I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.

Chapter 28

"It's late," Hagrid said. "It's nearly dark."

Devyn wanted to say something – anything – to help ease Hagrid's mind, but she couldn't think of anything to say.

"Yeh shouldn't be here. Someone sees yeh outside the castle this time o' night, yeh'll be in trouble. Big trouble! Particularly you, Harry!" Hagrid said. Dumbledore was leading Fudge and the executioner up to Hagrid's front door, but Devyn noticed that he was taking his sweet time doing it.

Someone knocked on his front door and Hagrid called out, "Be with yeh in a moment!" He turned back to the five of them and motioned for them to go out the back door. "Quick, quick!"

They hurried as fast as they could, but Harry hesitated and turned back. "Hagrid," he said, searching for something reassuring to say. "It'll be fine. It'll be okay."

Hagrid nodded, looking desperate for them to leave, and said, "Go on, go on!"

Devyn grabbed Harry by his sleeve and pulled him out the door. The two of them creeped out the back and into the pumpkin patch, peering over the massive orange fruits.

"That's the ling you see over there…" Dumbledore was telling Fudge. Devyn raised her eyebrows and looked at Neville, who shrugged. Dumbledore was clearly playing for time here, and it made her wonder why…

She shrugged. Maybe Dumbledore was just as upset about Buckbeak's execution as they were and he wanted to delay it as long as possible.

"On the slope," Fudge said, looking where Dumbledore was gesturing. Their headmaster nodded and said, "On the slope…ah, Hagrid!"

Hagrid had just opened the door, obviously, because the three men disappeared into Hagrid's house. "Professor Dumbledore," Hagrid greeted. Devyn noticed that he didn't bother saying hello to the Minister – he probably still had some sore feelings over the whole 'being sent to Azkaban when he didn't do anything' debacle.

"Good evening, Hagrid," Dumbledore replied.

"Just make your way through…have some tea, if you like," Hagrid told them. Devyn smiled sadly. Hagrid was such a good person…he didn't deserve to go through this. Anger flared up in her chest at the thought of the unfairness going on here. If it had been anyone but Malfoy who was 'attacked', nothing would have happened. But because Malfoy felt the need to go running to his daddy over the smallest of things, Buckbeak was going to die.

The injustice of it all infuriated her.

"No, Hagrid, no," Fudge said, sounding weary. He probably wanted to get this over with. It was a bit weird, Devyn contemplated, that the Minister himself was getting involved. It was just a simple execution. Dumbledore was obviously serving as the witness…they had Buckbeak…they had the executioner. Why did Fudge need to be there?

Lucius Malfoy probably bribed him if he went and personally made sure that Buckbeak was killed. Despicable, she thought.

"I'd like a cup of tea," Dumbledore interjected. Devyn grinned to her friends – Dumbledore was employing every subtle technique he could to prolong the inevitable.

"Well," Fudge said stubbornly. "I think we should get down to our business, shall we? Very well. It is the decision of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures that the hippogriff known as Buckbeak, herein after called 'the condemned', shall be executed this day at sundown."

Fudge was clearly reading of a piece of parchment that was more than likely signed by the members of the Committee.

"Dear, dear," Hagrid whimpered. Dumbledore tried to comfort him, but Devyn didn't think it would work very well.

"The executioner," Fudge continued. "shall be dispatched -"

Devyn never really heard the rest of what Fudge said because at that moment, there was a loud snap, like someone had just stepped on a twig or something. Someone that would had to have been standing right behind them.

Hermione and Devyn whirled around, just in time to see the slightest hint of pink amongst the dark bark of the trees. What the hell was that? Devyn asked herself.

"What?" Harry asked.

"I thought I just saw…" Hermione said, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. She shook her head and said, "Never mind."

"Let's go," Ron suggested, keeping a tight hold on Scabbers as he started scampering away from the pumpkin patch, back up towards the castle.

Devyn nodded, grabbed Neville's hand, and the two of them ran after Ron with Harry and Hermione not far behind them.

As they moved away from Hagrid's house, Devyn heard Hagrid say, "Buckbeak didn't mean no harm!"

Devyn bit back the angry tears that threatened to make an appearance as she and her friends leveled off at the top of the hill, back up near the school. They turned to watch the grisly scene, although they really shouldn't have.

But, Devyn supposed, it didn't really matter because the pumpkins were blocking their view of Buckbeak. All they saw was the executioner plant his feet down, raise his axe, and –

THUMP!

Devyn's heart skipped a beat when she realized that Buckbeak was dead. Hermione broke down and started crying, hiding her face in Ron's shoulder. Harry leaned over and rested his head on her shoulder and patted her on the back, trying to be as comforting as he could. Devyn, on her part, wrapped her arms around Neville's waist and held onto him. Although she hadn't started crying, Neville had a few tears spilling over and it sent a pain coursing through Devyn like she had never encountered before.

She never wanted to see that desolate, lost look in Neville's eyes ever again.

"Oh…oh, no," Ron moaned. They were silent for a few moments out of respect for Buckbeak, but suddenly Ron gasped in pain and dropped Scabbers, a bloody cut now on his finger.

"He bit me!" Ron said, sounding shocked. "Scabbers!"

The rat had made a run for it and Ron, determined not to lose him again, dashed after him with clearly no knowledge as to the direction he was running. But the other four knew exactly what was lying on the other side of that hill.

"Ron! Ron, no!" Hermione called.

"Ron!" Harry and Neville yelled.

"Scabbers, come back!" Ron shouted at his rat.

"Wait!" Devyn bellowed. But Ron didn't listen, and she hadn't expected him to. But this was a major problem; setting aside the notion that they would get into serious trouble if they were caught outside at this time, there was also Trelawney's prediction to contend with and also the fact that Scabbers and Ron – and by extension, Devyn, Neville, Hermione, and Harry – were all headed for The Whomping Willow.

They chased after him up the hill and back down over it, only to find Ron diving for Scabbers, grabbing him and sitting up, cradling the rat in his hands.

"Scabbers, you bit me!" Ron chastised his rat.

"Harry, you do realize what tree this is…" Hermione commented.

"That's not good," Harry said, "RON, RUN!"

Ron looked up and terror warped his features. He pointed to something behind them and said, "Harry! Guys, run! It's the Grim!"

The four turned and sure enough, there was the Grim – or actually, Devyn realized after a moment, it was Black – and she didn't know which was worse. The dog spared her and Harry a moment's glance before bounding towards them and jumping, clearing them entirely. Instead of going after Harry, like they all had expected – although Devyn had doubted it – the large dog went after Ron, biting down hard and grabbing him by the leg and dragging him off towards the the Whomping Willow, kicking and screaming for help. Black dragged Ron down into a person-sized hole at the base of the tree.

When the four of them tried to follow after Black and Ron, they were knocked unceremoniously off their feet by one of the unruly branches of the Whomping Willow. As they got back on their feet, moaning and groaning all the way, Devyn willed herself to become Snow. She was going to need her for this.

Devyn felt her body twist and shift, her legs and arms becoming powerful, white fur sprouting out of her skin, her senses heightening to incredible proportions. It had been months since she had transformed and when she did, she realized that she was slightly bigger and stronger than she had been last time.

Good, she thought. I'm going to need that strength.

She nudged Neville's hand with her snout and when he looked down at her, he smiled and she somehow gestured for him to grab hold of her fur. He closed his fist around a patch of fur on her neck, but not hard enough to cause any discomfort. She looked at him and he nodded – he knew exactly what she was going to do.

She and Neville started running; Snow was helping to guide him through the flailing branches of the Willow, while Harry and Hermione were ducking and jumping as best they could while trying to get close to the opening that Ron had been forced into.

Snow and Neville bobbed and weaved through the dangerous branches and finally managed to make to the base of the tree. Neville crawled and Devyn padded into the opening in the tree – Snow instinctively knew that Hermione and Harry would not be far behind them – and sure enough, seconds after they had gotten out of the way of the entrance, Harry was launched, stumbling, into the cramped cavern. He fell to his hands and knees and Neville moved forward to help him up but before he could, Hermione, who must have launched herself in, came stumbling in and fell right on top of Harry.

Harry collapsed back onto the floor and grunted. Hermione gasped and said, "Oh, I'm sorry!"

"Don't worry," Harry said. Both of them had numerous scratches on their faces and Hermione immediately moved off him and he got up, for the first time noticing that Devyn had transformed into Snow. He raised his eyebrows and Snow cocked her head at him.

He smiled and shrugged, patting Snow on the head before moving past her and Neville deeper into the passageway.

"Where do you suppose this goes?" Hermione asked out loud. Neville shrugged and Snow whined, realizing where this probably led.

"I have a hunch…I just hope I'm wrong," Harry said, and they started walking down the passageway. They were careful to be silent, listening for any sounds from Ron, or even Black. Luckily, Snow's ears were on alert, so she would hear any sounds before the others did.

They walked, crouched (except for Snow, who was on all fours anyway), down the path, until they finally came to a wooden door above them. Harry pushed it open and ascended the small ladder. He reached the top and when he was out into whatever building the path had led them to, he turned and help Hermione and Neville up.

He looked at Snow questioningly, but she shook her head and motioned for him to move with a twitch of her head. Harry moved off to the side, but made sure that the trap door stayed open. Snow crouched back on her haunches, put a fair amount of power into her back legs and sprang up from the dirt passageway and onto the dusty wooden floor next to her friends.

"Whoa," Neville whispered. Snow turned to him and nuzzled his hand in thanks. He chuckled and rubbed her head affectionately.

"We're in the Shrieking Shack…aren't we?" Hermione asked, having realized where they were. Snow looked at her unblinkingly and nodded.

"Come on," Harry said, started to walk up the creaky stairs. The entire house was creaking and moaning; in fact, it sounded like the whole structure was going fall in on itself any second. This was not a comforting thought to Snow at all, but she tried to keep her nerve steady.

They reached the top of the stairs and Snow smelled blood before anyone else heard a single noise. She made beeline for what looked like a bedroom just as Ron cried out in pain. The smell of Ron's blood was strong and bitter and metallic and it made Snow's stomach turn. She padded over to Ron, who was still clutching Scabbers, as her friends rushed in after her.

Her eyes met Ron's and in that moment, she saw Ron's fear of her diminish. She lowered her head and instinct took over as she tried to lick Ron's wound clean. Ron looked both confused and a little disgusted, but made no move to stop her. Snow tried to clean it as best she could, but there was only so much she could do.

The taste of Ron's blood was bitter in her mouth but thankfully it didn't last long. "Ron!" Harry said, rushing in. Hermione mimicked Harry and called Ron's name as she followed Harry and Neville into the room.

"You okay?" she asked. Ron looked up at her, his face pale, but his expression scared.

"The dog," Harry asked urgently. "Where is it?"

"Harry, it's a trap! He's the dog, he's an Animagus!" Ron exclaimed, pointing a shaking finger behind them. Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Snow all looked at the floor beneath their feet and noticed for the first time footprints in the thick dust that lay upon the floor. They went from the paw prints of a very large dog to the staggering footprints of a man.

They led to the broken door of the room that they were in and Snow noticed the grey-colored robes dangling near a person's feet. He must have pushed the door away from himself because it creaked back towards the door frame and there, standing in front of them, was Sirius Black.

Snow instinctively jumped in front of her friends and bared her very sharp teeth at Black, growling loudly at him. He looked down at her in momentary surprise before shifting his gaze back up towards Harry. He took a step nearer to Harry and Hermione stepped in front of him, protecting him.

"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too," she said. Snow backed her up by letting out a terrifying snarl that again broke Black's concentration on Harry. Neville's eyes went as wide as saucers and he moved back to stay with Ron as Black said, "No. Only one will die tonight."

A fury like Devyn had never seen crossed Harry's face and he rushed past Snow and Hermione, snarling, "Then it'll be you!"

"Harry!" Hermione cried as he pushed her out of the way. Harry rushed at Black and within seconds had him tackled to the ground, one hand wrapped around Black's throat and the other holding his wand, which was pointed directly at Black's face.

Snow hovered near, not sure what to do. If she tried to pull Harry off Black, then Harry might get hurt and they would all accuse her of being on Black's side. If she didn't, Harry might actually kill Black, and that was something she was sure Harry didn't want to do. He wasn't a murderer.

Harry was breathing heavily as Black started chuckling. "Are you going to kill me, Harry?" Black asked, grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

If the expression on Harry's face was anything to go by, he was seriously considering killing Black, but before things could go any further, the door crashed open and Moony hurtled into the room, his wand raised high.

"Expelliarmus!" Moony cried. Harry's wand flew out of his hand and he looked at Moony in utter bewilderment. Even Snow had to wonder what was going on; she thought that Moony was Black's enemy…why would he be helping to save him?

Moony nodded his head towards Hermione and Harry scrambled away from Black. It didn't escape Snow's notice that if it were anyone else who told him to get off Black (except maybe Dumbledore) Harry would not have given up on trying to kill him so easily.

Hermione reached forward and pulled on Harry's arm, bringing him once more into the area of her protection. Snow once again moved in front of her friends and stared Moony down as he stood above Black, looking viciously satisfied.

"Well, well, Sirius, looking rather ragged aren't we?" Moony said, pointing his wand at Black and sounding as though he were taunting him. "Finally the flesh reflects the madness within."

Black, who was still on the floor, looked up at Moony and said, "Well, you'd know all about the madness within, wouldn't you, Remus?"

And then Moony did something that utterly perplexed the children in the room; he lowered his wand and smiled at Black. Reaching out a hand, he pulled Black to his feet and hugged him like a long lost brother would his sibling.

Snow blinked in utter confusion. Just what the hell is going on? Has he been lying to me this whole time? Has he been working with Black? Or does he know he's actually innocent?

Hermione moved away from Harry and went towards Moony, a betrayed and disbelieving look on her face.

"I found him!" Black said, nearly sobbing with relief.

"I know," Moony replied.

"He's here!"

"I understand."

"Let's kill him!" Black exclaimed.

"NO!" Hermione shouted. "I trusted you! And all this time…you've been his friend!" She turned to Snow and mouthed, 'I'm sorry' before turning back and pointing at Moony. "He's a werewolf! That's why he's been missing classes!"

Snow growled at Hermione and she flinched, but she knew that Hermione was only trying to protect Harry. She couldn't blame her for that…but Snow really had hoped that Moony wouldn't have to deal with the outright prejudice because of what he was.

Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen. There was nothing she could do about it now.

Moony turned away from Black and looked at Hermione suspiciously. "How long have you known?"

Hermione, breathing heavily, said, "Since Professor Snape set the essay."

Moony smiled bitterly and chuckled. "Well, well, well, Hermione, you really are the brightest witch of your age I've ever met."

"Enough talk, Remus! Come on, let's kill him!" Black shouted.

"Wait," Moony said, turning to him.

"I DID MY WAITING! TWELVE YEARS OF IT! IN AZKABAN!" Black bellowed at Moony. Snow growled and Black shot her a look. He nodded and backed off slightly. Moony turned to look at Snow, confusion written all over his face, and then looked back at Black.

"Who…?"

Black rolled his eyes and said, "Oh, come on, Remus, don't play dumb. What, you don't recognize your own goddaughter?"

Moony blinked before laughing out loud. "My goddaughter? What do you mean, my goddaughter? That's not Devyn…" Moony said, looking back at Snow. She knew the jig was up and it was time to come clean. "She's not…Devyn…"

Snow looked up at Moony and bowed her head before transforming back into her human form.

"Hi, Moony."

"Devyn…you're…you're an Animagus? Why didn't you tell me?" Moony said, looking hurt that she didn't tell him.

"I was going to! But then you told me that you hated everything to do with wolves! How was I supposed to tell you that I'm a wolf Animagus after that?"

Moony ran a hand over his weary face and sighed deeply. "Devyn…that could never apply to you. I could never hate anything to do with you. I love you more than you'll ever know, and I'm sorry that I made you feel like you couldn't tell me…that's my fault. And I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too…I should have told you sooner…"

"Why? How long have you…?"

"REMUS!" Black shouted. "I have done my waiting and now I am going to kill him! Understand?!"

Moony looked at Black, then back at Devyn and Harry, before handing his wand to Black. He snatched it from Moony's hand rather rudely and Moony held up a finger. "Very well. Kill him. But wait one more minute. Harry has the right to know why."

"I know why," Harry said shakily. He stepped forward and said, "You betrayed my parents. You're the reason they're dead."

"No, Harry," Moony said ferociously. "It wasn't him. Somebody did betray your parents but it was somebody who, until quite recently, I believed to be dead!"

"Who was it then?!" Harry challenged Moony.

"Peter Pettigrew!" Black said, looking extremely unhinged. "And he's in this room! Right now! Come out, come out, Peter! Come out, come out and play!" He moved towards Ron, it looked like, but that didn't make any sense…which meant that he was going towards the only other creature in that corner – Scabbers…which meant -

"Expelliarmus!"

If things could have gotten any worse, then they just did. Snape rushed into the room and disarmed Black in the blink of an eye. Moony's wand went spiraling out of Black's hands and now they were all at the mercy of Professor Snape, who was looking rather insane himself.

Lovely, Devyn thought dryly. Just perfect. Just when we were getting somewhere.