"WE'RE UP HERE!" Draco yelled suddenly. "WE'RE UP HERE— SIRIUS BLACK— !"
Black made a startled movement that almost dislodged Crookshanks; Arabella gripped her wand convulsively — Do it now! said a voice in her head — but the footsteps were thundering up the stairs and Arabella still hadn't done it.
The door of the room burst open in a shower of red sparks and Arabella wheeled around as Remus Lupin came hurtling into the room, his face bloodless, his wand raised and ready. His eyes flickered over Ron, lying on the floor, over Draco cowering next to the door, to Lyla and Arabella, standing there with their wand covering Black, and then to Black himself, crumpled and bleeding at their feet.
"Expelliarmus!" Lupin shouted.
Both Potter's wands flew once more, as did the two Draco was holding. Lupin caught them all deftly, then moved into the room, staring at Black, who still had Crookshanks lying protectively across his chest.
Arabella stood there, feeling suddenly empty. She hadn't done it, nor had Lyla. Their nerves had failed them. Black was going to be handed back to the Dementors.
Then Lupin spoke, in a very tense voice. "Where is he, Sirius?"
Arabella looked quickly at Lupin. She didn't understand what Lupin meant. Who was Lupin talking about? She turned to look at Black again.
Black's face was quite expressionless. For a few seconds, he didn't move at all. Then, very slowly, he raised his empty hand and pointed straight at Ron. Mystified, Arabella glanced around at Ron, who looked bewildered.
"But then..." Lupin muttered, staring at Black so intently it seemed he was trying to read his mind, "... why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless" — Lupin's eyes suddenly widened, as though he was seeing something beyond Black, something none of the rest could see, "— unless he was the one... unless you switched... without telling me?"
Very slowly, his sunken gaze never leaving Lupin's face, Black nodded.
"Professor," Arabella interrupted loudly, "what's going on —?"
But he never finished the question, because what they all saw made her voice die in her throat. Lupin was lowering his wand, gazing fixed at Black. The professor walked to Black's side, seized his hand, pulled him to his feet so that Crookshanks fell to the floor, and embraced Black like a brother. Arabella felt as though the bottom had dropped out of her stomach.
"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Lyla screamed.
Lupin let go of Black and turned to her.
"You — you —"
"Lyla —"
"– you and him!"
"Lyla, please calm down —"
"I didn't tell anyone!" Lyla shrieked. "I've been covering up for you—" "
"Lyla, listen to me, please" Lupin shouted. "I can explain —"
Arabella could feel herself shaking, not with fear, but with a fresh wave of fury.
"I trusted you!" she shouted at Lupin, her voice wavering, out of control, "we trusted you! And all the time you've been his friend!"
"You're wrong," said Lupin. "I haven't been Sirius's friend, but I am now— Let me explain—"
"NO!" Lyla bellowed. "Ara, don't listen to a word he says! He's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants us dead too — h-he's a werewolf!"
There was a ringing silence. Everyone's eyes were now on Lupin, who looked remarkably calm, though rather pale.
"Not at all up to your usual standard, Lyla," he said. "Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want you or Arabella dead." An odd shiver passed over his face. "But I won't deny that I am a werewolf."
Both Draco and Ron made noises of horror and disgust.
Lupin stopped dead. Then, with an obvious effort, he turned to Lyla and said, "How long have you known?"
"Ages," Lyla responded breathily. "Ever since I saw you drink from that goblet… and my advanced Potions class… "
"Snape will be delighted, then," said Lupin coolly. "He must have been hoping someone would realize what my symptoms meant... Did you check the lunar chart and realize that I was always ill at the full moon? Or did you realize that the Boggart changed into the moon when it saw me?"
"Both," Lyla said quietly.
Lupin forced a laugh.
"Clever girl," he said, "one of the cleverest witches of your age, I suspect."
"I'm not," she whispered. "If I'd been a bit cleverer, I'd have told everyone what you are!"
"But they already know," said Lupin. "At least, the staff do."
"Dumbledore hired you when he knew you were a werewolf?" Ron gasped. "Is he mad?"
"Some of the staff thought so," said Lupin. "He had to work very hard to convince certain teachers that I'm trustworthy —"
"AND HE WAS WRONG!" Lyla yelled. "YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HIM ALL THIS TIME!
She was pointing at Black, who suddenly crossed to the four-poster bed and sank onto it, his face hidden in one shaking hand. Crookshanks leaped up beside him and stepped onto his lap, purring. Ron edged away from both of them, dragging his leg.
"I have not been helping Sirius," said Lupin calmly. "If you'll give me a chance, I'll explain. Look—"
He separated the wands and threw each back to its owner; Arabella caught hers, stunned.
"There," said Lupin, sticking his own wand back into his belt "You're armed, we're not. Now, will you listen?"
Was it a trick?
"If you haven't been helping him," Draco said, with a furious glance at Black, "how did you know he was here?"
"The map," said Lupin. "The Marauder's Map. I was in my office examining it —"
"You know how to work it?" Arabella said suspiciously.
"Of course I know how to work it," said Lupin, waving his hand impatiently. "I helped write it. I'm Moony— that was my friends' nickname for me at school."
"You — you wrote —?"
"The important thing is, I was watching it carefully this evening because I had an idea that you and your friends might try and sneak out of the castle to visit Hagrid before his Hippogriff was executed. And I was right, wasn't I?"
He had started to pace up and down, looking at them. Little patches of dust rose at his feet. "You might have been wearing your father's old cloak—"
"How— how do you know about the cloak?"
"The number of times I saw James disappearing under it..." said Lupin, waving an impatient hand again. "The point is, even if you're wearing an Invisibility Cloak, you still show up on the Marauder's Map. I watched you cross the grounds and enter Hagrid's hut. Twenty minutes later, you left Hagrid and set off back toward the castle. But you were now accompanied by somebody else."
"What?" said Lyla. "No, we weren't!"
"I couldn't believe my eyes," said Lupin, still pacing, and ignoring Lyla's interruption. "I thought the map must be malfunctioning. How could he be with you?"
"No one was with us!" snapped Arabella.
"And then I saw another dot, moving fast toward you, labeled Sirius Black... I saw him collide with you; I watched as he pulled two of you into the Whomping Willow —"
"One of us!" Ron said angrily.
"No, Ron," said Lupin. "Two." He had stopped his pacing, his eyes moving over Ron. "Do you think I could have a look at the rat?" he said evenly.
"What?" said Ron. "What's Scabbers got to do with it?"
"Everything," said Lupin. "Could I see him, please?"
Ron hesitated, then put a hand inside his robes. Scabbers emerged, thrashing desperately; Ron had to seize his long bald tail to stop him escaping. Crookshanks stood up on Black's leg and made a soft hissing noise. Lupin moved closer to Ron. He seemed to be holding his breath as he gazed intently at Scabbers.
"What?" Ron said again, holding Scabbers close to him, looking scared. "What's my rat got to do with anything?"
"That's no rat," croaked Sirius Black suddenly.
"What d'you mean — of course, he's a rat —"
"No, he's not," said Lupin quietly. "He's a wizard."
"An Animagus," continued Black, "by the name of Peter Pettigrew."
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