Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Lockdown
"Professor McGonagall" the strange little man stuttered in a pleading voice.
McGonagall didn't react to the sound of her name. I wondered if she was shocked or if she had somehow recognized Pettigrew after all these years. Without moving her wand, McGonagall flashed her eyes in our directions before fixating back on Pettigrew. "Weasleys, Jordan '', she addressed in a dangerously calm voice. "Step away carefully and return to your seats' '.
Lee didn't have to be told twice. He leads the way, and you couldn't have paid him to move faster. I followed next after getting pushed forward by George. My heartbeat hasn't stopped racing as adrenaline rushed through my veins. I can't believe that actually worked. Fred and George followed behind. I could feel them at my heels as we headed for our row of desks in the back of the room.
McGonagall waited until we were out of grabbing distance before turning to a Ravenclaw sitting in the second row. "Davies, go and fetch Professor Dumbledore and any other members of staff that you see on the way. Tell them it is a matter of urgency and that a lockdown may be necessary". Davies left his seat the same time the four of us sat down in ours. We watched him go. He just about sprinted out of the door. "Everyone else is to remain quietly in their seats with their wands at hand", McGonagall said. I think she was forcing herself to talk like she was merely lecturing to keep the rest of us from panicking.
In his seat, Lee leaned over and whispered down the row. "Think we'll get extra credit for this?"
Since sitting down, I hadn't been able to tear my eyes off Pettigrew. He looks exactly how Jessie had imagined him. Giving me the feeling that I had just learned that the boogieman was real. "Not the time," I said in response to Lee.
Fred snorts. "We better get extra credit. Our spell worked".
"What are the odds?" George whispered his input, sounding far too innocent to be believable.
"What do you think will happen next?" I asked. I tore my eyes away from the scene of McGonagall holding Pettigrew at wandpoint to gauge my brother's expressions. Our plan extended only as far as exposing Pettigrew. After that, all control would be taken out of our hands. We knew that. There's only so much thirteen-year-olds can do. Fred and George have foreboding expressions. I can only imagine what my face must look like. I can't keep my eyes off Pettigrew any longer. It's like watching a burning building and not being able to do anything about it. I'm relieved, of course; getting a mass murderer away from my family and out of my house. But I'm also scared. This is it. I've officially changed things. All unexpected Pucey related things aside, the order of things is now distorted. I'm now somewhat like everyone else; not knowing what the future holds. It's a humbling thought.
Fred and George don't have an answer for me. But Lee had a comment. "You guys make it sound like you knew this was going to happen".
George blows air out of his mouth. "What? No. That's mental, mate".
"Yeah," Fred said a bit too quickly. "How could we have known this would happen? None of us are even in divination." Unlike my brothers, I keep my mouth shut. Those two are doing well enough at getting their feet stuck in their mouths. I don't need to do the same.
"Uh-huh," Lee said flatly. But luckily, he dropped the subject. Lee is the Gryffindor with the best self-preservation skills. A skill set that he probably picked up after spending so much time with Fred and George.
We know when Davies reached Dumbledore because Dumbledore's voice started to magically echo throughout the school. "All students are to return to their dormitories. Prefects are to take attendance and follow lockdown procedures. All heads of houses are to meet at the transfiguration classroom. All other members of staff are to follow protocol and clear the classrooms, halls, and bathrooms for any straggling students''.
Gryffindors and Ravenclaws alike started to fervently mutter to each other as they moved to collect their things. But McGonagall stills them. "Nobody move," she said just loud enough to gain everyone's attention. "Stay in your seats. You'll be allowed to leave once more teachers have arrived". Her wand was still pressed against Pettigrew's pulse point. Her hand was steady. But Pettigrew was not. He was twitching and whimpering. He seemed to be whispering to McGonagall. But we were sitting too far away to make out what he was saying. McGonagall never responded to him. Not once.
Dumbledore arrived first, with Flitwick following seconds behind. "Professor McGonagall" Dumbledore greeted as he swept into the classroom. His eyes briefly glanced at all of us sitting students, but he had no problem identifying the problem at once. An idiot could have walked in and been able to see what the problem was without any hints. McGonagall pointing her wand at a scruffy adult sitting on her desk kind of gives it away. Dumbledore's eyes harden and there is no twinkle in them as he approaches the front of the room.
"Oh, my," Flitwick said in a high-pitched voice as he too noticed the strange-looking man. But unlike Dumbledore, he directs his attention to the third-years sitting behind desks. "Is everyone alright?" He asked. He lingered on Ravenclaw's side as he quickly scanned everyone with his eyes for bodily harm, but he paid adequate time on Gryffindor's side as well. That's a bonafide teacher right there; putting all students first.
However, no one answered Flitwick. There wasn't a need to, but mostly because everyone was watching Dumbledore. The great wizard had pulled out his wand. Despite this being a wizard school, I had never seen Dumbledore's wand before. I lean forward in my seat a little and tense up. The elder wand. If I am remembering correctly, that could be the elder wand. I don't know when Dumbledore got one of this particular deathly hallow. If I could get a closer look, maybe I could identify it. Still, it was a provoking thought that a piece of the end game is currently in the same room that I am.
"I got him, Professor McGonagall," Dumbledore said. He sounded like he always does. Tranquil with a touch of laissez-faire. With a nod of her head, McGonagall steps away and removes her wand from Pettigrew's neck. But she doesn't lower her wand. She keeps it trailed on Pettigrew as she walks around her desk to stand off to the right, blocking one of Pettigrew's sides. "Now, tell me what happened," Dumbledore ordered, at the same time that Snape entered the room.
Snape had no visible reaction to the sight that was before him. He spared a glance at Flitwick who was still checking in on students, but he headed straight for Dumbledore's right. He had his wand drawn before I could even blink. Now there was nowhere for Pettigrew to go. He had the wall behind him and three teachers on his other sides. "The students were giving their transfiguration presentations on animagi and human transfiguration and we made a startling discovery when a student's rat resulted in this". McGonagall answered, bobbing her head at Pettigrew. "When we were waiting for members of staff to arrive, he kept asking me to save him. To let him go. He said my name a few times. So, he is probably an old student. But I cannot place his face".
"Professor Flitwick" Dumbledore called over his shoulder. "Please escort the Ravenclaw students out of the room and notify the ministry of our intruder. It is as Mister Davies has informed us. Professor Sprout can collect the Gryffindors once she arrives".
"Right" The littlest wizard piped up. "Right this way, right this way". Flitwick started to wave Ravenclaws out of their seats. "Arlington, you lead. Head straight for Ravenclaw tower". Flitwick made quick work of clearly one half of the room. Leaving the other teachers to focus on Pettigrew.
"Slowly", said Dumbledore to Pettigrew. "Climb down from the desk and turn to face me". His voice left no room for negotiating. I felt my brothers tense up next to me. We had never heard Dumbledore sounding so strict, so powerful before. We never really ever hear him talk except for speeches at Hogwarts' feasts.
"Shouldn't we wait for the rest of the students to be out of harm's way?" McGonagall asked before Pettigrew moved. The doors to the transfiguration classroom swung shut from behind the last Ravenclaw student and Flitwick. Our fellow Gryffindors were starting to show their restlessness through fidgeting and nervous foot tapping. But no one dared to break their silence, not with Dumbledore commanding the room.
"Nothing we can't handle," Snape said, his voice silky smooth. He turned his words to Pettigrew. "You heard him. Get down". Snape drawled out each word slowly, like pulling teeth.
With whole limbs trembling, Pettigrew did just that. His arms can barely hold him as he stumbles off McGonagall's desk. No one attempted to help him find his footing. Given the circumstances, that wouldn't be appropriate. At the same moment, Professor Sprout barged into the room. There was dirt smattered on the hem of her robes, and they swished around her ankles as she hurried in. It makes sense that she was last. She would have had the longest commute coming from the greenhouses. "What's happened?" She asked as she rushed past us. Her face was flushed red. A sign that the slightly overweight woman had run all the way here.
"An intruder, Professor Sprout" Dumbledore said over his shoulder. Just as he had done with Flitwick. "Professor Flitwick should have contacted ministry law enforcement by now. Please escort the rest of the children out of the room, and head to the front gates to let in the aurors when they arrive".
Sprout gives herself a moment to collect herself before flapping her arms at us. "Alright Boys and Girls, gather your things and walk out in a single file line". As we collected our book bags, Fred, George, and I shared looks. It sounded like our part was done. But I doubted this would be the last we'd hear of it.
Intruder at Hogwarts
By Peter Blotting
Right before students were sent home for the holidays, Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry uncovered an unauthorized, unregistered Animagus living on campus. The animagus in question has the animal form of a rat and has been reported as living with a student as a pet. The animagus' identity has not yet been confirmed. All we know is that it is a wizard roughly in his thirties and in poor health.
The man was revealed unintentionally by four third-year students during their transfiguration presentation. As they are minors, we are unable to release their names to the public. Though when questioned by aurors from the department of magical law it was learned that the children were unaware that the rat they used for their transfiguration project was actually an animagus. More alarming still, when it was learned that three of the third-years had been living with the animagus in their family home for the past ten years. In his animagus form, the wizard had been found by the three siblings' older brother and welcomed into the family as a pet. Later, the wizard was passed down to their youngest brother so that he may have a pet of his own. When interviewed the children were rightfully disturbed to learn that an uninvited wizard lived in their house for the majority of their lives. None of the children reported any suspicions that their rat was actually a man. As this is breaking news, we have not yet been able to get testimony from the children's parents about this turn of events. But it sounds likely that no one in the household was aware of the intruder. When the youngest brother of the family was told about what happened to his rat his response was, "I let him sleep in my bed!"
As for the wizard in question, he was removed from Hogwarts by law enforcement. It was noted by Hogwarts faculty, Students and the aurors present that the man tried numerous times to escape from custody of the aurors. He has refused to identify himself. The people involved and the rest of the public can only speculate at this point why a wizard would voluntarily live as a house pet for ten years. The wizard in question is currently being held under guard in a secure room at St. Mungos as aurors try to identify him and healers work on his physical health and deducing the state of his mental health. More news to come on this puzzling case as more is revealed.
I finished reading the article in the Daily Prophet and put it aside from my breakfast plate. "You're right," I said, turning to Fred who had read the article first. "It's not that bad".
George takes the paper from where it is sitting next to my eggs and toast. "My turn," He said around a mouthful of porridge. The great hall wasn't as crowded as it normally is. Today was officially the start of winter break, as such, the majority of students were busy packing because they had to catch the Hogwarts' express. Though it would be a difficult trip down to Hogsmeade station. A heavy layer of snow had fallen the night before, and I doubt even the thestrals would have an easy time trudging through it. A lot of the students had taken the Hogwarts' intruder event with glee because it meant that afternoon-finals had been canceled. But all of us third-years who had been in the transfiguration class were a lot more subdued. After all, we were the ones who saw how serious the teachers took it. From McGonagall threatening someone with her wand to Snape not making one sarcastic remark during the whole incident, and to Dumbledore who finally showed his serious side.
Fred nods as he takes a big bite of bacon. "At least that Skeeter woman didn't write it. This bloke, Blotting stuck to the facts". I agreed with Fred. Imagine what story would have been spun if Rita Skeeter had gotten her hands on it. After Sprout had led us from the classroom and directed us to return to the dormitories, Fred, George, Lee, and I only spent about an hour of the lockdown there. I don't think Percy had ever been so happy to see the lot of us when we climbed through the portrait hole. As a prefect, he would have been one of the ones in charge to mark off names of all who were in Gryffindor tower. As an elder brother, it must have been scary to see everyone's names marked off except for your brothers and sister. He was probably panicking about how he would explain all of this to Mum. But Percy wasn't given much respite from his worry. After an hour passed, McGonagall came to the Gryffindor tower but not with news that the lockdown was over. Instead, she asked that I and my fellow triplets and Lee come with her to talk to the authorities. Percy had demanded to know why; adjusting his glasses like a man losing his vision. But McGonagall ignored him.
"Do you think they'll print it when the ministry formally recognizes Scabbers as Pettigrew?" George asked in a lower voice once he had fished reading. I shrugged as I looked down the table at the other people who didn't need to pack. Pettigrew back from the dead wasn't nearly as earth-shattering as when you-know-here returns. So, I find it hard to believe the ministry would try to deny that Pettigrew's alive. But Fudge is currently the minister of magic. He might just decide to sweep it under the rug so he doesn't have to admit that the ministry sentenced Sirius Black to Azkaban without a trial.
After McGonagall had come to collect us, we were brought to Dumbledore's office. Two aurors proceed to ask us everything from our transfiguration assignment to where we got the rat. When they learned that the rat in question was a pet belonging to first our older brother and then our younger brother, Percy and Ron were also sent for. It was there that Percy and Ron learned that their pet rat was actually an animagus. Horrified doesn't even come close to describing Percy's and Ron's reactions. Between Lee's genuine shock at what the reversal spell uncovered and Percy's and Ron's terror, the aurors let us go, believing that none of us had known that our rat had actually been a man. Even with Fred, George, and my inability to act. The aurors even asked one or two questions about our ridiculous hats.
Ron and Percy are sitting diagonally from us a little way away with Harry. The two of them had bonded over being Scabbers owners and had come together amongst all the horrors of the big reveal. Since yesterday, Ron had been clinging to Percy. Something he hasn't done since he was still under the impression that Percy could protect him from Fred and George. Percy didn't seem to mind. The two of them had spent the night sitting side by side in front of the fireplaces staring at the flames. And they stayed that way until Ron had fallen asleep. My eyes drifted over to Harry. Other than being empathetic to Ron's feelings, he hadn't shown any distress or anxiety to Hogwarts' intruder. Why would he? He didn't know it was Pettigrew. At this point, he doesn't even know who Pettigrew is. It was a weird feeling to watch the boy-who-lived act like it was just another day when his life was potentially about to change. If Sirius Black was released, Harry would have one more family member. This time, one he would actually want. "I hope so," I said, answering George's question.