me help you." Hermione said as she looked into her boyfriend's eye with as much conversation as she could muster.

They did not speak again until they had reached the end of the tunnel but they still walked hand in hand. Crookshanks darted up first; he had pressed his paw to the knot on the trunk, because Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron clambered upward without any sound of savaging branches. Sirius saw Snape up through the hole, then stood back for Harry And Hermione to pass. The last out was Naruto.

The grounds were very dark now; the only light came from the distant windows of the castle. Without a word, they set off. Pettigrew was still wheezing and occasionally whimpering. Naruto sighed relief once they were at the school all this would finally be done.

"One wrong move, Peter," said Lupin threateningly ahead. His wand was still pointed sideways at Pettigrew's chest. Silently they tramped through the grounds, the castle lights growing slowly larger. Snape was still drifting weirdly ahead of Black, his chin bumping on his chest. And then a cloud shifted. There were suddenly dim shadows on the ground. Their party was bathed in the moonlight.

Snape collided with Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron, who had stopped abruptly. Black froze. He flung out one arm to make Harry and Hermione stopped. Looking ahead at the hold-up Naruto could see Lupin's silhouette. He had gone rigid. Then his limbs began to shake.

"Oh, my —" Hermione gasped. "He didn't take his potion tonight! He's not safe!"

"Run," Black called out. "Run. Now!"

"I got Ron, now RUN!" Naruto called out as he ran past Harry and Hermione and with a quick slash of his want the chain connecting them to Lupin was cut.

There was a terrible snarling noise. Lupin's head was lengthening. So was his body. His shoulders were hunching. Hair was sprouting

visibly on his face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws. Crookshanks's hair was on end again; he was backing away As the werewolf reared, snapping its long jaws, Sirius disappeared from Harry's side. He had transformed. The enormous, bearlike dog bounded forward. As the werewolf wrenched itself free of the manacle binding it, the dog seized it about the neck and pulled it backward, away from Ron and Pettigrew. They were locked, jaw to jaw, claws ripping at each other.

"Hey! over here!" Naruto called out as he fired off some red sparks in an attempt to gain the werewolf's attention. Which worked as Naruto now found himself dodging backward as he nearly avoided a cloud swipe aimed at his chest. As Lupin continued to try to reach Naruto, Sirius took the opportunity to jump forward pushing the werewolf down and clamping down on its shoulder.

Thrashing about with a howl of pain the werewolf was able to knock Sirius off its back, but before it could attack the downed dog. Naruto ran forward and knocked it back with a spin kick to its head.

"Come on get up Sirius," Naruto said as he took the opportunity to rush over the now injured dog. A loud growl drew his attention back to Lupin who had recovered and was now only a few yards away from them. The werewolf was crouched on all fours, its back arched and hind legs bent ready to spring him forward for the attack.

"I'll go high, you go low," Naruto said as he put away his wand, throw off his school robes, and drew two of his kunai. For a moment none of them moved all three just watched each other. Then in an instant, it happened as Lupin gave a growl and rushed forward Naruto and Sirius went in for the attack. When Naruto was less than a foot away from the werewolf jumped high in the air leaping clear over the beast. With its attention drawn upwards, Sirius was able to tackle its midsection sinking his fangs deep into its side. Turning his body mid-air as he was falling back down to the ground Naruto was able to deliver a series of slashes to the werewolf's back.

While this was happening on the sidelines Harry stood, transfixed by the sight, too intent upon the battle to notice anything else. It was Hermione's scream that alerted him. Pettigrew had dived for Lupin's dropped wand. Ron, unsteady on his bandaged leg, fell. There was a bang, a burst of light — and Ron lay motionless on the ground. Another bang Crookshanks flew into the air and back to the earth in a heap.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled, pointing his wand at Pettigrew; Lupin's wand flew high into the air and out of sight. "Stay where you are!" Harry shouted, running forward. Too late. Pettigrew had transformed. Harry saw his bald tail whip through the manacle on Ron's outstretched arm and heard a scurrying through the grass.

"Aaahhhh!" Naruto let out a cry of pain as Lupin had finally managed to slash I'm clear across his chest. The werewolf's razor-sharp claws shredded his school shirt as a large spot of blood started to bloom. Sirius was lying on the ground a few feet from him battered and bloody. Naruto stumbled back trying to focus but Lupin was unrelenting.

Before Naruto know what had happened he has slammed hard onto the ground a heavy weight on top of it. His chest was fired from the weight being placed on his injury. But then a sharper pain hit him, it was so strong that he could barely breathe it hurt so much.

"NARUTO!" Hermione screamed as she watched horror-stricken as she watched Lupin the werewolf sink its fangs deep into Naruto's neck. There was a howl and a rumbling growl; Harry turned to see the werewolf taking flight; it was galloping into the forest.

"Sirius, he's gone, Pettigrew transformed!" Harry yelled. Sirius was bleeding; there were gashes across his muzzle and back, but at Harry's words he scrambled up again, and in an instant, the sound of his paws faded to silence as he pounded away across the grounds.

"Harry it's Naruto's. . .he's been bitten," Harry was shocked still at Hermione's words. And looking over to where the blond was lying on the ground he could see the front of his shirt was now completely red with his blood.

"NARUTO!... Oh my god," someone was calling out to him, who was calling him. It hurt too much to move his head to see. It was easier to just lay there and watch the start night sky the full moon was shining so bright. He felt sleeping, warm, and wet all at once. Then he saw her, she was leaning over him her eyes puffin red as she cried. "Why was she crying?" Naruto though.

"H-h-h-her. . .mione," he couldn't talk why couldn't he talk.

"It's going to be alright Naruto just hold still. Someone will come to help" Hermione frantically said as he looked around them hysterically. "It's going to be okay. . . You see it will be fine. . . Everything will be. . . fine."

"It-its. . .okey. . ." Naruto said and with great effort, he had managed to reach a handle hold on to her mind giving it a comforting squeeze. Naruto smiled when he saw that this had calmed her down. from beyond the range of their vision, they heard a yelping, a whining: a dog in pain."

"Sirius," Harry muttered, staring into the darkness. He had a moment's indecision, but there was nothing they could do for Naruto and by the sound of it, Sirius was in trouble. Harry set off at a run, Hermione was too distraught to do anything as she stayed sitting on the law holding Naruto's hand.

Just then Snape appeared, his face livid as he pushed Hermione roughly aside, he knelt over Naruto, drew his wand, and traced it

over the deep wound on his neck, muttering an incantation that sounded almost like a song. However, the flow of blood slowed but didn't seem to stop; Snape growled out in frustration when nothing happened and repeated his spell again and again.

"S-s-sev. . .s-t-t-t-op" Naruto had called as he brought a hand up to stop the man. his body had healed enough on its own to let him speak but the wound on his neck wouldn't close and he was still bleeding from his neck. More and more his vision darkened as he became hyper-aware of everything around him as he finally realized what had happened, he was going to die.

Hermione was still watching, horrified Standing by the sidelines, barely aware that her hands and the front of her robes were soaked in blood from when she was kneeling next to Naruto.

"Mion," Naruto called out still not able to move his neck, just then he felt a pair of warm hands holding on to his. When he finally saw her he smiled he was glad to see her face once last time.

"Naruto, it's alright we'll get you up to the hospital wing and everything will be fine," Hermione said as he tried to hold back her tires, but all Naruto did was smile up at her unblinking. "Naruto, Naruto, NARUTO!. . . please wake. . . please" as she received no response Hermione finally noticed how cold Naruto's hand had become. All she could do now was clutch his hand close to her as she finally broke down and wept for the dead boy.

"Come, Miss Granger, there's nothing more we can do here," Snape said in a flat sort of voice as he moved the crying girl way from the body. Hermione was so distraught that she didn't put up any resistance and just allowed herself to be led away.

-

-

Harry lay listening with his eyes tight shut. He felt very groggy. The words he was hearing seemed to be traveling very slowly from

his ears to his brain, so that it was difficult to understand. . . . His limbs felt like lead; his eyelids too heavy to lift. . . . He wanted to lie here, on this comfortable bed, forever. . . .

"What amazes me most is the behavior of the dementors . . .you've really no idea what made them retreat, Snape?"

"No, Minister . . . by the time I had come 'round they were heading back to their positions at the entrances. . . ."

"Extraordinary. And yet Black, and Harry, and the girl —"

"All unconscious by the time I reached them. I bound and gagged Black, naturally, conjured stretchers, and brought them all straight back to the castle."

"Shame about that boy terrible news simply terrible but perhaps all for the best to have lived through it and become a werewolf. . . Perhaps death was the kinder."

"Yes, for all his faults and misgivings Uzumaki was a rare talent shame he fell into it with the wrong crowd."

"I saw the body Severus you did your best but there was no chance he would have survived that half his neck gone. . .terrible business."

"As you say minister a shame. . . It would appear that Potter-like his father is making a habit of getting those closest to him killed due to his arrogance."

There was a pause. Harry's brain seemed to be moving a little faster, and as it did, a gnawing sensation grew in the pit of his stomach. The things he had heard had finally registered in his mind someone was dead someone had been attacked and didn't buy a werewolf and was now dead. He opened his eyes. Everything was slightly blurred. Somebody had removed his

glasses. He was lying in the dark hospital wing. At the very end of the ward, he could make out Madam Pomfrey with her back to

him, bending over a bed. Harry squinted. Ron's red hair was visible beneath Madam Pomfrey's arm.

Harry moved his head over on the pillow. In the bed to his right lay Hermione. Moonlight was falling across her bed. Her eyes were

open too, bloodshot and puffy. She looked petrified and ghostly White. She was staring off into space really focusing on anything in particular. Looking around the rest of the room Harry saw that the hospital wing door. was ajar, and the voices of Cornelius Fudge and Snape were coming through it from the corridor outside.

Madam Pomfrey now came walking briskly up the dark ward to Harry's bed. He turned to look at her. She too like Hermione had puffy bloodshot eyes it was clear enough two Harry that they had both been crying. She was carrying the largest block of chocolate he had ever seen in his life. It looked like a small boulder.

"Ah, you're awake!" she said briskly. She placed the chocolate on Harry's bedside table and began breaking it apart with a small hammer.

"How's Ron?" said Harry and Hermione together. "Where is Naruto?"

"Mr. Weasley will live," said Madam Pomfrey grimly. "the headmaster. . .will speak to you about Mr . Uzumaki now as for you two . . .you'll be staying here until I'm satisfied you're — Potter, what do you think you're doing?" sitting up Harry through on his glasses and began to look around the hospital when he Ron and Hermione were the only ones in the room.

"Where's Naruto what happened!" Harry asked once again.

"Potter you need to lay back down at once when the headmaster arrives he will speak to you." Madame Pomfrey urged.

"I want to see Naruto, now," Harry said more urgently as he tried to get out of bed.

"Potter you can't see him" Madame Pomfrey quietly said a look of pity crossing her face.

"What, why. What can't I see him," Harry asked not to understand what was going on.?

"Because he's dead, Harry," Hermione had finally spoken but the tone of her voice was lifeless.