Chapter 28

A/N: I do not own anything but the plot! Harry Potter and all Harry Potter characters belong to the lovely and talented (if not a bit sadistic and cruel) Joanne Katharine Rowling—while all Lion King characters belong to Walt Disney Company.

So I know I usually take forever updating but I wanted to get a chapter up today seeing as it is May 2nd and all Potterheads know what May 2nd means in Canon. It's almost as important as September 1st for a lot of us. Yes, I sound insane but to me May 2nd 1998 in Canon is one of the best dates ever. Despite the fact that I have no idea how we arrived that the final battle occurred on May 2nd. Did JK ever give a date?

So yeah. I really wanted to update on May 2nd. Also, I wanted to share some good news! I got a job! Granted it's only five weeks and it pays barely over minimum wage but it's a start! Also, I'm still living with my parents so rent and other bills aren't as big of a factor! I start next Tuesday and I am pumped!

That does mean that writing might be a bit behind schedule for a lot of stories as I get used to the pressures of the job so I'll be leaving the poll open for a while. It really helps in terms of choosing which story to update when I can see which ones the readers want right in front of me rather than trying to guess through stats.

But please enjoy this chapter! Read to your heart's delight and please review!

There was no telling how long the two of them sat there in the Forbidden Forest after that. Though in truth, it was probably about five minutes before Sirius broke the silence. An awkward five minutes with both of them staring at one another but five minutes none the less.

"What happened?" he asked, a little cautious. He had never seen Simba like this before. Mad as hell and ready to kill if you looked at him wrong? Yes. Overly protective? Totally. But crying? He didn't know Simba could cry. Granted, the only times Sirius had seen Simba was when he was either mad as hell (Christmas) or overly protective (when they first met).

"S-Scabbers is missing!" Simba sobbed out and Sirius raised an eyebrow at that. The lion was blaming himself for a rat going missing? While yes, the rat was evil and something to be despised, Simba didn't know that. Something was off-besides the growing bags under the lion's eyes and the slow dimming of his fur. That was rather obvious.

"I'm sure it's not your fault," Sirius stated, trying to keep his voice calm and cool for the moment, sitting down next to Simba, ignoring the snow seeping into his clothes. "You know rats have a way of disappearing. I'm sure he'll show up."

"No you don't understand! I was supposed to tell Crookshanks to stay away from Scabbers! It's my fault the rat's dead! Ron's going to never talk to me again!"

Sirius raised an eyebrow again. "Ron is going to blame you for the death of his pet? Isn't it his responsibility to look after his pets?"

Simba wasn't listening. Instead, tears were still flowing down his face as if his eyes were waterfalls. Sirius sighed and shook his head. Years of being around people who were hiding something knew that this wasn't all Simba was upset about.

"There's more to this story isn't there?" he asked, putting a hand on Simba's shoulder—or where the shoulder would be if Simba was human.

Simba took a deep shuddering breath and thought for a moment. Was it worth losing Sirius as an ally if he could finally tell someone? At least with Sirius, it wasn't as big of an issue if he knew—not like if McGonagall, Hagrid, Lupin or Merlin forbid Ron, Fred, Hermione or Harry knew.

Steeling his nerves, Simba looked up at Sirius, noting the lack of judgment on the convict's face. Instead, there was only concern visible on the gaunt face.

"When I was a cub," Simba began, "I didn't always live with Harry. I lived with my parents in the savannahs of Africa. Our kingdom was called the Pride Lands."

Sirius nodded to show he was following along but didn't want to interrupt to ask questions. There was a huge chance that Simba might clam back up if his train of thought was knocked off course.

"One day," Simba continued, stiffening up as he remembered that fateful day, "my uncle took me to a gorge on one of our boarders. He said that my father had a surprise for me, that I should stay on a rock while he went to get him, and that I should practice my roar. I followed his advice and the roar echoed off the gorge. I didn't know that there was a herd of Wildebeests grazing at the top of the gorge."

Oh shit, Sirius thought, catching on. This was not going to end well.

"I-I ran," Simba continued to tell his story, despite the tears slowly beginning to flow once more. "I ran as fast as I could before I got to a tree in the middle of the gorge. I climbed it, hoping it would keep me safe. It didn't. If it hadn't been for my dad catching me, I probably would have gotten trampled by the herd."

Simba took a shuddering breath. This was it, the part he was dreading. It was time Sirius knew the truth.

"D-Dad set me on a low ledge but was carried off by the stampede. After a few minutes, he escaped and started climbing. But h-he fell. If it hadn't been for me, m-my d-dad mi—he might—"

Simba couldn't finish his sentence as the tears flowed anew. Sirius sat next to him in silence, processing everything the young lion had told him. Then, just as before, Sirius engulfed Simba in a big comforting hug that seemed to last forever—or at least until Simba was all cried out.

"Simba, it wasn't your fault," Sirius told him, releasing the lion from the hug. "Your dad was doing what any father would have done if their kid was in danger."

"But if I hadn't started the stampede and stayed on the rock, he wouldn't have been killed!" Simba argued back, backing away from Sirius. Sirius sighed. The lion was clearly coming from years of guilt and Sirius knew a thing or two about that—maybe an example might help Simba see the truth.

"How's about I tell you a story now?" Sirius asked and Simba looked at him confused. What exactly was the point of this? But Sirius wasn't fleeing the scene so maybe this was a good sign?

"I had three friends growing up," Sirius started as soon as he had Simba's full attention. "Three amazing friends that I never thought I'd have with my family being who they were. James Potter, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew."

Simba noted that Sirius growled out the third name but kept quiet. If Sirius didn't realize he was still there, then Sirius couldn't blame him for killing his father.

"We were the best pranksters Hogwarts had ever known—the Marauders."

"Wait!" Simba cried out, forgetting his vow of silence. "You're a Marauder? Lupin's a Marauder? Fred and George are going to go insane! They found the Marauder's Map a few years ago and have been trying to figure out who they are ever since!"

"They have the map?!" Sirius exclaimed but then shook his head. He could go nuts over new pranksters at a later date. He had to keep going.

"When we left Hogwarts," Sirius continued, trying hard to keep the glee of finding out that someone else had the map out of his voice, "we all joined the Order of the Phoenix—an anti Voldemort organization that Dumbledore had founded. Harry's mum joined as well, as did many of our school friends. However, a year after we joined, we learned that there was a spy in the Order. We all suspected each other—many suspected me because of my family."

Simba rolled his eyes at that—how could people be so stupid?

"James and Lily soon found out that they were in danger, that Voldemort wanted to kill them. They went into hiding and used the Fidelius Charm, a charm that lets you hide basically in plain sight. If the Secret Keeper didn't tell you, you'd forget all about the people until they came out of hiding. Originally the plan was to have me be the Secret Keeper but I thought I would be too obvious. I was James' best friend, a brother in all but blood. I would be the first person they'd go after. So I suggested Peter. He wasn't as skilled a wizard or as brave—it was the best plan."

Simba nodded, to show he understood. Sirius began to frown and Simba's ears fell back as he realized that the story might not end in a happy ending.

"On Halloween, I was going to check on Peter before going into hiding myself. I found his house abandoned, with no sign of a struggle. My first thought went to Lily and James and Harry. When I arrived at their house, it was in ruins. I hoped beyond hope that they had been able to get to safety. I was wrong."

Simba gasped. While he knew Harry's parents were no longer alive, he didn't know the whole story. Now that he did, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Harry.

"Peter had betrayed them. J-James and Lily were gone and it was all my fault," Sirius finished, looking down at the ground to hide the tears beginning to well in his eyes.

"Wait, that makes no sense," Simba said and Sirius looked up sharply.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, wouldn't it be Peter's fault since he was the one to do the betraying?" Simba asked. "It's not like you said, 'Oh I know Peter's secretly betraying us but I really don't feel like keeping the safety of my friends a priority so let's let Peter do it."

"You don't understand," Sirius stated. "I should have been the one to be the secret keeper. I was the one to suggest the switch."

"Oh and I'm sure you just forced Harry's parents to do it too?" Simba asked, raising an eyebrow. "Face it Sirius, you're not at fault for this. You just did what you thought you needed to in order to protect the people you loved and it ended badly…"

Simba trailed off at Sirius' pointed look. The two stories seemed different but were similar in purpose. But Sirius wasn't at fault in his instance while Simba actually caused the thing that killed his father.

Uncle Scar wouldn't have said it was my fault if it hadn't been my fault, would he? Simba thought, looking at the ground. Sighing, Simba decided it might be time to change the subject before Sirius also realized the differences between their two stories. Sirius, though, was rather busy. He had changed into his dog form and seemed to be having a conversation with Crookshanks.

Wait, when did he get here? Simba thought, trying to remember when Crookshanks appeared and then shrugged. That cat seemed to be everywhere.

"Hey Simba?" Sirius asked after he changed back to a human, inadvertently doing the same thing Simba was going to do. "Ron's rat? Was it slightly fat, graying and missing a toe?"

"Yeah," Simba nodded. "Why?"

Sirius' eyes narrowed and he began to growl, embracing a bit of his dog form as he did so. Simba backed up, a memory from when he was young coming to the forefront of his mind. The Elephant Graveyard and the Hyenas that made a sound very similar to the ones Sirius was making.

"He's not a rat and he's not dead," Sirius stated. "It seems that faking his death is something he's gotten rather good at."

"What do you mean?" Simba asked, curiosity overtaking fear.

"He's not a rat. He's an Animagus and his name's Peter Pettigrew." Sirius told him and Simba felt dread grow in his stomach as his life just became a whole lot more complicated.

"What are you going to do?" Simba asked, almost dreading the answer.

"I'm going to go and investigate for myself," Sirius stated and Simba knew his life had just gotten more complicated. Turning to Sirius, Simba knew the one question he needed to ask.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!"

"Not really, no," Sirius shook his head, shaking out his ears as the shout had affected them slightly. "Though my friends never really thought I was sane to begin with."

"If you go to the castle, you'll get caught," Simba said, going slowly in case the years in prison had addled Sirius' brain capacity. "Lupin is here and he probably knows your Animagus form! If he turns you in, then you go back to the Dementors!"

Why did he care so much, one might ask, when just a few weeks ago he was ready to kill him? Well, sleep deprivation and finally admitting the truth had allowed Simba to feel a rather fondness for Sirius. Also, his scent. As stated before, the nicer the scent, the better the person.

But before, Sirius was an ally. Now, he was something like a friend—and friends don't let friends get chucked in prisons.

He may have been at fault for the stampede. He may be horribly sleep deprived and lacking sound judgment and he may have no idea what he was doing. But Simba was going to make sure Sirius did not do anything stupid.

Err…stupider than breaking out of prison and making everyone think that he was after Harry.