I'm trying my best to keep this one moving with the others!

Ron handed Scabbers over to the magivet and watched anxiously as the vet carefully set Scabbers on a small table in the infirmary and began to feel along Scabber's spine then gut. Remus had given her a call a week ago about a student's familiar acting sickly and today was the soonest she had been able to fit the rat in. She briefly looked in Scabbers' mouth, checked his teeth, then performed a few spells around him. Scabbers merely sat there, breathing hard as he stared dully ahead at nothing.

"A twelve-year-old garden rat," the magivet mused. "Remarkable. And his age was extended by a magic ivy plant that invaded your family's garden many years ago?"

"Yeah, Percy accidentally fed him some and he's stayed alive all these years," Ron answered.

"Well," the vet said with a sigh, "as you know, it is an extraordinarily long life for a rat, one that would usually live two to three years max, though I did see one make it to four. This is triple, quadruple even, the life of a normal rat, and as with all critters, our time comes." The vet handed Scabbers back to Ron, who looked alarmed and heartbroken at the same time. He looked up at the vet as she said, "I'm afraid his time is very soon. His heart is weak; he is tired, and he'd like to rest. I'm sorry, Mr. Weasley. There's nothing more I can do for him. I can give him a little calming draught to help keep him comfortable and at peace, but I suggest keeping him in his enclosure until he passes."

Ron fought a sniffle as he cradled Scabbers to his chest and nodded. The magivet administered a small amount of potion to the rat before she rested a comforting hand on Ron's shoulder, apologizing once more before following Madam Pomfrey to the floo to head back to her own hospital. Ron sat down on one of the infirmary beds as he watched Scabbers breathing even out more, and the rat curled up in Ron's arms.

"I'm so sorry, Ron," Hermione said, sitting on the bed next to him.

"Yeah, me too, buddy," Harry said, resting a hand on Ron's shoulder.

: Would you like a burial or a cremation? Sam asked from where he sat next to Harry, Haya sitting at his side.

"Err, can I think about it?" Ron asked, throwing a look at Sam, who bowed deeply, Haya following his lead out of respect.

"We don't know when he'll pass," Madam Pomfrey said, "but perhaps you kids should head to class, now. Mr. Weasley, I'll write you an excuse for now, you take all the time you need."

Hermione hugged Ron before she stood and followed Harry out of the infirmary, the foxes at their heels. They arrived just in time as the bell announced that class would start. As Harry passed Draco's seat, Draco gave Harry a look, which Harry responded with a slow shake of his head. Draco nodded in understanding. Harry sat next to Hermione in one of the front rows on the Gryffindor side of the room, which was still strange to Harry. As much as the school loved to mingle between the houses, they still seemed to segregate in classes by house. Perhaps it was just easier to sit with other housemates in class than it was in the Great Hall.

Sam and Haya jumped up on to a high window sill in the room before lying down to observe.

"Good afternoon, class," Remus announced from his desk as he finished writing something at his desk. "Unfortunately, I've received word from Madam Pomfrey that Mr. Weasley will not be joining us today due to the loss of his familiar. I'm sure we can all appreciate how difficult that must be, so I expect his fellow housemates to review this lesson with him at a later time to keep him caught up."

Harry and Hermione nodded at that. Remus smiled before stepping around his desk and walking toward the center of the room to begin his lesson.

"Today, class," he began, "we will be reviewing defense against one of the most challenging enemies out there, the shapeshifter. Can someone name a shapeshifter?"

Hermione's hand was the first to shoot up in the air.

"Miss Granger?"

"An animagus, Professor," Hermione said, "a witch or wizard who can transform into an animal at will."

"Excellent," Remus said. "How can we tell if we are dealing with a regular animal, or an animagus? Someone other than Miss Granger. Mr. Malfoy?"

"Intelligence," Draco said as he lowered his hand. "The behavior of an animagus will be different than that of an animal. They will seem smarter, more vigilant, and more engaged than a normal animal of their kind should be."

"And if you are suspicious," Remus continued, "that an animagus is in your presence, what can you do? Mr. Snape?"

"The animagus reversal spell," Harry answered.

"Shall we demonstrate?" Remus asked with a slight smile.

Harry smirked as he pushed up on his desk and morphed into his half-grown tiger form, Faolan, who was probably pushing two hundred pounds now. Faolan snarled as he jumped off the desk and stalked toward Remus, growling mischievously as his tail flicked back and forth.

Remus waited until Faolan paused just a few feet away from him, the big cat letting out a small roar, then Remus moved his wand up then flicked it down at Faolan.

"Animagus Homo Revelio!" Remus shouted.

Slowly, Faolan morphed back into Harry in a way a growing tree might suddenly sprout up under a growth charm. The class clapped while Harry bowed dramatically. Remus rolled his eyes and gave Harry a playfully shove back toward his seat.

"Off the stage with you, Mr. Snape." Remus waited until Harry sat back down. "Now that we've discussed one shapeshifter, let's hear about another one. We went through a whole chapter of shapeshifters, so what else do we got? Mr. Zabini?"

"The golden-tailed raven, sir," Blaise answered.

"That's a good one," Remus said, "remind the class about him."

"He can take the shape of any creature, magical or not, but does not take on any of the abilities of that creature, like the strong sense of smell in a dog or the fire breathing capabilities of a dragon."

"Excellent, ten points to Slytherin."

Draco and Blaise smirked, and fist bumped at their seats.

"Regardless of its inability to take on the prowess of the animals it can shift into," Remus lectured, "the raven can still be very dangerous. It may not breathe fire like the dragon, but the mere size of a dragon may be enough to crush you. So, how can you prevent an attack from this shapeshifter? Anyone?"

Hermione raised her hand, and she was the only one to, so Remus sighed and decided to let her answer. This was why they were reviewing after all.

"Ravens do not like strong smells," Hermione said, "like from perfumes, chemicals, or smoke. And the golden tail is no exception. It is the most effective way to deter an attack and disable the shapeshifter long enough to fight it off."

"Correct. Ten points to Gryffindor. I expect you all to be writing down notes on any information you may have forgotten. Let's keep them coming."

"I've got one," Harry said, raising his hand. When Remus nodded at him, Harry pointed up at the foxes. "Kitsune. They can take a human-like form, but it's obvious they're not human with the ears, eyes, and teeth, and they usually have bushy red hair that also doesn't help hide they're true form. They also take other forms, but they don't really shapeshift but project an illusion inside your head that makes you think they can shapeshift."

"Sam," Remus called up to the fox, "want to give a demonstration?"

: Would love to, Sam said, misting off the window ledge and flying down to the floor. He solidified as he landed, but instead of a three-tailed fox, a yellow lab revealed, and he wagged his tail enthusiastically while barking. Everyone cheered and laughed as Sam growled at his tail then chased it. Haya shook her head in amusement at Sam's behavior from the window ledge.

"I know the chapter only briefly mentions kitsune," Remus said, "as they are more of a chapter eleven subject falling under the mixed beast and being category, but does anyone know a trick to seeing through this illusion? Haya? Care to give any tips?"

: I'm not revealing my secrets, Haya said, looking away haughtily, though she smiled all the same. You're on your own, professor.

Sam, as the lab, smirked at Haya, then looked at Remus, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Remus chuckled.

"Fair enough. I'll tell you a trick I've learned with Sam." He addressed the class. "All he is doing is telling your brain that he is a dog, and then he lets your imagination take care of the rest. You have to tell yourself that this is not a dog, and it is really three-tailed fox, Sam."

As Remus stared intently at Sam, the image of the yellow lab broke, revealing Sam wagging his three tails, as he still played the part for those who he knew hadn't broken his illusion yet.

"Gotcha," Remus said with a smile. "Class, let me know when you've all broken through the illusion."

"His dog tricks don't work on me," Harry said proudly.

"Wait, if one breaks through the illusion, wouldn't it fall completely for everyone else?" Hermione asked as she kept staring at Sam as hard as she could.

: I can project the image of what I want you to see to different brains, Sam explained, or even multiple images to different brains. I could make you see a dog while Harry sees a cat. Mind magic is what makes a kitsune a kitsune. It is the basis of most of our magic, from illusions to misting to dream entrapping. It is up to each individual to see me as I truly am to break the illusion. For some, it is very easy and kitsune avoid those that fail to fall into an illusion. For others, it is all too easy to be trapped in their own head, and they fall for what we want them to see.

Many of the students were cheering as they broke the illusion, even Draco and Blaise smiled as they broke through, while a couple others in the back just shook their heads and shrugged, unable to get the dog image to crack. Hermione was visibly sweating as she closed her eyes, shook her head, and then opened her eyes once more. She growled in frustration, looking at Harry and then Remus before back at Sam.

"I don't understand."

: For one so incredibly intelligent, Sam said, as he slowly stepped toward Hermione, diving gently into her brain to see where she was struggling, your brain does not like to be tricked.

"But I'm good at puzzles," Hermione said as she kept willing herself to believe Sam was a fox and not a dog. "I'm good at solving them."

: This isn't a puzzle, Sam said. This isn't something to solve. It is merely will power. You believe what you see, or you do not. And it is far easier to maintain an illusion, reinforce it, when there's only one person to fool.

Hermione looked around and realized she was the last one attempting to see past Sam's illusion. She threw a defeated look at Sam, who was now in front of her desk. He allowed his dog image to fall at last, allowing her to see him as the fox he was, and he gave Hermione an apologetic look, his head tilting to the side, one ear flopping over.

: Some minds are not made for this type of trickery. And often, it is the most intelligent of minds that struggle.

Hermione sighed and nodded, clearly upset that she had failed at one thing everyone else seemed to have figured out. Sam's words did not ease her frustration at all.

"Let's continue," Remus said.

Sam misted and flew back to the window ledge with Haya.

"Name another shapeshifter," Remus said, looking around the room for someone to call on. "Mr. Finnigan?"

"Metamorphmagus," Seamus answered. "Someone with the rare ability to change their appearance through will rather than with a wand or potion."

And the class continued.

Harry slowly pushed open the door to his and his father's quarters. He was almost afraid no one was around with how dark it was inside, but suddenly, candle lights lit up and the whole room brightened as the floo flared and Severus stepped through, holding a notebook, and flipping through the pages. Severus glanced up and noticed Harry.

"Evening, son," Severus greeted as he waved a hand and sent the notebook flying to his study. "What brings you here?"

"Well," Harry began slowly. "We haven't really had time to sit down and talk together so I was kind of hoping we could talk about some things?"

"Of course, have a seat," Severus said, taking a seat on the couch and patting the cushion next to him. "I'll call for tea."

"You seem happier tonight," Harry noted as he sat next to his father.

Severus tapped the coffee table and tea items appeared. He poured two cups and began preparing his how he liked it while Harry reached forward to fix his.

"I've been given some good news is all," Severus said.

"About the Niles case?"

Severus's eyes flickered to Harry's, but after a second, Severus nodded.

"Yes, about that. It is nothing too exciting, merely news that he may not be so successful getting out of Azkaban, which was always a possibility anyway, but confirmation is nice."

"So how do you know he won't get out?" Harry pushed for more when Severus stopped talking.

"He did awful things, Harry," Severus said. "No psychopath should be allowed to walk free. Anyway, enough about Niles—how have your classes been going?"

"They're fine," Harry answered. "We've learned a lot already in just a few weeks. At this rate, I think the finals will be awful with how much we'll need to know."

"You'll do well," Severus said. "You've always been a very bright student."

"Thanks, Dad," Harry said, then he took a long sip of his tea, mirroring Severus's actions without realizing it. He put the cup down and tried to find the right words in his head.

"How are your friends?" Severus asked, breaking the silence. "Still not talking to each other?"

"No, they're getting on a bit better," Harry said. "Scabbers is dying, so Ron's been in the infirmary all day waiting for him to pass. I just came from there actually. Scabbers looked dead, but then he kind of shifted himself so he was just in a deep sleep. Ron thinks he's close though. Isn't there a way to put him out of his misery a little quicker?"

"Muggles have a way of doing it," Severus said. "But for something so small, I think a euthanasia spell would still be too harsh. It is meant to make the heart stop, but it is not often done on smaller things as the spell uses a lot of energy and may make a tiny heart explode."

"Oh," Harry winced at the mental image that caused. "That's too bad, then. I feel awful for Ron having to sit through this as his rat dies. He really did love Scabbers, even if he pretended not to sometimes."

Severus snorted at that.

The two enjoyed the warmth of the fire, leaning against each other as they enjoyed their tea. As much as Harry was enjoying the moment, internally, he struggled with wanting to spit his question out or just throwing away the whole idea altogether. He really wanted to know why someone would destroy families, mess with sick people, and most importantly, steal away a baby's mother. And while he was sure Severus would answer on behalf of the crazy man, it wouldn't be the same as hearing the answers from Niles himself. He needed the hard truth now, not softened versions of the truth. And he really didn't think Severus would give him the former.

After several minutes, Harry felt his courage leave completely. He couldn't find the right words to make the idea sound like a good one and not like some crazy, suicidal wish. He forced a yawn.

"This fire is making me kind of sleepy, Dad," Harry said. "I think I'll head back to my dorm for the night."

"Okay, but hurry and head straight there," Severus said. "It's almost curfew."

"I will."

Harry opened the door and nearly ran into Sam, who paused midstep to avoid being trampled over.

"Sorry," Harry apologized, grabbing the door, and holding it open for the fox. "Where's Haya?"

: She went back to her den, Sam answered. She'll probably do a little hunting, too.

"Why doesn't she come sleep in here on a nice bed where it's warm?"

: Uhh, we're not at that point yet, Sam said, giving Harry an awkward look, his face scrunched some and an ear twisted back slightly. Harry swore if Sam had been in human form, he would have been blushing. So, Harry blushed for Sam and at his own stupid question.

"Right, sorry. Err, goodnight, Sam."

: Goodnight.

Sam retreated into the quarters and Harry slowly closed the door behind the fox, but he left it opened just a crack, his hand still on the knob. He didn't hear Sam's voice again, as he was sure Sam was very carefully projecting his thoughts to Severus alone. Severus spoke in a low voice, and Harry strained to hear what they were saying.

"The PI found a notebook from Niles old makeshift hospital room," Severus said. "It holds a lot of his research and observations of different potions he used on his victims. He gave me a duplicate copy to look through. It should really help the case out and he'll make sure it is anonymously submitted to the auror department. It was missed last time because it was hidden away in a birdhouse outside of the building."

There was silence once more and Harry wished Sam would loosen up his telepathy so he could hear the fox's thoughts as well. He nearly leaned too far into the door and caught himself before he made it creak. He froze, but when Severus started speaking once more, he let out a relieved breath that he hadn't been caught.

"Nothing will come back to me; I'll make sure of it. Where do you stand on Azkaban now that we've gone over what dementors are?"

Harry sucked in a breath. Why would Severus be asking Sam about Azkaban or telling him about dementors? Was Sam was working with his father in finding information about Niles? Obviously, his father had hired a private investigator, which he probably shouldn't have done, but that was just like Severus, always trying to right the wrongs of the world by doing as many wrongs as he could till it made a right. Well, in the old reality, it fit the scenario.

"Good. We just need to make sure he's not up to anything inside the prison. That man has resources, and we need to know who they are and stop them from making any moves that might aid in his release."

So, Sam really was going to Azkaban to spy on Niles? How on earth would that work? Was he going on some long "vacation?" How long did it take to get to Azkaban? Could Sam make it there and back in one day? Could he . . . take Harry with him?

Harry clenched his fist at his side, his other hand tightening around the doorknob. His father and his best friend were going behind his back digging up information and keeping him in the dark about the Niles case and what was going on with it. Fine, if that was how it was going to be, he could just as easily go behind their backs and do his own research and find his own way to Azkaban. Or he could try and persuade Sam to take him when the fox went, but he doubted that that would work, and Sam would probably tell Severus about Harry's odd request.

No, he was alone in this, and he would have to find his own way there and ask Niles his questions himself. There had to be a way. Maybe the library had information on Azkaban and visiting. Of course, that information might be in the restricted section.

Harry let out a slow breath as he quietly closed the door the rest of the way when he didn't hear anyone talking for a few minutes. He hoped they had gone into the kitchen or lab or something so they wouldn't hear the soft click.

Harry paused and waited.

No one came running to investigate.

He tiptoed away from his father's quarters before running up the stairs and back to his tower. He needed to come up with a plan. He needed to know why this psychopath stole his mother.

Azkaban was as dark and dreary as always, and Niles sneered at the image his barred window allowed him to see. Dark clouds, dementors swirling outside near him, boats coming and going with shift changes throughout the day. Pathetic. If only the foolish aurors knew how little the dementors affected him, they would be far more concerned with his compliance in the parole hearing. They always thought prisoners wanted out due to the poor living conditions and the dementors, but no, Niles could live with all that. He enjoyed it, sometimes. Peace and quiet that allowed his thoughts to roam free, bringing together a plan that could not fail.

The raven flew high in the sky above the tower he was kept in, circling twice before diving down to his window. It squeezed through and cawed several times, flapping its wings twice.

Niles smirked.

"This could not have worked out any better," he said, pacing his cell briefly. "It is perfect, as they always are. It is time to start putting our plan into action. You know what to do. Be quick about it."

The raven cawed once before diving out of the window and flying through a lower window, flapping through the halls of the prison, passing many inmates who moaned or cried out as a dementor flew too close to their cell or windows.

Finally, the raven came across a small cell where Peter Pettigrew waited. The man turned and stared at the bird with a cautious face, then sighed and glanced out his cell, looking for any aurors or dementors before he shifted into his rat animagus form. The raven flew to the rat, snatching him in its claws before taking off, flying through the halls and out the window. It paused at Niles' window, landing on one leg, and holding out the rat with the other.

"You have your orders, Pettigrew," Niles said. "Do not disappoint me or you won't like what happens next."

The rat squealed and trembled.

"Go!"

The raven left the window, and with a few flaps, it shot forward at sonic speed, disturbing the clouds around it. The rat in its grip screamed in terror before growing limp. The bird did not slow down to a normal speed until mountains came into view, and it dodged around them and began descending from the sky.

The rat suddenly came alive and squirmed in the bird's grasp. Annoyed, the bird dropped in a spinning dive, startling the rat, which became stock still once more. The bird flapped toward the large castle that came into view.

It flew around the school, finding the window it wanted. It hopped along the windowsill one legged, glancing inside cautiously.

A red-haired boy slept in one of the many hospital beds, but the rest were empty. The bird made a gurgling croak as it flapped over to the sleeping boy, adjusting the rat in its hold as it landed on the bedframe above the teen. On a table next to him, inside a glass box, was a dying rat. The bird could smell its death, and it peered down at the pathetic creature that was so deeply asleep, it had yet to notice the bird.

Suddenly, the dying rat opened its eyes, but before it could cry out, the raven dove for it with an open beak.