Chapter 4: Unbelievable Turn of Events

Harry had been hoping Sirius Black would find him. After learning about the betrayal of his parents, Harry had been practicing what he would do to the man. The hard part was deciding just which spell to use to blast him. Finding out the "Grim" that had been stalking him since the beginning of the year was actually the murderer had made Harry's day.

But then everything had gone bollocks up.

First, Remus Lupin bursts in and disarms him and Hermione. Remus Lupin! Then, after Harry wandlessly disarmed the ostensibly traitorous Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Severus Snape barged in and in turn stripped him of his wand! The greasy git.

When Professor Lupin tried to explain things and Sirius Black claimed he wasn't after Harry, Harry wandlessly disarmed Snape as well, the incredulity on the potions master's face priceless. Unfortunately, Ron and Hermione chose just then to cast expelliramus on him as well, and the force of the two additional spells threw the man back into a wall and knocked him unconscious. Yeah, that was going to be a long detention. You can believe that.

Finding out that Sirius Black wasn't the traitor/murderer and that it was actually Ron's rat who had betrayed Harry's parents had been crazy. Getting back up from beneath the secret passage beneath the Whomping Willow was definitely awkward considering they had an unconscious greasy git, a best guy friend with a broken leg, an escaped convict who everyone had erroneously thought was out to kill Harry, and the rat (both figurative and literal) who actually did betray everyone. What do you say to something like that?

Of course, then Professor Lupin went and transformed into a bloody werewolf.

Peter Pettigrew took the opportunity to escape. The next thing they knew, Sirius Black, back in his black mastiff animagus form, was fighting off the werewolf, but was definitely getting the worst of the encounter. Then Werewolf-Remus grabbed Black and threw into the woods and out of the fight.

With a snarl, the lycanthrope turned and charged at Harry and Hermione. The creature was almost upon them when Harry remembered something from his 2nd year DADA class. With Lockhart. Harry almost tossed the idea aside considering the source.

But it was really his only idea. It would have to do.

Instead of running, Harry pulled out his wand and took a step towards the transformed professor. "Homorphia sapien!" he shouted and jabbed his wand forward as if thrusting a rapier. Harry's eyes locked on Werewolf-Remus's as a beam of white shot from his wand to impact the charging lycanthrope.

And then the wolf-man howled in pain.

"Stop it, Harry! You're hurting him!"

Harry didn't relent. "No, Hermione. I'm curing him."

And they both watched as the wolf slowly, painfully, reverted back from werewolf form into human form. The teeth shrank back into his mouth, the claws became fingers. Fur gave way to pale skin. Remus's eyes became lucid for just a second, registering a moment of extreme gratitude, before they rolled back in unconsciousness.

"Harry, that's impossible! You can't cure a werewolf! The curse is permanent!"

Harry grinned widely. "Didn't you pay attention in Lockhart's class, Hermione? Gilderoy cured the Waga Waga Werewolf, at least according to his book series, right? And I did serve a month's detention with him, you know. You don't think we spent all that time just signing his fan mail, did you?"

"But," the bushy haired girl tried to protest, "Lockhart's a fraud. Isn't he?"

"A fraud, and a prat, no question, Hermione," Harry laughed. "But, he did witness someone actually do it, and I sort of remembered the incantation from Lockhart's book."

Hermione punched Harry in the shoulder. "You!" The look of absolute mortification, exasperation, and respect on her face was priceless. "That was a reckless risk to take! It might not have worked! And then the werewolf would have bitten you!" Harry just laughed at her reaction.

The air suddenly turned chilly. And things went dark.

"Dementors!" Hermione identified the sensation.

"Sirius!" Harry realized. They were coming for his godfather! His innocent, falsely imprisoned godfather who had just offered to take him in rather than him live with the Dursleys.

Harry ran, heading in the direction the dementors were going. Hermione did her best to keep up. But when they got there, it was clearly too late. There was no way to get to him before the attack. There were dementors everywhere, blackening the entire sky with their negative energy. Sirius was lying prone, in his human form, and some were already swooping down sucking away what little strength he had left. He had nothing to fight with. They would give him the Kiss.

"No!" Harry yelled. "YOU GET AWAY FROM MY GODFATHER!"

Hermione tried to restrain him, but he broke free from her.

"Harry, stop! You can't fight dementors! Even if you know the patronus charm, you can't hope to drive this many away!"

Harry pulled out his wand. "I'm not going to drive them away, Hermione," Harry said savagely. "I'm going to destroy them. Expecto Patroni!"

Instead of just a single patronus, three great silver stags leapt out from Harry's wand. They charged out from Harry's position and battered the black shrouded apparitions of darkness. Under the cover of his warmth-filled summons, Harry advanced until he was standing next to the comatose escapee of Azkaban prison. A trio of dementors floated down towards him and his godfather.

Hermione watched in disbelief and horror.

"Don't worry, Hermione," Harry called out to her. With the dementors multiplying negative emotion, he could literally feel the effects of her doubt. "I've used this spell before," Harry lied. His reassurance worked, as he could feel the doubt immediately lessen. Harry pointed his wand at the trio of dark creatures and shouted, "Demento Evanesca!"

The three dementors vanished in a flash of white light. The black sky suddenly seemed to freeze in place. And then the dementors fled the school in droves.

Harry was left with a nearly lifeless godfather and a best witch friend staring at him in complete shock.

AN: This chapter is particularly short, but the next will be particularly long.