AN: Excerpts From HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN.


Hermione stared in terror at the man in front of her, her heart stuck in her throat. He looked like he belonged in a horror film. His skin was practically pasted on to his face, stretched so thin she thought his bones might come shredding through at any moment — his hair hung in a black sheet, matted and grungy. And his smell — it was a hellacious combination of dirty dog, mold and mildew that made her want to wretch.

Most terrifying though, was the resemblance to her best friend, even in such a horrible state. She could see it in his high cheekbones and square jaw, the very same traits she admired in Perseus were — were vilified in this man. It was nearly too much for her stomach to bear.

She squeezed her hands at her sides, not even trying to stifle her whimpers. Perseus had been wrong — his father was a deranged criminal, and he would kill her. He would take her away before she'd even had a chance to live — before she had a chance to take her OWLS — a chance to see her parents one last time — a chance to see Perseus one last.

Oh god, she thought, imagining Perseus' reaction when he learned that news; that his own father had slaughtered her in cold blood in the Shrieking Shack. She couldn't even imagine it. She cried harder, barely even able to keep with Harry and Black arguing.

She just wanted her parents — just wanted Perseus.


Whomping Willow

Perseus sucked in desperate gasps of air as he finally reached the Whomping Willow. Breathlessly he cast the immobilizer charm at the tree, running forward while the limbs remained frozen. Reaching the hole, he gauged its size. It was small, but his animagus form would be able to catch up to Hermione in no time.

He stowed his wand before leaping forward, shifting seamlessly before he hit the ground. He curled his great big paws in the dirt, before diving into the hole. His animagus form gave him senses heightened far beyond what any witch or wizard was capable of; he could see better now, in this pitch black tunnel, than many could see during the day.

His heart thundering in his chest, he took off into the tunnel. Hermione had at least five minutes on him, and his father had perhaps eight. He wasted no time, using every bit of speed and agility his feline form offered him, slinking quickly and silently through the dusty tunnel.

He could feel the air in his whiskers — the vibrations of his own footsteps helping him maneuver. The tunnel began to slope upward, and Perseus climbed steadily, his claws digging into the solid ground. Once he had reached the opening, he transformed back, and just barely managed to stop a hacking cough from leaving his throat that would've surely given his position away.

The room he climbed into was dirty and in a state of disarray. Dust coated every surface, and after silencing his feet, he quickly followed the tracks and footprints left in it, ignoring the rest of the surroundings as heavy thumps and raised voices sounded above him.

The staircase was in disrepair, and if it weren't for the prints left on it he'd have thought it incapable of bearing his weight. He took the stairs two at a time, rushing to get to the top. The voices on the other side of the door were loud now, and he recognized Potter, and another voice that could only belong to his father.

"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!" Harry screamed, and Perseus crept closer to the door, but there was no more talking. All he heard was the sickening crack of bone on bone, the infuriated hisses of a cat, scuffling, and once more, Potter screaming. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" he said this time. There was a muffled conversation and heavy footsteps, and Perseus could wait no longer.

He opened the door, stepped inside, and closed it behind him with a soft click. All eyes turned to him. He took in the room; he looked first at Hermione, and finding her to be in apparent good health; then Weasley, who lay on a dusty, moth bitten bed, clutching his obviously broken leg, and then at Potter, who stood in front of him with his wand raised towards the man on the floor to his left; and finally he turned his eyes to the man lying flat on his back, Crookshanks sprawled across his chest.

Despite the tense situation, he couldn't help but smirk at the look of utter befuddlement on his father's face.

"Hello, father," Perseus said, his voice hardly more than a hoarse whisper that didn't struggle to carry across the room. "A pleasure to finally meet you."


"GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

Hermione had no choice but to comply, scrambling back to the bedside after snatching her and Ron's wands from the floor.

Harry advanced on the man, and she had no idea what he was planning to do. The look in his eyes was murderous, but she was positive Harry didn't know a single spell capable of even harming anyone severely, let alone kill them.

He stood over Sirius, his wand hand steady, and she had no doubt he was prepared to kill Sirius, and Crookshanks as well if he wouldn't move.

She sobbed dryly. Even if Harry killed him, nothing good would come of it. He'd be a killer, at the age of 13, and he'd have killed Perseus' father and her cat. How did they always find themselves in these situations, she couldn't help but wonder, a sense of hysteria settling in.

Her eyes snapped up as the door opened once more, and the very least person she expected to see stepped in — Perseus. His sudden appearance was equal parts a breath of fresh air and a blow to the gut, and nearly doubled her over.

He stood tall and held himself lazily, as if he were taking a walk around the Black Lake and not there in the Shrieking Shack with his psychopath father. His gaze swept the room, violet eyes darkening the more he saw. Finally, they turned to his father, and only Perseus could smirk in a situation like this.

"Hello, father," he said. His voice was as raspy as she'd ever heard it, but it was clear. "A pleasure to finally meet you."

"Black?" Ron croaked beside her, Perseus' presence so surprising he even released his leg to sit up. "I should've guessed!" Ron said vehemently, glaring at him. "Of course a slimy snake like you would be helping your Death Eater daddy!"

Perseus looked more amused than offended by the outburst, but Harry didn't. He pointed his wand at Perseus now, and all humor left his face. The look he gave Harry was ice cold and carried a darkness to it — a lethality — that confirmed for her that her best friend and the man on the floor were truly father and son. She choked on her next breath.

"I'd lower your wand, if I were you, Potter," Perseus warned, though he made no move to raise his own yet. Hermione was terrified. Harry — he was good, but Perseus was different — he was scary when it came to magic and if Harry wasn't careful, Perseus would hurt him. She knew that for certain.

"Harry," she choked out, trying to reach out and lower his wand arm for him when it became clear he had no intentions of doing so on his own — but Ron stopped her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back to his side.

"Are you?" Harry demanded. "Are you helping him? Did you help him get into the castle? Did you steal Neville's passwords?"

His theories grew more far-fetched as he spoke, but Hermione knew he wasn't thinking with any sort of rationality right now — she hardly was able to herself. Her Occlumency was failing her, and she was struggling to regain control of her emotions.

She almost cursed when Perseus raised an eyebrow arrogantly. "And if I am?"

Harry gave an incoherent roar, and raised his wand, sparks shooting from the tip, but Perseus had stiffened and glanced at the door, and Hermione knew it meant only one thing: he sensed something.

She shrieked as he barreled forward, knocking Harry over. Harry and Ron yelled out, but there was little either one of them could do. Perseus was bigger and stronger than Harry by a considerable amount, and Ron had only one leg. Perseus moved away from them, and hid behind her. She'd have taken offense if she thought he had done it to put her at risk. He knew Harry wouldn't go through her to get to him. By the time all the commotion had stopped, the footsteps were audible. This was their chance.

"WE'RE UP HERE! HELP!" she screamed as loud as her shaky voice would allow her.

Sirius had jolted, nearly knocking Crookshanks from his perch, but the room as whole seemed to have frozen.

The door burst open in a shower of sparks, and Professor Lupin stepped in. His eyes flicked over them all, from Harry pointing his wand at Sirius, to Ron clutching his leg on the bed, to her cowering in front of Perseus, before landing on Sirius himself.

Raising his wand, he shouted, "Expelliarmus!"

Her and Ron's were ripped from her grip, and Harry's went flying as well; Professor Lupin caught them deftly in his grip. Three. He had caught three wands — which meant Perseus had managed to somehow keep hold of his.

The sense of relief that washed over Hermione at the sight of Professor Lupin was nearly euphoric in its intensity.

But when the Professor spoke, he didn't say any of the things she expected to hear.

"Where is he, Sirius?"

She looked at Lupin, his words seemingly phasing through her. She turned back to Sirius, and his face was an emotionless mask she recognized well. And then, slowly, he raised his thin, gnarled hands, and pointed directly at Ron.

Confused, she turned around and looked at Ron, who looked around, just as confused as she was.

"But then…" Lupin muttered, staring at Black so intently it seemed he was trying to read his mind, "… why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless—" Lupin's eyes suddenly widened, as though he was seeing something beyond Black, something none of the rest could see, "— unless he was the one… unless you switched… without telling me?" Very slowly, his sunken gaze never leaving Lupin's face, Black nodded.*

Hermione was lost, and had absolutely no idea what she was witnessing. Looking over her shoulder at Perseus, she saw he was watching the scene intently.

"Professor," Harry interrupted loudly, "what's going on?"

But he never finished the question, one Hermione desperately wanted the answer to. Lupin was lowering his wand, gaze fixed at Black. The Professor walked to Black's side, seized his hand, pulled him to his feet so that Crookshanks fell to the floor, and embraced Black like a brother.*

Hermione's heart sank as she watched the two men hug. Perseus had told her they were friends in school…but it had never, not even a single time, occurred to her that Professor Lupin was in cahoots with Sirius Black. A great sense of betrayal overcame her. Someone she had trusted — someone she had respected and looked up — was nothing but a great big lie.

"I can explain," Lupin said, turning to them, but Hermione would hear none of it. She could get nothing else through the haze that had settled over her mind. She had lied for the man, kept his horrible secret from everyone, just for him to be a monster!

"Don't trust him Harry!" she screamed, glaring at Lupin. "He's been helping Sirius get into the castle, and he probably wants you dead too! He's a werewolf!"

Silence followed her statement, though she thought she might have heard Perseus chuckling to himself behind her. Lupin looked back with calmness he had no right to possess.

"Not at all up to your usual standard, Hermione," he said. "Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry dead." An odd shiver passed over his face. "But I won't deny that I am a werewolf."*

Beside her, Ron tried his hardest to stand, but his effort was in vain, as he fell back to the bed with a whimper. She had been trying her hardest to ignore his leg, she couldn't stomach such a gruesome injury.

Professor Lupin took a step toward him, his face full of concern, but Ron all but yelled, "Get away from me, werewolf!"

Lupin stopped, and with an obvious effort, turned to her. "How long have you known?"

"Ages," she whispered. "Since I did Professor Snape's essay…"

Lupin opened his mouth to speak but there was no mistaking the noise that time. Perseus had snorted. All eyes turned to him, and he shrugged. "It's not like it was some great big secret," he said. "Sickly looking man who is mysteriously sick every month on the full moon whose boggart also transforms into a full moon?" He shrugged again. "It's not exactly Alchemy, is it?"

Hermione gaped at him. She should've known that he would've figured it out as well.

"How long did you know, Perseus?"

"The second month of first term when I caught you drinking a steaming cauldron of Wolfsbane Potion."

Hermione's mouth opened and closed. He had gone through all that trouble to break down how easy it was to find out, and he hadn't even found out that way — and he had known since their second month of classes!

Lupin shook his head, forcing a laugh. "You two really are the most clever of your age."

"I'm not," Hermione whispered. "If I'd been a bit cleverer, I would've known you were working with Black!"

"I'm not — well, I wasn't —"

Hermione squeaked, leaning back into Perseus as his father moved to the bed, and sat down beside Ron, his eyes fixed on Perseus. Crookshanks leapt into his lap, purring. He wasn't even that affectionate with her.

" — here, watch —" He separated their wands, and Hermione fumbled with her wand as he threw it to her. Lupin tucked his own wand into his robes, much to her shock. "There, we're defenseless. Will you listen now?"

"Well if you haven't been trying to kill me, how'd you know we were here?" Harry said before turning on Perseus. His gaze made her realize just how close she and Perseus were."And you!"

Hermione looked over her shoulder at him, curious herself.

He shrugged. "I saw you rip your cloak off in the middle of the grounds. I watched a big black mutt that looked like my father drag Weasley into the whomping willow."

Perseus had known his father was an animagus all along? A confusing moment from months earlier suddenly became terrifyingly clear. She clenched her first to stop herself from turning around and giving Perseus a piece of her mind. He had been particularly troubled when she mentioned that Harry kept seeing a Grim — he had known, or suspected likely, that it was his father the entire time! She couldn't come out and say it right then, but if they survived, he would certainly be hearing about it.

"And I used the map," Lupin chimed in. "I was looking it over —"

"You know how to use the map?" Harry said suspiciously.

"Of course," Lupin said, irritation slipping into his voice, probably at being interrupted again. "I helped write it, after all. I'm Moony — the nickname my friends gave me in school."

"Anyway," he said, ignoring their gaping. "I was watching it closely because I assumed you three would sneak off to see Hagrid before his Hippogriff was executed — and I was right.

"You cloak doesn't doesn't hide you from the map —"

"How do you know about the cloak?" Harry asked, but for Hermione, the pieces were slowly clicking into place.

Moony, who is Lupin, the werewolf; Padfoot, who is Sirius, the dog animagus — and Perseus had told her that Harry's father was also in the map, either Prongs or Wormtail. Clearly Sirius, and Lupin were the friends Lupin was talking about.

He waved his hand impatiently. "The number of times I've seen James vanish before my eyes," he muttered. "Anyway, I watched you enter Hagrid's hut, but when you exited, you were accompanied by a most unexpected guest."

"What?" Harry said, looking at her and Ron. "It was just us three!" But Lupin wasn't paying him any mind. Hermione watched the man pace, trying to keep track of all the things he was saying.

"I couldn't believe my eyes," he muttered. "I thought the map broke somehow — how else could he be right there next to you?"

"There was no none!"

"And then I saw Sirius appear, move toward you and collide with you quite quickly. I watched as two of you were pulled into the Whomping Willow —"

"It was just me!" Ron said angrily.

"No, Ron," Lupin said, staring at the boy. "It wasn't."

He had stopped pacing, and was now looking at Ron with crazed eyes that made her uncomfortable. His usually brown eyes had taken on an amber glow in the dim room. "Do you think I could have a look at your rat?"

Hermione looked between in confusion, struggling to figure out what was going on. She snuck a glance at Perseus over her shoulder, but he seemed to be having some sort of a weird staring contest with his father.

"What?" Ron said clutching possessively at his pocket. "What's all this have to do with Scabbers?"

"Everything," Lupin said, stretching out a hand. "May I see him?"

After a moment, Ron reached inside his robes and pulled out Scabbers who squirmed and thrashed around violently; Ron just barely managed to catch him by his tail, which rather reminded her of a wriggling worm…Her eyes flew open wide and she stared at the rat. Padfoot, Moony, Prongs and Wormtail — had Ron been carrying around a person all this time? The rat had been in their family for 12 years! It was an abnormal amount of time, even for the magical world. She swallowed thickly, trying to push down the bile rising in her throat, hoping that she wasn't as smart as everyone said.

"What has my rat got to do with anything?"

Lupin and Black both stared at the rat with a mix of contempt and anticipation — Hermione could barely breathe.

"That's no rat," Sirius said, his lip curling over rotted yellow teeth.

"What do you mean? Of course he's a rat —"

"No, he's not," Lupin said, and the horrifying reality began creeping up on Hermione. "He's a wizard."

"An animagus," Sirius growled. "By the name of Peter Pettigrew."

She had heard the name before, in the paper. Peter Pettigrew was dead — had been dead for twelve years — the same amount of time the Weasley's had Scabbers. Dear god, she was going to be sick.

"Mental, you both are!" Ron said, holding scabbers tighter.

"Peter Pettigrew is dead," Harry said. "He killed him the day after he killed my parents!" Harry pointed at Black, who's neck and lips twitched violently.

"I was going to," Sirius growled, bearing his horrible teeth, "but little Peter was quicker that time — it won't happen again!"

Sirius lunged for Scabbers, and Hermione screamed as he landed on Ron's injured leg with a sickening crunch. Ron howled in agony.

"NO!" Lupin yelled, dragging Sirius off of Ron. "You can't just do something all the time! You have to explain and —"

"We can explain later," Sirius growled, and Hermione's skin crawled at the look of pure hatred he was giving Ron's rat — Peter Pettigrew. He tried to yank his arm free, but Lupin held the thin man with surprising strength. Still, Scabbers squealed, clawing at Ron in an attempt to escape.

"They have a right to know! He's been Ron's pet for Merlin knows how long — and Harry, you owe it to Harry!"

Sirius stopped struggling, but his empty gaze never left the rat. "Fine," he said, fingers twitching. "Tell them whatever you want." He looked at Lupin. "But make it quick. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for."

"You're both bloody nutters," Ron sputtered, clutching his rat closer. "I think I've had enough of this — I'm leaving."

"You're going to listen, Ron," Lupin said quietly, pointing his wand at Scabbers once more. "Just keep a tight hold of Peter, please."

"HE'S NOT PETER!" Ron screamed, and nearly toppled over as he struggled to shove Scabbers in his pocket. Harry caught him, barely managing to stay upright himself.

Harry looked at Lupin. "There were dozens of witnesses that saw Peter Pettigrew die — an entire street of them!"

"They didn't see what they thought they say," Sirius snarled, eyes still locked on Scabbers.

Hermione shivered, the look in his eyes giving her bone deep chills.

"Everyone thought that — even me. But I saw him, and the Marauders' Map never lies —" well, that's not exactly true, Hermione thought to herself, thinking about what Perseus had done to the map. "Peter Pettigrew is alive, and you're holding him."

Hermione was already convinced, had been since she connected the names, dates and various other implausible coincidences that surrounded the rat. Ron and Harry however, were not; they shared a look which clearly said they thought Lupin and Black had lost their minds. She didn't want to believe it however — refused to wrap her mind around it completely.

"Peter Pettigrew can't have been an animagus," she said. "Everyone would've known! When Professor McGonagall told us about animagi, I did some more research on them. All Animagi are required to register with the ministry of magic, and the registry is a matter of public record!"

Again, Perseus snorted, and they all looked at him once more, surprised. It was so easy to forget his silent presence with everything going on. "Yet my father has been right here on the school grounds for the entire year, in the form of a Grim." He shook his head. "Registries are good for finding those who are registered and little else."

Hermione blushed, looking down. Having her argument shot down so easily stung, even if the argument had been half hearted.

"10 points to Slytherin," Lupin said. Sirius startled, his sunken gray eyes fixing on his son once more. "When I was a small child, I was bitten by a werewolf. The Wolfsbane Potion is a very recent creation, and it allows a werewolf to maintain control of themselves during the transformation. So during the school year, I can simply curl up in my office and wait out the night." They all nodded. "However when I was a child, there was no such option; every month I became a monster, a danger to everyone. I thought I would never get to be a wizard, or go to Hogwarts — but then Dumbledore became Headmaster." Lupin's smile was fond and his eyes distant, and Hermione was sure she'd never seen the man quite so happy.

"He let you come to school?" Hermione said, her brow furrowed. She couldn't imagine Professor Dumbledore letting a werewolf attend Hogwarts without the Wolfsbane Potion — the risk was simply too great.

"He did. He said as long as appropriate precautions were taken it would be perfectly safe." He looked at Harry. "I told you a while ago that the Whomping Willow was planted the same year I came to Hogwarts. What you didn't know was that it was planted because I came to Hogwarts. This house, the tunnel, they were all built for me. Once a month I was smuggled out of the castle into here. The tree acted as a natural deterrent for anyone who might come too close."

Hermione frowned, following the story. She didn't quite see where it was headed, or the relevance of it. But Professor Lupin was a good teacher at the very least, and he had no trouble keeping her engaged.

"The rumors of the shack being haunted were from me scratching and biting myself after I transformed. The transformations were —" He shuddered, closing his eyes for a moment. "They were horrible. I was alone and —" He shook his head. "But I was so happy. I had friends —" Hermione nodded, looking around at her own friends, and remembering what her life had been like without them. It was miserable, even just the last few months when they were ignoring her was quite bad. If it wasn't for Perseus she was sure she would've been much worse off. "— Sirius, Peter, and your father Harry, James." He began pacing again. "Now James and Sirius were quite smart, it didn't take them very long to notice that I was disappearing once a month. I made up every lie I could imagine — anything. But eventually, just like you two, Hermione and Perseus, they worked it." He shook his head, smiling ruefully. "And they didn't desert me. They did something even better — I began looking forward to my transformations. They became Animagi."

"Even my father?" Harry asked, amazed.

"Yes. It took them three years to figure it out, but they did it. Thankfully your father and Sirius were probably the two cleverest students in the school — things could've gone very badly otherwise. There's a reason the ministry keeps a close eye on those attempting to become Animagi. By our fifth year, all three of them had managed it — they could fully become their Animagus forms."

Hermione frowned, still puzzled. "But how was that any help to you?"

He smiled at her, and in any other situation, she might have blushed. "They kept me company during the full moons. Werewolves are only a danger to people. As Animagi, they were safe. Once a month they'd sneak down in your father's cloak, and join me. My body was still that of a wolf, but I almost seemed like myself when I was with them. They were some of the best times of my life."

"Cut to the chase, Remus," Sirius said, who was still staring at Scabbers with that horrible look on his face.

"I'm getting there," he said, rolling his eyes as if this were an everyday occurrence. "Soon, we began leaving the shack and roaming across the grounds. Sirius and James were such large animals they could keep the werewolf under control, and together we learned more about Hogwarts and Hogsmeade than anybody else. That's how we were able to create the map, and we each signed it with our nicknames. Sirius is Padfoot. Peter is Wormtail. James was Prongs."

Harry was staring at the man, his eyes glossing and his wand held loosely. "My father — what kind of animal—?"

"That was incredibly dangerous!" Hermione exclaimed, glaring at the man. "What if you'd gotten away and bitten someone? Someone in Hogsmeade, or another student?"

Remus' face darkened. "I still think about that to this day. It nearly happened a few times, too. We were young and careless though — just a bunch of kids having fun." Hermione shook her head fiercely. She couldn't even imagine being so reckless. "Sometimes I felt incredibly guilty. Dumbledore had placed all this trust in me, and he never even knew I led three other students to becoming illegal Animagi, or that we were gallivanting on the grounds."

"Are you serious?" Perseus said, his voice as close to incredulous as she'd ever heard.

Remus raised a brow. "Excuse me?"

Perseus shook his head, and repeated something he'd said to her months before. "It's Dumbledore, do you really think he doesn't know?"

Remus frowned now. "Well — I'm quite sure he didn't, he never would have allowed it otherwise." Hermione agreed with him, much like she had when Perseus said it to her. "But that doesn't matter. Still, I couldn't bring myself to tell Dumbledore that Sirius was an Animagus. I suppose Snape was right."

"Snape," Sirius said, snapping his head around. "What's Snape got to do with anything?"

"He teaches here, Sirius," Remus said. He went on to explain their rivalry with Snape, and how he was obsessed with finding out where Remus went every month. She gasped when he explained that Snape had nearly died, and at the hands of Lupin no less, before Harry's father saved him.

"So that's why Snape doesn't like you so much," Harry said. "He thought you were in on the joke?"

"Quite right," hissed a cold voice from the wall behind Lupin.

Hermione's heart rate grew erratic as Professor Snape pulled Harry's cloak off, his wand pointed right at Professor Lupin.

She screamed as Sirius leapt to his feet. Any movement the terrifying man made set her own edge.

"I found this under the Whomping Willow,"

He said, casting the cloak aside. He gave Harry a sarcastic nod. "Thank you, Potter."

Snape was out of breath, but his face was practically glowing with delight. "You forgot to take your potion tonight, Lupin, so I thought I might bring you a goblet full, keep the monster at bay, hmm?" His dark eyes glinted in the dim light, a terrible smile overtaking his face. "Imagine my surprise, when I saw quite the interesting map lying there. I just barely managed to catch sight of you running into this tunnel."

Lupin opened his mouth, but Snape gave him no room to speak.

"I've been telling Dumbledore since the very beginning that it was you helping Black getting into the castle — and now I have the proof." His eyes flickered about. "And never did I imagine you'd be stupid enough to use this shack as your hide out —"

"Severus, this is all wrong," Remus said hurriedly. "I can explain everything — Sirius isn't here to kill Harry —"

"Azkaban will love you, Lupin," Snape said, and Hermione edged away from the man, the look in his dark eyes causing her hairs to stand on end. "Dumbledore will be so disappointed — his pet werewolf, a monster all along."

"You idiot," Remus said softly. "Is your childhood grudge worth sending an innocent man back to hell?"

Hermione jumped as there was a loud bang, and cords of wire burst from Snape's wand and tied Remus up. She had no idea if she should rejoice or panic — she still didn't know what she believed.

With a roar, Sirius charged at Snape, but was brought up short by the wand point between his eyes. Snape's gaze was hateful. He looked at Sirius the same way Sirius had been looking at Scabbers. "Do it, Black," Snape whispered, snarling. "Nothing would make me happier."

Sirius didn't move an inch, but Hermione could tell it had been a close thing. But she wasn't sure — wasn't convinced that Snape had the right of it. She stepped forward timidly. "Professor Snape, it — it can't hurt to just listen to what they have to say, right?"

"Miss Granger, you are already facing expulsion," he said, his wand never leaving Sirius. His words washed over her like cold water. Expulsion? She hadn't even considered it. "You, Potter, Black and Weasley are out of bounds, after curfew, in the presence of a werewolf and a mass murderer. For once in your miserable life, hold your tongue."

"But — there could have been a mistake —"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH YOU STUPID LITTLE GIRL!"

Hermione recoiled from the man, taking several steps back. He looked completely out of it now, his eyes wide and crazed. She stopped as she bumped into something firm, and nearly cried in relief. Perseus was still there — she didn't know why, but his presence calmed her. She looked at him, and he returned her glance with eyes full of ice. His wand was held tightly in his left hand. He looked away from her, and continued watching what was going, but she kept looking at him. His face was the same smooth, blank slate. He could've been a statue, as still as he was standing. How he could be so under control in such a situation was lost to her.

"How I hoped I'd be the one to catch you," Snape whispered gleefully.

"You never learn, Snivellus," Black snarled. "As long as that rat makes it to the castle, I'll turn myself in."

"The castle?" Snape said, his lips curling. "What need do we have for the castle? The Dementors are much closer, and I just know they'll be even more pleased to see you than I was."

Perseus' arm twitched beside her, and she thought for a moment he would curse Snape right then and there, but he didn't, and still, his face gave nothing away.

Snape seemed to finally take notice of him. He shook his head. "I was just beginning to think you might be different. I guess you can't expect so much from the son of a mangy cur." He clicked his fingers and the cords that bound Remus flew into his hands. "Come on, all of you. I'll drag the wolf."

Hermione startled as Harry moved and blocked the door. She hid her face in her hands. She'd never seen Snape so — so angry. He looked deranged, and Hermione didn't know that he wouldn't curse Harry to get him out of the way.

"Get out of the way, Potter," Snape said quietly. "You're lucky to be leaving with your life. If it weren't for me —"

"Professor Lupin has been alone with me tons of times this year, he could've killed me whenever he wanted, but he didn't! If he was helping Black, he could've done it himself. Why didn't he?"

Hermione thought he made a rather good point, but very much to the wrong person, and even more at the wrong time.

"The thought process of a mutt is lost on me, Potter," Snape snarled. "Now move, before I make you."

"YOU'RE PATHETIC!" Hermione flinched as Harry's yell echoed around the small room. "JUST BECAUSE THEY PLAYED A PRANK ON YOU, YOU WON'T EVEN LISTEN —"

"ENOUGH!" Snape roared. "You're as arrogant as your father; I just saved your life, you should be on your knees worshiping the very ground I walk on! You would have died just like your father — believing the lies of Sirius Black! Now get out of my way, or I will make you."

Hermione's eyes widened, and she hurried to raise her wand. But it was no use — Perseus was faster.

"Stupefy."

A beam of red rocketed across the room from behind her and hit Snape square in his back. He was launched forcefully from his feet, colliding head first into the wall, before he landed flat on his back, blood trickling from his head.

Their eyes all turned to her, but she shook her head, and looked over her shoulder at Perseus. He stood stiffly, his wand returned to his side, but the tip was still smoking.

Ron and Harry looked surprised, but none more so than his own father.

"You shouldn't have done that," Sirius said. "I could've handled him."

Perseus didn't respond, but Hermione was slowly building up to a panic attack.

"You attacked a teacher," she whispered, staring at Snape's lifeless form. She had never expected Perseus of all people to curse a professor in the back, but he had done it even quicker than they had been able to, and she was terrified for him. "Oh god, you're going to be in so much trouble…" If he heard her desperate ramblings, he ignored them.

Remus struggled against his bonds on the floor, bringing their attention back to him. Sirius bent down and untied him. He got to his feet quickly, rubbing at where the cords had cut into his skin.

"Thank you, you all," he said, giving them a nod.

"This doesn't mean I believe you," Harry said, and Hermione agreed with him. His story seemed reasonable — likely even, but she needed to see more.

"I suppose it's time you saw with your own eyes." He turned to you Ron. "Give me Peter, please. Now."

Ron clutched Scabbers tightly. Even though Lupin's voice had been soft, it was clear it was a demand.

"This is crazy," Ron said faintly. "Even if Pettigrew could turn into a rat, how many rats are there in the world? He's been in Azkaban for 12 years. How would he know which Rat to go after?"

Hermione was proud of Ron's reasoning, and it was a good question that clearly brought Remus to a halt. He turned to Sirius, a frown on his face.

"That's a good question, Sirius. How did you find out he was here?"

Hermione froze when Black reached inside his robes with his talon-like hands, and didn't relax until it returned clutching a crumpled piece of paper. He flattened it out, and Hermione could see that is a picture of Ron's family in the Daily Prophet from when they'd won the Ministry's Lottery — and right on Ron's shoulder was Scabbers.

"When Fudge inspected Azkaban last year, he let me have this paper," Black said. "I recognized him at once. How many times have I seen Peter transform? And the article said he'd be returning to Hogwarts, where Harry was…"

"My god," Remus whispered, staring at Scabbers, the picture, and back at Scabbers again. "His front paw…?" He glanced at Sirius.

"What about it?" Ron said defensively, pulling Scabbers to his chest where the rat squirmed once more to escape.

"He's missing a toe," Sirius said.

"Insane," Remus said faintly. "How resourceful…he cut it off himself?"

"Right before he transformed," Sirius said with disdain. "He screamed for the whole street to hear that I had betrayed them, before he blew the street apart. I barely managed a shield myself — everyone else…He scrambled into the sewers, with the rest of the rats."

"Did you all know?" Lupin asked, looking at them. "The biggest part of Peter they ever found was a finger."

Ron said something, but Hermione didn't hear him. Things were becoming too clear — too likely to be true. There was too many coincidences surrounding Ron's rat, and her father had always told her, once an accident, twice a coincidence, but three times and you have a pattern. And they were already far beyond three times.

"He's been terrified of that insane cat!" Ron said, pointing at her Crookshanks.

"He's not insane," said Sirius, his raspy voice reminding her of Perseus. "And he's no ordinary cat. He's a half-kneazle, one of the smartest I've ever met. He knew instantly what Peter was, and he knew that I was no regular dog. It took me a while to get him to understand what I was after, but once he did, he tried his best to help me."

Hermione released a breath of disbelief. There was a reason Crookshanks despised Scabbers so much, beyond the obvious? "What do you mean?"

"He tried to bring Peter to me, but when he couldn't, he stole a list of the passwords to the Common Room — took them off Frank and Alice's son's nightstand. But Peter had already taken off — left blood on the sheets too. I suppose he bit himself — it worked for him once."

Harry seemed to leave whatever daze the story had put him in. "And why did he fake his death to begin with? Because he knew you were coming to kill him just like you killed my parents!"

But that didn't make sense. Why would he still be faking his death, 12 years after Sirius had been imprisoned? Still living the life of the Weasley's pet rat?

"I should've let Snape take you!" Harry shouted, glaring at both of them.

"Don't you see everything's twisted Harry?" Remus said imploringly. "We thought Sirius betrayed your parents and Peter tracked him down — but it was the opposite all along —"

"NO!" Harry shouted, shaking his head. Hermione could tell his anger had got the best of him, and he wasn't thinking clearly anymore. "Before you showed up, Black admitted everything. He was their Secret Keeper, and he killed them!"

Sirius shook his head slowly, his sunken gray eyes staring at Harry sadly. "I — I persuaded James and Lily to make Peter the Secret Keeper — I would've been too obvious of a choice. That night, I went to check on Peter, to make sure they hadn't gotten to him, but he was gone. I was terrified, so I rushed to your parents house and…" He trailed off, his eyes gazing off into nothingness.

"Enough of this," Remus said, and Hermione had never heard his voice so hard. "There's only one way to prove any of this. Ron, give me the rat."

"What — what are you going to do with him?"

"Force him to reveal himself. If he's really a rat, it will do nothing, and I'll — I'll feed Sirius to the Dementors myself."

Again, Perseus twitched beside her at the mention of his father being fed to the Dementors, and she knew he would do everything in his power to stop that from happening. God, now she was hoping it was all true.

Hesitantly, Ron held out the rat, and for Hermione, the way he suddenly began twisting and squirming was more than enough proof.

"Together," Remus said to Sirius, who nodded and stood by his side. "On the count of three. One, two, three!"

There was a bang and flash of blue-white so loud and bright Hermione slapped her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. She opened her eyes just in time to watch Ron's rat hit the floor. She nearly choked as he began growing rapidly — it was like watching a Timelapse of a tree growing — except she was watching a rat quickly become a short, plump, balding man.

He looked around the room with wet, beady eyes. His face was tomato red and he scurried away from Sirius and Remus clumsily, as if he weren't used to being so large. His small pinched eyes darted to the exit.

"Hello, Peter," Remus said casually. "It's nice to see you again. One of my best mates."

"S—Sirius, Remus," Peter said, his squeaky voice grating on her ears. His eyes kept darting to the door. "My dear old friends."

Sirius' raised his wand arm, but Lupin seized him by the wrist and gave him a warning look. He turned back to Peter, his voice still light and friendly.

"You know, we were just talking about the night our dear friends James and Lily died — you may have missed it when you were squirming about down there on the bed."

"No," gasped Peter. "You can't believe him Remus — he tried to kill me!"

"Yes, that's what they say," Remus said. "I've got a few questions, if you'd be so kind —"

"Oh you have to save me, Remus," he said desperately. "He's come to kill me again! I've been waiting 12 years for him to escape and try all over again. "

If Hermione didn't already know the things she did, his performance may have been even half convincing.

"Waiting for him to escape Azkaban, when no one has ever escaped before?" Remus said, raising a brow.

"He's got horrible, dark powers you can't even begin to imagine!" Peter exclaimed. "He was taught by the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named himself!"

Sirius released a hoarse, barking laugh. "Me? Taught by Voldemort—" Remus, Ron and Peter flinched at the name. "—I know the real reason you've been hiding, Peter. Your Death Eater buddies have said so much about you. They say you double crossed them — they say you lead Voldemort to James and Lily's house, and he was defeated — they blame you, Peter."

"No!" He said, his face shining with sweat. "I was hiding because — because they hated me for getting one of their own arrested — the spy, Sirius Black!"

Sirius' waxy skin stretched even thinner over his skull as he bared his teeth. "Me? A bloody spy? It was you who stuck around those more powerful than you — terrified out of your mind. I should've known from the beginning — the way you followed James and I like the sniveling rat you've always been. You always liked having powerful friends to look at for you, didn't you? You're a weakling and a coward, and now, you're going to die like you should have 12 years ago."

But there was one thing that Hermione just didn't quite understand. "Professor Lupin," she said timidly, edging forward only the slightest bit. "May I say something?" He nodded. "This man — he's been in the same dormitory as Harry for 4 years, hasn't he? If he's working for You-Know-Who, why didn't he try anything before?"

"Yes, exactly!" Pettigrew said, his face glowing in triumph. Hermione felt sick to her stomach that her question had brought the disturbing man any measure of joy. "I never hurt a hair on Harry's head? Why would I! He's the son of my best mate!"

"I know exactly why," Sirius growled. "Peter was always one to hedge his bets — whoever was strongest was who he would side with. During the war, everyone believed Voldemort was too much for Dumbledore to handle — but afterwards, there was absolutely no way Peter would escape Dumbledore if the man knew he was alive. No — he was better off waiting around, hoping to hear news that his old master was back around."

Sirius went on to explain how he had managed to escape Azkaban, and Hermione began to see where Perseus got some of his intelligence from. His father was resourceful and intelligent — not to mention incredibly strong-willed. She had been in the presence of a Dementor once, and she never wanted to do so again. Sirius had withstood their presence for over a decade and escaped relatively sane.

She had no more questions; her curiosity was sated and her mind was made up. Perseus' father was as innocent as he'd thought he was — and she felt bad for doubting him and threatening to tell the Headmaster about him. It seemed Harry believed him as well, because he nodded, his emerald eyes sparkling.

And now, they were going to kill him. Just hours before she had heard the sound of Buckbeak being beheaded — a person being killed right in front of her, a living, breathing person, would be far too much for her to bear. She closed her eyes, feeling faint.

She opened them when she felt a tug on her robe, and had to swallow a scream. Pettigrew was on his knees before her, begging and pleading. "Sweet innocent girl — please, please — you won't let them kill me will you? Sweet, sweet girl —"

She ripped her robes out of his grasp and backed away. He turned to the one person who he had yet to beg.

"My little nephew Perseus," he cried. "Do you remember me, your favorite uncle Peter? I held you — when you were born I held you in my arms — you won't let them kill me, will you?"

"Do you know something, Dear Uncle Peter?" Perseus asked, his voice coming out like rocks grinding together. Peter nodded his head, his eyes brightening, as though he had found his savior. But Hermione knew better — Perseus would never betray his own father. "They said you were the sole survivor when McKinnon Manor was burned to the ground —" any light that was in Peter's eyes vanished, and his face grew ashen. "It's interesting that a family that was untouchable by Death Eaters was brought down so suddenly, don't you think?"

Peter didn't even bother responding, he curled up in the middle of the floor and sobbed — Hermione almost felt sorry for him.

Sirius and Remus stood shoulder to shoulder, wands raised. "You should've known this wouldn't end any other way," Remus said. "Whether it was us or the Death Eaters, you were always going to die."

Hermione covered her face and turned away as they raised their wands. She had to stop herself from throwing up all over the place — this was all too much for her to handle.

"STOP!" Harry shouted. He rushed forward, shielding Peter. "You can't kill him! We need him to prove Sirius' innocence."

Sirius and Remus shared a glance. Sirius must've seen something in Remus' eyes, because he lowered his wand and started cursing profusely.

Remus pointed his wand at Peter, and cast the same spell Snape had cast on him earlier. Thin wires bound him. He turned to Ron now.

"I can't mend bones nearly as well as Madame Pomphrey —"

"I can," Perseus said, stepping forward. Ron shied away from his raised Ron but Perseus paid him no mind; Hermione watched as he weaved his wand around Ron's disfigured leg. With a sickening crack his leg straightened, and Ron gave an audible sigh of relief.

Perseus returned his wand to sleeve and returned to her side. She had never seen him use the magic Madame Pomphrey taught him. It was fascinating.

Ron stood on one leg, testing his weight. He looked as though he'd never broken it in the first place. "Thanks," he said reluctantly, bending his knee repeatedly.

Perseus nodded.

"Perseus —"

"Not now," he said quietly, cutting his father off. Sirius looked at his son desperately, and Perseus was looking away from the man, his face blank but his posture rigid. She wished she knew what he was thinking.

"What about Professor Snape?" Hermione said, looking at the man. He hadn't moved since he hit the floor, but he had stopped bleeding, thankfully.

"It's probably better we don't wake him — that stunner was a bit…enthusiastic."

They all looked at Perseus, who stared back with emotionless, dark violet eyes.

Remus flicked his wand, and Snape rose in the air, hanging like a puppet on strings.

"Two of us should be connected to Peter, just in case," Sirius said.

"Alright," Lupin said.

"Me too," Ron grumbled, staring hatefully at him. She couldn't even imagine how he felt about the whole situation. She was overwhelmed as it was, and it wasn't even her pet who turned out to be a traitorous murderer.

She watched Sirius conjure large metal shackles — iron, maybe. She couldn't help but wonder how good the man was with magic when he was healthy, that he could conjure a solid piece of metal so effortlessly in his current state was almost alarming.

Crookshanks leapt off the bed, and led the way out of the room. They followed as a group — Remus went first, followed by Peter and then Ron, chained together like muggle criminals. Next was Professor Snape, floating along behind them, his head rocking weightlessly as they descended the stairs. Behind him was Sirius, who was levitating him with his own wand — finally, Harry was in front of her and Perseus brought up the rear.

They struggled to get back into the tunnel, the connected trio of Professor Lupin, Peter and Ron just barely fitting. Sirius followed after them, repeatedly knocking Professor Snape's head off the ceiling.

"Do you know what this means?" Sirius said, glancing back at Harry, his eyes brighter than they'd been all night. "Turning Peter in?"

"You'll be free," Harry said.

"And you can come live with me," Sirius said, looking between Harry and Perseus. "The both of you — I don't know if you were ever told Harry, but I'm your godfather."

"Yeah, I knew." Harry said, his voice light. Hermione knew Harry wanted more than anything to get away from his relatives, and she wanted that for him just as bad — and living with Perseus? She knew they could be great friends, if they could see past their differences in opinions.

Harry's excitement at the idea was as palpable as Perseus' silence, and Sirius seemed to feel it.

No more words were exchanged until they reached the end of the tunnel. They hurried out. Hermione blushed as Perseus lifted her into the air with his hand, helping her climb out of the exit.

The grounds were pitch black, the sky overcast. The only light came from a few windows on the castle that looked out over the grounds.

They hurried along. The night air was cool, and the feel of it against her skin after being in that cramped shack was lovely. She gazed up at the night sky as the clouds broke, and moonlight shined down on them.

She froze as Sirius pushed her back. Looking ahead of them, her blood went cold. Professor Lupin was hunched over, his head was growing longer and fur was sprouting from his body.

"H-his potion!" She said shrilly. "He hasn't taken it! He's not safe!"

"Run," Sirius said. "Run now!"

But Hermione couldn't run — Ron was strapped to Peter, and Harry was already rushing forward.

In a burst of movement, Sirius flung Harry aside, and leapt forward. Midair, he turned into a massive black dog, and clamped his jaws around Remus'. She couldn't move, fright had her frozen to the spot.

She watched with wide eyes, screaming as Peter leapt forward, picking up Professor Lupin's fallen wand. With a bang, Ron lay flat on his back, unconscious. With another bang, Crookshanks joined him.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted, and Lupin's wand flew from Peter's hands. Harry rushed forward, wand in hand, but it was too late. Peter had transformed. His bald tail went whipping through the grass.

There was a mighty howl far too close for her comfort. She looked up, and lunging for her was Remus. He was all dripping teeth and snapping jaws. She shrieked, falling flat on her butt. She stared him in the eyes — there was no conscious in those amber orbs, just a raw hunger that needed to be fed — and she was the meal. She couldn't even close her eyes. She would face her death head on — as any Gryffindor should.

Remus got closer and closer. Her death approached her in what seemed like slow motion — another roar filled her ears, much closer and mouth louder now.

A blur of orange and black flew over and collided with Remus — a tiger. It was huge — it was far larger than Remus, and it batted him around. With a howl, Remus shot off into the forest.

The tiger turned to her, and she met huge violet eyes. He had done it. In a matter of months, he had done what took his and Harry's father three years to figure out. If it was anyone else, she wouldn't believe it.

The large tiger stood on its hind legs, towering over her; it began to shrink rapidly, and before she knew it Perseus was standing in front of her.

"Sirius!" Harry yelled. "Peter — he transformed!"

Sirius took off into the woods, while Harry and Hermione stared at Perseus.

"You're — you're an Animagus?" Harry said in disbelief.

"We don't have time for this," Perseus muttered, looking towards the forest. He took off towards the forest at a long stride. Sharing a glance with Harry, who looked at her in utter shock, she took off after him.