Author's Note:

Well, this is The Chapter. I cried while I wrote it. I'm sorry/not sorry.

Reviews and Comments: To Steelcode: It is nice to see everyone doing well for once. Yes, the Insominacs Club, that was fun! To speedsONEandONLY: Ha, yes Charlie is definitely not impressed that in the decade he's known his best friend, she's never once let him call her Nymphadora LOL. Thanks for loving Theo! He's definitely fun and I have a lot of plans for him. He and Ginny are going to become great friends. Thanks for liking how Harry understood Seamus. I wanted Harry to be supportive of his friend. Ha, Ginny may indeed make that case to Molly LOL. As to Sophie being a hookup or something more… wait and see. Thank you! To coloredwords: Thank you for saying Theodore Nott is such an underrated character, I completely agree. I have so many plans for him plot wise! I can't wait! Thank you! I do think Charlie is a bit aromatic, but mostly I consider him bisexual. I like him choosing his lovers when he wants to and not looking for anything more. As to Harry telling Sirius… we'll see. Thank you! To Ana: I agree, nothing is greater than some good friendships! Tonks does mean a lot to Charlie and vice versa. Thank you for liking the Theo and Ginny scene. They are definitely going to become real friends! Yes, Harry did win a game and got a handjob! As to telling Sirius about it… wait and see. Thank you! I love that you're always grinning like a fool when you read one of my chapters!

To scrappy8: Thank you! To Wolf's scream: It is a very special tattoo for Charlie and I like to think perfect. Ha, keeping the tattoo a secret from Molly is a good idea, but only because he doesn't want the lecture. I loved adding the and I have dragons bit, so thank you. Yeah, Ron won't be too pleased to see his sister hanging out with a Slytherin. Thank you! To PolarWriter95: Yes, Harry is starting to grow up a bit! Thank you! To Guest: Ginny is a badass in her own right and yes, she will date people eventually as well. We will definitely see some of that in the future! Thank you! To LunaFireFly11: Thank you! We will definitely see Charlie more. I have a few plans for him in the future! Yes, I love writing even small interactions between Harry and Ginny, their friendship, and how they are always touching each other. An arm around her, or sitting extra close in a chair to offer comfort. They have a bond. I'm glad Theo and Ginny meeting was unexpected. I hope you like where that story goes! Thank you!

To Matt9917: Thank you! Harry will be with Ginny eventually, but right now he only sees her as a friend. To Claire Frasercf: Yes, Harry is starting to gain confidence in the girl department. Ha, he does deserve those little first hand experiences, no pun intended. That made me chuckle. Yes, Ginny is going to get her own experiences and we will see more of her. Thank you! To x-shadows-x-kisses-x: Thank you! I love knowing I've intrigued people with my Ginny and Theo friendship! To alix33: I love that Charlie's tattoo and the meaning behind it moved you to tears, thank you! Agreed, Cho bragging about dating Harry Potter definitely makes her more of a bitch. Ginny and Theo had chocolate pudding. Yes, Fred definitely got his own little fun in after the Quidditch win! To Greatherthan84: I wouldn't say Harry is going to be a ladies man, but he will have more experience than he did in canon. Ginny is making new friends and yes we'll see her new boyfriend eventually. Just not yet. She's not there yet. Thank you!

Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!

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As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!

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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-EIGHT:

The One Where Bellatrix Shows Up

Harry stretched his legs out in front of him as he lay back on his elbows looking out at the lake. Exams were finally over and he was feeling pretty good about his marks, including Arithmancy. He looked over at Ron who was skipping stones on the Black Lake and was rolling his eyes at Hermione as she asked him question after question about their History of Magic exam and trying to see if Ron had put down the same answers as her.

"For Merlin's sake, 'Mione, we already know you got perfect — stop with the review!"

Harry snorted as Hermione looked rather put out. "Hermione we've told you before, no one wants to rewrite the exam after it's done. I'm sure you did great. You've been studying non-stop twenty-four/seven for weeks now. Sit down. Breathe. Take a break. They're finally over."

Neville smirked from where he sat cross-legged next to Harry. "I even think I did okay. That obstacle course that Professor Lupin had us go through was amazing."

Hermione blanched and her cheeks heated with embarrassment. She hadn't been able to defeat the Boggart on her exam after it had turned into Professor McGonagall claiming that she had failed everything and couldn't return to Hogwarts next year. Harry had tried to reassure her that it wasn't true, but she hadn't truly believed it, and he knew that she was terrified to see her exam marks now.

"I had no trouble with the obstacle course in Defence Club, but of course that one doesn't count towards my mark!"

Harry smiled sympathetically at her. "No, you did great on that, but it was only a Boggart, Hermione. It wasn't real. There wasn't a Boggart in the course from Defence Club."

She frowned, pouting at his words.

Neville stretched his arms up over his head. "I wish it would storm already. I'm dying to know what animal I can be."

"I know, me too," Harry said with a grin. "We have to figure out how to get the six of us together in case it storms this summer. The potion is ready. If it doesn't storm by the time we go home, I'm going to lock them in a case to put in my trunk."

Neville nodded. "Yeah, I'd say maybe we could all spend the summer together, but you're going to be in America."

"Only for a month," he said with a grin. He was looking forward to it if he was honest. "I really like Zee's grandparents and they want me to call them Grandma and Grandpa, which is nice. Plus going to Georgia is going to be brilliant. I heard it's quite hot there in the summer."

"Probably, I don't know, I've never been to America. But it was pretty hot in Brazil."

"Brazil's definitely hotter," Harry said with a grin.

"What about Sophie?" Ron asked, grinning at his friend as he continued to skip rocks in the lake. "She's going to miss you."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Sophie and I are not together, Ron. We just snogged that one night. We were… celebrating Gryffindor's win together."

Hermione sighed. "Sophie snogs everyone, Harry. You're better off, trust me."

He smirked at her. "You're just saying that because you didn't like Cho."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's not that I disliked her," she said dismissively. "I just didn't get the chance to find out as she went out of her way to ignore your friends."

"I disliked her," Ron said, winking at Harry.

He snorted and dragged his fingers through his hair. "Girls are complicated anyway. Snogging Sophie was great and honestly, just what I needed after that spectacular Gryffindor win, but I'm not looking to date anyone right now. Besides, Sophie and I both had a bit too much Firewhiskey — which might have attributed to our snogging."

Hermione grinned. "No, Sophie just really likes to snog everyone."

Harry chuckled. "I just want to go home and spend my summer with Uncle Sirius and Zee in Georgia and find out what my Animagus form will be."

He reached over to pet Crookshanks when he wandered over to him, nuzzling into his side. The ugly cat had grown on him a bit. He scratched him behind the ears and Crookshanks closed his eyes in contentment and then he tensed. Harry looked down at the cat in concern when he suddenly made a hissing noise and turned to run towards the lake.

"Crooks!" Harry called out. "Where are you going?"

"He's always running off around the grounds," Hermione told him as she jumped to her feet to try to see where Crookshanks was running off too. "I didn't expect him to be such an outdoor cat."

Harry stood up as well, dusting off his jeans. "He must have saw something to chase. Don't worry, he'll be back."

Hermione frowned at that. "I hate when he disappears like that, but he always wants to be outside."

Harry shrugged and put his arm around her shoulders. "He likes it outside. Let him run loose and enjoy himself. We should head back to the castle and see if we can sneak down to the kitchens for a snack.

Ron nodded, tossing his last few stones into the lake. "Now that I agree with!"

"We just ate an hour ago!" Hermione protested.

Neville grinned, standing up with his friends. "I could go for a snack as well."

"Boys," Hermione muttered, rolling her eyes. "Let me just get Crookshanks. I don't want him wandering around the forest in the dark. I'll meet you inside. I'm assuming that you're heading down to the kitchens?"

Harry nodded. "Absolutely. Do you think the house elves have any of that pudding left?"

Ron moaned. "Ah, I hope so! It was fantastic! Or one of those white chocolate cranberry scones?"

Neville nodded. "Before we head down there, it's just about sunset, should we do the incantation?"

Harry grinned. "Yeah, good call Nev."

The four of them took out their wands and muttered the proper incantation over themselves to help prepare for the Animagus transformation.

"Amato Animo Animato Animagus," Harry said clearly as he heard his friends say the same. He grinned at them when they finished. "Now, if it would just storm already!"

Ron nodded eagerly. "Tell me about it. So, white chocolate cranberry scone?"

Harry grinned at his friend as the three of them headed towards the castle discussing what kind of snacks they could find and Hermione moved towards the greenhouses in an attempt to find her cat.

Less than a minute later, they heard a shriek and Ron grabbed Harry's arm. "Hermione!"

The three of them turned and ran towards the greenhouses, eyes searching for their friend or for the source of the scream. They ran around greenhouse five and Harry's blood ran cold. His eyes widened when he recognized the short, balding man with his arms wrapped around Hermione's waist, his wand pointed at her neck. Hermione's wand was still holstered at her hip.

"YOU!" he bellowed, his eyes flashing in anger. "Let her go!"

Pettigrew only smiled. "Eventually."

He stunned her and she collapsed against him and then he cried, "Immobulus," and the branches of the Whomping Willow froze as he dove to the ground and pulled Hermione with him and they slid into the underground tunnel disappearing from their view.

"He took Hermione!" Ron exclaimed in horror and before either Harry or Neville could stop him, Ron ran under the tree and slid into the tunnel.

"Harry," Neville said. "That was Pettigrew!"

Harry nodded as the tree branches began to move again. "I know."

"How did he get onto the school grounds?" Neville asked, his voice terrified.

"He came in through the Shrieking Shack."

"He came from the Shrieking Shack?" Neville asked in horror.

Harry nodded, feeling unnaturally calm as the anger surged through him. "It's where this tunnel leads." He made to point his wand at the tree when he noticed Crookshanks belly-crawling under the moving branches and touched the small knot on the base. He grinned widely. "Good job, Crooks, good job!"

Neville grabbed his arm as he made to go below the tree. "You're not going after him, Harry! This has big fucking trap written all over it!"

Harry stared at the tree for a minute and then he wrenched himself away from his friend and dove towards the tunnel, slipping under the tree. He heard his friend yell out after him, but he didn't care.

Neville was probably right, but this man had betrayed his parents.

This man had been sentenced to die in Azkaban only to escape.

He had stalked his godfather and tried to get him to kill him.

And now he was here, and he had taken Hermione.

He wasn't going to let her or Ron get hurt because of him.

He turned to Neville when he felt the hand on his shoulder. "Go, get help. Let someone know that Pettigrew's been spotted."

Neville ignored him. "And let you get yourself killed? No way. I'm coming with you!"

Harry nodded, surprisingly grateful at the thought. "All right; let's find Ron and Hermione."

The two of them carefully moved towards the broken staircase, climbing up the creaking steps. Seeing the damage to the house: The broken steps, the walls full of scratches and blood, torn furniture and shredded fabric… it was worse than he had imagined. His father had done all of this he thought.

He stepped into the bedroom on the left where the door was slightly ajar, Neville behind him and both of their wands drawn.

Ron was on the ground, his leg bent at a strange angle and Hermione was still stunned next to him. Pettigrew stood in the corner, both of their wands in his hands.

"I had hoped that you would come after your friend," he said softly. "Prongs would have."

Harry's hand tightened on his wand. "Expell—"

"— Protego!" Pettigrew shouted, erecting himself in a strong shield. "Drop your wands and I won't hurt you."

Harry glared at him. "You won't hurt me? You kidnapped my friend! Ron's leg is broken!"

Peter looked strained. "That was an accident."

"What do you want, Wormtail?" Harry demanded through clenched teeth. The sight of the man hiding behind the shield was enough to make him see red.

Peter half-smiled. "In another life you would have called me Uncle Pete. I think about that sometimes, about what I lost."

"About what you threw away!" Harry exclaimed. "You betrayed my parents! You're the reason that they're dead! Uncle Sirius had to go to prison because you framed him! You hurt everyone around you!"

He nodded. "You were at my trial, you know that my betrayal wasn't that cut and dried."

"I don't care! They should be alive and you should be dead!"

"Maybe that's true, but I'm not dead," he said slowly, his eyes full of sadness. "I wanted to die. Merlin, I dreamed about it for the longest time and I knew that if anyone would help me with my wish it would be Padfoot. He was always a loose canon; prone to anger and tantrums. The 'Black Madness,' we used to tease him, his dear cousin Bella sure had it in spades as did his mother. He should have killed me."

Harry glared at him. "He wouldn't risk leaving me!"

Peter nodded, licking his lips. "I see that now and seeing you… you look just like Prongs. He wouldn't have let anyone kidnap one of his friends either."

"What do you want, Wormtail?" Harry demanded a second time as Neville made a move towards Ron and Hermione.

"Take another step, boy, and you'll be on the ground with them," Peter warned.

Neville swallowed, but stayed where he was.

Peter stared at him for a moment before he turned his attention back to Harry. "I made a lot of wrong choices that I have to live with now. I'm not proud of the things I've done and being stuck with Bella all these months hasn't exactly been the pleasant picnic that escaping from prison should have been. I've done more things that I'm not proud of; things that I'll regret for the rest of my life — and I know that I'll only survive as long as I'm useful. I know that. And I do want to be useful."

Harry's eyes flashed in anger. "So, you're going to kill me then? Present me to your precious Dark Lord and stomp out the last bit of humanity that you still have left? My parents loved you! Uncle Siri and Uncle Rem loved you, and you threw it all away!"

"I'm not going to kill you, Harry. I told you, I'm not here to hurt you. I want you to pass on a message for me."

"I'm not going to pass on any bloody message for you! Let me and my friends go and you can have a head start on escaping the Dementors!"

Peter paled slightly at his words, but he held his wand out. "Listen to me, Prongs II —"

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CALL ME THAT!" Harry shouted. "YOU LOST THAT RIGHT THE MOMENT THAT YOU BETRAYED MY PARENTS!"

Neville made to grab his arm, but Harry was faster.

He didn't know what he was thinking. He didn't even know what he was planning, but he dove at Pettigrew, shield be damned, and to his surprise, Pettigrew dropped his guard and the shield went down as Harry landed on top of him. He punched him in the face, hitting him everywhere he could. Tears were in his eyes, but he kept hitting him until he was suddenly blasted backwards into his friends and Ron moaned as he landed on his leg.

Pettigrew disarmed both Harry and Neville, his breathing heavy and his nose bleeding as he stood up and straightened his robes. "That was stupid of you, Harry." He wiped the blood from his lip, wand pointed at the four of them. "You can hate me as much as you want, I don't care. I deserve it and much worse. But you will listen to this message. There's a cup, a golden cup, that the Dark Lord gave to Bella as a gift years ago."

Harry's eyes widened at his words. "What?"

Peter wiped at the blood on his lip again as he spoke. "She's been bragging that the Dark Lord presented her with a gift and that she keeps it hidden in her bank vault."

"Why should I care about a cup?" Harry asked carefully, determined not to give anything away.

Peter snorted. "I may be a rat, but I've heard things. The way she talks about this gift you'd think it was the Second Coming. I want you to tell Sirius for me. Padfoot would never listen to me himself. Tell him."

Harry swallowed, what exactly did Wormtail know? But he only nodded just as they heard footsteps on the stairs. "Who else is here?"

Peter looked fearful as he shook his head. "No one else should be."

The door flung open and Peter paled when her dark eyes landed on him before raking across the four teens on the floor.

"My, my, Wormtail, I let you out of my sight for a few hours and you get up to all sorts of trouble."

"Bella, how did you find me?"

She smirked at him. "Did you really think that we would have let you have free rein without installing a tracking charm on you? Silly, Wormtail."

Neville was moving to his feet, his face pale. "Lestrange," he whispered almost reverently.

Bellatrix turned to look over at him. "Oh, you've heard of me, boy? I see my reputation gives me away. And what's your name?"

"Neville Longbottom," he said, defiantly.

Bellatrix smiled now. "Ooh, the little darling babe your mum tried so hard to protect from me! If the Aurors hadn't shown up when they had, we would have kept you alive for days. Tell me, Longbottom: How are mum and dad doing these days?"

Neville growled and Harry grabbed the back of his robes.

"Neville, no!"

She smirked and turned her attention back to Peter. "Now, tell me, Wormtail, what are you doing in this ramshackle house with four children?"

Neville was still fighting against Harry's grip and Harry shoved him roughly to his side and put a finger to his lips. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the wands held loosely in Pettigrew's hands. He had only been successful once and quite by accident when he had dropped his wand in the dark of the obstacle course during his Defence Against the Dark Arts exam and muttered 'lumos' and had watched in amazement as his wand had lit up two metres away. But he concentrated hard now and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"

Bellatrix jolted in surprise as Peter fell to the ground and all five wands came soaring out at Harry. Bellatrix gripping her own wand tightly and preventing it from joining the others. Harry tucked Hermione's into his holster, but gave Ron and Neville back theirs; he held Pettigrew's in his other hand as he carefully slipped the mirror into Ron's hand.

"This one is powerful," Bellatrix said with a sneer. Her eyes raked over him and then they widened when they saw the lightning bolt scar. "Potter!"

"That's right," he said defiantly. "Unless you want to see how I defeated your precious Dark Lord as a baby, I suggest that you take Wormtail with you and get the fuck out of here while you still can."

"Ooh, little baby has a dirty mouth on him," she taunted. "I bet I could keep you alive for weeks after I washed that dirty mouth out with soap."

"Bella," Peter hissed, grabbing her arm. "He belongs to the Dark Lord. It's not time."

She glared at him, but nodded. "We'll leave the children alive I suppose," her eyes moving over to Neville with a cruel smile. "For now. Though I'd really like to know how baby Longbottom's mum and dad are doing. Do they remember me, do you think?"

Neville let out a war cry and dove at her just as Peter grabbed his wand from a surprised Harry's grasp and grabbed Bella to Apparate away at the same time. Harry made to stop Neville and then let out a strangled gasp as the three of them disappeared with a resounding crack.

~ ASC ~

Remus sat his desk, his eyes on the Marauder's Map. Harry had done a splendid job adding to it. He had given it to him last week, but with the exams and the marking, he hadn't found the time to look it over. He traced the lines of the Chamber of the Secrets, the secret passageway in from the dungeons, the way through the girl's bathroom, the new doorway that McGonagall and Dumbledore had created in the hall next to the girl's bathroom, and the anti-chambers all throughout. It looked wonderful and he couldn't see any flaws in his boy's work. It made him proud especially since he was a full year younger than he and his fellow Marauders had been when they decided to make the map in the first place.

He looked up when Snape came into the room carrying the steaming goblet and smiled. "Thank you, Severus."

He nodded. "I see that you didn't resign."

"No, I did not," Remus said, calmly. "I love teaching and as long as Dumbledore will keep me here, I plan to stay."

Snape looked like he wanted to say something but only nodded at him. "Drink that. The moon should be rising in the next half hour."

Remus nodded as Snape closed the office door behind him. He wasn't sure what it was that Sirius and Tonks had said to Snape all those months ago, but he had definitely been a lot nicer. Not quite friendly, but in the zone of it which in itself was a huge improvement. He looked back down at the map to see where Harry was. He wanted to give him back the map before he headed home to his cellar, but then his blood ran cold as he watched in horror as the name Peter Pettigrew disappeared under the Whomping Willow with Hermione Granger and seconds later, a Ron Weasley hurried in after them. He watched the names Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom hover near the base of the tree before they too disappeared below.

And then his wand was in his hand and he was running.

If Peter harmed Harry in any way he was going to kill him. He would kill him with his bare hands if he had to.

But he would kill him.

~ ASC ~

Zee was curled up on the sofa in Sirius' living room, Marauder's head resting on her lap and Sirius' arm around her shoulders. Lady Godiva was sleeping beneath them peacefully. She smiled as she held her tea in her hands.

"How do you think Harry's exams went?"

"Good, I hope," he said. "He's a really smart kid when he puts his mind to it. Plus, I told him that I'd pay him five Galleons for every O he brought home."

"Blackmail," she said with a smirk. "Aren't you sneaky?"

He grinned and gently toyed with her curls. "I can be. I have to get going, Remus needs me."

His mirror vibrated in his pocket. "Speaking of Harry," he said with a grin, tugging it out and holding it up so that they could both see him. "Hi, Harry."

"Sirius," Ron whispered. "Shrieking Shack, Pettigrew and Lestrange, you have to come."

Sirius paled as he and Zee both jumped to their feet as Ron's head turned away from the mirror. They could only see his ear now, but they both heard Harry's voice quite clearly.

"Unless you want to see how I defeated your precious Dark Lord as a baby, I suggest that you take Wormtail with you and get the fuck out of here while you still can."

Then the mirror went blank and Zee paled. She snapped her fingers at Lady Godiva and the panther jumped to her feet. The three of them ran out of the house to the Apparation point and in seconds had Disapparated to Hogsmeade, arriving just outside of the Shrieking Shack.

Sirius sent a Patronus out to Tonks and to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement warning them that Pettigrew and Lestrange had been seen in Hogsmeade. Lady Godiva growled as they approached the Shack and Sirius found the front door open. He swore and hurried inside just as he heard the sound of someone Disapparating from upstairs.

~ ASC ~

Harry was staring blankly at the spot where Pettigrew and Lestrange had just been standing.

Neville was gone.

His eyes were wide as he looked at Ron. "They took him!"

Ron winced as he attempted to stand and Harry put his arm around his friend. "We'll get him back. Sirius is on his way by now."

Hermione stirred and Harry propped Ron up against the bedpost to check on her. "'Mione, hey, you all right?"

She put a hand to her head, but nodded and her eyes widened as she looked around the desecrated bedroom they were in. "Where are we?"

"The Shrieking Shack. Pettigrew and Lestrange took Neville."

"WHAT?" she exclaimed as the door burst open and Lady Godiva prowled into the room. Her yellow eyes moved across the room quickly before she made straight for Harry and rubbed her head against his thigh.

"Hi, Lady G," he said with a smile. "I'm okay."

The panther seemed to accept this, but stood in front of him as Sirius and Zee came up the stairs.

"Harry!" Zee exclaimed, her eyes in terror. "Are you all right?"

Sirius was checking the room, his eyes stormy. "Where are they?"

"Uncle Siri, they Disapparated, and they took Neville!"

"WHAT?" Sirius exclaimed, moving to grab his son's shoulder. "They took Neville?"

He nodded. "I don't think they meant to, but Bellatrix was taunting him and I tried to hold him back, but he jumped at her and Wormtail grabbed at her to Disapparate at the same time and… they all disappeared."

Sirius hugged him tightly before he let go. "What the hell were the four of you doing in here with them?" He noticed Ron then and he immediately moved to put his arm around the boy's waist. "Lean on me, Ron."

Ron thanked him as Harry moved to his other side. "He took Hermione."

Zee was checking Hermione over. She had a few small scrapes, but seemed otherwise all right. "You were stunned?"

She nodded. "I feel a bit woozy, but otherwise all right."

Zee smiled at her. "You'll be fine. Now, what happened?"

"It was my fault," Hermione said, sadly. "I let my guard down."

"Hermione, it's not your fault! How were you supposed to know that Wormtail was waiting for you?" Harry exclaimed. He was trembling in anger that this had happened. And Neville! Of all the people for Neville to have disappeared with, Bellatrix Lestrange was the worst possible choice. "We have to get Neville back!"

"We will. Wormtail has no reason to kidnap Neville; we'll get him back," Sirius said almost as if to reassure himself. They both knew that it wasn't Pettigrew that they were really worried about. He turned to look back at Hermione. "What did Harry mean when he said that he was waiting for you?" he asked, his eyes flashing in anger as they slowly attempted to help Ron down the stairs.

Lady Godiva trailed after them, occasionally rubbing against Harry and Sirius as if to reassure them of her protecting presence.

Hermione nodded. "We were down by the lake just relaxing after our last exam and Harry said that he was hungry. We decided to go back to the castle to see if the house elves had any snacks in the kitchen, but Crookshanks had wandered off and I wanted to find him first. I headed towards the greenhouses after my cat and Ron, Neville, and Harry headed back to the castle. I was calling for Crooks and I bent to whistle for him and someone grabbed me from behind."

"We heard her scream," Ron said, wincing as slowly made it down the last step. "We ran after her and Pettigrew was standing there, holding her in his arms at wand-point. Then he stunned her and ran towards the Whomping Willow."

"Ron ran after them immediately and Neville and I followed a few minutes later, after Crookshanks pressed the knot under the tree to stop the branches from attacking us."

"I ran under the tree after them and Pettigrew sent a jelly-legs jinx at me when I was halfway up the stairs, I got hit and crashed through the railing of the staircase. My legs wouldn't stop moving so I fell weird, hence my broken leg," Ron explained. "I could hear him moving around upstairs, but then he came down and levitated me up into the room and on the ground next to Hermione. He took both of our wands and he said that we were waiting for Harry. That Harry was James' son so that he would come for his friends. Then Bellatrix showed up, said something about tracking Pettigrew."

Harry swallowed. "It all happened so fast, Uncle Siri!"

Sirius nodded as they moved towards the tunnel just as Remus came running in. "Pettigrew! I saw him on the map!"

"He was here, but he's gone," Harry said.

Remus was pale as he reached up to hold both of his hands in his hair, his eyes wide. "Did he hurt you? Ron, what happened to your leg?"

"We're getting the story, Moony," Sirius said, urging his friend to keep walking. "Let's get Ron up to the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey is much better at setting bones than I am."

"Uncle Moony, they took Neville!"

Remus' eyes widened. "They took Neville? Peter did?"

"And Bellatrix," Sirius spat. "If that bitch lays a single hand on him, I will kill her myself."

They ducked under the frozen branches of the Willow and slowly moved onto the Hogwarts grounds.

"Ron, you still doing okay?"

He nodded, wincing slightly, his arms draped around both Harry and Sirius' shoulders. "I'll be fine."

Zee had her arm wrapped around Hermione as they walked in front and Hermione squealed. "Crooks!"

The cat came around to her and Hermione picked up her cat, holding him close.

"We've already alerted the Aurors about Pettigrew and Lestrange, but we will let them know that they have Neville as well," Zee said, scratching Crookshanks behind the ears. "We'll get him back. You two get Ron up to the castle, Hermione and I will hurry to try to catch the Aurors and let them know that they've taken Neville.

Harry nodded at her as she and Hermione ran off towards the castle. They moved slowly with Ron between them and Remus leading the way with the panther trailing behind them as they saw Tonks running out from the other side of the castle towards them.

"Are you okay?" she asked, kissing Harry's cheek. "I arrived in Remus' office and saw all of you by the Whomping Willow tree on the Map just as I got the Patronus. Kingsley is on his way over and the Minister of Magic is coming too. He's ordered the Dementors to kiss Pettigrew and Lestrange on sight."

"They deserve it," Sirius spat, bitterly.

Tonks moved to Remus, grabbing his arm, her eyes on the sky. "Rem, you need to get home. The moon is going to rise any moment."

Remus' eyes widened as he realized what she was saying. "I saw Pettigrew with Harry on the map and I just… Dora, I didn't drink it."

Tonks nodded, wrapping her arms around his waist. "It's okay, come on. We can still make it."

Sirius' eyes moved up to the sky; the sun had almost completely set by now and he shook his head. "I don't think so, Tonks."

Remus pushed her away as the moon rose and the pain ripped through him. His clothing shredded and the snapping of his bones seemed to echo around them. Sirius stunned him, but that only made him snarl as he rolled and his body shifted. His face elongated, his snout sniffing the air, and then the golden brown wolf turned its large head, its long teeth glinting in the moonlight, and he howled.

Lady Godiva moved in front of them all, growling back at the wolf. Sirius reached out to touch Lady Godiva's head.

"Easy, we don't want to hurt the wolf, Lady G. The wolf is our friend."

Remus howled again, his teeth glinting as his large paws pat the ground impatiently, eyeing the people behind the panther apprehensively before he turned and ran towards the forest.

"Remus!" Tonks called out making to go after him.

"Tonks, no! Let him go!" Harry shouted.

"What if he hurts someone?" Tonks declared passionately, her eyes full of tears. "We can't let him run off by himself!"

"Tonks, come take Ron here, I'll find him," Sirius told her.

Tonks moved to stand under Ron's shoulders, her arms around his waist. "Don't let him get hurt, Sirius."

Sirius nodded, transforming into Padfoot just as Pettigrew stumbled out of the Whomping Willow with Neville bleeding in his arms.

Padfoot stared for a moment, his eyes glinting.

Pettigrew stared back. He let an unconscious Neville drop to the ground. He was bleeding and looked like he had a few broken bones. Lady Godiva growled and pounced over Neville. Pettigrew shrieked, diving out of the way just in time. He made to run back into the tunnel, but saw that it was blocked by the panther and his eyes widened in fear.

"Please! I didn't mean for Longbottom to get hurt! I brought him back as soon as I could. Please!" he begged.

Padfoot growled at him in response and Peter turned to run. Lady Godiva pounced, her claws digging into his shoulders and Peter went down, screaming. Panther and man rolled down the hill and Padfoot immediately ran after them.

"No!" Harry shouted, the sight of his father racing down the hill and into the forest after them sending fear through him. "Uncle Siri!"

"Harry!" Tonks exclaimed, her eyes still shimmering in tears. "Help me get Ron to the hospital wing!"

He nodded, but his hands shook as he looked back at the forest and then when he heard Sirius shout, he let go of his friend and ran into the trees, as Tonks shouted after him. His wand was in his hand as he ran through the thicket. The thick greenery illuminated by the full moon trickling through the trees. He could hear growling sounds and a shout of distress and he ran faster. He found Sirius a few moments later back in his own form.

Sirius stood in front of a tree watching the panther. Lady Godiva was up against a large tree, swatting at the branches and Harry knew that Pettigrew must have transformed again. He slid down the hill and Sirius turned at the sound, his eyes widening.

"Harry, what the fuck are you doing here?" he demanded, grabbing Harry's shoulder. "I told you to get Ron to the hospital wing!"

"I heard you cry out and I…"

Sirius hugged him close, kissing the top of his head. "Foolish, brave knot-head."

Harry hugged him. "Did he transform?"

Sirius nodded. "He escaped up in the tree. I tried to summon him towards me, but no luck. He's gone."

Lady Godiva had obviously realized the same thing because she moved towards the two of them, her eyes angry.

"You did great, Lady G," Sirius reassured her, stroking her chin. "We'll get him next time."

The panther seemed to nod before she tilted her head, eyes alert.

Harry swallowed as he felt the darkness moving in around him. "Uncle Siri… the Dementors."

"Happy memories, Harry," Sirius urged him as they both began to cast their Patronus. Sirius' dog moved to dance with the white mist that trickled from Harry's wand as it circled them, but the darkness pressed inward. "Happy memories, Harry," he repeated.

Harry tried to listen, but his eyes had widened in horror as he watched Dementor after Dementor surround them. Sirius' dog chased two more away and three more arrived in its place and Harry's Patronus stayed a white mist with no real form, no real power. Sirius' dog was losing momentum as well. Lady Godiva was trying to bite them, but her efforts were fruitless as she lay down, whining in pain. The sight of her falling before them was enough for Harry to let his guard down a bit and the darkness swept in.

The sound of his father's voice echoed in his ears, begging his mother to take him and go and then he saw Ginny lying in a pool of blood and watched Riddle rise up from the diary.

Then his world went black around him.

~ ASC ~

Harry woke in the hospital wing, blinking owlishly and immediately moving to find his glasses. Ron was asleep in the bed next to him, his leg propped up. Neville in the bed on the other side, also asleep. Hermione sat on the edge of his bed next to Lady Godiva, who was sprawled across Harry's legs as if she was protecting him.

Hermione reached forward and grabbed his hand, squeezing tightly. "Harry, I'm so sorry."

"He got away, didn't he?" Harry asked hoarsely, his eyes flashing in anger. "What did he mean by coming here like that? And that message about — the message! Hermione, I think the cup is another Horcrux! Where's Sirius? I have to tell him!"

Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes and she bit her lip. "Harry…"

"What? What happened?"

The hospital door slammed nearby and the sounds of shouting interrupted them.

"YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE ALLOWED THEM TO BE NEAR THE SCHOOL IN THE FIRST PLACE!" McGonagall shouted loudly.

"WELL, TWO DEATH EATERS ESCAPE AZKABAN AND THEY DO SHOW UP AT THE SCHOOL? I THINK THAT I KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING AFTER ALL, DIDN'T I?" a man shouted back.

"YOU BASTARD!" Zee shouted.

"ZEE!" McGonagall said, loudly. "Hitting him isn't the answer!"

"Cornelius!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "The Dementors are not welcome here! I've said it countless times now and you've chosen to ignore me. Now they've attacked a student and they've kissed an innocent man! They are to be removed immediately from the premises!"

"Yes, well, that was rather unfortunate," Cornelius responded. "Lord Black was a good man and to see him… well, I've already ordered their immediate removal from the school. Shacklebolt has gone to take care of it. They're gone."

"After inflicting untold damage!" McGonagall exclaimed.

"Yes, well, I apologize for that. They will be dealt with. As for Black… I am sorry."

Hermione squeezed Harry's hand tighter as his green eyes met hers. "Harry…"

"No!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide. "There's been a mistake… I… we… no!"

"I heard Professor McGonagall say that there were over thirty Dementors that surrounded the two of you! Harry, it's a miracle that you survived! Zee's panther threw herself on top of you when you collapsed and… Sirius tried to fight them off… but there were too many of them… and he couldn't make a Patronus…"

"No!" he said, his eyes brimming in hot tears. "He's not… I don't believe you!"

Tears rolled down Hermione's cheeks and she bit her bottom lip as it trembled before she stood up and moved to the bed across from Harry's. She slowly pulled the curtains back to show the man who lay there.

His dark hair was windswept around his pale face and his head was stuck at an odd angle, his skin already looking wax-like and withdrawn; his grey eyes staring up at the ceiling, blank and lifeless. His soul had been sucked from his body and the Dementors had broken his neck when they finished feeding on it.

But there was no denying it.

Sirius Black was dead.