Serenity eyed Severus warily. "What did you do?"
"A little bit of karma." Severus deadpanned. "Now shall we be off. We are in the middle of a muggle street after all."
Minerva once more led the way; until they reached Arabella Figg's house. It didn't take the old squib long after listening to a quick explanation to usher the group inside and hand over her pot of floo powder.
"I'd told Professor Dumbledore quite often that I thought he was being mistreated over there." Arabella lamented. "About the bruises and cuts that didn't seem normal kid stuff. But he waved it off every time."
"It's alright Arabella. We'll make sure he gets taken care of." Minerva soothed.
"I'll take him through first." Serenity volunteered. "Just call out 'Mare Serenitatis'." She told them before making sure Harry was covered with a light blanket. She then grabbed a pinch of floo powder, and directed the stretcher into the fireplace with her before sending them both on their way to her own fireplace.
"Took you long enough." came the voice of Serenity's healer and friend Ami Mizuno, a teasing smile on her face.
"Well sorry, had to make sure the patient was stable." Serenity smiled as she removed the blanket from Harry while moving the stretcher enough distance away from the fireplace.
"So you found him finally." Ami smiled softly. "Good."
"He's not out of the woods yet." Severus spoke when he walked out of the fireplace. "My scans can only show so much as they aren't too comprehensive. But the results I got were not pleasant."
Ami frowned at the news; but cast her own diagnostic spell which would be much more detailed and go back further in Harry's life."And you are?"
"Professors Snape and McGonagall." Minerva provided as she stepped from the fireplace as well. "I was Serenity's head of house when she was in Hogwarts and Professor Snape was a schoolmate."
Ami nodded to the elder witch as she watched page after page of parchment appear with the test results. "Healer Mizuno. "
"A pleasure to meet you." Professor McGonagall acknowledged before stepping back to let the healer do her job.
Eventually, Severus was helping Healer Mizuno tend to Harry's injuries, including the boy's older ones that hadn't healed right.
Serenity sat near Harry, holding his hand and rubbing soft circles on the back. Concern all over her face. "I'm so sorry I didn't find you sooner, Prongslet." She murmured.
Healer Mizuno spelled Harry into a magically-induced coma before looking to Serenity. "I'll need you to move Serenity, if we're to fix everything."
Serenity only nodded but didn't move. The healer sighed even as she saw the concern on her friend's face. With a shake of her head, she looked to Minerva.
"Professor McGonagall, can you get Serenity away please? Professor Snape and I can work on Harry's tougher injuries better if she's out of the way." The healer explained.
"Yes of course." Minerva walked over to Serenity and put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on. He'll be better taken care of if you move."
Serenity looked up and sighed before kissing Harry's forehead again and standing up. "You're right."
Minerva smiled softly. "Surely there's another room we can go to wait it out. I'm sure you trust Healer Mizuno's abilities since you called her. With Severus's ability to provide whatever potions might be needed, they'll get him back to health in no time."
Serenity nodded. "We can go to the kitchen. I can fix some tea." She started for the kitchen, knowing Minerva would follow her.
"Quite a big place for just one person." Minerva pointed out as they walked through elegantly decorated hallways into the kitchen.
"It's a property my family held. I usually stay in an apartment closer to work." Serenity admitted as she started making tea.
"And yet, you chose to bring Harry here." Minerva watched in amusement. "You kept this place mostly secret for when you found him, didn't you?"
Serenity nodded as the water started boiling. "I did. It's more protected here. Some powerful lunar based magic spells and wards as well as the Fidelius."
"The Fidelius?" Minerva was shocked before thinking for a moment. "You're the secret keeper and that's why you were able to tell us."
Serenity smiled. "That's right." She poured them both a cup of tea, passing one to Minerva.
Minerva sipped from her tea. "Very ingenious."
Serenity sipped her own tea, lost in thought for a few moments.
"A knut for your thoughts?" Minerva spoke up after some time.
"I was just thinking...something doesn't seem right in regards to Sirius." Serenity sighed.
"It is still hard to believe that he betrayed James and Lily." Minerva agreed.
"That's my point. I know the word was put out about him being the Secret Keeper." Serenity sighed. "But shouldn't he have had a trial regardless? Especially with all the other death eater trials going on?"
"Technically. But with the word out that he was their secret keeper, most people would've seen giving Sirius a trial as a waste of time." Minerva sighed.
"Then there's the part about him going after Peter. I don't for one moment believe that little Peter suddenly gathered enough Gryffindor courage to confront Sirius Black one on one, especially not in an area of muggles." Serenity took another sip of her tea.
"That did sound out of character for Mr. Pettigrew." Minerva admitted.
Serenity was silent for a moment. "If Sirius truly was a death eater, he would've been more thorough and made sure there were no witnesses left by the time the aurors showed up. Especially when you consider that Sirius himself was an auror." Her eyes widened briefly and she slowly put her cup down on the table.
"What is it?" Minerva set her own cup down.
"That...little rat bastard…" Serenity clenched her fists. "He framed Sirius."
"Now I'm confused." Minerva's eyes narrowed slightly. "Care to elaborate?"
"Peter framed Sirius. Peter was the real secret keeper for James and Lily." Serenity took a couple of breaths. "It makes sense now. Sirius was supposed to have been a decoy as an extra protection. No one would've expected Peter to be chosen for secret keeper with how close Sirius and James were."
"He knew once you-know-who had found them, Sirius would've gone after Peter. By the time Sirius caught him, Peter had another thing to frame him for with the muggles." Serenity explained. "That little rat bastard….showed us signs years ago and we didn't pay attention." The blonde looked down and start sniffling.
Minerva stood and went around to hug Serenity. "You've already succeeded in starting to make things right by young Harry. I'll try to help for Sirius, but I need to know about these signs that Mister Pettigrew showed you that you all didn't pay attention to."
Serenity wiped her eyes and launched into the story of how James, Sirius, Peter and eventually herself all worked to become animagi, having succeeded by the Christmas holidays of their fifth year.
How they'd kept Remus company on the full moons as their animagus forms, knowing they would be safe from accidental harm that way. She ended with her belief that Peter was likely actually still alive hiding away in his form somewhere.
Minerva held back her urge to scold Serenity for undertaking the animagus transformation without someone watching them to prioritize just listening. "So that means you're all unregistered for all this time."
Serenity bit her lip. "Actually, I'd managed to get registrations for myself, James and Sirius turned in after I first started working at the ministry as well as the fees paid for how long we went unregistered." She shrugged. "It was a matter of knowing the right people to talk to to keep it covered."
It was at that moment that Ami and Severus both walked into the kitchen.
Serenity perked up right away and looked to the two. "How is he?"
"He'll be fine." Ami smiled softly. "He's currently still in a magical coma. He's had a lot of broken bones that didn't heal right. So they're growing back via skele-gro. But that isn't exactly a pain-free process. The coma will allow him to sleep while his bones regrow and keep him still at the same time"
Serenity and Minerva both smiled at the news.
"Granted, it was interesting working alongside the very potions master that I get my supplies from." Ami chuckled. "I'll be back sometime tomorrow to check on him." She turned and headed to floo back home.
"Thanks Ami." Serenity smiled as she watched her friend and healer leave. She then looked to Severus. "Thank you as well Severus. I know that couldn't have been easy, helping save Harry with your history with James and all."
"Actually.." Severus started, looking as if he had something important to tell Serenity, only to stop and cast a quick glance at Minerva.
Minerva raised an eyebrow at her colleague's behavior. "I get it. Something I'm best not knowing at least for now. I'll see you back at Hogwarts." She looked to Serenity. "I'll be in touch." She smiled before she left to return to Hogwarts.
Serenity waited until they heard the telltale sound of the flames in the floo before looking back to Severus. "Now, what was it you were going to say?"
Severus took a deep breath and sighed. "Yes I was a death eater. In my attempts to rise through the ranks, I passed on part of a prophecy that I'd overheard Trelawney telling Albus to the dark lord. I didn't think anything of it. But when I found out it meant he would go after the Potters, I foolishly asked him to spare Lily."
He held up a hand. "Yes I know that was selfish and also in vain. He mocked me, told me he would give her a chance to step aside. Realizing it for what it was, I went to Albus, admitted what I had done and begged him to hide all three of them." He hung his head.
"Then after they were gone and the dark lord nowhere to be found, Albus called me to him. Told me Harry still lived and had Lily's eyes. He made me swear an oath to protect Harry. All these years, I'd gotten tingles and quick pains." Snape shook his head thinking of all he had done, "Even right up until we stopped that oaf from hurting him any further. All those tingles and pains, were the signals from my oath that he was in danger. I never even realized that until tonight. I will do whatever it takes to help you keep him safe. From both the dark lord and Albus."
Serenity quietly listened to his tale and was subsequently shocked at his declaration at the end. "Are you absolutely sure, Severus? You would have to really play a part. It's not hard to say that Dumbledore clearly has a plan of his own as to how he wants Harry to finish the war for good."
Severus nodded. "I'm completely sure. Any loyalty I had directly to Albus ended tonight upon learning Harry's living situation."
Serenity thought for a moment and nodded. "Fine. But realize that means you'll eventually have to interact a lot with Remus and Sirius. I will talk to both of them as well. You have my word."
Severus nodded in understanding. "Fair enough. I will look forward to our next meeting." He nodded and left as well.
Serenity watched him leave too before she cleaned up the kitchen. She knew she would have to let Remus know soon enough that Harry was safe. But she decided that she would figure that out in the morning. She peeked on Harry once more, smiling at seeing that the couch had been transfigured into a bed, before heading upstairs to her own for the night.