Harry walked aimlessly around the castle, feeling an odd sense of lightness as he moved.
The dementors were gone; there'd been a notice at breakfast by Dumbledore, explaining that the dementors had been recalled the night before.
"However," He had warned once the cheers died down. "Sirius Black is still at large, so I recommend you all to exercise caution. Continue moving in groups, especially during Hogsmeade."
The school had grumbled somewhat loudly at that. Even the closest of friends needed some time apart, it was just healthy.
"The dementors being recalled was due to various incidents being reported," Dumbledore had continued. "Both from Thanatos and the other staff members. As such, they will be replaced with an Auror guard detail that will patrol the castle. More information will be given once they arrive."
The timing couldn't have been more perfect. It was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the school year, and everybody was in such high spirits that it almost completely eradicated the memories of gloom from the previous weeks.
Everybody but Harry that was.
Since he didn't get his permission slip signed, there was nothing Harry could do but watch Ron and Hermione go off onto Hogsmeade.
He'd run into Filch at some point during his walk, and now strolled the castle, avoiding both the caretaker and the hyperactive second year Colin Creevey.
He absently patted his pocket, where the notecard he'd gotten all the way back in Diagon Alley stayed. He took it everywhere now, just in case he ran into Thanatos to ask questions.
"Harry?" A voice came to his left.
Harry turned, seeing Professor Lupin poking his head out of the office door.
"What are you doing?" He asked, somewhat gently. "Where are Ron and Hermione?"
"Hogsmeade," Harry replied in a forced casual tone.
"Ah," Lupin said as he realized. "Why don't you come in? I've just taken a grindylow for our next lesson."
"A what?" Harry asked as he followed Lupin into his office.
He froze once inside, seeing Thanatos sitting before the desk with a dark-skinned, blonde woman beside him, both drinking tea.
There was a great black dog at their feet, head on its paws and its eyes closed.
When Harry entered, all three turned to him, and the dog's ears perked up, its tail wagging and tongue lolling out.
Harry stared at the dog. It was the same one he'd seen at Magnolia Crescent, and eerily similar to the Grim he'd seen in Flourish and Blotts.
"Down, Padfoot," Thanatos whispered in a strangely soothing voice, far different from his usual one.
He put a hand on the dog's back and gently pushed it down, and the dog whined loudly as it lay on its paws again.
Thanatos said some things to it in a language Harry didn't understand, and the dog whined louder but seemed to nod as it stared sadly at Harry.
"Wait, wait, Padfoot?" Harry asked. "Like… like the Marauders?"
At the word, the dog, Lupin, and Thanatos snapped their heads over, and Lupin even dropped his tea kettle with a smash.
Lupin quickly repaired the kettle with his wand as Thanatos cleared his throat.
"Harry…" Thanatos said slowly. "How- How do you know who Padfoot is?"
Harry shrunk back slightly but managed to find his resolve, digging the note out of his pocket and showing it to him.
"T-this," Harry replied. "I got it when I was at, uhh, Diagon Alley."
Thanatos took the note and stared, brows furrowed.
"This… Aahna, love, this is your handwriting," He stated, showing the card to the woman beside him.
Aahna smiled slightly. "You're right. It is."
She turned to Harry. "Did you get the other two? Have you figured them out yet?"
Harry blinked. "Other two? I only got that one."
"One?" Aahna asked incredulously. "I sent you three."
" Ask for answers, you get questions. Ask for questions, you get revelations. The soul is an excellent hider," Thanatos read aloud before flipping the note over. " Through the shadows I roam without care. When trouble arises, I'm always there. I'm known as a thief, a troublemaker too. Tell me, friend, who am I to you?"
"A marauder," Lupin answered immediately without looking up.
"You put a drawing too?" Thanatos raised an eyebrow.
He flipped the notecard and showed it to Remus, along with Padfoot, who had raised his head to look.
Padfoot barked and nudged the deer drawing with his nose before snarling at the rat, snapping his jaws.
Harry looked between Padfoot and the drawing, saw it was the exact same dog, and the pieces began to fall together in Harry's mind.
"Wait… is Padfoot a Marauder?" Harry asked.
Padfoot barked loudly, making Harry jump at the volume.
"You would've figured that out earlier if you'd gotten the other two notecards I sent you," Aahna grumbled.
"What did those notes even have?" Thanatos asked, looking over at his wife.
Aahna sighed. "The second was about Pads and had a riddle about things not seeming as they appear. The third gave a clue about Prongs and Moony, which Harry would've figured out if he had looked at the moon cycle."
"And that was supposed to help me… how?" Harry asked, feeling extremely lost.
Aahna sighed again. "Well, I suppose it's better to tell you directly, no?"
Thanatos flicked his wrist and his wand soared into his palm.
He poked it at the door, and it closed with a locking sound.
Harry watched as Thanatos gave a few waves and flicks, something similar to rivers of light covering the windows, walls, ceiling, and floor.
"Take a seat, Harry," Thanatos stated, flicking his wand.
A comfortable-looking leather chair sprang up beside Harry, and when he sat in it, he sank a little at the softness.
"Wow, this is- this is awesome!" Harry stated, though he silently wondered how excited Hermione would be over this.
"Your father was better," Thanatos replied, putting his wand away. "He was the third best Transfiguration Master after Dumbledore and McGonagall."
Harry perked up at that, sitting on the edge of the chair. "You knew my father?"
Thanatos nodded. "We all did," He replied, voice a bit hollow. "Your mother too."
He waved it off. "I can tell you about them later, so can Remus and Padfoot."
Harry grinned and nodded before pausing, his brows knitting together.
"Padfoot? You mean the dog?" He asked, staring at it. "How can a dog tell me about my parents?"
Thanatos fixed him with a grave look, and Harry shrunk back some.
"Harry, I need you to swear that you'll never reveal whatever information you receive in this room," He stated firmly. "Everything will be explained, but right now, I need you to swear to me that you won't tell anyone."
Harry glanced nervously at Lupin, who nodded at him.
He glanced back at Thanatos and nodded shakily. "I-I swear. I won't tell anyone."
Thanatos relaxed, leaning back in his chair. "Well, then I suppose we should start with the obvious, right Padfoot?"
Padfoot jumped up and barked, and before Harry's eyes, changed into a thin, long-haired man who looked slightly dirty.
Harry's eyes widened. "Sirius Black!" He yelled, shooting out of his chair and nearly falling.
Remus caught him with a flick of his wand, and gently sat Harry back into his seat.
"Wha- how- how did you- THAT'S SIRIUS BLACK!" Harry pointed before pulling out his wand.
He pointed it at Sirius and Thanatos, trying to stand again to back away. He needed to tell Dumbledore, to tell somebody.
"Harry," Thanatos began, utterly unfazed at having a wand pointed at him. "Do you know how I mentioned how Sirius Black might be innocent?"
Harry paused, his wand lowering slightly. In his rush, he'd completely forgotten that.
"Sit down, Harry," Remus said gently, holding his hands up to show he had no wand.
Harry sat tentatively, wand still gripped tightly in his hand.
"Anyway, Sirius Black is innocent," Thanatos told him.
Harry blinked. "But…" his protest trailed off as he remembered Thanatos' words all the way back on the Knight Bus.
"You aren't a Death Eater?" He asked Sirius.
"Nope! Never!" Sirius replied, showing his left forearm proudly.
Harry blinked. "Er, what are you doing? Is something supposed to be there?"
Sirius did a double take. "You don't know?"
"Know what?"
"About the Dark Mark," Aahna jumped in. "It's a tattoo all Death Eaters get on their left forearm. It's a skull with a snake tongue. It also usually appeared above people's homes after a Death Eater attack."
Thanatos shook his head. "Getting back on topic. Sirius is innocent, Peter Pettigrew is alive and is the reason you're an orphan."
"Peter Pettigrew?" Harry asked. "I thought he killed him?" He asked, pointing to Sirius.
"Call me Sirius, or Padfoot if you prefer," Sirius told him, getting a nod.
"Sirius didn't kill anybody," Thanatos explained. "To the best of our knowledge, Pettigrew cast the charm himself before framing Sirius."
He showed Harry the note, specifically the drawing.
"See that rat?" He asked, pointing to the animal. "That's Peter's Animagus form. He's Wormtail."
"He was a Marauder?" Harry exclaimed, looking shocked.
More pieces began to fall into place in Harry's head, and his face morphed into horror.
"But… if Pettigrew and Sirius were Marauders, and Sirius was my dad's best friend…"
"Your father was a Marauder, yes," Lupin stated.
"Pettigrew was my dad's friend?" He asked. "And betrayed him!?"
Sirius scowled. "Now you see why I want to kill him."
"Black," Thanatos said in a warning tone. "Remember what we talked about."
Harry stopped, and turned to Remus. "Were you the last Marauder? Moony?"
A ghost of a smile passed over Remus' face, and for a second, he looked twelve years younger.
"That's me," Remus replied.
Harry stared, mouth slightly agape. He was standing in front of two Marauders, who were his father's friends, one of which was an escaped convict who was actually innocent, and the other his Professor.
"Wait, but… why the animals?" Harry asked, turning to Sirius. "Were all of you Animagi like Professor McGonagall? My father too?"
Sirius grinned. "You've got that right. Your father was a stag, so we named him Prongs."
"And Professor Lupin was a wolf," Harry realized.
"Close," Remus explained. "I'm a werewolf, Harry."
Harry stared, blinking. "A- A werewolf?"
Oddly, he didn't feel intimidated or shocked. Merely surprised. Professor Lupin was still Professor Lupin to him, simply with an added ailment.
"Yes," Remus confirmed. "Your father, Sirius, and… they became Animagi for me, to help me with my transformation during the full moon. They kept me company."
An odd sense of pride swelled in Harry's chest. The fact that his father had done something Mcgonagall had described as Master-level work, all to help a friend.
"As did we," Thanatos added. "Eventually."
Harry stared at them. " You're Animagi too?"
Without a word, Thanatos and Aahna shifted, and in the next moment, two birds stood in their place.
Harry stared at Thanatos' crow form, realizing he'd seen the same crow flying around the grounds every day.
"You- is that why I couldn't find you?" Harry asked numbly.
Thanatos and Aahna shifted back in the next moment, becoming their human selves again.
"Yep. It was the fastest way to get around Hogwarts since I couldn't Apparate on the grounds," Thanatos explained. "And I didn't know you were looking for me, if I'm being honest. I thought you simply enjoyed wandering the castle."
Sirius gave Harry a look. "Wandering the castle? Without the invisibility cloak or the Map?"
He tsked, shaking his head. "Poor form, Harry. Poor form."
Harry stared at him in bewilderment. "Map? What map?"
"The Marauder's Map," Sirius replied as if it were common sense. "You know? 'I solemnly swear I'm up to no good'? The one you tap with your wand?"
His face fell as Harry continued to look lost. "At least tell me you have your father's cloak?"
Harry nodded at that. "Yeah, it's in my trunk. I don't like to carry it around in case I lose it."
Sirius gave him another look. "L- LOSE IT?! Could you not just activate the locating charm on it?"
"He'd need the map for that," Remus stated, and Sirius's shoulders slumped slightly.
"Oh. Right."
Harry stared between them wildly. "Wha- locating charm? That thing has a locating charm?!"
Remus nodded. "James would lose it every now and again. So once they started dating, Lily put a locating charm on it and tied it to our map. You'd have to tap the map and say the pass phrase and it'd guide you to the cloak."
Harry stopped for a moment, before rubbing his face and sighing.
"Sorry, I just- I'm getting overwhelmed here," He told them, rubbing his eyes. "I'm learning too much too fast."
"You want a summary?" Aahna asked, and got a nod.
"Sirius is innocent, Pettigrew is the traitor, we were all friends with your parents, and became Animagi to help Remus with his-"
"His furry little problem," Sirius jumped in with a grin.
Aahna rolled her eyes. "Yes, that. Anyway, it's likely that Pettigrew used his Animagus form to escape from Sirius, since there's less than zero chance he'd beat Sirius in a duel."
"Sirius was incarcerated unfairly," Thanatos picked up. "Without a trial mind you. He escaped and is after Pettigrew."
"Pettigrew?" Harry repeated. "He's here?"
Sirius scowled again. "I saw him, in the paper. With those redheads, the Weasleys. He was on the smallest boy's shoulder."
Harry felt his eyes grow in horror. "SCABBERS?!"
"You know?" Sirius asked, looking slightly crazed.
"He's Ron's pet rat. He's been sick since I've been at Diagon Alley," Harry replied.
"Any knowledge on where he could be now?" Thanatos asked, standing with wand in hand.
"What? You don't actually think he could be Peter, right?"
"Could be," Thanatos replied. "We just need to find out. If it is, then we've got proof to show Amelia."
Harry hesitated and gulped a bit nervously. "I think Ron left him in our dorm. I think he said he was too sick to take him to Hogsmeade."
Thanatos' wand soared into his hand, and he was out the door before Harry had finished the second sentence.
The others scrambled after him, with Aahna being at the forefront even when she was furthest from the door; her consistent training as an Unspeakable kicking in.
Thanatos bounded up the stairs towards the Gryffindor common room, relying on his memories of Hogwarts to guide him.
A large dog ran up beside him, barking loudly before sprinting off, leaving him behind.
Thanatos shifted mid-stride and shot off after Sirius, his wings beating harshly.
Aahna shifted a moment later, flying up the stairs quickly.
Only Harry was left behind as Remus' werewolf given speed enhanced his strides, pushing him far past the average human.
So it was an odd group of a black dog, a crow, a dove, a Professor, and The Boy Who Lived who all bolted towards the common room, which certainly would've drawn eyes had anyone been there to see it.
Sirius was a corridor away from the common room when Thanatos suddenly overtook him, transforming mid air and stopping Sirius in his tracks.
"Wait," Thanatos told him, wand up. "The Fat Lady will recognize you. So would Peter. You can't go in."
The rest of the group stopped beside Sirius, with Harry struggling to catch his breath as he brought up the rear.
"Harry needs to go in. If any of us try, Peter is likely to flee," Thanatos explained. "He wouldn't suspect Harry because he lives there."
He turned to Harry. "I need you to go in and get Pettigrew. Do you know the Stunning Spell?"
Harry shook his head. "No, I only know Expelliarmus."
"Take out your wand," Thanatos ordered, and once Harry complied: "I'm going to teach you it quickly. You're Lily's son so I doubt you'll take long."
Thanatos demonstrated the spell and quickly explained it, telling Harry to focus on incapacitating his target, not just on the spell.
After stunning Remus and Thanatos once each, Harry was sent into the common room.
"Remember," Thanatos warned him before he entered. "Even if he's asleep, he can wake up at any moment and flee. Stun him no matter what. We'll take care of it after you bring him out."
Harry gave a shaky nod and entered the common room with his wand gripped in his pocket.
There were a few first and second years in the common room, who stared at him as he entered, some out of confusion of him not being in Hogsmeade, and others, mostly pure and halfbloods, in awe at seeing Harry Potter in the flesh.
Harry quickly leapt up the stairs, gripping his wand tightly, sweat beading down his forehead.
"Ok, calm down," He told himself. "Just go in, get Scabbers, and leave like nothing happened."
Harry entered the room, wand in hand, and crept over to Ron's bed.
"Scabbers?" He asked aloud, poking around. "Scabbers, where are you?"
He found the cage under Ron's bed and pulled it out, his wand raised.
He paused, though, when he found it empty.
"Scabbers?" Harry looked around for the rat but found nothing on Ron's bed.
"Scabbers, where are you?" He asked aloud, beginning to search the room.
Harry heard a squeak and turned sharply, seeing Scabbers hiding under Neville's bed.
"STUPIFY!" Harry yelled, flicking his wand sharply.
Scabbers squealed and ran under the bed right before the scarlet bolt of light hit him.
"STUPIFY!" Harry yelled again, forcing Scabbers to make a break for the door.
Harry cast a third time, hitting one of Dean's textbooks and making it explode violently.
Pages soared into the air, along with dust and bits of clothing.
Harry covered his face, but through the dust, he saw a tail dart under the door to the common room.
Harry bolted after it, wrenching open the door and seeing Scabbers flee down the stairs.
"SCABBERS!" Harry yelled, giving chase. "STUPIFY!"
The spell hit the stairs and threw up more dust, but the force launched Scabbers down the stairs and into the common room.
"CATCH THAT RAT!" Harry yelled as he bound down the steps, wand raised.
A few students tried to leap after it, but Pettigrew evaded them all and darted out of the common room as a student opened the painting to leave.
Pettigrew froze as he saw Padfoot snarling down at him, with Remus, Thanatos, and Aahna behind him.
Pettigrew squeaked and darted to the right as fast as he could go, and Padfoot bounded after him.
"Stupify!" Thanatos yelled, missing Pettigrew by half a hair's width.
Peter went right, heading towards a crack in the wall.
Padfoot darted after him, blocking the others view of Pettigrew.
"Move, Padfoot!" Remus barked, wand raised.
Padfoot moved out of the way right as Thanatos launched another Stupify, getting hit with it instead.
A light blue spell from Aahna hit Pettigrew in the tail right as he entered the wall, making his body glow as he disappeared.
The four stopped at the wall, with Harry catching up as they did.
"Did- did you get him?" He panted, hands on his knees. He might be used to running thanks to Dudley and his gang, but Hogwarts was big, and casting magic while running was exhausting.
"No," Thanatos replied sharply, flicking his wand.
Padfoot jumped up again as he awoke, looking around before looking up at them and barking.
"You got hit instead of the bastard," Thanatos muttered, and Padfoot let out a whine, covering his eyes with his paws.
"It's fine, I got him with a tracking spell," Aahna told them, raising her wand. "As long as I keep it up, we can find him."
The group turned to her expectedly, and Thanatos let a small smile cross his face.
"You know I love you, right?" He said, kissing her temple.
"You could say it more often," Aahna grinned.
Padfoot barked, and Aahna gave him a look.
"Oh, shush you. I know the letters you just so happened to write to Amelia, the ones with your signature and paw print?"
"Ok, that's great and all, but we still need to find Peter," Remus said, bringing them back on track.
"Find Peter Pettigrew," Aahna said, flicking her wand.
A ball of pale blue light shot from her wand, soaring off to their left and stopping at the end of the corridor.
They ran off, with Harry opting to jog along with Remus and Sirius, who was still recovering from the Stunner.
Thanatos and Aahna sprinted in pursuit of the light, their consistent training having kept them in top shape.
Three times they had to double back into a corridor they hadn't even known was there, and twice they got stuck on a staircase as it moved, since Aahna couldn't shift into her Animagus form or would lose the spell.
It took over three hours until they ran out of the castle and onto the grounds, with a glowing blue rat sprinting off toward Hagrid's hut.
Thanatos took off in his Animagus form, able to see Peter clearly now.
Peter saw his shadow and squeaked, trying to run over to the Forbidden Forest instead.
Thanatos dived and grabbed Peter in his talons before kicking up again.
Peter squeaked and squirmed as Thanatos flew, and in a desperate measure, transformed.
Thanatos reflexively let go as the rat became a man, letting Peter fall to the ground.
A Stunner flew from Aahna's wand right as Peter transformed, hitting him in the back and stopping him from transforming back.
Thanatos dropped into his human form, swishing his wand and stopping his and Peter's momentum.
Thick ropes wrapped themselves around Peter as Aahna caught up and hit him with another Stunner.
The others caught up, horribly out of breath, with Remus looking the best due to his enhanced stamina as a werewolf.
Even Thanatos and Aahna looked tired, sweat dripping down their fronts and their breath slightly heavy.
Remus stared at Peter's unconscious body, feeling an odd mix of revulsion, pity, anger, and sadness at seeing the man.
Peter's skin sagged as if he'd lost a lot of weight quickly, his cheeks hollow. His hair was missing in clumps and bags hung under his eyes.
There were scars across him, both old and new, and Remus could pick up the smell of sweat, blood, and urine from Peter.
"We need to take him to Amelia," Aahna said. "Then we can get Pads free."
Padfoot barked happily, his anger at seeing Peter being replaced.
"No," Thanatos replied immediately. "Dumbledore's with Amelia. It isn't safe."
"Wait, what? What's wrong with Dumbledore?" Harry asked, slightly defensive.
"Oh, right. We haven't told you," Thanatos sighed, wiping sweat from his brow. "Come on, I'll explain everything."
Thanatos created a jar, turned Peter back into a rat, stunned him when he tried to escape, and put him in the jar.
They walked up the grounds, with Thanatos shaking the jar every now and again until Peter woke up.
"I would recommend not trying to escape by transforming," Thanatos warned as Peter began skittering around. "I hear anti-Animagus charms are rather painful."
Peter seemed to glare at him before flexing his body, and then screaming in pain as the anti-Animagus charm kicked in.
"Ouch," Thanatos said apathetically. "Be thankful I didn't just make it Unbreakable, or that little attempt of yours would've made a nice red fountain for a bit."
Peter froze, even his rather dull mind getting the implication of Thanatos' words.
The group walked slowly up the stairs until they reached Remus' office, in which Remus put a few privacy charms once they were inside.
Thanatos set the jar on the desk somewhat roughly and stepped back.
"Give me a second," He said, taking a deep breath. "I need to proof this place. Black, I'd suggest transforming if you want to talk at all during this."
Sirius obliged, transforming back and stretching as Thanatos quickly drew some runes with his wand on the door and walls.
"There," he said after a few minutes. "That won't hold for long, but it shouldn't need to."
He vanished the jar with a tap of his wand, and Wormtail stood on the desk, shaking slightly.
Thanatos tapped one of the runes, making it glow red, which quickly spread to all the others.
Peter tensed before he suddenly shot up, becoming human again and falling off the desk.
"Forced transformation," Thanatos smirked at Harry. "Your dad taught me that one."
Peter stared up at them, shaking violently.
"S-Sirius, R-Remus," He stammered. "My old friends…"
"Hello, Peter," Remus forced a smile. "It's been a while."
Peter turned to Thanatos. "T-Thanatos, s-surely you don't believe them. I-I'm inno-"
Thanatos pointed his wand between Peter's eyes, his eyes cold and dead.
"I'm tempted to make an art piece of this room with your brain matter," He snarled. "Don't tempt me more."
Peter backed away on his hands, his eyes wide.
He turned to Aahna. "A-Aahna, p-please—"
His words died in his throat as Aahna hit him with a Silencing spell before launching a Bone-Breaking Hex at his hand.
Peter screamed silently as his hand shattered like glass.
"It's your fucking fault my child's dead, you bastard," Aahna hissed, leaning down to him. "I lost my fucking best friend because of you, bitch. Talk to me again and I promise you I'm going to show you just how much a human body can take before it dies."
Peter shrunk back, his face pale. Tears and snot covered his face, and his body shook like a leaf.
"There's something I need to know, Peter," Thanatos said, crouching in front of the man, wand held loosely in his left hand.
"Tell me, what made you do it?" He asked softly, almost sadly. "What made you do it?"
"He was— he was too strong," Peter replied, one hand covering his face. "What point was there in refusing him?"
"What point?! WHAT POINT?" Sirius bellowed. "Only innocent lives, Peter!"
"I-I couldn't do it, Sirius," Peter said, skittering back. "I-I- He would've killed me, I-"
"THEN YOU SHOULD'VE DIED!" Sirius roared as if mortally offended. "YOU SHOULD'VE DIED LIKE WE WOULD HAVE FOR YOU! LIKE JAMES WOULD HAVE FOR YOU!"
There were tears pouring down Sirius' face, red hot and angry, and his nails dug into his palms hard enough to draw rivers of blood.
"WE WOULD'VE DIED FOR YOU, PETER! I WOULD'VE DIED FOR YOU!" Sirius continued, choking somewhat. "YOU WERE OUR FRIEND! WE WOULD'VE DIED FOR YOU!"
Sobs choked his words, and his shoulders trembled violently. He was barely standing, barely maintaining his composure.
"I- James…" Sirius croaked, finally breaking. "We would've died, Peter. We would've died for you if it meant protecting your life."
Remus put a hand on Sirius' shoulder, and Harry saw tears rolling down the werewolf's face, and his other hand was over his mouth and nose.
"You're pitiful, Peter," Thanatos growled, bouncing his wand against his fingers. "If only I knew what kind of hell awaited you, then I'd drag you there myself and shove hellfire down your throat."
He stood and pointed his wand at him. "Fortunately, the dementors will be more than sufficient."
A dark grin crossed his face, eyes filled with bloodlust and crazed happiness.
"I hope you enjoy your time in hell, Peter," He grinned wider. "Or at least the free trial."
He flicked his wand, and Peter flew back from the overpowered Stunner, hitting the wall with a crack.
Thanatos waved carelessly, sending a mild healing spell to ensure Peter didn't die before the trial.
"We've got Peter. We've got evidence and confession," He said, reigning in his bloodlust. "Sirius, you're getting freed."
Sirius gave a smile, a genuine smile, and for a second, they could see the old Sirius Black, the joker, peak through the cracks and grime of 12 years.
He turned to Harry. "Say, Harry. Once I get out, do you want to come live with me? I'm your godfather."
Harry's eyes widened. "R-really? You're serious?"
Sirius grinned mischievously. "Why yes, I am; how did you know?"
The adults groaned at the pun, and Harry blinked.
Sirius turned serious. "But I'm not joking. I have a familial home… it's old and kind of shabby, but I could get it fixed up or sold before the summer."
Harry grinned. "Really?! Awesome!"
"So, what do you say, pup? Fancy living with this old dog?" Sirius asked.
Harry nodded vigorously. "Of course! When can I move in?"
Sirius barked out a laugh similar to a dog. "I'll have to get cleared first. But hopefully, by Christmas."
He shot a look to Thanatos, who nodded.
"That should be doable. The Blacks got a pretty good fortune," He said. "If you hire a good team by November, you should have at least a few rooms good to go."
"Can I tell Ron and Hermione?" Harry asked.
Sirius paused. "Er, I'm not sure if they should know yet. Could you hold off on telling them until at least next week?"
Harry paused but nodded. He could hold onto this secret for a few days.
"Great, so now all we need to do is get this rat into the DMLE."
"We don't know who has the map," Thanatos pointed out. "We need to get it first."
"Oh, that's easy," Sirius said, reaching into his pocket before pausing and flushing.
"Er, uhh, Remus? Could you?"
Remus rolled his eyes and took out his wand. "Let's see if I still remember right…"
He cleared his throat and raised his wand. "Veni ad me, tabula sycophantarum. Mentiar possessori tuo, tabula furum. Salire ad manum, tabula praedonum."
He finished the chant and dropped his wand, his shoulders slumping slightly.
Harry stared at him. "Was that supposed to d-"
' BANG!'
Harry, Thanatos, and Aahna jumped at the sound, followed by a sharp whistling sound that grew in volume.
The Marauder's Map slipped under the door and soared into Remus' hand.
"You guys created a summoning charm specifically for the map?" Aahna asked, eyebrow raised.
"It was mostly to prank James whenever he wanted to keep the map for too long," Remus replied. "That bang is intentional. It's meant to scare the crap out of anybody who has it at the time."
"Who had it?" Harry asked.
Remus shrugged. "No clue. Whoever they were though, they weren't good at hiding it."
He pressed his wand to the map. "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."
Harry watched in amazement as lines covered the parchment, crossing and curving until they formed a replica of the school.
"Lo and behold!" Sirius cried dramatically. "Our pinnacle creation!"
Remus rolled his eyes as he checked the map. "Dumbledore's still out, McGonagall's in her office, Filch is in the dungeons, Snape in his office too."
Sirius wrinkled his nose. "Snivellus works here?"
Lupin shot him a look. "Yes, and it's time you let go of petty school grudges."
"Oh yes, because Snape has totally matured past our fifth year," Sirius replied, rolling his eyes.
Remus didn't respond, instead simply checking the map again.
"Flitwick is closest to us, we should go there," Remus told the group. "He's probably the most unbiased person in this school."
"What about McGonagall?" Harry asked. "She's fair."
Thanatos shook his head. "Too loyal to Dumbledore. He'll know in a heartbeat."
"You still haven't told me what the hell is wrong with Dumbledore," Harry pointed out.
"Yes, yes, I know," Thanatos replied testily. "I'll tell you in a bit, once we figure this all out."
"So Flitwick?" Sirius asked, getting a nod from Remus. "Animagus for the both of us you think?" He continued, gesturing to himself and Peter.
Remus nodded again. "Should be. Nobody should question me, Thanatos, or Harry. They don't know Aahna either, so she could just slip by."
As they were speaking, Thanatos took down the anti-Animagus ward in the room, which only had maybe five minutes of power left anyway, and turned to Peter.
"I'm half tempted to turn this guy into a flobberworm," He muttered.
"I'd fully agree with you," Aahna replied, glaring at Peter's prone form. "But, unfortunately, he's valuable evidence."
She pulled out a chain from under her shirt, similar to the one she'd shown Sirius and Thanatos the other day, but a bit smaller and clearly made in a rush.
"This should work," She said before putting her wand to her temple.
She left it there a moment before pulling away slowly, and a silver, cloudy strand came out of her head, attached to her wand.
Aahna fully pulled the memory away, leaving it dangling from her wand. She put it in the bottle and closed the top before pulling it off.
"I'm leaving this here, just in case," Aahna told them before walking over to Remus's desk and sticking it inside a drawer.
"What is that?" Harry pointed at the memory bottle.
"Memory," Aahna replied curtly. "I'll explain later, come on."
With that, Thanatos turned Peter back into a rat before stuffing him in the jar, and Sirius turned into Padfoot.
They left Remus's office, walking towards the Charms classroom in a seemingly calm fashion.
.
Author's Note: Well, that's this chapter done. A bit of action, lots of talking, a bit of a plan.
Was originally going to have Ron and Hermione find out alongside Harry, like they did in canon, but decided it didn't fit.
I know Harry's acceptance might feel a little rushed, but that was the best I could do given that him panicking and being in denial, like in canon, wouldnt really make sense given he already has suspicions.
Next chapter is a continuation of this, a bit of Dumbledore's side of things, and a thing here or there. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in the next one!