Chapter Fourteen: In Which Plans Are Convoluted
"Scabbers, keep still," Ron hissed, clamping a hand over his chest. The rat was wiggling madly. Ron came to a sudden halt, trying to force Scabbers deeper into his pocket. "What's the matter with —"
"Oh, Ron!" said Hermione exasperatedly. "Are you a wizard or not?"
She pulled out her wand and pointed it at Scabbers, who wiggled furiously. "Petrificus Totalus!"
Scabbers froze.
"That's better," Ron said. "Thanks, Hermione!"
But Harry had just seen — slinking towards them, his body low to the ground, wide yellow eyes glinting in the darkness — Crookshanks.
Quick as lightning, Harry pulled out his wand. "Petrificus Totalus!" he incanted.
Crookshanks froze.
Harry started, "Oh thank Merlin —"
They heard the soft pounding of gigantic paws. . . . Something was bounding towards them out of the dark —
The words left his mouth before he could even process the situation. "Petrificus Totalus!"
An enormous, pale-eye, jet-black dog fell to the ground with a loud thump. The spell had hit it in mid-leap.
"Uh — isn't that the worst omen of death or something?" said Harry, shaking his head disbelievingly. "The Grim Trelawney keeps talking about?"
"I don't think omens are supposed to be . . . solid," said Hermione, poking the dog.
"We never asked her whether the Grim was supposed to be a real dog, did we?"
"Not really, no," said Ron. "This is mental!"
"Did we just capture death? Does that mean I am the Master of Death or something equally atrocious?" joked Harry.
"Why don't we talk later and run first?" suggested Hermione. "Ron, put Scabbers in your pocket. Harry — levitate the dog. I'll carry Crookshanks."
They did so. Once they found a secluded part of the castle, they started interrogating the dog.
"Blink once if you can understand me," said Harry.
It did not blink.
"I don't think it is possible to blink when under the Full Body-Bind. After all, the eyes are a part of the body, so it makes sense for them to be immoving," said Hermione logically.
"By that logic the blood in his veins should stop flowing and his heart should stop pumping," said Harry.
Silence greeted this statement.
Ron broke the silence. "Did we kill it?" he asked.
Hermione whimpered, "We are in so much trouble —"
"We did the same to Neville in first year, Hermione. He's still alive."
"Right. Let's unBind him and bind him with physical ropes."
"Incarcerous! Finite! Blink once if you understand me."
It blinked once.
"Wow. That's one smart dog," said Harry. "Blink once if you are an omen of death, twice if you aren't."
It blinked twice.
"This changes things, doesn't it?"
"Uh huh," said Hermione.
"I don't know what to ask it now. Should I ask it to spell its name out in Morse Code or something?"
"That would be too much effort. Plus, it might not even know Morse Code!" she said.
They pondered the problem.
"Hmmm. Maybe he's an Animagus? That would explain his intelligence. Hey, dog! Are you secretly human?"
The dog nodded.
"This is creepy. Could you possibly be the escaped felon Sirius Black?"
The dog nodded again.
Three Body Binds hit the dog at the same time.
The dog was blasted backwards.
"How about we just put our wands away? It's not like he can do anything to us while he is bound, can he?" suggested Harry.
Hermione and Ron reluctantly obliged.
"Finite! Rennervate!"
Black howled in pain. He transformed into his disheveled human form.
"You should really, really shave," said Harry.
Black only gave a dog-like whimper.
He proceeded to grimly narrate what had happened more than twelve years ago. The Secret Keeper switch, the betrayal and Peter Pettigrew.
"So. . . . Let me get this straight — you switched Secret Keepers at the last moment because you thought that would throw Voldemort off?"
"Yes."
"I believe you," said Harry simply.
"Harry, I know it sounds — what? You believe me?" said Black, bewildered.
"Of course. Your convoluted plan sounds exactly like something you would make up. I mean, you decided your revenge was more important than my well-being and went after Pettigrew. You can go and —"
Harry told Black to go do something he would never have dared to say in front of Aunt Petunia.
"I deserved that," Black admitted. "I'm sorry you had to live with your aunt and uncle, Harry. Lily used to talk about her sister, and she didn't sound very nice at all."
"Oh, you have no idea," said Harry bitterly. "What irks me right now — why didn't you plead your innocence after you overcame your survivor's guilt?"
"If I had had a trial, then I would have. The Dementors aren't exactly ones to listen to what prisoners say."
Hermione started, "You didn't have a trial? But that's impossible! According to the Fundamental Laws of Magical Britain, due process must be followed before md"
"Except in case of an Emergency," Black interrupted. "The whole Voldemort situation gave Crouch an excuse to exercise his wartime powers. He just threw any guy with the slightest connection to the Death Eaters in Azkaban without a second thought."
"They couldn't throw you in Azkaban without proof that you were a danger to society!" exclaimed Hermione.
"They thought I blew up twelve Muggles with a single curse, Hermione," he sad, rolling his eyes.
"And after the Emergency was over they should have held a trial at least!" she protested.
"They didn't. Bully for me, I guess."
"But — but that's not —"
It seemed Hermione was having trouble accepting the fact that the authorities could be wrong.
"Unfortunately, the Ministry didn't care much for justice back then. Dark times, Hermione, very dark times."
There was a pause.
"I guess the only thing left is to take him to Dumbledore, eh?" said Ron.