"He doesn't have any proof," Ron said. "He just wants to believe that his friend is innocent."

They'd spoken with Professor Lupin for nearly thirty minutes before Harry had left. He'd gone to Ron and Hermione, his head reeling from everything he'd learned.

His father and Sirius Black had bullied Snape? Snape had loved his mother? He'd pressed Lupin on the matter despite his reluctance to talk about it because he had to know.

Snape hated Black with a passion and wasn't going to believe anything that pointed toward his innocence. He wanted Black to pay. Given that he'd always resented Harry for his father's bullying, Snape couldn't be trusted to be objective.

"If there is any possibility that he is innocent, you can't let him be Kissed," Hermione said firmly.

"He admitted to doing it," Harry said tiredly. "That's part of the reason he never got a trial."

He wanted someone to pay, but he wanted the right person to pay. Lupin suspected Pettigrew. Snape and the rest of the world suspected Black. Harry didn't know what to think.

"From what everybody said, he went a little crazy," Steven said slowly. "He might have just been blaming himself."

"Guilt can make you say and do crazy things," Amethyst said. She stared at the table. "We gems never interfered in human matters much, but what's right is right."

"He should be captured," Harry said finally. "One way or the other. But he should get his trial."

"At the very least, if he gets Kissed, nobody will ever know what really happened," Hermione said.

For once they were all in agreement.

The first step in Snape's plan was to make sure Pettigrew's return made it to all the newspapers. Snape suspected that Black was hiding in Hogsmeade, or at the very least somewhere where he could spy on the students.

Knowing Pettigrew was found would draw him out.

Then they'd lure him into a trap. Peridot was helping, gleefully, to construct a mechanical trap. As it was outside the bounds of Hogwarts, she was able to build something that was also electronic and wouldn't be affected by the wards.

Amethyst told Harry they were keeping it all hush hush. They were using magic to keep even her from seeing what they were doing, and Peridot refused to talk about it. Apparently Snape had promised to help her in her research on the nature of magic.

Apparently, Peridot came from a culture where orders were obeyed and freedom was unusual. She was new to the idea of thinking for herself. She also didn't know enough about humans to understand what was happening.

Harry tried to talk to the Headmaster about it, but he was constantly away in a series of meetings. Apparently capturing Sirius Black was a matter of grave concern for the Ministry. Dumbledore was doing what Lupin called damage control.

It frustrated Harry to be left out of everything. If the Ministry was right, Black had been the one responsible for killing his parents and for upending his life forever. Shouldn't he have some sort of say in what was going to happen, or at least be informed?

He saw a purple haired girl showing up and going into Snape's office. Harry could have sworn he saw her hair changing color. She looked young enough to still be in Hogwarts, although certainly a seventh year.

Harry even considered going to the press. The only thought that stopped him was the thought that Lupin might be wrong. If he inadvertently caused his parents' killer to go free, he'd never be able to live with himself.

He and Hermione and Ron argued about it over and over. Ron was always in favor of vengeance, but Hermione's responses were always more thoughtful. She was deeply uncomfortable with the idea of anyone being Kissed, feeling that outright killing someone would be more merciful.

Steven was gone more often than not. The new restrictions made it harder for him to enter the common rooms of the other Houses. While he did still study with Hermione in the library and attend Patronus lessons with Harry, his time seemed to be more and more taken up with other things.

He always argued for mercy, when they could get him to speak. It didn't surprise Harry; it was just who he was. Although they didn't speak with each other that often about it, the times they did slowly began to change Harry's opinion.

He didn't belong in a world where old enemies became friends, but part of him was strangely attracted to that world. He was tired of everyone trying to kill him. He didn't want to be forced to kill anyone else. The idea of mercy against someone like Voldemort seemed impossible.

Still, it was a nice dream.

"They're gonna let it slip that they're moving Pettigrew," Amethyst said. "But it won't really be him. It'll be some girl who can change her looks."

"He'd never fall for that; they could just apparate or send Pettigrew by Floo network," Harry said.

"The Floo thing can be intercepted," Amethyst said. "It's not as secure as warp pads."

"Supposedly they'll be taking him to the edge of the wards to apparate out because the Headmaster has refused to allow them to apparate directly from Hogwarts," Lupin said quietly.

"It'll be an open secret where they're taking him so that Peridot can set up her trap."

"What do you know about it?" Harry asked.

"Knowing Perry, it could be anything from a giant robot to a laser cage. She's limited by earth equipment, but she can do a lot with what she's got."

"They don't know he's an animagus," Lupin said. "Like Peter, but Snape has to suspect."

He still hadn't explained why so many of Harry's father's friends were animagi, and Harry didn't ask. From what he'd gathered, his father and his friends had been a little like the Weasely twins, except meaner. If the Weasely's could learn how to transform themselves, they'd probably jump at the chance.

It made Harry wonder if Lupin himself was an animagi. The man didn't volunteer any information, although he seemed to worry more and more about the timing of the trap. He seemed to be growing more and more impatient as the end of the month grew closer.

Harry didn't understand the delay. If Snape wanted Black so bad, he was taking his time about arranging for it. It was almost like he was waiting for...something.

Amethyst finally came with the news they'd been waiting for. The plan was going to happen; finding out about it was easy as they'd asked Amethyst to spread the word to some of the ghosts and others who were suspected to be either loose lipped or on Black's side.

Unfortunately, Lupin suddenly wanted to back out.

"We can't do it alone," Harry protested. "Without an adult, we'll be sitting ducks out there."

"I can't," Lupin said. He looked haggard and sick. "Not tonight."

Harry wanted to protest again, but Hermione pulled him aside and whispered in his ear. Harry stiffened, then stared at Lupin, shocked.

"Of course you'd figure it out," Lupin said sadly. "What gave it away?"

"You get sick every month around the full moon," she said. "And Harry told me about your greatest fear being a white orb. Snape is brewing Wolfsbane potion for you, isn't he?"

"He waited for the full moon so I couldn't interfere," Lupin said. He closed his eyes. "If Sirius gets Kissed because of what I am...I'll never forgive myself."

Harry nodded grimly.

"We'll have to warn Sirius without being caught by the Aurors," Harry said. "We've got the cloak and the map, but that's not going to be enough."

"We've got Amethyst," Hermione said.

"She's going to have to be careful," Harry said. "From what I hear, a lot of wizards didn't want her to be here in the first place. If she gets seen, Steven might get taken away from her. She might even get thrown in Azkaban herself."

Harry had seen the wizarding opinion of non-humans. Even half-humans like Steven, Flitwick and Hagrid were looked down on. Amethyst wasn't human at all, and she wouldn't have a lot of rights.

Still; they had to do something.

Huddling beneath the cloak, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Steven stayed very still. Amethyst was on the ground in the form of a squirrel. In the darkness, purple looked a lot like black, so she was relatively safe.

The auror team closely surrounded Pettigrew, or at least the girl who looked like Pettigrew as they made their way slowly toward the edge of the Hogwarts wards.

It seemed like a small team; only four men and Snape, but any larger and Black might not try anything.

Harry illuminated his wand dimly and stared at the map, glad that they'd covered the bottom of the cloak in brush but hoping that the light wasn't obvious nonetheless.

Black was already here; Harry couldn't see him, but he was concealed somehow.

"We've got to warn him!" Harry said.

It was soon apparent that it was too late. Light blazed across the clearing from concealed lamps even as Black burst into sight.

He looked insane; he was disheveled and the look in his eye was crazed.

He was fast, though. He stunned two of the aurors before they could even react, and the third went down shortly afterwards.

The remaining Auror and Snape weren't so easily taken however. They left Pettigrew supposedly in manacles dropped to the ground while they split apart, dividing Black's focus. While he dealt with one, the other would get him from the other side.

Snape cast a spell, and blood spouted from Black's arm, even as he stunned the remaining Auror.

Black ignored the injury to his left arm, simply walking straight forward. He staggered, but his wand lashed out anyway.

Snape went flying into the air, and he cursed. A moment later, Black managed to stun him as well. He set him on the ground with surprising gentleness.

He hadn't cast a single killing curse, Harry noted.

Black's expression was dark as he stalked forward. "Did you think you could get away with it, Peter? Betraying everyone we loved? They were our friends!"

Pettigrew said nothing, just staring up at him.

"How much did Voldemort pay you?" Black continued. "What could possibly be worth the lives of Lily and James?"

Pettigrew suddenly lashed out with a concealed wand, but Black easily sidestepped it.

A quick spell and the wand went flying through the air to land in his fist. "You always were a tricky sort," Sirius said.

"I'll send you some roomates," he said. "In hell. Avada..."

Pettigrew was cowering, but a moment later the sound of shots echoed throughout the clearing.

Darts filled the air, striking Black in the back. He stared at Pettigrew, his wand slipping from suddenly boneless hands.

Wild, maniacal laughter echoed across the clearing.

The ground shook as something stepped into the clearing. It was at least twice as tall as the Gryffindor watch trolls, and it was made out of junk.

Peridot sat where the head should be, and she was cackling.

"Wizards zero, technology one!"

Amethyst sighed. "She's going to have an ego about this. We'd better go grab him while the wizards are still out."

Peridot was still cackling when her voice caught and suddenly stopped. The giant machine trembled for a moment, and then suddenly fell forward.

"Wingardium leviosa!" Steven shouted.

Black's body slid out from the path the machine was falling. It fell with a crash, and Harry could see Peridot in the cockpit. It looked like she was having some kind of a seizure.

"Guys," Amethyst said uneasily.

A moment later she too slid to the ground.

The chill the suddenly filled the air and the sudden sound of his mother's screaming in his mind explained why.

Dementors floated in the distance, coming closer and closer. There wasn't one dementor or even ten of them.

All one hundred dementors were coming toward them. They hadn't fed in months, and suddenly here was a banquet; not just Black but the unconscious wizards.

Harry pulled out his wand, but in his heart he knew it was hopeless.