I do not own Harry Potter. Charlotte Potter is my OC.

Complicating Matters

"We need to go see him," Ron said firmly.

"I can't!" cried Charlie. "I can't leave this castle again!"

"Uncle Remus will kill me!" Harry added.

"I'm going with Ron."

Ron, Charlie and Harry gaped at Hermione, who had her lips pursed stubbornly. "Hagrid needs us, and we can't abandon him now."

Charlie groaned. "Fine! But I have to be back soon. I mean it!"

"We will," promised Hermione.

"I'll meet you in the Entrance Hall."

Charlie hurried to Ravenclaw Tower to retrieve her Invisibility Cloak. She met back up with her friends and swung the Cloak over them. They slipped out of the castle and made their way across the grounds. Charlie eyed the orange sky warily, knowing they didn't have much time before darkness fell. They reached the hut and Hermione rapped on the door.

"Hi," they chorused when Hagrid answered.

"Yeh shouldn' be here!" Hagrid croaked as the four made their way inside. Fang greeted them enthusiastically and Harry held him at bay.

"We had to see you," said Ron. "I'm sorry, Hagrid."

"He don' deserve it," sobbed Hagrid, slumping into his couch. "Oh, Buckbeak!"

His cries were wrenching and Charlie and Hermione found themselves crying with him. Charlie hugged his arm while Harry patted his shoulder.

"I'll make some tea," said Hermione with a sniff.

"I'll help," offered Ron.

As the two moved about the kitchen, Harry asked, "Can't we do anything?"

"Not even Dumbledore can help," Hagrid muttered. "I don' think I can bear teh watch, bu' I don' want him teh go through it alone."

Hermione scrubbed at her eyes with one arm while the other reached for the sugar bowl. She lifted up the lid and gave a surprised shriek. "Ron!"

"What?" cried Ron.

"It's Scabbers!"

Harry and Charlie whirled around. "What?!"

Sure enough, the rat popped out of the sugar and scrambled along the counter. Ron was broken from his stunned staring when Scabbers tried to jump to the floor. He swooped in and caught his rat before he made his landing. "But I thought—what is he doing here?"

"I don't understand," said Hermione, mystified.

Before they could dwell too much on this miracle, distant voices could be heard nearing the hut and the four kids froze. Hagrid jumped up and strode to the window. "Dumbledore!" he said in despair. "An' the Minister! Yeh lot better get a move on. I don' want yeh teh see this, an' yeh shouldn' even be out here, Charlie."

A grim cloud hung over the group, knowing that there was nothing they could do. Charlie swung the Cloak over them and said, "I'm so sorry, Hagrid."

Ron struggled to keep hold of Scabbers, who seemed to want nothing more than to get away from him. "What's wrong with you, you idiot?" Ron asked crossly.

"Quiet!" Hermione hissed as they slipped out of the hut and away from the approaching group. Ron yipped loudly as Scabbers bit at his fingers. "Ron! Be quiet!"

"Scabbers is going mad! I don't know what's wrong with him!"

They struggled their way across the grounds. Then, without warning, there came the unmistakable sound of an axe swishing through the air, and a muffled thud. Hagrid's wail was heartrending, and Hermione pressed a hand over her mouth to cover her own cries of anguish.

Grief clutched at Charlie's chest, squeezing tight over her heart. It wasn't fair. They had worked so hard to help Hagrid defend Buckbeak, who had always been innocent, but their attempts were never meant to succeed. "Come on. The sun is almost set. We can't do anything for him right now."

They walked towards the castle in a morose silence. Ron's elbow collided with Harry's face and he cried out in pain. "Ouch!"

Charlie flinched as her cheek tingled, mirroring the spot where Harry had gotten struck. "Harry!"

"It's not me! Ron!"

"I'm sorry! It's Scabbers!"

"What is wrong with him?"

"He's going bonkers!" Ron tried desperately to keep his hold and Harry noticed a pair of yellow eyes gleaming from the shadows. His heart pounded for the briefest of moments before Crookshanks' large form slunk towards them.

"Murderous cat straight ahead!"

Hermione groaned. "Not now Crookshanks! Go away!"

The sight of Crookshanks was apparently what Scabbers needed to dredge up his full strength. He ripped away from Ron's fingers and hit the ground running. Crookshanks immediately went into pursuit. Exasperated, Charlie flung off the Cloak as they all ran after the two animals.

"Your pets are so weird!" Charlie shouted.

"Uncle Remus is going to kill me," Harry cried.

Ron's long legs allowed him to catch up to Scabbers. He shoved Crookshanks away and clamped his hands firmly over the squirming rat. "Ow!" He glared down at Crookshanks, who was furiously scratching at his leg. "Get lost!

Hermione tried to pick up her cat but was forced to let go when he swatted at her hands. "Crookshanks," she said, hurt in her eyes. "What is going on with you?"

"Can we please get back to the castle?" snapped Harry.

Suddenly, Crookshanks' frenzied attacks stopped. The cat visibly eased and he was acting as relaxed as the time Charlie had seen him with—

Oh no.

Charlie slowly looked over her shoulder. The shaggy, massive black dog stood a distance away, staring at them. "Guys," she whispered.

"What is that?" squeaked Ron.

"Run," said Charlie grimly.

They broke into a sprint. But the dog was too quick and it streaked straight for Ron. It clamped its teeth into his leg and Ron screamed. He was brought forcefully to the ground and the dog dragged him off. "Heeellllpppp!"

Harry, Hermione and Charlie raced after him. Just as they neared something solid struck Charlie across the face, sending her to the ground. "What the—?"

Hermione clutched her bleeding nose and hunkered to the ground to avoid being whipped again. "Oh no."

"The Whomping Willow," said Harry with a groan.

The dog dragged Ron between a gap in the roots and they disappeared. "We're losing them!" said Charlie in panic.

"I'll go get help," said Hermione. "We're going to need it!"

She crawled away from the Whomping Willow's reach. "Be careful!" Charlie called after her.

"It's you I'm worried about!" returned Hermione fearfully. "I'll be as quick as I can!"

"Come on, Harry."

Harry snorted. "Easier said than done! How are we supposed to get past the Whomping Willow?"

The answer came in the form of Crookshanks, who walked up to the Whomping Willow and touched a knot in its trunk. The branches immediately stopped moving and Charlie and Harry cautiously stood up. Crookshanks slid through the gap and Charlie determinedly unsheathed her wand.

"Let's go."

Harry pulled out his wand and followed his sister through the gap. They crawled into a narrow passage and Harry said, "Wait. Is this the one that leads to the Shrieking Shack?"

"Yup."

"Just perfect."

After several minutes of crawling they came upon the exit. Harry climbed out first and held out his hand to Charlie, who grabbed it. She found herself being pulled into a dusty, cobweb-covered room. Harry pointed towards an open door and they went through it. They stepped into a hallway and at the end they found a rickety staircase.

A heavy creak sounded from upstairs and they glanced at each other. "I'll go first," muttered Harry.

They reached the second-floor landing and heard Ron's pained moans coming clearly from behind the closed door. They barged inside and found the redhead lying on the bed, blood pooling from his leg.

"Are you all right?" asked Harry.

"It's a trap!" said Ron through clenched teeth. "It's no dog at all! It's Sirius Black—he's an Animagus!"

Charlie had spotted the term a few times before in her recreational readings—it was a term applied to a witch or wizard who could morph into an animal. The sound of a door slamming shut caused them both to jump. Charlie whirled around and said strongly, "Expelliarmus!"

Ron's wand soared into her hand. She kept her own trained steadily at Sirius Black, who looked much worse than his mug shot. His hair was long, knotted and dirty, and his skin was sallow and sunken. His dark eyes were shocked and awed.

"That's some wand work you have," he said in a hoarse voice.

Ron glared at Black and tried to sit up. "You're not going to kill her!"

The loyalty radiated from him and Black turned to face him. "You need to stay still. You'll damage that leg even further if you don't stop moving."

"It's okay, Ron," said Charlie softly, gently putting a hand against his chest.

"We've got this," said Harry with narrowed eyes.

"I can see how strong your friendship is," said Black quietly. "Perhaps this is what I should have done from the start, but I hoped not to get any of you involved."

"What do you know about friendship?" snapped Charlie, her fingers tightening around her wand. "You betrayed your best friend. You murdered the other."

"I would never have betrayed James," said Black passionately. "You don't know the whole story, and if you kill me, you'll never hear it."

"I'm not going to kill you," said Charlie. "I won't be like you."

Black searched her eyes, finding nothing but sincerity. "You don't intend to kill me, though you believe I'm the reason your parents were killed?"

Charlie furrowed her brow at his phrasing. "Why shouldn't I believe you got my parents killed?"

"I won't say I had no part in their death," said Black quietly. "But not in the way you think."

There was something in his eyes—grief, and regret, and agony. Charlie lowered her wand and Harry hissed, "Charlie!"

Crookshanks, who had been resting by Ron's feet, hopped off the bed and walked over to Black. He purred as he wound his way around Black's legs. Charlie stared at him with a frown. "That is one weird cat."

"He's the smartest of his kind," said Black fiercely.

There was fondness in his eyes as he regarded the feline.

"If you wanted to kill me," said Charlie slowly, "you'd have done it already. You wouldn't have brought me here."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Harry.

"When he was chasing us—he went right by me. He was going for Ron." Charlie stared at Black intently. "Don't…don't you want to kill me?"

"Of course I don't," said Black strongly. "I would never hurt you, Charlotte."

"But you'd hurt my friend," accused Charlie.

Remorse filled Black's expression. "I'm afraid I was left with no choice."

"What the hell are you talking about?" demanded Ron.

Black was prevented from responding by the sound of footsteps falling hard and fast on the stairs. Harry immediately turned towards the noise and shouted, "We're in here!", "We're in here!"

Seconds later a panting figure charged through the door, and Harry grinned broadly with relief. "Uncle Remus!"

...

Just as Harry and Charlie made it into the Shrieking Shack, a breathless Hermione made it up to the castle. Doubled over, she gripped the stone steps and took heaving gasps to get air back to her lungs. She allowed herself a few seconds of rest before charging into the castle.

Her footsteps echoed throughout the corridors as she ran straight for Remus' office. She hammered on the door but there was no response. "Oh!"

She continued running, trying frantically to think which professor might be the closest. As she rounded the corner she ran straight into a solid form. "Miss Granger!" snapped Snape, grabbing her by the shoulders to steady her. "What do you think you're—you're bleeding."

Red drops fell to the marble floor. Relief flooded Hermione's face. "Professor Snape!"

"What happened?" demanded Snape, passing her a dark green handkerchief, which she immediately used to mop up the blood. "Where are you friends?"

"They need your help, Professor Snape! We were on our way back from seeing Hagrid when a large black dog attacked Ron and dragged him to the Whomping Willow! Charlie and Harry went after him and they're in the Shrieking Shack now."

Snape thrust the goblet he was carrying into Hermione's hands. "Bring this to Lupin, and then go right—"

"But he's not in his office! I already checked."

"Wasn't he?" An odd expression crossed Snape's face and he strode for Remus' office. He threw open the door and his eyes zeroed in on the parchment left on the desk. He scanned it for a brief moment before pure wicked glee entered his eyes. Hermione hung in the doorway, watching him anxiously.

"Professor—"

"I will save your friends, Miss Granger. Go straight to the infirmary."

He sprinted off and Hermione hesitated. She approached the parchment, which she realized was the Marauder's Map. She caught a glimpse of Remus' dot reaching the very edge of the Whomping Willow passageway before it disappeared from sight.

Several questions ran through Hermione's mind. How did Remus know how the map worked? Why had Snape reacted the way he had when Hermione said Remus wasn't in his office? Why was Remus going to the Shrieking Shack?

She stared at the smoking goblet. "Wolfsbane," she whispered.

It took a moment before horrified realization set in—tonight was a full moon.

Hermione took off running, hoping desperately she wouldn't be too late.

...

"Expelliarmus!"

Charlie gasped as her wand, along with Ron and Harry's, flew into his grasp. "Hey!"

"What did you do that for?" asked Harry in shock.

Remus gave the kids a sweeping glance—they were covered in dirt and blood, but they did not seem to be in need of immediate medical aid. He turned to face Sirius Black, fighting the emotional tremble in his hands to keep them steady.

"Where is he?" he asked.

Sirius pointed at Ron. "He's holding him right now."

Ron recoiled as the two men turned to stare intently at him. Scabbers thrashed in his closed hands but he didn't dare loosen his grip. "How is this possible?" whispered Remus. "Why would he—unless he's the one who did it." Remus sent Sirius a piercing glance. "Did you switch? Without telling me?"

"We did."

The three kids watched, stunned, as Remus embraced Sirius tightly. When he stepped back, he stilled at the betrayal in Harry's eyes. "Harry…"

"So that's it?" he asked tearfully. "You were just lying to me all this time? You really were helping out Black?"

"I wasn't," said Remus fiercely. "I haven't been friends with him in twelve years, pup, because I thought he was responsible for the worst tragedy of my life. But I was tricked, just like everyone else."

Charlie's brow furrowed. "Every time you got into Hogwarts…you kept going to Gryffindor Tower. You were after Ron all this time?"

"Not Ron," said Sirius quickly. "I was after his rat."

"My rat?" said Ron in disbelief. "You're mad!"

But Charlie was frowning now, her eyes squinting as the gears in her brain began to work overtime, slowly connecting the pieces that hadn't made sense previously. "Did…did you send Crookshanks to get Scabbers?"

"I didn't. He figured out on his own that Scabbers isn't what he appears to be, and offered to bring him to me. But he didn't succeed."

"Are you telling me that Scabbers is an Animagus too?"

A smile broke out across Remus' tired, pale face, filled with such warmth that the last of the tension left her shoulders. "You're quick, Charlie."

"Scabbers is just a rat!" said Ron crossly. "There's nothing special about him! I don't know what you lot are on about."

"How did you even know we were here?" asked Harry.

"I was keeping a close eye on the Marauder's Map. I figured, after hearing about Buckbeak's execution, you four might try to see him beforehand. Imagine my shock when a fifth person, a person who should have been dead for twelve years, accompanied you back out."

"Well, it's clearly not Voldemort," said Charlie flatly.

An odd sort of sound left Sirius—it resembled a laugh. Remus shook his head. "No," he said darkly. "But that's a rather close guess."

Twelve years. Who would be hiding as a rat for twelve years, and for what reason?

"I heard," said Charlie slowly, "that you were supposed to be the Secret-Keeper for my parents. That you betrayed the location to Voldemort so he could kill them. But Professor Lupin said…that you switched. Without him knowing. So does that mean you weren't the Secret-Keeper?"

"I wasn't."

"You knew how to open the Marauder's Map," said Charlie, glancing at Remus as understanding dawned. "Does that mean you're Moony?"

Sirius and Remus regarded her with awe. "Yes," confirmed Remus. "How did you know?"

"Because you're a—"

She very nearly said it but hastily went silent, unsure if it was a topic that was meant to be broached. But Remus gave a wry grin. "You're a bright witch, Charlie."

Harry gaped at her. "How did you know?"

"I finished Professor Snape's essay. It accomplished what he wanted it to do."

Harry scowled. "Typical."

"So if you're Moony, Sirius Black must be Padfoot, because he can change into a dog," said Charlie "Is Scabbers…is Scabbers Wormtail?"

"He is," growled Sirius.

"Who is Wormtail?" asked Ron warily.

"Wormtail is Peter Pettigrew, and his Animagus form is a rat. Your rat, Ron."