Saturday, 4th June

"Ron! I- I don't believe it - it's Scabbers!"

They all stared at Hermione as she quickly carried the milk jug over to the table and turned it upside down. The trio had been visiting Hagrid for tea and rock cakes after dinner, celebrating the fine weather and the end of their exams, when the half-giant had dropped the first milk jug with his usual clumsy air and Hermione had offered to go grab another.

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked, before suddenly, with a frantic squeak, and much scrambling to get back inside, Scabbers the rat came sliding out onto the table.

"Scabbers!" Neville exclaimed, squeaking himself in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

Ron grabbed the struggling rat and held him up to the light. Scabbers looked dreadful. He was thinner than ever, large tufts of hair had fallen out leaving wide bald patches, and he writhed in Ron's hands as though desperate to free himself.

"It's okay, Scabbers!" he said, "No cats! There's nothing here to hurt you!"

Hagrid finished the last of the rock cakes - the others had slipped their own into his plate when he hadn't been looking - and glanced out the window at the darkening sky.

"Ye lot ought to be gettin' back, I say. Curfew'll be soon enough".

Ron stuffed Scabbers into his pocket and stood up, quickly followed by Neville and Hermione, and with a quick thanks, they started up the sloping lawn toward the castle. The sun was sinking fast now; the sky had turned to a clear, purple-tinged grey, but to the west there was a ruby-red glow.

Halfway up the hill, Ron stopped and abruptly bent over, trying to keep Scabbers in his pocket, but the rat was going berserk; squeaking madly, twisting and flailing, trying to sink his teeth into Ron's hand.

"Scabbers, it's me, you idiot, it's Ron" he hissed, "Stay put!"

The rat was squealing wildly, the very last rays of the setting sun casting a fading light over the long-shadowed grounds. By the time they reached open ground, darkness was settling like a spell around them.

"Scabbers, keep still!" Ron snapped, clamping his hand over his chest, "What's the matter with you, you stupid rat? Stay still - OUCH! He bit me!"

Scabbers was plainly terrified. He was writhing with all his might, trying to break free of Ron's grip. Hermione and Neville had stopped too and were frowning at the anxious animal.

"What's the matter with him?"

But then, Neville saw slinking toward them, his body low to the ground, wide yellow eyes glinting eerily in the darkness - Crookshanks. Whether he could see them or was following the sound of Scabbers's squeaks, Neville couldn't tell.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione exclaimed, "No, go away, Crookshanks! Go away!"

But the cat was getting nearer-

"Scabbers! NO!"

Too late - the rat had slipped between Ron's clutching fingers, hit the ground, and scampered away. In one bound, Crookshanks sprang after him, and before Neville or Hermione could stop him, Ron had pelted away into the darkness. They looked at each other, then followed at a sprint. They could hear his feet thundering along ahead and his shouts at Crookshanks.

"Get away from him - get away - Scabbers, come here-"

There was a loud thud.

"Gotcha! Get off, you stinking cat-"

Neville and Hermione almost fell over Ron; they skidded to a stop right in front of him. He was sprawled on the ground, but Scabbers was back in his pocket; he had both hands held tight over the quivering lump. Before they could even catch their breath, they heard the soft pounding of gigantic paws… Something was bounding toward them, quiet as a shadow - an enormous, pale-eyed, jet-black dog.

Neville reached for his wand, but too late - the dog had made an enormous leap and the front paws hit him on the chest; he keeled over backwards in a whirl of hair; he felt its hot breath, saw inch-long teeth-

But the force of its leap had carried it too far; it rolled off him. Dazed, feeling as though his ribs were broken, Neville tried to stand up; he could hear it growling as it skidded around for a new attack. Ron was on his feet. As the dog sprang back toward them he pushed Neville aside and the dog's jaws fastened instead around Ron's outstretched arm.

Neville lunged forward. He seized a handful of the brute's hair, but it was dragging Ron away as easily as though he were a rag doll. Then, out of nowhere, something hit Neville so hard across the face that he was knocked off his feet again. He heard Hermione shriek with pain and fall too. Neville groped for his wand, blinking blood out of his eyes -

"Lumos!" he whispered, beyond grateful that his new wand actually worked for him most of the time.

The wand light showed him the trunk of a thick tree; they had chased Scabbers into the shadow of the Whomping Willow and its branches were creaking as though in a high wind, whipping backwards and forward to stop them going nearer. And there, at the base of the trunk, was the dog, dragging Ron backwards into a large gap in the roots - Ron was fighting furiously, but his head and torso were slipping out of sight.

"Ron!" Neville shouted, trying to follow, but a heavy branch whipped lethally through the air and he was forced back again.

All they could see now was one of Ron's legs, which he had hooked around a root in an effort to stop the dog from pulling him farther underground - but a horrible crack cut the air like a gunshot; Ron's leg had broken, and a moment later, his foot vanished from sight.

"Hermione! We've got to go for help!" he gasped.

She was bleeding too; the Willow had cut her across the shoulder.

"No! That thing's big enough to eat him; we haven't got time!"

"'Mione, we're never going to get through without help-"

Another branch whipped down at them, twigs clenched like knuckles but she wasn't to be deterred.

"If that dog can get in, we can!"

They carefully made their way along the earthen tunnel, following Crookshanks as he led them to a destination that only he knew. They couldn't see Ron - the dog must have kept dragging him - so they moved as fast as they could, bent almost double to fit. And then the tunnel began to rise; moments later it twisted, and Crookshanks had gone.

Instead, Neville could see a patch of dim light through a small opening. He and Hermione paused, gasping for breath, before edging forward. Both raised their wands to see what lay beyond.

It was a room - a very disordered, dusty room. Paper was peeling from the walls; there were stains all over the floor; every piece of furniture was broken as though somebody had smashed it. The windows were all boarded up too.

Neville glanced at Hermione, who looked just as frightened as he felt but nodded all the same. He pulled himself out of the hole. The room was deserted, but a door to their right stood open, leading to a shadowy hallway. Hermione suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Neville" she whispered, "I think we're in the Shrieking Shack".

He looked around, trying his best not to panic. His eyes fell on a wooden chair near them. Large chunks had been torn out of it; one of the legs had been ripped off entirely.

"Ghosts didn't do that".

At that moment, there was a creak overhead. Something had moved upstairs. Both of them looked up at the ceiling. Hermione's grip on Neville's arm was so tight he was losing feeling in his fingers. He raised his eyebrows at her; she nodded again and let go.

Quietly as they could, they crept out into the hall and up the crumbling staircase. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust except the floor, where a wide shiny stripe had been made by something being dragged upstairs. They reached the dark landing.

"Nox" they whispered together, and the lights at the end of their wands went out.

Only one door was open. As they crept toward it, they heard movement from behind it; a low moan, and then a deep, loud purring. They exchanged a last look, a last nod. Wand held tightly before her, Hermione kicked the door wide open.

On a magnificent four-poster bed with dusty hangings lay Crookshanks, purring loudly at the sight of them. On the floor beside him, clutching his leg, which stuck out at a strange angle, was Ron. Neville and Hermione dashed across to him.

"Ron! Are you okay?"

"Where's the dog?"

"Not a dog" Ron moaned. His teeth were gritted in pain.

"What-"

"He's the dog… He's an Animagus…"

Ron was staring over their shoulders. Neville whirled around. With a snap, the man in the shadows closed the door behind them.

A mass of filthy, matted hair hung to his elbows. If eyes hadn't been shining out of the deep, dark sockets, he might have been a corpse. The waxy skin was stretched so tightly over the bones of his face, that it looked like a skull.

It was Sirius Black.

"Expelliarmus!" he croaked, pointing Ron's wand at them. Neville's and Hermione's wands shot out of their hands, high in the air, and Black caught them.

"If you want to kill them, you'll have to kill me too!" Ron said fiercely, struggling to his feet, though the effort of standing upright was draining him of colour, and he swayed slightly as he spoke.

Something flickered in Black's shadowed eyes.

"Lie down" he said quietly, "You will damage that leg even more".

"Did you hear me?" Ron said weakly, though he was clinging painfully to Neville to stay upright, "You'll have to kill all three of us!"

"There'll be only one murder here tonight".

"Why's t-that?" Neville asked, not knowing what he was doing but knowing that the longer he did it, the longer they lived, "Didn't care last t-time, did you? Didn't m-mind slaughtering all t-those m-muggles to get at Pettigrew after killing t-the Potters!"

Black stared back at him, oddly morose.

"I don't deny it" he said very quietly, "But if you knew the whole story… You don't understand-"

Muffled footsteps echoed up through the floor - someone was moving downstairs.

"We're up here!" Hermione yelled suddenly, "We're up here! Sirius Black! Quick!"

Black made a startled movement, raising Ron's wand against them, but before he could cast anything, the door of the room burst open with a shower of red sparks and-

"Expelliarmus!" Professor Lupin shouted.

The three wands flew out of Black's hands and the man caught them all deftly and Neville felt like he could finally breathe again. This was it! It was over! Professor Lupin was here and he'd call Dumbledore and Black would be sent back to Azkaban and they'd all be safe again!

"Where is he, Sirius?"

The trio frowned, shared a confused look and then turned back to Lupin who was now after following Black's pointed finger to-

To Ron.

"But then… why hasn't he shown himself before now?" he muttered, "Unless… Unless he was the one… Unless you switched… without telling me?"

The children had no idea what the pair were talking about but their Professor had wide, glassy eyes and Sirius Black was nodding very slowly and then Lupin was lowing his wand, walking to the criminal's side, seizing his hand and pulling him to his feet and yanking him forwards into a crushing hug and-

"I don't believe it!" Hermione yelled, her busy hair bouncing wildly, "You- You-"

"Hermione-"

"You and him!"

"Hermione, calm down-"

"I didn't tell anyone!" she shrieked, "I've been covering for you-"

"Hermione, listen to me, please!" Lupin shouted, "I can explain-"

Neville, now starting to put two and two together, felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. Was Professor Lupin… friends with Sirius Black? Had he been helping him break into the castle? Had he helped him kidnap Ron? But why?!

"You're a werewolf!"

And-

What?!

There was a ringing silence. Everyone's eyes were now on Lupin, who looked remarkably calm, though rather pale.

"You're right" he said softly, "I am a werewolf… You really are the cleverest witch of your age, Hermione".

"I'm not" she whispered, "If I'd been a bit cleverer, I'd have told everyone what you are!"

"But they already know - at least, the staff do".

"Dumbledore hired you when he knew you were a werewolf?" Ron gasped, "Is he mad?"

"Some of the staff thought so. He had to work very hard to convince certain teachers that I'm trustworthy-"

"And he was wrong!" Hermione snapped, "You've been helping him all the time!"

She was pointing at Black, who suddenly crossed to the four-poster bed and sank onto it, his face hidden in one shaking hand. Crookshanks leapt up beside him and stepped onto his lap, purring. Ron edged away from both of them, dragging his leg.

"I have not been helping Sirius" Lupin said, "If you'll give me a chance, I'll explain. Look-"

He separated Neville's, Ron's and Hermione's wands and threw each back to its owner before tucking his own wand back into his belt.

"-there. You're armed, we're not. Now will you listen?"

The trio didn't know what to think.

Hermione was still worried that it was all a trick - that Professor Lupin was waiting for them to let their guard down before striking, however incredibly unlikely that would be given the explanation he'd just given them. Ron felt sick to his stomach that Scabbers, his pet, the rat that had been in his family for years, was actually Peter Pettigrew, a fully grown Death Eater who'd killed the Potters. Neville was just as confused as he was scared, because despite the fact Black and Lupin's story made sense, his brain was still screaming at him what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck-

There was a man standing in front of them, standing where Sabbers had been, cringing and wringing his hands. If they hadn't seen the flash of blue-white light themselves, if they hadn't seen the way Scabbers had frozen in midair, if they hadn't seen how the rat had grown arms, legs, a head-

They wouldn't have believed it.

But now, here they were, three children and two adults, staring at a very short man with grubby skin and unkempt hair as he unsuccessfully tried to convince them that he wasn't a Death Eater.

"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort" Black said coldly, "Do you deny it?"

Pettigrew burst into tears. It was horrible to watch, like an oversized, balding baby, cowering on the floor.

"Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord… you have no idea… He has weapons you can't imagine… I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen… He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me-"

"Don't lie!" Black shouted, "You'd been passing information to him for a year before Lily and James died! You were his spy!"

"He- He was taking over everywhere!" Pettigrew gasped, "W-What was there to be gained by refusing him?"

"What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed?" Black said, with a terrible fury in his face, "Only innocent lives, Peter!"

"You don't understand!" he whined, "He would have killed me, Sirius!"

"Then you should have DIED!"

There was a loud creak behind them.

As one, all six of them turned to face the bedroom door that had opened of its own accord. Then Lupin handed his wand to Sirius, strode toward it, and looked out into the landing.

"No one there…"

"T-This place is haunted!" Neville squeaked.

"It's not" he replied, still looking at the door with a puzzled frown, "The Shrieking Shack was never haunted; the screams and howls the villagers used to hear were made by me".

Oh yeah - Werewolf.

"Strange…" he muttered, "I could've sworn that I caught the scent of…"

The three children shared a bewildered, mystified look, before Lupin seemed to shake himself out of it and returned to Black's side, retaking his wand and aiming it directly at Pettigrew's sweating, teary face.

"You should have realized" he said, quietly, "that if Voldemort didn't kill you, then we would... Goodbye, Peter".

Ron moaned and looked away, Hermione covered her face with her hands, and Neville turned fully to face the opposite wall, expecting a flash of green at any moment and–

"Stop!"

-and Severus bloody Snape was standing in the doorway to the room, his wand pointing directly at Lupin.

Hermione screamed. Ron leapt to his feet and then promptly fell back down again. Neville felt as though he'd received a huge electric shock.

"Severus" Lupin said, clearly surprised, "How did you…?"

"At least pretend to possess a brain, wolf, even if you do not!" he snarled, "You are, after all, in the presence of students".

Lupin frowned and seemed to think for a moment, his gaze drifting past the man to what had just been an empty landing before-

"A Disillusionment charm" he breathed, "Capable of hiding your body but not your scent… You've been listening in all this time, then?"

"Ten points to Gryffindor" Snape mocked, "You're also wondering, perhaps, how I knew you were here? I've just been to your office, Lupin. You forgot to take your potion tonight, so I took a gobletful along. And very lucky I did… Lying on your desk was a certain map. One glance at it told me all I needed to know. I saw you running along this passageway and out of sight".

"The Marauders Map". For some strange reason, the professor was smiling. "I confiscated it off the Weasley twins earlier this year, although it beats me how they got their hands on it… I intended to return it to them, of course, after exams were over, but in the meantime, I thought I could use it to catch Sirius… and then I ended up catching Peter instead".

"So I heard". Unlike Lupin, Snape was very much not smiling. Instead, he looked rather irritated. "Black is innocent, by all accounts. For this crime, at least".

"Looking forward to turning me in yourself, were you?" Black asked with another wide, somewhat deranged grin, "I would say I'm sorry to disappoint, but I'm really not".

"Sirius" Lupin warned quietly as Snape's hand tightened around his wand, "Behave!"

"Yes, do be a good little mutt and sit".

"Severus-"

"I will not allow you to kill him".

Pettigrew, who had been watching the exchange with wide, watery eyes, gave a sob of relief and lunged forwards to kneel at the man's feet, seizing the hem of his robes.

"Severus! Oh, thank you Severus! It's more than I deserve, thank you, thank you, thank you-"

Snape kicked him away in disgust, a look of utmost revulsion on his face.

"Get off of me!" he spat, "I'm not doing this for you, you spineless coward! I'm doing this for-"

He abruptly stopped, his eyes flashing to Lupin and Black, and for a split second, Hermione could have sworn she saw something akin to grief flash over his face.

"I'm not doing this for you" he finished quietly, tightly, "The dementors can give you the Kiss for all I care - in fact, I would gladly pay for front-row tickets! But you are going to have a trial and you are going to be found guilty and for both of those things to happen you must, unfortunately, be alive!"

"No, he doesn't" Black immediately shot back, stepping forwards heedless of the wand still pointed in his direction, "The fact that we'll have a body to show the Ministry will be proof enough!"

"Will it?" Snape challenged, "His body wasn't found when you supposedly killed him all those years ago. Who's to say you didn't keep it until now as a trophy?"

Neville felt sick and he quickly turned away, finding his own unease mirrored in the faces of his two best friends.

"I can give my memories" Black continued insistently, "And Remus! Remus can give his memories of tonight too!"

"The Black heir or not, I highly doubt that anyone will believe the word of a convicted serial killer or a werewolf".

"There's- There's- There's your memories!" Even Neville could see how the man was now left grasping at straws. "Between Peter's body and your memories-"

"Bold of you to assume that I would ever help you" Snape said softly, ignoring Pettigrew's whimpers as he kicked the man away from his robes once more, "But even if I did - what makes you think that Wizengamot would hold my word to a higher standard?"

The Potions Master was giving the two men a rather intense, pointed look, but not even Hermione could figure out what it meant. Why wouldn't the Ministry trust Professor Snape? He wasn't a criminal or a Dark creature too, was he? After a moment, however, a sudden realisation seemed to come over Lupin's face as he silently mouthed "oh".

Black, however, still refused to be deterred.

"It doesn't matter" he said, shaking his head almost frantically, "It- It doesn't matter! We'll have Peter's body and- and- and the children! There's the children! They're-"

"-just children, Sirius" Lupin gently interrupted, turning to him, "You know as well as I do that they won't be able to testify in a trial like this. Even if their parents did let them - which I highly doubt - it wouldn't take Wizengamot two seconds to suggest that their minds have been tampered with. They're just kids… No. No, Severus is right… We can't kill him".

Neville let out a heavy breath of relief that he hadn't known he'd been holding, and he felt Hermione slip her hand into his, squeezing it tightly as he reached out to grab onto Ron's arm too - a move done as much for the boy's support as it was for his own reassurance.

"But- But- But it's Wormtail! This piece of vermin is the reason James and Lily are dead! His own stinking skin meant more to him than-"

"I know, Pads" Lupin cut him off quietly, "But as much as I'd love to kill the rat where he stands… I want you to be free again even more".

Black still didn't look convinced and the desperation was more apparent than ever in his wild grey eyes - but he knew when he was outnumbered.

"We'll go straight to Dumbledore" Remus continued, still quiet but insistent, "He'll listen - he'll understand! When he sees Peter, he'll have no choice but to help us. We can- We can call the Aurors and have him arrested and then you'll be free again! Isn't that what you want?"

"I want him to die for what he did!"

"And death is far too quick!" Shockingly, it was Snape who had replied, although given what he said next, Neville supposed he shouldn't have been so surprised. "After everything that this gutless worm has done, don't you want him to suffer?"

"... Twelve years in Azkaban" Black whispered, staring at Peter with so much hatred that the children were surprised the rat didn't explode on the spot, "It's the very least you deserve".

Pettigrew gave a low, guttural moan from where he was now curled into a ball at Snape's feet.

"Please" he whimpered, his voice barely above a whisper. "I- I never wanted any of this. I was forced- I had no choice!"

Lupin shook his head slowly, his eyes filled with pity as he finally, finally lowered his wand.

"There's always a choice, Peter. You chose to betray your friends. You chose to align yourself with Voldemort. And now, you must face the consequences".

Pettigrew sobbed openly, his small, watery eyes darting between the adults in the room, searching for any sign of mercy - but there was none.

"Enough!" Snape snapped, clearly disgusted by the man's display, "I will not allow this to continue any longer. We are taking him to Dumbledore. Now".

For a moment, no one moved. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife, and the trio of students watched with bated breath, unsure of what would happen next. Then, slowly, Black nodded in agreement.

"Fine" he said through gritted teeth, "But if he tries to escape, even once, I will end him, I swear it!"

"Agreed" Lupin added, his voice steady but filled with an underlying sadness, "This ends tonight, one way or another"

Snape gave a curt nod, then flicked his wand, binding Pettigrew in tight cords and ropes.

"If you even think about transforming, Peter" Black growled, stalking forward, "Then I will kill you - and not even Severus bloody Snape will be able to stop me!"

"Oh, I don't know about that" the Potions Master drawled, voice silky smooth, "But if the rat does break free… well… all's fair in love and war, isn't it?"

Pettigrew squeaked in fear, trembling in his binds, but obediently didn't transform and with a quick flick of his wand, Snape had raised the man into the air where he hovered a few feet above the ground.

Meanwhile, Professor Lupin had hurried over to Ron, bent down, and tapped his broken leg with his wand, muttering "Ferula". Bandages spun up his leg, strapping it tightly to a splint. Lupin helped him to his feet; Ron put his weight gingerly on the leg and didn't wince.

"That's better" he said, "Thanks".

"You'll still need someone to help you down those stairs" he advised, and Neville and Hermione both quickly stepped forwards. "We'll do it".

Lupin nodded, once, and returned to Black's side who, now that all of the excitement was over, was starting to look rather frail.

"You better go first, Severus" he said, slinging an arm around the criminal's shoulders, "If Sirius shows up at Hogwarts without an explanation then I fear some wands will be drawn".

"More's the pity" Snape muttered, but nevertheless strode back towards the door, Pettigrew floating limply in front of him.

As they descended the stairs, the dilapidated old house creaking ominously around them, Neville's mind raced. They were about to present one of the most dangerous traitors in history to Albus Dumbledore himself. He felt a surge of fear, but also a strange, unshakable determination. They were doing the right thing. They had to be.

Hermione, who was walking on Ron's other side, seemed to sense his unease. She reached around the redhead's back and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze.

"We can do this, Neville" she whispered, "It'll all be okay".

Getting back into the tunnel was difficult. The trio had to turn sideways to still support Ron and manage it. Neville went first and up ahead of them, he could see Lupin and Black awkwardly stumbling along as well, with Professor Snape ahead of them, Pettigrew ahead of him, and, surprisingly, Crookshanks still in the lead.

Black had told them during his explanation that the cat had been helping him all year, and they certainly seemed to have a bond, given how protective the daft creature was over him. Their DADA professor was too, by all accounts, as he said something to the man and Black's gaunt face broke into the first true smile Neville had seen upon it. The difference it made was startling, as though a person ten years younger was shining through the starved mask. Twelve years in Azkaban as an innocent man…

"It's crazy, isn't it?" Ron whispered, following his gaze, "How someone like him could've been falsely imprisoned".

"What do you mean by someone like him?" Hermione asked, frowning, and Neville was once more reminded of the fact that no matter how many books she read, the muggle-born would always be at a disadvantage in their world - and he felt yet another pang of guilt at the thought.

"He's the rightful heir to the Black dukedom" he explained quietly, "It's easily the most powerful position in Wizengamot, but he didn't even get a trial!"

"What, none at all?" Her bright hazel eyes were wide in disbelief. "But that's a breach of the Geneva Convention!"

"The what?" Ron asked, wincing as he had to lift his leg to clear a stone.

"The- Oh, never mind! It's a basic human right that everyone gets a trial for whatever crime they committed! And you're telling me that he's some posh lord or something?! Why on earth hasn't anyone done anything about it before now?!"

"Because it was war". Neville shrugged apologetically. "Gran says that loads of people didn't get trials. The Ministry was terrified so… well, anyone that was even suspected of being a Death Eater was shipped off to Azkaban".

"But that's awful!"

"It's what happened".

"I'll tell you what, though" Ron muttered, "I don't much fancy being the bloke that convicted him when this story gets out. The Black family lawyers are going to decimate them!"

Up ahead they could see that the adults had come to a sudden stop. They were only a few metres from the end of the tunnel - Crookhands had already darted up first to press his paw against the knot on the Whomping Willow - and as they approached, they could hear Black protesting loudly.

"-what now?! I swear, Snape, you've gotten even worse since Hogwarts! First, you won't let me kill a guy and now-"

"Shut up before I make you, mutt!" he said tightly.

Behind him, the trio could see Pettigrew drifting up and down, bumping against the low ceiling of the tunnel. Neville got the impression that their professor was making no effort to prevent this.

Snape turned to Lupin. "Your potion".

He frowned. "What about it?"

The man scowled at him. "You didn't take it!"

"I didn't-" Realisation dawned in his wide chocolate brown eyes. "I didn't take it… I saw Peter on the map and I just- I didn't- I saw his name and I didn't-"

"-think! You didn't think!" he snapped, "Well, guess what day today is, wolf?"

Neville leaned over so he could whisper to Hermione, "What are they talking about?"

"The Wolfsbane potion!" she hissed, "Professor Lupin forgot to take his final dose so now he's not safe!"

"Go" the man said suddenly, "Go to Dumbledore. Quickly".

Black immediately protested. "What? No! We can't just leave you-"

"I'll be fine" he pressed, letting go of the man's arm, "I'll… I'll go back to the Shrieking Shack. It'll be safe with me there. It's- It's late, the moon is probably already up, I don't have much time-"

"Remus-"

"Move, mutt!" Snape snapped, already levitating Pettigrew out of the hole in the tree trunk and climbing up himself, "Unless you value getting mauled to death over your own freedom, in which case I'll be happy to leave you here!"

"Go!" Lupin repeated, gently yet firmly shoving the man towards the opening in the ground, "He's right; you can't risk Peter getting away for me, Padfoot. Go!"

"But-"

"Now! Arresting Peter is your first priority, as well as protecting these kids!" Lupin turned to face them and for the first time that night, the trio realised just how… molten his eyes had become. "You lot need to get Sirius back to the castle, alright? Tell Dumbledore everything!"

"Moony-"

"Not now, Pads". There was a touch of pain in the man's voice, as well as a note of urgency. "Go to Hogwarts. Tell Dumbledore the truth… I'll see you soon, alright?"

Sirius hesitated, his eyes torn between his old friend and the hole in the ground that led to freedom. He looked at Lupin with a mixture of guilt, fear, and something else, something deeper that none of the children could fully understand. Finally, he nodded, though it seemed like every part of him was screaming to stay.

"Promise me" he whispered, his voice rough with emotion, "Promise me you'll be okay".

Lupin gave a small, sad smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I promise, Sirius. Now go!"

With one last, lingering look, Sirius allowed himself to be pushed towards the opening. He climbed out, almost reluctantly, and then the others began to follow. Ron, leaning heavily on Neville and Hermione, winced as he manoeuvred himself up through the tunnel's exit. They struggled a bit with the taller boy's weight, but together, they managed.

When all three children were finally out of the tunnel, they found themselves standing in the shadow of the Whomping Willow. Snape was already a few steps ahead, with Pettigrew still levitating in front of him, bound tightly and now whimpering softly to himself. The night air was cold, and the full moon hung high in the sky, casting eerie shadows across the grounds.

"Keep moving!" Snape barked, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife, "We don't have much time".

Black looked back at the entrance of the tunnel, his expression torn. For a moment, it seemed like he might dive back in after Lupin, but then he clenched his fists and turned away, forcing himself to walk towards the castle. Hermione, Neville, and Ron fell into step behind him, their faces pale and their hearts pounding.

As they moved away from the Whomping Willow, the branches above them started to sway ominously, as if the tree itself was warning them to hurry. Sirius kept glancing back, his eyes filled with worry, but he never slowed his pace. They had to get to Dumbledore. They had to end this.

But just as they reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest, a howl split the night.

Black froze, his head snapping back towards the tunnel that led to the Shrieking Shack. The children stopped too, their breath caught in their throats. The howl was long, mournful, and unmistakably lupine. It sent shivers down Neville's spine, and he felt Ron's hand tighten around his shoulder.

"Sirius, we have to keep going!" Hermione urged, her voice trembling but firm, "Professor Lupin will be fine. He knows what he's doing".

But the man wasn't listening. His eyes were wide, and for a moment, he looked like he was about to bolt back towards the sound.

"Black!" Snape's voice was sharp, authoritative, and it seemed to snap Sirius out of his trance. "We have to move! Now!"

Sirius turned back to face Snape, his expression furious and wild.

"We can't just leave him-"

"He's a werewolf, mutt!" Snape's voice was harsh, but there was a flicker of something else in his eyes. "If you go back now, you'll be putting everyone at risk. Including them!"

He gestured sharply at the three students. Sirius glanced over at them, and the desperation in his eyes softened just a bit. With a deep, shuddering breath, he turned away from the tunnel and began walking again, faster this time.

"We need to get to Dumbledore" he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else, "He'll know what to do".