A/N: Konichiwa! So, this is later than I intended, and for that I am very sorry. I'm sure you guys are used to my irregular updates by now and are probably tired of hearing me apologize for delays between chapters, but I still feel that I owe you both apologies and explanations. To put it quite simply, life has been pretty hellish recently. There has been a lot of personal upheaval, and depression and negativity have had a tight hold on me. I'm getting to a better place now, and I have some more stability. I've been busy with trying to get everything together to try and get back to school to start on my Master's Degree on top of everything else. However, fear not: I will NOT abandon this story! I intend to see it all the way to the end and will try to be more regular with chapter updates. I thank you all for your patience! I also want to thank all of you who have left reviews or who have favorited or followed my story. It is very humbling to see how many people have enjoyed it! Thank you!

I solemnly swear that:

J.K. Rowling owns all canon Harry Potter characters, locations, spells, canon events, etc.

Yana Toboso owns all Black Butler characters, locations, canon events, etc.

Reptilia28 owns the "Don't Fear the Reaper" challenge and its rules

I own all fan characters, spells, events that are different from the canon.

On with the story!

Chapter 9-Some Things Never Change

Harry and Hermione quickly made their way through the opening at the base of the Whomping Willow and began dashing down the tunnel.

"So what's the plan once we get in there, Harry?"

"We need to keep Sirius busy until Remus gets here. We have a better shot of capturing Pettigrew this time, but we'll need Remus to help talk Sirius out of killing Pettigrew," the raven-haired boy answered.

Hermione nodded in understanding and agreement. "Alright. Let's go meet Sirius. I know you're anxious to see him again," the witch commented.

"Yeah, I am. It's been hard without him. He was the only real family that I had. I mean, I can't remember what it was like when my mum and dad were still alive, and the Malfoys would make better family than the Dursleys ever were."

Sensing her best friend's strong emotion, Hermione reached out and grasped his hand supportively. "We are going to make sure that Sirius earns his freedom this time, Harry. There isn't going to be another Department of Mysteries disaster!"

"Thanks, Hermione. You always know exactly what to say to make it better."

The bushy-haired girl beamed and gave his hand another squeeze as they reached the door to the room they knew held Ron and Sirius.

"Well, here goes," Harry muttered as he reached for the door.

As they had last time, the duo went right to Ron to assess his condition.

"H-Harry! The dog! Him, he's the dog!" Ron cried, pointing behind Harry's back.

Harry took a deep breath and willed his face to not show recognition as he turned to face his godfather once again. Harry felt a myriad of emotion as his gaze fell on Sirius. He was overcome with joy to be reunited with his godfather, and he felt the sting of tears in his eyes. It also took him aback to see how haunted Sirius looked, how gaunt his face was and just how dirty and worn down the wizard appeared. No, Harry couldn't wait to get this over with so Sirius could get cleaned up, healed, and fed and begin his life as a free man.

"Harry, I knew you'd come to save your friend. How like James you are," Sirius croaked.

"People have told me that I'm a lot like my dad, but that's not why I came for Ron. He's my friend and he needed me," said Harry cautiously.

"I'm glad you didn't go get a teacher. That's going to make this much easier," Sirius remarked.

"If you're going to kill Harry, you'll have to get through us first!" said Ron, attempting to stand but falling onto his butt.

"Ron, no! Your leg looks broken; you'll just agitate it if you keep trying to stand," Hermione warned.

"There will be only one murder tonight," said Sirius.

"There doesn't need to be any murders tonight," said Harry.

"You don't understand," the prisoner muttered.

"I understand more than you think, Sirius."

"No. If you truly understood, then you'd know why there must be a death tonight," the gaunt wizard countered.

"There doesn't need to be a death tonight, Sirius," said Hermione, addressing him for the first time. "In time, yes, but not yet. You have to wait."

"I've done my waiting! Twelve years of it! In Azkaban!" Sirius yelled. (A/N: I couldn't resist; I had to keep this excellent line from the movie! This line copyrights to Warner Bros.)

Before anyone could respond, Remus appeared in the door way. "Hello, Sirius. It's been a long time, old friend."

"Friend?" Ron questioned confusedly.

"Remus…!" Sirius gasped. "Please, Remus! You have to understand!"

"I do, Sirius. I understand perfectly," the sandy-haired man reassured as he closed the distance between them and embraced his brother in all but blood.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?!" Ron asked, thunderstruck. "Why're you helping him?!"

"Ron, you need to calm down," said Hermione.

"Calm down?! Have you gone spare? Lupin is hugging Sirius bloody Black, the man who broke out of Azkaban to kill Harry!"

"Sirius didn't come here to kill me, Ron," said Harry. "He came for someone else."

"But Harry, remember Trelawney warned you about the Grim? He's an Animagus who can turn into a bloody Grim!"

"Professor Trelawney is an incompetent old bat, and I believe we've already discussed why this Grim nonsense is utter drivel," said Hermione impatiently with a roll of her eyes.

"YOU discussed it! I never agreed!"

"Now isn't the time for this," Harry interrupted. Then, addressing his godfather, he said, "Sirius, you can't kill him yet."

"Who? What's going on? And why are you talking to the man who betrayed your parents to You-Know-Who?" Ron interjected.

"Ron, Sirius didn't betray my parents. Sirius is my godfather, and he was my father's best friend. He would never sell them out to Voldemort," Harry explained.

"What?! Then why the bloody hell is he here?"

"I'm here to reduce our number here from six to five," Sirius growled.

"There are only five of us here!" Ron argued.

"No, there are six of us, Ron," said Remus patiently.

"Where's this imaginary sixth person?"

"In your hands, Ron; you're holding him," said Hermione.

"Scabbers?! What does my rat have to do with anything?" Ron questioned, flabbergasted.

"He has everything to do with what's going on right now!" said Sirius.

"Scabbers isn't really a rat, Ron," said Harry. "He's an Animagus, too, by the name of Peter Pettigrew."

"That's ridiculous!" Ron scoffed. "Scabbers has been in my family for 12 years!"

"That's quite a long lifespan for a common garden rat, isn't it?" Remus questioned.

"But we've taken good care of him!" Ron countered. "I mean, he's missing a toe, but-"

"But that's more proof that he's Peter Pettigrew," Hermione argued.

"How?"

"All that was left of Pettigrew after the street was blown up that day was a finger," Harry revealed. "He must have cut off his finger and turned into a rat to escape."

Ron opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by the door opening once again, this time revealing Severus.

"Good God, Remus; I know you were in a hurry, but that's no excuse to neglect your health. Luckily for you, I was on my way to deliver your Wolfsbane when I saw you all on that map."

"Snape? What're you doing here?" asked Sirius.

"Later, Sirius, but know that we are all on the same side," Remus warned.

"Wolfsbane?!" Ron asked, flabbergasted.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley. Wolfsbane," said Remus gravely.

"You're a bloody werewolf?!"

"Don't be a git, Ron," said Harry crossly. "Remus hasn't hurt anyone, and he won't start now!"

"That depends," Sirius corrected, "on what we do with the traitor!"

"Where is that rat?" Severus asked as he handed Remus the flask of Wolfsbane.

"I won't let you hurt Scabbers!" said Ron, holding the squirming rat tighter.

"Ron, that's Peter Pettigrew! That's the one responsible for getting my parents killed!" said Harry.

Turning defiantly to Sirius, Ron asked, "Why does everyone think you're guilty if that's true?"

"When Lily and James realized that they were in danger, Dumbledore performed a charm called the Fidelius Charm. James wanted me to be the Secret Keeper, which means that no one would be able to find the Potter family without me telling them the location. James wanted me to do it. However, I thought that we could pull a fast one on Voldemort. See, since James and I were best friends, I was the obvious choice for Secret Keeper. I suggested that we let everyone think that I was the Secret Keeper, but really, Peter was the Secret Keeper. No one would ever suspect that Peter, who always got scared so easily, would be Secret Keeper! Unbeknownst to us, Peter had joined the Death Eaters, and almost as soon as he was made Secret Keeper, he led Voldemort right to the Potters. When I got to the house that night and found Lily and James dead and Harry injured, all I could think about was murdering Peter for what he'd done. Hagrid was going to take Harry to Dumbledore to keep him safe, so I went after Peter. However, even Peter was smart enough to know that I would kill him, so he made a loud ruckus about how I was responsible for the murders. Then, he blew the aforementioned hole in the street and cut off his finger before transforming and disappearing into the hole," Sirius explained.

Ron thought for a minute before asking, "How do you know that he was Death Eater? What proof do you have?"

"I know for a fact that Pettigrew was a Death Eater, Mr. Weasley," said Severus, "because I myself was a Death Eater up until the time that the Dark Lord decided to target the Potters. Lily was my childhood best friend, and even though it was my fault that our friendship ended, I couldn't just let her and her family be killed. I can also say with 100% certainty that Sirius Black was never a Death Eater."

While Ron stared at his Potions teacher in utter bewilderment, jaw hanging open, Snape turned to Sirius and said, "Now, unless you enjoy roaming the countryside in fear of your life, Black, I suggest that you curb your homicidal urges and let us expose this waste of human life and clear your name."

It was Sirius's turn to be shocked. "Th-thank you Sniv-er, Severus! But, why are you helping me?"

"You owe a great deal of gratitude to your godson, actually, because he helped me realize that I was taking my anger towards James out on him, seeing him as an extension of who his father was as a teenager rather than as himself. Along with this, I let a schoolboy grudge keep me from speaking up in your defense prior to just recently, and for that, I am sorry."

"Thank you! I'm sorry too, for all of the terrible things I did to you when we were in school together. I am especially sorry for nearly getting you killed." Turning to Remus, he said, "I'm sorry again, Moony, for the position I almost put you in that night."

While both men reassured the Prisoner of Azkaban that they forgave him, Ron finally found his voice.

"None of this makes any sense!"

"Ron, if you'll hand Peter to me, we can get started here," said Remus gently, reaching out his hand.

"You won't take Scabbers!"

"Ron, that's Peter Pettigrew," Hermione reminded him patiently.

Sirius, however, had reached the end of his patience. He reached out and grabbed the squirming rat from the redhead's grasp before dropping him to the floor and pointing his wand at him.

"Scabbers!" Ron yelled as Sirius hit the rat with a spell.

Everyone watched as the spell took effect and the rat changed into a pudgy wizard before their eyes. The man, whom Harry recognized as Peter, looked around the room terror-filled eyes before a grimacing smile formed on his face.

"S-S-Sirius…Remus…my old friends…G-good evening, Severus…" Pettigrew's gaze then fell on Harry.

"Harry…you look so much like father! James was my very best friend-!" Peter didn't get to finish his sentence as Sirius lunged at him with a snarl.

"You dare speak to Harry?! You dare talk about James in front of him when you're the reason he's dead?!"

Pettigrew squeaked in fright and tried to run, but Remus and Severus blocked his way.

"You sold Lily and James out to Voldemort! Admit it!" Remus demanded, wand pointed at Peter's throat.

"I-I-I didn't have a choice!" Peter wailed tearfully. "You don't know what the Dark Lord is capable of! What would you have done?"

"I WOULD'VE DIED!" Sirius bellowed. "I WOULD HAVE LET VOLDEMORT KILL ME BEFORE I WOULD EVER BETRAY MY FRIENDS!"

"You are a pathetic coward," Severus sneered. "The lives of your friends meant nothing to you so long as you were protected!"

"Y-You're not so perfect yourself, Snively!" Peter retorted.

"Let's kill him!" Sirius begged again.

"Wait, Sirius!" requested Harry.

"Indeed," Severus agreed. "When I left to come here, I sent Emily to the Ministry to fetch Minister Fudge and Madame Bones. Let's turn this worthless lump over to the Ministry."

"The dementors can have him once the Ministry is through!" Harry growled.

Peter let out a shriek of terror, right as Hermione whipped out her wand.

"Locomotor Mortis!"

Pettigrew's legs slapped together, rendering him unable to walk. Then, Severus conjured ropes to tie around his hands while Remus bandaged up Ron's leg.

"I'm no Madame Pomfrey, but this will do until we can get you to the Hospital Wing."

The group made their way out of the Shrieking Shack and through the narrow tunnel ways. As they walked, Sirius turned to Harry.

"I don't know if you know this or not, Harry, but your parents named me your godfather. I don't know where you're living right now, but if you wanted to, once this is sorted out, you could come live with me," he offered. "Of course, if you want to stay where you are…"

"Sirius, I've been with Aunt Petunia for 12 years," Harry explained. "Of course I want to come live with you!"

"Petunia?! Lily's sister?!" Sirius exclaimed in disbelief.

"That, Sirius, is a long story that will be explained later," Remus promised.

As the group emerged from the base of the Whomping Willow, they could see the figures of two women standing nearby. The two began to approach, allowing the group to identify them as Emily and Madame Bones. Before words could be exchanged, the clouds rolled back, exposing the full moon. Remus stopped dead in his tracks, letting out a groan as his body began to shift to accommodate the wolf inside.

"Oh no! Is he safe?" Emily asked fearfully.

"Yes," Severus answered. "I took a flask full of Wolfsbane with me when I came."

Ron, frightened by the transformation, backed up, but stumbled and fell with his broken leg. Unfortunately, he knocked into Pettigrew, causing him to fall as well.

"My God, that IS Peter Pettigrew!" Amelia gasped as Hermione doubled back to help Ron back to his feet.

"Remus, are you ok?" Emily asked.

Everyone turned to see the wolf standing in the grass where Remus had been a moment before. The wolf gave a short bark of confirmation before stiffening and snarling. The group followed his line of sight and saw exactly when had Remus on edge! In the confusion, Pettigrew had inched forward and grabbed Ron's dropped wand from the grass. In an instant, he had pointed the wand at himself and was transforming into Wormtail.

"NO!" Harry bellowed.

As Wormtail darted through the trees into the forest, Moony ran after him with Padfoot not far behind him.

"So it's all true," said Amelia in dazed amazement.

"We have to go after them!" Harry insisted, turning to follow the animals. However, Moony and Padfoot were running back towards them. Padfoot shifted back into Sirius, exclaiming, "The Dementors are coming this way!"

Indeed, a moment later, dozens of Dementors began swooping down on the unprepared group. Despite everyone's best efforts, they were simply incapable of fighting off that many dementors, and one by one, their worlds went dark.

Harry awoke to the sound of arguing. Sitting up in his hospital cot and sliding his glasses on, he saw that the voices belonged to Cornelius Fudge and Emily. The young wizard's heart sank when a quick scan of the room let him know that Sirius was absent. Back in time it is, then!

"Sirius Black at Hogwarts! And with three students! This is outrageous! We're bloody lucky that he didn't murder them!" Fudge thundered.

"Minister, as I've already told you," said Emily crisply, "Sirius is innocent! Instead of locking him back up, we should be searching for Peter!"

"Miss Tarleton, with all due respect, it is well known that you are Black's friend! You'd say anything to protect him!"

"But it's true! My rat was Pettigrew!" Ron argued.

"The boy's been Confunded," Fudge opined.

"No he's not!" Emily shot back, with Remus growling in agreement.

"Everyone in this room will tell you the same thing: Sirius is innocent, and Pettigrew is to blame for everything!" said Harry.

"It's the truth, Cornelius, rather you are willing to admit it or not," said Amelia. "I saw Peter Pettigrew alive with my own eyes, and I saw him turn into a rat. I also saw Sirius Black running back to warn everyone about the horde of Dementors heading our way when it would have been much easier to let them kill us if he were truly guilty."

"Oh dear, Amelia! It seems that you've been Confunded, too!"

"We're not Confunded, Minister," said Severus tartly. "I'd be more than happy to provide a potion that would prove it."

"We don't have time to prove what I already know to be true!" Fudge ranted. "I must lead the Dementors to Black!"

"You're going to have him Kissed?!" Hermione gasped.

Remus began snarling, the hairs on his neck standing straight up.

"You're damning him to a fate worse than death!" Harry roared while a white-faced Emily shakily tried to calm Remus.

"Enough of this! I'll be going now, Dumbledore!" With that, Fudge stormed out of the Hospital Wing and slammed the door shut behind him.

"Cornelius!" Amelia yelled, jumping to her feet and running after him.

"Professor Dumbledore, we have to stop him!" Emily pleaded, tears welling up in her green eyes as she hugged a howling Remus.

"Please, Professor!" Harry begged. "Sirius is innocent!"

"Perhaps, but Sirius has not acted like an innocent man tonight," replied Dumbledore. "And yet, if all is done correctly, maybe two innocent lives can be spared tonight." The Headmaster stood to leave " With that, he walked out of the Wing.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other and nodded in wordless agreement. "Well, off we go then," said Hermione as she pulled the gold chain out from under her robes.

"Wha-?" Ron asked as Hermione put the chain around Harry's neck and lifted the hourglass pendant into view.

"Sorry Ron; no time to explain," Harry apologized as Hermione turned the hourglass three times. A second later, the world began to blur as time reversed itself by three hours.

As soon as everything came back into focus, the duo ran down to Hagrid's house and hid in the trees, waiting for the opportunity to free Buckbeak. As they waited, Harry muttered, "I could Stun Pettigrew and we could stop him now!"

"Harry, you can't! We don't know where Sirius is yet! Besides, if we capture him now, Fudge and Amelia won't come. Remember that they only came because Professor Snape sent Professor Tarleton to the Ministry," Hermione reasoned.

Harry sighed in resignation. "You're right as always, Hermione."

"Don't worry, Harry," she reassured him, "we have time between now and Voldemort's return to figure out a way to capture Pettigrew again."

The sound of Hagrid's door creaking open brought them back to the present, and they watched as their past selves and past Ron ran out and away from the house.

"Right. They've had time to see Buckbeak," said Hermione. "Once they're inside, we'll lead Buckbeak away into the forest to wait for time to lead him to Sirius. Do you remember where he was?"

"The Astronomy Tower," Harry supplied.

A few hours later, the two best friends mounted the hippogriff and flew him up to the Astronomy Tower. Sirius was staring at them in wonder as they dismounted and released him from his cell.

"What? How?" he asked in shock.

"That doesn't matter right now," said Harry as he took his godfather's hand and led him towards Buckbeak. "All that matters right now is getting you two to safety."

"You truly are your parents' son, Harry," said Sirius, face breaking into a warm smile. Then, to Hermione, he said, "and you are truly the brightest witch of your age."

Hermione blushed at the compliment. "I'm just glad to be able to help," she responded modestly.

"The last thing I want to do is say good-bye," said Harry, "but there isn't much time."

Godfather and godson embraced tightly before Sirius mounted Buckbeak. Before taking off, the Prisoner of Azkaban bid, "Take care, Pup. It's not really good-bye, is it? Just a 'so long' for the time being."

"Take care, Sirius. Be careful!"

With that, Sirius gave Buckbeak a light squeeze with his legs, and they flew off into the night sky. Harry and Hermione watched them disappear before turning and running back to the Hospital Wing to explain themselves.

Meanwhile, with Fudge and Amelia…

"Cornelius, stop this foolishness! You are damning an innocent man based on what you want to believe rather than the truth!" Amelia demanded as she ran after the man.

"Amelia, I will not allow Sirius Black to prowl the streets based on the words of his old friends, his godson, and a group of Confunded individuals!"

"If you weren't so damn pig-headed-!"

"Enough!"

The two had reached the landing of the stairway to the Astronomy Tower's cell. To their amazement, however, the cell door was wide open.

"WHAT?! How did he escape?!" Fudge roared as he stalked into the cell in an attempt to figure out what had happened.

Amelia smiled smugly as she watched a red-faced Minister storming around the tiny jail. As she turned her head, she noticed something on the ground. Picking it up, she realized that it was a grey feather, much too large to belong to a bird.

Hagrid's hippogriff, she recognized. Smiling again at how her boss had been twice outwitted, she pocketed the feather. Best not let Fudge see this.