A/n: Update o'clock! This update was brought to you by Atheism, giving people free time over the easter weekend since the first centur AD.
also 200K words and most of them are real! give or take an A/n.
"We didn't forget," Kurt snapped back defensively, "We simply cast the memory aside. This whole ordeal is a bit ominous when one thinks about it, even for us."
"I understand completely why you'd want to push this whole thing out of your minds," Harry appeared out of nowhere, offering a comforting smile that made his eyes shine like emeralds in the sun, "the feeling of helplessness that fills me every time I think of what Hagrid must be going through and how there's nothing we could do to help him."
"Makes studying and thinking about yourself seem kind of selfish," Hermione hugged her arms tightly around herself, "there was nothing to do, in order for our lives to go on we had to supress the memory. Just for the time being."
"I do believe my mother was disappointed enough for all of us," Kurt muttered under his breath, "Let's go cry over spilled milk."
"Yeah," Ron shook his head, "Don't say it like that to Hagrid."
"Or any living human being ever again," Harry added with a comforting pat on the back as they climbed down the many flights of stairs from the divination tower.
"Do you guys see what I meant," Hermione groaned, "Kurt gets to say whatever he likes and nobody reprimands or gives him any grief for being insensitive."
"We discussed this," Ron rolled his eyes, "Kurt-"
"Before you go any further and possibly discuss my contents," Kurt pointed an accusatory finger at his red-haired friend, "ask yourself, have I smacked Draco Malfoy's face?"
"Dammit," Ron snapped his fingers angrily, "It'll happen for me someday too."
"Till then," Kurt quirked a brow. When they came to the ground floor landing they were greeted by an unwelcomed sight; Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle and, worst of all, Draco Malfoy were standing at the top of the slope overlooking Hagrid's hut. Kurt felt the blood boiling in his veins, "Hoping to take in the afternoon show, don't scream too loudly Draco." Kurt raised his voice an octave before beginning his imitation of Draco, "Oh, it's killed me."
Draco sneered, "Don't speak to me you fi-"
"uh-uh uh," Kurt wagged a finger and pursed his lips, "I'd trek carefully if I were you. Madam Pomphry has seen enough of you and your whingeing, she might not regrow your eyebrows this time."
"Then my father will have your head next," Draco tried to front but Kurt could see him swallow a lump, "I'll put it up next to that silly chicken's in the Slytherin Dungeon."
Hermione scoffed, "Your father and his cheap extensions don't scare us."
"Don't talk about my father you little mudblood whore," a vein on Draco's left temple bulged out as he spat his insults, before he could draw a breath to speak his next words Kurt and Hermione had their wands pointed at him. Crabbe and Goyle pulled out their wands as well but even they knew that together they couldn't inflict as much damage as either Kurt or Hermione.
"He's not worth it," Ron and Harry pulled the angry pair back, toward the stairs that descended to Hagrid's hut.
All parties lowered their wands but Draco was first to speak, "Run, cowards."
Kurt flipped him a bird but Hermione, beautiful Hermione, turned back and punched him square on the nose; Draco squealed loudly and his two lackeys moved toward Hermione but Kurt sent them flying back with a flick of his wand and a whispered incantation.
"I'm a little turned on," Kurt whispered as he high fived his best friend.
Hermione gave a small bow before leaning in close to where Draco was rolling on the ground in agony, "Never question the courage of a Gryffindor." She turned and led the way down the slope, "That felt good."
"Good?" Ron chortled, "That was brilliant."
"What do you have to say for yourself?" Harry clapped her encouragingly on the shoulder, "You just did what most of us have wanted to do since our first day at Hogwarts."
"I did it last year," Kurt pointed out to no avail.
"I have one question," they all raised their brows, egging her on, "What is inside Kurt?"
There was raucous laughter for a moment before Kurt called for silence with a single raised finger, "I'm filled with the milk of human kindness."
"I did not need to hear that," Ron sulked.
Harry mirrored Ron's disgusted facial expression, "I second that."
"Get your minds out of the gutter," Hermione rolled her, "It's a Shakespeare reference."
"Lady Macbeth says it in Scene five of Act one of the Scottish play," Kurt continued.
"Is there a book you two haven't read?" Harry furrowed his brow.
"We haven't read the Scottish play, or at least I haven't," Kurt chortled, "we're just cultured." He turned and delivered three sharp wraps on the aged wooden door of Hagrid's hut.
"I saw it on stage with my parents," Hermione smiled at the two boys before turning to Kurt, "you and I have more to discuss on the new topic on the table."
"That sounds like fun," Kurt rolled his eyes, hoping he'd picked a more difficult milestone.
The door to Hagrid's hut creaked on its hinges as he swung the heavy wooden slab; the large man did not look glad to see them but considering current circumstances Kurt suspected that even a pair of one of a kind, size twenty-three Hermès boating shoes wouldn't turn that hairy frown upside down, "Oh, I thought I told you not to come down here."
"As if we could stay away," Hermione scolded, "even if just for the next few minutes."
"I do hope those are rock cakes I smell in the oven," Ron forced a smile.
Harry presented a deck of cards from one of the many pockets of his cargo pants, "Maybe a game of exploding snap might put you at ease."
"Insert something nice here," Kurt received a glare from all his friends, "I feel like my humour is wasted on you lot, like a metal spoon at a caviar bar I feel superfluous." Kurt crossed his arms, "How's about I'll be mum and you can tell the jokes."
The quartet pushed past Hagrid and into the hut; Harry and Hermione sat him down at the large kitchen table and dealt out a hand for exploding snap, they had rigged the deck so Hagrid would win and so there was no shuffling. Kurt and Ron got to work on a pot of tea in the interim, Ron boiled water while Kurt gathered crockery.
"Why don't you just set him free?" Hermione finally asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence that only grew ever time Hagrid peered out of the window to where Buckbeak was tied up in his pumpkin patch.
"They'd know it was me," Hagrid sighed deeply "and that would only make trouble for Professor Dumbledore."
"And it would be big trouble," Kurt shook his head as he placed mismatched mugs on a tray and began to look for a milk spout, "Mr Malfoy asked the Minister for Magic to be present for the execution."
"How do you know that?" Ron quirked a quizzical brow, a sentiment echoed by all in the room.
"I overheard Draco mentioning it earlier," Kurt shrugged, "Besides, Professor Dumbledore tells me everything."
"'Everything' sounds like a bit of an exaggeration," Harry shook his head as he lost at the first hand of exploding snap.
Kurt held an oversized copper milk spout in one hand as he turned to face the dark-haired boy with his other hand on his hip, "Don't be jealous just because Professor Dumbledore views me as an intellectual equal and has deemed me sufficiently mature to understand the complexities of this crazy world we live in."
"I'm sure that sounded like bullshit on your ears as well," Hermione raised a quizzical brow.
"There ain't no one who will know and understand all that Albus Dumbledore knows and understands," Hagrid chortled as he won his second hand of exploding snap.
"Actually, that's a dou-" Kurt's train of thought on how that statement contained a double negative and as such became a positive was cut short by a soft scraping sound coming from inside the milk spout, Kurt peered inside and saw a ball of unkempt brown fur, "RAT!" Kurt let out a high pitched yelp and flung the metal jug into the open flame that was burning in the fireplace.
As soon as the metal hit the smouldering logs of firewood, out jumped the rat like a bat from hell, "Scabbers!" Cried Ron as his rat hit the table top, he turned to Kurt with flames in his eyes, "You almost killed Scabbers."
"Excuse me for not being able to distinguish between any old rat and a kept rat," Kurt scoffed with an indignant flip of his hair.
"Not this again," Hagrid groaned, he got to his feet and turned to the pair angrily, "Now you two need to stop all this bickering or else-"
The large man's lecture was interrupted by a clay pot filled with flour seemingly spontaneously breaking, all eyes fell on the pot.
"Ouch," Harry cried as a petrified seed pod hit him on the back of the neck. Their collective curiosity as to the origin of the pods was stumped when they noticed the approaching party consisting of Professor Dumbledore, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge and Ominous hooded man with a large scythe in hand.
"Um, you should all go," Hagrid announced, pulling his kitchen utensils from their hands and handing them each a rock cake as he shoved them out the side door just before the knocking on the front door began.
The four teenagers kept low as they made their way through Hagrid's pumpkin patch to hide behind a large pile of discarded gourds till all members of the Minister's party were inside the hut and they were out of the line of sight. They took off up the slope but for a moment Hermione lingered, staring distantly into the Forbidden Forest as if taken by the trees; "Hermione," Kurt pulled her by the sleeve, "not the time to observe nature."
Kurt followed Ron and Harry up the slope with Hermione in tow, they were pleased to reach the top and find that Draco and company had received the message clearly and were nowhere to be seen. Their group could not see the execution from where they stood and for that Kurt was grateful; he had seen death come with a whisper and by force, neither was glorious to behold. The scythe came down with a resounding swoop, a flock of birds flew off and Buckbeak was dead.
Once again Kurt was reminded of how life and existence were more than their owner's possessions, they belonged to those who observed said lives as well. The world did not discolour nor were there dramatic major chords filling the dark silence; the sounds of nature went on as beautifully and distant as before, only those who knew were aware of the innocent life that was now lost. Nature did not weep for the loss.
"Ouch," Ron gasped as he dropped Scabbers and pulled his finger to his lips, "he bit me."
"Don't suck on it," Kurt scolded, life went on, "Who knows how filthy that wound is."
Ron did not take his warning and instead ran after his retreating pet, crying out for the rat to come back to him but to no avail. Harry, Hermione and Kurt followed Ron as he chased Scabbers down the slope and around the castle but all stopped dead as Ron caught the rat and came to rest under the shadow of the whomping willow.
"You do realise what tree that is," Hermione whispered as if the tree might hear them.
"Ron!" Harry exclaimed.
Ron's face drained of colour and he pointed a long slender finger in their direction, "Kurt, Hermione, Harry! Behind you! It's the Grimm."
The three turned to see a large black dog of no discernible breed as dark as shadows standing above them, none moved out of fear that any sudden movement might startle the beast and cause it to attack. For a moment nature seemed to obey emotion and time stood still but the beast did not; it charged in their direction and just within reach leapt over their heads towards Ron.
Harry and Hermione followed the beast whilst Kurt took a millisecond to retrieve his wand and a handkerchief on which to place his Burkin, within a heartbeat he followed his friends into harm's way. Kurt tried to stun the large dog but it moved too quickly and running impaired his aim; he was too distracted by the violently thrashing branches of the whomping willow which appeared to have every intention of ending him. Kurt watched as the beast pounced and grabbed Ron by the arm, it dragged a screaming Ron into a small hutch at the base of the whomping willow. Ron's foot caught in the entryway as the rest of him disappeared into the darkness, Kurt charged to try and pull him back but he was stopped dead in his tracks by the blood curdling crunch of breaking bone as the last of Ron disappeared.
Kurt stood watching the empty darkness for a moment too long before being woken to reality by a branch of the whomping willow catching him by the ankle and swinging him high into the air. Kurt noted that Hermione and Harry were in similar predicaments, "Incendio." Flames shot out of Kurt's wand and right hand but the tree only held on more tightly and thrashed more violently, "Bad idea, restinguo." The flow of the flames was reversed and they were back at square one.
Suddenly the willow went dead still and dropped the three dizzy teens, at the base of the willow with his paw in a knot in the bark was Crookshanks. Harry and Hermione recovered quickly but Kurt took a moment to himself to empty the contents of his stomach before picking up his bag and taking a mint.
"After you," Kurt gestured into the hutch and in jumped Hermione, "Before you." He stopped Harry. Choosing for himself the safest spot, "Lumos."
And his wand lit the tunnel, there didn't appear to be any visible support but the tunnel seemed to stay up none the less; Kurt assumed it to be magic of sorts. The tunnel was narrow and stood maybe a head taller than Kurt, forcing them to walk single file, it went on almost endlessly for a good ten minutes before ending in a small climb out into a shabby looking room with worn wooden floors.
Hermione peered out of a crack in a boarded window and seemed to get an idea of where they were, "We're in the shrieking shack," Hermione spoke whilst Kurt pulled cobwebs from her hair, "Anthony and I once came to have a look but he was too afraid to come inside, what with it being the most haunted building in Britain."
"And with good reason," Kurt put his weight on a stare and it creaked terribly, "I doubt this place is structurally sound, I'm only here to get Ron."
"Then you're going to hate that the tracks go up the stairs," Harry half whispered.
"If it wasn't for that stupid rat," Kurt grumbled as he climbed the stairs, they creaked and moaned but each stayed perfectly in place, "I wish he'd died in that damned fire place, terrible way to go but better him than me when this dump comes down."
"You knows dogs have excellent hearing and that…" Hermione shuddered at the thought of the giant dog, probably remembering the crunch of Ron's breaking bones, "thing can probably hear all of your bitching, right?"
"It can hear us coming either way with this house shrieking with every step," Kurt spoke patronisingly, "it really earns its name."
At the top of the stairs was a landing with four doors, each closed but only one had a fresh trail of blood leading into it. They approached cautiously, opening the door and jumping into the room with wands at the ready but there was nobody but Ron lying on a broken four-poster bed not unlike the one in Kurt's bedroom back home.
They all ran up to Ron; Harry and Hermione hugged him while Kurt checked his leg, both bones were broken with one piercing the skin. Kurt didn't have phoenix tears to solve this like the time when Harry broke his leg in the chamber of secrets but at least between the three of them they might be able to carry him to Madam Pomphry.
"Guys, it's not the Grimm," Ron protested as they tried to soothe and calm him, "it's Sirius Black, he's an animagus."
Kurt's blood ran cold as the door slowly creaked closed, revealing the tall, lithe, scraggly man from the wanted posters. Kurt had his wand pointed at Sirius Black when the door swung open again and Professor Lupin appeared and disarmed him. Now Kurt's blood began to boil as the two men hugged.
"Sirius Black," Professor Lupin smiled, "finally the exterior reflects the madness within."
"You'd know all about the madness within Remus, old friend," Sirius Black gave a smile filled with brown rotted teeth, "I finally found him and now we kill him."
"Yes but wait," Professor Lupin nodded, holding up a cautioning hand.
"I did my waiting," Sirius shrieked angrily, "twelve years of it in Azkaban."
"They deserve to know why," Remus countered.
Harry let out a frustrated growl as Kurt clicked his knuckles, his patience wearing thin, "I know why, you sold out my parents! You were their friend and you betrayed them and now you've come to finish the job."
"Wait just a minute," Professor Lupin pleaded but Kurt's patience was long gone.
"There will be no more waiting for either of you," Kurt whispered, and he pounced. Kurt managed to tackle Professor Lupin to the ground and straddle the man's chest in one swift movement, he leaned in close to the man's face as he wrapped his slender fingers around the man's throat, "Remus 'same name twice' Lupin, I cautioned them not to trust you, that it would ultimately lead to our doom but here we are and I am having none of it." There was a faint sizzling sound when Sirius Black tried to grab him and the smell of burning flesh followed, "First you tried to give me a 'B' but I draw the line at killing my friends, time to meet your maker."
Kurt started to squeeze the life from the man but Hermione cut through his rage, "Kurt, rules and authority have their place. If you kill him you'll be undercutting the bureaucracy of the justice system, let him go."
Kurt's hands loosened and he cursed himself for being a slave to the system, "He trusted you." Kurt spoke as he got to his feet and straightened himself up, "I told him not to trust you."
"All this time you were his friend," Hermione shook her head as she pulled Kurt away from Professor Lupin whose breaths were still shaky and his skin marked with hand shaped burns, "He's a werewolf."
"I'm not fond of any form of prejudice because I know it's a handful of bad seeds like you that give the whole lot a bad name," Kurt spat, lunging in Professor Lupin's direction but Hermione catching him.
Professor Lupin did not flinch at Kurt's accusations or his threat of physical harm but rather raised a quizzical brow, "How long have you two known?"
"Since Professor Snape set the essay," Hermione shook her head in disbelief.
"The essay you didn't grade," Kurt added angrily, "It wasn't in writing it but in reading it over and over trying to figure out what grade it deserved that the truth made itself abundantly clear."
"And we kept your secret," Hermione's whole body was shaking now, "thinking you were one of the good guys."
"Kurt was right about you," Professor Lupin smiled at Hermione and Kurt stepped between the pair, "You truly are the brightest which of your age."
"Of the age," Kurt corrected.
"And well, as for you…" Professor Lupin gestured to the heat lesions on his neck, "the most powerful wizard of your age indeed."
Kurt did not let his face light up at the complement, "it comes from a place of hate and anger."
"Well isn't that lovely and oddly familiar," Sirius slowly clapped his hands, "but I'd like to commit the murder I went to Azkaban for some time today."
"The only person dying today will be you," Professor Snape drew out the words with an unusual undertone of glee in his voice as he entered the room with his wand pointed at Sirius Black, "And as for the friend whose been helping you in and out of the castle…" Professor Snape pointed his wand at Professor Lupin for a moment before doubling back, "His day will come and it will be just as sweet."
"Snape-" Professor Lupin began but Professor Snape cut him off.
"Silence," Professor Snape's words were cold and precise, "save your pleas for the Wizengamot, you might earn their mercy because mine isn't on offer."
"Ten points to Slytherin," slipped out as whisper from Hermione's lips.
"Once again Snivilus, you have put your penetrative mind to the task and come to the wrong conclusion," Sirius cackled as Professor Snape paled, "why don't you run off and play with your chemistry set?"
"Oh, don't tempt to steal the dementors' joy," Professor Snape sighed disinterestedly, "they've been so looking forward to reconciling with you and giving you a kiss." It was Sirius's turn to pale, "Not so brave anymore."
"What did you mean by 'the murder you went to Azkaban for'?" Kurt picked up his wand as he spoke.
"I'm talking about Pettigrew," Sirius hissed.
"I won't have a peep from you four," Professor Snape scolded, "You're in enough trouble as it is. And I told you to shut your trap, mutt."
"For being kidnapped?" Ron squealed.
"For what you did to Mr Malfoy's face," The potions master replied.
"Oh, well," Ron let out a sigh of relief, "that was Hermione."
"Thanks a lot Ron," Hermione rolled her eyes.
Harry moved swiftly and nearly silently aside from the whispered incantation, "Petrificus totalus." Professor Snape's body went rigid and he fell over like a log, "tell me about Pettigrew."
"Um, can we talk about the elephant in the room first," Hermione turned to Harry angrily, "Why do you people keep attacking teachers?"
"Hey, in my defence, I attacked a traitorous bastard and he was lucky to get away with his life," Kurt fixed an imaginary stray hair before crossing his arms irately.
"We'll discuss your murderous tendencies later," Harry dismissed both Kurt and Hermione, "Kurt's observation was spot on, why would he mention Pettigrew's murder in the future tense? Pettigrew is dead."
"Firstly and most obviously, my observations are always spot on," Kurt smiled both at the earlier and current compliments simultaneously, grateful for the release, "Secondly, I'd like to let you all know that I'm not murderous. Thirdly," Kurt pointed at Sirius Black, "Crazy mass murderer, lying and nonsensical outbursts are a given."
"I ask because I saw Pettigrew on the Marauders' Map," Harry pleaded, almost begging Kurt to allow him to get closure.
"The 'Marauders' are not licenced distributers and never have been," Kurt groaned, "their merchandise can't be trusted, didn't you once claim to see multiple Kurts on it?"
Harry swallowed a lump of defeat but Sirius spoke up in his place, "As Marauders, Remus and I take offense to that." He turned to Harry, "And so would your father."
"My father?" Harry's face lit up at the mention of his father.
"The only Marauder glad to hear the dismissal of this evidence is the misfit," Sirius sneered, pointing a finger at Kurt who had put himself between all his friends and the crazies.
"I'm Kurt Elizabeth motherfucking Hummel," Kurt sneered, "Peter Pettigrew is dead; he was awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class for confronting you. It was given to his mother along with his right index finger, all that was left of him after you'd seen to him; I read. Remind me to bring up how Cornelius Fudge denigrated the Order of Merlin by awarding it to himself for resolving the Chamber of Secrets debacle; I feel like Harry and I did that, mostly me, but it should be something we discuss at some point."
"I mean the rat, Beautiful," Kurt didn't know whether to be flattered by the compliment or insulted by the how the man was undermining his intelligence, "I'd know that rat anywhere, I was there when we taught the traitor to be an animagus."
"Do you think we're stupid," Hermione scoffed, "Pettigrew barely passed transfiguration, we've seen his file and there is no way he could have mastered the complex art of becoming an animagus. Besides, he isn't on the registry."
"I didn't say it was easy to teach him, I just said we did it," Sirius countered, "besides, I wasn't on your little registry and neither was James."
"Stop trying to bait Harry by using his father," Kurt scolded, "It's classless."
"Oh, how familiar your crazy is," Sirius sneered, "reminds me of my mother."
"I get that all the time," Kurt countered.
"How long has that rat been in your family?" Professor Lupin asked as he moved closer to Ron.
"The flames burn so much hotter out my wand," Kurt warned, causing the man to back away.
"Twelve years," Ron answered cautiously, soothing Scabbers who was trying to wriggle out of his grasp.
"Abnormally long life for a rat," Professor Lupin offered with a shrug, keeping his distance as the evidence from his last encounter with Kurt was still fading.
"We were planning on donating him to science," Hermione countered.
"Come here Pettigrew," Sirius growled as the rat broke free and made a beeline for the door, piquing Kurt's curiosity. Before Kurt could move Professor Lupin silently cast a spell that caused the Rat to transform into a dishevelled man who looked like he'd once been particularly plump just before he could sneak out through a hole in the wall.
Kurt turned to Ron, "You used let that man sit in your lap." That was Kurt's initial reaction, "and you used to let him sleep in your bed." Kurt began to laugh manically, "and you used to bathe him, now who has an inappropriate relationship with an age inappropriate male?"
"Fuck you," Ron huffed, crossing his arms.
"Really Kurt," Harry and Hermione chorused in disapproval.
"I can't help it," Kurt giggled despite his efforts to suppress the reaction, "this moment is just too good to let go."
"You thought we'd never find you, didn't you Wormtail?" Sirius spat at the balding man; Kurt felt bad for Ron when he considered the amount of the unattractive man's body he had touched, Kurt wouldn't wish that on his enemy let alone one of his closest friends.
"Remus, Sirius," Peter Pettigrew gave a smile filled with yellow teeth, the smile reminded Kurt too much of Scabbers to bare, "Feels like it's been forever."
"Why'd you do it?" Professor Lupin demanded, holding his wand to Pettigrew's neck, "Why'd you sell Lily and James out?"
"We told them to switch secret keepers because we thought you'd be loyal," Sirius scolded, "But you weren't and then you let me take the fall, heck, you framed me."
"I didn't mean to," Peter Pettigrew whined, "the Dark Lord can be very persuasive. He said he'd Kill me, what would you have done?"
"Died," all the Gryffindor's chorused, all his friends turned to him.
Kurt shrugged, "I would have acted on my 'murderous tendencies', I love me way too much to die."
"I worry about you sometimes," Harry shrugged, "What's a 'secret keeper'?"
"It's the enactor of the fidelius charm," Hermione whispered, "they ensure the concealment of a location and its contents so that nobody can find a location unless they are told by the secret keeper, even if somebody stumbles on the location or its contents by chance they won't recognise them for what they are."
"When your parents went into hiding-" Sirius began but Kurt raised a silencing hand, "What did I say?"
"I'm not baiting him," Sirius Black whined defensively, Kurt gave a disinterested wag of his finger and Sirius Black relented, "He's the one who betrayed your parents."
"If he's truly responsible for my parent's death then I propose bringing him before the mercy of the justice system," Harry declared.
"I've finally managed to teach him to respect rules and authority," Kurt wiped away an imaginary tear.
"Thank you Harry," Peter Pettigrew grovelled, "you're as Kind as Lily was."
"Don't you dare mention her to Harry," Hermione cautioned the man, "because of you Harry grew up without his parents."
"Scabbers is a middle aged man," Ron mumbled, staring off into space, not caring about the moment.
"I didn't do it for you," Harry spat at Peter Pettigrew, "If I've learnt anything from Hermione, it's that friends don't let their friends become murderers." Harry placed an apologetic hand on Kurt's shoulder, "No matter how much better it makes them feel. My dad wouldn't want two more of his friends to become murderers."
"The legend is as true as the boy himself," Peter Pettigrew tried his hand at flattery, "but your kindness was gravely underestimated."
"I hear the Dementor's Kiss is the most painful punishment in existence," Harry whispered back.
"I taught him that too," Kurt clapped his hands gleefully. The group decided to make their way back to the Castle and hopefully catch Cornelius Fudge still on the grounds; they would clear Sirius's name and see Peter Pettigrew punished for his crimes. Professor Snape was left bound and petrified to mull over these new details and cool down, hopeful, as a result of an almost unanimous vote; Kurt wanted his house master freed but due to the popularity of the wrong decision his will was not done, pleasures of democracy. Ron was carried through the tunnel balanced between shoulders of Professor Lupin and Sirius Black, Kurt had pointed out that Professor Snape hadn't needed help carrying Ron the last time he was injured; this didn't sit well with his audience.
When they emerged from the tunnel under the whomping willow, Crookshanks was ready to step on the knot that immobilised the dangerous tree. The sky was beginning to darken and the constant chill that had fallen over Hogwarts since the arrival of the dementors was particularly biting this evening for this late in spring, when one considered that term was almost over the weather was definitely off. Kurt had opened his bag and offered protein bars to his friends, he wasn't sure if they'd make dinner and he didn't want anyone too faint to testify. Harry and Sirius sat off to one side and Kurt, Hermione and Professor Lupin kept an eye on Peter Pettigrew while Ron grumbled about the pain in his leg.
Just when all seemed to have plateaued, Kurt wasn't surprised when it was all turned on its head; it was sufficiently late for the moon to rise and Professor Lupin began to violently transform under the radiation of the 'full moon'. Kurt supressed his inner urge to point out that full moon lasted for a few seconds; it had no value in the current situation as lycanthropy virus merely required between ninety percent waning gibbous and ninety percent waxing gibbous, pointing it out wouldn't stop the transformation.
"Kurt," Hermione whispered to him, "I think you should run, he might hold residual anger toward you for trying to kill him."
"I'm ready," Kurt countered, he carried on the conversation to distract his friends from Professor Lupin's muffled screams of pain as he bit into his forearm and Sirius Black's pleas with the man to stay true to his heart, "I've been preparing for this moment for a while and I won't leave you, you're my people and I could never leave you to face danger alone. Finding new people would be too much admin."
"Is that what you meant by 'I'm preparing'?" Harry's imitation of him wasn't very good.
"You should consult Ron on your imitation," Kurt said as they braced themselves, "he's miles better at it, Hermione is too far out of your league."
They eventually forced to come back to reality when the large wolf like creature shook off Sirius Black like a rag doll and came directly toward Kurt. Kurt simply pointed his wand in the direction of the large beast, he completed his complicated wand movements before reciting his incantations, "Obrigescunt in infinitum."
Professor Lupin was petrified and Kurt smiled, Hermione stepped forward and began to speak in a soothing voice, "Professor, its Hermione, please don't attack us. Our differences were the result of a misunderstanding."
The wolf began to vibrate and his jaw began to snap a full set of angry teeth as he regained his ability to move, "Kurt grabbed Hermione and Harr as he began to run, "I'm apparently not as good at casting advanced dark spells as I thought, so much for the petrification charm."
"And people thought you were petrifying muggleborns for fun last year," Harry chuckled nervously.
Professor Snape emerged from the tunnel under the whomping willow with fire in his eyes and eyes only for Harry, "You insolent fool, you are too much like your arrogant fool of a father." Professor Snape held his wand to Harry's neck, "He too was drawn to Sirius Black like a moth to a flame, maybe I should let you get close enough to get burned as well." Professor Snape's smile fell when Professor Lupin howled loudly; he spun on his heels, placing himself between the teenagers and the werewolf, "The fool didn't take his potion."
Professor Lupin was charging straight at them when Professor Snape sent him flying back with a flick of his wand. This did not remedy the situation and instead angered the werewolf, it was only when Sirius Black, in his animagus form, attacked him in their defence from behind that the scales turned in their favour. The match between the large black dog and Professor Lupin's sandy werewolf form was not an even one but there was nothing they could do without risking the wellbeing of their hero; Sirius Black was soon on the back foot as they progressed further down the slope toward the lake, just when all hope seemed futile and their saviour was on his last legs there came a howl from deep in the forbidden forest and one from across the lake and another in a far off indistinct location. Professor Lupin lost interest in a severely injured Sirius Black and chose to focus his attention on figuring out which howl to follow.
Harry, Hermione and Kurt got to the lake shore to Sirius Black, reverted to his human form, lying in a weakened state; it was late and a chill had creeped over the lake, an unnatural chill which alarmed Kurt, "I think we might have to run."
"We can't carry a grown man," Hermione countered.
Kurt rolled his eyes as the temperature plummeted and the sky darkened, "then either we leave him here or die with him."
"He's my God Father, my dad's best friend," Harry argued hugging the unconscious man, "I can't leave him! I won't leave him."
"Then get up and fight for his life," Kurt pointed to the sky where hords of dementors were descending on them.
"What do we do?" Harry half sobbed.
"You need to cast the Patronus or we'll die here," Hermione's voice was small and pleading, "only you can do it."
"I can't think happy thoughts right now," Harry sniffed loudly, his voice barely a shaky whisper, "I'm too cold."
"Well," Kurt put his bag on the ground, "everything burns at some temperature, and hopefully the same can be said for dementors."
"What are you going to do?" Hermione whispered between chattering teeth.
"I'm gonna set this night on fire," Kurt smiled, "ignis." Kurt's hands were engulfed in warmth as flames spread over his fingers, "Get down and get those happy thoughts ready because there is only so much I can do, "turbine sphaeram." A great dome of flames exploded outward and surrounded them, creating a barrier between them and the dementors but it did not do much to deter the effect of the dementors, only preventing them from coming close enough to perform the kiss.
Harry got to his feet, he shakily got into a firm stance and pointed his wand upward, "Expecto Patronum." A swirling vortex of white light shot out of his wand seemed to offer some deterrent to the effects of the dementors.
Hermione mirrored him, the effects were not as impressive but Kurt was glad for her efforts; this was a life or death situation and they needed to give it all they had, he still had more to give, "Aro." The flames around them turned blue and their intensity was amplified; the dementors backed off for a moment but soon they came closer once more, hungry for their happiness. Kurt felt himself getting feint from over exertion and the dementors' proximity; the world, the red and blue flames began to spin faster. The cold crept back into Kurt's fingers, then the stillness of unconsciousness was all that remained and the steady monotonous beep filled Kurt's ears.
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New Spells: (According to google translate)
-Restingue: Latin, means to extinguish, absorbs/extinguishes flames. OotWL
-Obrigescunt in infinitum: Latin, means petrify indefinitely, petrification curse.
-Ignis: latin, means to ignite, engulfs hands in fire that ready to be manipulated. OotWL
-turbine sphaeram: latin, means whirling sphere, creates a vortex of flames. OotWL
-Aro: latin, means to incinirate, creates intense blue flames. KHO
OotWL = Order of the white lotus.
KHO = Kurt Hummel original.