It was nearing the end of the school year and the four friends were once more gathered in the laboratory. The room was finally more usable as it had several work benches to create potions, couches and seating for comfortable reading, a table and chairs if they got peckish, and semi-remote workstations for spell testing. The house elves had set up empty bookshelves in a few of the alcoves that had been slowly filling with interesting contributions from the Room of Hidden Things and the Restricted Area from the school's library.
Salazar had already put up permanent wards around his benches in case of explosions, or toxic or nauseous fumes. He took over an alcove that was slowly filling with ingredients: some common, some rare, and others that were nearly impossible to find, courtesy of Ismanna.
Rowena had set safety wards around the rest of the workstations for any stray spell fire or magical backlash. There were storage cabinets for notebooks, parchment, inkpots, quills, and any other tools necessary.
Godric found a nook to claim for his own and set up an easel with canvas. Beside it there were shelves and drawers for his supplies. He was content to paint when the notion moved him, otherwise he occupied himself with other activities.
Helga had her own special nook that was much more cavernous than others as it was also where Ismanna tended to rest when she wasn't playing or spending her time with her mummy and her friends.
The most interesting inhabitants of the laboratory were Ismanna and Samuel. They both had their own areas of relaxation. While Samuel would have to go back to the Headmaster's office eventually, the Sorting Hat chose to delay the date of his departure until the last day of school. Samuel sighed, "I do understand why I need to go back to the office, and yes, I do know the four of you will be returning to your homes, but it's simply nice to have different walls to look at for a while. Besides, the man won't look my way until the first of September, and even then, it's Minerva that comes to fetch me."
The friends were enjoying a spot of tea with biscuits, Helena was playing tag with Ismanna, Samuel was sitting with his eyes closed enjoying the laughter, and the four began discussing things since their last time together. Even Rowena had decided to take a small respite from working on the perimeter wards to spend some quality time with her friends and her daughter. Rowena smiled at the Sorting Hat. "I'm just glad you're feeling better, Samuel."
"I am, too," Samuel agreed. "I'm not sure how much longer I could have existed in the shape I was in. Thank you again for unraveling all of those spells. My mind isn't muddled, my memories are coming back to me…" The hat shuddered. "And I'm truly sorry for what lies I had been spouting about you, Duke Slytherin."
"Samuel," Salazar sighed, "we've been over this. I am not angry with you. There were spells put upon you, forcing you to recite facts as they were dictated to you from the books… and I've also told you, don't call me Duke Slytherin. You have been a friend to us for many years and have been calling me Salazar for the majority of them. If you must use a different name, I'd prefer it if you called me Sal."
The unnecessary breath that came from Samuel was a surprise. Salazar looked over at the hat and noted the brim split in a wide grin. "It would be an honor… Sal."
"Wait. Why do you listen when Sal said it and not me?" Godric proclaimed.
"Did you?" Samuel asked with an amused tone.
"You know I did!"
"I do?"
Helena stopped 'running' and Ismanna 'caught' her by slithering through her. The ghost laughed when the basilisk hissed her discomfort and shivered her scales dramatically. Helena looked at the four sitting with their tea stating, "Besides, Uncail Salazar hasn't been a Duke anything for so long, it just sounds… wrong."
Godric sighed, but didn't argue the point again.
"Yes, well we're not all privileged enough to call the Duke 'Uncail Salazar'." Samuel said with laughter in his voice. Salazar groaned playfully, but the others laughed.
"What bothers me is that those spells placed upon Samuel weren't even necessary. They only damaged and hurt him," Helga commented when the laughter died down. "Rowena had already foreseen possible issues of the leather or stitching degrading and any possible atrophy to your soul. There were safeguards already worked into you through the ritual."
Samuel nodded using the tip of his hat. "Yes, but I think therein lies the issue. None but you four - now five - know that I am truly a spirit tied to this relic, and not simply a magically animated object that was cleverly enchanted." The conversation halted into a companionable silence, until Samuel commented, "I must admit, I do miss all of the gossip I overheard in the Headmaster's office."
"Gossip?" Helena swooped closer. "I don't hear much gossip now that Myrtle has gone. Did you hear much of interest while there?"
"More than I'm hearing while I'm down here," Samuel admitted. "Dumbledore spoke often with Severus and Minerva."
"You want gossip?" Salazar asked rhetorically. "Professor Lupin won't be back next year."
"That's a shame," Helga said. "I rather liked the man. He was the best professor for DADA that the Headmaster hired since we've started attending here."
"Agreed." Salazar said, "But that wasn't exactly difficult to accomplish considering who the other two men were."
Godric was sitting with his head back and his eyes closed when he asked, "What happened?"
"Professor Snape wasn't exactly discreet with his assignment about werewolves, and if that wasn't enough, he conveniently mentioned he had to make Wolfsbane potion so his office hours were cut." Salazar huffed when he continued, "Naturally, Montegue wrote to his father about the man and the next thing I hear, the Board of Governors has dismissed him."
"Ah." Godric's head lulled to the side as he looked at his friend. "Is that why we pranked Montegue last month instead of the twins?"
"It is," Salazar said unrepentantly.
Samuel interrupted, "Wait, Sal is pranking the twins? Which twins and when did this start?"
"The Weasley twins," Godric's grin was huge when he admitted, "The prank war started four months ago."
Laughing, Samuel stated, "Now that's the sort of gossip I miss hearing about. The portraits would be chattering on about this for days: discussing the prank itself, rating them, and who the possible culprits are."
"Rating our pranks?" That got Godric's full attention and even Salazar appeared more attentive.
"Oh yes." Samuel grinned. "Years ago when the Marauders were here, they started a betting pool, which I never understood what the stakes were." Samuel looked at Godric. "Your stunt with Malfoy was discussed in detail for days… daaaaays. Dumbledore was not pleased. Pappa Malfoy heard what happened and stormed in demanding satisfaction from the culprit. But since there was no proof on who dosed the boy or what he was dosed with…" Samuel cackled, "the old man couldn't give him what he demanded."
"That wasn't me," Godric contradicted, and closed his eyes again. Salazar didn't say a thing and ate another biscuit. Eyes looked his way since they all knew it was him, but no one corrected Samuel. Godric sighed softly as he admitted, "I have some news of possible interest."
"Do tell," Helena was hovering nearby, hanging on every word. Godric opened one eye at her and she grinned unrepentantly. "Please, Uncail Godric?"
Godric grinned at the girl and told her, "I saw Ronald Weasley being taken to the Hospital Ward, so I disillusioned myself and listened in."
"What happened?"
"Peter Pettigrew's body had been found."
"What? Where?"
"In the Shrieking Shack. Turns out, Sirius Black hadn't been after Harry, but Ronald's rat."
"Rat…" Rowena shook her head. "What?"
"You're not making much sense, Uncail Godric."
"We're missing too much information to follow."
"Start from the beginning, Ric."
"Alright." Godric sat up and explained from the beginning, "Ronald had a rat named Scabbers. According to him, it's been in the family for years. He inherited the creature from his older brother Percy. Everything was fine until this year.
"Hermione got a kneazle, named Crookshanks, for her birthday. She finds the little beast adorable and others, well, not so much. Crookshanks started chasing Scabbers around the tower until one day the rat disappeared. Ronald blamed Hermione, saying her cat killed his rat. The whole tower had to hear them fighting for weeks on that one.
"Except Scabbers hadn't been killed. He ran away and had been hiding near Hagrid's hut. Ronald found him last night when he was walking the grounds. Ronald said the rat ran right up to him as if he was being chased - which he was.
"A giant dog - Ronald called him a Grim - came from the forest and jumped on the boy, knocking him over. The dog then proceeded to drag him to the whomping willow." Godric looked over at Helga. "Apparently they changed the whomping willow's root system to create a passage."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I'll show you where the entrance is. It's probably what you sensed was wrong with the tree. Anyway, I overheard how it works, though I hope the professor's will cover it in order to keep students from entering."
"You give the staff of this castle too much credit," Salazar huffed.
"Sal," Rowena reprimanded him.
Salazar just shrugged. "Am I wrong?"
Rowena didn't respond, instead she prompted, "Where did the passage lead?"
"Directly to the Shrieking Shack, which is where the dog took the boy and the rat. And changed into his human form."
"Black?"
"Black," Godric agreed. "Who then took the rat from Ronald and changed it into his human form."
"I'm sorry… What?"
"Scabbers was an animagus?"
"That's… disturbing."
"How so?"
"Top of the list, I'd imagine - seeing how the rat was treated like a pet by not one, but two of the Weasley children - that the rat slept in the boys' rooms with them."
"Oh my." Rowena's eyes were large when she breathlessly said, "That is disturbing."
"Plus, seeing how Ronald Weasley is in the Gryffindor Tower, the rat slept in the same dorm with Harry." Salazar frowned, stating, "What has me confused is that Peter Pettigrew was in hiding for years. Makes you wonder what for and from who?"
"Hold on." Helga frowned. "I thought Peter Pettigrew died years ago. That was one of the charges against Sirius Black, including the murder of a dozen muggles and abetting the death of the Potters."
"It would appear that Pettigrew didn't die the night Black went after him. Don't know if Black killed all the non magicals, they weren't discussed. Although Ronald said something even more interesting. Black accused Pettigrew for the deaths of the Potters by claiming James Potter changed Secret Keepers because he asked him to."
"That would make Pettigrew the traitor, not Black." Rowena was staring at her tea.
"That would be good motivation to hide for twelve years," Salazar pointed out.
"Does this mean…" Helena's form slowly sank under the implications. "Has Sirius Black been innocent all this time?"
"It's possible that he was…"
"Sorry?"
"Pettigrew is dead." Godric repeated, "Black killed him for betraying their friends. He may have been innocent twelve years ago, but he's not any longer."
Helga gasped, "Ronald witnessed this?"
"He did." Godric sighed. "Ronald told them that after Black killed Pettigrew, he apologized to him for hurting him. Then left him there with the dead body."
Salazar frowned in thought. "In our time, death was all around us. We were even the cause of a few-"
"A few?" Godric snorted at the low estimate of deaths they caused.
Salazar waved him off. "Regardless of the actual number of deaths you and I caused, children these days are sheltered from life's brutal reality. I imagine the boy was rather traumatized."
"How did he get back to the school?"
"He managed to drag himself out of the house and was heading towards Hogsmeade when Aberforth found him. The old man brought him back to Hogwarts."
"I'm sure Madame Pomfrey was able to heal his injuries, but his mind…"
"He was crying and blubbering before they fed him Calming Drought. It's the only way he could tell his story. The difference in his voice was disturbing. He went from frantic to monotone… They plan on taking him to St Mungo's."
"How is Harry handling the news?" Salazar asked.
Godric frowned. "He claims he's fine, but then he always says that."
"Well then," Salazar set his tea down and brushed any crumbs from his clothing. "It's time to play the older sibling."
AN-Ajellah: Before anyone asks for clarification:
Black never saw Harry during the summer: Harry went to the Davis house before he could blow up Marge.
Harry never got the Marauder's Map - he hasn't been close to the Weasley's in general since summer of 2nd year, plus he was allowed to go to Hogsmeade.
Buckbeak never hurt Malfoy: Malfoy, after all, is no longer at Hogwarts
The title of Year Three 'Keeping Helga' is in reference to Helga playing Keeper for the House Quidditch team.
Black never met Harry in the Shrieking Shack: Ron had a fallout with Harry and Hermione, so they wouldn't have gone to Hagrid's together. Heck, they didn't need to go to Hagrid's because Buckbeak's life wasn't threratened. Heck, Hagrid isn't even the CoMC professor because he was in jail at the beginning of the year.
