Aaaand, another chapter. I got to admit, I got an anonymous review that left me pretty bummed about this story…the only consolation I had was that they were kind of right; the first few chapters suck A LOT. They're terrible. But I'd rather finish the story before I even consider going back and editing/revamping them. Otherwise we'll never get out of third year. So I apologize for my terrible four-years-ago writing.

Dobby's Polka-Dotted Sock

Chapter Fourteen:

Rat Trap

"SIRIUS!"

At Professor Lupin's shout, Pettigrew started and yanked sharply on Leila's hair, intending to move faster. She narrowly avoided getting sliced by the knife, and began to walk backwards at his quickening pace. But to her right, Leila saw something emerge from the Forbidden Forest; a large, black animal charging on all fours, teeth bared in a ferocious snarl.

Pettigrew let out a terrified yelp of surprise, but the bear-like dog was already in range, knocking them both to the ground, her a little more gently so. The knife flew out of the supposedly dead man's hand and he was pinned beneath the animal.

"Sirius, stop!" Commanded Lupin, who was already at the head of the group now rushing from the cabin. The dog, for his part, had looked about to tear Pettigrew's throat out right there on the grounds, but in an almost human gesture stopped to turn his head in the Defense teacher's direction, gray eyes stormy, but hesitant.

That was enough time for Pettigrew, who had caught his breath, to transform quickly into the rat they all had been so familiar with, and begin to speed through the grass.

"Stop!" said Harry, though knowing how futile the action was, and Leila, still frozen on the ground from shock could only watch as the dog with growl gave chase to the rodent he was rapidly loosing in the taller grass—

Two disembodied arms emerged, and hands expert at handling a rat caught up the animagus before it could change course. The dog stopped sniffing the air in front of him, and Hermione pulled the Invisibility Cloak off herself and Ron.

"Ron! How did—" One of the twins began.

"What is—" Said the other.

"What's goin' on?" Hagrid boomed over them both.

"I'll gladly explain, Hagrid," said Lupin as he walked over to Ron and Hermione. "Here, Ron, I can put bindings on him." Ron held the struggling rat out and Lupin waved his wand, creating ropes that tied, knotted, and double-knotted around the former pet. "Now, for explanations—"

"Oh yes, Lupin, do go on. It should be entertaining at least," said a voice with an audible sneer. Only now did Leila register the light spilling out from the open castle doors.

"Now, now Severus, Remus can explain his actions once we move back to the castle. This isn't the safest environment," Dumbledore's voice. She felt a strange out-of-body relief; while intellectually she knew Dumbledore would somehow make this all make sense, she couldn't seem to bring herself to get up.

"You're okay, right?" Harry was pulling her up by the arms and she found the feeling came back into her legs and so she staggered to her feet.

"Yeah, not a scratch," she meant to beam confidently so as to reassure him, but even she could feel her smile waver. Somehow the whole group managed to find their way to the Hospital Wing, and it wasn't until Madam Pomfrey made her sit on one of the beds that she realized Professor McGonagall was also among them. She supposed they were here because this many people—and animals—could not fit in the Headmaster's office.

"Tsk, tsk," Madam Pomfrey tutted, looking with some kind of special wand light in her eyes. "Post-trauma numbness, really Ms. Potter, what did I tell you about your stress levels?"

"Something about keeping them low, I think," she mumbled, ears a little pink at the teachers' scrutiny, and her friends as well. Bloody hell, even the dog was staring at her as if concerned!

"Right," said Dumbledore, as if calling a faculty meeting to attention, and not this strange congregation. "I believe the first question would be, how did some of our former students become illegal Animagi, and why Peter Pettigrew has been living in hiding as Mr. Weasley's pet rat all the time that we've believed him dead?" Madam Pomfrey spluttered a little, but seemed to take it as her cue to leave, and retreated to her office.

Lupin gave a sigh. "It's my fault really, Headmaster," and almost like the young boy in his school days, Remus Lupin recounted the tale of his lycanthropy, his friends attempts to relieve his suffering, and what he had believed to have happened in late October all those years ago. "But I was wrong, Sirius was not the traitor," he concluded. "Can you forgive me, old friend?" Here, Lupin turned to the large dog standing calmly among them, and Hermione, who was rather close, gave a gasp of realization and shrunk back a little. The dog looked at Dumbledore, who gave a nod, and the animal shifted into a form that Leila easily recognized from the wanted posters.

Even knowing, quite a few of them gasped at the sight of the escaped convict, while Snape looked as though something foul had been shoved under his nose.

"Of course I'll forgive you, Remus," said Sirius Black, his voice hoarse but very…normal, much more than she had expected. "If you can forgive me, that is." The two embraced like the brothers they had been in the past, and Dumbledore wiped a tear from his eye.

"Well, if you will excuse me," he said, "I believe I should be taking our very much alive Mr. Pettigrew to the Ministry. Minerva, I trust you can explain things to Poppy. Our guest, Mr. Black, looks as though he could use some rest and a few healing potions to start with." Snape, fortunately, left with Dumbledore, which left Leila, the other students, Professors Lupin and McGonagall, and Sirius Black to explain things to Madam Pomfrey. The medi-witch thankfully did not have a heart attack, and sent Sirius Black straight to bed, requested and received permission from McGonagall to keep Leila overnight to her chagrin, and shooed the rest out of the Hospital Wing.

The scruffy, gaunt, dark-haired man fell onto one of the beds with a sigh of contentment and drifted off to sleep rather quickly, all things considered. It took a Dreamless Sleep potion to knock Leila out for the night.

OoO

When she returned to consciousness, the ward's only other occupant was devouring an enormous breakfast as though he had never eaten in his life. Though were she to be fair, she doubted he'd had much to sustain himself on in the forest. He heard her sit up, and turned to see her with half a piece of bacon sticking out of his mouth.

"Er—hi," she nearly squeaked, and he quickly swallowed the morsel down before replying.

"Hello," he said back, his voice still rather hoarse, and he took a large gulp from the water jug sitting on the table beside him.

"So," she tried, "Thanks for, erm, the save back there."

"Nothing to be thanking me for, the rat had it coming," his voice was stronger, and coupled with the dark look on his face, she couldn't help but lean away a bit. Shaking preconceived notions like who was a mass-murderer and who wasn't did not come too easy, after all.

He noticed her movement, and his features cleared up instantly. "You're Leila, aren't you?" She nodded and a slight grin stole over his lips, and she wondered when was the last time he had had cause to smile. "I thought so. You look so much like him, you know?"

She blinked. "Like James—my dad?" Even now it was somewhat surreal to think of having had parents at some point. "I thought that was Harry?"

"Nah. Sure, he's got the messy hair and glasses, but you have that long Potter nose. His eyes, too." She couldn't help but smile tentatively; no one had ever told her she looked much like anybody, except related to Harry.

Her brother slowly pushed the Hospital Wing door open at that point, and glanced around. Spotting them, he took careful steps toward the pair, coming to sit on the end of Leila's bed.

"McGonagall excused me from classes today. They thought it'd be best if I—well," he glanced at Sirius. "It's, er, nice to meet you. I mean, I guess I met you before, but, well—"

Sirius didn't tease or seem unimpressed. He simply smiled and drank it all in.

Rumors flying as they did in Hogwarts, Madam Pomfrey soon had to place a screening curtain around Sirius' bed to insure that no prying eyes of students would see him, and was beginning his regimen of health potions anyway, so instead Harry and Leila chatted pleasantly for some time. They both were curious as to how Sirius' new found innocence would impact their lives; it had escaped neither of the twin's memory that the man was their godfather.

A week later, after Leila was discharged from the ward, their answer came.

"You know, I have a house. It's not the most livable in, but I could get it fixed up no problem. Or hell, I could just buy a new one; I don't even like the house." The Potter twins stared at the now much healthier looking man as he spoke, hardly believing their ears. Was Sirius asking what they thought he was?

"I have good news for you Sirius," Dumbledore said cheerfully as he glided into the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey emerged, automatically shushing the new arrival for mentioning their secret guest's name, but seemed mollified by her employer's presence. "Front page of the Daily Prophet this morning. Pettigrew's confession under Veritaseum was so conclusive along with some newly found evidence that had been swept under the rug by the previous administration; they aren't even requesting you to come to trial."

Sirius reached for and held the newspaper reverently in his hands, and looked close to tears. "Thank you, Professor Dumbledore," he managed, voice almost as hoarse as when he had first arrived.

"No need my boy, you deserved this. And please, it's Albus. You're no longer my student." The screening curtains were removed and Sirius was officially a free man.

Later that evening, everyone involved in the adventure came to celebrate, which was only allowed because there were no other patients in the ward.

"Congratulations, Sirius," Lupin said with a smile brighter than many of his students had ever seen.

"Thanks Remus. You know, I'm very grateful, to all of you," he looked around at those present and they smiled back at him.

"That reminds me," Leila asked Ron quietly, "How did you know to be there to catch Pettigrew?"

He grinned sheepishly. "It was Hermione really. I came back from that detention with Snape, and she tells me to run upstairs and grab the cloak because you and Harry were in big trouble. Apparently it was her from the future."

"That's why she was so upset when we left!" She exclaimed quietly. "She knew that Pettigrew was going to—!"

"Hey, Pomfrey said not to worry about it," Ron reminded her. "It's in the past; he'll never have the chance again."

But Peter Pettigrew, also known as Wormtail, escaped Auror custody shortly before he was to be loaded onto a boat for Azkaban. The Auror on duty, Dawlish, was on the chopping block job-wise. Sirius had to be transferred to St. Mungo's to ensure he didn't try to hunt the rat down.

OoO

It wasn't until Easter Break that they were able to visit Sirius again. Ron, his twin brothers, and Hermione tagged along, with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley acting as chaperones along with Dumbledore. The brunette was able to make it because she had finally dropped Muggle Studies from her schedule, allowing it to become normal at last. Hermione had decided that the stress of time-travel and knowing about things that were going to happen was far too much, and her friends agreed wholeheartedly.

The man looked even better than ever, and Leila could clearly see the resemblance between him and the best man in her parent's wedding photo. His skin had become tanner and less waxy, he was a healthy weight, and his eyes seemed…alive. When he saw the Potters, his face instantly lit up, and Harry and Leila couldn't help but grin back. Not many times did someone smile just at the sight of them.

"How have you been? Classes alright? Did McGonagall give my presents to you back yet?" Sirius had indeed been the one to send the Firebolts, and Harry and Leila had spent five minutes each thanking him profusely for the expensive gifts.

"Classes are great, except Divination and Potions," Harry told him.

"We're getting the brooms back just in time for Harry to beat Malfoy into the next season," Leila added with a wicked smile.

"Excellent," Sirius said, and the three Weasley boys echoed his sentiments.

Soon, the kids were all talking together while Dumbledore and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley conversed. Sirius turned to the Potter twins and asked quietly. "Harry, Leila, I was sort of wondering; you see, I've been making arrangements with Remus' help and I've found a place that I think I'd like to live in. It's up to you, but I'd certainly be very happy if maybe you'd both consider visiting me during the summer. Would that be alright?" They could clearly see the doubt and nervousness on his face, but neither could see why.

"Come live with you?" Harry asked. "Instead of at the Dursley's?"

"Well, yes, but I understand that they've been raising you all this time and—"

"That would be bloody brilliant!" Leila interrupted, and Harry beamed along with her. Sirius seemed shocked, but a smile of relief spread across his face.

"Really? You want to? I—that, well, you have no idea what this means to me. I have to finish up arrangements and such after I'm released from the hospital, but everything should be ready at least by the early summer."

"That's great, never having to see the Dursley's again is what we've always wanted," Leila said, the grin never leaving her face. "We don't really keep anything there so we can just—" But a gentle, yet firm hand came to rest on her shoulder.

"I couldn't help but overhear," said Professor Dumbledore, "And I have to inform you that Leila and Harry must return to the Dursley's this summer. It is imperative that they do so." Sirius frowned a little, but wasn't objecting, and so Leila whirled around to face the Headmaster at the same time shaking his aged hand from her shoulder.

"Why, sir? They're awful, we hate it there!" Harry nodded in agreement with her words.

"It's for your safety. You see, Leila, when your mother died she left a protection on you, which I used to create wards. As long as you live in the same house with a blood relation to your mother, no one may enter that place that wishes to do either of you harm, provided you call that place home."

Harry raised an eyebrow at this, and said, "Home, sir?"

Dumbledore smiled at her brother and said, "Yes, my boy, home."

"Look," Leila told him, "the only reason we call that place home, is because we had nowhere else to go. It's a home simply because it has four walls and a roof, not because we like it there." By now the Weasleys and Hermione were all watching the conversation. "And I'd rather take the risk and live with Sirius than go back there for another day!"

"Live with him?" Mrs. Weasley interrupted, and she seemed almost in disbelief.

"What's wrong with that, Mrs. Weasley?" Harry asked the woman, and her face colored for a moment.

"It's not that there's anything wrong with it, Harry dear, it's just well—Sirius is a nice man, but he's not—he's never taken care of a child, not to mention two!" Sirius' eye twitched, but he allowed the Weasley matriarch to continue. "If you both really want to stay somewhere else, you could have always asked- Arthur and I would love to have you!" Mr. Weasley nodded, but he kept a nervous watch of Sirius.

The old Marauder finally spoke, and it was in a perfectly polite tone even if it wasn't warm. "They are my godchildren, Molly."

She turned even redder this time, but shot back, "That doesn't automatically make you an expert on how to raise them."

"Are you the judge of that?"

"No, but I certainly think I would have a good idea of what they need, having raised seven others!"

"Friends, friends," Dumbledore interrupted in his calm manner, but there was an underlying tone of command, "We should not argue amongst ourselves this way. Now, Harry, Leila, you must remain at Privet Drive for a minimum of two weeks, is that clear?" Harry and Leila grudgingly nodded. "Excellent. After that, you may go to Sirius' if you so desire. Molly, I'm sorry, but Sirius does have legal custody over them and if they wish to stay with him, they can."

Mrs. Weasley turned teary eyes and a disappointed face upon the Potters. "Harry, Leila, do you really not want to live with us?" While they felt she was a perfectly kind woman and living with Ron and his siblings would be pretty fun—

"We're sorry, Mrs. Weasley," Harry answered diplomatically, "But we want to get to know Sirius. We'll certainly visit, if that's alright with you, of course."

"Of course it is, dears!" And she enveloped the both of them in a crushing embrace, one that they still weren't quite used to receiving even after knowing the woman for two years.

Even still, the return trip to school was somewhat awkward.

Ok, I'm going to end it there, cause it's getting pretty long. Yay, Sirius being free! This is probably the end of third year, unless there's something extremely important I left out, in which case let me know. But also let me know what you thought of this chapter as well! Thanks for reading, and please review!