The Potter Timeline
Chapter 61 - The Rat Trap
Harry and Hermione were discussing the headmaster's plan to capture Pettigrew as they approached the main entrance to the castle. They were so caught up in conversation that they weren't aware of the danger until both of them felt a cold rush of air against their backs. Spinning around, they found two Dementors swooping down at them. The creatures reached out with their bony hands, ready to perform the dreaded Dementor's Kiss.
"RUN!" Harry shouted while grabbing Hermione's hand.
They spun back around and bolted toward the enormous oak doors some twenty meters off. The Dementors hissed angrily and sped after them, gaining on the pair quickly as Harry and Hermione could now feel cold air envelope them completely. But just before the creatures reached them, the two managed to skirt through the partially opened doorway into the foyer.
They stopped several meters inside and turned to see if their pursuers would penetrate the entranceway as Dumbledore had forbid the Dementors inside the castle proper. Sure enough, they halted only a meter from the heavy oak doors, flitting about, hissing at the students in frustration. The teenagers, breathing heavily, their hearts pounding at this near miss, felt relief as the Dementors finally flew off.
"That was too close!" Hermione uttered.
"Yeah. We really need to learn the Patronus Charm," Harry replied through stiff breaths with a tinge of anger, "maybe Professor Lupin can teach us sooner than he said."
"Maybe so."
They continued gazing outside while trying to catch their breath.
"'Choo lookin' at?" a voice startled them from behind.
They spun around to find a thin young man before them. He looked a few years older than them, had a head of unruly brown hair, large ears, and his thin face was pocked with pimples. He wore a black turtle-neck sweater with the Hogwarts emblem on it, similar to Hagrid's sweater, along with a pair of beige slacks.
Harry guessed this was Hagrid's new assistant, Stan Shunpike.
"Woss so fascinatin' outside the castle?" Shunpike asked with a furrowed brow while walking in between Harry and Hermione and gazing into the sky.
"Just some Dementors," Harry answered.
Stan looked at Harry.
"You're 'Arry Potter, aincha?" he asked.
Harry looked at Hermione who gazed back with a furrowed brow.
"Yes. I am," he answered.
Shunpike nodded.
"Been 'earin' 'bout you, I 'ave. They say you're famouser than Dumbledore 'imself, wot wif your run in wif...You-Know-'Oo an' all."
Harry grimaced.
"I don't know about that."
"'Course ya do!" the wizard uttered incredulously, as though Harry was a nutter, "wif 'at on your for'ead!"
Stan poked Harry's scar causing him to step back in annoyance. He already didn't like Hagrid's assistant. Shunpike continued.
"They say there ain't nuffink like it, they do. They say...you're a marked one."
As Stan said these words, Harry saw something flash across the wizard's eyes momentarily as though he'd fallen into a mild trance. But it was so brief, Harry thought he must have imagined it. The young man relaxed.
"Stan Shunpike," he said pleasantly, holding his hand toward Harry who shook it with hesitance.
"Hagrid's new assistant. Yeah, we've heard."
"That's right. I'm 'ere to 'elp the big man wif 'is more...mundane jobs 'round the school."
Stan turned and gazed at Hermione.
"An' I s'ppose this 'ere's your girlfriend," he asked Harry while keeping his gaze fixed on the girl.
"Yes, she is," Harry said with annoyance.
Shunpike nodded.
"You used to work on the Knight Bus, correct?" Hermione asked.
Stan's gazed at her suspiciously.
"That's right. The Knight Bus. Been workin' for Ern all this time, 'aven't I. Thought a change of pace 'ould be nice...settle in one spot, for once. No more flyin' round an' pickin' up wizardin' folk left an' right," he said with exaggerated hand gestures in a sarcastic tone, "kind o' wears on ya after a while, if ya know wot I mean."
"Um...sure," Hermione answered with a furrowed brow.
Shunpike stared at both of them suspiciously again, but then gave them a faux smile.
"Well, I best be gettin' on, then. Mister 'Agrid wants me to do a couple rounds 'bout the castle, to see if anyfink is amiss. You might well know, we're on the lookout for ol' Black 'imself," he uttered with a proud expression.
"Sirius Black?" Harry asked, acting ignorant.
"Oh yeah. You been 'earin 'bout 'im, 'aincha?"
"Yes. We have," Harry answered with a glance at Hermione.
"Mister 'Agrid says he's threatened to show up 'ere, he did. An' I'm to keep a sharp eye out."
Stan stepped closer to Harry with another suspicious look.
"You ain't 'appened to see 'im, 'ave ya?"
Hermione and Harry exchanged brief, wide-eyed glances.
"Not inside the castle...no," Harry said, truthfully.
Stan nodded, but stared at them as pondering whether they were lying or not. But he relaxed once more.
"Right. I s'ppose I'll be seein' you two later, then," he said with a sly look.
He turned and marched down the stairs toward the dungeons. Harry and Hermione watched him leave then turned to each other. Hermione's face soured.
"Fred and George were right. He's kind of...creepy."
"Yeah. I wonder why Hagrid hired him."
The two ascended the main stairwell and headed into the Great Hall, wanting to get in lunch before Professors Dumbledore and Lupin arrived. They sat down at the Gryffindor table, and each tucked into a cheddar and chives jacket potato. Not long after, Ron Weasley and his pals Sean and Frederick entered the hall. Harry and Hermione exchanged looks.
The three Hufflepuffs chatted and laughed over something as they plopped down at their House table. Soon, they, along with numerous other students who had arrived inside, were partaking of their own lunch. The two Gryffindors ate in silence while occasionally watching Ron and listening in on whatever he and his friends were talking about.
Then, just as Harry and Hermione finished, Lupin and Dumbledore appeared, stopping just inside the hall entrance. Dumbledore glanced at the pair, giving them a nod and smile. They got up and walked around the table to meet them.
"Miss Granger, if you'd be so kind as send the message we spoke of, then meet us back here at the top of the main stairwell after," Dumbledore said.
"Yes, sir," she replied.
"You can use Hedwig to owl James," Harry told her, "she's faster than the regular school owls."
"Okay," she replied with a nod.
The girl exited the hall, headed for the owlery.
"Ready, Harry?" Lupin asked.
"Yes," he answered.
"Very well, then," Dumbledore said.
They walked over to the Hufflepuff table. The third-years were talking cheerily while chowing away but froze when Harry, Lupin, and Dumbledore appeared. The three teens looked up at them wide-eyed.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said pleasantly, "might we have a word with you outside the hall?"
Ron's face went pale, and he swallowed hard.
"A...w-word?" he asked while holding a spoonful of his stew mid-air.
Harry smiled.
"Don't worry, Ron. You're not in trouble or anything," he reassured the teen.
Ron slowly nodded, set his spoon back in his bowl, and rose from the table. But he threw a worried frown at his friends nevertheless as they stared back at him in astonishment. Weasley joined the three and they stepped outside the Great Hall, stopping a few meters down the corridor from the entrance.
"Mr. Weasley, we understand you keep a rat in your dorm room," Dumbledore said.
Ron's brow furrowed.
"Um...yeah...my pet rat, Scabbers," he said nervously.
The headmaster nodded.
"I see. And would you be so kind as to show him to us?"
Ron swallowed hard.
"Um...Sure."
"Excellent. We'll let you lead the way."
Ron nodded and turned, heading for the main stairwell as though he was about to be physically beaten for something. The three followed with Harry walking next to the redhead.
"What's this about, Harry?" Ron asked as they descended to the ground floor.
Harry grimaced.
"Scabbers isn't really a rat, Ron. He's an animagus, an impostor," he said.
Weasley's eyes grew wide as saucers as he stared at Harry in astonishment.
"What?! An animagus?! But that's impossible! He's been in our family for at least twelve years!"
"An unusually long life for a mere rodent, wouldn't you say, Mr. Weasley?" Lupin asked.
Ron shrugged.
"I suppose. I never really thought about it, actually."
"And I'd wager he's missing a toe, isn't he?" Lupin added.
Now Ron stared at him wide-eyed.
"Yeah! On his left paw! How d'you know that?"
Remus smiled.
"Never mind right now. For the moment, it's only necessary we examine him."
Ron swallowed hard once more, appearing mystified by all this.
"Okay," he muttered.
When they reached the ground floor, Ron moved to a doorway on the right side of the main stairwell opposite the stairs leading to the dungeons. The old wooden door groaned and creaked as he opened it. He then descended a set of steps lower underground. Harry was surprised. He always assumed this door was to a storage closet of some kind and never bothered to check it during his excursions over the summer.
After making their own descent, the three followed Ron down a narrow corridor lit by some smallish candelabras. Harry could hear noise coming from behind a large painting sitting slightly ajar from the wall just ahead. It was the clinking of silverware and glassware, as well as hissing and crackling sounds. At first puzzled by this, he remembered this was the entrance to Hogwarts kitchens which he saw on the Marauder's Map. The aroma of freshly cooked foods of all sorts wafted from behind the painting as they drew nearer to it.
The painting itself was rather unremarkable: a still-life of a table covered with a maroon cloth on which sat a bowl of fruit, a loaf of bread with a knife, and a green vase holding various flowers.
When the group passed the painting, Harry peered through the gap to see elves scurrying about, busily providing lunch for the inhabitants inside the Great Hall. Some were cleaning dishes, one was stirring something in a large pot over an enormous stove top, and another was floating various breads, meats, and vegetables across the kitchen to be converted into a hearty meal of some kind.
Shortly past the painting, a tall alcove appeared in the corridor wall containing numerous wooden barrels turned on their sides. Those at the bottom were enormous - large enough for Harry and Ron to stand in without a problem, though they seemed too short for Lupin and Dumbledore. Above these huge barrels, which smelled faintly of wine mingled with vinegar, several smaller barrels sat.
Ron stopped, pulled out his wand, and gazed at Professor Dumbledore with uncertainty.
"Go ahead, Mr. Weasley. It won't hurt for Mr. Potter to know the secret to entering Hufflepuff's domain," the old wizard told him, "I trust him implicitly and therefore give you permission."
Harry smiled at Dumbledore who returned the same.
"Yes, sir," Ron uttered.
The redhead reached up and tapped 5 times in a distinct rhythm on a small barrel middle of the stack. The large, round barrel top beneath it unlocked and swung open. To Harry's surprise, it wasn't a barrel at all but an entranceway facade. Weasley entered and the rest followed.
The corridor wasn't terribly long but it was low and seemed as though it had been dug out of the ground.
"And here we go again," Dumbledore sighed as he stooped over along with Lupin while traversing the corridor.
Harry chuckled at the headmaster's reference at having to stoop again like he did under the Whomping Willow that morning. But only a moment later, the four emerged inside the Hufflepuff common room.
The space was bright and homey, quite different from the dungeons at the same level. It was circular in shape, just as Harry recalled from seeing it on the Marauder's Map. Three round windows let in sunlight on one side of the room and grass sticking up at their base outside indicated the windows sat just at ground level. The ceiling, composed of bright wood paneling and wooden beams, was very low in comparison to the high-vaulted, conical ceiling of the Gryffindor common room.
The fireplace, made of whitish stone and decorated with engraved badgers, gave out a warm glow. And above its decorative, wooden mantel sat a moving portrait of Helga Hufflepuff, swaying gently while smiling and holding up a golden goblet as though to say "cheers!" to the room's occupants.
And nearly everywhere, hanging from copper holders in the ceiling, sitting in copper pots on shelves, or even adorning the golden wood tables with their plush armchairs, sat ferns, cacti, and various other plants. Considering Professor Sprout was head of Hufflepuff, Harry wasn't surprised at the abundant greenery adorning the space.
Overall, the Hufflepuff common area, with its faint but pleasing scent of cedar, felt rustic and comfortable. It was unlike anything he would imagine inside the venerable old castle and the Gryffindor common room seemed dreary by comparison.
A few Hufflepuffs sat at a study table, poring over classwork. A girl sat reading on one end of a long, yellow and black striped sofa before the fireplace. All looked up in surprise as Ron and his three visitors entered.
"Good afternoon, students," Dumbledore stated.
"Good afternoon, sir," everyone replied.
Ron led Harry and the professors toward two large, round doors, made of the same honey-colored wood as the rest of the furniture. Harry guessed these were the entrances to the boys' and girls' dorms. But then, the door on the right swung open and a young man and girl stepped out, both laughing. They instantly stopped and went silent at seeing Ron and his guests.
It was Cedric Diggory, holding his Cleansweep Nine while dressed in his Hufflepuff Quidditch outfit as though heading out for a match. Next to him was a very pretty Asian girl with long, jet black hair whom Harry had not met before.
"Professor Dumbledore! Professor Lupin! Harry!" Cedric uttered wide-eyed.
"Hey, Cedric. They're with me," Ron told his prefect with an apologetic look, "they want to see something in my room."
Cedric nodded.
"No problem, Ron."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Diggory," Dumbledore said pleasantly, "and how are you today?"
"Um...very well, sir. Thank you," the fifth-year said with a smile.
"Heading out for a bit of practice?" Remus asked the young man.
"Yes, sir. I am...that is..we are."
Harry stepped forward and held out his hand.
"Good to see you again, Cedric," he said.
"You too, Harry," Diggory replied while shaking his hand. Harry continued.
"By the way, congratulations on making team captain."
Cedric nodded.
"Thanks. It's quite a responsibility. I just hope I'm up to the task."
"I've no doubt you'll do well. And I'm looking forward to our battles on the pitch this year, too."
Diggory nodded again while smiling.
"So am I."
Silence came over everyone for a moment, but then Cedric's eyes went wide.
"Oh! I apologize! This is...Cho Chang."
The girl smiled at the visitors who returned the same. This was the girl whose name showed up on the map. Cedric looked at Harry.
"She's the new Seeker for Ravenclaw, Harry. We'll both be facing her this year. In fact, we were heading out to the pitch just now to do a little fieldwork."
Harry smiled at Cho.
"Nice to meet you."
"Nice to finally meet you too, Harry," she said with a Scottish lilt, "after all your heroics the past two years, I confess I'm a bit intimidated we'll be facing off at some point."
Harry's cheeks went pink briefly and he shrugged.
"Well, if this one here is giving you tips," he said with a nod at Cedric, "it might be me that winds up intimidated. Cedric's a really good Quidditch opponent, as you know."
Diggory chuckled and Cho smiled at him.
Silence came over everyone again.
"Well, I guess we best be off then," Cedric said with a look at the Ravenclaw, "Professors, Harry, Ron."
The others nodded as the two pupils went around them to exit the common room.
"See you later, Harry," Cho said pleasantly.
"You too," he answered with a bright expression as they disappeared through the entrance corridor.
After seeing Cedric and Cho together on the Marauder's Map, and now witnessing the easy demeanor between them in person, Harry wondered if they were more than simply fellow Seekers...or even friends for that matter. Whatever the case, Harry was impressed with Cho just in this first meeting. She wasn't only pretty, she seemed smart too. No wonder she hung out with a bright student like Cedric.
"Well, then. Back to business, Mr. Weasley?" Dumbledore asked with a smile.
"Yes, sir. This way," the redhead responded.
The group went through the round doorway that Cedric and Cho just exited. And just like the entrance into the common room, the low tunnels leading off to the various Hufflepuff dorms were dug out of the earth. The Hufflepuff domain, as Dumbledore referred to it, seemed to Harry like an enormous badger or weasel burrow.
Ron led the three down a few tunnels, passing more round doors for each dorm room. But he finally stopped at one near the end.
"Purple Persimmon," he uttered.
It unlocked and Ron pushed it open. The group stepped inside.
Weasley's dorm room was circular just like the common room. Three half-circle windows near the ceiling allowed light in from outside. And also like the common room, there were numerous plants in copper pots scattered along shelving and around a large stove which served as the room's heater in the wintertime. Four, four-poster beds were evenly spaced around the room, and each came with an odd-looking, patchwork quilt.
But the room was a wreck.
The beds were unmade, and several textbooks, numerous sheets of wrinkled parchment, dirty plates and goblets, as well as a mountain of candy wrappers and who-knew-what-else were scattered across the beds and along the stone floor as though a bomb had gone off.
"Sorry for the mess," Ron uttered with embarrassment while stepping over the chaotically strewn objects in the middle of the floor, "Scabbers is over here, by my bed."
The three followed the redhead to one of the messy, four-posters. And there, on top of a bedside table sat a wooden cage. As the four approached it, a loud squeaking noise erupted from within. Harry finally saw Scabbers, Peter in his rat form, inside. The dirty-looking rodent was panicking and scurrying around trying to find some way to escape. Ron's expression soured and Professor Lupin stepped forward, knelt down, and gazed hard at the rat.
"Well, well. Hello again...my old friend," he uttered.
It was the first time Harry noticed anger boiling behind the calm expression of the professor. Dumbledore stepped forward then looked at Ron.
"May I?" he asked.
Ron, who looked frightened, nodded.
"But please...don't hurt him," he muttered.
The headmaster grabbed the handle on top of the cage and raised it up to look at Scabbers closer. Lupin and Harry joined him. The rat was in full-blown panic now, gnawing at one of the wooden bars of the cage as though he might chew his way out.
"There, professor. His left paw," Remus indicated.
Dumbledore leaned closer and craned his neck to better view the rodent through his spectacles.
"Ah, yes! I see it!" he uttered.
The wizard then stood upright and looked at Ron.
"Mr. Weasley, as Harry informed you, this rat is an impostor who has deceived you in order to escape blame for crimes which were committed a number of years ago."
Scabbers squeaked even louder now and skirted around the cage so hard it rattled in Dumbledore's hand. The headmaster continued.
"He'll be wanted for questioning by Ministry of Magic authorities. Do I therefore have your permission to confiscate him?"
Ron was pale and wide-eyed but nodded vigorously.
"...Yes," he muttered sourly as though he dared not refuse anything this mighty wizard requested of him. The headmaster smiled.
"Excellent. Thank you," he told the redhead. He then looked at Professor Lupin.
"Remus? If you'll do the honors."
Lupin retrieved his wand.
"Certainly," he replied with a slight bit of relish in his voice.
Scabbers seemed near out of his mind now, his little body splayed against the back side of the cage. The professor pointed his wand at him.
"Immobulus!"
The rat froze and fell over, all squeaking and scurrying at an end. Ron whimpered. Harry, understanding how the teenager probably felt, put a hand on his shoulder.
"Sorry, Ron," he said.
The redhead nodded in acknowledgment. Dumbledore stared at the rat.
"Now, to the Room of Requirement. And Mr. Weasley? You may join us. Since Mr. Peter Pettigrew has imposed himself on you and your family, you have the right to witness his capture and arrest. In fact, I may, if necessary, ask if you will be a witness in the event a trial is opened against Mr. Pettigrew before the Wizengamot."
Ron seemed bewildered and nervous at this as he stared at the stunned rat. But he nodded, nevertheless.
"Sure...headmaster."
Dumbledore smiled.
"Excellent. Shall we?"
The four left the Hufflepuff dorms and returned to the upper portions of the castle.
Hermione was waiting for them at the top of the stairs, her task complete. The five then headed down the main corridor. The professors took the lead, Dumbledore carrying Pettigrew immobilized inside his cage. Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed behind them. Along the way, they received stares of curiosity from various students who happened to pass them. The sight of the headmaster carrying a small cage with a petrified rat inside must have seemed bizarre.
"Our message was sent off successfully, Hermione?" the headmaster asked her with a glance back.
"Yes, sir."
"Very good," he replied, "we'll see what James has to say."
They walked briskly in the direction of Tower Hall, though the three pupils had no idea where the professors were going exactly - where the Room of Requirement was located.
"I can't believe it!" Ron uttered with a sour look, "Scabbers...an animagus! This entire time!"
The redhead looked downcast as he shook his head.
"You couldn't have known, Ron," Harry said, "he's been hiding from everyone, apparently."
Ron's brow furrowed.
"What did he do exactly?"
Harry grimaced.
"He betrayed my parents to Voldemort. He's the reason they're dead. And he framed my godfather Sirius Black for it in the process."
Weasley stared at Harry slack jawed.
"Bloody hell! Sirius Black is your...godfather?"
Harry looked at Ron firmly.
"Yes."
Ron stared at the floor and shook his head. But then his face scrunched up.
"So, how did Professor Lupin know Scabbers was missing a toe?"
Lupin looked back briefly with a smile, then resumed looking ahead.
"All they found of Peter Pettigrew at the scene of the crime was a finger," Hermione told the redhead, "he apparently cut it off to help fake his own death."
Ron stared at her wide-eyed now. He then looked ahead again.
"This is complete madness!" he uttered in astonishment.
Upon reaching Tower Hall, the professors walked up the main stairwell leading to the East Wing of the castle. After trudging up numerous flights, Dumbledore and Lupin headed down a corridor on the seventh floor opposite the one leading to Gryffindor Tower. This puzzled Harry. He explored this particular corridor during the summer but found nothing interesting about it as it only seemed to contain a few classrooms. The only other thing it contained was a large tapestry hanging on one wall displaying a wizard and what looked like dancing trolls. Curiously, the professors stopped in front of the wall opposite the tapestry.
Dumbledore handed Scabber's cage to Lupin. The headmaster then stroked his beard and gazed at the floor, as though in deep thought. He then walked a few steps to his left, then back to his right, then back left again. Ron, Harry, and Hermione looked at one another in puzzlement.
To their astonishment, a door suddenly materialized in the blank wall in front of the professor. The teens were amazed. Dumbledore glanced back at them with a smile. He then opened the door and he and Remus stepped inside. Harry, Hermione, and Ron followed, curious what the Room of Requirement looked like.
It wasn't terribly remarkable nor was the room terribly large.
Its width was only around ten meters and sitting back five meters from the doorway, a set of iron bars stretched from the left wall to the right. This "holding cell" was only five meters deep itself. Inside sat a small bed next to which was a side table complete with a water pitcher and basin on top. Below this was a chamber pot and near the foot of the bed sat a small table and a single chair. It was a rudimentary prison cell that Professor Dumbledore had apparently imagined in his mind before the door appeared. A pair of torches on both sides of the doorway lit the space.
As they drew closer to the cell, Harry noticed a fine mesh wiring overlaying the iron bars from one end of the room to the other. The gaps in the mesh were large enough to allow one to see into the cell, but small enough...to prevent a rat from escaping. Harry was again impressed by the headmaster's foresight.
Dumbledore now opened a single hinged section in the middle of the bars and he and Lupin entered. Lupin held the cage containing Scabbers while the headmaster opened it. He then reached in and gently pulled out the petrified animal and placed it on the floor. The two professors exited the cell and Lupin closed the iron bar entry behind them. Dumbledore pulled out his wand, pointing it at the bars. A brief flash of light from the tip hit them and the teenagers saw a faint sparkling on the metal. The holding cell was now charm-locked.
"Now, then. Let's have our friend show himself properly," Dumbledore stated.
With another flick of his wand a blue-white light emitted from its tip and hit Scabbers. Harry, Hermione, and Ron all watched in amazement as the small, mangy rat began enlarging like a balloon being blown up. As Scabbers grew in size, a human head morphed out of the rat, the tiny limbs began expanding and the missing toe on the rat's left paw turned into...a missing finger! The tail disappeared completely and when the transformation was complete, a small but disheveled man lay on the stone floor, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping open just like Scabbers when Remus hit him with the immobilization spell.
Peter Pettigrew, in his normal, human form looked pitiful. His skin was pale, his colorless hair disheveled, with a large bald spot on top. He looked as though he'd been in prison for years. His clothes were tattered and hung loosely over a squat-looking body which had lost much of its weight. And oddly, the little man's pointed nose and the enlarged front teeth inside his gaping mouth gave him the appearance of having a rat's face even in his human form.
Harry glanced at Ron to see a sour expression, like he was about to vomit. Hermione's expression too was of revulsion. It was hard for any of them to believe this ridiculous-looking character could somehow be a servant of Voldemort...or a friend of the Marauders.
Dumbledore flicked his wand one last time. Pettigrew's eyes blinked, his body jolted, and the little man snorted and glanced about nervously on the floor as though trying to determine where he was. When he finally realized it, he scampered up onto his feet, backing away from the bars with a frightened, panicked look. Wringing his hands, his eyes wide in horror, Pettigrew whimpered as he slowly stepped back toward the bars, gawking at the people on the other side. Harry glanced at Lupin to find a stern expression on the professor's face.
"Welcome back from the dead...Peter," Lupin said, throwing a severe stare at the man.
Pettigrew jolted and shrank back as though Remus was about to hit him.
"...R-Remus! My old...f-friend!" he uttered nervously.
"Don't you dare call me that!" Lupin shot at him fiercely.
Peter shrank back even more, but then stopped and gazed with astonishment at the others.
"P-Professor...Dumbledore!" he mumbled.
But upon seeing Harry, Pettigrew's eyes widened.
"Harry!" he uttered in near shock.
The wizard scurried up to the bars, placing his hands on them, staring at Harry. He then ran his little hands long the mesh wiring, glancing back and forth in his cell as though trying to look for some way out, but realizing there was none. He returned his gaze to Harry.
"You're...alive! And you're grown up! Oh, thank Merlin!..."
"Yes, Harry's alive and well, no thanks to you for it!" Lupin shot at him one more time.
Dumbledore placed a hand on Remus's shoulder. Lupin remained calm. The headmaster addressed the prisoner.
"Mr. Pettigrew, as you can see, you are in our custody and shall remain as such until Aurors from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement arrive and take you in for questioning."
Peter shrieked, wringing his hands vigorously.
"...Aurors? Questioning? F-for what?" he muttered with fright.
"To explain your mysterious disappearance the night of James and Lily's murders," Remus told him firmly, "the same night your master, Voldemort, perished attempting to kill Harry as well."
Pettigrew turned even paler, if that was possible.
"My...m-m-master? He's...not my...master! I don't know what you're talking about, Remus! I tried to protect James, Lily, and...Harry..."
"You're lying! And not only that, but you also set Sirius up to take the fall for it!"
"S-Sirius? He's...the guilty one! He betrayed our friends, Remus! Not me! Oh no, not me! I could never..."
WHAM!
Remus slammed his palm against the iron bars with fierce rage in his expression. Harry, Ron, and Hermione jumped, not seeing Lupin become unhinged before. But Professor Dumbledore calmly stepped forward and placed a hand on Remus's shoulder again, gently leading him away from the bars and the quivering wizard behind them. Lupin looked at the headmaster and the teenagers with some embarrassment.
"My apologies, Albus," he uttered humbly.
Dumbledore smiled.
"Understandable, Remus."
The headmaster stepped up to the bars now.
"Mr. Pettigrew, you will be allowed to give testimony for yourself regarding the events of the 31st of October 1981 in a fair hearing, and will be given a chance to provide proof of your innocence."
Relief swept over the little man's pale face.
"Oh, thank you, headmaster! Thank you!" he uttered.
Harry and Hermione grimaced at one another. But the headmaster wasn't finished.
"But, let it be known to you, you will give us the truth, guilty or not."
Pettigrew's face showed fear once more.
"If you will not give it willingly, you will, by virtue of wizarding law, be forced to do so under Veritaserum."
Peter shrieked and sank back at these words. Dumbledore had called his bluff. Nevertheless, the desperate little man hurried back to the bars, staring at Ron.
"Dear boy! My dear...master! Wasn't I a good pet to you all these years? Wasn't I...just your harmless little rodent? I wouldn't hurt anyone! Please! Tell them I'm innocent!"
But Ron didn't say anything. He simply stared at Peter with a sour expression as though his stomach was upset.
Dumbledore turned around and gazed at the others.
"I think that will do for now. Let us depart and leave this unfortunate man alone."
Harry, Hermione, Remus, and Ron threw one last look at Peter who stared back at them in horror, his hands tightly grasping the bars.
"Remus! Harry! Master! Please!" he muttered brokenly, feigning innocence and looking even more pitiful.
But everyone ignored him as they walked out of the room. The last thing anyone heard was a whimper from Pettigrew before the headmaster closed the door. The wizard then stepped back and with a flick of his wand, the door disappeared, leaving its quivering denizen trapped inside.
"Albus, what if someone tries to enter the Room? I recall the elves being fond of using it and...my Marauder friends and I used to sneak in on occasion to...scour the warehouse for any items of interest."
He looked at Harry and Hermione with smile at those last words.
Dumbledore thought about this and nodded. He then held out a hand at the wall and muttered something under his breath. A faint flash of light appeared where the door had stood and was gone just as quickly.
"I think that should do the trick. No one will be able access the Room until we've cleared it of its present...contents," Dumbledore said with a smile.
Lupin nodded.
"Shall we?" the headmaster said.
The five headed back down the corridor toward Tower Hall. Just as they were about to reach the stairs, someone coming up the steps turned the corner abruptly and nearly ran into Harry.
"Oh!" the woman chimed out in surprise, halting quickly.
It was Professor Trelawney. The witch pushed her enormous spectacles back up as they had fallen to the tip of her nose. She was dressed in her gaudy outfit as usual and carried a velvet maroon sack in one hand that clinked, suggesting it contained several glass objects. She blinked at Harry in surprise.
"Sorry, my boy! Didn't see you there!" she uttered with a half-smile.
"Professor Trelawney. Good afternoon," Dumbledore said pleasantly.
"Ah! Headmaster! Professor Lupin! Good afternoon to you!" she stated somewhat dramatically.
The teenagers snickered.
"And what brings you to this part of the castle on such a fine Sunday?" the headmaster asked.
Sybil's eyes grew wide and seemed twice as large as a normal person's through her thick glasses. She quickly put the sack behind her in embarrassment, the clinking sounds even louder now. Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged puzzled looks, wondering what she was hiding inside it.
"I was...um...just going to..." she started as though trying to come up with an excuse.
"Dispose of them?" Dumbledore said, "I'm afraid the Room of Requirement is closed temporarily. Perhaps Hagrid or his assistant can dispose of them for you."
Trelawney staggered backwards with a stunned look on her thin face, as though a great secret of hers had been discovered. Harry glanced at Dumbledore and wondered what in the world he was referring to. The woman nodded vigorously and gave the headmaster an uncertain smile.
"...Ah!...I see. Yes, indeed. I'll just...um..."
Trelawney suddenly cried out. The maroon sack fell from her hands and whatever was inside shattered on the stone floor. Sybil's body now stood frozen, and she stared off into the distance as though in a trance. The teenagers were taken aback, and the professors stared at one another puzzled.
The witch, still in her trance-like state, still gazing off to nowhere, stepped forward, reached out, and placed one hand on Harry's shoulder, the other on Ron's. The two looked at one another with scrunched expressions. But to everyone's surprise, a voice came out of the woman that was a combination of her own odd voice and something unearthly.
"Brothers, not of blood,
Separated by the path chosen,
Shall be reunited,
Before the tides of war have receded
And all wrongs have been righted."
The voices tailed off and Trelawney started coughing as though she'd gotten a hairball in her throat. She reached up and grasped her neck with both hands trying to recover, but suddenly went still. Harry wondered if the woman had a seizure of some sort. But she finally opened her eyes, shook her head, and stared at the teenagers.
"I'm sorry! Did you say something?" she uttered with a bewildered look.
Harry and Ron exchanged confused looks again.
"Um...no!" Ron answered, shaking his head and looking at her as though she'd gone mad.
"Oh!" she replied, smiling while reaching down and retrieving her sack.
"Well, I best be off, then," she muttered, "good day headmaster, good day professor, good day...students."
And with a strange smile she turned and disappeared back down the stairwell.
"What in blazes was that all about?" Weasley asked with a contorted look.
The three students looked at Dumbledore as he and Lupin stepped closer.
"I'm not certain, Mr. Weasley," the headmaster answered, glancing at the stairwell in thought before looking at the students once more.
"Professor Trelawney is viewed by many as a quack, due to her odd behavior and multitude of...false predictions. However, on occasion, she utters things which might just have a ring of truth to them."
He looked specifically at Harry when he spoke that last phrase which made the teenager curious. To what was Dumbledore referring? But the headmaster simply smiled at him before glancing at the others.
"I shall have to ponder this further. But in the meantime, don't let our dear professor alarm you. It may simply be she's had a bit too much sherry at breakfast this morning."
Professor Lupin chuckled.
"Is that what she had in her sack? Bottles of sherry?" Hermione asked.
Dumbledore smiled.
"Empty bottles, Miss Granger. She likes to hide them in the Room of Requirement where she hopes no one will discover her...habit. Unfortunately for her, I and the rest of my staff aren't as dull as she seems to think."
Hermione and Harry chuckled, and Ron smirked. The headmaster went on.
"Well, let's not waste any more of this nice day standing in the hallway."
Everyone descended the stairs back to the main floor. Ron headed back to the Hufflepuff dorms, Harry and Hermione headed back to Gryffindor Tower, and the professors went to the Great Hall to discuss the situation with Peter Pettigrew further.
"I got the impression Professor Dumbledore seemed to think what Trelawney said had merit to it," Harry said as the two walked up to the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Same here. We should ask him about when we get the chance. Especially concerning certain things she uttered."
Harry looked at the girl in curiosity.
"Like what?"
"Like the bit about the 'path chosen'. Remember Ronan saying how your path was chosen by Saturn...your older self, as Dumbledore explained it?"
"Yes," Harry said with a nod, "but what brothers do you think she was referring to?"
"Think about it, Harry," Hermione said while stopping on the stairs and facing him, "she put a hand on your shoulder and Ron's. I would guess she was referring to the pair of you. Perhaps your older self and Ron were...best friends, almost like brothers."
Harry thought about this and nodded.
"I see. Maybe you're right, though that seems kind of odd to me, honestly. You're the only person I can imagine being best friends with."
Hermione chuckled and placed her arm around his as they resumed marching toward the portrait.
Once inside Gryffindor Tower, the pair grabbed their school materials, plopped down at the study table, and tackled some homework due the following day: Professor Vector's assignment to calculate the numerical values of important dates in wizarding history and explain the numbers' significance, translating a short passage from Homer's The Iliad into runes, answering questions concerning various muggle transportation methods, as well as writing an essay on "Side effects caused by an animagus transforming between their animal and human selves". Luckily, the pair now had practical knowledge for McGonagall's assignment as they had personally witnessed two such transformations: Harry's godfather and Peter Pettigrew.
As the weather outside was brilliant, the students had the windows in the common room open to let in a cool breeze and the pleasing scent of a coming autumn. As Harry and Hermione worked, Dean and Seamus were in the sofa chairs by the window, quietly laughing over the comics section of The Prophet.
A flapping sound caused everyone to look up. Hedwig suddenly swooped in through the window and nearly took Dean's head off.
"Hey!" he complained at the owl while ducking.
"Sorry, Dean!" Harry uttered with a half laugh. Hermione put a hand to her mouth to keep from laughing herself.
Dean frowned and shook his head, but went back to reading the comics with his pal.
The white bird landed in between Harry and Hermione, causing several parchments to scatter across the table.
'Hey, girl," Harry told Hedwig pleasantly, stroking the back of her head.
The two gazed down at the owl's feet. She held a note in her talons that read "Miss Hermione Granger". Harry and Hermione exchanged wide-eyed looks. It had to be Auror James's reply.
Hermione snatched up the note and opened it. Harry glanced around the room to make sure no one was looking in on them. They then read the note silently.
Hermione,
I received your message.
Be in the Gryffindor common room at midnight tonight.
Make sure you and Harry are there alone.
James