Disclaimed!

Author's Note: Reviews are Good!

The Basement

By Marz

Chapter 4: The Agreement

"That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard." I said. I said it very slowly and loudly to emphasize my point.

Black expected me to believe that my friend's pet rat was and evil wizard who framed him for thirteen murders and now waits at Hogwarts for Voldemort to return so he can hand me over.

"For one thing," I said, while trying to ignore the taste of vomit in my mouth, "Voldemort has been at Hogwarts twice already, and Scabbers wasn't helping him in any way manner or form. Second, Ron didn't just find the rat twelve years ago, his brother gave it to him his first year of school, about two years ago. Third you're completely mental and if you TRY AND HURT MY FRIENDS AGAIN I'LL KILL YOU IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!"

That statement was likely not intimidating or particularly bright, as I was tied to a chair and rather drenched in my own partially digested breakfast. Black was staring at me again.

"I have to kill Peter," he said.

"That's just a rat."

"Then I have to kill that rat."

We argued for about an hour more. I thought he was just plain nuts by the end of it, but then he made me an offer I couldn't refuse.

"I'll take you back to school, but first you have to learn a spell. It will force an Animagus to return to human form. You have to use it on the rat, and when he turns back into a man you have to stun him and give him to me." Then he added, "And you have to believe me."

I agreed thinking he would have to give me a wand to learn a spell. When he gave it to me I could stun him and escape. He'd already come up a counter measure for this though. He let me take another shower and gave me another pile of clean clothes. Then we went to the little room again. I almost had a panic attack when he pushed me inside, but I got control of my self again. He closed the door behind him as he came in. Then he cast a spell and muttered something, and the door disappeared.

"I've cast a Fidelius Charm on the door. You won't be able to find it without me. If you want to get out of here again behave yourself. I'm sorry I have to do this but it's necessary. Peter will kill you if he thinks the time is right."

He opened the Defense book that he had left in the room. I had read the book while I was locked up here, but most of it was way too advanced for me to understand. He made me read the instructions for the revealing spell, which were rather complicated as if did not require a spoken incantation, but rather a clear mental command. When I finished reading it, he handed me my wand.

"Expelliarmus!" Black's wand landed in my hand. He stared at me.

"You won't find the door."

I kept my wand pointed at him and felt at the spot where the door had been. He was right, I couldn't find it. I tried casting an unlocking charm on the place where the door had been but nothing happened.

"Bring back the door or I'll curse you!" I threatened.

"You'll just be trapped in here, starving." Black said.

I only knew a few curses, and most of those were just goofy little spells to annoy people, like leg-locker or purple hair jinx. I knew one that scared a lot of people though. Draco Malfoy had tried to use it on me second year.

"Serpensortia!" I yelled.

When Draco Malfoy cast the spell a long black snake had come out his wand. I was rather surprised when a gigantic and familiar Boa Constrictor appeared in front of me in an explosion of light.

The snake looked at Black for a second then turned to me. "Oh it's you again. How've you been Amigo."

"I'm alright, sorry about all this. I thought I was conjuring a snake, not transporting one. Did you ever make it to Brazil?"  I'd met the snake a few months before I'd started at Hogwarts. I sort of let him out of his tank in the reptile house at the zoo. I'm a parselmouth by the way. I can speak to and understand snakes. It's another one of those weird side effects of being almost murdered by Voldemort as a baby.

"No, they caught me in the parking lot." The snake said. "Who's he?" The snake pointed his tail at Black, who had backed into the corner.

"He's an escaped murderer. I was wondering if you could help me scare him a bit. He's locked me in here and won't let me out."

"I feel your pain, Amigo. A bit of hissing and snapping then?"

"That would be great, thanks."

     The snake made a few playful lunges at Black who flinched. "If it kills me the door won't come back," he said.

After about twenty minutes of threatening the boa got bored and lay down. "Sorry chico, but its to cold to keep this up much longer."

"That alright, thanks for trying. Should I try to send you back to the zoo?"

"I guess. They're going to throw a few rabbits into my tank at five today, and I am a hungry. Come and visit some time, alright?"

"Sure thing.  Finite Incantatum!" With those words the Boa vanished and I was on my own with Black again.

He was still staring of course. "Try the spell," he ordered.

"On who?"

With a pop he turned into a dog.

It was a week before I got the spell working. At the end of each day I had to give him my wand. I got to eat real food though and sleep in the room with the window. When I finally got it right I laughed and raised my fist in the air. Black smiled and for a few minutes in a row, he stopped looking like a crazy staring psycho killer. That wore off though when he took my wand back.

"We're leaving in the morning," he said, and sent me to my room.

I spent most of the night contemplating whether or not I should take anything Black said seriously. He was nuts, yes, but some times nuts are right. He hadn't done anything all that terrible to me, most of my injuries I'd inflicted on myself. Leaving me with that insanely sadistic house elf was definitely not nice, but if Black is insane, then he probably isn't all that good at rational decisions. I mulled over all that. I also thought of how he had Hermione's wand. I didn't really make up my mind until he came and got me the next morning.

He gave me some muggle clothes to wear and a backpack with more clothes and food in it. He was similarly attired and provisioned. Black had cut his hair and washed it. He'd shaved as well and he had on a stretchy knit hat that had one of those puff ball things on top.  It made him look a little bit silly and a lot less like the wanted posters I'd seen in the news. I was actually feeling pretty happy as we started down a staircase I hadn't been on before. Black got ahead of me and I could hear him puttering around with a lock. Then I looked up.

They formed a very neat row along the wall above me. Twenty six severed house elf heads, each mounted, with a plaque beneath them stating their names. At the very end was a very happy looking Kreacher.

"Hurry up, we'll miss the bus!" Black called up to me.

I was shaking very hard as I walked out the door.