Harry Potter and the Poodle of Magic Alcatraz

What if someone else from the past showed up?

By

Jason Richard

"I'll bite back you little rat!" cried Ron as he chased Scabbers angrily across the grassy field. "How dare you bite me! I'll mess you up!"

Suddenly a black poodle with messy fur leaped out and grabbed Scabbers by his neck, running off with him.

"Get back here with my rat you mangy mutt!" cried Ron. "If you mess him up I'll mess you up!"

"Ron!" cried Harry.

But it was too late. Ron followed the dog as it ran towards the schools whalloping willow and disappeared into a hidden opening underneath the dangerous plant. Ron, in his rage, disappeared down that tunnel himself.

By that time the willow was swinging its branches angrily. Harry and Hermione couldn't get close.

"Now what?" asked Harry.

But before they could ask themselves, Crookshanks, without warning, leaped out and ran under the tree, putting its paw on a knot at the base of the tree. The whalloping willow shuddered for a moment and then went still, like an ordinary tree.

"Crookshanks!" said Hermione gleefully, running up and petting the mangy looking cat. "Oh, Crookshanks you're a hero!"

"Don't let Ron hear you say that," said Harry nervously.

They snuck down the passage and found themselves coming out into the shrieking shack. They walked up the creaky staircase carefully, only to find Ron huddled up in a corner, holding Scabbers. Crookshanks was nearby, staring at the rat with a death glare. Harry and Hermione rushed in crying, "Ron!" only for the door to close behind them.

They turned, and it was Sirius Black.

"Watch out!" cried Ron.

"Thanks," said Harry Dryly. "Real helpful to be told that when the door is already closed."

"No Harry!" said Ron. "He's an animagus! He can turn into a poodle!"

"Boy that's embarrassing," said Harry

"You're telling me," said Black. "I was going for a rottweiler."

Ron: "Yeah, that would've been awesome."

Hermione: "Ron, don't socialize with the psychopathic killer."

Black: "I am not a psychopathic killer!"

Harry: "Really? What are you here to do then?"

Black: "To murder someone as violently as possible...no wait! That came out wrong!"

"Well," said Ron, standing between Black and Harry as he held Scabbers in his hand. "If you want to kill Harry then you'll have to kill me f…"

"Stop!" cried Lupin, running in with his wand out.

"Hey!" said Ron. "Don't interrupt my awesome moment! I get so few of those!"

"Sirius," said Lupin, embracing the man. "I can't believe it…"

"Remus," said Black, pleased. "My friend."

"What?!" asked Harry. "You're his friend?!"

"Should have known," said Hermione. "He's a werewolf. That's why he misses classes. I knew Snape's essays had to mean something, and that silvery thing that the dementor showed you was the moon, wasn't it?"

"Who cares?" said Black. "Can we get on with killing Peter Pettigrew or not?"

Suddenly Snape rushed in, his wand pointed out.

"Alright," said Snape. "Nobody…"

Harry: "EXPELLIARMUS!"

Snape was hit so hard his wand flew out of his hand and he flew into the wall.

"Harry!" said Hermione! "What are you doing!"

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Ron. "He wants to know about this Peter Pettigrew and Snape was getting in the way."

"No," said Harry. "I just really wanted to blast Snape in his smug face."

Ron: "Oh yeah. That makes sense too."

"But that being said," said Harry. "I would like to know about Peter Pettigrew. Professor Lupin?"

"He was our friend," said Sirius. "We told everyone that I would be the secret keeper for your parents, but we actually made it Peter, who betrayed your parents to Voldemort."

"I thought he was dead," said Lupin. "Until you saw his name on the Marauders map. That map never lies. I should know. We made it. Padfoot was Sirius, I was Mooney, Peter was Wormtail, and your father was Prongs."

He wondered what prongs meant. Probably something awesome since it was his dad.

"So…" said Harry. "A powerful magical artifact that was designed by my father just happened to end up in my hands? How did that happen?"

Suddenly the voices of the Winsley twins echoed throughout the shack in an eerie rasp, "Because we...know...everything!"

Awkward pause.

"Okay," said Harry.

"Anyway," said Lupin. "Peter faked his death. He's an animagus. they all were. They could transform into animals and keep me company when I was a werewolf. Sirius and James had animal forms that could handle a werewolf."

Harry: "A poodle can handle a werewolf?"

Sirius: "Hey, this poodle had jaws of steel!"

"The point is," said Lupin. "That Peter's not dead. He transformed into a rat."

Everyone looked at Ron.

Ron: "I don't believe you."

Sirius: "Don't care, done waiting."

Sirius grabbed Snape's wand, levitated Scabbers into the air, and said a spell Harry didn't recognize.

And Scabbers went POOF!

Ron: "What?"

In Scabbers place with a middle-aged, balding man.

Ron: "What?!"

The man, nervously, said, "Oh...Lupin...Sirius...heh...l...long time no see…"

Ron: "WHAT?! WHAT?! I don't...you can't…"

He actually started tearing up upon finding his pet rat was a middle-aged man. Hermione, gently, came over and gave him a hug, saying, "It's okay Ron...It's going to be okay."

And Ron sobbed into her shoulder.

"Hah!" said Sirius. "Now I can kill you, you traitor!"

"No!" said Harry. "We'll turn him into the ministry and clear your name."

Sirius thought about it and said, "Yeah okay."

"Oh but Crookshanks," said Hermione, going over to the mangy cat in the corner. "You knew that rat was trouble all along, didn't you! That's a good kitty!"

And Crookshanks went POOF!

Hermione: "What?"

A woman with messy hair where Crookshanks used to be said, "Peter Pettigrew! I knew it was you!"

Hermione: "What?!"

Peter: "Oh no! It's my ex-wife!"

Hermione: "WHAT?! That's not…you can't...I don't…"

As she started to cry, Ron went over, gave her a hug and saying, "It's okay Hermione. It's going to be okay." And she sobbed into his shoulder.

Harry: "Hermione, you never said Crookshanks was a girl."

Hermione: "You never a...ha...ha...hasked!"

Lupin sighed and said, "What a day."