Chapter Fifty-Six – Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs

Harry, Blaise, and Millie were allowed to retrieve their wands before leaving the Chamber, though with Lupin in the lead and Snape at their backs, there was no thought of turning the wands against the professors.

Harry had not imagined that this was how he would clear Sirius's name, but all that mattered now was finding Pettigrew before the Dementors were called. If that meant Lupin would be the one to capture the rat, then so be it.

However, their situation was not improved by the fact that Snape insisted on guarding Sirius himself. He marched his old enemy in front of him, keeping his wrists bound by the enchanted ropes. Sirius maintained a stoic silence that was admirable, considering that the Potions Master was intent on prodding his wand roughly into the small of his back. Harry, staying close to Sirius's side, noticed him wincing in pain. He was furious with Snape, but he modeled his own behavior after his godfather. He would not risk increasing his discomfort by provoking Snape further.

The awkward silence remained unbroken until Lupin came to an abrupt halt just outside the entrance to the Great Hall, freezing them all in their tracks.

"What's wrong? Why have you stopped?" Snape snapped.

Lupin tilted his head slightly to one side, and Harry knew he was listening to the sound of chatter in the Hall. The end-of-term feast was still underway.

Lupin turned slightly toward Snape, though he was careful to avoid making direct eye contact with Sirius.

"Wait a moment, Severus," he said, "We can't just parade him into a room full of children. It'll cause panic."

His point was logical, but the solution to their predicament was not instantly clear. Snape narrowed his eyes and asked, "What do you suggest we do about it?"

"One of us should go and inform Dumbledore of the situation," Lupin offered, "The rest can wait here until the headmaster tells us what to do."

"Fine, but I'm not going on a wild kniffler chase while you and your friend escape," Snape shot back, "I'll stay and guard the prisoners."

His use of the plural was not lost on Harry, and Lupin must have noticed as well. He briefly closed his eyes, betraying for an instant his exasperation with Snape, though managed to bite back the retort on the tip of his tongue. When he next opened his eyes, he merely stated, "I was going to suggest that I be the one to speak with the headmaster. You can stay here with... the others."

Snape looked as if he had more to say, but Lupin did not stay to exchange insults. He slipped into the Great Hall without further argument. The rest were left to wait just around the corner from the open doors, careful to keep out of sight.

From Harry's position, he could watch the professor's progress down the length of the Hall. At first he seemed to be making his way to the staff table, but he abruptly changed course. Even from a distance, Harry could see Ron's bright red hair at the Gryffindor table. The old gray rat was still held captive in both of his hands.

A short conversation between Lupin and Ron ensued. Ron looked skeptical, but also concerned. Lupin had his hand extended, as if asking for the rat. Instead, Ron rose from his seat. Harry watched in mute astonishment as he said a few parting words to his friends and proceeded to follow Lupin out of the Hall.

"What is he doing?" Snape hissed between his teeth. He was right to be confused. Harry had forgotten until that moment that Snape knew nothing of Pettigrew's second form. The Marauders kept their shape-shifting abilities a secret, after all. But Lupin had been one of them, and he must have recognized his old friend.

Harry began to make out parts of their conversation the closer they came to the open doors.

"... not necessary to come with me," Lupin was saying, trying to mask his rising agitation under a casual tone.

"But what's wrong with Scabbers?" Ron asked, "I know he looks a bit... Well, terrible. But he's old! And his toe has always been missing, every since Percy had him..."

They were past the point of turning back now. In a moment they would be outside the Great Hall, and in full view of the party waiting there. Lupin tried to change the subject and offer a word of caution as they approached. He was attempting to prepare Ron for what he was about to see. The warning came too late. Consumed with concern for his rat, Ron was incapable of comprehending Lupin's gentle hints.

"I don't understand, sir?" he said as they stepped into the passageway. Lupin gently waved his wand, shutting the doors of the Great Hall behind them and hiding what was about to take place from prying eyes. "This has something to do with Scabbers, doesn't it?"

"It does," Lupin replied, his attention irresistibly drawn to the group waiting anxiously just behind Ron's back, "But I am afraid what troubles your rat will not be easily remedied."

"You don't think that he's..."

Ron started to speak, but he was struck dumb as he absentmindedly followed the direction of the professor's glance. He must have seen Harry and his friends first, standing at the front of their small group. And just behind them, scowling from behind his long black fringe with murder in his eyes, was Sirius Black.

Ron was stupefied with terror at the sight of him, and in his fear he loosened his grip on the rat. Scabbers was no less terrified of the man waiting in the hall, and he began to trash about with renewed vigor.

Suddenly, the rat bit one of Ron's fingers, and the boy dropped it to the floor with a cry of pain and surprise. Scabbers, not missing a moment, began to scamper down the hall toward the school's front entrance, intent on escape.

Sirius gave a roar of fury and immediately took off in pursuit, his bound hands breaking free of their bindings as he shifted into his canine form. Harry, Blaise, and Millie were faster to react than the two professors. Their wands were already drawn as they followed the two beasts, ignoring Snape's cries of outrage behind them. Harry, intent on keeping Sirius and the rat in his sights, was only distantly aware that Ron, shocked to see them all chasing after Scabbers, began to follow, his own frantic shouts joining those of the Potions Master.

What followed was pure chaos. Later, Harry would be asked to recount the events of that night, but no matter how many people asked, he could never quite make sense of it himself.

He knew that Scabbers managed to break onto the grounds of the school, and soon they had all followed him outside. Sirius, sprinting on all fours, was quickly gaining on him, though the rat had had a head start. Harry and Blaise followed as fast as they could, and Lupin was not far behind. He shouted at boys, ordering them to duck out of the way just before firing a spell at the rat. It was well-aimed, but missed Scabbers by inches. The professor continued to fire curse after curse to impede the rat's progress, but the animal was so small and quick, it was impossible to hit him.

Harry and Blaise would have lent their own limited skills to his efforts, but Ron, misunderstanding the situation, began screaming, "LEAVE SCABBERS ALONE!"

The wind was knocked out of Harry as Ron tackled him to the ground. They tousled in the dirt, forgetting for a moment that they were wizards, until Blaise pulled them both apart. It was then that Ron recalled his own wand, and drew it against Harry. The dueling procedures they had learned their second year were entirely forgotten, and without warning Ron began to fire spells at them both. Blaise was quick to produce a shield charm, and it became a fight of two against one.

With the boys distracted, Millie was able to pass them, following the path that Professor Lupin had taken. She was the slowest runner, and began to fell behind just as Snape, catching up to Lupin, began to fire curses at the black dog.

The Potions Master had been quick to recover from his surprise at Sirius's sudden transformation. Now, fearing that Black was using the commotion to escape, he turned his spells against the dog, not the rat he was pursuing.

His actions infuriated Lupin. He stopped sprinting and rounded on Snape, shoving him backward as he shouted, "Stop it, you idiot! He's after Pettigrew! The rat!"

Snape's face was twisted in confusion and fury, though he never got a chance to retort. At that moment, the dark clouds that had been blanketing the night sky finally broke apart. The full moon shone brightly down, illuminating the tortured scene below.

Harry, focused only on defending himself from Ron's attacks, had been unaware of all that passed, until a look of horror spread over Blaise's face. He screamed, and the wordless cry caused Harry and Ron to forget the duel. They turned to see what had caused such an extreme reaction, and Harry too was struck with fear.

Snape stumbled back from Lupin, whose angry shouting had devolved into an inhuman growl. The professor was quickly gaining in height as well as weight. His loose jumper and baggy trousers were soon stretched to their limit, finally splitting at the seams. His shoes were rent apart as the feet within them lengthened and reformed. The skin under the shredded fabric was already covered in a thin layer of gray fur, like down at first, but when exposed to the night air it thickened and spread. The creature, no longer bearing any resemblance to their professor, lifted its long snout to the sky and emitted a long, wretched howl.

The sound of Snape's cursing startled Blaise, Harry, and Ron out of their frozen terror. At first, he was merely sputtering in shock, but then he turned and saw the three boys, standing mere yards away from him and the werewolf.

"Go back to the castle!" Snape shouted, "He's forgotten the potion! He'll attack you if you don't leave now!"

If they had been standing closer, perhaps Snape's prediction would have come true. But Snape, placed directly in front of Lupin when he transformed, was in more immediate danger than any of his students. The wolf turned its growling face toward the Potions Master, and rather than take his advice and run for the castle, Harry had already directed his wand toward the beast.

He never fired the spell on his lips. Sirius, against all expectations, had abandoned his chase and came to Snape's defense. Still in the form of the massive black dog, he jumped between the Potions Master and the werewolf, snarling in the beast's face with matched ferocity.

It was enough to distract the wolf from its initial target. As the dog barked a challenge and turned tail to flee, the werewolf charged after. Sirius led him far away from the others, heading directly toward the Black Lake.

There was barely any time to think. Harry could hear the sounds of of a fight, followed by a sharp yelp as Sirius was wounded. The sound galvanized him into action once more. He sprinted in the direction the two canines had taken, pelting toward the Black Lake as fast as his legs could carry him.

Distantly, he knew Snape was calling him back, still demanding that he return to the castle. Harry ignored him. He was too concerned for Sirius's safety, and would not leave him, wounded and scared, to face a werewolf alone.

He arrived at the lake just in time to see the werewolf dart into the shelter of the Forbidden Forest. Sirius, restored to his human form, lay prone at the edge of the water.

Harry rushed to his side and fell to his knees. He called his godfather's name, but Sirius did not move or respond. Harry reached out with hesitation to gently touch his side, and quickly recoiled. His hand had come away warm and bloody. Harry was scared, but more determined than ever. Sirius was badly wounded, and he needed to act quickly.

He racked his brains for some clue about what to do in the event of a werewolf attack. Earlier that year, Snape had assigned an essay about werewolves. He had been substituting for Lupin at the time, and though Harry finally understood the petty motive behind the assignment, he was no better off than before. He'd never written the essay. He'd asked Blaise to do it for him.

Harry damned himself for his own ignorance. A part of him knew it was ridiculous to mourn the essay now, but a voice in the back of his mind was chastising him for always cheating in his classes. If Sirius died, it would be all his fault, and all because he never wrote Snape's stupid essay...

These dark thoughts had nearly blotted out the image of Sirius laying right in front him, and then Harry noticed that his breath had run cold. The night had been warm, almost sultry, but now he was chilled to the bone. Harry looked up, and understood why it had been so easy to succumb to the wretched voice in his mind.

Dementors, perhaps hundreds of them, were descending upon the late. They had been drawn, no doubt, by the sounds of their fighting. Now that Sirius, the prey they had been searching for, was lying helpless, there would be nothing to stop them from completing the sentence the Ministry had already handed down.

Harry drew his wand, but already felt that it was hopeless. He had only successfully cast a patronus against a boggart. He couldn't possibly face this many dementors alone. Sirius was a good as dead, and Harry, having tried to help him, was doomed as well.

It was some comfort to think they would at least die together, and yet Harry could still remember Lupin's voice the day he spoke of the Dementor's Kiss. Even the promise of death was no hope for him now. He knew before his mouth even tried to form the spell that it was all over. A fate worse than death would be his only reward for trying to save an innocent man...

The dementors were bearing down on them fast, and the feeble wisp of light from his wand faltered into nothing.

Then, just when all hope had left him, a bright, silver doe danced across the surface of the lake. She cut between Harry and the advancing dementors, holding them at bay with her brilliant light. Harry stared, dumbfounded, as Snape came running toward them from the same direction, his wand held aloft, ready to defend Harry and Sirius both.

"Your wand, Potter!" he demanded, "We'll need your patronus! I can't hold them off by myself for long!"

Harry was still in shock. He was too focused on the dementors, already prodding and pushing against the shield of light surrounding the doe, as if searching for weaknesses.

He felt Snape's vice-like grip on his shoulder as the professor turned him away.

"Your wand!" Snape repeated, forcing Harry to focus on his furious face, "You need to produce a patronus! I know you can, I saw it at the Quidditch match!"

This mention of Quidditch had the interesting effect of bringing Harry back to himself. He was still overwhelmed, but now he was thinking of that game, of firing his spell at Draco. He hadn't known that Snape was there that day, or that he had seen Harry's patronus.

It didn't matter now. With Snape's doe holding off the dementors, Harry was able to recall more than just his love for Quidditch. He summoned every happy memory he had of life with Mrs. Zabini and Blaise once again. Then he thought of Sirius. He remembered how he once asked if Harry would like to live with him, of the life they might have together when they both made it out of this alive...

"Expecto Patronum!"

The stag burst forth, cantering across the lake with the same graceful, yet powerful energy as the doe. Harry kept his wand ready was he watched the progess of the patronus, yet he knew the spell would not be needed a second time. The doe stood at attention until the stag joined her side, then together, the two of them sent the dementors fleeing into the dark night, scattering in all directions.

Harry, now that he understood the significance of the doe, felt a little heartsick watching her prance at the side of his own patronus, until they both dissipated into the warm night air. He looked at Snape, wondering what he thought of the situation, and whether it left an impression on him at all.

But Snape had already turned toward Sirius, muttering under his breath as he moved his wand over the dark patch of blood staining his side, looking black in the moonlight.

"Sirius!" Harry cried, turning back to his godfather's side. He wanted to reach for him, but was afraid of aggravating his wounds.

"He needs the hospital wing," Snape said, "I can only do so much for him out here. If we wait much longer, he'll die."

Harry made no attempt to mask his shock as he asked, "Why? Why are you helping him? You hate him."

Snape looked into Harry's face with a sour expression, "That hasn't stopped me from trying to help you when it counts, has it?"

"No, but..." Harry started, thinking the only reason Snape had ever tried to help him was because of his mother. He had no similar excuse for coming to Sirius's aid.

Snape merely snarled his response, "Thanks to him, I owe your father a debt I can never repay. I'll be damned if this bastard leaves me in a similar state."

He was talking about Sirius's intervention between himself and the werewolf. He had distracted Lupin before Snape could be attacked, and probably saved his life. It was this selfless act that led to Sirius's current wounds, and Snape could not stand the thought that he'd let an enemy rescue him again.

That was enough of an explanation for Harry, but they had already wasted so much time fighting off the dementors. Sirius was fading fast.

Before he could say more, he heard a voice calling to him. He turned to see Blaise and Millie running toward him. Ron was there as well, his face white, causing his freckles to stand out in sharp contrast.

"What happened?" Blaise asked as he came closer.

"Dementors," Harry replied briefly, "A lot of them. And Sirius is hurt."

Blaise spotted Snape, who was busy conjuring a sort of stretcher and was attempting to levitate Sirius off the ground. His eyes widened as he turned back to Harry.

"I'm sorry. I would have been here sooner, but we could feel the cold... from the dementors, you know? And I..."

"It's okay," said Harry. He knew firsthand how crippling the effects of the dementors could be. With so many gathered in one place, and Blaise not far away, it was no wonder he couldn't summon the strength to go charging toward their oppressive atmosphere.

If anything, Harry was impressed by Ron. He didn't have to stay with Blaise throughout the attack. He could have fled the instant he saw Professor Lupin transform. It must have been the Gryffindor in him that caused Ron to stay in the face of danger, and what brought him to the lake now.

He was watching Snape with bewildered interest as the Potions Master began walking quickly toward the castle, bearing a bleeding and unconscious man in front of him who was, to all appearances, still a wanted fugitive.

The sight of Ron reminded Harry of how this whole horrible ordeal began. He turned back to Blaise with a note of desperation in his voice.

"What about the rat?" he asked.

He hardly dared to hope that Blaise or Millie managed to capture him in the chaos, but it still came as a blow when Blaise shook his head and looked to Millie.

She was clearly crestfallen as she stammered her response, "I'm really sorry, Harry. I followed him for as long as I could, but he was too fast and I... He got away..."

Harry's heart sank. After everything they had just gone through, they hadn't managed to save Sirius. Even if Snape got him to the hospital wing in time, without Pettigrew, they had only delayed his inevitable destruction at the skeletal hands of the dementors.

From somewhere deep in the Forbidden Forest, a lone werewolf let out a long, mournful howl.