Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.
The first year Transfiguration class was filled with excited chatter as those with familiars had brought their animals to class to learn how to change their color. Harry had brought Hedwig, Draco had brought his owl Scorpius and Ron had brought Scabbers, as was the reason for the whole lesson. Harry tried to to look like he was not concerned with Ron's rat as he was under strict instructions not to interact with Scabbers at all. His Dad and the Headmaster were in the room, disillusioned and Sirius and Remus were in the back office, listening in and waiting.
"You two are so lucky, I wish I had gotten a familiar," Hermione sighed. "Can I borrow one of your familiars to practice on later? Please?" She begged.
"You can borrow Hedwig," Harry told her. "You won't mind, right Hedwig?"
Hedwig gave a haughty hoot.
"Now I can learn how to change Scabbers fur yellow," Ron said excitedly. "That spell the twins gave me was useless."
Harry glanced at Scabbers, eyes narrowed. Across the room Draco was glaring at the little rat too.
"He seems really jumpy," Harry commented as he stroked Hedwig's soft feathers. Could Pettigrew tell that something was up? That was why Sirius and Remus were hiding in the office, in case Pettigrew would scent them but maybe he could tell the Headmaster and his dad were in the room?
"He's always jumpy," Ron shrugged as he struggled to hold his rat.
"Want me to hold him for a bit?" Harry offered, afraid Ron would accidentally let Pettigrew go. He felt bad for his friend, he was about to get a big shock when the truth was revealed. "You can hold Hedwig." He offered.
Hedwig turned her head and gave him an admonishing hoot. It was as if she knew what was going on and didn't want Harry close to Scabbers. His dad didn't either but Harry didn't want to risk the rat getting away. Ignoring Hedwig's look, and grateful he couldn't see his dad's face as he was no doubt glaring at him, he pushed his owl to Ron and grabbed Scabbers, getting a firm grip. From across the room, Draco was now giving him a reprimanding look.
Harry just shrugged weakly in response and looked down at the rat in his hand. "Got you now," He murmured as Scabbers struggled to escape his hold.
"Huh, he is jumpy," Ron frowned as Hedwig hopped onto his shoulder.
"Must be the other animals making him nervous," Harry lied, holding the rat with both hands. You are not getting away, he thought determinedly. You betrayed my parents...you framed Sirius..
"Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall eyes were worried as she approached. She had been told who Scabbers really was and knew how dangerous he was. She glanced at where she knew the Headmaster and Severus were standing before focusing back on Harry. "You should stick to your own familiar." she said sternly. "Now, give me Mr. Weasley's rat so I can demonstrate the color spell." She would stun him and then take him into her office.
"Can you turn his fur yellow?" Ron asked eagerly.
"Let's see," Professor McGonagall held out her hand but before Harry could hand him over, the rat bit him.
"Ow!" Harry yelped and dropped Scabbers. "No, he can't get away!" He cried.
Dumbledore and Severus canceled their disillusionment spell, shocking the class and causing the students to gasp. They both had their wands out as Sirius and Remus burst in from the back office, causing the class to start screaming.
"Wicked!" Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan breathed.
"That's Sirius Black!" Lavender Brown shrieked.
Neville fell out of his chair with a yelp.
Harry was afraid Pettigrew would get away but Hedwig swooped up from Ron's shoulder and flew over the rat, picking him up by the tail. She flew him to Severus.
As the adults circled the rat, Severus cast a spell. "Mutare Tergum." He dropped the rat on the floor as he began to change.
Suddenly Scabbers was no more and instead stood a twitchy, short man with grubby skin, small watery eyes and a pointed nose not unlike his rat form.
"What?" Ron's mouth dropped open in horror.
"Hello Mr. Pettigrew," Dumbledore said with a frown.
Professor McGonagall quickly began ushering the students out of the room, ignoring their questions.
"Who is that?"
"How did the rat become a man?"
"Is that really Sirius Black?"
"Who is that? I let him sleep on my pillow!" Ron protested as he and Hermione were hurried out of the room.
"Out, out," Professor McGonagall scolded. "Mr. Potter, Mr Malfoy -"
"I'm staying!" Harry protested.
"Me too!" Draco said, standing next to him.
"Boys -" Severus said sternly.
"Padfoot, no!" Remus shouted, holding back Sirius who was trying to get to Pettigrew.
"He deserves to pay!" Sirius said angrily.
"And he will, in Azkaban!" Remus assured him.
"But – but you're my friends," Peter whimpered. "And I was a good rat to that child and...Harry! You look so much like your father, we were best friends -"
"Don't you even look at my son, let alone talk to him," Severus warned, his wand pointed right at Pettigrew's heart.
"How could you betray James and Lily?" Sirius demanded.
"I had no choice, the dark lord was too powerful," Peter protested weakly.
"Powerful? Then where is he now, hmm?" Severus asked sarcastically.
"How was I to know he could be destroyed so easily?" Pettigrew eyes narrowed and he looked at Harry. "By that child." He said hatefully, his expression hardening.
"Stupefy! Incarcerous!" Dumbledore shouted. "I think it best to call in the Aurors now." He said solemnly as Pettigrew dropped the ground, unconscious and bound. "There is nothing of worth that he can say. There is no excuse for what he has done."
Sirius nodded jerkily, Remus's hand on his shoulder.
Severus spun around and glared at his sons. "You two are in trouble!" He snapped.
"Why?" Draco asked innocently.
Severus narrowed his eyes. "What were you told to do once Pettigrew was revealed?"
"To get out of the classroom," Draco sighed.
"What else were you told?" Severus stared at Harry.
Harry fidgeted a bit. "Not to interact with Scabbers at all."
"What were you thinking, holding that blasted rat!" Severus exclaimed.
"I was worried Ron would drop him or something," Harry mumbled.
"Not smart, pup," Sirius shook his head. "It was too dangerous."
Remus, Severus, and Dumbledore stared at him in surprise.
"What? I can think responsibly," Sirius frowned. "Doesn't feel natural, though." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.
Harry and Draco snickered which they quickly stopped when Severus leveled a glare at them. "We will be having a talk, you two," He said sternly.
Harry exchanged a worried look with Draco before looking back at Sirius. "So does this mean you're free?"
"He will be pardoned once the Aurors finish questioning Pettigrew." Dumbledore said happily. "I will see to it, although I'm sure Cornelius will not be willing to admit they made a mistake. However, he have no choice as reporters have already received word of what happened."
"They know already? How?" Remus asked.
"I suppose a little birdy told them," Severus smirked.
Dumbledore shrugged. "Word gets around." His eyes twinkled.
"I can't believe it, I'm finally free," Sirius said in relief.
"And Wormtail will pay," Remus said, giving his friend a smile. "I'm so sorry I ever believed you could have betrayed James and Lily."
"I don't blame you, things were crazy back then," Sirius said. "Nobody could trust anyone, it seemed." He grinned at Harry. "And now I can finally be a godfather to you!" He looked at Severus warily. "I am still his godfather, aren't I?"
"That is what James and Lily wanted," Severus said resignedly. The mutt was innocent, so yes. He could still be Harry's godfather. Merlin help him.
"So you two are going to be brothers, huh?" Sirius looked from Harry to Draco.
"Yup, Severus and Narcissa are getting married in the summer," Harry told him. "But we consider ourselves brothers already."
Draco nodded.
"Great!" Sirius clapped his hands together. "Then Draco is my godson too!"
"Really?" Draco asked, a smile spreading on his face.
"We are family," Sirius pointed out. "It make sense for me to be your godfather too. Right Snape?" He asked Severus cheerfully.
Severus bared his teeth in response.
"You boys can think of me as an honorary uncle," Remus added, hiding a laugh at the look on Severus's face.
"Wonderful, one big happy family!" Dumbledore beamed.
"Yes, just wonderful," Severus said sarcastically.
HP
Harry and Draco had received a sound lecture by Severus, however the man was too relieved that everything had worked out without anyone getting hurt and had let them off with a warning. Harry had then had to explain to Ron and Hermione what had happened and who Peter Pettigrew was. His friends had been horrified, especially Ron. But at least now the truth was out and even better, the Dementors had been sent away. Sirius had received a full pardon and had started helping Remus teach Defense. Harry and his friends had noticed that certain times during the year, Professor Lupin would be absent for several days and Sirius would teach the class alone.
"Sirius said Remus was under the weather again," Harry said with a frown as he and his friends studied in the library. Well, they were all supposed to be studying but only Hermione and Draco were getting actual work done. "He's going to be absent from class again."
"Maybe he has the flu or something," Ron said as he doodled on his parchment.
"Every month?" Harry shook his head. " I don't know. Although, I have seen my dad give him a potion the last couple of months...And then, Draco and I heard he was teaching about boggarts and we asked about it. They turn into your biggest fear apparently. So Sirius released a boggart, even though Professor Lupin didn't want him to and it turned into a Dementor." He shivered slightly. "Then, Sirius did the charm to repel it and it turned into a clown. But then it moved towards Professor Lupin and..." He glanced at Draco.
"It turned into some silver orb," Draco said with a shrug. "Don't know why it would be his biggest fear."
Hermione slammed her book down. "Do any of you ever read? Study ahead? Think?" She asked in exasperation.
"I read," Draco said in an affronted tone.
Hermione sighed. "I have a suspicion on Professor Lupin." She admitted.
"What is it?" Ron asked.
"I think he may be a werewolf," Hermione said. She huffed when Harry and Ron began laughing.
"A werewolf? Really Hermione?" Ron chuckled.
Harry was laughing too but it faded when he saw the thoughtful look on Draco's face. "You think it could be true?" he asked his brother in surprise.
"Well," Draco nodded. "It could be. He's gone once a month..."
"And each time there is a full moon," Hermione said.
"He takes a special potion-"
"Which could be Wolfsbane Potion," Hermione said excitedly. "It makes the one afflicted retain their sanity during the transformation."
"He looks rather poorly when he returns," Draco continued. "And his biggest fear was that silver orb which could have represented -"
"The full moon," Hermione said triumphantly.
Harry and Ron stared at each other in shock. "You have to ask him!" Ron said, his eyes wide.
"What? No way! That would be completely awkward, no matter what the answer is," Harry protested.
"I wonder where he goes," Draco mused. "You know, when he transforms."
"Maybe he floos home. Or maybe somewhere in the castle, there are so many rooms," Hermione said, also looking thoughtful. "Maybe his own quarters?"
"I don't know...seems pretty dangerous to let a werewolf stay in the castle, even with the potion," Ron said doubtfully.
"Professor Lupin was still in the castle when we came to the library," Harry said. "I'll follow him! See if he really leaves the castle."
"You can't leave the castle, Harry," Hermione admonished.
Harry rolled his eyes. "I won't. I'll just see if he does. You know, to see if he uses the floo, or leaves the grounds or -"
"Goes deep into the forest," Ron shivered slightly.
"I don't know, it sounds like it could be dangerous Harry," Hermione said worriedly.
"I'll be careful, and besides it might not be true," Harry pointed out. "Don't you want to know if you are right?"
Hermione hesitated and then nodded.
Harry stood up. "I'll get my special cloak."
"What special cloak?" Ron asked.
"The one the Headmaster gave to me last Christmas," Harry grinned. "It used to belong to my father...it's an invisibility cloak!"
"You have an invisibility cloak?" Ron's mouth dropped open.
"So lucky," Draco said enviously. He remembered when Harry had shown it to him. The cloak was brilliant and he had begged his mother for one, but apparently they were extremely rare.
"Yeah. I wasn't supposed to pack it," Harry hesitated. His dad had been adamant that he had no need of it at school but Harry just couldn't help himself. He'd snuck it in his trunk without his dad knowing. He hadn't used it at school yet but this seemed like a good time to finally put it to use. He would just have to be really careful.
"Wait, I have a better idea!" Ron said excitedly. "Fred and George have that map of Hogwarts. Remember, it shows where everyone is in the castle. I can ask to borrow it!"
"Really? It shows everyone in the castle?" Draco asked, apparently fascinated. "I'd like to see a map like that."
Harry was interested too, he knew Ron and Hermione had used it to try to find him when he had run away to the Chamber, but he had never actually seen it. "Will the twins let you have without you telling them why you want it? We shouldn't tell anyone else our suspicions until we know for sure."
Ron stood up. "I don't know, I can try. I'll go get it now. Hermione, come with me. They'll be more likely to say yes to you than me."
"Yeah, you two go," Harry said suddenly, sitting back down. "I need to finish this essay."
Hermione looked at him suspiciously but Harry just met her look with innocent eyes. "Okay. We'll be right back." she said as she followed Ron out of the library.
Harry turned to Draco. "There is no way Fred and George are going to give up their map to Ron without getting the whole story. Let's use my cloak."
"I don't know, Harry," Draco hedged.
"Don't worry Draco. I know you're too scared to go with me, I'll tell you all about it later," Harry hid a grin.
Draco immediately scowled. "I am not scared! Fine, I'll go with you."
HP
"There is he is!" Draco whispered as he caught sight of Remus leaving the castle. He and Harry were both hidden under the invisibility cloak.
"So he is leaving the castle," Harry said as they followed carefully. "Maybe Ron was right and he is going into the forest!"
"We are not following him there," Draco said as they continued to follow Remus. After a minute, Remus had unknowingly led them to the Whomping Willow.
"Why is he stopping at that violent tree?" Draco asked quietly.
"I don't know – wow!" Harry said after Remus took a long stick and poked a small knot near the base of the tree, causing it to immobilize.
"There must be a secret passageway under the tree! Brilliant!" Draco exclaimed.
"Shh!" Harry said, his eyes widening as Remus suddenly spun around.
"Who's there?" Remus asked in a tense voice. He narrowed his eyes and sniffed the air. "Harry? Draco? Show yourselves at once!"
"How did he know?" Draco sighed as they stepped out from under the cloak.
"Uh, hi," Harry said to their Professor weakly.
Remus glared at them. "What in Merlin's name do you think you are doing out here?"
"Uh, we were just..." Harry bit his lip.
"Were you following me?" Remus asked, realization filling his eyes. His eyes focused behind the boys. "You can escort them back to the castle." He said.
Harry and Draco spun around to see Sirius approaching, a frown on his face. "Why are you two out here?" Sirius asked, not looking happy to see them.
"They must know," Remus sighed. "They followed me."
"What?" Sirius eyes narrowed as he stared at his godsons.
"We didn't know for sure," Harry said quietly. "We just wondered and we wanted to see where he went each month..."
"So you are a werewolf?" Draco's mouth dropped open.
Remus nodded slowly.
"Hold it, you suspected he was a werewolf and actually followed him?" Sirius shook his head.
"We weren't going to follow him inside," Harry protested. He glanced at Remus. "I'm sorry Remus, er, I mean, Professor."
"You can call me Remus when we are not in class," Remus said quietly.
"I'm sorry too, Remus. We were just curious." Draco said apologetically.
"You could have just asked," Remus said in exasperation. "If you suspect someone of being a werewolf, you don't follow them on the night of the full moon!"
Harry and Draco flinched at the stern tone in his voice although Draco recovered from the scolding first. "Can we watch you transform?"
"Draco!" Harry hissed, hitting Draco's arm.
"Ow! What was that for?" Draco complained.
"No, you boys may not watch me transform!" Remus snapped. "It is extremely dangerous, do you understand?"
"Yes sir," Harry and Draco both said.
Remus suddenly stiffened, glancing up. "I need to go."
"Go on, I'll get these two back into the castle," Sirius assured his friend. "Padfoot will meet up with you later." He winked. It had always helped Remus to have his friends with him when he transformed.
Remus gave a chuckle and disappeared into the passageway. A moment later, the Whomping willow began moving again.
"Let's go, boys," Sirius said, his tone firm.
"Sirius, you won't tell our dad will you?" Harry asked anxiously.
"No, I'm not going to tell him." Sirius said.
"Oh, good," Harry said and he and Draco visible relaxed.
"The two of you will tell him." Sirius smirked as the two boys groaned.
TBC: