Chapter 42 - Convincing Harry
When the four of us finally got to the top of the hill from Hagrid's hut we stood and turned around to look at Hagrid's hut and saw the executioner walk into the front garden with his large axe. The place where Buckbeak was hidden my tree's but we knew it was happening. Hermione started sobbing into Ron's shoulder with Harry rubbed her back and I held her hand with tears in my own eye's. Harry put his arm around my own shoulder and pulled me into him while I sniffled trying to hold tears and squeezing Hermione's hand for comfort. Hermione swayed on the spot.
"They did it!" she whispered to us. "I d - don't believe it - they did it!"
"Poor Hagrid... Poor Buckbeak." I replied sadly, I hated the Malfoy's even more.
"Ow." Ron suddenly exclaimed. I looked up to see blood on one of Ron's fingers and Scabber's scurrying off. "He bit me. Scabber's bit me. Scabbers!" Ron started yelling and chasing after his stupid rat.
"Ron!" Hermione yelled after him as we started chasing him.
"Ron, it's a rat!" I called after him as well. Ron pounced on Scabber's in front of a tree. I rolled my eyes just before I noticed which tree it was. He was by the secret entrance of the shrieking shack in the whomping willow. "Ron! Move!"
"The whomping willow." Hermione whispered.
"Ron, run!" Harry yelled at him as I turned to look at whatever Ron was looking at behind us. Sweet. Jesus. A big black bloodhound was standing their growling in our direction. Sirius. Fuck.
"Harry! Hermione! Ash! Run! Run, it's the grim!" I heard Ron yell behind us as I was stood staring at the animagus form of Sirius Black. The grim, it was not. Sirius ran at us so I dragged Harry to the floor and out of his way however Sirius kept running. Towards Ron. Sirius grabbed Ron's leg and started dragging him down the entrance.
"Ron!" I screamed before changing and running at the hole, narrowly missing getting smacked in the head by a branch. I got down the hole and sprinted up the stairs as Sirius released Ron onto the floor who then dragged himself onto the bed, out of the way. I bit Sirius's hind leg making him whine. Good. Whine mother fucker. I growled at him and he growled back, I decided to pounce on him. We went at it biting and scratching until suddenly Sirius grabbed the scruff of my neck and flipped me onto with him standing on me. I changed back at the same time as Sirius panting for breath. "Are you going to kill your goddaughter, Sirius?" I asked cockily. "Your cousin." I whispered almost silently so Ron wouldn't hear. Sirius went rigid and I could see the pain in his eyes. Good.
"No." Sirius whispered. "I am not going to kill you." I looked at him confused.
"So it's just your godson then?" I asked. "The boy who lived? The boy whose parents you betrayed!" I spat in his face glaring.
"No." He whispered again. He dragged me up and pushed me lightly to the other side of the room while he started pacing. "No. I am not going to kill you. You are my little god daughter, my little Chaser..."
"Just like you." I sneered.
"Yes. And Shawna. You look so much like her. You're so grown up and beautiful." Sirius said quietly looking me in the eyes. "I'd never kill you. And I am not going to kill..." Sirius was cut in by Harry banging open the door rushing over to Ron not noticing Sirius at all. Hermione immediately noticed me stonily looking at Sirius and gasped. Hermione's gasp made Harry look and actually notice Sirius. He froze and glared angrily, I could feel his growing anger towards the man, and Harry pulled out his wand.
"Expelliarmus!" Sirius choked out pointing Ron's wand at Harry. I was annoyed that I'd only just realised he had Ron's wand. Harry and Hermione's wands flew in the air and to Sirius, I was glad my wand was still away.
"If you want to kill Harry and Ash you'll have to kill us, too." Hermione screeched suddenly moving to stand in front of Harry.
"There'll be only one murder tonight." Sirius said suddenly grinning which made my blood boil. I was about ready to go for him when Ron grabbed my shirt and pulled me back.
"Why's that?" Harry spat pulling free of Hermione. "Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those muggle's to get at Pettigrew! What's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?" I couldn't actually believe it. Harry was goading him. I just stared at Harry with a gaping mouth.
"Harry, be quiet." Hermione whimpered.
"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!" Harry bellowed then launched himself at Sirius. I tried to launch myself too, to help but Ron suddenly leaned forward, probably causing himself immense pain, and wrapped his arms tightly around my arms, pinning them to my waist. I couldn't even tell what was happening between Harry and Sirius now. The last thing I saw was Sirius hand around Harry's throat and Sirius saying something before all I saw was red. I threw myself at Harry and Sirius with the only intent to split them. I did a karate chop to his throat before he choked a cough and released Harry plus his wand. Then I was up against the wall with Sirius's hand around my neck so I kneed his balls and swung one of my legs making him land on the floor with me. I then saw Harry stood with Ron's wand pointed at Sirius.
"Going to kill me, Harry?" Sirius whispered. I rolled my eyes and made to stand up however I tripped and tangled myself ending up sprawled on the floor.
"Ow." I murmured before I just burst out laughing. The four of them looked at me like I was crazy. "Sorry it's just I'm in the room with my crazed, murdering, escaped-convict godfather who is out to kill me and my best friend and I fall over. It's just beyond stupid." Harry was the only one who chuckled.
"Never could keep a situation serious. Always had to make me laugh." Harry murmured looking up at me slightly.
"Sorry, hun, you're stuck with me." I grinned at him and he chuckled again. I looked at Sirius and he had tears in his eyes.
"Your mum's always wanted to get you two together." Sirius whispered really quietly just before we heard footsteps downstairs.
"WE'RE UP HERE!" Hermione yelled. 'WE'RE UP HERE! SIRIUS BLACK! QUICK!" The thudding got faster and Uncle Moony burst in with his wand.
"Expelliarmus!" Moony yelled and Ron's wand burst from Harry's hand. He ushered us to move away which Harry did.
"I'm comfy." I replied putting my hands behind my hand. Moony gave me his 'move your arse' look so I rolled my eye's but stood up and moved to lean against one of the posts of the bed. Moony walked forward to stand over Sirius and just looked at him.
"Where is he, Sirius?" Moony asked, his voice sounded choked up. Sirius looked at him before he pointed towards Ron. "But then...? Why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless... unless he was the one... unless you switched...without telling me?" He got out his eye's changing like they'd seen the light. I was very confused. Sirius nodded slowly.
"Professor Lupin, what's going...?" Harry started asking but stopped when Moony lowered his wand and pulled Sirius up to hug him.
"No." I whispered wishing to not believe it.
"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione suddenly shrieked on her feet. "You! You!"
"Hermione." Moony said moving away from Sirius.
"You and him!" Hermione continued shrieking.
"Hermione, calm down." Moony said again.
"NO!" I bellowed shocking everyone. I pulled out my wand pointed at Moony. "Expelliarmus!" Ron's wand flew to me and I slipped it in my pocket, my eye's blazing.
"No, Ash..." Moony whispered.
"Get. Over. There." I growled the pain evident in my voice. Moony slowly moved away from Sirius. "You, there." I ordered looking at Sirius, my wand pointed at the other side of the room. Sirius looked at me so I glared hard at him, my eye's wild. "NOW!" I barked. He did as he was told so I turned back to Moony. "Who is the one person I will always protect, no matter what?" I asked him.
"Harry." Moony whispered.
"Then why... the fuck... are you making yourself one of the people... I have to protect him from, Moony?" I asked carefully straining to keep my voice calm.
"Moony?" Sirius suddenly asked.
"Padfoot, Nine Lives. Nine lives, Padfoot." Moony murmured introducing us.
"Marauder?" Sirius asked again smiling lightly and Moony nodded. I lost it. My wand pointed just a bit away from Sirius and a flash of light smashed into the window next to him.
"Congratulations." I drawled. "Introductions made. Now shut the fuck up!"
"Pettigrew's a rat." Sirius whispered so faintly that I was the only one to hear. His eyes were looking straight at Ron on the bed. With his rat. I raised an eyebrow and slowly looked over at Ron and Scabbers. I looked at Moony and then Sirius before the rat again.
"Don't move." I growled at them both and they nodded. I looked over at the bed again and walked towards it. I reached out carefully and picked up the rat to inspect it. I looked at every single one of its paws to see it had a finger on one of his front paws missing. I looked into his black beady eyes and he squeaked. I dropped him and my wand with a clang before racing forward to Moony throwing myself at him and he caught me. And I crushed him into a hug, mentally begging for forgiveness for not believing him. Or at least letting him talk. It all made sense, now. They switched. It was never Sirius. It was him. It was Peter Pettigrew.
"Ash!" Hermione squeaked. "Not you, too."
"No, no, no, no, no." I repeated looking at Hermione.
"I didn't tell anyone! I've been covering up for you...!" Hermione shrieked looking at Moony again. "Ash, don't trust him, Professor Lupin's a werewolf!" Everyone seemed stunned into silence.
"You really are the brightest witch of your age." Uncle Moony commented emotionlessly.
"Your point is?" I asked calmly.
"You knew?" Hermione asked incredulously.
"Hermione, I practically live with the man, including during full moons, of course I know." I replied.
"You've been disappearing during full moons, too. You've been with him." Hermione gasped.
"Yeah. Moony the wolf is alright most of the time. He play fights, it's awesome." I grinned at her.
"How long have you known?" Moony asked from behind me.
"Ages." Hermione admitted. "Since Snape set the werewolf essay, the day Ash walked out of class."
"You walked out of class?" Moony asked me seriously. I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, as soon as I read the bit about werewolves I knew what he was doing so I walked to the front, dropped my books on one of his hands, told him I was sick, called him a prick and left." I grinned at Moony. Moony shook his head while Sirius guffawed in the corner.
"Call him Snivellus, it works better." Sirius grinned at me.
"Cool." I commented.
"Why are you talking to him like that?" Harry asked, his eyes wide.
"Look, Sirius isn't the reason Aunt Lily and Uncle James are dead, it was someone else, I told you about Pettigrew..." I started but Harry cut in.
"Yeah! You told me he was dead!" Harry yelled.
"That's what I thought! That's what I always thought!" I replied yelling. I took a breath before continuing. "Remember the night we came back from detention in first year, when I showed you my animagus, I told you just before I went to bed about my Godfather, Uncle James and Peter being animagi when they were at Hogwarts. Do you remember what I told you?" I asked him. He thought about it.
"You said my dad was a stag, your godfather was a black dog and that Peter was a rat." Harry said slowly.
"Remember back in December when we were in the Three Broomsticks and the teachers with Hagrid and Fudge started talking about Sirius and James and Peter. Remember what they said about Peter? Remember what was the only body part found of Pettigrew's?" I asked him.
"They said all they could find was a finger." Harry replied.
"Look at Scabber's. What is he missing?" I continued. Harry walked to the rat and looked at it. "It's missing a finger on its front paw, right?"
"Coincidence." Harry scoffed.
"Harry James Potter! Don't take that tone with me!" I shrieked at him.
"Now that's just freaky." Sirius muttered.
"I always wondered if she was actually Shawna and Lily's daughter, somehow." Moony replied.
"They always cooed over Aurora doing cute things while Allie was asleep." Sirius said back.
"It's Ash." I said flatly. I started pacing playing with my wands, figuring out a way to convince Harry.
"What's she doing?" Sirius asked.
"She's thinking." Moony and Hermione replied at the same time.
"Did Shawna used to do something like that?" Sirius asked again.
"Yeah but she'd sit on the floor with her legs crossed." Moony replied.
"That's right. She'd chew her lip then she'd start..." Sirius started but I cut him off.
"Will you two shut up? I am trying to think!" I yelled at them.
"And then she'd start yelling at us for talking while she was trying to think and we'd continue talking just to annoy her." Sirius finished grinning. I walked to them both then just slapped them around the back of their heads.
"Shawna was never violent, she must get that from her dad." Moony commented.
"I dunno, Lily was violent towards me and James." Sirius said thoughtfully. They were morons. But then I came up with an idea.
"Aha! Ron, how long have you had Scabber's?" I asked Ron.
"Since first year when mum and dad bought Percy an owl." Ron grumbled.
"And how long did Percy have him?" I asked again pushing for the right answer.
"I dunno, he's always had him. I think he found him in the garden when he was six or seven." Ron replied. "So, all together about twelve years."
"So, 1981. Hermione, what's the average life expectancy for a normal rat?" I asked Hermione.
"Three or Four years." Hermione muttered.
"That is no rat!" Sirius suddenly boomed.
"He's a wizard." Moony said sadly.
"It's Peter Pettigrew!" Sirius finished, stunning the three into silence as I sat on the bed picking up Pettigrew and looking at him.
"Gotcha." I whispered.