Chapter 55
Meredith lay on her bed with the curtains drawn. She didn't want to see anyone, or talk to anyone. Had it been only a few hours ago that she knew exactly who she was and where she was going? Sirius Black. The most wanted criminal in the wizard world was her father. She couldn't wrap her mind around it. A murderer. An insane murderer at that. His blood flowed in her veins. She rolled over onto her back and examined her palm. The scar where she had cut herself to make the blood oath with Patricia had faded over time but she could still see it. Merlin, what she wouldn't give right now to have her friend back. She shook her head. If Patricia had been so repulsed by her having a werewolf for a father what would she think about this? She heard people coming into the dorm. She pushed open the curtains and left the dorm. Not knowing where else to go, she wandered the halls. These halls were so familiar to her now. This had been her home for so many years. Soon she would leave it, and she had to admit she couldn't wait. Her home had now become a prison. Every step she took held a memory of happier times. When the world made sense to her. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't see the dark form until she ran into it.
"Do watch where you're going Lupin," Snape growled at her.
"Apologies, sir," Meredith grumbled.
"What are you doing out of your dorm room? You're under house arrest."
"I'm allowed to roam the halls," she snapped at him. She was taking chances but what did she care. She was graduating in a few days. She didn't have to take any more grief from Snape.
"You need to be more careful," he said waving the steaming goblet he held at her. "It would be most unfortunate if the contents of this goblet had spilled. There won't be time to brew another batch before the moon rises." Meredith glanced at the cup. Inside the goblet was the Wolfsbane potion for her dad. She had forgotten tonight was the full moon. She'd not forgotten in nearly ten years but she had tonight.
"Since you see fit to roam the halls at this hour, you can make yourself useful and take this to your father." Meredith winced at the use of the word "father" but took the cup without a word.
"I'll bring it to him," she said. She started to move past him but Snape wasn't done.
"I hear you have been accepted at St. Mungoes. Quite an achievement. One not easily achieved."
"Thank you sir," Meredith said through gritted teeth.
"No doubt the high marks I gave you in Potions helped quite a bit." Meredith glared at Snape and resisted the urge to toss the potion in his slimy face.
"You didn't give me anything Snape. I earned those marks. Every single one of them. Now if you'll excuse me." She brushed past Snape with a barely contained growl. The sooner she graduated and got out of this school the better. She had cooled down a little by the time she got to her dad's office. She knocked on the door but there was no answer.
"Raspberry Ripple," she said. The door swung open and she stepped inside.
"Dad?" she called. She glanced at her watch. Where could he be? The moon would be rising soon. She decided to leave it for him. Surely, he would be back soon. He would not have forgotten the full moon. She went to the desk and set the goblet down. She spotted something on the desk and looked closer. It was the map! Her dad had left it open on the desk. He must have left his office suddenly. Perhaps he saw something on the map. She leaned in close and studied the map. There was Hogwarts. She saw Dumbledore in his office, accompanied by Cornelius Fudge and a man named Macnair. She scanned the map and saw her father's office. She jumped a bit as the words MEREDITH LUPIN appeared on the map. She shook off her uneasiness and continued to scan the map. She saw HARRY POTTER and HERMIONE GRANGER near the Whomping Willow. No doubt they had snuck out of the castle to be with Hagrid during the execution of that hippogriff. But where was Ron? If Harry and Hermione were there Ron couldn't be far behind. She ran her finger along the map till she spotted RONALD WEASLEY. He was moving fast toward the Whomping Willow. Was Ron insane? Why would he be running toward that tree? All of a sudden another name appeared on the map. Meredith's eyes widened in horror as she saw SIRIUS BLACK moving toward the kids. He was on the grounds! He was after Harry. Meredith blinked as she saw Black move past Harry and go toward Ron. It seemed as though Sirius were dragging Ron into the willow. That didn't make any sense. She saw Harry and Hermione follow. Oh god, if they made it to the Shrieking Shack Black would have all three of them trapped. She gasped as saw REMUS LUPIN appear on the map. He was heading toward the willow as well. He must have seen Black on the map and gone to help Harry. Oh Merlin. He was out on the grounds. He wasn't safe. If he transformed….Meredith dropped the map on the table and ran to her dad's bureau. She threw open the doors and pushed aside her dad's robes. She reached into the back of the bureau for the thing she was searching for. Her hand closed around the hard muzzle of the shot gun. She lifted it carefully. It had been a long time since she'd held this thing. Her hands shook as she loaded the gun with two tranquilizer darts. With the gun loaded she hurried over to the desk. She couldn't let anyone else see this. She pulled her wand out of her pocket. She touched it to the map and tried to think of the words to close it. Before she could speak she spotted something odd. Her dad, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Sirius Black were all gathered in the Shrieking Shack, but someone else was with them now.
"Peter Pettigrew?" How was it possible? Pettigrew was dead. Sirius Black had killed him 12 years ago. How could he be in the Shrieking Shack? Unless…
"Oh Merlin!" Her dad had told her the only people James Potter would have trusted to be secret keeper other than Black, were himself, Dumbledore or Pettigrew. They had switched. Sirius wasn't the secret keeper. Pettigrew was. Pettigrew had betrayed the Potter's to Voldemort. But how did he get on the grounds? There would be time for questions later. Right now her father needed her help. Both of them.
"Mischief Managed," she said tapping the map with her wand. She stuffed her wand in her pocket and seized the gun with both hands. She rushed out of her dad's office and down the corridor. Luck was with her as everyone had already gone to their dormitories for the night. Adrenaline was surging through her veins as she ran out of the gates and out onto the grounds. The gun felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. She reached the crest of the hill that looked down on the willow just as the clouds parted bathing her in the moonlight. She halted abruptly when she saw them. Harry and Hermione were supporting Ron who appeared to have injured his leg. Her father was beginning to transform. She saw him…Sirius Black. He was telling the kids to run. She watched as Black transformed into his animagus self. She saw another man, Pettigrew. Harry tried to stop him but Peter shrunk. Meredith heard scuttling in the grass coming toward her. She pulled her wand from her pocket and waited.
"IMMOBULAS!" she shouted pointed her wand at the rat Pettigrew had turned into.
"Not this time, Peter," she said. She turned as she heard the strangled whimper of a dog. She turned and saw the wolf, just as terrifying as when she was eight, toss the dog away and start to advance toward the kids.
"Don't miss," Meredith prayed silently. She raised the gun, took aim and squeezed the trigger. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as the dart hit its target and the wolf fell. The gun still in her hands she hurried forward. The kids were looking at her in astonishment but she did not return their looks. Her heart was pounding in her chest.
"Keep it together," she ordered herself silently. She went to the wolf and examined him. She tried to focus on the wolf as the kids chattered around her.
"Meredith?"
"What the bloody hell was that?"
"How did you know we were out here?"
"Meredith?" the new voice sent a chill up Meredith's spine. She did not meet his eye as Sirius Black knelt down in front of her and gently touched the wolf's shoulder.
"You killed him," Hermione said in shock. "You killed your father." Meredith laid her hand on the wolf's chest and was relieved to feel the beat.
"Calm down all of you," she said loudly. "He's not dead."
"What is this strange device?" Sirius asked holding the dart in his hand.
"Tranquilizer dart," Meredith explained keeping her eyes on the wolf. Focusing on the wolf kept her steady. She knew if she looked at Black she would lose it and she couldn't do that now.
"There's enough sleeping potion in that thing to put down a mountain troll. When he wakes up he'll be human again.
"Are you absolutely sure?" Ron said uncertainly. Meredith spared a glance at Ron.
"This isn't the first time I've done this, Ron. Though the gun seemed a lot bigger last time."
"How did you know we were out here?" Harry asked her. Meredith ran a hand through her hair.
"My fa…He didn't take his potion tonight. He takes a potion to make him safe…."
"He told us," Hermione said. Meredith nodded.
"I ran into Snape as he was bringing it to Da…" lord she didn't even know what to call him anymore with Black standing there. "Snape was taking it to him when I ran into him. I took it to give to him myself. Thank Merlin I did. The Marauders map was on the desk. Open."
"You know about the map?" Sirius asked her. "What else did Remus tell you?" With a sharp pain in her heart Meredith turned and looked at him. He looked as he did on the wanted posters. Long greasy black hair hung limply to his shoulders and his face was sunken in. But his eyes, her eyes, stared at her with such intense emotion that she wanted to look away, but she forced herself to hold his gaze.
"Everything," she said her voice full of emotion. The expression in Sirius's eyes was unreadable. Meredith turned away and looked back at the kids.
"I saw all of you. I saw Ron get pulled into the willow and you two go after him. I saw my…him coming after you. I knew he wasn't safe so I grabbed the gun. I was just about to close the map when I saw Pettigrew on the map. That was when I figured it out. Sirius didn't betray your parents Harry. It was Pettigrew." Harry nodded.
"Yes we know all of this. Sirius and your dad, they explained it all." Meredith wondered just how much had been explained but now was not the time.
"We need to get out of here. The dementors will be out soon, and Fudge and Macnair are still in Dumbledore's office. I don't want to think about what Macnair would do if he found a werewolf on the grounds. Or you," she said to Sirius. Sirius nodded. "Plus if I'm caught outside the castle Dumbledore will probably expel me. I am under house arrest."
"We can't just take Professor Lupin to the castle like this," Hermione said. "If people saw a werewolf, even an unconscious one there'd be panic." Meredith was thinking hard. There was the Shrieking Shack, but it would be very difficult to get a full grown werewolf through the passage.
"Meredith," Harry said suddenly. "Does Hagrid know about your father?" Meredith saw a look in Sirius's eye but ignored it for the moment.
"Of course," Meredith said. "Who do you think I got the gun from?"
"We can take him to Hagrid's cabin. Hagrid can watch out for him till the morning when he goes back to normal." Meredith nodded.
"It's a good plan Harry. Hermione, Peter's over there in the grass. He's still in rat form but I've frozen him. Grab him will you." Hermione nodded and scurried off to find Peter.
"Harry, help Ron along." She took the wolf's arm and started to lift him. She quickly realized that he was going to be too heavy for her to carry by herself.
"Let me help you," Sirius said taking the wolf's other arm and wrapping it around his shoulder.
"Thank you." Hermione came back at that moment, frozen Peter clutched in both hands. She stuffed the rat into her pocket and went to help Harry with Ron.
"Okay let's go," Meredith said. They said not a word as they trekked to Hagrid's cabin. Meredith felt as though she were moving through a fog. She focused her mind on the immediate problem, which was getting the wolf out of sight. Focusing on the immediate problems, tangible problems with reachable solutions, helped her avoid the emotions that were running rampant through her right now. Dumbledore would call it avoidance. She called it survival.
"Here we are," she said as they made it into the pumpkin patch.
"Here let me take him," she said to Sirius. She shifted her weight so she could take on the werewolf's full weight.
"All of you stay out of sight," Meredith said. "Especially you, Sirius."
"What are you going to tell Hagrid?" Hermione asked.
"I'll think of something," Meredith said. The others ducked back into the trees as Meredith dragged the werewolf to Hagrid's door. She was thinking very quickly of what she could tell Hagrid. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. The door swung open and Hagrid appeared.
"Meredith!" the half giant gasped when he saw her. "Good lord, what's happened?"
"Please Hagrid, may we come in?"
"Of course," the half giant stepped back and allowed Meredith to drag the wolf inside. She dragged him over to the bed and laid him down.
"What happened?" Hagrid asked again.
"He didn't take his potion tonight. I was looking for him to give it to him. I found him out on the grounds. He was looking for Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Before I could get to him he transformed. I had to shoot him with the tranquilizer."
"Oh my," Hagrid said. "Are Harry and the others all right?"
"Shaken mostly. Ron broke his leg. Tripped over a root trying to get away. Other than that they're all right."
"Thank heavens for that."
"I hate to ask this Hagrid," Meredith said. "But can he stay here till he changes back? I don't want to take him back to the school. Seeing a werewolf would cause a panic."
"Certainly," Hagrid said. "I'll look after him. No need ta worry."
"Thank you Hagrid. I know how upset you must be, with Buckbeak and all"
"Oh no need ta worry bout that. Buckbeak escaped."
"Escaped?" Meredith asked.
"Yeah, just pulled himself free of the chain and flew away." Meredith pursed her lips. She couldn't help but wonder how a hippogriff, creatures not know for their intelligence, had managed that.
"I shot him with enough sleeping potion to last till morning. You should be all right," Meredith said.
"Don't worry about a thing. You just get yourself on back to the castle. You're supposed to be under house arrest. Plus, the dementors will be out on the grounds soon. I don't wanna think what they'd do if they caught you."
"I'll be fine Hagrid." Meredith said moving toward the door. "Just take care of Dad for me. And thanks." She hurried out to the pumpkin patch and glanced around.
"Okay," she called out softly. They moved out of the trees and continued the journey up to the castle. Meredith walked with her hands in her pockets and her eyes to the ground. She was more than aware of the man who was watching her closely.
"You think quickly on your feet," he remarked to her. Meredith shrugged.
"Trying to keep the fact that your father…" she paused but Sirius only nodded. "Well, you learn to come up with excuses fast."
"That was quite the contraption you used on him," he said.
"It's called a gun," Meredith said. "First time I shot him I was eight years old. Something went wrong with the potion. He screamed at me to run. Hagrid and Dumbledore went after him in the woods behind our house. I followed. He came out of nowhere, knocked Hagrid down. I didn't even think about what I was doing. Tonight it was the same thing."
"You truly are the child of a marauder." Meredith trembled. Just keep moving, she thought.
"Once we show that Peter is alive…." she said clenching her hands into fists so that he wouldn't see them trembling.
"I'll be free," Sirius said. They were getting close to the castle now.
"Amazing isn't it?" he said. Meredith smiled a little.
"Yes," she said. "I guess it will be good to enter it as a free man." Sirius opened his mouth but before he could say anything his expression changed.
"Meredith!" Harry yelled. Meredith knew instantly what was wrong. It was getting cold. She could feel darkness closing in around her. She immediately grabbed her wand.
"Get behind me!" she yelled at Sirius. "Harry I'll need your help. Ron, Hermione think of your happiest memory." Even as she said the words she was scrambling to find something to use as shield against the approaching Dementors. The cold was closing around her, choking her. She tried to think of anything, any happy memory. But none of her memories could be clung to without despair. Happy times with her friends were blocked by the anger she felt at Patricia's betrayal. Memories of her father were filled with confusion because she didn't even know who her father was! Beside her she felt Sirius fall to his knees. The Dementor's were preparing to swoop on him and deliver the kiss. With her last ounce of strength she threw herself over top of him.
"NO!" she shouted at the dementors. "You can't have him." Having their prey blocked from them did not make the dementors happy. Meredith felt the darkness closing in on her as the dementors icy hands gripped her around the throat.
"Oh Dad I'm sorry," she thought as the dementor lowered its hood. Suddenly the dementor released her as a bright light surrounded them. Meredith collapsed to the ground, shaking and exhausted. She lifted her head and looked off to the forest where she saw two trails of light fly back to those who had cast them. Just before the darkness took her over she saw two figures. A man with dark hair was standing next to a bright light and a woman with long red hair knelt beside him with a bright light at her feet.