Chapter 10: Snake and Rat
Albus smiled at Molly, "Remus has requested to speak with me, where can I find him?" He sat down at the kitchen table. Molly bustled over with a cup of tea and sat it down in front of him.
"I'll call him for you, Albus. He and Harry are out in the garden talking," she said. She went over to the back door and walked out. "Remus, Albus is here and he would like to speak with you," she shouted.
Remus looked toward Molly, "I'll be right there, Molly," he answered. He looked at the boy sitting next to him. "Harry, I'll be back as soon as I speak with Albus. Would you like me to have Ron, Hermione or Ginny come out with you?"
Harry looked up at Remus, "No, I'll be alright. You go and talk, I'll see you when you get back." Remus got up from the bench and walked into the house.
He sat on the bench in the Weasley's garden, just staring into the bushes, until he heard a voice. "Sssso sssssorry, I didn't sssssee you there."
Harry twisted around quickly and saw a snake on the bench with him. "It'ssss alright, what are you doing here?" he asked. The snake was a dull green with a collar of orange and black scales at its neck.
"What isssss your name?" the snake asked him. "I have never spoken to a perssssson before."
"I'm Harry, what isssss your name?" he asked in return.
The snake looked up at Harry, "I am Greta, how isssss it that you can sssspeak with me?"
Harry shrugged his shoulders, "I can just talk to sssssnakes. Do you like it here in the garden?" he asked.
"It isssss quite good here, when the frogsssssssss are around. Now there are only ratsssssss," she told him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small flash of silver coming from beneath one of the bushes, "Greta, can you sssssmell a rat under the bush?"
Greta flicked her tongue out in the direction that Harry was looking, "It ssssssmellsssss like a rat, but it sssssmellsssss like a man too," she answered.
Harry looked at her in shock, "Could you catch it and not kill it?" he asked her quickly. "I will make sssssure that you have plenty to eat if you can."
"I can do that, Harry," she said, slithering toward the bush. He could hear her struggling with the rat, "Sssssstay sssstill, I will not kill you," she said. A few minutes later, she came out of the bushes with a rat in her jaws, it had a silver paw. Harry reached in his pocket and pulled out one of the stupefy sticky and stuck it to the rat.
Harry pulled out his wand, "When I ssssssay go, let the rat loossssse, he will not get away," he told the snake. "Go!" She released the rat and he waved his wand, "Active!" he shouted. The rat fell to the ground.
"Isssss there a reason you wanted thissssss rat?" she asked, crawling up onto the bench again.
"Yesssss, he killed my parentssssss. He isssss a man, he can become a rat," he told her. He turned toward the Burrow, "Professor Lupin, Professor Dumbledore!!" he shouted, "Come quick."
Remus and Albus ran out the door and over to where Harry was sitting with the snake. "What is it Harry?" Albus asked.
Remus looked at the ground and saw the rat, "Is that...who I think it is?" he asked, turning toward Harry.
"Peter Pettigrew, he was hiding under the bush. Greta caught him for me and I used one of Fred and George's inventions to stun him," Harry said, rubbing the snake's head.
Albus smiled and picked up the stunned rat, "Well Harry, Remus and I should take Peter here and turn him in to the ministry."
"Professor," Harry said, looking forlorn. "Could you make sure that they clear Sirius' name? We weren't able to do it when he was alive, it's the least we can do now that he is dead."
Remus looked at him, "I'll make sure, Harry. Peter will pay for betraying your parents, and for framing Sirius."
Professor Dumbledore conjured up a magical cage, put anti-apparition wards and something to keep him from transforming on the cage, and then he stuck the rat inside. "Do not worry Harry," he told the boy. "Why don't you offer Greta a home, either with you or with Hagrid? I'm sure that she would appreciate a place where she doesn't have to worry about finding her favorite food, we could be sure to stock a large amount of frogs at Hogwarts." With that, he raised his wand and a bucket of frogs appeared in front of Harry. "Give her as many as she wants, then put the rest in the pond."
"Thank you, Professor," Harry said as the two men walked toward the burrow, a magical cage floating between them. Harry picked up the snake sitting next to him, "Professssssssor left a bunch of frogsssssss for you, Greta. He ssssssaid for you to eat your fill," he told her. "And I would like to asssssk you if you would like to live with me? I go to a magical ssssssschool, and the gamekeeper would make sssssure that you have plenty to eat."
Greta looked from Harry to the bucket of frogs, "I would be happy to come to sssssschool with you, Harry," she told him as he put her down next to the bucket of frogs. He reached into the bucket and took one out, and placed it in front of her.
Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George came running out of the house and toward Harry. "What happened?" Hermione asked.
"Greta here," he gestured to the snake, "caught Wormtail, and I stunned him with a stupefy sticky," he told them. "They work great, by the way."
The group looked stunned, "He was hiding in the garden?" Ron asked, looking sick.
"I don't know how long he's been here, but I saw a flash of silver under the bush, and I asked Greta to catch him for me," Harry explained, pulling another frog from the bucket and placing it in front of the snake.
Mrs.Weasley walked toward the group in the garden, "Albus told me about Greta, would you like to bring her into the house and sit her by the fire Harry, we're going to wait until Remus and Albus get back from the ministry to start your party," she said.
Harry looked down at the snake that had just finished swallowing her second frog, "Would you like to come inside, Greta?" he asked. "There'ssssss a fireplace where you could sssssstay warm and I can bring you food when you need it," he told her.
"Yesssss, Harry, I would like to come inssssside," she answered.
A/N: One more chapter for all of you waiting. I'm going to try to post at least two today, so keep watch. Thank you again to my reviewers, another surprise is coming in the next chapter!!!!
Albus smiled at Molly, "Remus has requested to speak with me, where can I find him?" He sat down at the kitchen table. Molly bustled over with a cup of tea and sat it down in front of him.
"I'll call him for you, Albus. He and Harry are out in the garden talking," she said. She went over to the back door and walked out. "Remus, Albus is here and he would like to speak with you," she shouted.
Remus looked toward Molly, "I'll be right there, Molly," he answered. He looked at the boy sitting next to him. "Harry, I'll be back as soon as I speak with Albus. Would you like me to have Ron, Hermione or Ginny come out with you?"
Harry looked up at Remus, "No, I'll be alright. You go and talk, I'll see you when you get back." Remus got up from the bench and walked into the house.
He sat on the bench in the Weasley's garden, just staring into the bushes, until he heard a voice. "Sssso sssssorry, I didn't sssssee you there."
Harry twisted around quickly and saw a snake on the bench with him. "It'ssss alright, what are you doing here?" he asked. The snake was a dull green with a collar of orange and black scales at its neck.
"What isssss your name?" the snake asked him. "I have never spoken to a perssssson before."
"I'm Harry, what isssss your name?" he asked in return.
The snake looked up at Harry, "I am Greta, how isssss it that you can sssspeak with me?"
Harry shrugged his shoulders, "I can just talk to sssssnakes. Do you like it here in the garden?" he asked.
"It isssss quite good here, when the frogsssssssss are around. Now there are only ratsssssss," she told him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small flash of silver coming from beneath one of the bushes, "Greta, can you sssssmell a rat under the bush?"
Greta flicked her tongue out in the direction that Harry was looking, "It ssssssmellsssss like a rat, but it sssssmellsssss like a man too," she answered.
Harry looked at her in shock, "Could you catch it and not kill it?" he asked her quickly. "I will make sssssure that you have plenty to eat if you can."
"I can do that, Harry," she said, slithering toward the bush. He could hear her struggling with the rat, "Sssssstay sssstill, I will not kill you," she said. A few minutes later, she came out of the bushes with a rat in her jaws, it had a silver paw. Harry reached in his pocket and pulled out one of the stupefy sticky and stuck it to the rat.
Harry pulled out his wand, "When I ssssssay go, let the rat loossssse, he will not get away," he told the snake. "Go!" She released the rat and he waved his wand, "Active!" he shouted. The rat fell to the ground.
"Isssss there a reason you wanted thissssss rat?" she asked, crawling up onto the bench again.
"Yesssss, he killed my parentssssss. He isssss a man, he can become a rat," he told her. He turned toward the Burrow, "Professor Lupin, Professor Dumbledore!!" he shouted, "Come quick."
Remus and Albus ran out the door and over to where Harry was sitting with the snake. "What is it Harry?" Albus asked.
Remus looked at the ground and saw the rat, "Is that...who I think it is?" he asked, turning toward Harry.
"Peter Pettigrew, he was hiding under the bush. Greta caught him for me and I used one of Fred and George's inventions to stun him," Harry said, rubbing the snake's head.
Albus smiled and picked up the stunned rat, "Well Harry, Remus and I should take Peter here and turn him in to the ministry."
"Professor," Harry said, looking forlorn. "Could you make sure that they clear Sirius' name? We weren't able to do it when he was alive, it's the least we can do now that he is dead."
Remus looked at him, "I'll make sure, Harry. Peter will pay for betraying your parents, and for framing Sirius."
Professor Dumbledore conjured up a magical cage, put anti-apparition wards and something to keep him from transforming on the cage, and then he stuck the rat inside. "Do not worry Harry," he told the boy. "Why don't you offer Greta a home, either with you or with Hagrid? I'm sure that she would appreciate a place where she doesn't have to worry about finding her favorite food, we could be sure to stock a large amount of frogs at Hogwarts." With that, he raised his wand and a bucket of frogs appeared in front of Harry. "Give her as many as she wants, then put the rest in the pond."
"Thank you, Professor," Harry said as the two men walked toward the burrow, a magical cage floating between them. Harry picked up the snake sitting next to him, "Professssssssor left a bunch of frogsssssss for you, Greta. He ssssssaid for you to eat your fill," he told her. "And I would like to asssssk you if you would like to live with me? I go to a magical ssssssschool, and the gamekeeper would make sssssure that you have plenty to eat."
Greta looked from Harry to the bucket of frogs, "I would be happy to come to sssssschool with you, Harry," she told him as he put her down next to the bucket of frogs. He reached into the bucket and took one out, and placed it in front of her.
Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George came running out of the house and toward Harry. "What happened?" Hermione asked.
"Greta here," he gestured to the snake, "caught Wormtail, and I stunned him with a stupefy sticky," he told them. "They work great, by the way."
The group looked stunned, "He was hiding in the garden?" Ron asked, looking sick.
"I don't know how long he's been here, but I saw a flash of silver under the bush, and I asked Greta to catch him for me," Harry explained, pulling another frog from the bucket and placing it in front of the snake.
Mrs.Weasley walked toward the group in the garden, "Albus told me about Greta, would you like to bring her into the house and sit her by the fire Harry, we're going to wait until Remus and Albus get back from the ministry to start your party," she said.
Harry looked down at the snake that had just finished swallowing her second frog, "Would you like to come inside, Greta?" he asked. "There'ssssss a fireplace where you could sssssstay warm and I can bring you food when you need it," he told her.
"Yesssss, Harry, I would like to come inssssside," she answered.
A/N: One more chapter for all of you waiting. I'm going to try to post at least two today, so keep watch. Thank you again to my reviewers, another surprise is coming in the next chapter!!!!