(A/N Hey everyone, I really wanted to get this out yesterday but I had two killer tests and LOTS of homework and I didn't get to post this chapter! So here ya go its here now enjoy! p.s. If you find any mistakes remember I really do, do my best to clean it up for you to read but I am not perfect!)
Most of the school year went well besides that strange start; Fred and George rarely left my side, hanging out with me every chance they got. It made me feel loved and Ginny never missed a second to tease me about it.
There was a scare for a bit when Ron exclaimed that Sirius Black had appeared in his room one night. Well it was a scare for everyone else. I didn't believe it when Ron said Sirius would have killed him if he hadn't woken up and yelled. It made me a little mad that Ron was making things like that up.
That week Fred and George were extra bad about the whole protective thing and they did it with Ginny too then. Ginny complained to me when ever she got the chance. I knew they thought of me as a younger sister and that had to be why they treated me so. It was the only logical explanation. I was very miserable today, it was the day of Buckbeak's trial and we all knew they would condemn him guilty and he would be killed. Despite our common sense saying it was a bad ideal Harry, Hermione, Ron, and I went down to Hagrid we knew we had to stop in to comfort him. I really liked Hagrid a lot because we shared the love of magical creatures. We hurried down but to our disappointment the minister of the ministry and Dumbledore came down early and Hagrid pushed us out the back door quickly. We hurried up the hill but couldn't help but turn to watch but couldn't bear it. Hermione cried into Ron's shirt and Harry and I just stared not able to let it sink in fully. As we slowly made our way to the castle we heard Ron exclaim.
"Scabbers" and he scooped up his rat that he thought was dead, killed by Crookshanks, Kala knew better then to attack Scabbers when he was with Ron but it did stop her from begging.
Just then a deep growl tore through the air behind us and we turned to see a great big dog standing there. He leaped and grabbed for Ron, snagging his arm. Ron cried out in pain, the dog drug him along, down past the roots of a tree and into a hidden tunnel. Ron shouted as his foot caught on a root and with one final tug, a twist of his ankle, and a sickening snap he disappeared.
"Ron!" Harry shouted.
"Guys" Hermione said sounding fearful, "you do know what tree this is." We all looked up to see the Womping Willow. We all cowered down together as the tree swung but when no impact came we all peeked up, shaking with fear. There stood Crookshanks at the bottom of the trunk, his paw pressed on a twisted root and the tree stood frozen. We all hurried forward and Crookshanks led the way down the tight, low, creepy tunnel. We followed Crookshanks all the way into a house on the other side of the tunnel.
"This…it's the…we are in the shrieking shack" Hermione stood wide eyed but Harry and I were still following Crookshanks up the stairs into a room, that looked like it was once a bed room, she followed jogging to catch up. A 4 poster bed stood in the corner to the right and on it was Ron. We all ran to the bed but Ron was not looking at us he was looking past us.
"It's him, Sirius Black, he is an Animagi!" he cried pointing and we all turned to see the door to the room closing and standing behind it was a man whose long matted black hair, his lost looking grey eyes that were sunken deep into his skull, his body nothing but bones under his ragged clothing, his skin pale and waxy. He smiled at us showing pointed yellow teeth and he stepped forward. I was horrified. This was not the man I pictured to be my dad, this man looked physically and mentally ill. I thought I might cry but instead I stepped back terrified.
"If you want to kill Harry you are going to have to kill us too!" Hermione shouted shoving Harry behind her.
"Only one will die tonight!" he cried in a voice that was raspy and sounded unused.
"You betrayed my parents, you're the reason they are dead!" Harry shouted and he lunged at Sirius catching him by surprise and knocking him to the ground. They rolled on the ground Harry ending on top his wand pointed in Sirius's face.
"You wouldn't kill me" Sirius purred. Just then professor Lupin burst through the door and beckoned for Harry to get up. Harry jumped back and watched as Lupin keeping his wand pointed at Sirius walked toward him. Then lowering his wand, clasped Sirius hand and pulled him up into a hug.
"We have him! We have got him!" Sirius cried excitedly to Lupin.
"I trusted you, we trusted you! And you were letting him in!" Hermione yelled at Lupin. "And you're a werewolf!" she accused.
"How long have you known?" He asked Hermione arching an eyebrow and letting go of Sirius.
"Since Snape had us do the report on identifying werewolves." She admitted.
"Ah he was hopping someone would catch on." Lupin smiled weakly. "You really are the brightest witch of you age." I saw Hermione blush.
"Can we kill him now?" Sirius exclaimed impatiently.
"Wait they have a right to know the truth" Lupin said to Sirius.
"Wait!? I did my waiting! 12 years in Azkaban" Lupin turned and was about to say something more when a sound came from the stairs.
"Expelliarmus!" a shout called from behind the door frame and Lupins' wands went flying across the room. Snape walked through the door that ugly smirk creeping across his face.
"Got you now Sirius and you too Lupin." He snarled pointing his wand at both of them, Lupin backed away but Sirius becoming bold stepped forward.
"Once again you stuck your nose in business not yours and came to the wrong conclusion." Snape's wand snapped up and stabbed Sirius in the neck. Sirius cowered back and Snap leaned forward whispering softly, I couldn't hear what he said but Harry did and he looking angrily at Snape.
"Expelliarmus!" he cried and at that exact moment we had all shouted the same thing and the impact of the three spells sent Snape flying back into the wall. Sirius smiled and Lupin looked almost nervously to Ron.
"Give me answers now! Why did you give my parents up to Voldamort?" Harry yelled pointing the wand at both of them.
"I did no such thing but the man who did is right there! Peter Pettigrew" he pointed to Ron.
"Me? He is mental!" Ron cried terrified.
"Not you, the rat!" Sirius cried and Ron turned slightly green.
"Not Scabbers, he has been in my family for"
"12 years! An incredible long life for a common rat." Sirius pointed out. "That rat is Peter Pettigrew!"
"But he is dead you killed him!" Harry said sounding confused.
"Ah that's what I thought to until you told me he was in Hogwarts a few nights ago." Lupin said. "You see Peter was an Animagi and he turned into that rat when Sirius tried to kill him before." Lupin added looking at Ron.
"All we could find of him was his finger so they figured he was dead. I can imagine that, that rat is missing a toe."
"So?" Ron said defiantly.
"Prove it is him" Harry said. Sirius grinned excitedly and grabbed Scabbers, ripping him away from Ron.
"Don't hurt him!" Ron cried as Sirius holding Scabbers by the scruff of his neck hoisted him so that they could cast a spell. With a flick of their wands Scabbers started to grow and grow and look more human until he stood in front of us as a short man with a snout like nose and long ugly fingernails. He looked around small beady black eyes taking everything in.
"Sirius, Remus my old friends!" he cried then tried to run for it.
"No!" They called pushing him back.
"Time for you to pay" Sirius said holding up his wand a killing spell in the tip of his tongue.
"No! My father would not want his to best friends to become murders. We will save him for the dementors."
"Fine" Lupin slowly said and he whipped his wand around and ropes bound Peter. That's when Sirius finally saw me. I wondered if he would recognize me I was a bit nervous looking at my father….my father.
"Rose..?" He whispered looking shocked, floored really. "Could it….no she, it couldn't…." Then it hit him. "Tala?" he asked and Lupin spun around at the sound of that name.
Lupin had been levitating Snape so that we could take him with, but as he spun Snape fell to the floor with a loud thud. I looked up at him and saw his eyes were spilling over as he ran his eyes over me. Rose, Rose was my mother and my Gram had always said I was her spitting image, except for my eyes. My eyes were mirrored on his face that were looking at me with disbelief in there depths, shinning as they misted over, and he stepped forward looking like he wanted to hug me but was holding himself back.
"Tala?" he asked again and I felt my heart leap into my throat. Everyone's eyes were on us now curios, I knew they would be.
"Yes?" I answered and a smiled broke, brightening his face, a smile nothing like the one he wore when he found Peter, no this one was full of nothing but joy. He swooped down on me and at first I saw Harry tense. Sirius wrapped his thin but surprisingly strong arms around me and I thought he would squeeze my breath out of me. My arms circled around him too and as I looked over his shoulder I saw tears glinting in Lupin's eyes.
"I…" Sirius started as he pulled away. "You don't remember me do you? No of coarse not you were just a baby when I left." His joy was bubbling over. "You were the one thing that kept me alive, believe it or not. I knew I was going to see my little girl no matter what it took. I would see you, return to you." I didn't stop looking at my long lost father but I knew there was shock on everyone's faces as they realized what he said, his little girl. I grinned madly, up at him; his is hands grasping my shoulders, like he would never let go.
"Oh you look just like her." he whispered. "I wish she could be here to see you." He looked deep into my eyes so much like his.
"What is going on here?" I heard Ron cry. I turned around unable to stop smiling.
"This, this is my dad!"
We couldn't stop and explain it all, no mater how much I really wanted to, we had to get Peter to Hogwarts to prove my father was innocent. And it just went down hill from there. We had made it out to the outskirts of the Womping Willow when it happened. Lupin who was keeping check of Snape and Peter went ridged.
"Look!" Hermione shouted pointing to the moon, the full moon. Lupin's face went blank and Sirius ran up to him.
"Remus tell me you took your potion" he cried grabbing hold of Lupin as he slouched over then threw his head up and we all saw the immediate changes. His eyes went cat like yellow with slits, his mouth hung open showing razor sharp fangs, and he slowly grew taller.
"Remember who you are!" Sirius shouted "Remember who you are in here!" he wildly thumped his fist over Lupins heart. But Lupin was lost and as he grew taller his clothes ripped from his back, his skin growing paler, long chipped claws grew from his fingers. We watched in slowly growing horror as he transformed into a beast before our eyes. He threw Sirius from him and crouched whimpering, we stared as his whimpering continued.
"Professor?" Hermione asked walking closer. "Professor Lupin, can you hear me?" she asked stopping a few feet away.
He looked up then lifted his snout into the air and let out a blood chilling howl. Next thing we knew Sirius, in his great big shaggy dog form, leapt onto Lupin trying to draw him away from us.
In that split second of time I had to think, I did two things. First I looked for Peter and saw that in the panic he had gotten away and I felt my heart falter. Then as I took in what Sirius had done and I did the one thing I could do to help.
I became the panther. The first animal I had ever become and my strongest. I took two graceful bounds and jumped onto the great beasts back, hanging on with my claws. He howled and reached back desperate to get me off. I sunk my long, pointed, fangs into the flesh on his shoulder and he screamed. I tasted sweat and something fowl before his claws found the nape of my neck and dug in. He picked me up tearing my incisors from his now bloody back. He pulled me up into the air and next thing I knew I was flying through the air.
I landed on my side close to Hermione, Harry, and Ron. I stayed still trying to get my bearings but then quickly scrambled to feet when I heard a yelp. I just caught Lupin throwing Sirius to the side and running after him. I followed forgetting about everyone else, reaching the beast as he made his way for Sirius, I let out a powerful cat roar and Lupin wipped around to face me. I saw Sirius look at me a lean, sleek, black panther with startling purple eyes, and I caught a hint of pride in those wise grey eyes, but there was no time to dwell in the moment.
Lupin charged me and I jumped back on my hind legs and swatted with my razor sharp claws. Lupin ducked and his clawed hand captured my leg and jerked lifting me up only to be dropped as Sirius leapt and sunk his teeth into that arm.
I fell, smashing my skull on a rock as Sirius was thrown to the side, everything blured then went black.
(A/N oOo left you hanging I hope!! Haha sorry if you hate those kind of endings! I will try to post the next chapter as soon as I can but I wont make any promises. In the mean time reviews are ALWAYS appreciated!! Thanks sooooooo much for reading!!!)