A sharp intake of air was all that it took to take the pain to its most vigorous levels. His chest was blazing with agony as well as his forehead; he was excruciated by its terrible sting. Theodore wondered to himself why wasn't he rupturing his throat by screaming, but it felt too detrimental to do that, or anything for that matter. His chest was still painful, his head was full of that thunderous pounding of rushing blood, and he couldn't tell where he was. Was he still on the streets of Hogsmeade? No, the air wasn't cold around him. In Hog's Head? Couldn't be that either: Aberforth was too weak to speak properly. Then where…?

Theodore pressed his numb fingertips against the surface beneath him and felt the soft texture to deduce that he was in a bed of some sorts. OK, so he was brought inside somewhere — he mentally groaned, for it felt so exhausting to think. He balanced his body on his weak arms and legs, then proceeded to slide himself up the bed, hissing in more pain as the possible wounds under his robes stretched open. Finally in a seating position, Theodore rubbed his eyes to clear the fogginess before him. He could recognise his surroundings now — the hospital wing that was filled by the full moon's light was easier to see now. This was good and bad.

His chest was starting to throb as much as his head. Theodore remembered Sirius going crazy after Pettigrew screamed at him. He remembered him slashing at his chest, almost biting his head off when Lupin saved him, then… then… He brought himself back down to simple thinking, taking his time to observe the injuries that had been inflicted onto him. His right forearm was wrapped tightly in dark-grey bandages, and his forehead was bounded by similar material. Theodore lightly poked at his ripped robes, feeling bandages around his chest, but immediately pulled back when the pain became too much.

'Fuck! Hurts so bad…! I should be dead; I couldn't have survived that. He almost ripped my lungs into complete shreds… I — I need my wand. Vulnera Sanentur, that was the spell Dumbledore used before. I'll — no…'

It wasn't there. Not in his pockets, not on the bed or even the bedside table. He lost his wand. Theodore was ready to flail in lividity, but stopped when he remembered about his chest wounds. He didn't want them to reopen again.

Theodore rotated his head after pushing away the privacy screens when he grudgingly staggered off his bed to see if the others were present in the room. They were screaming for his name until it faded out, and he had no clue if they recovered or even survived the Dementors.

'Stag and… doe…'

On the bed to his right was Hermione with her face turned away from him, still and silent. Theodore felt his heart wrenching, his disorientation telling him that she was dead, but the faint whistles and mumbles from her calmed him down. They saved her, but did they save Harry and Ron? Theodore went over to the bed on his left and saw Ron in a similar state, silent and shivering a little under his sheets. Bars of chocolate was neatly stacked on his bedside table and on Hermione's and his own, suggesting that he hadn't woken up at all. Two out of three. Here's hoping that Harry made — where was he? Theodore craned his neck to the beds next to his two friends, but all he saw was empty mattresses instead of his cousin.

"You're not dead… You can't be —" It hurt to breathe, much less speak out loud. He fanned his chest before he scoured the wing to search for Harry. He felt the Dementors closing in on them, and Harry never faced so many in his life before. "Tell me he got away…"

The hospital wing was completely empty — bar two Ravenclaw girls that had pustules the size of pebbles on their bodies — when he reached the furthest bed near the doors. Harry wasn't here. He was supposed to be here, but he wasn't. It made no sense to him: what had happened in Hogsmeade for Harry to not — wait… Behind the doors — someone was speaking…

"…seems as if your position is blocking you from your own foolish mistakes!" Snape sounded unusually livid. Theodore had been a witness to these bouts of rage, possibly the only one to have seen more than one, but there was something unhinged and almost destructive in his voice that made Theodore feel a little small.

"Calm down, Severus," Dumbledore's muffled voice from behind said in his usual calm voice. "Let us not lose our heads here —"

"But this is preposterous! Absurd and dangerously idiotic! Why should I calm down?! Why?!"

Theodore heard Fudge's voice attempting to overpower Snape's as he said, "I would listen to Albus if I were you, Snape! You could be held in account for aiding an escapee of Azkaban to evade the Dementors and —"

"Is that what you care about? Me allowing Black to escape when your Dementors cornered me and four students without the intention of stopping at Black?"

"Severus —"

"No! Because of your carelessness, Riddle could have died! A child could have died, and it would have been your fault, Minister!"

"Surely, you must understand that what happened tonight was just the guards fulfilling their roles, Severus," said a third voice. Its strong tone revealed it to be the old wizard from before again. "I understand your anger, but don't you think —?"

"I do not," Snape snapped. "You wouldn't possibly understand!"

"Forgive me, Severus. I had forgotten that the years bounded up in the castle and your little dungeon had turned you quite soft. The children, no doubt. Is it that you might be losing that sharp edge that you once possessed?"

Snape began to growl dangerously on the other side, but they became subsided quickly enough when Dumbledore interjected the conversation once more. The Potions Master took a sharp sniff and said, "You do not think that I would have captured Black, given if I had the chance to do so? You think that for our pitiful childhood friendship, I would allow him to seek freedom from the world? After what he has done? You are sadly mistaken. I want to see him clapped in irons, dragged by the feet all the way back to Azkaban!"

"Then by all means, explain to us the reason why Sirius Black is not being held captive by the Ministry, Severus, since you claim to want him back in prison."

"When I went down to Hogsmeade for… reasons, I was attacked from behind and left on the ground. Upon waking up did I realise that somebody had hidden me from passing Dementors, and I saw masses of them moving towards somewhere.

"Luckily, I overtook them and found Black with the children in the nick of time. Riddle was already dying on the ground, so I Stunned Black to tend to the boy before capturing him. And if it was not for the Dementors that you allowed to roam freely, I would have caught him! Potter and I had to push back an entire army of them, and we could have died!"

"As I said before, the Dementors were just doing their —"

"To hell with that," snarled Snape. "Have a look for yourselves! Riddle, Weasley and Granger! Riddle has barely recovered from his wounds, and this was the second time Black had almost killed him! Second time! Look!"

"That won't be necessary, Severus," said Dumbledore. "The children are already far too affected for anyone to disturb them. Let them rest in peace while we focus on what is at hand. If we are to subdue Sirius, then we must vacate the castle and search the grounds. Can we do that please?" All that Theodore could hear was silence until it was broken by Snape's grunt of approval.

"So, from my understanding, it was Theodore who commanded this plan to capture Black," asked the other wizard curiously.

"They all had an equal part in this," Snape replied scathingly. "No doubt that it was Potter who led the charge of suicide straight into Black's grasp. They were begging for trouble."

"Well, I beg to differ. Lucius told me about the boy Riddle. His sorting was not truly a Hatstall, but to be considered for Slytherin, only to be changed at the last second says something about him, no? I'd like to think he commandeered this little skirmish, despite the unfortunate outcome. Such thirst for success that was evident in his own fath—"

"I think that while his drive for becoming a great wizard is admirable, it will not serve him so well should he be backed into a corner. Do not encourage this behaviour, no matter how much you claim to know of him. Always one to forget where a line cannot be crossed, Theodore."

What did he mean by 'Always one to forget where a line cannot be crossed'? Dumbledore didn't think that it was solely his idea to go after Black, did he? As worrying as it seemed to be, Theodore's behaviour had not changed so much from the day he entered Hogwarts, so why was he commenting on it now? He never once saw Dumbledore ever being disappointed in him before. Even the thought of that made him feel a little dejected.

And Snape! How could he forget about what he just said? For the entire time, he only really talked about him! He said he healed him before the Dementors came — any sane teacher would've done the same thing, but the way he was going on about it made it seem as if he cared… a lot.

"Dumbledore isn't angry, is he?"

Theodore nearly squealed and scurried backwards from the voice that startled him, lightly brushing his foot against the door so that it screeched a little by its hinges. His hands were over his mouth, and he was staring straight at a conscious Hermione who too covered her mouth to stop any sounds from coming out. The Parselmouth quickly looked down to the floor and noticed that the faint glow from the torches in the outside were becoming faded and black.

The incoming footsteps spiked them with a combination of fear and adrenaline as they ran to their beds — Theodore grimaced from his pain — only throwing their bodies in believable sleeping positions the second the hospital wing doors flew open. Orange light spilled into the room and mixed with the pure white of the moon. Theodore had his arm over his face, but kept a small gap underneath to peer over to the doors to see the outlines of the wizards looking over to them. Not a word was thrown across the room when the door closed again.

"Why d'you scare me like that?" Theodore moaned as he sat up painfully. "They were talking about what happened, and we haven't got a clue about Lupin! They could've said something!"

"You woke me up when you stood next to me! I saw you listening at the door, so I wanted to listen as well. You're not the only one who has no clue about what happened after we passed out." Hermione squinted at the boy's bandages and gasped loudly. "Oh no! You're hurt, I remember!"

"It's fine. I'm not dead."

"But I almost thought you would be," she replied sadly. "I had no clue on how to help you. There was so much blood and — and…" She opened her arms wide and embraced the boy tightly, pulling away when he hissed in pain again. "I'm sorry! Gosh, I keep forgetting! The Dementors felt really horrible…"

Theodore reached for the chocolate on his table and unwrapped it for her to take. "Here. I don't need some anyway. The Dementors barely got to me, unlike you and Ron." Hermione broke off a piece and ate it while suggesting that he should take a bite as well. "It wouldn't hurt, I guess. Let's wake Ron up; we have to talk —"

"Already awake, guys," muttered Ron. He crawled up the bed and brought his knees to his chest, still shivering from the Dementors. "I feel incredibly shitty. Man, was that horrible… Wait, you're OK!"

"That's an understatement. My chest is killing me! I don't know what the hell happened to Sirius for him to lash out like that — ow…"

Hermione patted Theodore's shoulder and said, "You need to take it easy, Theo, and calm down. You don't want to make it worse. Here, Ron, have some chocolate."

"Cheers." He crunched on the piece and perked up a little in his bed. "Amazing stuff that is. Don't feel cold anymore. Hey, where's Harry?"

"We don't know. Snape said that he and Harry fought the Dementors off long enough for everyone to escape. But we don't know what happened to Sirius or Professor Lupin. From the sound of it, it looks like they ran off at the last second, but part of me thinks that Sirius went to go look for Pettigrew again."

"Lupin's a werewolf," muttered Ron to himself. "How mad can Dumbledore get to hire a werewolf? A Death Eater, a celebrity, and now this. What's next, a vampire? Theo, did you know that he was a werewolf?"

Theodore nodded. "I was making Wolfsbane Potion for him the entire year so that he wouldn't go mad. Dumbledore is… weird, but he's not insane. Professor Lupin is a good person; I doubt he's like other werewolves."

"Well, whatever he's doing at the moment must be tiresome. Morning is coming soon, and the moon is going to disappear. He'll have to hide somewhere if he doesn't want to be caught by somebody," said Hermione, staring at the moon while taking another piece of chocolate.

It was becoming too much to bear now. Theodore threw his head back and groaned even louder, hovering his hand over his chest as he resisted the temptation to clutch it. Hermione and Ron reached out to him to help ease his pain, but were unable to when the sounds of the doors squeaking echoed through the room. They jumped into their beds, and Theodore gritted his teeth wishing that he had his wand to help heal himself. Maybe they couldn't heal his wounds. After all, if that were possible, then he would've been in the common room by now.

The door closed, and the stranger walked closer to the trio with light footsteps, like they were on their tiptoes. Theodore closed his eyes, waiting for the person, who could've been Madam Pomfrey, to pass over and leave. The slight breeze over his face told him that someone was standing right in front of him, but he didn't detect any change of light through his eyelids.

"Theo! Theo, wake up! It's me!" Harry's voice came from nowhere as Theodore sat back up for the third time. The Cloak was shedded and revealed Harry's face, which displayed anxiety and breathlessness. "I didn't see you wake up when — Ron, Hermione! You're OK!"

"Yeah, we woke up sometime after Theodore did. Harry, where did you go? What happened to us?"

Harry sat on the edge of Ron's bed and explained the recent events to the three. "When Sirius went crazy, and after Pettigrew managed to get the slip from us, the Dementors was starting to close in. You guys remember that, right?" They nodded their heads and allowed him to continue. "Right, the Dementors had us trapped, and you guys fell unconscious, leaving me with Snape to fight them off together. I had no clue that he could make a Patronus, and I didn't think I could either at that time. But I did. My Patronus is a stag, you guys."

"So that's what it was," muttered Theodore to himself. "It wasn't a dream… So, Snape was the doe? That's pretty weird to think that it's almost the same as yours."

"I was thinking the same thing as well. But I was so exhausted that I could barely stay standing by that point. The Dementors were pushed all the way back, but there were way too many of them. We were going to take you all to the castle when a bunch of Aurors came over with Fudge.

"Sirius woke up, and they started to shoot curses at him when he tried to kill them. Lupin got up and tried to stop him, but they shot curses at him as well. They both got away, but I think they seriously hurt Lupin from the blood that he left behind. Anyway, they picked you guys up and said that they needed to interrogate you when you'd wake up. Snape was furious for some reason. I mean, I think he was. I could barely remember…"

"But it was all for nothing," said Ron downheartedly. "We almost had Pettigrew. If we had just knocked him out a second earlier, Sirius could be free right now. Now he's gone, and it'll only be a matter of time before they corner him. And if the Dementors get him…"

"That's not true, Ron. Look." Harry reached into his robes and brought out Pettigrew's wand. "I wasn't so dizzy that I couldn't recognise the wand. For all we know, Pettigrew is probably checking the area right now looking for this. If he still wants it, then he'll be around somewhere."

"Did you get my wand?" Theodore asked hopefully.

Harry's face fell as he said, "You lost your wand? I-I didn't see it on the ground. Did nobody pick it up for you?"

Theodore sighed and brought his face to his palms. The one thing that was supposed to be the symbol for his magic was lost. No other wand would choose him, and he'd be going on throughout the years without one. Surely one of the Aurors must've seen his wand laying on the ground.

"I'm sorry, Theo. If I had seen it then —"

"No, it's not your fault. Don't beat yourself up for that. Sirius is still out there looking for Pettigrew, and the Aurors couldn't even capture him. We'll have to find them before it's too late."

"But that's impossible," said Hermione. "Sirius just attacked you and escaped a bunch of Aurors! Every exit and entrance of the castle, probably this room as well, is going to be flooded with them! We can't leave without them noticing, even with the Cloak over our heads."

"She's right, you know," added Ron. "They'd be idiots to leave the entire place unguarded, especially with Theo in the building. This is, what, the second time he nearly killed you?"

"Third, actually. There has to be a way around them. If only I had —" His eyes flashed as he remembered it. The Map. Theodore separated his torn clothing and searched through his robes for the Map. They could make it to the one-eyed witch and go searching through there, or maybe the other secret pathways outside the castle without anybody knowing.

"Theo, what are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for — for the Map, where is it?!"

"Calm down, man! You're going to — Theo, slowly!"

Theodore hopped off the bed and ducked underneath to see if the Map had fallen to the floor. Absolutely clear. Snape couldn't have taken it from him again, could he? It was right above his chest; it would've been ripped — Theodore stood straight back up and hobbled over to the bin on the opposite side of his bed. Hopefully, it would be there…

Hermione grimaced when he rummaged through the bin to pluck out a bloodied and shredded piece of parchment. "Put that thing back inside, that's not sanitary! It's full of blood!"

"My blood, Hermione. This is the Marauder's Map. Sirius must've clawed through this and me at the same time. Give me your wand." Hermione crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Fine. Harry, give me Pettigrew's wand." Harry chucked it over to him, and he caught it with ease before pointing straight at the parchment. "Reparo! What's the Cleaning Charm again?"

"Um… Scourgify, I think?"

"OK. Scourgify!" The mended Map was being shedded of the layer of blood that had blotted most of its area. The other three gathered around him to see the Map after its activation, seeking all the possible trails that wouldn't get them caught. Hermione was correct in thinking that Aurors would be posted everywhere for on each floor were dots that held names unrecognisable to the four. Theodore caught onto Proudfoot and Savage roaming along the third-floor corridor, a floor that was right above them. Flitwick, McGonagall, Sprout and Vector were also on the lookout in the corridors, mostly brushing past the hospital wing doors.

"Shit. We can't even get out of the room! Wait, look!" Ron pointed out. "Dumbledore and Snape are going to Hagrid's Hut with the Minister and a bunch of Aurors! Dawlish, Williamson, Lestr— Pettigrew!"

The four ripped their eyes away from the adults and followed Ron's finger all the way to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Pettigrew's dot was moving quickly, no doubt in his Animagus form, and was heading to the Forest briskly before he vanished over the edge.

Harry stood up immediately and grabbed the Cloak. "OK, we've got to get there now! If he hadn't told them already, then Snape is the only one who knows that he's an Animagus! He could, I don't know, catch them out and blow them into pieces like he did last time!"

"All right, I'll be a lookout when we're under the Cloak," started Theodore as he pocketed the bone-wand. "McGonagall won't be easy to —"

"Tell me you're joking."

Theodore turned his head to Hermione, confused by what she was talking about. Judging from her tone of voice, she wasn't happy about something. "Huh? Joking about what?"

"Isn't it obvious? You're not leaving this room, Theodore!" she returned sternly.

Theodore frowned at her and said, "You can't keep on telling me what to do, Hermione. Why shouldn't I go?"

"Why shouldn't you — you're hurt!" she spluttered angrily. "You can barely walk; I don't think that you can even jog let alone run, and your right arm is bandaged up! You're going to get yourself killed if you leave this room!"

"But if we have any chance of getting Pettigrew, then all four of us have to be —"

"Harry, listen to yourself! Look at him! He was dying just a few hours ago! And this wasn't the first time this year that this nearly happened to him! Inside the dorm, during last summer as well! Three times already, and the fourth could be the last! You're not going, Theodore!"

Theodore looked open-mouthed at Harry and Ron, expecting them to side with him against the ridiculous assumption that he could die on school grounds. "OK, all of that did happen, but it was never that serious, was it? I didn't — I'm not dead, guys. I can get —"

"I think you should stay, Theo," said Ron quietly. "She's right. Even you don't know how damaged you are. I… I hate to say this, but you're kind of a liability."

"I'm not a liability," snapped Theodore. "Harry, come on! You know if I come, we'll get Pettigrew before he goes for good! Come on…"

…

"You're not coming," decided Harry after thinking through the silence. "Come on, we haven't got enough time to be waiting inside here." Theodore was stunned with brief shock that turned into anger, and started to lift himself off the bed when suddenly, he was pushed back onto the sheets. Harry looked at him fiercely, his arms outstretched as he said, "You're. Not. Coming. You're too weak right now."

"I'm not weak!"

"I didn't mean it like that. You're staying here and that's final. If I have to push you down each time until you can't get back up, then I will. Don't make this harder for yourself, Theo. Stand down."

Theodore pierced his gaze that was full of resentment at his cousin in silence. His right hand was tightly clasping the bedsheets, even if it was trembling from the pain in his arm. He soon broke contact and slowly moved himself backwards, face contorted into an ill-natured scowl. He faced down to his lap, not wanting to look at any of them while he dropped the Map next to his leg for Harry to pick up. One injury to the chest and now they didn't want him to come. As if they never had anything life-threatening brought upon them. 'Hypocrites,' he thought to himself darkly.

Harry folded the Map slowly and began to trudge away, only looking back twice at his cousin. Ron followed too in silence, opening his mouth to say something before closing it shut. Theodore laid his body to the side and turned his face away from them, or rather her. Knowing her, Hermione would probably pat his shoulder or attempt to hold his hand. Not this time.

Theodore felt her presence as her shadow came over him; he was ready to pull away from any sort of contact that she tried to give, but he wasn't expecting to feel something soft against his cheek. Not in the slightest. Some of her hair fell over his eyelids, but her kiss upon his cheek took him away from that. Hermione pulled away and rubbed his arm before the doors of the hospital wing closed shortly after. Theodore grazed his cheek with his thumb. She just kissed him… He couldn't hold onto his short-lived anger for that much longer, just because of that? His heart was racing so fast that it almost felt like it was about to burst through his chest: it probably could.

'She kissed me… She — what the hell?'

He lifted himself for there was something poking him in the back, something sharp. Was he that injured to not register the pain after sitting on whatever it was? The bed didn't feel like it had springs underneath, so he was certain that it couldn't be — Pettigrew's wand. He still had it. The wand spurted sparks of red flames from the tip, but not enough to singe the bedsheets and his robes.

'If I can't help directly, then… But they said not to leave. Hermione didn't want you to leave; she already cried for you before… But I did the same, and I'm not going to let that happen. I have to help them. I have to…'

McGonagall could've been the end of them. Ron had to duck for his height was compromising their presence with their legs semi-exposed, and Hermione on the side almost brushed against the teacher, only causing McGonagall to rub her arm before pacing the corridors again. Harry had no clue how she didn't notice it being them, or how she didn't hear the hospital wing doors opening from afar. Granted that they opened it when she was furtherest away, he thought that she'd have noticed something wrong. Then again, teachers not noticing students had become the norm during his time at Hogwarts.

"Guys, Flitwick is coming around the corner," whispered Harry to the other two. "Quickly! In here!" They bustled into the broom cupboard with the singing cloak and had to thrash it around for it to stop immediately. Harry and Ron held it down while Hermione lit the tip of her wand as she checked the Map. "Is he still out there?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, he is," replied Hermione, "and so are three other Aurors. I can't see us getting out of here!"

"Make a distraction then."

"Um…" She looked down on the Map, then suddenly widened her eyes. "Right! I don't know if it'll work, but if he can do it, then so can I."

"If who can do what?"

Hermione ignored Harry's confusion and slowly peeked out from the door as she set it ajar. She then brought her wand and pointed it outside, closing her eyes in thought before a red spark flew out from her wandtip. Hermione retreated and closed the door, warning the others to cover their ears. Suddenly, a loud bang that was followed by roars erupted through the hallway, sending a tremor to the broom cupboard. Above the deafening sounds, Harry could hear the shouts of the Aurors and Flitwick on the other side. He took the Map from Hermione's hand and saw their dots hurrying away to the third floor.

Taking the chance without any hesitation, the trio left the cupboard and ran towards the marble staircase, almost forgetting to put the Cloak above their heads. "That sounded like the thing Theo conjured on the last Quidditch match," said Ron breathlessly.

"That's because it was. I just suddenly got the idea when I saw his — it was the perfect distraction."

"Well, it's a good thing that you're just as good as him. Guess hanging around him for a long time leaves an impression on you, huh?"

"Yeah…" Her cheeks became a little red which could only be seen by Harry as they pressed on. Flitwick and the Aurors were the only obstacles that they encountered on their destination to the front doors, and something told them that they would only be the first.

They reached the marble staircase soon enough — Ron was having trouble keeping up with the others when his knees were bended slightly — and waited around the corner to check over the Map. Harry glanced down at it and saw the dots of various wizards all clumped together near the front doors. Snape, Dumbledore, Fudge, the old wizard and multiple Aurors pushed through the doors, talking above each other until Snape overpowered everyone else's.

"I knew what I was doing until you called me off!"

"We are supposed to be looking for Sirius Black, not rummaging through the gamekeeper's old home like scavengers," the old wizard shot at the Potions Master harshly. "Why did you lead us there, Severus? What, was Black using the place as a hideout all this time?"

"It's complicated," Snape muttered.

Fudge flustered with a little bit of anger, declaring loudly, "Complicated? What could possibly be complicated about looking for this man, Snape? You were certain that he was in Hagrid's home, yet we yielded no evidence of him even visiting the house!"

"Albus? Haven't you got anything to say to your employee? You've been awfully quiet since we left the hospital wing."

Dumbledore fixed his purple hat to the other side and spoke calmly like always. "While I am rather confused by Severus's actions, I do believe that he must be going some sort of way forward. A feeling from the gut, if you will."

"If we are to work towards capturing the escapee, then we must" — Hermione sneezed and accidentally jumped up a little — "What was that?"

"Sorry! My nose is —"

"Pat your hair down," Harry instructed quickly, "and you too, Ron! Duck quickly!"

Fudge was staring over to the staircase with the comfortable feeling that somebody was listening onto them: Harry could see it clearly. It was almost as if he could see him. He put that thought out of his mind and remained perfectly still while holding both Ron and Hermione's arms. If they didn't move, then maybe…

Snape followed Fudge's stare and glanced over to the trio grimly, but didn't say a word. Neither did Dumbledore, although his eyes displayed mild curiosity than a distaste for any intruding ears. "A ghost, perhaps," drawled Snape when he turned back to the others. "Although they are not alive, they are still capable of imitating the living, no?"

"I guess," said Fudge sceptically. "But we mustn't sit around like ducks here, for Merlin's sake! Black may have infiltrated the castle for all we know! Theodore is well protected I presume."

"Minerva can handle herself quite well," said Dumbledore. "Theodore, Mr Weasley and Miss Granger are in good hands, Cornelius, do not worry."

"If Black has entered the castle somehow, then the first place to check would be Gryffindor Tower. He attacked the area once before, and it will not be fallible to think he will strike there again."

"Then that is where we will go! Follow me," announced Fudge. He briskly walked up the stairs and led the way up to the Tower. The trio crouched a little in the corner of the staircase to avoid the collective footsteps of Aurors stepping near their feet. Snape was the last of the crowd, stopping momentarily to gaze down on the hidden teens.

…

"Hmph... It's open," he said quietly before he disappeared to the upper hallways.

"He's helping us? How come?"

"It's because —" Hermione stopped speaking, knowing that it wasn't her secret to tell. Neither of the boys dwelled on her hesitation to speak further as they aimed for the doors. They swung it open without a single screech of the metal squeezing against each other and ran along the pathway to Hogsmeade, diverging only when they saw Hagrid's empty home in the distance.

The moon was fading in the sky, and the sun from the far ends over the valley and mountains was slowly starting to rise. Harry was tempted to throw the Cloak off them, feeling it unnecessary to keep it on when the Aurors had left for the castle. Not to say that they wouldn't keep an eye out for those who stayed back. When they reached the edges of the Forest, Harry finally pulled the Cloak off and stuffed it under his robes. The Map showed them that they were on the borders of the parchment, meaning that it would be no use when inside.

"Mischief managed… Let's go!"

They barely took ten steps into the eerie woodlands when Hermione gave a choked shriek. "Oh, my God! Professor Lupin!"

The man was hidden underneath a broken tree that formed an overpass between two large boulders on either side. Harry could barely see him as the light from the early sun hadn't touched the grounds of the Forest. He lit the tip of his wand and pointed it to the area of Lupin's vicinity, taking in the abused sight of the near-unrecognisable professor.

Lupin was in a crouched position and was unusually still, despite being huddled against dried leaves and twigs. It looked even more uncomfortable due to the fact that he was completely naked. Harry saw new and old scars running along his back, arms, legs and neck; saw the countless bruises that came from the Aurors before leading to most parts of his body. He honestly looked like a corpse that had been dumped casually.

"He's just tired. Look at all those scars… How do you think he got them?"

"Probably from fighting other werewolves," answered Ron. "That, or he could've done it to himself. Charlie once said something about werewolves scratching themselves when no humans are around."

"Should we leave him here? He looks in a really bad shape."

"We could send fireworks in the air, but then they'll come over to us. If they see Lupin like this, it could end up bad for him, and for us. We — we have to move on. Sorry, Professor Lupin."

Hermione conjured controlled bluebell flames that danced around Lupin, not burning the man or the leaves and wood around him. The trio nodded at each other, as if to say that it was for the best. They couldn't give away their position, not now. Side by side, they slowly entered deeper in the Forest, cautious of whatever it had to throw at them.

'This is stupid. This is so stupid, and you're stupid. Just go back to the fucking hospital wing, you idiot!'

Theodore almost scared himself with the things he did. How was it that he managed to slip around the castle he knew for only three years, effectively evading teachers who had resided in the grounds for a minimum of double his lifetime? He had fractured ribs, bruised lungs and a wand that didn't belong to him, despite it working so perfectly. It was crazy to know that he could use another's wand without it breaking in half.

McGonagall didn't prove to be much of a hinderance as he thought; it required for him to guesstimate her position behind the door when her footsteps would become loud then quiet. Seizing the perfect moment, he escaped from the wing and was hobbling up the Grand Staircase, painfully jumping and ducking everywhere when he'd see a ghost, a teacher or Aurors roaming the corridors. He even thought that he saw Proudfoot and Savage on the third floor.

'Now they bring Aurors. Seriously, what's up with — ow…!'

He clutched his chest softly and brushed his palm over his bandage. All this movement was staggering to his injuries; he could see why they didn't want him going with them. Although he tried the Healing Spell multiple times on his chest, nothing seemed to get better. Perhaps he wasn't in the right state of mind.

"ROAAAARRRRR!"

Theodore nearly fell off the moving stairway. What the hell was that? It wasn't even just the roar, it was the explosion too. Was Sirius fighting against the Aurors? He shook his head knowing that he wouldn't risk coming inside the castle after exposing himself again. The man was probably still running around the Forest in his demented state of mind. Theodore got onto the next stairway and waited as it shifted to the next platform.

He made it to the seventh floor, thinking himself as a madman for leaving the wing. He was dangerously out of breath, and his throat was terribly parched. If anybody was awake inside the common room, he prayed that they'd be merciful to give him any type of food, no matter how small. The security trolls were nowhere to be seen near the Fat Lady's portrait: Theodore thought Dumbledore must've dismissed them when they couldn't even keep him from leaving the castle. He spoke the password to the irritated woman and struggled his way into the Tower.

Theodore had barely closed the portrait behind with extra care until he heard his name being called out from the couch. He turned his head to see the petite form of Ginny rushing towards him with her braid flying behind her wildly.

"Theo! What happened to you?!" she asked hysterically. Ginny came right in front of the taller boy and looked up and down at his bandages, grimacing a little when she saw his ripped robes. "Did — did Sirius Black do this to you…?"

"Yes — I mean, no. I — Ginny, you shouldn't be out of bed. It's…" He glanced over to the clock. "Fifteen past five? It's been that long?"

"Theodore, what happened to you, seriously? I didn't see Harry, Ron or Hermione coming back up yesterday, and I thought that they must've run off somewhere!"

Theodore limped over to the stairway, but sat down on the steps to keep his breath under control. "Everything's fine, Ginny. You don't have to worry about anything —"

"Excuse me," she snapped. "I have every right to worry! Ron's my brother, and it may not be so clear to you, but I am your friend, as well as Hermione's. Telling me not to worry is a shitty thing to say when you're coming up here all bloodied and… this!"

Well… that wasn't exactly an unexpected reaction. It seemed as if she really took after her big brothers. Never had he heard 'sweet, little, and innocent' Ginny swear in his life before. But it was bound to happen. Theodore grabbed onto the railing and hoisted himself on his legs with minor help from the girl. "Look, I can't tell you everything, OK? There's just so much going on right now that my head's not in it properly. But believe me when I say this: they'll be fine. I'll be fine, Ginny. You have to believe me."

"How can I when you look like this? How should I imagine the way Harry — I mean, Ron looks like?" She looked over her shoulder and pushed him behind the tables in a clumsy manner. Ginny apologised quietly when she saw him nearly tearing up on the floor, but turned her attention away from him. "Good morning, Professor Dumbledore."

"Good morning, Miss Weasley," said Dumbledore. It was like he casually strolled into a normal lesson of the day. "Is it not a little too early to be waking up? I know that you are to be leaving in three days time, so I understand your excitement to go back home."

Theodore felt more feet crashing onto the ground and listened to Ginny's response. "Just irregular sleeping, Professor. Is there going to be an announcement for us?"

"No, nothing like that. Sirius Black has been sighted yesterday, as you are well aware of, and we have been revisiting his recent places of attacks. But it seems as if it is completely safe here, so I will not disturb your early morning any further."

"Of course," she added sweetly. "I'll be going back up to my bed now. Goodbye, Professor Dumbledore, and to you too, Professor Snape."

Snape made an incomprehensible sound and left the common room soon after Dumbledore granted the redhead farewell. The stampede of feet was closed off with the sound of the portrait closing, and Ginny bent over Theodore to help him up to his feet. "I feel terrible! I didn't think that they'd be happy to see you here."

"Good thinking; they'd be pretty pissed. Plus, you're so naturally charming that it's almost scary."

"You don't give yourself enough credit. So. Are you going to tell me what's really going on? Is Black after you again?"

The Parselmouth sighed. He was too tired for this. "Ginny, I understand that you're worried for them, OK? I'm not going to lie to you just to make you feel better. But trust me when I say this: Ron, Harry and Hermione are going to be all right. They all got off fine, better than me anyway. I just — I have to help them. I can't just stand here waiting for them because everything can go wrong in just a second, so I have to go after them."

"But you can't! You were about to cry when I pushed you to the floor!"

He frowned at her and said, "I wasn't going to cry! You try and firm having your ribs being slashed and walking it off."

"Then let me go with you," Ginny protested. "If it's me and you, we'll easily find the others wherever they are, and we could —"

"No, Ginny. The others were mad at me for trying to leave with them. If I bring you along, they'll kill me. Just stay here for me, please? I don't want you getting hurt again after last year. You have to stay."

"Theodore! Where have you been?!" Viripin slithered down the steps and across the ground to Theodore's feet and winded herself around his body. "You scared me; I thought — Do I smell blood? Is that your blood?! Why are you bleeding?!"

Ginny scoffed and muttered, "I'd like to know myself…"

"What?"

She straightened herself nervously and brushed a few locks behind her ears. "Nothing! I-I said nothing! Look, if you must go, then hurry! They're probably in trouble right now, so get going!"

"Um… all right. I — We'll be going now…" Theodore picked up the rest of Viripin's body and started to walk over to the portrait hole. "Wait, how did you know —?"

"No time, Theodore! Hurry up!" Ginny frantically opened the portrait and helped him through the hole. "Make sure you get there on time, and don't die. Good luck, Theo!" She gave him a very quick hug before the portrait closed in front of him.

…

"Why is it that you never seem to stay in the same place?" grumbled the Fat Lady. "For God's sake, this is a school! Go to sleep!"

"Sorry." Theodore turned in the other direction and waddled quickly to the next rising moving staircase. If he couldn't go through the Entrance Hall, then this was… the forth-best option behind it. Plus, he was desperate.

"Where are you taking us," hissed the snake sulkily.

"To the Astronomy Tower. Hopefully, none of the teachers are up there." He took a left turn when he entered the highest corridor and walked straight forward.

"For what reason? What business could you possibly have up there?"

"If you want me to apologise for nearly getting myself killed, then you should just ask instead of being moody about it. I am sorry, Viripin, but there's no time for —" The Bloody Baron drifted strangely in the air, forcing Theodore to duck behind a pillar. "— for that. I have to go to the Forbidden Forest. I can't explain it, but I have to."

"All right. But you'll tell me what happened to you, OK?"

"I will, I promise. Let's go." Theodore raced down the hallway and ran up the spiral staircase of the highest tower, vividly remembering when they had to smuggle Norbert out of the castle. He reached the top and took in the light from the sun. It was already early morning. Hogsmeade sounded like it happened so long ago… Theodore looked over the ramparts of the Tower to see the entirety of Hogwarts. It all looked so serene, yet he couldn't keep his gaze for so long. "All right… Viripin? Now, what I'm about to do may seem a little crazy to you."

Viripin tightened her body around his shoulders. "What do you mean? Theodore, I'm scared."

The Parselmouth gulped as he trudged over to the very edge of the Tower. "You know, I-I am scared as well. I wouldn't ever consider doing this again in the near future, but then I'd be lying… Oh God… All right, I'm going to do this…"

"Theodore, think about what you're doing!"

"I have. I… have." He moved away from the ramparts and breathed deeply. "This is the quickest way to them…"

"Honestly, I think you've actually gone mad. Like seriously mad, Theodore."

He let out a stifled laugh. "I think that myself as well. OK, OK. One… two…" Theodore took one final breath and charged towards the edge of the Tower, feeling Viripin wrapping herself even tighter around her, but no hissing was heard. He leapt from the ground and felt weightlessness washing over him as he fell faster and faster…

I freaking wrote like 22K words in 9 hours on my phone so what I said about this being the last chapter is a half lie. That's right my people, a three parter ending to PoA! And not only that, I will be releasing the second part to this an hour after this one so I'll be keeping you on the edge of your seat. There's no time to chatter so later!