A/N: I'm so sorry! I accidently uploaded the wrong chapter last time. Thank you for the ones who pointed this out for me!

Now on with the story

I don't own anything: disclaimer

Chapter 13: Cat, Rat and Dog

My mind had gone blank with shock. The four of us stood transfixed with horror under the Invisibility Cloak. The very last rays of the setting sun were casting a bloody light over the long-shadowed grounds. Then, behind us, they heard a wild howling.

"Hagrid," Harry muttered. Without thinking about what he was doing, he made to turn back, but both Ron and Hermione seized his arms and I stepped in front of him and placed my hands on his chest to stop him.

"We can't," said Ron, who was paper-white. "He'll be in worse trouble if they know we've been to see him…"

Hermione's breathing was shallow and uneven.

"How — could — they?" she choked. "How could they?"

"Come on," said Ron, whose teeth seemed to be chattering.

We set off back toward the castle, walking slowly to keep ourselves hidden under the cloak. The light was fading fast now. By the time we reached open ground, darkness was settling like a spell around us.

"Scabbers, keep still," Ron hissed, clamping his hand over his chest. The rat was wriggling madly. Ron came to a sudden halt, trying to force Scabbers deeper into his pocket. "What's the matter with you, You stupid rat? Stay still — OUCH! He bit me!"

"Ron, be quiet!" Hermione whispered urgently. "Fudge'll be out here in a minute —"

"He won't — stay — put —"

Scabbers was plainly terrified. He was writhing with all his might, trying to break free of Ron's grip.

"What's the matter with him?"

But I had just seen — stinking toward us, his body low to the ground, wide yellow eyes glinting eerily in the darkness — Crookshanks. Whether he could see us or was following the sound of Scabbers's squeaks, I couldn't tell.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione moaned. "No, go away, Crookshanks! Go away!"

But the cat was getting nearer —

"Scabbers — NO!"

Too late — the rat had slipped between Ron's clutching fingers, hit the ground, and scampered away. In one bound, Crookshanks sprang after him, and before Harry, Hermione or me could stop him, Ron had thrown the Invisibility Cloak off himself and pelted away into the darkness.

"Ron!" Hermione moaned.

We looked at each other, then followed at a sprint; it was impossible to run full out under the cloak; we pulled it off and it streamed behind us like a banner as we hurtled after Ron; we could hear his feet thundering along ahead and his shouts at Crookshanks.

"Get away from him — get away — Scabbers, come here —"

There was a loud thud.

"Gotcha! Get off, you stinking cat —"

Harry and Hermione almost fell over Ron; they skidded to a stop right in front of him. I stopped beside them, panting. He was sprawled on the ground, but Scabbers was back in his pocket; he had both hands held tight over the quivering lump.

"Ron — come on back under the cloak —" Hermione panted. "Dumbledore — the Minister — they'll be coming back out in a minute —"

But before we could cover ourselves again, before we could even catch our breath, we heard the soft pounding of gigantic paws… Something was bounding toward us, quiet as a shadow — an enormous, pale-eyed, jet-black dog.

Harry reached for his wand, but too late — the dog had made an enormous leap and the front paws hit him on the chest; he keeled over backward in a whirl of hair; But the force of its leap had carried it too far; it rolled off him. Harry tried to stand up; I went over to help him while keeping an eye on the dog. I could hear it growling as it skidded around for a new attack.

Ron was on his feet. As the dog sprang back toward them he pushed Harry and me aside; the dog's jaws fastened instead around Ron's outstretched arm. Harry lunged forward, he seized a handful of the brute's hair, but it was dragging Ron away as easily as though he were a rag doll —

Then, out of nowhere, something hit me so hard across the face I was knocked off my feet. I heard Hermione shriek with pain and Harry falling beside me with a grunt.

I groped for my wand, blinking blood out of my eyes.

"Lumos!" I whispered.

The wandlight showed me the trunk of a thick tree; they had chased Scabbers into the shadow of the Whomping Willow and its branches were creaking as though in a high wind, whipping backward and forward to stop us going nearer.

And there, at the base of the trunk, was the dog, dragging Ron backward into a large gap in the roots — Ron was fighting furiously, but his head and torso were slipping out of sight —

"Ron!" Harry shouted, trying to follow, but a heavy branch whipped lethally through the air and he was forced backward again.

All we could see now was one of Ron's legs, which he had hooked around a root in an effort to stop the dog from pulling him farther underground — but a horrible crack cut the air like a gunshot; Ron's leg had broken, and a moment later, his foot vanished from sight.

"Harry — we've got to go for help —" Hermione gasped; she was bleeding too; the Willow had cut her across the shoulder.

"No! That thing's big enough to eat him; we haven't got time —"

"Harry — we're never going to get through without help —"

Another branch whipped down at us, twigs clenched like knuckles.

"If that dog can get in, we can," Harry panted, darting here and there, trying to find a way through the vicious, swishing branches, but he couldn't get an inch nearer to the tree roots without being in range of the tree's blows.

"Oh, help, help," Hermione whispered frantically, dancing uncertainly on the spot, "Please…"

Crookshanks darted forward. He slithered between the battering branches like a snake and placed his front paws upon a knot on the trunk. Abruptly, as though the tree had been turned to marble, it stopped moving. Not a leaf twitched or shook.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione whispered uncertainly. She now grasped my arm painfully hard. "How did he know —?"

"He's friends with that dog," said Harry grimly. "I've seen them together. Come on — and keep your wand out —"

We covered the distance to the trunk in seconds, but before we had reached the gap in the roots, Crookshanks had slid into it with a flick of his bottlebrush tail. Harry went next; I followed, I crawled forward, headfirst, and slid down an earthy slope to the bottom of a very low tunnel.

Crookshanks was a little way along, his eyes flashing in the light from Harry's wand. Seconds later, Hermione slithered down beside me.

"Where's Ron?" she whispered in a terrified voice.

"This way," said Harry, setting off, bent-backed, after Crookshanks.

"Where does this tunnel come out?" Hermione asked breathlessly from behind me.

"I don't know… It's marked on the Marauder's Map but Fred and George said no one's ever gotten into it… It goes off the edge of the map, but it looked like it was heading for Hogsmeade…"

We moved as fast as we could, bent almost double; ahead of us, Crookshanks's tail bobbed in and out of view. On and on went the passage; it felt at least as long as the one to Honeydukes… All I could think of was Ron and what the enormous dog might be doing to him… The dog looked familiar, like I seen it before. It's like a know the dog. He looks so much like… no I'm being silly. It can't be, could it? I was drawing breath in sharp, painful gasps, running at a crouch…

And then the tunnel began to rise; moments later it twisted, and Crookshanks had gone. Ahead I could see a patch of dim light through a small opening.

Harry, Hermione and me paused, gasping for breath, edging forward. We raised our wands to see what lay beyond.

It was a room, a very disordered, dusty room. Paper was peeling from the walls; there were stains all over the floor; every piece of furniture was broken as though somebody had smashed it. The windows were all boarded up.

I glanced at Hermione, who looked very frightened and I looked at Harry and he nodded.

I pulled myself out of the hole, staring around. The room was deserted, but a door to our right stood open, leading to a shadowy hallway. Hermione suddenly grabbed my arm again. Her wide eyes were traveling around the boarded windows.

"Aurora," she whispered, "I think we're in the Shrieking Shack."

I looked around. My eyes fell on a wooden chair near us. Large chunks had been torn out of it; one of the legs had been ripped off entirely.

"Ghosts didn't do that," Harry said slowly.

I remember uncle Moony telling me something about this place and that tree. I all came back to me. The story he told me. This was the place, this is where he…

At that moment, there was a creak overhead. Something had moved upstairs. We looked up at the ceiling. Hermione's grip on my arm was so tight I was losing feeling in my fingers.

I raised my eyebrows at her; she nodded again and let go.

Quietly as we could, we crept out into the hall and up the crumbling staircase. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust except the floor, where a wide shiny stripe had been made by something being dragged upstairs.

We reached the dark landing.

"Nox," we whispered together, and the lights at the end of our wands went out. Only one door was open. As we crept toward it, we heard movement from behind it; a low moan, and then a deep, loud purring. We exchanged a last look, a last nod.

Wand held tightly before him, Harry kicked the door wide open.

On a magnificent four-poster bed with dusty hangings lay Crookshanks, purring loudly at the sight of us. On the floor beside him, clutching his leg, which stuck out at a strange angle, was Ron.

Harry and Hermione dashed across to him. I stayed where I was, where was that dog?

"Ron — are you okay?"

"Where's the dog?"

"Not a dog," Ron moaned. His teeth were gritted with pain. "Harry, it's a trap —"

"What —"

"He's the dog… he's an Animagus."

Ron was staring over Harry's shoulder. I wheeled around. With a snap, the man in the shadows closed the door behind us.

A mass of filthy, matted hair hung to his elbows. If eyes hadn't been shining out of the deep, dark sockets, he might have been a corpse. The waxy skin was stretched so tightly over the bones of his face, it looked like a skull. His yellow teeth were bared in a grin. It was Sirius Black. My father.

"Expelliarmus!" he croaked, pointing Ron's wand at us.

Harry's, Hermione's and my wands shot out of our hands, high in the air, and Black caught them. Then he took a step closer. His eyes were fixed on Harry.

"I thought you'd come and help your friend," he said hoarsely.

His voice sounded as though he had long since lost the habit of using it. "Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful… it will make everything much easier…"

The taunt about Harry's father rang in my ears as though dad had bellowed it. A boiling hate erupted in my chest, leaving no place for fear. For the first time in my life, I felt so angry. How dared he, saying that about Harry's father. I can't believe that's my father.

I saw Harry moving out of the corner of my eye, his face twisted from anger. But there was a sudden movement on either side of him and two pairs of hands grabbed him and held him back…"No, Harry!" Hermione gasped in a petrified whisper; Ron, however, spoke to dad.

"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!" he said fiercely, though the effort of standing upright was draining him of still more color, and he swayed slightly as he spoke.

Something flickered in dad's shadowed eyes. I narrowed my eyes, what was that? Was that compassion?

"Lie down," he said quietly to Ron. "You will damage that leg even more."

"Did you hear me?" Ron said weakly, though he was clinging painfully to Harry to stay upright. "You'll have to kill all four of us!" I blinked, did he really said four?

"There'll be only one murder here tonight," said dad, and his grin widened.

"Why's that?" Harry spat, trying to wrench himself free of Ron, and Hermione. "Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew… What's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?"

I gasped.

"Harry!" Hermione whimpered. "Be quiet!"

"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!" Harry roared, and he broke free of Hermione's and Ron's restraint and lunged forward —

Perhaps it was the shock of Harry doing something so stupid, but dad didn't raise the wands in time — one of Harry's hands fastened over his wasted wrist, forcing the wand tips away; the knuckles of Harry's other hand collided with the side of Black's head and they fell, backward, into the wall —

Hermione was screaming; Ron was yelling; I just stood in there in shock, I had no idea what to do; there was a blinding flash as the wands in Black's hand sent a jet of sparks into the air that missed Harry's face by inches; The shrunken arm under Harry's fingers twisting madly, but Harry clung on, his other hand punching every part of dad he could find.

But dad's free hand had found Harry's throat.

"No," he hissed, "I've waited too long —"

"No," I whispered.

The fingers tightened, Harry choked, his glasses askew. I started to move, but then I saw Hermione's foot swing out of nowhere. Dad let go of Harry with a grunt of pain; Ron had thrown himself on dad's wand hand and I heard a faint clatter —

Harry fought free of the tangle of bodies and he threw himself toward it but

"Argh!"

Crookshanks had joined the fray; both sets of front claws had sunk themselves deep into Harry's arm; Harry threw him off, but Crookshanks now darted toward Harry's wand —

"NO YOU DON'T!" roared Harry, and he aimed a kick at Crookshanks that made the cat leap aside, spitting; Harry snatched up his wand and turned —

"Get out of the way!" he shouted at Ron and Hermione.

They didn't need telling twice. Hermione, gasping for breath, her lip bleeding, scrambled aside, snatching up her and Ron's wands. Ron crawled to the four-poster and collapsed onto it, panting, his white face now tinged with green, both hands clutching his broken leg.

Dad was sprawled at the bottom of the wall. His thin chest rose and fell rapidly as he watched Harry walking slowly nearer, his wand pointing straight at dad's heart.

"Going to kill me, Harry?" he whispered.

I looked at Harry, was he going to do it? Was I going to let him?

Harry stopped right above dad, his wand still pointing at dad's chest, looking down at him. A livid bruise was rising around dad's left eye and his nose was bleeding.

"You killed my parents," said Harry, his voice shaking slightly, but his wand hand quite steady.

Dad stared up at him out of those sunken eyes.

"I don't deny it," he said very quietly. "But if you knew the whole story."

"The whole story?" Harry repeated, a furious pounding in his ears. "You sold them to Voldemort. That's all I need to know."

"You've got to listen to me," dad said, and there was a note of urgency in his voice now. "You'll regret it if you don't… You don't understand…"

"I understand a lot better than you think," said Harry, and his voice shook more than ever. "You never heard her, did you? My mum… trying to stop Voldemort killing me… and you did that… you did it…"

Before either of them could say another word, something ginger streaked past Harry; Crookshanks leapt onto dad's chest and settled himself there, right over dad's heart. Dad blinked and looked down at the cat.

"Get off," he murmured, trying to push Crookshanks off him.

But Crookshanks sank his claws into Black's robes and wouldn't shift. He turned his ugly, squashed face to Harry and looked up at him with those great yellow eyes. To my right, Hermione gave a dry sob.

Harry stared down at Black and Crookshanks, his grip tightening on the wand. Harry raised the wand. Now was the moment to do it. Now was the moment to avenge his mother and father. He was going to kill dad. He was going to kill dad!

"No!" I yelled and I leaped forward and stood still between dad and Harry. I spread my arms as if I could protect dad better that way. Harry stared at me, like he'd never seen me before.

"Don't do it Harry, I beg you, don't" tears were forming in my eyes.

The seconds lengthened. And still Harry stood frozen there, wand poised, dad staring up at me, I could feel his eyes on me, Crookshanks on his chest. Ron's ragged breathing came from near the bed; Hermione was quite silent.

And then came a new sound —

Muffled footsteps were echoing up through the floor — someone was moving downstairs.

"WE'RE UP HERE!" Hermione screamed suddenly. "WE'RE UP HERE — SIRIUS BLACK — QUICK!"

Dad made a startled movement that almost dislodged Crookshanks; Harry gripped his wand convulsively , I kept standing where I was, I didn't want to take my eyes of Harry.

The footsteps were thundering up the stairs and Harry still hadn't done it.

The door of the room burst open in a shower of red sparks and Harry wheeled around as uncle Moony came hurtling into the room, his face bloodless, his wand raised and ready. His eyes flickered over Ron, lying on the floor, over Hermione, cowering next to the door, to Harry, standing there with his wand covering dad, me standing before Dad and then to dad himself, crumpled and bleeding at our feet.

"Expelliarmus!" uncle Moony shouted.

Harry's wand flew once more out of his hand; so did the two Hermione was holding. Uncle Moony caught them all deftly, then moved into the room, staring at me and dad, who still had Crookshanks lying protectively across his chest.

I stood there, feeling suddenly empty. I protected my father and probably lost my friends in the process.

Then uncle Moony spoke, in a very tense voice.

"Where is he, Sirius?"

I looked quickly at uncle Moony. I didn't understand what uncle Moony meant. Who was he talking about? He turned to look at dad again.

Dad's face was quite expressionless. For a few seconds, he didn't move at all. Then, very slowly, he raised his empty hand and pointed straight at Ron. Mystified, I glanced around at Ron, who looked bewildered. I gasped, of course!

"But then…" uncle Moony muttered, staring at dad so intently it seemed he was trying to read his mind, "… why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless" — uncle Moony's eyes suddenly widened, as though he was seeing something beyond dad, something none of the rest could see, "— unless he was the one… unless you switched… without telling me?"

"Really, uncle Moony, I figured it out before you and I wasn't even there," I said.

Very slowly, his sunken gaze never leaving uncle Moony's face, dad nodded. Then he turned to me.

"Uncle Moony? What are you talking about girl?" he asked.

I looked at uncle Moony, he nodded.

I took a deep breath. "I call him my uncle because his my godfather." I stared at dad, hoping he'd understand what that meant.

He stared back and then his eyes widened. I smiled at him.

"Aurora," he whispered. I nodded.

"It's me, dad" I said.

Dad stood up and walked to me. He stopped in front me and stared in my eyes.

"You look so much like your mother. You are beautiful, I can't believe I could forget something this beautiful." He said.

I grinned. I opened my arms a bit, hoping he would understand the hint. He did, he took me in his arms. It felt nice, it felt save, like I was finally home. Than he let go of but I took a hand in my hand. I wasn't going to let go. Uncle Moony walked to us and embraced dad like a brother.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione screamed.

I jumped, I totally forgot they were here to. Oh God, this must be so weird for them.

Uncle Moony let go of dad and turned to her. She had raised herself off the floor and was pointing at uncle Moony, wild-eyed. "You — you —"

"Hermione —"

"– you and him! And Aurora,"

"Hermione, calm down —"

"I didn't tell anyone!" Hermione shrieked. "I've been covering up for you —"

"Hermione, listen to me, please" uncle Moony shouted. "I can explain —"

"I trusted you," he shouted at uncle Moony, his voice wavering, out of control, "and all the time you've been his friend!"

"And you," he turned to me, "I trusted you to, I let you become my friend and then you betray me! How could you!"

"Harry, please," I said, tears falling from my eyes.

"You're wrong," said uncle Moony. "I haven't been Sirius's friend, but I am now — Let me explain…"

"NO!" Hermione screamed. "Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too — he's a werewolf!"

There was a ringing silence. Everyone's eyes were now on uncle Moony, who looked remarkably calm, though rather pale.

"Not at all up to your usual standard, Hermione," he said. "Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry dead." An odd shiver passed over his face. "But I won't deny that I am a werewolf."

Ron made a valiant effort to get up again but fell back with a whimper of pain. Uncle Moony made toward him, looking concerned, but Ron gasped, "Get away from me, werewolf!"

"Ron!" I yelled, looking at him with anger.

Uncle Moony stopped dead. Then, with an obvious effort, he turned to Hermione and said, "How long have you known?"

"Ages," Hermione whispered. "Since I did Professor Snape's essay…"

"He'll be delighted," said uncle Moony coolly. "He assigned that essay hoping someone would realize what my symptoms meant… Did you check the lunar chart and realize that I was always ill at the full moon? Or did you realize that the Boggart changed into the moon when it saw me?"

"Both," Hermione said quietly.

Uncle Moon forced a laugh.

"You're the cleverest witch of your age I've ever met, Hermione."

"I'm not," Hermione whispered. "If I'd been a bit cleverer, I'd have told everyone what you are!"

"But they already know," said uncle Moony. "At least, the staff do."

"Dumbledore hired you when he knew you were a werewolf," Ron gasped. "Is he mad?"

"Some of the staff thought so," said uncle Moony. "He had to work very hard to convince certain teachers that I'm trustworthy —"

"Wait, did you know, Aurora?" Hermione asked me.

I stared at her. "Hermione, that's really a stupid question. Of course I know, he told me when I was old enough. He isn't evil, Hermione, that's why Dumbledore hired him, because he's a good guy. Couldn't hurt a fly."

"AND HE WAS WRONG!" Harry yelled. "YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HIM ALL THE TIME!"

He was pointing at dad, who suddenly crossed to the four-poster bed and sank onto it, his face hidden in one shaking hand. Crookshanks leapt up beside him and stepped onto his lap, purring. Ron edged away from both of them, dragging his leg. I followed him and sat next to him. I leaned against him and laid my head on his shoulder.

"I have not been helping Sirius," said uncle Moony. "If you'll give me a chance, I'll explain. Look —"

He separated Harry's, Ron's and Hermione's wands and threw each back to its owner; Harry caught his, stunned. Uncle Moony also threw my wand to Harry and he caught that to.

"There," said uncle Moony, sticking his own wand back into his belt "You're armed, we're not. Now will you listen?"

"If you haven't been helping him," he said, with a furious glance at dad, "how did you know he was here?"

"The map," said uncle Moony. "The Marauder's Map. I was in my office examining it —"

"You know how to work it?" Harry said suspiciously.

"Really, Harry, don't you remember one of the people who made it? Who insulted Snape!" I said.

"Of course I know how to work it," said uncle Moony, waving his hand impatiently. "I helped write it. I'm Moony — that was my friends' nickname for me at school."

"You wrote —?"

"The important thing is, I was watching it carefully this evening, because I had an idea that you, Ron, Hermione and Aurora might try and sneak out of the castle to visit Hagrid before his Hippogriff was executed. And I was right, wasn't I?"

He had started to pace up and down, looking at them. Little patches of dust rose at his feet.

"You might have been wearing your father's old cloak, Harry—"

"How d'you know about the cloak?"

"The number of times I saw James disappearing under it…" said uncle Moony, waving an impatient hand again.

"The point is, even if you're wearing an Invisibility Cloak, you still show up on the Marauder's Map. I watched you cross the grounds and enter Hagrid's hut. Twenty minutes later, you left Hagrid, and set off back toward the castle. But you were now accompanied by somebody else."

"What?" said Harry. "No, we weren't!"

"Yes we were," I said and I narrowed my eyes and looked at Ron, who shivered under my glare.

"I couldn't believe my eyes," said uncle Moony, still pacing, and ignoring Harry's and mine interruption. "I thought the map must be malfunctioning. How could he be with you?"

"No one was with us!" said Harry.

"Yes there was!" I said back.

"And then I saw another dot, moving fast toward you, labeled Sirius Black… I saw him collide with you; I watched as he pulled two of you into the Whomping Willow —"

"One of us!" Ron said angrily.

"No, Ron," said uncle Moony. "Two of you."

He had stopped his pacing, his eyes moving over Ron.

"Do you think I could have a look at the rat?" he said evenly.

"What?" said Ron. "What's Scabbers got to do with it?"

"Everything," said uncle Moony. "Could I see him, please?"

Ron hesitated, then put a hand inside his robes. Scabbers emerged, thrashing desperately; Ron had to seize his long bald tail to stop him escaping. Crookshanks stood up on dad's leg and made a soft hissing noise.

Uncle Moony moved closer to Ron. He seemed to be holding his breath as he gazed intently at Scabbers. I leaned in to get a better look to.

"What?" Ron said again, holding Scabbers close to him, looking scared. "What's my rat got to do with anything?"

"That's not a rat," croaked dad suddenly.

"What d'you mean — of course he's a rat —"

"No, he's not," said uncle Moony quietly. "He's a wizard."

"An Animagus," I said, "by the name of Peter Pettigrew."

A/N: please review, you could make me very happy!