Chapter 43 - The Marauder's Story
"The three of you are mental." Ron finally said looking at me. I glared at him.
"Ridiculous." Hermione said quietly.
"He's dead!" Harry yelled. "He killed him twelve years ago." Harry finished pointing at Sirius.
"Oh for fuck sake." I muttered.
"I meant to, but little Peter got the better of me... not this time, though" Sirius started lunging forward for the rat but Moony stopped him. I threw the rat at Ron.
"Don't let him go." I hissed at him and he nodded. I jumped off the bed and went to help Moony.
"Sirius, NO!" Uncle Moony yelled as I got behind him and started pulling him backwards. "WAIT! You can't do it just like that, they need to understand, and we've got to explain."
"You can explain afterwards!" Sirius snarled at Moony.
"Sirius!" I shrieked. "You have to stop!"
"They've... got... a... right... to... know... everything!" Uncle Moony was panting trying to keep Sirius back. "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 stopped struggling. "Ash deserves to know, too. She's grown up hating you and loving the rat a lot longer than the others yet she could easily believe you. You have to tell her."
"Hey! I am not fickle!" I pouted at Moony.
"I didn't call you fickle." Moony replied.
"Yes you did. You just did it in a fancy way." I replied. Sirius looked at me like he recognized me from somewhere.
"All right, then. Tell them whatever you like. But make it quick, Remus. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for." Sirius said looking back at the rat. Moony released him and I gently pulled him back to sit on one of the sofas. "Thank you, Ash is it?" Sirius murmured quietly. I nodded. "Why Ash?"
"Aurora-Shaw Hyde. It's the first letters of my name, it's just a nickname." I smiled lightly at him.
"Who came up with Nine Lives?" Sirius asked again. I nodded at Moony. "When did you learn?"
"I started in First Year and I could do it by Christmas, even though I was on the Quidditch team, I spent as much time as I could learning. It came in handy." I said thoughtfully.
"For Remus." Sirius clarified.
"Err, yeah. For Uncle Moony." I said straight-faced looking away.
"What?" Sirius asked. I shook my head and listened.
"HE'S NOT PETER, HE'S SCABBERS!" Ron was suddenly yelling. I sighed.
"There were witnesses who saw Pettigrew die. A whole street full of them." Harry said. Sirius jumped up.
"They didn't see what they thought they saw!" Sirius said savagely looking at the bed.
"Everyone thought they saw Sirius kill Pettigrew but when you think about it, muggle's don't know what they're seeing. It's dead easy for a wizard to hide a wand behind his back and start shouting and sobbing and all that. Honestly, it was always hard for me to believe that Pettigrew wouldn't have fought back." I replied.
"McGonagall said he was a rubbish dueller." Harry stated.
"Malfoy's a rubbish fighter but he still always gets a punch in. If you're attacking someone you go first, Sirius would have at least had a mark on him, and he never did." I retorted.
"Even I believed it until today. Ash is right. He was on the map. The Marauder's Map never lies. Peter is alive. Ron's holding him, Harry." Moony finished looking at Harry.
"But Professor Lupin... Scabber's can't be Pettigrew... it just can't be true, you know it can't..." Hermione said in a calm-ish voice.
"Why can't it be true?" Moony asked her.
"Because people would know... the ministry would know. They keep tabs on animagi..." Hermione tried to explain but I cut in.
"They don't know about me." I stated.
"But Dumbledore does. And you're only thirteen, the ministry have no reason to believe you would be... And Dumbledore knows you use your animagi to keep us safe. You've saved people in your animagi so Dumbledore's okay with it." Hermione finished.
"But the ministry knows people have been saved under suspicious circumstances, they just don't care. If they looked into it they would find out. And Sirius, Peter and Uncle James learned while at Hogwarts so no one suspects them either and they were just better at keeping it a secret than me." I retorted.
"They never knew of the unregistered animagi running around Hogwarts back then, why would they now?" Moony asked. I suddenly looked towards the doorway when I heard someone's faint steps.
"If you're going to tell them the story, get a move on, Remus." Sirius snarled. "I've waited twelve years, I'm not going to wait much longer." I was staring straight towards the door now but it seemed oblivious to everyone.
"All right... but you'll need to help me, Sirius. I only know how it began..." Moony stopped when there was a creak outside. He noticed me staring towards the door. He walked towards the door and into the hallway. "There's no one here." Moony called back before walking back in. He shut the door. I walked towards my wand and picked it up before pointing it at the door.
"Colloportus." I whispered as quietly as possible before I went back to the sofa and swung my legs over Sirius.
"This place is haunted!" Ron said.
"It's not." Moony replied "The Shrieking Shack was never haunted. The screams and howls the villagers used to hear were made by me."
"Now I understand the howler you sent Ash, last year." Harry commented.
"You sent Ash a howler?" Sirius chuckled. "Why?"
"These three," Moony pointed to me, Harry and Ron. "Flew a car from London to Hogwarts and crashed it into the Whomping Willow!"
"A car?" Sirius asked while gasping for air while he laughed.
"It was Ash's idea." Ron grumbled.
"You crashed it!" I shrieked.
"The argument was never settled." Harry sighed.
"Even after a year." Hermione added.
"Flew a car..." Sirius just kept laughing. I chuckled.
"Anyway." Moony commented making Sirius attempt to stop laughing. And then Moony went on with the werewolf story and the start of the marauders. A story I had heard many times so I practically stopped listening. I fiddled with my wand for a bit before I got bored.
"Orchideous." I whispered and a bouquet of flowers left my wand. I pulled out the Calla Lily and pushed it into my hair. "Evanesco." I whispered again, making the flowers disappear. He's beyond cute. And funny. And smart. And kind. And I now willingly admit that I have a crush on him. A huge crush.
"I know that look." Sirius said pulling me out my thoughts. "Who's the lucky boy?"
"Huh?" I asked confused.
"The boy you were just thinking about." Sirius grinned at me. My jaw dropped. "I've seen many girl's with that look. Towards me, of course."
"Smooth, Padfoot." Moony commented. "And that would be a Mr. Cedric Diggory." My jaw dropped further.
"You like Cedric again?" Hermione asked me.
"You only just broke up with Dean." Ron said.
"Me and Dean are better as friends. We both agreed." I replied to Ron.
"My little heart breaker." Sirius grinned.
"With how many guys I see looking at Ash, I'd think she was your daughter." Moony commented. I rolled my eyes.
"Can I help being gorgeous?" I asked grinning.
"Smooth, Nine Lives." Moony grinned. "And she'll always be the daughter of the Marauders."
"Cool." I grinned at them.
"Professor Lupin, how did that help you? The Marauder's being with you?" Hermione asked puzzled.
"As animagi they could stay with me, keep me company. The wolf liked them. I didn't do as much damage to myself. It was always better with Sirius and James there with me just like it is when Ash is there. Her being an animagus was the best gift she gave to me." Moony smiled at me. "Sorry Sirius, he likes her more."
"You win some, you lose some." Sirius grinned at Moony. I then heard some heavy breathing. Outside of the room. Someone was listening!
"Alohamora!" I hissed at the door before I walked over and threw it open. "Petrificus Totalus!" Someone fell with a thud. I walked towards whoever it was and kneeled down. I pulled off the invisibility cloak and saw Snape. "You sneaky Slytherin." I grabbed his wand and walked back into the room. "Missing something?" I asked Harry chucking him his cloak and throwing Snape's wand onto the bed. "Snape's been listening."
"Slimy git." Harry muttered. I pointed my wand at Snape.
"Leggero." I floated Snape onto one of the sofas. "What do we do with him? He knows I'm an animagus and I'd rather he didn't."
"I don't know." Uncle Moony sighed.
"What does he want?" Sirius growled.
"Finite Incantatem. Yes, Professor Snape?" I asked him as he sat up.
"I came to Lupin's office to give him his Wolfbane's potion to discover a certain map on his desk. And on this map I would see Remus and Sirius together again. I've told the Headmaster again and again you were helping your old friend Black into the castle, Lupin, and here's the proof. And Miss Hyde or maybe you are Miss Black. Yes, I heard what you was saying, I have noticed before the uncanny similarities between you and Black here. Perhaps Shawna had an affair. And of course you would help your dear old Father back into the castle. Although I thought you and Potter were close, saying that everyone thought Sirius and James were close. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Snape sneered. I was stunned into silence. And then I got angry. I flew forward and slapped him across the face. Hermione gasped. Snape glared at me.
"My father is Liam Hyde. I may hate the bastard but he's still my dad. Do not forget it." I hissed at him. Snape reached forward and grabbed my wand pointing it at me. He stood up but I didn't move while he pointed my own wand in my chest.
"Ash!" Moony yelled before charging forward and pulling me back.
"Three for Azkaban tonight, I believe." Snape sneered again.
"Severus you're making a mistake. You haven't heard everything... I can explain... Sirius is not here to kill Harry..." Moony tried to explain.
"I shall be interested to see how Dumbledore takes this... he was quite convinced you were harmless, you know, Lupin... a tame werewolf. And one of his favourite students... the best friend of Potter..." Snape said with a grin.
"You fool. Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting three innocent people inside Azkaban?" Uncle Moony asked him softly. There was a bang from my wand and ropes wrapped themselves around Uncle Moony. I gasped and was ready to kill but Harry stopped me. Sirius, however charged forward, Snape pointed my wand in between his eyes.
"Give me a reason." Snape whispered. "Give me a reason to do it and I swear I will."
"Tell the three of them... tell them why you are trying to get their thirteen year old friend thrown in Azkaban at the mercy of the dementors." Sirius said back. Snape glared at him. "A young girl."
"Sirius." I whispered.
"Or perhaps I should." Sirius continued, ignoring me. "I pranked Snape. I thought it would be funny, I was a marauder, and it's what we did. It was a full moon and we let Snape hear me talking about Remus. I told him that Remus would be sneaking out to the Shrieking Shack. So that night, Snape went to the shack and found Remus as a werewolf. It was stupid and dangerous but I thought that he would just hear the growling and would run. He'd just get scared. Your father, Harry, James found out and went racing to stop him. Your father, Harry, saved his life. And that is why he is trying to get your friend thrown in Azkaban, Harry."
"You're going to get yourself killed, Sirius." I murmured.
"A joke?" Harry asked loudly from behind me. "You hate them because of a joke? You hate me and make my lessons with you hell because of a joke?"
"Professor Snape..." Hermione tried to say but Snape found his voice again.
"KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL!" Snape shouted. "DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Hermione jaw snapped shut while I growled quietly. "Vengeance is very sweet. How I hoped I would be the one to catch you..."
"The joke's on you again, Severus." Sirius snarled. "As long as this boy brings his rat up to the castle, I'll come quietly..."
"Up to the castle?" Snape asked. "I don't think we need to go that far. All I have to do is call the Dementors once we get out of the Willow. They'll be very pleased to see you, Black... pleased enough to give you a little kiss, I daresay..."
"No, Snape, you've just got to listen. You've got all wrong! Completely wrong..." I begged Snape.
"Shut up!" He hissed back. "You've been helping a convicted murderer into the castle, you never know, you and your Uncle may get a kiss, too." I grinned at him. I decided there and then that if I was going out, I was going out in style. "What are you smirking at?" Snape snapped.
"Ash?" Harry asked me sounding worried.
'ACCIO MY FUCKING WAND!' I bellowed in my head with my hand held out and my wand shot away from Snape and into my hand. "STUPEFY!" I screamed at him and he went sailing backwards, into the chair. "You do not fucking mess my family. Finite Incantatem." I pointed my wand at Moony and the ropes disappeared.
"You attacked a teacher." Hermione whimpered.
"He threatened me with my soul being sucked out. Yeah, I did." I replied. "Prove it's him." I said to Sirius. He nodded. Moony stood up with his wand while Sirius picked up Snape's. I walked over to the bed and picked up the rat and walked to the middle of the room, between Moony and Sirius.
"Ready, Sirius?" Moony asked.
"Together?" Sirius asked back quietly.
"I think so." Moony replied. "On the count of three. One. Two. THREE!"