Author's Notes: I will post the next two chapters in the next two days!
After he'd placed Slytherin's 'letter opener' into his pouch carefully so that it didn't immediately tear a hole through the bottom, Harry went down to the dungeons with everyone else. On this occasion, Sally-Anne and Theodore had their heads together to his left, while he was hugging the wall of the stairwell on his right. Just as he turned the corner from the stairs, someone pulled him into a dark, shadowy corridor. At first he thought it was the Weasley twins, but they weren't anywhere in sight. "Hello?"
A light bobbed curiously and then disappeared. It reappeared farther down the hall. Harry glanced over his shoulder and trotted after it. He simply couldn't not check it out. He followed the light all the way to the other side of the school.
He stepped onto the covered bridge and found he could go no farther. The light bobbed at the end of the bridge, beckoning him. He pushed his right foot forward, but it felt like coming against a brick wall. Was this how it had been like for Draco whenever he had tried to use 'Mudblood' as a curse?
"Harry?"
He spun around. "Theo?"
The stringy teen gave him a mildly curious look. "You're not supposed to be outside of the castle."
"Not alone as per the letter and spirit of Snape's rules," Harry said as he tried moving forward again. This time he had no difficulty whatsoever doing so. "Thanks for coming along."
Theodore chuckled. "Just as long as we stay on the grounds and out of the Forbidden Forest, a little walk shouldn't—"
There was a loud shout. The Slytherins exchanged a look unholstering their wands and ran across the bridge.
"Wait, Neville!" Hermione yelled from afar. "NEVILLE!"
Theodore and Harry jumped out of the walkway towards the bushy-haired witch, passing the remembrance marker for Harry's Nimbus Two Thousand.
There stood the Whomping Willow, and Neville was within pounding range.
"Scabbers, you bit me," they could hear Neville tell the rat as if it were a naughty child.
"Neville, that tree!" Harry cried out.
Neville swung his head up and then whimpered.
"RUN!" Theodore screamed.
But Neville lifted a pointing finger behind them. "HARRY, HERMIONE, NOTT, BEHIND YOU!"
They spun around and saw a giant black dog.
"Oh, this is not good," Theodore said, stepping back into a stance
Hermione took out her wand as well, a determined look on her face. "Here's you proof, Harry. We just need to Stun him!"
Harry wasn't sure what she was talking about.
The black dog growled and suddenly charged them.
"Stupefy!" Harry cried out, missing the Animagus.
"Stupefy!" Hermione cast, also missing Black, but they weren't apparently his target. The fleet-footed dog darted right past them for Neville.
"STUPEFY!" Theodore's spell singed the dog's hair on its right flank.
Instead of running or pulling out his wand, Neville sat there frozen with a fat, wriggling rat in his hand. Sirius Black the dog grabbed the Gryffindor by his shoe and dragged him towards the base of the violent tree like a rag doll.
"HARRY!" Neville screamed with a half-sob, his free hand dragging along the grass.
The trio ran towards them. Harry couldn't fire a spell without risking Neville. "NEVILLE!" He threw himself forward, running as fast as he could.
"HELP!" Sliding on his back, Neville was swiftly approaching the dark hole at the base of the frozen tree. The Whomping Willow had already been paralyzed!
"Petrificus—"
"No, don't! If you miss—!" Hermione yelled out.
"—Totalus Duo!" Theodore's spell was dodged by Black and placed Neville into a Full-Body Bind. This ultimately made it easier for Black because Neville was no longer struggling.
Ignoring Hermione's shriek, Harry leaped for Neville and caught hold of Neville's robes at his shoulders, but Harry's sweaty grip slipped before Hermione and Theodore could help him, and the Gryffindor with terrified eyes was taken into the darkness.
"Shite, shite, shite," Theodore said, breathing hard as they stared down at the dark hole.
There was a loud creaking sound in the background. Harry frowned.
Hermione looked at each of them. "We need to get back to the castle and tell—"
"DUCK!" Harry bellowed, realizing the creaking was the Whomping Willow ready to bludgeon them to a pulp.
They dove forward onto the ground just as a large branch and nearly swept them away. "Come on!" Harry grabbed Hermione's arm, tugging her to follow his lead. She didn't, stealing her arm away from his weak grip, and he jumped into the darkness below. Theodore jumped in after.
They heard her scream as the tree bowed over creaking ominously.
"Hermione! Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine! I'm going to get help!" She cried. "You two stay put!
Harry bloody wasn't going to do that, not when someone was in danger. He held his wand as high it would go before hitting the ceiling, "Lumos!"
There was a sort of small entrance area, enough for a few more people to fit in. The entire area must be highly Enchanted to keep the Whomping Willow's roots from penetrating the spot where they stood and skewering them in a grisly manner. There were only two directions: Back out the way they came or forward through the tunnel without a light at the end.
"We need a plan."
"The plan is to go and rescue Neville."
"I don't like that plan. Black's liable to ask for you to remain as hostage—"
"Too bad!" Harry yelled over his shoulder as he jogged with a perpetual crouch down the earthen passageway, reminded of the One-Eyed Witch Passage…
Angry guilt plagued him. He should've told the headmaster that Black was an Animagus, and then maybe he wouldn't be thinking of what Black might be doing to Neville or how he might use Neville as leverage to force Harry to do things for him. He doggedly jogged forward, determined to get Neville out of this mess. Just as he started to develop a pain in his side and neck from running with a strange posture, the ceiling began to rise.
Dirt gave way to the planks of an old cellar without a door. "Nox," Harry said. He used the dim light spilling from above to guide him.
He could hear Theodore's wheezing, distant pants from the darkness, but his roommate didn't ask him to wait or slow down.
Harry threw himself up the ladder and climbed out into a hallway, where the paper was peeling from the walls. There were menacing dark stains all over the floor. The house itself leaned as a draft blew through the cracks. He wasn't sure exactly where he was.
Taking the crumbling and half-rotted stairs, Harry paused at the top landing. Every piece of furniture was broken, ripped into large chunks of wood and upholstery, and the windows were boarded up. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, except for the floor where a wide shiny stripe had been made by something being dragged upstairs. If Harry hadn't noticed that, he certainly wouldn't have noticed the muddy set of big paw prints beside it transforming into six muddy footsteps that continued through the closed door.
Wand held tightly before him, Harry slowly moved towards the door where he could hear Neville say something with a quavering tone and Scabbers squealing.
"Shut up!" A man yelled. Both Neville and the rat stopped. Harry was glad he hadn't burst in because only a wand could have reversed the Binding spell on Neville.
The Bewitched watch on his forearm went cold, and a hand touched Harry's arm; spinning, he shoved his wand into Professor Lupin's startled face. Surprised, Harry dropped the wand and reluctantly stepped aside. He looked around. Where was Theodore?
Wand held beside him, Professor Lupin didn't wait to kick the door open, "Expelliarmus!"
A wand went flying out the room, and Harry collected it. He rolled it in his palm, recognizing it as Neville's.
Black began to cackle madly.
"Well, well, Sirius," Professor Lupin said. "Looking rather ragged, aren't we?"
Harry crept in behind him, holding his wand up. Black's eyes were shining out of deep, dark sockets with waxy skin stretched so tightly over the bones of his face, it looked like a skull. It looked as if he hadn't slept for days.
"Finally, the flesh reflects the madness within," Professor Lupin said dryly.
"Well, you'd know all about the madness within, wouldn't you Remus?" Black grinned his yellowed, rotting teeth in a friendly manner.
Harry's brain could not process what he was seeing when Professor Lupin dropped the light brown wand trained on Black, offered a hand to the convicted man, and helped him up. The skinny, wild-eyed Black wrapped his arms around Professor Lupin tightly, and he returned the embrace. "I found him, Remus!"
"I know."
"He's here!" Black's voice was hoarse as he'd begun to cry happily. "Let's kill him!"
"No!" Harry shouted. Just as they turned to him with equally surprised looks, he cried out, "Expelliarmus!"
Professor Lupin's wand flew right out of his hand, rolling to Neville.
"Pick it up, Neville," Harry said evenly his wand and Neville's trained on the adults. Neville picked up the stick of wood, staring at it instead of making use of it. "I trusted you, kept your secret," Harry said lowly, "And all this time, you've been helping him."
"No, I haven't been," Lupin said wearily, "If you'll give me a chance to explain—"
"What secret?" Neville asked Harry.
"The reason why he's been missing class every time there's a full moon."
Neville gasped loudly, squeezing Scabbers tightly in his grip. The rat squealed. "He's a… he's a werewolf?!"
Giggling giddily, Black was weaving on his feet. Professor Lupin was giving Harry a stern look.
"Black's the reason my parents, your friends, are dead! He betrayed them to Voldemort!" Harry screamed as the anger and the rage he'd been suppressing sprang forward. His scar tingled, while he jabbed his wand at Sirius Black. Wind caused the house to moan and shudder, boards shrieking as air pressed past. "And you've protected him, kept him here!"
"No, Harry, it wasn't him," Professor Lupin said. His face was creased with exhaustion.
"THEN WHO SPOKE THEIR SECRET? WHO KILLED MY MUM AND DAD?!" The breeze was now a gale causing the entire building to shiver and shake. Dust dropped from the cracks in the ceiling.
Lupin raised his hands in a gentling manner. "Harry," He said, "The person responsible is somebody, until quite recently, we both believed to be dead."
"Peter Pettigrew is dead!" Harry shouted back. "The map is broken! Sirius Black vaporized him twelve years ago!" He had his wand trained on Black's chest, imagining which curse he'd use to blast him to pieces.
"No, little Peter got the best of me that night..." The madman whispered, his vocal chords sounding as if he'd eaten a great deal of sand and glass, "The Marauder's Map is tied right into Hogwarts ancient wards… If it was broken, it wouldn't work at all."
"How would you know?" Harry asked sharply.
Rocking back on his feet, Sirius laughed out a bark. "I helped make it. I'm Padfoot."
Harry was blinking furiously, trying to make sense of the information, and then decided he didn't need to know that. "You're trying to confuse me." He aimed the wand at Black's heart. "You, the both of you, want to kill Neville—"
The Gryffindor moaned.
"That's why you broke into Gryffindor Tower. You want to kill him."
"No—" Lupin began, but Sirius's emaciated hand made a cutting motion.
"Are you going to murder me, Harry?" The madman's chuckle rasped in the back of his throat. "I wonder what James would think to see you turn Dark."
"I can cast a decent Imploding Curse, unless you'd prefer being consumed by flames until you're nothing but ash," Harry said, his wand steady.
Black stared at him out of those sunken, dead-looking eyes.
"You never heard them… my mum and dad trying to protect me…" Harry's throat constricted. "Trying to stop Voldemort from killing me…"
"I..." The Azkaban escapee's voice cracked with remorse. "I don't deny that they are dead because of me."
"Then you did it! You sold them out to Voldemort!" Harry punched the wand towards him, and a wind blew harder through the room without touching Harry.
"No, never! NEVER!" Black spat out viciously, face contorted in fury and disgust. "You want proof? He's in this very room! Right now!" He pointed at Neville.
Neville held Ron's scrabbling rat tightly against his chest. "Me? I'm not—"
"Not you!" The madman scoffed. "That rat!"
The Gryffindor gave him a bewildered expression as if Black had completely lost his trolley.
"He's missing a toe. Front right paw?"
Lifting Scabbers, Neville checked. "Crikey…" He looked very ill.
Understanding dawned as the idea trickled into Harry's mind. If Lupin was a werewolf and Black was an Animagus…
"Dirty coward cut his finger, so everyone would think he was dead! And then, before I could curse him, he blew the street apart with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself, and then—"
"He turned into a rat?"
"Yes!" Black let out a half-strangled sob, "If only I'd known he was the spy feeding Voldemort information on Lily and James for an entire year! I would have never convinced them to use Peter instead… It's my fault they're dead."
"If you were innocent, why did you wait so long to break out? Why now?" Professor Lupin, who had been so quiet between Harry and Black's exchange, asked thunderstruck.
Black reached into his robes and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. He tried to smooth the dirty thing out and then showed it to them. "Finding the right common garden rat would have been next to impossible."
It was the photograph of Ron and his family that had appeared in the Daily Prophet the previous summer, and there on Ron's shoulder was Scabbers, with a missing toe. But if it hadn't been about Snape at all, then why had Black attacked them in Hogsmeade?
"How did you get that?" Harry's professor had his full attention on his friend. It was obvious he craved to give the other man the benefit of the doubt. Neither seemed that concerned that Harry still had two wands trained on them.
"Fudge," Black answered, "When he came to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me his paper."
A jet of red light shot through the door.
Sirius Black went stiff and dropped to the floor right in front of Neville.
"That's got to hurt," Neville whispered, freezing when the embodiment of his greatest fear prowled in.
"Ah, vengeance is sweet," Snape drawled, sneering at the fugitive on the floor. "How I hoped I'd be the one to catch you." His eyes raked over Harry and then settled on the other adult.
Professor Lupin brought his arms up tightly against his body, approaching him slowly. "Severus…"
Snape turned the wand on him, silencing him without a spell. "I told Dumbledore you were helping a friend into the castle. Here's the proof. Another for Azkaban tonight."
Professor Lupin was backed against the shuttered window. "Severus, don't be hasty—"
The sallow-faced Potions Master pressed the wand against Professor Lupin's throat. "Give me a reason to dispatch you and you will be dead before moonrise. Dumbledore was quite convinced you know… believed you were a harmless, tame werewolf."
"Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back inside Azkaban?" Professor Lupin asked softly.
BANG! Thin, snakelike cords burst from the end of Snape's wand and twisted themselves around the professor's mouth, wrists, and ankles; the DADA professor overbalanced and fell to the floor, unable to move.
"Professor Snape," Harry said, dropping his wands in a non-threatening manner, "Ron's secondhand rat, Scabbers, is an Animagus by the name of Peter Pettigrew."
"Be quiet, Potter. You are facing expulsion."
"But if we bring the rat to Dumbledore it would prove that Sirius is innocen—"
A few red sparks shot out of Snape's wand, the first sign of accidental magic Harry had ever seen from an adult. "DON'T. TALK, POTTER. YOU WOULD NEVER UNDERSTAND," Snape exploded. There was a glint of madness in those beady black eyes.
Harry swallowed, feeling the rush of adrenaline course through him. He needed to think fast.
The Potions Master waved a wand at Black and his body began to levitate. With a click of his fingers, the ends of the cords that bound Lupin flew to his hands. "Come along, Longbottom and Potter," he said more calmly, "There are hundreds of Dementors looking for a Kiss and I am obliged to let them have him."
Before he knew quite what he was doing, Harry had crossed the room in three strides and blocked the door.
"Move," Snape commanded dangerously, dragging Professor Lupin across the floor.
"I HAVE PROOF AND YOU WON'T EVEN LISTEN—"
"SILENCE!" Snape bellowed, looking angrier than Harry had ever seen him.
"Professor, please—"
"I have just saved your idiot neck a second time this year," he spat out, "You should be groveling if you expect me to listen!"
Smothering his anger, Harry followed his gut instinct and knelt. He kept his eyes trained on the dusty, black boots. "Please, professor—"
"GET OUT OF THE WAY, POTTER."
Within a split second, Harry pointed both wands upwards. "Stupefy!"
Snape's face had an astonished look upon it as the spells slammed him right into the four-poster bed, which then collapsed on top of him. Black's body fell to the ground with a thud.
Harry jumped to his feet and switched wands with Neville, who was gawping at him. "There's not much time. Moonrise might be happening now."
"Harry… You just attacked a teacher," Neville whispered querulously.
"Stunned him," Harry corrected. For some reason, he was beginning to feel very queasy. What if he was wrong? "Finite Incantatem."
Black stood up, stretching. "He nearly always comes to the wrong conclusion. He assumed that you wouldn't attack him." He picked up Snape's wand. "To your benefit, of course."
"If I had attacked him, he wouldn't be in one piece," Harry said, when he saw Black reach for Lupin. "Don't! It's a full moon tonight. I don't know if he's gotten his Wolfsbane Potion."
Professor Lupin nodded and struggled in the bonds, and Black undid them.
"Thanks Harry, but I've taken enough Wolfsbane to tide me over until tomorrow morning so if I do transform I'll have my wits about me. May I have my wand back?"
A little hesitant, Harry returned it to the DADA professor.
"The rat…" Black held out a hand to Neville. "Give him to me."
Neville threw the squealing rat at Black.
Catching the rat tightly by its scruff, Black barked out another laugh. "I've waited twelve years for this, Pettigrew! While I rotted in Azkaban, I've thought of all the ways I would kill you, painfully, slowly, for betraying James and Lily! For leaving my godson in the home of magic-hating Muggles!"
The rat's high-pitched squealing grew even louder and more desperate. Black's eyes were wild and very wide.
A flash of blue-white light erupted from Lupin's wand. Black dropped the rat, and before Harry's disbelieving eyes the rat twisted in mid-air, Pettigrew's head shooting out; limbs were sprouting; and merely a moment later a wizard stood where the rat had been, cringing and wringing his hands.
He was a very short man, hardly taller than Harry. His thin, colorless hair was unkempt and there was a large bald patch on top. He had the shrunken appearance of a plump man who had lost a lot of weight in a short time. His skin looked grubby, and something of the rat lingered around his pointed nose. His very small, watery eyes looked around at them all, his breathing fast and shallow. His fingernails were pointed like Salazar Slytherin's.
"S-Sirius… R-Remus?" Even his voice was squeaky. His eyes darted towards the door. "My old friends…" He lunged for the door, but both Black and Lupin threw him back.
"You sold James and Lily Potter to Voldemort," Black said, shaking with rage. "Do you deny it?"
Pettigrew burst into tears. "Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord… he promised—"
"DON'T LIE!" Black bellowed. "YOU WERE HIS SPY!"
"He—he promised to kill a wicked, evil man!" Pettigrew gasped, washing his hands. "Th-the Dark Lord was supposed to leave Lily alone!"
"The most evil wizard that has ever existed never keeps his promises!" Black snarled.
"You don't understand! James was stealing her happiness away!" Pettigrew whinged like a mewling kitten. "He would have killed me!"
"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY THEM!" Black roared.
With wide eyes and yellow buck teeth, Pettigrew spun around and set his gaze on Harry. "Harry… Your eyes, they're like your mother's—"
Harry shoved his wand into Pettigrew's face. "You betrayed my parents!"
"No," the man whimpered, "No, please believe me. Your father isn't who everyone thought, and now Sirius is going to kill me too… to silence the truth!"
"HOW DARE YOU?" Black's face was filled with a terrible fury. He grabbed Pettigrew, who squealed. "HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES!"
"Langlock!" Professor Lupin cast fiercely. "We will hear no more of your lies!"
The groaning murderer had fallen to his knees, groveling, and clutched the front of Harry's trousers.
Harry kicked at him. "Get off of me!"
The adult shuffled on the ground, crawling. He clutched his hands together as if in prayer in front of Lupin.
"You should have realized, Peter, that if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would," Professor Lupin said lowly, a deep bloodthirstiness on his face, "Goodbye, Peter."
The two men raised their wands likely to cast an Unforgivable Curse…
With a whimper, Neville covered his face.
"NO!" Harry shouted. Following that instinct that had yet to lead him down the wrong path, he ran between them and Pettigrew. "If you kill him, you'll both go to Azkaban."
Black and Lupin looked haggard.
"Harry," Black began, trying to sound pleasant though he growled like a dog, "this vermin is the reason you have no parents. This cringing bit of filth would have seen you die too without turning a hair."
"I know. I know that," Harry said. "But we'll take him to the castle to sort things out. Then you'll be a free man." Pettigrew gasped, crying tears of what looked to be relief. "I said we'd take you to the castle. After that, the dementors can have you." Harry grinned nastily rather enjoying the moans of despair from Pettigrew.
The two Marauders looked at one another and then as one they lowered their wands.
"You're the only person who has the right to decide," Black agreed, looking at Harry apprehensively.
"I reckon my dad wouldn't have wanted either of you to become killers," Harry said barely above a whisper.
"Very well," Professor Lupin said.
Harry moved out of the way, so they could tie Pettigrew up with the rope Snape had used on Lupin.
"If you transform, we will kill you," Black snarled. "You agree, Harry?"
Looking at the pitiful figure on the floor, Harry nodded so Pettigrew could see him. He would be happy to feed him to the Dementors.
"Right, Neville, let's head out," Professor Lupin said calmly.
"What about Professor Snape?" Neville asked in a small voice.
"There shouldn't be anything seriously wrong with him. Harry was a little overenthusiastic, nothing more. He'll wake up with a nasty headache and an aching ribcage. By the way, nice spellwork, Harry."
Harry laughed once at the compliment. After the humiliation he'd endured during his duel with the Death Eater, he was feeling rather good about catching Snape unawares.
They were certainly a strange group to see walking single-file. At the front was Lupin, Pettigrew, and Black, while Neville and Harry took up the back. Lupin, Neville, and Pettigrew had to turn sideways to squeeze through the entrance of the tunnel.
"Sorry about the bite; I would have preferred to grab the rat but I was worried I'd bite your fingers right off to get him," Black told Neville. "I reckon your ankle twinges a bit."
"Madam Pomfrey will heal it up," Neville said cheerfully, limping in that awkward crouch everyone had to do to get through the tunnel.
"You're a sweet chap, aren't you? Snivellus said you're a Longbottom, is that right?"
"Yes."
"Your parents were good people. Shame they're in St. Mungo's now," Black said. Harry winced at the callous way the adult said it. "Harry, I don't know if anyone ever told you that I'm your—"
"Godfather? I've known that since the start of summer, Black."
"Please call me Sirius," Black said stiffly, "Look, once my name's cleared, if you wanted a… a different home…"
An explosive joy filled Harry. "What—Live with you?"
"Harry's my brother! The adoption just occurred," Longbottom whinged. "You're going to steal him away and leave me all alone with Gran?"
"Er." This was the first time Harry had heard that it had been finalized. He would not like to live with Neville's Gran if he could help it. "If I live with Bla—Sirius, then I'd visit you, Neville."
Black's voice was full of awe, "You actually want that… you want to stay with me?"
"Of course, I do. Have you met Augusta Longbottom? She's a terror."
"I have indeed. She doesn't have much in the way of humor."
"Harry…" Neville sounded like he was going to burst into tears. "Couldn't we stay as brothers?"
Harry's face crinkled with pity. He didn't like the thought of leaving Neville by himself. "Is there a way, Sirius?"
"Yes, it's a little complicated, but it can be done."
At last, they reached the end of the musty, damp passage and climbed out. Harry was surprised to not see Theodore hanging around the entrance to the tunnel at least. He wondered whether the greasy-haired bastard had ordered him back to the castle.
"One wrong move, Peter, that's all I need," Lupin said threateningly, wand still pointed at Pettigrew's back.
Looking across the grounds, Harry saw that the only light came from the distant windows of the castle. Clouds were obscuring the full moon. Once he had a moment to think, Harry asked Black where the knot was to paralyze the Whomping Willow.
"Here," Black pointed at a particularly large one at the base of the violent tree near to the tunnel entrance, "A friendly Kneazle helped me with it when I needed a place to rest. He was quick-footed enough to miss getting swiped. Wormtail," Black gestured to Pettigrew, "He used to get it before."
Harry nodded. "Oh, may I bring Dobby to your place? He's a house-elf I freed. He'd be heartbroken if he couldn't live with me," Harry said.
"Of course. The more, the merrier."
Harry's mind was buzzing with euphoria. He was going to live with his godfather, Sirius Black! No more unpleasant company over the summer nor any wasted worries about Mrs. Longbottom's summertime educational regime…
Then a cloud shifted, and there were suddenly dim shadows on the ground. Their victorious party was bathed in moonlight.
Professor Lupin had stopped rigidly at the front. He turned and the moon reflected in eyes that were rapidly turning black. His face was extending, pushing out into a snout and everywhere he was sprouting fur.
Harry grabbed Neville, who stumbled in response.
"Keep your wand trained on Wormtail. Lupin needs the privacy of the Shrieking Shack." Black flicked his wand at Lupin, freezing him in place. He levitated the changing werewolf back towards the Whomping Willow.
There was a terrible snarling noise emitted as Lupin's head continued to lengthen and his body morphed, bones and tendons cracking in horrible ways. His shoulders were hunching and his hands were curling into clawed paws.
Seeing Harry's distraction, Pettigrew dove for the ground and came up with Lupin's abandoned wand.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled, pointing at Pettigrew and the wand flew high into the air and out of sight. "Stay where you are!"
Neville made a noise. The balding, stooped man was transforming into the rat he'd always been. Harry tried to use several Stunning Spells on him, but he lost sight of Pettigrew in the tall grass. Harry kicked the nearest bush angrily.
Several howls and loud screaming and barking had Harry turning to look towards the Whomping Willow; it was far too late. The werewolf had taken flight into the forest, and a large black dog chased after him, snapping at his heels.
Harry frowned when he saw a ball of blue-light whiz past him straight for the castle which stood with inviting light spilling from its windows. He'd heard screaming?
"Potter!" Snape roughly grabbed his shoulder from behind and placed a wand against his throat, tingling the skin where it touched. Blood stained his hands. "You are to march straight to the headmaster's office!"
Being shoved towards the castle, Harry wondered whose blood it was. "Professor—"
"Not another word!"
Finding his voice, Neville stumbled next to them. "Please don't hurt him!"
In the distance, Professor Lupin let out a spine-tingling howl.
At once, Snape dropped the wand from Harry's throat stood defensively between them and the perceived threat of the werewolf. "Get back to the castle, now!"
There was pained canine yelp and then another one more desperate than the last. "Sirius," Harry murmured. Before Harry had a moment to think about what he was doing, he shoved Neville towards the castle. "RUN, NEVILLE!" And then Harry dove into the underbrush. Bolts of light shot by him as he scrambled through the underbrush.
"POTTER! COME BACK HERE!"
There wasn't anything in the rules that said he had to obey Snape's command. Crawling to the other side, Harry sprinted across the grass towards the Forbidden Forest. He came upon the werewolf and the dog. He didn't know how to subdue the werewolf, only how to kill him, and that was more than useless to Harry. Shouting, he tossed a rock at the creature. Having turned at the sound of Harry's yell, the creature was struck right in the jaw by the flying rock. It let out a furious roar, raising a paw to strike.
"PROTEGO!" Harry cried out, and the shield charm deflected the werewolf's attack. His fur singed, the werewolf backed off several yards, snarling and circling Harry. Once the shield charm had faded, Harry cried out with all his might, "STUPEFY!"
The Stunning Spell slammed into Professor Lupin and sent him sliding across the ground and down the hill. The werewolf got to his feet groggily, snorting with a soft growl. Harry waved his wand again, "STUPEFY!"
Struck in the face, Professor Lupin keeled back and tottered over into a boneless slump. Harry didn't dare approach the furry, humanoid body. Instead he kept his wand trained on the heavy-breathing werewolf as he ran towards Black. His godfather had gotten to his feet and was limping away in human form.
Taking a deep breath, Harry galloped towards him, wand tightly clenched in his fist. Soon he was on the edge of the Forbidden forest, running mightily as he could. Black was outpacing him, even though Harry didn't know how in his weakened state. The tall, thick trunks around Harry in the silvery moonlight seemed familiar. He stumbled down to a shore where a crystal-clear lake was. Black was lying on the gravel, curled on his side. "Sirius!"
Suddenly, Harry's breath became very cold, and Black came awake moaning, "Nooo… please…"
And then Harry saw them. Dementors, at least a hundred of them, were gliding in a black mass around the lake toward them. The familiar cold penetrated his insides, obscuring his vision; they were encircling them. The water's edge began to freeze, every bit of heat sucked up from it. The water froze, chinking together, spreading all the way to the other side.
Wait, Harry's brain said, We had a dream about this.
Harry pointed his wand up thinking of his Slytherin friends, so far away from him now… safely tucked away in the castle without any idea that he was in mortal danger. "Happy memories," Harry told himself as his skin grew colder and colder, "Happy memories." He lifted his wand. "Expecto Patronum!" A feeble wisp came out. His lungs were too constricted; he felt like he was drowning. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry yelled, trying to blot out the screams of his parents. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
It was too late. He should've cast it earlier when he still felt warm…. He was too alone… completely alone… And now Black was going to die too. "Expecto… Expecto Patronum…" Harry gasped out. The mist that had formed around them to prevent the dementors from touching them was swept aside by the gesturing of several slimy, dead hands. They were sucking at their happiness.
"NO!" Even though Harry could no longer see, he forced himself to stand, remembering the stag, remembering everything that was warm and good and pure and love and heart. "EXPECTO… PATRONUM!" A great white light burst out and a stag charged at the dementors as Harry had expected, but in a few moments it burst into fog.
A paralyzing terror filled him since the only things he could see were the dementors. And one of them came forward, lowering its hood with its rotting hands. There were no eyes. The nose was rotted. The mouth had no lips, only a shapeless hole, sucking at his happiness with a deep evil rattle.
He had to fight, but he could no longer feel his body, he was no longer aware of anything but the clammy hands that had attached itself to his neck and jaw, tilting his head back. His mother continued screaming in his ears… she was going to be the last thing he ever heard.
And then, a silvery light began to pierce through the fog… the dementors shrieked as if burned by the intensely warm glow. Harry felt himself fall forward. As he fell, he saw a bright blue orb hovering over Black's mouth. Harry hit the gravel as the blinding light illuminated everything around him. The cold was ebbing away… The air was warming… Harry looked up and saw a corporeal Patronus peering down at him. It pawed the ground next to him, kicking back its full rack of antlers.
Suddenly fog filled his eyes and he saw chubby fingers grasping a broomstick and a cat with a bottlebrush tail running in front of him.
Warm, masculine laughter bowled over him. "Lily! Come see! Harry's a natural!"
Harry zoomed along on the toy broom as his mother stepped in, laughing at the sight. "Oh, Harry! Leave Fringle alone." Screaming with glee, he zoomed past her grasping arms and clutching hands.
His father jumped in the way with a playful growl, swiping slowly at him, and Harry turned the broom away clumsily with a peal of joy and helpless giggling. His father grabbed him off the broom and lifted him into the air. Harry screamed happily, flapping his arms and hands out. James beamed up at him. "Good boy!"
Harry giggled again as he was dropped and lifted like he was flying.
"I'll have to write Sirius," Lily said between her chuckles, "and tell him how much Harry loves his birthday present."
The happy memory faded as the stag stepped away from him.
"No," Harry croaked, reaching for it. "Don't leave me. Please." Fighting to stay conscious, he watched it canter towards the opposite shore. He saw someone with his messy hair reach up and pat it.
The last of his strength disappeared, and he fell unconscious.