There was a few minutes of utter silence after the adults had had their say. Then, inevitably, one of the kids— Ron— broke it. "You're all mental."

"Peter Pettigrew's dead," Harry added flatly, and he pointed to Sirius. "He killed him twelve years ago!"

"I meant to," Sirius growled, glowering at the rat, "But little Peter got the better of me."

Regulus on the other hand, chuckled humorlessly. "Julius Nott reportedly blew me sky high thirteen years ago, and yet, somehow, I'm still standing here arguing with you," he pointed out. "Just because a few eyewitnesses have no reason to lie doesn't mean they have all their facts straight."

"That's true," Remus admitted. "Everyone thought Sirius had killed Peter— there was too much evidence not to. I believed it myself."

"And me," Regulus admitted.

"But the Marauders Map doesn't lie," Remus continued. "Spells usually don't. Peter's alive, Harry. Ron's holding him."

"But not for much longer," Sirius announced, starting forward.

"Not so fast," Remus snapped, grabbing Sirius by the back of the robes and tugging him back until he could grab his shoulder. Sirius fought him, but Remus had a strong grip. "They don't understand yet; we've got to explain."

"We can explain later," Sirius snapped. "I've been more than patient and it's just run out."

He managed to pull out of Remus's grasp, but the professor grabbed him again and pulled him back harder. "They've got a right to know everything, Sirius! Ron's kept him as a pet! There are parts of it even I don't understand!"

Regulus stepped between Sirius and the bed to help Remus. "You told me the reason you weren't going to just run away from the dementors was that Remus and Harry deserved the truth, Sirius."

Sirius stopped moving so suddenly that Remus, who was still trying to tug him backward, pulled the bigger man into himself, and both toppled to the floor. Sirius stared at Regulus, half in shock, for a long moment before he stood up and helped Remus to his feet. "All right, Remus. Explain whatever you like. But be quick— like I said, it's been too long for me to wait much longer."

Meanwhile, Ron had shoved Pettigrew back into his pocket, heaved himself to his feet with enormous effort, and grabbed onto Harry and Hermione. "Let's get out of here while we still can," he whispered. "They're all mad."

Hermione nodded, and Harry looked as if he might argue, but neither of them got a chance to answer, because Remus had evidently heard. He tossed the four extra wands he was holding back to their owners and shoved his own into his belt. Regulus, catching his eye, shoved his wand back into his jacket pocket.

"There— you're armed, we're not," Remus announced. "Now will you listen?"

All three of them were staring as if in shock at their wands. With a slight moan Ron sank back onto the bed.

"Now, Ron," Remus continued, "you might want to keep a better grip on Peter than just having him in your pocket while we talk. I wouldn't put it past him to just slip out—"

"He's not Peter, he's Scabbers!" Ron exclaimed, clearly exasperated.

Before they got into another argument they could avoid, Regulus announced, "Call him what you like, all right? Just hear us out."

The boys nodded, but Hermione was still staring at Remus. "But, Professor Lupin . . . Scabbers can't be Pettigrew . . . you know he can't. . . ."

"And why is that, Hermione?" Remus asked mildly.

"Because— because people would know if Peter Pettigrew was an Animagus. We did Animagi in class and the Ministry keeps tabs on the people who are trying to do it and what they are. When I did my homework I went and looked McGonagall's name up on the registry, and there have only been seven Animagi in this century, and Pettigrew's name wasn't on the list."

Harry and Ron's mouths formed silent "o"s in admiration, but Remus simply started to laugh. "Right again, Hermione! But the Ministry never knew there were three unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts."

"Remus, I said be quick," Sirius reminded him, his eyes now fixed on every little move Pettigrew made on the bed. "Get on with it."

"All right, but you two will have to help . . . I only know the start of the story."

As he spoke, something creaked loudly behind him. Everyone looked around, startled, to see that the bedroom door had opened. Remus shut it again. "No one there."

"This place is haunted!" Ron reminded them.

"No, actually," Remus answered. "The Shrieking Shack was never haunted . . . the screams the villagers used to hear were all made by me."

"The house is probably just settling," Regulus added. "Relax, kids."

Remus shook his head. "How can they? They're in the company of a convicted murderer, a dead man, and a werewolf. That's where it all really begins, isn't it? With my becoming a werewolf . . . none of this could have happened if I hadn't been bit, and if I hadn't been so foolhardy. . . ."

Ron opened his mouth, but Hermione shushed him, staring at Remus intently as he started his story. Regulus likewise listened with interest. He'd pieced a lot of the story together on his own, but he'd never heard everything explained in full. Sirius hadn't exactly been eager to reminisce over the year.

When Remus finally got to the explanations of their nicknames, Harry broke in, no doubt wondering what kind of animal James had been, but Hermione interrupted him. "That was still really dangerous! Running around in the dark with a werewolf— what if you'd given the others the slip and bitten someone?"

"A thought that still haunts me," Remus admitted heavily. "There were near misses— many of them. We laughed them off afterwards. After all, we were young and reckless, carried away with our own cleverness. . . .

"Of course, sometimes I felt guilty about betraying Dumbledore's trust. He'd let me into Hogwarts when no other Headmaster would have, and I had let three other students become Animagi illegally and crossed the lines he'd set up for everyone's safety. But I always managed to forget those guilty feelings when we sat down to plan next month's adventure. And I haven't changed. . . ."

Remus sighed, and he sounded disgusted with himself when he returned to his story. "All this year I've been struggling with myself, trying to decide whether or not to tell Dumbledore that Sirius was an Animagus. But I didn't do it, because telling him would be admitting I betrayed his trust all those years ago, and Dumbledore's trust has meant everything to me. So I told myself that Sirius had been getting into the school using Dark Magic . . . so in a way Snape's been right about me all along."

Sirius looked up. "What has Snape got to do with anything?"

Regulus felt a guilty twinge in the pit of his own stomach. He'd seen Snape around; he just hadn't been about to tell Sirius about it. Sirius had a score to settle with Severus Snape as well as with Peter, after all, and he hadn't wanted more trouble.

"He's here, Sirius," Remus explained. "He's teaching at Hogwarts as well."

The door creaked again, and once again it opened onto an empty hallway. No one moved to shut it as Remus looked over at the kids and explained, "Professor Snape has been trying to convince Dumbledore I'm not trustworthy all year. He has his reasons— in our sixth year Sirius played a trick on him which almost got several people killed, a trick involving me. . . ."

Sirius shook his head. "He deserved it—"

Regulus cut in. "That remains a matter of debate."

"I didn't think you liked him either."

"I didn't. I also don't believe mutual hatred is any reason whatsoever to kill him," Regulus answered.

"And this is coming from the Death Eater," Sirius muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Snape was very interested in where I went every month," Remus explained. "We were in the same year and we . . . er . . . we didn't like each other very much. He especially disliked James. Jealous, I think. Anyway, he saw Madam Pomfrey and I walking to the Whomping Willow one night and Sirius thought it would be amusing to tell him that all he needed to do was tap the knot and he would be able to follow. Well, of course Snape tried it. James heard what Sirius had done and went to go stop him, at some risk to his own life. However, Snape did see me at the end of the tunnel. Dumbledore made him promise not to tell anyone, but he knew what I was."

"So that's why Snape doesn't like you?" Harry asked slowly. "Because he thought you were in on the joke?"

Before Remus could reply, Snape pulled off an Invisibility Cloak, pointed his wand at Remus, and answered, "That's right."

Hermione screamed for the second time. Remus and Regulus both froze, barely breathing. Sirius went cold— not with fear, precisely; he'd never been afraid of Snape, but with shock. Snape was worse than a team of Aurors right now; he wouldn't give even the kids half a breath to explain themselves.

"I found your cloak at the base of the Whomping Willow, Potter," Snape explained, tossing it aside. "Very useful. . . . You forgot to take your potion tonight, Lupin; I brought you up a goblet and found that you left out a Map you'd confiscated several months ago and sworn was only childish nonsense. . . . Well, I saw you running down this passage out of sight, and that was all I needed to know."

"Severus—" Remus started, but his voice was shaking just slightly— he knew, too, how unlikely the truth was, and how equally unlikely Snape was to listen to it anyway.

"I told Dumbledore you were helping an old friend into the castle," Snape interrupted. "And here's all the proof I need."

"Severus, you're making a mistake," Remus tried again, his voice even more urgent, "You haven't heard it all— I can explain— Sirius isn't here to kill Harry, he's here to take revenge on someone else—"

"Two more for Azkaban tonight," Snape interrupted with a nasty smile.

Sirius balled his fists up, but he couldn't think of what to do— Snape was, after all, armed and a pretty good dueler, so he didn't stand a chance against him without a wand.

To his relief and surprise, Regulus spoke up. "Learn to count, Severus. There are three of us, so unless you're not counting Sirius because he's supposed to be there anyway. . . ."

Snape's head snapped towards Regulus, but his wand didn't move from Remus's chest. "And who the hell are you?" he demanded.

"You don't recognize me? Regulus Black."

"Regulus Bl—" Snape stopped. "That's impossible."

Regulus shrugged. "I'm not the only thing that's impossible in this room, Severus, but I'm still here and solid. Maybe that'll help get you in the right mindset. I'm not the only dead man here tonight."

Snape let out a nasty bark of laughter. "Black picked up a madman somewhere between Azkaban and here. Regulus Black is dead, fool. He has been for thirteen years, since he deserted the Dark Lord."

Sirius glanced from Regulus to Snape and down Snape's wand back to Remus, thinking quickly. If Regulus could keep him distracted. . . . He edged behind Snape, trying to catch Regulus's eye. Regulus met his gaze and nodded almost imperceptibly.

"They never found my body, Severus, now did they?" he asked.

"Or perhaps you're an amnesiac Black convinced was his brother. You do look a bit like Regulus Black, I'll give you that, but facts are facts. The way Nott kills, there wouldn't have been a body to find."

Regulus sighed. "Look, Snape. We both know Sirius was no Death Eater. He doesn't have the ideology, or the mindset, or the history, or the Mark. All he's got is the breeding, and by that logic you're not one. So something else happened that night. We can tell you what it is."

Snape snorted derisively. "I doubt it. And—"

Sirius pounced on Snape. He had the advantage of surprise and at this range wands were practically useless, but Snape was both Sirius's size and healthy. It wasn't long before Sirius was thrown against the wall for the second time that night, and this time it was Snape furious and pointing a wand at his chest. "Give me a reason," he whispered. "Please."

"I thought I already had."

"Sirius," Regulus and Remus growled simultaneously, but both seemed afraid to move. All it would take was one wrong move and half a second.

Silence resumed for a few moments, until the girl— Hermione— actually came to his rescue. She stepped forward uncertainly. "Professor Snape, please. . . . What if there has been a mistake? Would it really hurt to hear what they've got to say?"

Sirius half expected Snape to just tell her that yes, as a matter of fact it would. Instead, he snapped, "Granger, you are out of bounds late at night, in the company of a madman who may be a Death Eater, a convicted murder, and a werewolf. For once, hold your tongue."

"But—"

"I SAID HOLD YOUR TONGUE!" Snape howled. "DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

Sirius started to get to his feet, but the look on Snape's face changed his mind. "Actually, Snape," he announced, as lightly as he could under the circumstances, "I think I'll come quietly, as long as that boy's rat comes up to the castle with us—"

"Oh, we don't need to go as far as the castle," Snape interrupted, and that nasty smile was back on his face. "You see, the grounds are littered with dementors, and I daresay they'll be pleased enough to see you to give you a kiss. . . ."

Now that cold feeling in the pit of his stomach really was fear.

Snape glanced from Sirius to Remus and Regulus, both still frozen where they'd been standing. "Perhaps they'll have a kiss for your family and friends, too. . . . Now, if the three of you don't mind— what are you doing, Potter?"

Harry was blocking the door. "Professor Lupin could've killed me about a hundred times this year," he informed Snape. "If he really wanted me dead, why didn't he just kill me then?"

"Don't ask me to fathom the way a werewolf's mind works, just get out of my way."

"Just because they made a fool of you in school you won't even listen?" Harry demanded. "That's pathetic."

"I will not be spoken to like that," Snape growled. "Like father, like son, too arrogant to think that you might be putting your trust in the wrong place. Now, I'm only going to say this one more time: Get out of my way."

"Expelliarmus!" It wasn't just Harry who shouted, but Ron and Hermione as well. In a flash of red, Snape was lifted bodily and thrown into the wall beside Sirius. His wand likewise went flying and he lay unconscious.

"You shouldn't have done that," Sirius said gruffly. "You should've left him to us. . . ."

"I'm still not saying I believe you," Harry snapped.

Sirius and Regulus exchanged looks, and Sirius knew what his brother was thinking: They'd better find this one hell of a second half of a story.

Plea For Mercy (from behind a bunker): I realize that this chapter has an excess of Snape . . . not being very nice. From Sirius's PoV, which guarantees that he's not going to come off in a good light. In my defense, I'm still not sure what to make of Snape in HBP, but Sirius's mind was made up as a teenager, so Snape didn't look good in this aptly numbered thirteenth chapter. (SupportSeverusSnape: forgive me?) Anyway, Gwinna and Jackline: How am I suppost to write the Shrieking Scene chapters without cliffhangers? But, yes, I am enjoying them, too. Thanks everyone for reviewing! Until next week, cheers! -- Loki