"Please don't hurt me!" Pettigrew pleaded getting to his knees and raising his arms. "Was a not a good friend to you? Remus, Sirius?"
Black spat at him. "Friend? We know how you treat your friends! How easy was it to sell James and Lily out to Voldemort?!"
Hermione bit her lip, staring at the pathetic man. He'd done so much damage. Pettigrew was the reason Harry was an orphan, that Black spent years of his life in Azkaban, he was the reason all of this was happening. But Hermione looked at the shrivelling man and only felt pity.
"Please!" he wailed. "I was powerless. He-he would have killed me!"
"And I would have died before I betrayed my friends!" Black cried thrusting his wand into Pettigrew's face.
"Remus, you were always the reasonable one, don't you-"
Lupin bared his teeth, looking menacing with a flame in his eyes for the first time since Hermione met him.
"Don't you even dare!" he seethed.
"Harry!" Pettigrew wheedled.
Harry narrowed his green eyes and snarled: "You betrayed my parents."
At the same time both Black and Lupin shouted:"Don't you dare even speak his name after what you did!"
"Ron," Pettigrew whimpered. "Was I not a good rat to you?"
Ron pulled away in disgust and Black shouted once again: "It says a lot that you were a better rat than a person!"
Pettigrew changed his tactics again turning to Hermione and clutching her robes, sobbing and looking up at her. "Sweet girl, clever girl, I know you wouldn't let them kill me!"
Her father spoke before she could in a cold and dangerous voice that silenced everyone. "If you so much as look in my daughter's direction again, I swear she will be the last thing you ever see."
Hermione turned back to face her father, a quiet seething rage visible behind his black eyes, his face pale and intent on the pathetic man before begging for his life. This was beyond Pettigrew addressing her, Hermione knew that from a glance. At his side, her father clutched his wand with a white knuckled grip.
"Go back to the school, Hermione," he said in a detached voice. "I don't want you to see this."
Is he going to...kill him? Hermione turned back to Pettigrew, nearly in a kow-tow, and sobbing.
Pettigrew looked up at her but just as quickly averted his gaze, quivering. Sobs racked the stout man's body and his desperate wheezing gnawed at Hermione. This wasn't right.
Black and Lupin stood behind the pathetic man with their wands poised. Black's face contorted in a mad rage and Lupin's sombre but resolved.
"Hermione," her father said. "I will not ask you leave again."
"Wait!" Hermione cried, Harry's voice crying out at the same time.
Hermione held her father's wand arm by the elbow, locking eyes with him.
Harry had opted for a more heroic move, jumping between Lupin, Black and Pettigrew. She imagined could hear him talking them down but instead focused on her father.
"Don't do this, Dad," she pleaded. "I know you're better than this."
Her father paused, staring down at her, his thin face lost what little colour it had and his the muscles in his arm untensed under her hand. His black eyes gleamed in the faint light sadly before he closed them and lowered his wand. With a sigh he set his free hand on her head.
Pettigrew continued to sob through it all, whimpering at Harry.
"Thank you!" he clung to the ends of Harry's robes. "Thank you, sweet boy."
Harry narrowed his eyes, glaring at Pettigrew. "I simply reckon my parents wouldn't want their best friends to become murderers is all. You're not worth it."
Pettigrew sobbed.
Hermione looked up at Sirius Black, some part of her still not trusting him. "Bring him in a live and you have proof you're innocent."
"I would not presume to use the word 'innocent' on Black, Hermione," her father said softly. "Nor Lupin, it would seem."
"Severus," Lupin started.
"Yet," her father spoke with more force, drowning out Lupin. "You're right to let the authorities sort it out."
The lot of them organized themselves into a strange party. They conjured a stretcher for Ron, they cuffed Pettigrew to it, Lupin looming over the two while Black and Harry lingered behind chatting. Hermione and her father took up the rear, her father seeming to make a point of being between her and the rest of them. Once outside, Crookshanks suddenly made a reappearance from the underbrush, leaping on Ron's stretcher and hissing at Pettigrew.
"What will happen to them?" Hermione asked. "Black and Pettigrew?"
Her father placed an arm about her shoulders, resting his hand on her head with a sigh. "I imagine Pettigrew will be sentenced to the dementor's kiss, and Black will likely be thrown back in Azkaban. It's nothing less than what either deserve, Hermione."
Hermione wasn't sure she agreed with that. Pettigrew was evil, but to pass a sentence to destroy someone's very soul...it didn't seem right. And Black, even if Hermione never got the whole story, she felt certain he didn't deserve to be thrown back in Azkaban. If Hermione was honest, she didn't think anyone deserved to be thrown in there.
"I see you disagree," he said.
Hermione shook her head. "No, I don't think I do."
He shook his head with a sigh. "It'll make sense to you when you're older."
I doubt it..."And Lupin?" Hermione asked in a small voice.
"He-" her father looked up at the sky.
Hermione swallowed as she realized the last rays of daylight were long gone. Over the horizon the sky grew darker, the starless expanse nearly black as the wisps of blue disappeared beneath the treeline and rooftops. A chill ran down her spine as she saw her father's face pale.
"He didn't take his potion, did he?" Hermione whispered.
"Hermione," he stooped to her eye level. "I need you to run back to the Shrieking Shack as fast as you can and hide."
"What about Harry and Ron?" she squeaked.
"I-fuck," he groaned grabbing her hand and dragging her up to the front of their line.
"Lupin," he said. "You need to get the hell out of here, now!"
"What are you-" Lupin paused and turned to the dark sky.
"What the hell are you screaming about now, Snape," Black shouted catching up to them.
Harry looked at Hermione mouthing 'what's going on'.
"This moron didn't take his damn potion and is putting everyone here at risk!" her father hissed. "That's what I'm 'screaming about now'."
"At risk of what?" Harry scoffed.
"You didn't tell the boy?!" her father snapped.
"I-erm-" Lupin looked at Harry. "I'm surprised Hermione didn't tell you when she found out. I'm-erm-I'm a werewolf, Harry."
"A what?" Harry choked, his eyes growing to the size of saucers.
Lupin looked away ashamed. "I'm sorry, Harry. I wanted to tell you, I just didn't know-erm-timing, you know?"
Silence pervaded the group as the reality set in. Black turned to Harry, the reality of the situation setting in. Ron grew pale staring up at Lupin, his mouth agape and blue eyes bulging. Hermione expected her father to repeat his demand, but he simply tightened his grip around her and stared Lupin down.
"I'm going," he said rushing back in the direction of the shrieking shack.
Lupin ran off, his form fading into the distance. Hermione looked up and swallowed. He wouldn't make it. The moon had fully risen casting it's silver glow onto the clearing and illuminating Lupin's silhouette.
Lupin let out a blood curdling scream and fell to his knees. A series of sickening snaps echoed through the night as his body contorted in unnatural ways. Limbs bent backward, and his nails protruded from his fingertips. A trail extended from his arched spine as he cried out. Grey fur sprouted from his skin and his face morphed into an elongated snout.
And I thought morphing into a cat hybrid was painful...Hermione thought with a shudder.
Lupin's cries stopped and a very large grey wolf with a shorter snout and tufted tail stood in his place. He reared his head back and howled at the full moon.
"Hermione," her father spoke very slowly. "Cover yourselves with the cloak. Take the boys and run!"
"And leave you?" Hermione squeaked shaking her head.
Her father turned his back on her raising his wand. "We don't have time to argue! Do it now!"
Black turned to Harry and Ron, glancing over his shoulder at his transformed friend. "I can't believe I'm about to agree with Snape. But he's right, you three need to get out of here. He won't be howling at the moon for ever."
Harry extended himself to his full height, making Hermione realize he was taller than he seemed. A determined flame in his green eyes told her he was about to start his god-son god-father relationship with an act of defiance.
"And let you get yourself killed?" he said. "I don't reckon I will."
"Merlin on a bloody pyre!" Black yelled. "Are all kids like this today?"
"Just these three," her father muttered. "Hermione, go."
The precious time her father wanted to buy them vanished as Lupin turned his now silver eyes on them, baring his long fangs and contorting his snout in rage. Lupin bounded toward them with malicious intent.
Was this how they were going to die? Hermione wasn't ready. She looked up at her father and the man he hated most forming a shield with their bodies, their wands drawn while Harry, Ron and she stood frozen.
She turned to her friends. Harry couldn't carry Ron. Hermione couldn't either. Harry would never leave Ron. And with his legs broken, he was a sitting duck. Her father and Black could maybe raise a few shields, perhaps immobilize Lupin for a stint, but she didn't have faith they could win without killing him.
Everyone here is at risk...what the fuck do I do?!
Hermione's body moved on its own accord, pushing Ron off the stretcher and Harry to the ground beside him. Neither were prepared, making their size advantage useless as they fell into the roots of a tree.
"OW!" Ron cried.
"Hermione, what the-"
Hermione threw the cloak to them.
Harry and Ron stared at her, mouths agape. Harry, not having two broken legs harried by a harsh landing realized what she was doing.
"Hermione," Harry hissed. "You're not thinking of-"
Turn into a cat, dash off, distract him, Hermione thought turning to the werewolf closing in on them. If I out run him, no one else has to get hurt.
Hermione bit her lip and concentrated on transforming. She hadn't done it since the first night, and wasn't sure how long it would take. She just hoped Harry would tell Luna how apt her nickname for her was.
"Hermione?!" Harry and Ron shouted.
Lupin stopped. Something in the distance distracted him. He turned his great head to whatever it was he heard and bounded into the forest for whatever sorry creature got his undivided attention.
"What a stroke of luck that was," Pettigrew squeaked, finally breaking his whimpering.
"Shut up!" her father, Black and Harry shouted.
"Erm-what's-" Black pointed at her.
Her father stared at her, his face draining of colour once again and glistening black eyes dominated his face, his mouth agape. He clutched her shoulders tightly, staring into her eyes in horror.
"Hermione," he choked. "Tell me you didn't transfigure yourself to fight Lupin. Tell me you wanted to run away faster. That it was an ill-timed prank from one of those idiots. Anything that doesn't end in you fighting a full grown werewolf!"
Hermione averted her gaze and found a bushy brown tail flicking madly around her feet. She didn't know what to say. Come clean that she didn't fully transform and that she was illegally an animagus? Lie and say she wanted to run away or tell the truth that she wanted him to pursue her. She didn't intend on fighting, but she was supposed to be fully a cat, she wanted to lure him into the wood and run up a tree. But she knew the risk of being caught and torn apart. She didn't want to die. She just would rather it was her than her friends and family.
That wouldn't be helpful. Her father was on the verge of tears, he wouldn't understand. He didn't want to understand. Now was not the time to point out how expendable she was.
"Fuck!" he cried pulling her toward him. "Don't ever do that again!"
A sudden chill filled the air, Hermione lifted her head from her father's chest to see grey mist rolling over them in thick tendrils. Their breath left their mouths in smoky puffs into the air. A cool sense of dread washed over Hermione and familiar phrases echoed in her mind.
She's a nightmare!
What the hell Hermione?!
What is wrong with you?!
I need your help, but I reckon you need someone else's..
I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. You're obsessive, broken..
I only raised you, nursed you to health...
Hermione shut her eyes and counted to three trying to shut out the voices. They weren't real. At least, not in this instant. She couldn't just freeze, she had to take control. Take control, damn it!
"No, no, no, not again, not again," Black clapped his hands over his ears. "I didn't do it! I'm not a murderer!"
The grey, skeletal forms floated around them focusing on Black. Hermione watched in horror as the man collapsed to the ground.
"Sirius!" Harry cried.
Her father didn't stop him. Instead he clung to Hermione with a death grip, his eyes glazed over.
"Expecto Patronum!" Harry cried, silver wisps launching at the dementors.
An inhuman shriek pierced the sky as the dementors recoiled from the light.
"Hermione!" Harry shouted. "Think of something-"
Hermione wrestled from her near catatonic father's death grip and launched her own series of, albeit weaker, silver tendrils at them.
"Oh," Harry looked at her. "Did Lupin teach you too?"
Hermione shook her head. "My dad did."
"What's wrong with him?" Harry asked launching another series of tendrils.
"I-I don't know," Hermione choked.
It was that little stunt you pulled! How did you expect him to react? You stupid, stupid little girl! He really is better off without you...
Hermione could no longer tell the difference between her own admonishments and the voices brought on by the dementors. She counted to three, tried to catch her breath and tried again.
You are nothing! You could never protect them!
Have you gone completely mad?!
Growing colder and weaker, she tried turned to Harry, whose own patronus spell grew weaker, his face pale, and eyes weary. It was only a matter of time before he fainted. Hermione turned to see how Ron was fairing.
The lanky redhead fell unconscious, but what truly caught her attention was Pettigrew morphing into his rat form, shrinking smaller until he released himself from the cuffs.
Hermione launched after Pettigrew, who scurried away into the tall grass. She wasn't sure how, but she managed to fully morph into her cat form, allowing her to pursue her small target.
She bounded after Pettigrew at top speed dashing into the underbrush. She used her keen sight and vision to seek out the scurrying creature, diving on his worm-like tail. Wormtail...fuck!
The rat bit her paw, she let out a yowl and recoiled in pain.
Pettigrew scurried further into the underbrush.
"Hermione!" Harry bellowed.
Fuck! Hermione emerged from the underbrush to find the dementors spiralling around the lot of them. She turned back and with more ease than she ever imagined given her early attempt, she transformed back into human form. She drew her wand and shouted "Expecto Patronum!" with little more effect than the weakened Harry.
She looked over her shoulder to see her father collapsed on the grass, two dementors floating over him, drawing nearer and nearer to his exposed face.
"Dad!" she shrieked.
If he dies here it's your fault! If it wasn't for that little stunt you pulled he wouldn't have been this affected by the dementors. He could have repelled all of them! You did this!
She let out another stream of pathetic wisps directed at the dementors, her body feeling like ice as the voices cried in her head. Hermione's strength drained from her, simply keeping her eyes open seemed impossible.
What's the point? she thought as her heart dropped to her feet. It's hopeless.
Whether it was physical weakness or despair, Hermione collapsed next to her father. The last thing she saw was a bright silver form walking over the surface of the lake.