Authors note: So, it always rather bothered me about how they
repeat about forty million times, how smart Hermione is, but never
once did she think to cast a simple Petrificus Totalus. So, now ive
made peace with myself, err kind of. Annnywayy... Everything in italics
from line 1 to line 16 is copyright and written by JK Rowling. I claim
absolutely no responsibility whatsoever on any words or phrases in
those 16 lines. All canon characters belong to her, and her publishing
company. All elements fictionally out of the canon are mine (post
those first 16 lines).

Leave it to Me

1. "Petrificus Totalus"

" "Leave it to me -- RUN!"


There was a terrible snarling noise. Lupin's head was lengthening. So was his body. His shoulders were hunching. Hair was sprouting visibly on his face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws. Crookshanks's hair was on end again; he was backing away—


As the werewolf reared, snapping its long jaws, Sirius disappeared from Harry's side. He had transformed. The enormous, bearlike dog bounded forward. As the werewolf wrenched itself free of the manacle binding it, the dog seized it about the neck and pulled it backward, away from Ron and Pettigrew. They were locked, jaw to jaw, claws ripping at each other—



Harry stood, transfixed by the sight, to intent upon the battle to notice anything else. It was Hermione's scream that alerted him—


Pettigrew had dived for Lupin's dropped wand. Ron, unsteady on his bandaged leg, fell. There was a bang, a burst of light --- and Ron lay motionless on the ground. Another bang—Crookshanks flew into the air and back to earth in a heap. "

Lupin growled, rearing his head back and letting Sirius out of his jaws, dropping him in a heap on the ground. He snarled, as a louder, more final bang knocked Harry to the ground. It was all happening to quickly...

Hermione had surveyed this all with rather wide eyes, taking in all carnage. She was frightened of Lupin, but knew somewhere in there, her professor lurked. She began to take baby steps towards the werewolf, when her foot knocked into something. Looking down she realized it was Ron's discarded wand, he must have dropped it after being dragged by Padfoot. She couldn't believe her luck, wasting no time, she leapt for the wand, grabbing it tightly, she pointed it a Pettigrew who was by now, starting to shrink into his robes, half transformed.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Pettigrew's face hardened and his body went ridged. He was frozen in place, half transformed. His face had grown whiskers and ears, but his body had only managed to shrink a couple of inches.

Hermione breathed hard. She'd gotten him. Closing her eyes, her mouth fixed up into a grin, and she turned face spinning on her heels and came face to face with—

"Professor Snape! Its not- I mean, well, it is Pettigrew, but I mean,--"

"Peter Pettigrew..." Snape slithered closed looking down at the body frozen on the ground, beady blue eyes darting back and forth, searching for an escape. After a moment of staring, Snape's mouth formed an ironic grin. Casting a Mobilicorpus charm on the bodies of Harry, Ron, Pettigrew and Black, Snape instructed Hermione to walk in the front while he took the back. Lupin howled somewhere in the distance.

Cornelius Fudge rubbed his hands together and rearranged his bowler hat. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and looked at the circular office that belonged to the headmaster.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, where is the, eherm, boy? I do need to speak with him on the whereabouts of Black. I believe it's high time someone told Harry the truth." Dumbledore looked at Cornelius over his half moon spectacles and let his blue eyes dull just a bit.

"I'm afraid, Cornelius, that there is a bit of a problem with your request. Harry Potter seems to not be in the castle. Currently, however, the situation is being controlled by Prof. McGonagall. As she searches the grounds, Prof. Snape has kindly gone to search the forest. So, if you'll excuse me, as it is, the full moon, it is impendent that we find Harry, before anything happens to him. Goodnight Minister." Dumbledore had risen from his desk and was all but shoving Fudge out of his office. As the door closed behind the minister, Dumbledore dashed over to his window and watched as a parade appeared from the highlands, walking in a straight line down from the mountains. He could make out the shape of Hermione Granger in the front, and of a shadowy figure bringing up the rear, the shock of orange hair led him to believe Ron was floating behind what must have been Harry. But the other two captives were all but mysteries to him. Dumbledore made for his staircase, walking down it and out into the hallway, not at all surprised to see the minister putting on a brave front and attempting to march up to Dumbledore.

"Cornelius..."

"Now you listen here Dumbledore! I won't stand for you pushing me around anymore! And don't you dare namby pamby that boy-"

"Minister, it is rather important that I meet with the entourage at the doors currently, so if you'd be on your way, I'll send you an owl when Harry is well."

Dumbledore opened the front doors and from there escorted the bruised and battered company out of the lawns and up to the hospital wing. When Dumbledore had finally reached the light of the hospital wing, he got a rather good look at the other two men, the two men who could be none other then Sirius Black, and what appeared to be Peter Pettigrew, years older, and dirtier. Dumbledore processed this all rather quickly, and turned towards Snape for answers.

"Severus, what on earth happened?" Snape sighed and launched into his tale, starting with when the headmaster had called him about Potter, then to finding Prof. Lupin's un-drunken potion, to the confession of Pettigrew; To Potters attack and Grangers spell. Dumbledore nodded gravely and looked down and the still prone form of Pettigrew, lying on a hospital bed. Dumbledore retrieved his wand and stripped Pettigrew, temporarily, of his animagus powers. Waving his wand again, he re-cast Hermione's Petrificus Totalus.

"There, now he cannot transform, and he cannot leave." Dumbledore smiled and was shoved out of the hospital wing by Pomfrey, who was shoving potions down Snape's throat, or at least, attempting to.

"I'm the Bloody POTIONS PROFFESOR! I don't need a Pepper up, you daft sod! I need a blooming sleeping draught!"

"Now Snape, you seem to be a bit delusional, poor dear—"

"I am not delusional! However, you seem to be loosing your touch in your old age, dear lady. For a pepper up would keep me awake, were in reality, my body needs a sleeping draught to recover from saving potters life, once again—"

"Oh do shut up Snape." Snape bristled slightly at the insult, but then glared down his nose at the plump woman before stomping out of the hospital wing.

Throughout all this, Harry, Hermione and Ron had slept completely unaware.

At midnight, Harry was awoken by nothing in particular. Firstly confused about where he was, and how he'd gotten there. He didn't remember hurting himself, in fact, his memory started to hazy up just about after Lupin had transformed, and—

"Sirius!" he yelled, jumping out of bed and looking helplessly around him at the blank beds.

June 2004