I felt Harry's hand tighten around my wrist again protectively, only restraining me half-heartedly. Still, my eyes never left my father. Maybe it was just me, but now that he was here, everything he had ever done seemed ten times worse. Realisation was suddenly hitting and, despite how upset the news that I was the daughter of Sirius Black had made me, it felt like I had deluded myself that this madman was nothing to do with me.
But now I could pick out the small things that I'd inherited from him; my height, the slim, rebellious face structure . . . all things I'd never really thought about before now. But apart from the colour of my eyes and hair, I'd inherited an awful lot of features from my father.
"Not lost for words, are we?" Black asked in a hoarse voice, and Harry literally shook with anger beside me. Without thinking, I pulled my wrist out of his grasp and replaced it with my hand, holding him back as much as he was me. "Can't even welcome your own father, Artemis?"
"You're no father to me," I spat back, and my voice broke. "And I think I'm doing pretty well without one." Something in his expression changed at that. I couldn't really explain it. He didn't cringe or flinch or grimace or even smirk. It was something in his eyes. Something I didn't recognise flashed, but he caught himself quickly.
"What happened to Williams?" he barked with a frown. "Luke, was it?"
"You can't even remember his name?" I laughed in furious astonishment, and Black's face fell as Harry pulled me back a fraction.
"I didn't take you to him," he told me quietly. "I took you to Mia. She'd offered to take you in before, and I didn't have any choice." There was silence for a moment. "You're wearing the locket I sent you." He pointed at the locket resting over my shirt.
"Lupin makes me wear it," I retorted coolly, ignoring the twist in my stomach.
Black chuckled. "Of course. It will make things . . . easier." His eyes drifted sideways toward Harry, and he tensed beside me.
"Don't," he warned through his teeth.
Hermione suddenly shifted in front of him a fraction, her face pale but determined. "If you're going to kill Harry, you'll have to kill all of us," she said, surprisingly confident.
Black stared at her, then snorted darkly. "Only one will die tonight."
"Why is that?" Harry yelled, and it took both me and Hermione to keep him on the spot. "Didn't mind killing all of those Muggles twelve years ago! Didn't mind killing my parents!"
Black flinched, and his eyes narrowed. "You don't know the half of it," he snarled, slipping his hand into his pocket. Harry's wand rose again, aimed straight at Black's face.
"You handed my parents over to Voldemort," Harry snarled, dangerously quiet and Black's face darkened. "That's all I need to know."
"I don't deny it," he muttered sourly, and for a moment, shock replaced everything else. Black's eyes flicked back to me, but whatever he saw made him flinch.
I'd known my father was a killer, that he handed Lily and James Potter over to Voldemort. I hadn't, on the other hand, expected him to openly admit it. Maybe some part of me was praying that this was all a misunderstanding. Now though, it felt like he'd just kicked me in the chest. It hurt far more than I thought it should have done.
"You don't understand," Black started softly, his eyes glued to me, but Harry tightened his hand in mine and pulled me behind him.
"Don't talk to her," he warned, and Black snorted in disbelief, shaking his head.
"I've waited too long for this," he suddenly growled. "Out of my way."
Immediately, Harry and Hermione moved closer together, apparently now sure that Black was after me. I'm not entirely convinced it would have shocked me, not anymore. Hesitating, my father glanced between each of them cautiously. His eyes settled on Hermione for a second and she shivered in fright, but cleared her throat and straightened out, clenching her wand tightly. Before Black could do anything, however, the sound of movement came from downstairs.
"UP HERE!" Hermione screamed suddenly, and Black almost leapt out of his skin, his eyes wide and shocked. In the same second, Harry lunged forward, forgetting about his wand entirely.
"HARRY!" I yelled in panic, but Hermione caught me around the waist before I could take more than a few steps forward. Harry had taken Black by surprise and the two had fallen to the ground. He now had Black pinned on the flour as he beat the living daylights out of him. But my father's hand was outstretched, inches from a wand that had clattered to the floor.
Yanking my arm out of Hermione's hold, I aimed my wand hurriedly. "Impedimenta!" Black's hand was blasted away from the wands with such force, his shoulder gave a loud crack and he cried out in pain. Something in my stomach jolted at the noise, but the thought of him hurting Harry overrode everything else entirely.
"UP HERE!" Hermione screamed again, doubling her hold on me. "UP HERE! QUICK! SIRIUS BLACK!" I'd almost forgotten the movement downstairs as I watched Black reach his uninjured hand for Harry's throat. But the footsteps hammered on the stairs as Harry threw his fist into Black's stomach, forcing him to let go before hurriedly scrambling to his feet and kicking the wand out of Black's reach.
Taking a ragged breath, he stood over Black, his wand aimed straight at his heart. My breath caught in my throat and I stared, unsure of what to do next, or even what to hope for. Harry was my best friend, and I knew he'd never normally hurt a soul. But Black . . . Black had murdered thirteen Muggles. He had betrayed his best friends to Lord Voldemort. He had destroyed my life, Harry's life and countless others. It hurt to think of everything my father had done. And yet . . .
I knew I'd never be able to hurt him myself unless he was a threat to someone else. Whether that was limited to me and Harry, I wasn't sure, but I didn't want to test it either. It didn't matter how much I hated him, or how much I wanted to make him pay for what he had done. Maybe I just didn't want to end up like him. Maybe I wanted to prove a point. And yet, trying to convince myself of this didn't work. For whatever reason, I couldn't hurt Black because he was my father. But would I be able to watch Harry hurt him?
The door burst open again and Lupin's chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. His wide eyes flicked over to Ron, who was lay pale and injured in the corner, clutching a squirming Scabbers, then to Hermione, who had silent tears streaming down her cheeks as she pulled me back. I felt his eyes turn on me and didn't want to imagine what he saw to make him flinch, but he turned to Harry and Black without a word. Harry's face was set and angry, his wand pointed straight at Black's heart. The man himself was staring up at him, waiting patiently for whatever he was going to do. There was something in his eyes that told me he thought he deserved it.
"Expelliarmus!" Lupin called, and I felt my wand being pulled out of my hand as I gently pushed Hermione away, sliding to the floor at the end of the bed with a gulp. I could feel Black and Lupin staring at me, but my eyes were fixed to a small spot on the floor as I pulled my legs up to my chest and hugged them tightly. Why couldn't anything be simple? Why on Earth did I care anything for my father, after everything he had done?
No one said or did anything. Everyone had their eyes on me in the second, as though waiting for something to explode, but I could barely collect my thoughts. I wasn't confused by Harry's reaction, I had expected that. I wasn't surprised by the way Hermione shuffled a few paces away from me, wondering whether or not she should comfort me. Or by the way Ron's jaw locked protectively as he glowered at Black. Or even the way Lupin stared down at me in pity and regret, as though he should have helped me sooner. Admittedly, I was a little confused by the way Black couldn't stand to look at me anymore, the way his face fell as he turned away. But what confused me most was my own reaction. It went again everything I usually felt, everything I knew and was comfortable with. I'd thought that if I ever came face to face with my father, I'd be able to stand my ground. But even that one spell, one tiny, simple spell, and I was horrified that I could have hurt my own father.
So what happened next?
Lupin strode toward Black slowly, and I lowered my head, gulping. Harry's eyes burned through my skin and I wondered what he would be feeling now. Would he care I couldn't hold my own against Black, or would he think I really was on his side after all?
A gasp from Hermione made my head jerk back up in surprise. Lupin had hauled Black to his feet, before embracing him in a one-armed hug like he was greeting a brother. Harry couldn't have looked more furious if he tried, Ron's jaw hung in shock and Hermione looked like someone had just kicked Crookshanks. I stared, not wanting to believe that this could get more confusing. Slowly, I pushed myself to my feet and moved to stand beside Hermione protectively, as Lupin and Black turned.
"What's going on?" Harry snarled irritably.
"I trusted you," Hermione breathed with wide eyes.
"Hermione, please," Lupin sighed, his eyes pleading and desperate.
Hermione shook her head furiously, shuffling closer to me and I couldn't help shifting to stand in front of her with a frown. "I trusted you, and all this time you've been helping him!" she gulped. I tensed, eyes narrowing. Lupin glanced at me, taking a step forward. My wand was raised before I knew what I was doing.
"Artemis-" He cut off, suddenly glancing down at the wands he'd taken off us when he first entered the room. I tried not to show my surprise, but I knew my wand had been in his hand. My heart hammered awkwardly in my chest, but I managed to keep my face straight somehow. Lupin looked back up, taking a deep breath. "I've asked you not to do magic like that, Artemis."
Hermione took my wrist in her hand tightly. "You're helping Black, why should we trust you?" she questioned, shaking like a leaf behind me. I didn't say anything, but after everything that had happened this year, it was hard not to trust him.
"Hermione, please, you don't understand," Lupin insisted.
"That's what he kept saying, but neither of you rush to explain it," Harry spat, moving closer to Hermione's other side. Lupin sighed, turning to Harry.
"No," Hermione persisted urgently. "Harry, you can't trust him! He's working with Black, he wants you dead too. He's a werewolf!"
I held my breath, aware my jaw was hanging slightly. Harry blinked, stunned. Ron mumbled something quietly in the background, and Black was scowling at Hermione like she'd just slapped him and she whimpered, shuffling behind me. I straightened, scowling back. But Hermione's revelation had left an awkward silence in the air and an odd anger burning in the pit of my stomach.
I gulped and dropped my gaze. "Lupin being a werewolf has nothing to do with anything," I muttered. Lupin's eyebrows rose and Black's eyes widened slightly. Harry said nothing, but Ron choked, shifting and wincing when he turned the wrong way.
"How'd you figure?" he asked, stunned.
I gritted my teeth, meeting Lupin's gaze. "Being different isn't a crime, Ron." Again, there was an awkward silence. Everyone knew I wasn't just talking about Lupin.
"That wasn't what I meant," Hermione muttered awkwardly. I didn't answer. I didn't know if I could. Instead, I kept my gaze on Lupin and Black, eyes still narrowed slightly.
Sighing, Lupin turned to Hermione wryly. "How long have you known?" he asked carefully.
She gulped. "Since the lesson with the Boggarts," she admitted, and I flinched involuntarily. "And you were always ill over full moon. It wasn't hard."
"I should have known you'd figure it out," he sighed with a dry chuckle. "I suppose I got distracted."
I couldn't fail to notice the way his eyes trailed over to me, and I groaned loudly with a roll of my eyes. "Okay, we all know how unstable I am about now, so can we all please get past it?" I snapped impatiently. Lupin's eyebrows rose, but he nodded slowly.
"You're wrong on two accounts," he said, returning his attention to Hermione. "I have not been helping Sirius and I most certainly do not want Harry dead." He looked physically pained by the idea.
Pursing my lips and lowering my wand, I glanced sideways at Harry and was relieved to see he looked as confused as I felt. "Someone had better explain what the hell is going on," he demanded. Lupin glanced back at Black, who groaned impatiently.
"I've waited too long," he growled.
"Yeah well, so have we," I snapped back.
"Fine," Black scowled like a moody child. "Get on with it, Remus, I won't wait much longer." I had to bite my lip hard to stop myself snapping back and Harry stepped closer warily. But still, Lupin hesitated, glancing between me and Black hesitantly.
"Oh for the love of god!" I spat.
"Okay, okay," Lupin rushed, holding his hands up in surrender. Black's mouth twitched into something like a smile, but he controlled it quickly and turned away. "It's where to start."
"The beginning might be a good idea," Harry muttered sourly and Black snorted.
Nodding, Lupin took a deep breath and began pacing in front of us. "As Hermione stated earlier, I am indeed a werewolf," he started with a small shudder. "I got my bite when I was very young."
"That's what you meant at Christmas?" I frowned. "When you said you weren't . . .?"
"Like you?" Lupin finished, and I shuffled when Black frowned in my direction. "Yes, the bite did stop whatever changes I might have experienced. It came as a great relief to my parents. The magic in our bloodline has already been tampered with plenty without adding werewolf bites into the equation. But, the older I became, the more evident it grew that somehow, the bite had overridden everything else. Still, it seemed impossible that I would be able to attend Hogwarts, which wasn't anything new for our family. Selena managed two years at Hogwarts, but she had to pull out in her third year, the effect of the magic was that severe."
Black had turned away at the mention of my mother, and I wasn't sure whether I was relieved I couldn't see his face or offended. But I took a deep breath and forced myself to speak. "How is that I can still attend then?"
At that, Lupin smiled softly. "Harry."
"What?" Harry choked.
"There's no technical way to explain it all," Lupin shrugged. "We've tried to keep our difference as quiet as possible for a long time, but it seems much easier to cope when you aren't alone. The two of you met at a very, very early age. You were both less than a week old. But even back then we knew what would happen on your thirteenth birthdays. Since then, you've been kept as close together as possible. When Selena insisted you were protected, Artemis, you were sent to live with the Potters for almost six months. Lily was over the moon, couldn't stop smiling every time I saw her, but you did manage to make an awful lot of trouble. The two of you were more than a match for James, even back then, and that's saying something."
Harry and I exchanged an awkward look, and between us, Hermione was glancing from me to him rapidly with her jaw hanging. Shaking myself, I turned back to Lupin and scowled when I noticed he was grinning at us. "And Selena?"
His smile faded. "She didn't meet Sirius until her sixth year, after her sixteenth birthday. It was unfortunate, really, that they didn't meet in their first two years of Hogwarts. When I was Sorted into Gryffindor, I immediately thought she'd follow, since she was my twin."
"You were twins?" I gawped.
He nodded. "And she was Sorted into Ravenclaw. The one thing she always made time for was the full moon, though. Every month she'd make me meet her in a deserted classroom and sit for hours just talking to me, making sure everything was alright. Back then, she didn't approve in the slightest of the company I kept, but she didn't interfere. Thrilled I had friends, I think. And when it came time for me to change, Madam Pomfrey brought me down here to separate me from the rest of the school. This very house, and the Whomping Willow, were put here for my use."
"How does that explain anything?" Harry groaned impatiently, and Lupin held up a hand to silence him.
"For the first time in my life, I had three great friends . . . or so I thought, at least. James and Sirius were . . . well, rather like you and Artemis. Confident and talented with an excellent habit of getting into trouble. Peter . . . well, Peter wasn't. I think he stayed with us because James and Sirius stood up for him. He wasn't the brightest spark. Anyway, James, Sirius and Peter could hardly fail to notice that I disappeared once a month."
"I'm sorry, Peter?" Hermione interrupted slowly. "As in, Peter Pettigrew? The man . . ." She trailed off, glancing nervously at Black.
"The man he killed," I finished darkly, and my father's face straightened. "Oh, sorry. One of the men he killed."
"The point is," Lupin continued loudly as Black started forward, opening his mouth to argue back. "They figured it out just like Hermione. But they didn't turn on me like I thought they would."
"What did they do?" Ron asked carefully.
"They became Animagus."
Harry's jaw dropped so low, it may as well be trailing on the floor. "My Dad too?" he gawped.
Lupin nodded slowly. "They used to sneak out of the school every month and meet me here," he said, casting Black a disapproving look. "James and Sirius turned into bigger animals in case anything every went wrong, and Peter turned into a smaller animal, able to get to the tree."
"Seriously?" Harry questioned uncertainly. Lupin nodded. "You managed to get away with that . . . for how long? Every time I turn around, Snape's there!"
"Snape?" Black snapped. I raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
"He's a teacher at the school," Lupin dismissed, turning back to Harry. Black looked furious, but managed to keep his mouth shut. "Professor Snape never really got on with James and Sirius. Especially not James. It was rather like you and Malfoy. One time, Sirius thought it was appropriate to play a practical joke. See, Severus was very interested to know where I went every month. So Sirius told him how to get down here."
"What?" Hermione gasped. "But he could have been killed!" Harry and I scoffed, neither of us meeting Black's smug expression.
"He very nearly was," Lupin answered gravely. "When he got to the end, he met a changed werewolf. Until James, risking his own life, pulled him back."
"What?" Harry gasped. "My dad . . . saved Snape's life?"
"I've been wondering the same thing for a long time," Black snorted. Harry said nothing.
"Yes, your father saved Severus' life," Lupin sighed. "And he despised him for it. What would Malfoy think if you ever saved his life?"
Harry shuddered at the very idea, but shrugged. "He's probably moan a lot and whine about how I didn't do a good enough job." Lupin shook his head in exasperation, but smiled slightly. "So, he hates you, because he pulled a prank on him?" Harry guessed.
"That's right," a droning voice came. My wand was up in a second, but Hermione gasped and grabbed my wrist, pushing it back down to my side as none other than Severus Snape himself pulled the Invisibility Cloak off and chucked it at Harry, who caught it in disgust. "Thanks for the Cloak Potter," Snape sneered, disarming Lupin with a small flick of his wrist. His eyes flicked back to Black, who scowled. "Well, well, well. Looks like you've been caught Black."
My eyes met Harry's uncertainly, but he just shrugged, gulping. So what were we supposed to do now?