Author's Note: Happy Birthday, Remus Lupin! (Even if you have to celebrate up in Heaven) This is the main reason why there is an update today, and why what happens in this chapter happens. Thanks goes to my friend Katie, who is the one that helped me figure out how to reveal a certain person in this chapter. Don't expect new chapters every day, since I am busy with real life and will mostly be able to update on weekends. (Though I do promise to have at least one chapter up a week.) All the reviews I've been getting, plus the many people that have put this fic in their favorites or alert lists, are encouraging, and stimulate me to update as much as I can on this fic.
Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson were the only ones that really protested the idea of inter-house unity among the first years. The remaining few that didn't bother to take part didn't care that it was going on, and really had no problems with the idea of being friends with students from other houses, except for Slytherin. Michael Croner and Zacharais Smith really couldn't wrap their brains around the idea of decent Slytherins, and the rest were just too leery to trust Slytherins yet.
In the end, no second-years joined Unity, for while a number had decided to go for inter-house unity, including a few Slytherins that wanted to change their house's reputation, they kept mostly to themselves. Since there were only twenty of them, they met in an empty classroom whenever they could.
The Room of Requirement turned out to be a wonderful room indeed. Unity had taken to doing their work there instead of in the library or their common rooms, and practiced spells they were learning. Since Quirrell wasn't a very good teacher, they decided to study Defense on their own. Mari finally admitted that she had grown up at a Muggle orphanage since the age of six, but at that point, the Slytherins in the group didn't care. They kept quiet about it, however, since some the older Slytherins wouldn't be as open-minded.
James had his first flying lesson and loved it. He proved to be a natural on a broom, despite never having flown one before. (Unless he'd flown on a toy broom back when his parents were alive). By the end of the lesson, he'd also demonstrated excellent Seeker skills, for he'd caught a round crystal that had fallen from Lisa's pocket after a fifty-foot dive, not even scratching himself, and returned it to her. Madam Hooch had scolded him for doing something so dangerous, but then went on to compliment him on his skills. She then told Professor Flitwick, who in turn summoned the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain and informed her that he'd found the perfect Seeker, James Lydell.
Evanna Rawlins was somewhat skeptical but since Stuart was an excellent chaser and Quidditch talent could run in families, she agreed to try James out. He proved to be just as good as Madam Hooch and Professor Flitwick said and was instantly made Ravenclaw's Seeker. Flitwick spoke to Dumbledore regarding the first-year rule, and since it technically applied to not bringing brooms to school and not playing for a house team, James was allowed to remain on the team. The broomstick rule was waived for him so he could have a decent broom, and a week after James's tryout, a Nimbus Two Thousand was delivered to him at breakfast, courtesy of Professor Flitwick.
James liked his head of house even more after getting the superb broom and couldn't wait to try it out at practice that evening. It was even more wonderful to fly on the Nimbus, and after practice he generously let Stuart take a turn in it, though he watched his foster brother anxiously to make sure it wouldn't get damaged.
"Lucky you, getting a Nimbus," said Stuart good-naturedly when he was done. "I'm stuck flying a second-hand Cleansweep Five." The only reason he had been able to buy the Cleansweep last year, besides the fact it was used, was because he and Stella had decided to share their third-year books rather than buy two separate sets and they had earned some money doing odd jobs for Mrs. Draper and a few families that lived in the same neighborhood as the orphanage.
On September 19th was Hermione's twelfth birthday and all of Unity celebrated it. Neville asked Fred and George the way to the kitchens and asked the house-elves working there for a birthday cake and some snacks and drinks for a party. They happily obliged and sent the food up to the Room of Requirement. Hermione was extremely surprised that there was birthday party for her and thanked everyone. Everyone played some games and had the snacks. Finally it was time for the cake.
After the delicious cake was the opening of presents. Everyone in Unity had chipped in two Sickles, which came to three Galleons and seven sickles, and they got Hermione a journal and luxury quill pen, a book on advanced potions, a box of Toothflossing Stringmints, and a charm of the Gryffindor crest which could be worn on a necklace chain or a charm bracelet. They could have each gotten her a present, but it would be rather tiring for Hermione to have to open twenty-nine presents, and she would have no room to keep them all unless they turned out to be sweets. This was she had less gifts to open and worry about where to put them, and nobody would feel uncomfortable about not being able to afford a more expensive gift or feel that they spent too much.
On September 30th was Stella and Stuart's birthday and James got his siblings a book and a pair of Chaser gloves. The day after that, something odd happened.
In the Slytherin common room, everyone was peacefully doing homework or playing games of chess or Gobstones. The peace was disrupted by a loud yowl and some squeaks. Everyone looked up to see what the disturbance was. Fortunate Lily the cat was next to the fireplace, her paws firmly placed on top of a struggling Scabbers. Ron recognized his rat and snapped, "Hey, get away from my pet rat, you stupid cat!"
Mari jumped up, a horrified look on her face. "Lily, what are you doing? I thought I told you that the pets of other students are off limits and not your dinner?"
"Your cat's not actually eating Ron's rat, Mari," pointed out Daphne. "All she's doing is holding him captive."
"I don't care, she should leave other people's pets alone. Fortunate Lily, let go of Scabbers this instant or I'll lock you up in a cage for a week!"
The cat wouldn't listen and hissed when Mari went over to pick her up. Ron came over as well and was also hissed at. "What's the matter with your bloody cat?" he demanded.
"She's either possessed, or maybe she's not a real cat," suggested a seventh-year Slytherin. "She could be an Animagus. You know, a person that can turn into a particular animal. Professor McGonagall's an Animagus and her form is a tabby cat. I know a spell that can show if an animal is actually an Animagus or not and can do it."
"It won't hurt Lily, will it?" Mari asked anxiously.
The seventh-year shook his head. He pulled out his wand and did the spell. Just before it hit, Lily sprung out the way. The spell hit Scabbers instead, and everyone was shocked when the rat suddenly transformed into a plump, balding man that looked somewhat like his Animagus form. He gave a shriek and tried to run out the common room, but a sixth-year girl had the presence of mind to Stun him. She obviously had gotten over her shock very quickly. Once that was done, she left the common room to fetch Professor Snape.
"What's going on?" asked Snape when he arrived. "Why am I being summoned?"
The seventh-year student answered. "Mariko Kishi's cat captured the Weasley boy's rat, but made no attempt to harm it otherwise. She was acting funny and wouldn't let anyone chase her off. I wondered if the cat was possessed or an Animagus, so I did the spell that shows if an animal's an Animagus or not. The cat ran off before it got hit with the spell, so the rat got hit with it. It turned into a man and tried to run away, but Megera Avery Stunned it and then went to get you."
Snape turned to look at the Stunned man and gasped. "That's Peter Pettigrew! But he's supposed to be dead! Sirius Black blasted a street, killing Pettigrew and twelve Muggles, before the Aurors caught up with him. How can a dead man be alive and masquerading as someone's pet rat?"
Ron looked horrified as he stared at Pettigrew and Mari said, "Professor Snape, it's obvious that Pettigrew faked his death. He must have transformed into a rat when Black blasted the street."
"Very smart of you to think of it, Miss Kishi. Five points to Slytherin. But there must be a reason why Pettigrew was hiding. I shall take him to Dumbledore for questioning." With that, Snape pointed his wand at the Stunned body of Pettigrew and said, "Mobilicorpus!" The body floated up into the air and Snape led it out the common room.
An hour later, Snape returned to inform them, "Pettigrew was questioned under Veritserum, the most powerful truth potion known. It turns out he was the one that betrayed the Potters' location to the Dark Lord, not Sirius Black, and when Black cornered him, blamed it all on his former friend before blasting the street and escaping as a rat. He's an unregistered Animagus, by the way. Pettigrew has been turned over to Ministry custody, and I expect Black will be pardoned tomorrow and released." He didn't look very happy when he said that.
"But how could a cat figure out that Ron's rat was an Animagus?" asked Blaise.
"Miss Kishi, may I examine your cat?" Before Mari could reply, Lily had jumped up into Snape's arms. He examined her, then said, "Your cat is part-kneazle, Miss Kishi. A kneazle is a magical creature that is like a cat in every way, except more intelligent. Your cat definitely must have sensed that something was wrong about the rat, though not necessarily that it was really an Animagus."
The next day, the front page of the Daily Prophet announced how Peter Pettigrew had been revealed, his confession, and the fact that Sirius Black was actually innocent. Minister Cornelius Fudge was quoted as apologizing for the mistake of his predecessor and that he was going to set things right. A trial would be held that afternoon, in which Sirius Black would definitely be found innocent and Pettigrew as guilty, and Black would be released. He was to be given five hundred thousand Galleons as a way of apology for his wrongful imprisonment without a trial, and he would become a registered Animagus, since Pettigrew had revealed that Black and the late James Potter had been unregistered Animagi also.
Since Mari's cat was the one that caught Pettigrew and Thesus Walden the one that did the spell that turned rat back into human form, both Mari and Thesus found themselves quite popular among the rest of the school. James, though he had to hide it, was very pleased that one of his father's best friends had finally gotten justice, but he was also shocked that another trusted friend could betray his parents to Voldemort. He would never turn on Kyle and Mari, nor the rest of Unity for that matter, even though they weren't quite as close. He made a note to seek out Sirius Black some time after his release and recovery and see if his godfather could be trusted to know the truth and keep it a secret. After all, James hadn;t been aware that he had a godfather until the mention in the newspaper, and he would love to get to know Sirius and hear stories about his parents.