JKR owns the people and places, I own Karista and the dream
Chapter 23: The capture of Wormtail
Karista leaned her back once again against Harry's on the biggest couch in the common room. She had in front of her some food that she had cooked up herself in the kitchen, with an army of house elves watching her every move, curious about what she was doing.
"Now, these are hot, and these are simply cheese and onions," Karista said thickly, taking a bite of the cheese bread she had made. She passed the Louisiana hots to Harry and began chewing mercilessly on the bread.
"Wow…these are really good," Harry muttered, poking more of the hot sausages onto a toothpick and eating them happily.
"That's nothing, try the cheese bread, its delicious," Karista said, also handing over the plate of bread, which, to her liking, Harry nearly ate all of them. "A little hungry, aren't we?"
"Yes," Harry muttered, picking up another Louisiana hot. He wished that he had some of these hors d'oevures.
Karista laughed and settled deeper into the couch. In front of her lay the photo album Hagrid had given him at the end of his 1st year. She sat silently flipping through the pages until she came across one of Harry, his father and mother. He is so cute, Karista murmured, gently touching the sleeping baby in lily's arms.
"you're quiet…for once," harry chuckled, sitting up to put the plate on the coffee table in front of them. Karista, being caught off guard, fell backwards, her head in his lap. She slowly relaxed as Harry sat back, blindly touching her hair.
"I wish I could have met your parents," Karista murmured softly.
"I wish you and I both could have," Harry said, his eyes starting to tear up slightly. He knew, for some reason, that he could trust Karista with everything.
Karista sat up and rearranged the plates on the coffee table. Harry knew she was about to cry, just by the way her head hung down so that her hair was covering her face.
"Karista…"Harry murmured, trying to pull her back down. She turned to look at him, yet froze.
"Someone is in here," Karista muttered, taking out her wand. She was looking at a bench seat by the window.
"I think now you are paranoid," Harry said, giggling slightly.
"NO! No, look, at the bench over there…" Karista said pointing at the seat with malice. "Whoever is over there, come out otherwise I'll blast your ass through the window!"
Suddenly, Harry noticed what she was talking about. There were two lumps on the cushions where two people would be sitting. Harry pulled, out his wand also, pointing it at the window. All of a sudden, Lupin and Sirius appeared, scared looks on their faces.
"Hey man, don't blast us away," Lupin said, his face softening into an amused expression. "Didn't mean to scare you, only wanted to say hi."
"Yeah, by hiding under a window near a full moon," Harry said, the color returning to his face and breath coming back to normal.
"Sneaking in," Sirius chuckled, crossing the room to wear they had been lounging. "Sirius Black, Harry's godfather, escaped convict at large and former high prankster of Hogwarts. Pleased to meet you."
He stuck out his hand and shook Karista's. She smiled pleasantly, and they sat down.
"I heard you had food…" Sirius laughed, glancing at the almost empty plates. He reached down and stole a Louisiana Hot from the bowl. "Wow…this is excellent."
"Well, It was an old-."
What Karista was about to say, they never knew, because at that moment, McGonagall burst into the Gryffindor common room.
"Sirius, Lupin-," She began pausing at the sight of Karista and Harry.
"Continue, I am sure they can hear," Lupin said, a trace of fear mounting on his face.
"They-they-they've found Peter," she spoke, her voice a harsh whisper. Sirius immediately changed into Padfoot while Lupin grabbed his wand and they both ran out of the office.
"COME ON! COME ON!" Harry yelled, grabbing Karista's arm and jerking her out of the common room. They sprinted down the stairs and along another corridor until they saw the entrance hall, along with Snape and Dumbledore, who was holding a glass jar large enough for a rat.
"Yes! Yes!" Harry yelled triumphantly, sliding down the banner. Karista was confused. Who was Peter?
"Harry, Karista," Dumbledore spoke with a hint of triumph in his eyes. "Say hello to Peter, more affectionately called Wormtail."
Karista suddenly realized whom Dumbledore was talking about as she looked down at the rat.
***
"Well, if rats can visibly shake, then my guess is that he is trembling," Sirius beamed, rapping on the glass, causing the rat to squeal with terror.
"When will Fudge be here?" asked Dumbledore, glancing at the watch on his wrist.
"He said within the next hour, sir," Snape said, glaring at the rat coldly. He shifted his gaze towards Sirius, a look of loathing spreading through his eyes.
"So, now that you have Wormtail, Sirius will be free?" Karista said, staring at the rat with awe. "He doesn't even behave like a rat."
McGonagall, Dumbledore, Snape, Sirius and Lupin stared at her.
"She knows what she's talking about, trust me. When she first met Sirius in his animagus form, mind you she hadn't known about him or met him before, she knew he was a human," Harry said in one breath. "She almost went back into his office after him."
Dumbledore smiled, and turned his attention to the rat, which was clawing violently at the jar.
"Shouldn've come into the forest, Peter," he whispered softly at the glass.
"Can we have a chance to talk to him? In his human form?" Sirius asked, cracking his knuckles.
"I think that can be made available," Dumbledore said, turning to look at Sirius, who looked as though he had just entered Zonko's for the first time. He then dumped the wand into his hand and muttered a spell. The rat seemed to shiver. Then, Sirius, Lupin, McGonagall, Snape and Dumbledore pointed their wands at him and muttered another curse, causing Peter to basically unravel from a rat to a man, right before their eyes.
Peter, who was sitting on the floor, was sobbing uncontrollably on the floor at their feet. Harry watched the man, shield his face from them, trying to hold back tears of guilt.
"I…I…I…I'm sorry, Sirius," He whimpered, more tears gushing out of him.
"YOU MURDEROUS GIT! HOW DARE YOU APOLOGIZE TO ME!" Sirius bellowed, lunging for the man.
"No! I forbid it," Dumbledore said softly, grabbing Sirius by the wrists.
"I-I-I w-want t-to speak t-to Dumbledore a-a-alone," Peter stuttered, gazing up at Dumbledore.
"Very well then," Dumbledore said, all feeling in his eyes gone. He ushered the group into a private room of another corridor. Sirius was shaking with anger, his fists clenched at his sides.
"He shouldn't live!" he said, the shaking becoming more intense. "He should die a very, very painful death."
"Sirius, get it together," Karista said reproachfully, watching as Sirius' eyes reduced themselves to slits. McGonagall, Snape, Lupin and Harry were watching, waiting for her to continue.
"No, think about it. If you kill him now, then you will never be free," She said quietly, her voice shaking slightly, scared of the black haired man.
"She has a point Black," Snape said, clutching his robes. "Kill him now, you will have to be a dog for the rest of your life…not like you aren't already."
Sirius' hands unclenched slowly and he sat down next to Lupin, deep in thought. Karista, sat silently pretending she was strumming guitar. She really wished she had it with her right now.
"Severus, Minerva, you may want to come in here and listen to this," Dumbledore said, a surprised and worried look on his face. They hurriedly left the room.
"Wonder what that's about," Lupin said, glancing at his clock. "I also wonder when that thick headed bloke from the ministry will get here."
"Not soon enough," Sirius muttered, glancing at his hands folded neatly in his lap.
"Must we tell them?" McGonagall said in a harsh whisper in the hallway.
"No…not now. We must find out if its true first," Dumbledore said quietly. Sirius and Lupin looked up at the door, while Harry's eyes narrowed with focus on the conversation. "Sirius, Lupin you may enter, along with Karista and Harry."
They all arose and walked out through the door into the familiar circular office. Snape, McGonagall were looking rather placid after Dumbledore's talk with them. Harry wanted to know what Pettigrew said.
"Well?" Karista said, glancing quickly at the sobbing man on the floor.
"Well what?" Snape said, an unusual pitch in his voice. Whatever Dumbledore found out must have been very good news.
"What did he have to say?" Karista continued, sitting on the couch next to Harry, who simply looked ready to kill Wormtail himself.
"That, Ms. Flannigan, is what we cannot tell you," Dumbledore said, a strange glint in his eyes. "We will first find out if it's true, and then we'll tell you."
Karista nodded her understanding and laid her head upon Harry's shoulder.
"Young girl, please listen to me," Wormtail said through hurried sobs. "The Dark Lord…he's…he's after you. You must release me."
Karista stared coldly into Wormtail's eyes.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO HER?" Harry bellowed, standing up from the couch. "WHAT? I DIDN'T HEAR YOU CORRECTLY!"
"Harry, Karista, I think you should leave," Dumbledore said, piercing Peter with his gaze. "now."
"N-n-no…Dumbledore, y-you must t-tell her…s-she is in d-danger!" Pettigrew squeaked, his eyes releasing more tears. "P-please! Y-you m-must r-release me!"
Karista turned to face Pettigrew. What was he saying? Why was he saying it?
"You are lying," Karista said quietly, while she turned sharply and walked out of the room.
"N-NO! NO! WAIT! YOU MUST LISTEN!" Pettigrew screamed, attempting to wiggle free from the ropes Dumbledore had put around him. But it was too late; Karista was gone, and wasn't coming back.
Chapter 23: The capture of Wormtail
Karista leaned her back once again against Harry's on the biggest couch in the common room. She had in front of her some food that she had cooked up herself in the kitchen, with an army of house elves watching her every move, curious about what she was doing.
"Now, these are hot, and these are simply cheese and onions," Karista said thickly, taking a bite of the cheese bread she had made. She passed the Louisiana hots to Harry and began chewing mercilessly on the bread.
"Wow…these are really good," Harry muttered, poking more of the hot sausages onto a toothpick and eating them happily.
"That's nothing, try the cheese bread, its delicious," Karista said, also handing over the plate of bread, which, to her liking, Harry nearly ate all of them. "A little hungry, aren't we?"
"Yes," Harry muttered, picking up another Louisiana hot. He wished that he had some of these hors d'oevures.
Karista laughed and settled deeper into the couch. In front of her lay the photo album Hagrid had given him at the end of his 1st year. She sat silently flipping through the pages until she came across one of Harry, his father and mother. He is so cute, Karista murmured, gently touching the sleeping baby in lily's arms.
"you're quiet…for once," harry chuckled, sitting up to put the plate on the coffee table in front of them. Karista, being caught off guard, fell backwards, her head in his lap. She slowly relaxed as Harry sat back, blindly touching her hair.
"I wish I could have met your parents," Karista murmured softly.
"I wish you and I both could have," Harry said, his eyes starting to tear up slightly. He knew, for some reason, that he could trust Karista with everything.
Karista sat up and rearranged the plates on the coffee table. Harry knew she was about to cry, just by the way her head hung down so that her hair was covering her face.
"Karista…"Harry murmured, trying to pull her back down. She turned to look at him, yet froze.
"Someone is in here," Karista muttered, taking out her wand. She was looking at a bench seat by the window.
"I think now you are paranoid," Harry said, giggling slightly.
"NO! No, look, at the bench over there…" Karista said pointing at the seat with malice. "Whoever is over there, come out otherwise I'll blast your ass through the window!"
Suddenly, Harry noticed what she was talking about. There were two lumps on the cushions where two people would be sitting. Harry pulled, out his wand also, pointing it at the window. All of a sudden, Lupin and Sirius appeared, scared looks on their faces.
"Hey man, don't blast us away," Lupin said, his face softening into an amused expression. "Didn't mean to scare you, only wanted to say hi."
"Yeah, by hiding under a window near a full moon," Harry said, the color returning to his face and breath coming back to normal.
"Sneaking in," Sirius chuckled, crossing the room to wear they had been lounging. "Sirius Black, Harry's godfather, escaped convict at large and former high prankster of Hogwarts. Pleased to meet you."
He stuck out his hand and shook Karista's. She smiled pleasantly, and they sat down.
"I heard you had food…" Sirius laughed, glancing at the almost empty plates. He reached down and stole a Louisiana Hot from the bowl. "Wow…this is excellent."
"Well, It was an old-."
What Karista was about to say, they never knew, because at that moment, McGonagall burst into the Gryffindor common room.
"Sirius, Lupin-," She began pausing at the sight of Karista and Harry.
"Continue, I am sure they can hear," Lupin said, a trace of fear mounting on his face.
"They-they-they've found Peter," she spoke, her voice a harsh whisper. Sirius immediately changed into Padfoot while Lupin grabbed his wand and they both ran out of the office.
"COME ON! COME ON!" Harry yelled, grabbing Karista's arm and jerking her out of the common room. They sprinted down the stairs and along another corridor until they saw the entrance hall, along with Snape and Dumbledore, who was holding a glass jar large enough for a rat.
"Yes! Yes!" Harry yelled triumphantly, sliding down the banner. Karista was confused. Who was Peter?
"Harry, Karista," Dumbledore spoke with a hint of triumph in his eyes. "Say hello to Peter, more affectionately called Wormtail."
Karista suddenly realized whom Dumbledore was talking about as she looked down at the rat.
***
"Well, if rats can visibly shake, then my guess is that he is trembling," Sirius beamed, rapping on the glass, causing the rat to squeal with terror.
"When will Fudge be here?" asked Dumbledore, glancing at the watch on his wrist.
"He said within the next hour, sir," Snape said, glaring at the rat coldly. He shifted his gaze towards Sirius, a look of loathing spreading through his eyes.
"So, now that you have Wormtail, Sirius will be free?" Karista said, staring at the rat with awe. "He doesn't even behave like a rat."
McGonagall, Dumbledore, Snape, Sirius and Lupin stared at her.
"She knows what she's talking about, trust me. When she first met Sirius in his animagus form, mind you she hadn't known about him or met him before, she knew he was a human," Harry said in one breath. "She almost went back into his office after him."
Dumbledore smiled, and turned his attention to the rat, which was clawing violently at the jar.
"Shouldn've come into the forest, Peter," he whispered softly at the glass.
"Can we have a chance to talk to him? In his human form?" Sirius asked, cracking his knuckles.
"I think that can be made available," Dumbledore said, turning to look at Sirius, who looked as though he had just entered Zonko's for the first time. He then dumped the wand into his hand and muttered a spell. The rat seemed to shiver. Then, Sirius, Lupin, McGonagall, Snape and Dumbledore pointed their wands at him and muttered another curse, causing Peter to basically unravel from a rat to a man, right before their eyes.
Peter, who was sitting on the floor, was sobbing uncontrollably on the floor at their feet. Harry watched the man, shield his face from them, trying to hold back tears of guilt.
"I…I…I…I'm sorry, Sirius," He whimpered, more tears gushing out of him.
"YOU MURDEROUS GIT! HOW DARE YOU APOLOGIZE TO ME!" Sirius bellowed, lunging for the man.
"No! I forbid it," Dumbledore said softly, grabbing Sirius by the wrists.
"I-I-I w-want t-to speak t-to Dumbledore a-a-alone," Peter stuttered, gazing up at Dumbledore.
"Very well then," Dumbledore said, all feeling in his eyes gone. He ushered the group into a private room of another corridor. Sirius was shaking with anger, his fists clenched at his sides.
"He shouldn't live!" he said, the shaking becoming more intense. "He should die a very, very painful death."
"Sirius, get it together," Karista said reproachfully, watching as Sirius' eyes reduced themselves to slits. McGonagall, Snape, Lupin and Harry were watching, waiting for her to continue.
"No, think about it. If you kill him now, then you will never be free," She said quietly, her voice shaking slightly, scared of the black haired man.
"She has a point Black," Snape said, clutching his robes. "Kill him now, you will have to be a dog for the rest of your life…not like you aren't already."
Sirius' hands unclenched slowly and he sat down next to Lupin, deep in thought. Karista, sat silently pretending she was strumming guitar. She really wished she had it with her right now.
"Severus, Minerva, you may want to come in here and listen to this," Dumbledore said, a surprised and worried look on his face. They hurriedly left the room.
"Wonder what that's about," Lupin said, glancing at his clock. "I also wonder when that thick headed bloke from the ministry will get here."
"Not soon enough," Sirius muttered, glancing at his hands folded neatly in his lap.
"Must we tell them?" McGonagall said in a harsh whisper in the hallway.
"No…not now. We must find out if its true first," Dumbledore said quietly. Sirius and Lupin looked up at the door, while Harry's eyes narrowed with focus on the conversation. "Sirius, Lupin you may enter, along with Karista and Harry."
They all arose and walked out through the door into the familiar circular office. Snape, McGonagall were looking rather placid after Dumbledore's talk with them. Harry wanted to know what Pettigrew said.
"Well?" Karista said, glancing quickly at the sobbing man on the floor.
"Well what?" Snape said, an unusual pitch in his voice. Whatever Dumbledore found out must have been very good news.
"What did he have to say?" Karista continued, sitting on the couch next to Harry, who simply looked ready to kill Wormtail himself.
"That, Ms. Flannigan, is what we cannot tell you," Dumbledore said, a strange glint in his eyes. "We will first find out if it's true, and then we'll tell you."
Karista nodded her understanding and laid her head upon Harry's shoulder.
"Young girl, please listen to me," Wormtail said through hurried sobs. "The Dark Lord…he's…he's after you. You must release me."
Karista stared coldly into Wormtail's eyes.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO HER?" Harry bellowed, standing up from the couch. "WHAT? I DIDN'T HEAR YOU CORRECTLY!"
"Harry, Karista, I think you should leave," Dumbledore said, piercing Peter with his gaze. "now."
"N-n-no…Dumbledore, y-you must t-tell her…s-she is in d-danger!" Pettigrew squeaked, his eyes releasing more tears. "P-please! Y-you m-must r-release me!"
Karista turned to face Pettigrew. What was he saying? Why was he saying it?
"You are lying," Karista said quietly, while she turned sharply and walked out of the room.
"N-NO! NO! WAIT! YOU MUST LISTEN!" Pettigrew screamed, attempting to wiggle free from the ropes Dumbledore had put around him. But it was too late; Karista was gone, and wasn't coming back.