"You're both mental!"

Hermione looked at us in disbelief, turning to me as though I would explain it, but I looked to Sirius, expecting him to. The man was getting twitchy though, not helped by Lupin's own pacing.

"Peter Pettigrew's dead!" Harry argued, pointing at Sirius. "He killed him twelve years ago!"

"I meant to," Sirius growled, "but little Peter got the better of me. Not this time, though!"

The man threw himself forward, but I hastily got between him and Ron before he could potentially hurt the already injured Gryffindor.

"Let go, Sven!" He snarled in my ear.

"You need to explain first!" I hissed back, fighting against his struggling and doing surprisingly well, given my shorter stature and him being at least ten years older.

"We can explain afterward!"

Even Lupin grabbed at Sirius to help. "They've got a right to know everything! Ron's kept him as a pet! There are parts of it even I don't understand, and Harry—You owe Harry the truth, Sirius!"

Sirius finally started to stop struggling and I let him go but kept myself in place between him and the others just in case he tried again.

"All right, then," he said, eyes fixated on the rat. "Tell them whatever you like. But make it quick, Remus. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for."

"It would be smarter to take him in to prove your innocence," I grumbled to the man, bringing a hand up to where my neck had started bleeding again in the struggle. "And could someone bandage his hands?" I asked, tossing a rag over at Hermione as I looked at Ron, who stiffened. "The smell is hard to ignore."

Ron looked ready to faint at that as Hermione hesitated, seeing that his hands were bleeding but also holding the struggling rat. Ron shifted, holding the rat by the tail in one hand and handing over his free one for her to wrap, eyes focused on me as I moved to lean against the wall beside the doorway, just out of sight to help Ron stay calm. No one wanted to be bleeding in the same room as a vampire, after all.

The adults told the others what Sirius had told me about Peter as I idly listened, more focused on controlling my hunger as it lurked ever closer to the forefront of my mind. These things always seem to happen on my off days. I should have asked for more blood since I haven't been sleeping. Lack of sleep makes it harder to control.

"But how did Sven…"

I perked up at hearing my name, peering open an eye to look at Hermione.

"How did you become an Animagus? They're supposed to be registered with the Ministry and it's highly regulated."

"I taught him," Sirius declared, looking rather proud as Lupin's eyes went wide.

"You did what!"

"What? He was offering to help and was curious! Have you dealt with this kid? How could you say no?"

I blinked in surprise as Lupin groaned, burying his face in his hands as he muttered.

"...dangerous… you don't know half the risks…" He sighed before pointing at Sirius sternly. "We are so discussing your reckless teaching later, and you—" He turned to me as I pointed to myself. "—you are going to get a long lecture on who you should and shouldn't trust to teach you highly dangerous magic."

"Can we get a move on, Remus?" Sirius complained. "I've waited twelve years, I'm not going to wait much longer."

Lupin sighed, but everyone whipped around to a door that creaked open on its own. Lupin went to check on it, but Ron was shouting about how the place was haunted.

"It's not," Lupin explained, though his gaze on the door made me tense.

Doors don't just open on their own. Someone's here. I stayed in the dark, searching with every sense I could as Lupin talked.

"The Shrieking Shack was never haunted. The screams and howls the villagers used to hear were made by me," he said, looking rather worn out and tired, something I understood far too well. "That's where all of this starts—with my becoming a werewolf. None of this could have happened if I hadn't been bitten... and if I hadn't been so foolhardy."

He went on to talk about when he'd been bitten, how his parents tried everything and he thought he wouldn't be able to go to school until Dumbledore became headmaster. Then, precautions were put in place.

It was very similar to my situation, except with more severe symptoms and without the vicious bullying I'd received. Or the fact that he grew up with people willing to help. I was on edge though. There was still something very wrong and it was taking me a moment to figure it out. It was subtle in a way that made it hard for me to tell. Then, I realized what it was. There's an extra heartbeat. I wanted to change into a bat but hesitated. Whoever it was, was undoubtedly armed and didn't want anyone to know they were here until they could get the jump on everyone. Changing would leave me without a wand to use, but would give me the opportunity of surprise. Oh, I'm gonna regret this.

I shifted and silently flew up to the top of the wardrobe unnoticed, silent and waiting. I could notice them better now, thanks to the echolocation ability I had as a bat. It was an adult, male, probably, wrapped in a cloak. Harry's Invisibility Cloak that they mentioned. He must have left it when they came in. A quick listen-in to what the group was talking about was some prank that had been played on Snape, which was the man's opportunity to reveal himself.

"That's right," he sneered, taking off the cloak to reveal it was Snape himself who'd snuck in—wand raised and pointed at Lupin. "I found this at the base of the Whomping Willow," he said, tossing the cloak aside. "Very useful, Potter, I thank you."

Snape? Oh, this isn't good at all. I really shouldn't be spotted if I can help it or he will make my life a living hell after this. I looked around to see if anyone had noticed me, but they were all focused on the potions teacher.

"You're wondering, perhaps, how I knew you were here? I've just been to your office, Lupin. You forgot to take your potion tonight, so I took a gobletful along. And very lucky I did. Lucky for me, I mean. Lying on your desk was a certain map. One glance at it told me all I needed to know. I saw you running along this passageway and out of sight."

"Severus—"

"I've told the headmaster again and again that you're helping your old friend Black into the castle, Lupin, and here's the proof. Not even I dreamed you would have the nerve to use this old place as your hideout—"

"Severus, you're making a mistake," said Lupin urgently. "You haven't heard everything. I can explain. Sirius is not here to kill Harry."

Snape wasn't listening though, or he didn't care. "Two more for Azkaban tonight. I shall be interested to see how Dumbledore takes this. He was quite convinced you were harmless, you know, Lupin. A tame werewolf to go with his almost tamed vampire brat."

"You fool," Lupin spat. "Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back inside Azkaban?"

I couldn't have reacted quickly enough to stop Snape from binding Lupin in ropes. The loud noise gave me a chance to move to the other side of the room though, unnoticed in the dark shadows of the shack until I was hanging upside-down right above Snape. Lupin had spotted me though, shaking his head as subtly as he could but my gaze was focused on Sirius, who'd lunged forward next—stopped by Snape's wand pointed right between his eyes.

"Give me a reason," he snarled at Sirius. "Give me a reason to do it, and I swear I will."

I dropped down at that moment, shifting back and kicking the back of Snape's legs. His knees buckled, sending his wand-hand upwards and away from Sirius as he attempted to turn to see his attacker. I was quick though, hoping he hadn't seen enough of me to recognize who was now holding him in a choke-hold. His wand swung around, but that was his mistake as I easily grabbed his wrist and twisted, grimacing when it snapped far too easily and his wand fell to the ground with a choked whine. It took only a moment longer before he fell limp and I released him, using my own wand to tie him up and letting out a sigh as I scratched at my head and released Lupin.

"S-Sven, you just…"

I looked over at the trio, who were all rather stunned as well as the adults. "Sorry, was I… was I not supposed to intervene? He didn't look like he was going to listen and I just kind of…" I paused, frowning. "I'm going to get expelled, aren't I?"

Sirius let out a bark of laughter, looking so relieved as he pulled me into a hug that I stood in stiffly until he released me. "Kid, if you get expelled, you have my permission to live with me, got it?"

"O-Okay?"

"Thank you, Sven," Lupin sighed, earning a nod. "Though… again, we need to talk about who you let influence you. You are far too innocent to get all your information through Sirius."

"Hey," Sirius complained, pointing at Snape. "I didn't teach him to do that. He did that on his own."

I nodded in agreement. "Defending yourself without a wand is important."

Lupin just shook his head before looking at the trio. "If you'd like, could we prove all of what we said?"

"How?"

Lupin held out a hand. "Give me Peter, please."

Ron was still hesitant though, holding the rat closer. "Come off it. Are you trying to say he broke out of Azkaban just to get his hands on Scabbers? I mean…" He glanced at Harry and Hermione briefly. "Okay, say Pettigrew could turn into a rat. There are millions of rats. How's he supposed to know which one he is after if he was locked up in Azkaban?"

Even Lupin didn't know this. "You know, Sirius, that's a fair question. How did you find out where he was?"

"The paper," I explained, drawing attention to me. "There was an article in the paper of Ron and his family in Egypt."

"But how did he get a paper in Azkaban?" Lupin asked, earning a scoff from Sirius.

"Fudge. When he came to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter, on the front page on this boy's shoulder... I knew him at once. How many times had I seen him transform? And the caption said the boy would be going back to Hogwarts to where Harry was."

"But that—"

"He's missing a toe," I added, knowing that without the paper they wouldn't connect the dots. "It was shown in the paper."

"Of course," Lupin breathed. "So simple... so brilliant... he cut it off himself?"

"Just before he transformed," Sirius explained. "When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself and sped down into the sewer with the other rats."

"Didn't you ever hear, Ron?" Lupin asked. "The biggest bit of Peter they found was his finger."

"Look, Scabbers probably had a fight with another rat or something! He's been in my family for ages, right—"

"Twelve years, in fact. Didn't you ever wonder why he was living so long?"

"W-We've been taking good care of him!"

"Even with good care, rats only live a max of four or five years," I informed him, getting odd looks. "I tried to raise them for a bit as food. They cost more than they're worth though."

The trio looked a little sick at the thought, confusing me as to what I might have said wrong, but they started arguing about Crookshanks, who purred as Sirius pet him.

"He's the most intelligent of his kind I've ever met. He recognized Peter for what he was right away. And when he met me, he knew I was no dog. It was a while before he trusted me… Finally, I managed to communicate to him what I was after, and he's been helping me."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, eyeing her cat in surprise.

"He tried to bring Peter to me, but couldn't. Then, Sven asked around about how to get into Gryffindor Tower and pickpocketed a kid who wrote the passwords."

The trio looked at me in shock as I awkwardly rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment.

"Sir Cadogan wouldn't tell me the passwords even when I got another portrait to get him some good mead. It was either that or slip inside with someone as a bat and let him in that way."

"You tried to bribe a portrait?" Harry gaped, making me nod.

"Most portraits know me and are willing to tell me various things. Some take a little more convincing. If you know the right portraits, there's a lot you can find out."

"You're mad too," Ron muttered, making my brows furrow only for Sirius to wrap an arm around my shoulders.

"Nah, this boy's a damn genius. That's what he is. Knows the castle backward and forwards, kept me hidden, well-fed, the whole bit. He's definitely like you, Remus. A book worm and everything."

"I wasn't—" Lupin pinched the bridge of his nose. "No. That's not important. The important thing is that all this time we've thought Sirius betrayed your parents, Harry. That Peter tracked him down but it was the other way around, don't you see? Peter betrayed your mother and father. Sirius tracked Peter down—"

"That's not true," Harry argued, conflicted. "He was their secret-keeper. He said so before you turned up. He said he killed them!"

"Harry, I as good as killed him," Sirius said solemnly. "I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as Secret-Keeper instead of me. I'm to blame, I know it... The night they died, I'd arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, he'd gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. It didn't feel right. I was scared. I set out for your parents' house straight away. And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies... I realized what Peter must've done... what I'd done…"

"Enough of this," Lupin said seriously. "There's one certain way to prove what really happened. Ron, give me that rat."

"What are you going to do with him if I give him to you?" Ron asked, still uncertain.

"Force him to show himself. If he really is a rat, it won't hurt him."

Ron finally held out the rat who began his struggle anew as Lupin held him up with his wand out and Sirius grabbed Snape's.

"On the count of three. One, two, three!"

A bright light enveloped the rat before it was dropped to the ground, squirming almost painfully. Ron looked devastated only for the rat to shift back into the cowering man it had always been. Peter Pettigrew was crouched over his twisting hands, looking like a deflated balloon with all the weight he'd lost so quickly. Parts of him still looked rather rat-like, like his grubby skin, pointy nose, and tiny, watery eyes.

"Well, hello, Peter. Long time no see," Lupin said, voice cold.

"S-Sirius… R-Remus… My friends. My old friends," Pettigrew squeaked out and Sirius raised his wand as I shifted towards the door, seeing the rat eyeing it for an escape.

Lupin was the only one holding Sirius back from killing the man immediately. "We've been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night Lily and James died. You might have missed the finer points while you were squeaking around down there on the bed—"

They started arguing again with Pettigrew doing his best to weasel his way out of punishment by appeasing anyone who would listen. My headache was getting worse now. It was bad enough having this many people in a small room, but as tensions ran high and I could still smell blood from Ron and the others who'd been hurt, I could feel my control slipping every second I stayed here. They were shouting now, voices bellowing and echoing off the inside of my head and I now had a knuckle pressed to my mouth, biting down on it to use the pain to keep me grounded. Their hearts are so loud. Then, finally, silence.

"Sven?"

"Hold on, Hermione. Let me." Lupin approached, though I had my eyes closed and was just trying to keep calm. "Sven? Is everything all right?"

"J-Just… need a minute," I managed, flinching and snapping my eyes open when he rested a hand on my shoulder, lowering his voice.

"Do you need anything? We might be able to grab something once we're outside."

"M-Might," I begrudgingly admitted, glancing away shamefully.

"It's all right," he pressed. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Sven."

"I-I should have better control."

"You have excellent control, Sven, but anyone can get overwhelmed in a situation like this. Just hold out for a little longer."

I nodded, still displeased, but we were all soon making our way back to the grounds. It was an awkward setup. Lupin and Ron were chained to Pettigrew while Snape was moved like a puppet by Sirius as Harry, Hermione and I brought up the rear. Harry and Sirius spoke for a moment, but everyone was quiet as we stepped out onto the grounds and made our way towards the front of the castle. Then, a chill went down my spine as a cloud shifted, spreading moonlight across the grass and trees.

That sense of danger overwhelmed me, cutting my breath short in a way I hadn't felt since we dealt with the basilisk. Our group was pulled to a stop and I wasn't sure why until I heard Hermione gasp.

"He didn't take his potion tonight! He's not safe!"

Lupin… Lupin is a werewolf and tonight's a full moon. My eyes drifted up at the large white circle in the sky before Sirius shouted to run and thrust Harry backward. Ron and Pettigrew are attached to Lupin.

"Run!" Sirius snapped as Lupin snarled and hunched over himself, fur covering him and his face lengthening into a snout while hands turned to claws.

Sirius charged forward and fought with him as a dog, pulling him away from Ron and Pettigrew, but there was one more problem. Unlike an Animagus, werewolves would drop their wands and Pettigrew took advantage of that. Ron was knocked unconscious and Crookshanks was shot back. I reached for my own wand, but Harry disarmed him easily enough only for Pettigrew to change. I can't let him get away. I shifted quickly and swooped after the rat, grabbing him with my teeth and biting down harshly.

The rat squirmed and wriggled, attempting to claw at me as I hastily brought him back. I could taste his blood in my mouth and I hated it. The strange mixture of rat and human drew out my hunger even further and it took everything in me to not kill him or drain him dry. I spotted the werewolf taking off into the forest just as Harry called out to the beaten and battered Sirius.

"Sirius, he's gone. Pettigrew transformed."

No, he's not. I swooped in front of Sirius, drawing his tired gaze to me as I flew towards Harry and shifted back, slamming Pettigrew to the ground with a snarl.

"Not quite."

"Oh my god," Hermione breathed in shock as I drew my wand and knocked Pettigrew out; digging through my robes. "Y-You caught him."

I pulled out a jar with a few round orbs with fuses in it, dumping them out and shoving the unconscious rat into it instead. I pushed it towards Harry, picking up the orbs and debating as to whether I would leave them or risk putting the red pepper smoke bombs in my pocket where they could easily unravel.

"T-Take him," I ordered Harry. "I-I can't hang onto him. Not while he's bleeding."

Harry fumbled with the glass but took it just as there was a whine from Sirius and a bark. It was another order to leave as he turned and hurried back into the forest.

"Sirius," Harry breathed and I shoved at him.

"Go. You can't help him. If Lupin bites you, that's it. He would never forgive himself."

"But he's in trouble—"

"I'll help him," I offered. "But you need to take everyone to the castle. Find Dumbledore and make sure Pettigrew does not leave your hands unless it's to him. We can't risk him getting away."

"You can't!" Hermione pressed, but I shook my head.

"I can't become a werewolf, even if he bites me," I explained. "And I'm stronger than I look."

"There's no way you can handle a werewolf!"

"I can!" I shouted back, struggling as it was. "I hold back to make sure I'm not hurting people. I'm stronger than any of you and I'm the only match for him if Sirius gets hurt. We can't have him coming after you guys and I can't stay."

"But—"

"Hermione," Harry stopped her, eyeing the blood that was on my jaw. "Hermione, he bit Pettigrew. I don't think he can hold back for much longer."

Hermione looked conflicted, worried, and hurt, but I nodded.

"I-I'm fighting as it is. Please. Go."

She finally nodded and Harry gave me a firm nod as well.

"Help him," he demanded and I scoffed.

"As if I'd do anything less."

I shifted and took off into the trees, senses on overdrive as I could smell blood not too far. I soon heard Sirius yelp and the snarling of Lupin, catching sight of the werewolf pinning Sirius's battered body to the ground and making to tear into his throat. I changed back and slammed into the beast, my own teeth ripping into his neck as Lupin cried out and fell back off Sirius.

I grimaced as claws dug into my back in Lupin's attempt to throw me off before he finally tore me away and threw me into a tree. I gasped for air as my breath was knocked from my lungs, rolling out of the way as Lupin rushed forward again. I kicked at him, knocking him aside but only for a moment before he recovered and slammed into me, pinning me to the ground with only my arm having prevented him from tearing into my neck. Blood dripped onto my cheek as I shouted at Sirius, struggling against his strength as his teeth ground painfully against the bones in my arm.

"Sirius, we need to go! We caught Pettigrew! The others are going to the castle! They're safe!"

He perked up, lifting his head and rushing over, biting into Lupin's back leg and making him release me with a howl of pain as I brought a leg up and kicked him solidly in the chest, knocking him back off me. I cursed under my breath, pain rippling through me as my body shuddered with hunger and agony. I wasn't sure I'd be able to do much else if Lupin rushed at us again, but when I looked up, he was gone. I was confused and a little light-headed as well, looking around before I saw Sirius shift back while holding his head.

"No… No, please…" He moaned and I wasn't sure what was happening until I saw movement in the shadows of the trees.

Dementors were closing in, dragging their cold with them that I could barely feel in comparison to what Sirius was dealing with. I cringed as I pushed myself up, stumbling to Sirius and tugging at him with my good arm, trying to get him to move, but the man was barely conscious as he curled in on himself in a vain attempt to get away from them. Seeing them closing in, I grasped at my wand and did my best.

"Expecto patronum," I bit out, knocking one back, but three more took its place.

I needed a better Patronus. Something stronger, more powerful. I tried to think of every happy memory I could. Getting accepted to Hogwarts, being given Sorina, learning magic, meeting Luna and making friends, meeting Sirius and learning how to become an Animagus, discovering joy, and finally being able to help someone instead of hurt them. Every new memory made my spell brighter, more solid, pushing back more and more Dementors until I was standing before Sirius and imagined what it would be like to never have to return to the coven again because I had people who wanted me.

"Expecto patronum!"

The light took shape, speeding through the Dementors as they screeched and swooped away from the bat that swept towards them. I sagged to my knees, holding my arm and breathing hard. The Dementors were gone and when I heard a stick snap somewhere behind me, I whipped around and shot a spell out. It was deflected and I calmed down, seeing Snape step through the trees with a sneer.

"P-Professor," I breathed, lowering my wand. "Sorry. I thought you were—"

I was cut off as his wand snapped out again, leaving me with no time to react to the spell before I was knocked unconscious.

"How are you feeling?"

I opened my eyes wearily, glancing at Sirius across the way briefly before lowering my gaze to my thickly bandaged arm and wincing when I adjusted my sitting position—tugging on the wounds on my back.

"Not great," I grumbled, earning a hint of a smile from the man.

"Yeah, well, Remus really doesn't hold back, does he?" He frowned then. "You shouldn't have jumped in there like that. Do you realize how dangerous that was?"

"No one else could help," I argued weakly. "...Have you heard anything?"

He sighed, folding his arms as the restraints on them rattled and I twisted the ones on my wrist lightly. "Nothing much. Snape is claiming some nonsense about me manipulating the students, painting Remus as even more dangerous than before, and is probably trying to get you kicked out of school."

I sighed, leaning my head back and lightly tapping it against the stone wall. "He never liked me."

Sirius chuckled. "Does he like anyone?"

There was a knock on the door then, turning our attention to it as Sirius and I both bristled in preparation as to who was going to step through the doors. Dumbledore slipped in with a small smile and a more portly man behind him with a sweaty face and unsettled expression.

"Apologies for the poor hospitality," Dumbledore hummed. "Would the two of you care for a change of scenery? I do believe there is something we need to discuss in my office."

Sirius raised a brow. "Oh, and here I thought you were coming to sentence me to death by Dementor. Why should I assume anything else?"

"It seems, a couple of students have spoken up in your defense," Dumbledore replied, twirling his wand and having the restraints on us open easily. "It appears as though they had proof of your innocence as well."

Sirius and I exchanged looks before he shrugged and headed over to me to help me up. Neither of us was in the best of shape, even with Madam Pomfrey's healing. Werewolf bites and scratches weren't something that healed easily, apparently. Though at least they gave me some blood, or this would be far worse.

We were soon brought into the office and Sirius and I were offered some chairs, while Dumbledore reached into his desk and placed a familiar rat in a jar on top. Sirius was immediately scowling, nails digging into the arm of the chair at the sight of Pettigrew, who cowered in the jar as best he could. I swallowed thickly though, seeing the red blood that still marred his fur from when I grabbed him and having to look away.

"Now, Harry and Miss Granger have said their part and we just need to confirm what happened," the portly man said, dabbing at his sweaty neck. "So, we need to hear what you have to say."

"Is Ron okay?" I asked first, not missing how the man flinched and refused to look at me, but Dumbledore smiled softly.

"He's doing rather well. Should be all healed within the next day or so. The other students are no worse for wear either, though they were very worried about you."

I was a little surprised, remembering how I'd left them—covered in blood and struggling with my hunger. I thought they'd be afraid or worried about Sirius.

"Now, Sirius? If you could explain?"

Sirius nodded, explaining for the third time how he'd found out about Pettigrew and meeting me, before slipping into the castle. Dumbledore didn't seem surprised to find out I'd been the one helping Sirius in the castle, though the other man looked ready to be sick by the time Sirius finished explaining what had happened the previous evening. Dumbledore simply hummed, thinking it over before looking at me.

"And you agree that what he said is true?"

I nodded, having been the one with Sirius the most during the time and knowing he hadn't really left anything out. Other than me being an Animagus, but I'll stay quiet for now.

"Yes, sir."

"Then, might I ask, why did you help Sirius when he revealed himself to you?"

I paused, looking over at the man who seemed genuinely curious himself, and I looked back to Dumbledore. "Because he was kind."

"That's it?" The portly man—Fudge—questioned, making me look at him with a glare now that I knew he was the Minister of Magic.

"What would you know?" I snapped. "You throw newly turned vampires into a place where kindness doesn't exist. You have no say on what I find important when it comes to trusting someone."

He jerked as if I'd slapped him before Dumbledore clapped his hands together once, breaking the tension quickly.

"Well, then. I do believe we've heard everything we need and with the evidence provided, I think it's obvious now what needs to be done, Minister."

The Minister flinched, clearing his throat and tugging at his collar awkwardly. "Yes, well, t-there still needs to be a retrial with this new evidence—"

"A retrial!" Sirius shouted, bolting to his feet in anger. "There wasn't a trial to begin with! And you're not throwing me back in Azkaban while you try to figure your shit out!"

"I-I was only—"

"Sirius, sit down please," Dumbledore said, voice firm and making the man begrudgingly drop back into his chair with folded arms and grit teeth. "I do believe that what Cornelius was trying to get at, was that there needs to be a systematic approach to how we reveal your innocence to the public. Until then, I'm sure he will happily provide you with a comfortable living space far outside of Azkaban."

Sirius smirked over at Fudge who was resigned to getting pushed around by Dumbledore, nodding.

"Yes. Yes, if you'd like."

Sirius's smile dropped then, a hand pointing to me, surprisingly. "What about the kid?"

I hadn't expected to get addressed in this, shrinking a little under the gazes.

"He didn't do anything wrong. In fact, without him, we wouldn't even have Peter. You can't let him get punished over helping his friends," Sirius pressed. "Vampire or otherwise."

"B-But those students—"

"Already knew about his condition," Dumbledore mused, "and are more than willing to keep it secret from the rest of the school, just as things have been thus far."

Fudge sighed with a light whine. "Yes, fine! Fine, fine," he complained. "Everyone is basically pardoned at this point anyway. Do whatever you want."

"Whatever I want?" Sirius challenged with a smirk, making Fudge stiffen.

"No. No, not whatever. It has to be within reason!"

"Then, give me the kid."

"I'm sorry?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You heard me. I'm a free man, right? So, let the kid move in with me."

Fudge opened and closed his mouth like a fish. "I-I… W-What? What kid are we talking about here?"

"Sven, of course!"

Even I was rather stunned, pointing at myself in surprise as Sirius grinned.

"B-But he's—"

"He's proven to have far more control over himself than anyone!" Sirius argued for me. "Unless you think you could stand being stuck here for two years while your own house beats the everloving shit out of you daily."

"W-Wha… but he's…"

"The Slytherin house has apparently come under the belief that he is a Muggle Born," Dumbledore explained. "Not knowing his true origins, he hasn't been able to defend himself and I've had multiple reports of him being sent to the infirmary because of it. I agree with Sirius on this. Sven's control on his hunger is exceptional. I believe the next step to moving along with this plan to better build relations with the vampire population, would be to give Sven more rights as a wizard and fewer restrictions because of an incident out of his control. It's only logical that he be given permission to live around other wizards then."

"But regulating the hunger is—"

"Is a perfectly good reason to have him under the guardianship of someone who can provide what he needs," Dumbledore tacked on, smiling away innocently as I struggled to wrap my head around the fact that they were talking about me. "It's a far better alternative than a… reporter, say, finding out that one of our students—a mere thirteen year old—has been living in a tent in a forest hunting his own food and fighting against starving vampires just to survive."

The threat was plainly obvious and Fudge was forced to chew this over before he realized Dumbledore had the upper hand and there was nothing he could do.

"Any word," he finally hissed, face blotchy red. "If I hear any word of him losing control, this… this plan of yours is done, you hear me?"

Dumbledore just smiled, resting his chin on his folded hands with a slight tilt to his head before Fudge bristled, slamming his hat over his head, grabbing the jar with Pettigrew, and storming out. Silence settled over us before Sirius burst into laughter, holding his sides and smacking the arms of the chair.

"Did you see him! Did you see his face! Oh, I've been waiting years to see that look on that bastard's face!"

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair with a hum. "Yes, I'm sure you have. I assume you'll be returning to your parents' home?"

Sirius stopped laughing and huffed. "Yeah, well, suppose I'll have to, at this point. You don't mind, do you, Sven? It's a bit of a mess."

I broke free of my daze, having not really heard a word he'd said. "Sorry?"

Sirius raised a brow. "What? Weren't you listening?"

"I-I was, um…" I wasn't sure how to explain as Dumbledore let out a short chuckle himself.

"I do believe he's in shock, Sirius. After everything that's happened, I don't believe he knows what to think."

Sirius got up and pulled me up from my own seat carefully, with a grin. "You got your wish, kid. You don't have to go back to that shithole you called home. You can stay with me."

I blinked, taking a hesitant step back. "But I'm—"

"Hey, we did fine this whole time, didn't we?" He scoffed. "Don't go forcing yourself to back out over some insecurity about you being a vampire. What do I care? One of my best friends is a werewolf."

I hesitated, looking over at Dumbledore who nodded in confirmation. "I… I don't have to go back to the coven?"

"Nope!" Sirius chirped. "Well, unless you want to—"

I cringed, hating the thought of having to go back there, a reaction Sirius took note of with a cheeky grin.

"Then, so long as you're fine with a bit of cleaning house, then you're free to stay with me."

I couldn't help it as my lips twitched up into a grin and I nodded, happier than ever that I'd finally have a place—a safe place—to live without worry.

"Hello, Sven," Luna greeted, making me pull my head off the curtains of the train with a dazed blink. "Sorry, did we wake you?"

"It's fine," I muttered, attempting to fix my messed up hair as she moved to sit beside me, and Ginny and Neville crept in to sit across the way. "Hello, Ginny, Neville."

"Hey," Ginny replied, cracking a hint of a smile.

She'd slowly started to be more welcoming since what happened in the chamber. More so since I'd made more friends in Gryffindor. I think Hermione has said some things. The train started moving as they spoke about their classes before Luna gave me a glance.

"How did you do this term? I didn't see you as much."

"Sorry," I apologized. "I got really busy."

Ginny leaned forward then. "I heard you broke Malfoy's arm. Is that true?"

I flushed, pressing myself into the seat and wincing. My back was still very tender, though healing slowly. "Y-Yes. I hadn't meant to."

"Tell me everything."

I glanced at Luna for help, but she was listening in as well, eyes looking up at seemingly nothing above Neville's right shoulder. So, begrudgingly, I explained as best I could.

"I-It was just one of the twins' prototypes. They hadn't told me what it was or anything. I hadn't meant to actually hurt him that badly."

"No way. He totally deserves it for all the trouble he causes to everyone," Ginny huffed as Luna hummed.

"You especially, Sven… Though I agree. It's not nice to hurt people, even if they themselves are not kind."

"Oh! What'd you get in potions class?" Ginny asked. "Snape looked pretty upset with you about something."

It was the understatement of the century. It seems that while Snape was able to spread word about Lupin being a werewolf, he hadn't been able to say anything about my own condition. And considering I knocked him out and he attacked me, it's not really a surprise that he was more upset than he usually is. I mentally sighed. He's going to be even worse next term, probably. I dug through my robes before finding the sheet of parchment with my grades, handing them over to an eager Ginny, whose mouth dropped open in shock.

"No way! How did you get full marks on everything!"

Even Neville was surprised. "F-Full marks? Even in potions?"

"Yeah, look!"

She shoved the paper over at him as I turned to Luna.

"Is that surprising?"

"Possibly. Professor Snape doesn't often hand out perfect marks."

"Oh, it's probably because I'm a Slytherin then," I realized.

"But he hated you at the end of term!" Ginny argued as I got my grades back.

"Yes, but he prides himself on the image of Slytherin over all else. That's probably the only reason."

Ginny groaned, complaining about Snape further until Luna spoke up again.

"Have you picked what electives you will be taking, Sven?"

Right. We had to pick two or more electives. "Hm. I would take them all if I could but the classes overlap, and Snape said I couldn't."

Luna nodded. "I took Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, and Ancient Runes. All have proven very intriguing. The Crumple Horned Snorkack was very interesting to see in person."

"Right," Ginny mused, looking at Sven. "I'm taking Magical Creatures since Hagrid is pretty cool, and… Well, I thought I'd try out Ancient Runes. My older brother Bill is doing work in Egypt and it looked interesting."

I blinked, a little surprised. "I also picked Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures, and I chose to take Arithmancy as well."

"Cool! We can share notes then!" Ginny smiled, surprising me a little with how friendly she was being given how hesitant she had been previously.

Still, I offered a hint of a smile and nodded in agreement, before settling into a light sleep for the rest of the train ride. It was nice to feel safe in the presence of others. Sirius had been the first that I'd been comfortable with to that extent, though I rarely slept when I was in the Room of Requirement. The comfort though was still there and even now, I felt no need to keep up defenses while in the same compartment as Luna, Ginny, and Neville.

I'll still need to keep up my studies. I can't let the Slytherins gang up on me next term. If I can, I don't want to have to deal with them at all. I sighed softly in my sleep, feeling a thumb rub the back of my hand but paying it no mind. It was warm and comforting. It's nice… I wish every term was this comfortable… Maybe I should show Luna the room. It'd be nice if we could spend more time together. Someone was shaking my shoulder then and I tiredly opened my eyes. Luna herself was hovering over me, letting me know the train had arrived. I nodded and thanked her, yawning with a stretch and nudging Sorina from my lap in the process. She thankfully just hopped into her carrier and I shut her in before grabbing my trunk and moving out onto the platform.

I grimaced at the commotion, still very much tired and not in the mood for dealing with the cacophony of noise. So, I was quick to find a shaded, more empty section of the platform to wait on until the noise of everything died down. I kneaded at my temples, wishing I'd just stayed on the train until they kicked me out to avoid having to hear everyone's heartbeats pounding away in my skull. I felt eyes on me then, glancing up and spotting a familiar face off in the distance tucked between the feet of passersby. A black, oversized dog that nodded for me to follow it before ducking through a door where people could use the phone.

I grabbed my things and pushed my way through the crowd, slipping past people as best I could before I ducked into the room as well and closed the door behind me with a heavy sigh of relief.

"Still not a fan of crowds, huh?"

I shot Sirius a tired look while he just grinned away. "Dealing with my hunger is hard on a normal day, but in a crowd, it's far more difficult."

He chuckled, then offered me a hand. "Ready to head to your new home?"

I was still a bit surprised. "You… don't need to tell the coven?"

"What for? They never bothered with you anyway and I'm sure they only did as Dumbledore asked the first year because he threatened them or something." He wiggled his fingers. "Come on, Sven. Stop worrying."

I sighed again, but reached out, taking his hand and preparing myself as we Apparated away.