I have a poll on my profile if you'd like to vote about what I should be posting. Glad you all like this so far though! Updates will slow a bit as I'm catching up with what I have written.

I sneezed, wrinkling my nose in mild annoyance as I shook still-melting snow out of my robe. I hadn't meant to doze off on a bench outside the castle doors, nor did I mean to let my guard down. The Slytherins had struck again, though it was just Malfoy and his lackeys. The others had gained some confidence after resting for the holidays, but after what I'd just done to Malfoy, they wouldn't be trying anything anytime soon. I'll have to thank Sirius for teaching me the Melofors Jinx. Combining it with the jelly-legs jinx and using that levitation spell to bury him in snow will keep his lackeys tied up for a bit.

"Whenever they get out of those restraints," I mused, hoping I wasn't the only Slytherin with a cold after this.

I should be able to brew the Pepper-up spell. I asked Madam Pomfrey for the ingredients for it and the spell to finish it last term, given how often I get colds. Being a vampire has its downsides, and not feeling the cold as well as other people is one of them. I sighed with a shiver and a grimace, plodding my way up the various corridors until I heard a cat meow behind me. I winced and turned, seeing Filch's cat eyeing me with bright yellow eyes. I hesitated, seeing her eyes drift to the puddles of water I was leaving in my wake.

"I-I can explain?" I offered the feline poorly before it took off down the corridor and I hastily followed, arms out in my panic. "W-Wait! Don't tell Filch! I-I'll double the rat offerings! I'd offer more but there's been a surprising lack of them in the forest lately, the winter snow notwithstanding. Ah, wait!"

She ducked around a corner and I very nearly revealed myself to the caretaker if I hadn't managed to pull to a stop just in time. Hearing him heading my way, I took off down the corridor and winced when I heard him shouting about the water on the ground. I spotted the History of Magic classroom nearby and, knowing that the professor was a ghost and would be hanging around the teacher's lounge right about now, I burst into the room and used my wand to lock the door. Breathing hard, I sighed in relief as I heard Filch passing by, pressing my forehead to the door only to jump when someone spoke.

"You alright there, Sven?"

Wand still drawn, I turned, keeping it low and not regretting it as Professor Lupin lifted his hands in surrender with a hesitant smile.

"Easy there. What's going on? You're wet."

I relaxed and glanced at the door once more. "Filch was chasing me for getting water on the floor after I was found by Mrs. Norris."

"Ah, well, you're welcome to stay and warm up. Do you want me to dry your robes for you?"

I nodded. "If you show me how to do it too."

He chuckled. "Of course. Harry, you don't mind if I help Sven really quickly, do you?"

Harry, looking rather pale and frustrated, shook his head as he frowned down at his own wand in his hand. The traveling case on Lupin's desk rattled for a moment, cluing me in.

"Boggart?"

Lupin nodded. "Yes. I've been teaching Harry the Patronus charm to help deal with his fear of Dementors."

"I'm not scared of them," Harry blurted out, flushing in embarrassment as Lupin smiled at him politely and nodded.

"Yes. Sorry." Lupin looked at me once more and lifted his wand. "Now, Sven, you've got to be careful with this spell because it is possible to… well, accidentally set your robes on fire."

My eyes must have lit up because he grew serious and held up his wand.

"And I better not hear anything about you using this inappropriately. Drying robes only."

I nodded, my excitement coming from the fact that I was learning the spell and how handy it would be to use it to set things on fire as well. Lupin sighed at my obvious enthusiasm, smiling fondly before starting to show me how it was done and drying my clothes. Once I began to try practicing it on my own with a rag I could soak with an easy water conjuring spell, Lupin returned to handling Harry and his boggart.

"Ready?" Lupin asked him, drawing my attention briefly as Harry nodded and faced the boggart with as much courage as he could muster.

A Dementor slid out of the box and I frowned, eyeing the shadow creature as it approached Harry. It was annoying how I could see Harry's panic—hear his racing heart—as the Dementor reached out towards him, but I didn't feel anything. Then, Harry collapsed on the ground, causing me to hurry over and face the Dementor.

"Expecto patronum," I snapped—a light shining at the tip of my wand that pushed the Dementor back until it shifted into me.

Mildly annoyed, I flicked my wand again, remembering last Christmas.

"Riddikulus."

My copy's hair split into red and green, and Christmas lights draped themselves over reindeer antlers on its head, making it panic before retreating back into the travel case so I could latch the lid.

"You did it," Lupin breathed, making me tip my head and turn to him as he tapped Harry's face to try and wake him. "That was excellent! When did you figure out how to do it?"

"Christmas," I answered. "Dumbledore asked me to try and I got a hat I liked."

He seemed a little surprised that getting a hat was what had helped me complete my Patronus before I cracked a crooked smile.

"And the Divination professor said my future would be filled with bloodlust."

He snorted, before chuckling himself, seeing the humor in what she'd said. "Understandable. And the antlers?"

"Last Christmas," I explained as Harry started to wake up. "I jinxed Malfoy and his two friends when they tried to attack me right after Dumbledore gave me permission to fight back"

Lupin paused. "You… You never fought back?"

I shook my head. "I would get kicked out for causing harm to another student. How would I learn magic if I fought back against petty tricks?"

"P-Petty?" Harry argued. "They beat you! You were sent to the infirmary multiple times! Anyone would fight back!"

"I've dealt with worse," I stated simply, causing his eyes to widen before Lupin cut in.

"Harry, are you alright? You're crying."

Harry reached up and wiped at the tears and sweat on his face, the topic of my dealings with various people getting pushed aside before things could get any tenser. While they spoke quietly, I attempted to try drying the rag again, wincing when it started to smoke and I had to soak it again to prevent it from catching fire. Harry attempted once more to try and defeat the Dementor, not passing out this time but still sinking into a chair having managed a silver shadow this time.

"Excellent! Excellent, Harry! That was definitely a start!" Lupin cheered.

"Can we have another go? Just one more go?"

Lupin shook his head. "Not now. You've had enough for one night. Here—" He handed Harry a bit of chocolate. "Eat the lot, or Madam Pomfrey will be after my blood."

"Professor?" I spoke up then, drawing his attention towards me. "I don't seem to understand something."

"With the drying spell?"

I shook my head, handing over the dried rag, much to his surprise. "No, I'm finished. I wanted to ask about the Dementor."

He opened and closed his mouth a few times, staring at the dried cloth before shaking his head and placing it on his desk. "Okay. Sure. What are you having trouble with?"

I gestured to Harry as he broke off a piece of chocolate. "I don't have that reaction at all. I don't pass out or feel the fear others are dealing with when faced with a Dementor. Why is that?"

Harry frowned. "No one passes out but me."

"Now, that's not necessarily true. While your circumstances are a little different, Harry, people feel the effects of a Dementor differently because of their past experiences. The more troubled and traumatic, the more they're affected."

"But Sven—"

"Is also a special case," Lupin explained. "As a vampire, Sven is technically considered an undead being. In the wizarding world, vampires fall under that classification because they are not Beasts with limited or no intelligence like Nifflers or Hippogriffs. They are very intelligent in many cases and can speak and learn. Much like hags and centaurs, they are classified as Beings. As an undead being, however, he is placed under the classification of a dark creature. Dementors are considered non-beings but are also dark creatures. So, Sven, you will have a far less reaction to Dementors because you are both at heart dark beings. It's also why you may have a talent with the Dark Arts and other similar spells."

He lifted up the rag as though proving his point and I hummed, curiosity satisfied.

"Ah, and is the same time next week okay for you, Harry?"

Harry nodded as Lupin smiled and went to relight the candles that the boggart had extinguished and right as he reached the last one, it lit. He turned towards me, raising a brow as I cracked half a smile.

"Too dry?"

He shook his head with a chuckle before Harry seemed to realize something.

"Professor Lupin? If you knew my dad, you must've known Sirius Black as well."

Even I perked up at this, given said man was currently enjoying his time lounging in the Room of Requirement with my cat.

"What gives you that idea?" Lupin said, voice sharp and making me frown.

"Nothing. I mean, I just knew they were friends at Hogwarts too."

Lupin relaxed, but his tone was still clipped. "Yes, I knew him... or I thought I did. You'd better be off, Harry, it's getting late. You too, Sven."

Harry stepped out but I stayed, watching Lupin who soon realized I hadn't left.

"Is there something else I can help you with?" He asked.

"I'm confused," I explained as he raised a brow. "Luna told me that friends should trust each other above all others."

"That is a good quality to have in friends, yes," Lupin agreed.

"Then, why are you trusting the rumors about Sirius Black instead of asking him what happened?"

He stiffened, body tense and eyes wide before he frowned. "You don't understand, Sven. There's a lot of circumstances regarding what happened with Sirius Black—"

"But he didn't even have a proper trial," I countered, confused more than anything given the so-called dangerous, wanted criminal was actually far kinder than many of the people I'd met in the school or the coven. "He could have gotten framed, couldn't he? If you just asked—"

"Sven!" Lupin shouted, making me straighten my back immediately and tighten my grip on my wand.

Seeing my reaction, Lupin forced himself to calm down, sighing deeply and dragging a hand over his face.

"It's not that easy. Sirius was trusted to… Sirius betrayed people. Harry's parents died because of what he did."

I still frowned. "Unless he didn't do it."

"Sven, enough."

I pursed my lips, feeling a knot of frustration burning in my stomach. "Friends are important."

"Sven, please."

"I would believe him."

"You don't even know him, Sven!"

"But I would listen," I countered. "So why don't you?"

He looked hurt, conflicted and I decided I'd said enough. I felt that if I stayed and argued any longer I would lose my temper and possibly reveal something I shouldn't. So, I bowed my head and left him to return to the Room of Requirement. Once there, I paused just within the door, seeing Sirius perk up from my desk, where he was eyeing a wooden carving I'd done.

"Hey, these are really good! Have you thought about selling—" He stopped, putting it down and taking his feet off my desk. "What is it? What's wrong?" He frowned. "Is it those Slytherin brats? You want me to teach you something to deal with them?"

I shook my head, heading towards him and making him eye me in confusion before I reached out and pat his head.

"What… What are you doing?"

I paused, tipping my head. "Comforting?"

He raised a brow. "Uh, okay, but why?"

I shrugged, not wanting to let him know what happened with Lupin before glancing out the window of the room that showed what the weather was like outside. "You want to go for a run in the forest?"

Sirius groaned, getting up with a stretch as I transformed my bat form with an awkward take-off. "I thought you'd never ask."

"I-I got it!" I called out, earning a raised brow from Sirius as I'd just burst into the Room of Requirement not long after dinner, holding up a slip of paper.

"You're going to have to use more words than that, Sven."

"I got the passwords for Gryffindor Tower."

He perked up immediately. "You're joking."

I shook my head, handing him the paper of scribbled-out words and explaining. "I heard from the portrait guarding the tower that Neville always forgets the passwords and has started writing them down. Everyone at dinner tonight was checking out Harry's broom that you got him and I was able to pick-pocket the passwords from him in the commotion."

"Brilliant!" Sirius grinned, slamming a hand onto my back in praise. "We'll be able to check tonight then."

I paused. "We?"

Sirius raised a brow. "You didn't think I'd go alone, did you? He's a slippery bastard. I can't risk him getting away, so you need to guard the way out."

"I can't go into the Gryffindor Tower. I'm a Slytherin."

Sirius waved me off. "With the passwords, that won't matter. I used to sneak into the Hufflepuff common room all the time when I was flirting with someone in there. Once you know how to get in and the password, it's easy. Lupin was furious though. He had a crush on her for a bit."

"If we get caught—"

"We won't get caught," he pressed, hands on my shoulders and looking me in the eye. "We can't. He needs to pay for this, Sven. We catch him, and I'm home free. I can finally walk out in the open without worrying about Dementors coming for me. I can take care of Harry as I promised. Properly, as his godfather. If I get caught, I'm dead. You understand? They won't just haul me back to Azkaban. They'll have those Dementors suck out what's left of my soul and kill me."

He was right. The risk for him was far more than that for me. Still, it made me nervous, which he noticed and he cracked a toothy grin.

"Besides, if you use your Animagus, they won't even know it's you."

I wrinkled my nose in distaste, still not entirely thrilled with what I'd gotten as an Animagus, but nodded. It was the safest option and would give me a better chance of catching the rat we were after. We took a little longer to plan out what we were going to do and where we thought Ron's bed might be. Assuming he'd be directly across from Harry—whose bed should be obvious given he'd just received a new broom that wouldn't be let far out of his sight—Sirius knew the best way to get there, and I worked on planning the best way back.

I knew where the teacher's lounge was as well as McGonagall's office and mapped out the possible paths the professors would take should the alarm get raised. Planning around that to get back to this room was harder than one would think, given both rooms were on the same floor and we had to go back and forth in front of the Room of Requirement to get it to show itself. So, Sirius told me of a secret passageway out of Hogwarts and into a shop in Hogsmeade on the third floor. Given that escape outside into the forest would be not only a pain to attempt but also a poor decision, and the Dementors who may swoop in as soon as they hear Sirius Black was spotted again, the secret passage was our best bet.

We waited until after nightfall and Crookshanks met us outside the Room of Requirement to let us know that everyone had gone to bed. The cat was a little intimidating, to be honest. The amount of intelligence in that thing is a little scary, I mused, slinking up along with Sirius as a dog and myself as a bat. My ears twitched at everything my echolocation bounced off of, being surprisingly helpful since I was going to be the lookout. When we neared the tower where Sir Cadogan was waiting, Sirius shifted back into a human as I nodded, letting him know we were alone in the corridor when I haphazardly landed on his shoulder. We approached the portrait where Sir Cadogan was dozing while leaning against his fat pony before Sirius rapped his knuckles on the frame, startling the knight onto his feet.

"You there! You dare approach the tower while I, Sir Cadogan, am guarding?" He challenged and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"I have the password."

"Y-You do?"

Sirius nodded, going down the list before Sir Cadogan huffed at the final one.

"You mangy curr! You've foiled my plans!"

I sighed as the door opened, relieved that Sir Cadogan wasn't the brightest portrait and had a strange sense of honor that would have normally made him call for assistance given Sirius had just walked up to the portrait with a series of stolen passwords. We slipped inside cautiously, ensuring no one was still in the common room and Sirius gave me a nod to show I should stay put while he went upstairs to the boys' dorm. I waited impatiently by the portrait opening, ears perked for signs of anyone getting up or sensing something was wrong.

Then, a scream. My wings snapped out and I was flying and in full alert as Sirius bolted down the stairs with a knife. Why the hell does he have a knife!

"Go! He wasn't there!" Sirius called out as I flew nimbly out the portrait hole and we took off.

He shifted into a dog not long after escaping Sir Cadogan's line of sight and we rushed down the stairs on the far end of the corridor. Already we could hear McGonagall and when we reached the moving staircases, I flew towards the edge of a lower one, turning to wait for Sirius to reach it. We worked our way down and soon slipped through to the corridor we needed, ducking into the secret passageway just in time to avoid a ghost drifting by. I landed on Sirius's back as he traveled through the dirt tunnel, glancing back behind us for signs of people following us.

The place we ended up in was a cellar of some kind and after a moment, Sirius let out a bark of laughter as I frowned.

Why did you bring a knife? I thought you wanted him alive.

"I do," Sirius replied back, stretching his legs and starting to dig through the supplies to see if there was anything to eat. "Figured the knife would be the best way to threaten him, given you wouldn't let me use your wand."

I let out a high-pitched screech in return. Because wands record the last spell used! If they heard you had a wand, they'd check everyone to see who gave you one! You said you were going to be sneaky!

"I tried! I was so close to getting him, Sven!"

I groaned, landing on a barrel and draping my wings over my snout and eyes. They're going to search the castle again. Security is going to go up, and he wasn't even in Ron's bed.

Sirius hummed, tossing me a few Blood Pops he'd gotten from a shelf nearby. "It's strange though. Why wouldn't he be there?"

Crookshanks was onto him. Maybe he figured out after you tried to break in before that you knew. I lowered my wings. I thought I smelled blood while we were there.

Sirius perked up, gnawing on a licorice stick between his paws. "Blood? Who's?"

I shot him a look. I figured you actually hurt someone with your knife waving around like that.

"Hey! I wouldn't hurt a kid!"

I raised a brow, remembering how we'd first met one another.

"Okay, fine. I wouldn't hurt a kid unless I felt I had to, alright?" He huffed out his nose. "And it wasn't me. I didn't even see anything, but you would know better than me, even as an Animagus."

It wasn't a lot, I explained, gnawing on the Blood Pop as best I could with my little claws trying to hold it. It was definitely rat blood or something similar.

"Something similar?"

I shot him a look. Blood is complicated. I've got a very good sense of smell—

"Vampire," he pointed out.

Even among vampires. I can tell the difference between certain species' blood if I've encountered it a few times. Deer, boar, rat, rooster, human. They each have different subtleties to them that I've learned to recognize. Though, human is different. It's… more enticing, I begrudgingly admitted. The blood I smelled in there was odd. Reminded me of rat blood but had a bit of human.

"Interesting. Animagus blood must be that way for you guys then. I don't know enough vampires to really know anything."

I tipped my head. "You know other vampires?"

God, no.

I rolled my eyes and stayed where I was for a while before I offered to search through the castle to see if it was safe for us to return to the Room of Requirement. Flying out of the tunnel and back into the school, I searched for the best path back up to the room, listening for any sign of roaming professors. When I was traveling through the seventh-floor corridor, however, I very nearly got spotted by the headmaster himself, swooping upward at the last minute to hide in the shadows of a hanging tapestry where I could only just see him past the tassels.

He was finishing speaking with Professor McGonagall who bowed her head and left in the direction of the Gryffindor Tower once they were done. Dumbledore stayed put for a moment longer though, and I silently wondered why when he turned and looked right up at my hiding spot. I didn't dare move, hoping I was still hidden and unknown to him, but the longer he stared the more concerned I became. But there are bats at Hogwarts. I've seen them... Though not giant fruit bats I'm sure but it wouldn't be that odd… right?

The elder wizard then smiled, as though he was hiding a secret and went on his way. I hate it… Do I tell Sirius? Did I just get us found out? But he couldn't have known, right? A-And even if he did, that doesn't mean he knows about Sirius… right? I swooped back to the cellar Sirius was hiding and he immediately tensed.

"What? What happened?"

I think Dumbledore spotted me.

Surprisingly, Sirius scoffed, scratching at his ear with a back foot. "Is that it?"

Y-You're not worried?

"I'm pretty sure he's seen me in the forest. Who knows what the old man is thinking?"

I tipped my head, confused about what this meant, but Sirius didn't bother explaining.

"Is the coast clear though?"

Yeah… McGonagall was doing one last check on the Gryffindor Tower, and there was a clear path to the room the same way we left. They're searching the castle still, but I can hear them pretty far off. We should be fine and I can fly ahead of you just in case. It's not too strange to see a bat in the castle as opposed to a dog.

"Yeah, yeah. Lucky you, you little vampire," he teased, making me wrinkle my nose as he licked me and we headed back to the castle unnoticed.

Months had passed and the final exams were upon them all. Things were going great until Harry had to deal with one of Trelawney's prophecies, but this one was different. She hadn't been acting right and what she'd said worried him. Talking about Voldemort and his servant… This can't be good. I need to tell Hermione and Ron. He hurried into the common room only to stop in surprise. There was a group of Gryffindors huddled around a table and his curiosity overcame him for a moment.

"What's going on?"

"Harry! Thank goodness!" Hermione said, looking panicked. "What do we do?"

Harry was confused, approaching the table only to be surprised by the creature wrapped in a towel looking rather disgruntled.

"Is that a bat?"

Hermione nodded, picking it up. "I found it flying around the common room erratically."

"Her cat was hanging around underneath it," Ron explained, eyeing the creature. "Was probably waiting for it to dip low enough to grab it."

"How'd it get in though?" Fred asked.

"Yeah. I've only ever seen bats up by the aviary, and this thing is huge!" George agreed.

"Maybe it got hurt?" Neville offered. "Then, it got confused and accidentally came in?"

"Harry, it could be hurt!" Hermione pressed. "We should take it to Hagrid!"

"Sunset, though," Ron reminded her. "We'd never be allowed... 'specially you, Harry."

The other Gryffindors had started to drift off to head to dinner, and Harry frowned, thinking.

"If we had my Invisibility Cloak—"

"Where is it?" Hermione asked, and Harry explained where he'd left it and the problem with him getting it.

"If Snape sees me anywhere near there again, I'm in serious trouble."

Snape had already caught him there once and he'd only just been saved by Professor Lupin.

"That's true. If he sees you…" She perked up figuring something out. "How do you open the witch's hump again?"

"Y-You tap it and say, 'Dissendium,' but—"

"Hold him!" Hermione said, shoving the bat into Harry's hands before he finished and rushing out of the room.

Harry blinked at the cognac eyes of the bat that stared at him in a way that made Harry uncomfortable. It's like… it knows what's going on.

"She hasn't gone to get it, has she?" Ron asked, drawing Harry's gaze away from the bat in his hands just as Hermione came running back in with the cloak. "Hermione, I don't know what's gotten into you lately! First, you hit Malfoy for making fun of you, then you walk out on Professor Trelawney—"

Hermione looked rather thrilled though as they went down to dinner themselves. Hermione kept the bat tucked just inside her robes, sneaking the animal a piece of fruit or two while Harry hid his cloak under his own robes. Once they finished, they lagged behind everyone else and waited until the coast was clear. Then, they all ducked under the cloak and hurried out towards Hagrid's cabin. He took a second to answer, eyeing the empty space on his porch before Harry spoke.

"It's us. We're wearing the Invisibility Cloak. Let us in and we can take it off."

"Ya shouldn've come!" Hagrid hissed, but let them in and double-checked no one was around before closing the door. "You should be in the castle, not wanderin' around at night!"

"But we had to Hagrid!" Hermione argued, holding up the bat. "Look!"

Hagrid blinked in surprise, eyeing the bat as it watched him in return. "A bat?"

Hermione nodded as Hagrid put his tea kettle on for them. "We found it flying around the common room. I thought it might have gotten hurt. We couldn't leave it there."

"Now, how did it get in there?" Hagrid huffed, reaching for the bat as Hermione handed it over. "Aviary's awfully far from the tower, ain't it? It don' look like what we usually get either. Can ya get the milk, Hermione? For the tea?"

"Okay," she said, starting to make the tea for everyone while Hagrid released the bat from the towel and stretched out its wings one at a time to see if there were any damages on it.

Yet, Harry swore he saw it roll its eyes with a soft sigh. I'm seeing things, right?

Then, Hermione let out a scream.

"Ron, I don't believe it! It's Scabbers!" Hermione said, showing Ron the milk jug and revealing the rat scrambling inside.

Ron grabbed the struggling rat, holding it up to the light. "Scabbers! Scabbers, what are you doing here?"

The rat was as thin as ever with patches of hair missing. As it continued to struggle, no one noticed the bat Hagrid had released, taking off out the window to fly up to the seventh floor of the castle.

"It's okay, Scabbers! No cats! There's nothing here to hurt you!" Ron tried to console the rat.

Hagrid went to turn back to the bat, but it was gone and he huffed, looking out the window only to pale. "Someone's comin'."

Sure enough, someone in a cloak was heading towards the hut and Hagrid hastily began to shoo them out as Hermione tossed the extra tea back in the kettle and hid the extra cups.

"I'll let ya out the back way," Hagrid said, opening a backdoor into the garden. "Go on, you three. Get goin'."

"But the bat—"

"Flew out the window. It'll be fine," Hagrid said. "Now, get goin' before ya get caught."

They hurried into the shadows, hiding from whoever had approached Hagrid's cabin as the giant answered the door to speak with them. They tried to head back to the castle, but Ron pulled to a dead stop, struggling with his rat. He did his best to get the rat under control as they took off again, but after a while, Scabbers had enough.

"What's the matter with you, You stupid rat? Stay still—Ouch! He bit me!"

"Ron, be quiet!" Hermione hissed.

"He won't stay put!"

"What's the matter with him?"

Harry spotted a set of yellow eyes then as Crookshanks stepped forward out of the shadows.

"Crookshanks! No, go away, Crookshanks! Go away!" Hermione hissed, but it made no difference as Scabbers finally escaped rushing off towards the forest.

Ron rushed after him as Crookshanks was quickly on his tail. Hermione and Harry had hurried after him too, knowing how dangerous it was if any one of them got caught outside after curfew. Ron had finally grabbed the rat though, triumphant and covered in dirt from his grappling with the creature.

"Gotcha! Get off, you stinking cat!"

He held the rat up out of reach and as Hermione tried to coax Ron back under the cloak, there was the hurried pounding of paws on dirt heading their way. Harry saw the large black dog first, reaching for his wand but the dog slammed into him, knocking him to the ground and rolling right off. The beast growled, whipping around for another attack only for a screech to cut through the air. In Ron's haste to protect his rat, he hadn't thought of an attack from the skies.

The bat from before now held the squealing rat in its mouth, flying as best it could with the struggling creature that was nearly the same size as its mouth. The bat screeched then, dropping the rat and faltering in the sky as Ron rushed forward to catch his pet the same time the dog did. Ron grabbed the rat first, but the dog latched onto his arm, hauling him away from the others easily. Harry and Hermione went to try and help, but something hit them both hard across the face—knocking them to the ground. They had wandered too close to the Whomping Willow, Harry discovered upon lighting his wand, and Ron was being dragged through a gap in its roots by the dog.

"Ron!"

Ron was gone though, slipping into the hole with the bat swooping in low after it. They had no way of chasing after him either. That is, until Crookshanks slipped around the whipping branches of the tree and held down a root that froze it in place. They followed after the cat through the tunnel until it vanished, soon finding themselves in a dirty room of a rundown house.

"Harry, I think we're in the Shrieking Shack," Hermione breathed cautiously as Harry looked around and saw a chair that looked as though it had been torn apart.

"Ghosts didn't do that."

They moved carefully upstairs as they heard movement and found a door where they could hear Crookshanks purring on the other side. Taking a chance, Harry kicked the door open. Inside the room, Ron was holding his leg in pain as it had been broken trying to stop himself from getting dragged in the hole earlier. Hermione and Harry rushed to his side in concern.

"Ron, are you okay?"

"Where's the dog?"

Ron shook his head, teeth grit in pain. "Not a dog. Harry, it's a trap."

"What?"

"He's the dog. He's an Animagus."

Harry followed Ron's gaze and saw a man closing the door and stepping out of the shadows. He was far better looking than the papers had shown. His once greasy, matted hair was clean and slicked back out of his face. He looked well-fed and had freshly shaved. Even his clothes looked clean and fit well. He lifted a wand though, disarming them easily before they could think of attacking the man—Sirius Black.

"I thought you'd come and help your friend," he noted, tucking their wands away for the moment. Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful. It will make everything much easier."

Harry looked furious and took a step forward to attack the man had Hermione and Ron not grabbed onto him.

"Harry, no!"

"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!" Ron demanded, getting to his feet and swaying uneasily.

"Lie down," Sirius sighed. "You will damage that leg even more, and someone will be more upset with me than they already are."

His eyes drifted to a shadowed corner above a moth-eaten wardrobe as Ron continued to bark at him.

"Did you hear me? You'll have to kill all three of us!"

"There'll be only one murder here tonight," Sirius stated, only infuriating Harry even more.

"Why's that! Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew? What's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?"

"Harry!" Hermione hissed. "Be quiet!"

"He killed my mum and dad!" Harry roared, breaking free of their holds and rushing at Sirius.

He didn't care that he didn't have a wand. He was angry and wanted nothing more than to kill the man who'd hurt his parents. Just as he was within reach though, something black and orange darted between them and Harry felt his reared-back first get grabbed easily. The person in front of him sighed, their free hand pressing a cloth to the bloody lines now stretched along his lower jaw and throat.

"Can everyone just calm down for a minute?" He sighed, Harry's fist shaking in his grip and his eyes wide in shock at who had stopped them.

"S-Sven?"

I pulled the cloth away from my neck, wrinkling my nose at the blood that was on it, before replacing it. Harry tugged his wrist and I let him go to stumble back with the stunned Hermione and Ron.

"Sven, y-you're…"

"An Animagus," I answered easily, shifting into a bat for a moment, flying a circle around Sirius and changing back. "It's stupid, I know. Sirius has already said as much."

Sirius chuckled. "A vampire with a bat Animagus. Hilarious, right?"

"Vampire?"

I shot Sirius an annoyed look and he held up his hands.

"Oops. Was I not supposed to say that? I thought you said they knew."

"I said Harry knew," I grumbled, sighing. "Dumbledore is not going to be happy."

"Sorry," Sirius said, though he didn't look very apologetic.

"H-Hold on. Y-Y-You're a… a vampire?" Ron squeaked, and I nodded. "Dumbledore let a vampire into the school?"

"Who cares!" Harry shouted, thrusting a finger in Sirius's direction. "Why is he protecting him! He killed my parents, Sven! He murdered them!"

I shook my head. "That's not true."

"You don't know that! Did he tell you that!"

"If you would just listen—"

"He killed them, and you're helping him!"

I was really not in the mood for this. I'd gotten far less sleep than I should've the past few months because I was constantly searching the castle for the rat, and then I went to check the common room again and got caught and manhandled. When I finally find the rat and catch him though, all I get is a nice scratch across the face, the foul taste of rat in my mouth, and my friends too angry to listen. A hand settled on my shoulder and I glanced at Sirius who offered a small, sad smile before speaking to the irate Harry.

"Don't blame him. He's only trying to do what he can to help."

"But why?" Harry asked, looking hurt and betrayed. "You killed them. You killed my parents."

"I don't deny it, but if you knew the whole story—"

"The whole story? You sold them to Voldemort. That's all I need to know."

"That's not what happened," I cut in. "It wasn't him who sold them out."

"Then, who!" Harry shouted—hands curled into fists. "No one else was there! Twelve people were there and saw him!"

"If you would just let him explain—"

"There's nothing to explain! He—He—"

I frowned. "He was able to convince me he was telling the truth. Why won't you give him a chance?"

"But—"

Just then, muffled footsteps were heard and my eyes snapped to the door as Hermione screamed.

"We're up here! We're up here! Sirius Black! Quick!"

I was on my feet in a second, moving in front of Sirius just as the door burst open with a shower of red sparks. Professor Lupin stood in the doorway, eyeing each of us in turn before calling out a spell.

"Expelliarmus!"

All the wands were caught by Lupin, who turned to Sirius as I bristled, prepared to defend him.

"Where is he, Sirius?"

Harry looked stunned and even I hesitated before Sirius pointed over at Ron.

"But then… why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless—" Lupin's eyes widened. "Unless he was the one... Unless you switched... without telling me?"

Sirius nodded and Harry was the one who spoke, confused.

"Professor, what's going—"

He didn't get to finish though as Lupin approached and Sirius grinned, the two hugging one another tight. I relaxed immediately, grateful that Lupin had listened to my words before, and scowling when he ruffled my hair fondly as well. The trio still looked rather confused. Hermione herself appeared conflicted, looking between the two adults and then to me as though trying to piece together the pieces of the puzzle that was laid out before them.

"Y-You…" Hermione started, eyeing us as Lupin pulled away and faced her. "You and him… a-and Sven too…"

"Hermione—"

"I didn't tell anyone!" Hermione finally burst. "I've been covering up for you!"

"Covering up?" I questioned, knowing that Lupin held a secret but not knowing Hermione had discovered it.

"Hermione, listen to me, please. I can explain."

"I trusted you!" Harry added in. "Both of you! And all this time, you've been his friend! You've been helping him!"

The situation was quickly spiraling out of control and I snuck my hand into Lupin's pocket to take my wand back.

"You're wrong. I haven't been Sirius's friend, but I am now. Let me explain."

"No!" Hermione shouted. "Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too! He's a werewolf!"

There was a loud bang and everyone went quiet as I huffed, more than annoyed now.

"Enough," I demanded, lowering my wand. "If everyone would shut up and let people explain, we would all have our answers."

"But—"

I turned my wand at Harry, making him clamp his mouth shut firmly. "I don't want to do anything to you, but I will… I was the one helping Sirius in the castle."

Hermione sucked in a gasp, covering her mouth as I explained.

"I met him as an Animagus before term started. He disappeared, but then I found him in the castle and went to hide him, not knowing he was Sirius Black," I informed them, lowering my wand again. "Then, he kept me hidden until he decided to let me go."

"When you went missing," Lupin noted, making me raise a brow.

"You knew?"

He shuffled awkwardly. "You missed a class. I simply assumed you were in the infirmary. The… Slytherins were overly pleased."

I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, he let me go, but I wanted to know the truth. I don't trust rumors, and neither should any of you."

Hermione shrunk back a little, but Harry didn't look any less upset.

"That doesn't explain Professor Lupin," he bit out, glaring at the man.

"I won't deny that I am a werewolf," Lupin admitted, making Ron pale and shift further away as he looked at Hermione. "How long have you known?"

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

Lupin scoffed. "He'll be delighted. He assigned that essay hoping someone would realize what my symptoms meant... Did you check the lunar chart and realize that I was always ill at the full moon? Or did you realize that the Boggart changed into the moon when it saw me?"

"Both," she muttered, eyes shifting to me. "And I knew about you too, Sven. I.. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," I answered. "I… thought about telling you. Luna knows and Harry found out back in the chamber last year… I figured you deserved it, I suppose."

She winced, knowing that now all our friendships were being pushed into question given the circumstances. I looked at Lupin though, curious.

"Dumbledore let a werewolf in too?"

Lupin cracked a small smile. "He had to work very hard to convince certain teachers that I'm trustworthy, but yes. He's known since I was bitten, and let me into this school despite that. I was very much in your position, Sven, though without the unneeded bullying from others. I'm sorry."

"Um, professor?" Hermione asked, uncertain. "Why are you here if you weren't helping Sirius?"

"The Marauder's Map. I was in my office examining it—"

"You know how to work it?" Harry breathed.

"Of course I know how to work it. I helped write it. I'm Moony. That was my friends' nickname for me at school."

"They knew?" I questioned, knowing the nickname was a play on his werewolf side.

"Yes. Followed me when I was sneaking off to this place when I changed. They were very nosey friends."

"Well, we couldn't just let you get away with sneaking off the grounds without us," Sirius mused, earning a sign from the professor.

"The important thing is, I was watching it carefully this evening, because of what you told me, Sven. You were right to trust Sirius. I saw you all sneak off to Hagrid's hut and went after you."

"But the cloak—"

"You might have been wearing your father's old cloak, Harry, but even if you're wearing an Invisibility Cloak, you still show up on the Marauder's Map. So, I went after you only to see you leaving on the map with one more person."

"What? No, we weren't!" Harry argued.

"I thought the map must be malfunctioning. How could he be with you?" Lupin questioned, starting to pace a bit, which made me tense. "And then I saw another dot, moving fast toward you, labeled Sirius Black... I saw him collide with you; I watched as he pulled two of you into the Whomping Willow."

"One of us," Ron argued.

"No, Ron. Two of you… Do you think I could have a look at the rat?" Lupin inquired, making Ron grow more protective of the creature hiding in his pocket.

"What? What's Scabbers got to do with it?"

"Everything. Could I see him, please?"

Ron hesitated, eyes drifting to the wands Lupin still held, and the man sighed, handing them back to their owners and asking once more.

"Now?"

Ron slowly reached into his robes and pulled out the rat by the tail to keep the creature from trying to bite him once more. "What's my rat got to do with anything?"

"That's not a rat," Sirius explained.

"What d'you mean? Of course, he's a rat."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "He's an Animagus."

"An Animagus by the name of Peter Pettigrew."