“Cat, Rat, and Dog,” Harry read, looking confused.
“Crookshanks, Scabbers, and whoever that dog that you keep seeing is,” Hermione translated.
“I wonder what this chapter has to do with them,” Harry said.
“Well, I can think of why it would have to do with Crookshanks and Scabbers, but not the dog,” Luna said.
Harry’s mind had gone blank with shock. The three of them stood transfixed with horror under the Invisibility Cloak.
“Yeah, I don't think I'd be able to move after hearing that,” Cedric said.
The very last rays of the setting sun were casting a bloody light over the long-shadowed grounds. Then, behind them, they heard a wild howling.
“Hagrid,” Harry muttered.
“This is probably going to make you want to go back,” Hermione said.
“Which is something that you can't let happen,” Cedric said.
“Hagrid,” Harry muttered. Without thinking about what he was doing, he made to turn back, but both Ron and Hermione seized his arms.
“We can’t,” said Ron, who was paper white.
“If Scabbers was behaving, we wouldn't have this problem,” Hermione said, looking angry at the rat, even if it wasn't there.
“It's too bad you don't know any silencing or stunning spells right now,” Cedric said.
“He’ll be in worse trouble if they know we’ve been to see him ...”
“That's true, though I don't think they'd know that little fact,” Harry said. “For all they know, we were just heading down there, not that we'd been down there already.”
“True,” Hermione said.
Hermione’s breathing was shallow and uneven.
“How – could – they?” she choked. “How could they?”
“Yes, it is rather heartless of them, isn't it?” Luna said, looking mad that they had done it.
“Come on,” said Ron, whose teeth seemed to be chattering.
“He's probably trying to keep from giving into rage, or crying,” Cedric said.
They set off back towards the castle, walking slowly to keep themselves hidden under the Cloak. Light was fading fast now.
“Makes sense,” Luna said.
By the time they reached open ground, darkness was settling like a spell around them.
“Scabbers, keep still,” Ron hissed,
“I get the feeling that being on 'open ground' has made it even worst than just being outside,” Cedric said.
clamping his hand over his chest. The rat was wriggling madly.
“Scabbers must really not want to be there,” Cedric said.
“I wonder if Scabbers realizes that he's giving away his location with his squeaking,” Luna said.
“I'm sure that he's more worries about the fact that, as far as he knows, his one hunter – Crookshanks – will probably be able to smell him if he's around. That, or has the feeling that Crookshanks will pounce on him once he gets into the castle and the Gryffindor common room,” Cedric said.
“And I can't really say that it wouldn't happen,” Hermione said. “Particularly when I consider Crookshanks previous behaviour around Scabbers – or whoever Scabbers is.”
Ron came to a sudden halt, trying to force Scabbers deeper into his pocket.
“I don't think that's going to work,” Hermione said.
“What’s the matter with you, you stupid rat? Stay still – OUCH! He bit me!”
“I would think that Ron would realize that something was wrong, since I would imagine that he's knowledgeable about Scabbers, more so than Harry or me,” Hermione said.
“Ron, be quiet!” Hermione whispered urgently.
“I don't think that it's Ron who needs to be quiet,” Harry said. “I'm sure that Scabbers is making quite a bit of noise, after all.”
“Yeah, I probably should have thought about that a bit more,” Hermione said. “I'm probably only saying it because Ron probably yelled with Scabbers bit him.”
“Fudge’ll be out here in a minute –“
“He won’t – stay – put –“
“See, this is where a stunning spell would definitely come in handy,” Cedric said.
Scabbers was plainly terrified. He was writhing with all his might, trying to break free of Ron’s grip.
“What’s the matter with him?”
“That's a really good question,” Hermione said.
“I'd wonder as well, though we've pretty much figured out what it might be,” Harry said.
But Harry had just seen – slinking towards them, his body low to the ground, wide yellow eyes glinting eerily in the darkness – Crookshanks.
“So Crookshanks's attention as been caught,” Luna said.
“Seems so,” Harry said.
Whether he could see them, or was following the sound of Scabbers’s squeaks, Harry couldn’t tell.
“He's probably following the sound of Scabbers's squeaks,” Hermione said. “I really don't think that he can see through the invisibility cloak.”
“Crookshanks!” Hermione moaned. “No, go away, Crookshanks! Go away!”
“I don't think he's going to listen,” Cedric said.
But the cat was getting nearer –
“Scabbers-NO!”
“I think Scabbers has freed himself,” Harry said.
Too late – the rat had slipped between Ron’s clutching fingers, hit the ground and scampered away.
“Thus making him fully seeable and giving Crookshanks the ability to chase after him,” Luna said, shaking her head.
“Whoever Scabbers actually is doesn't seem too bright,” Hermione said.
In one bound, Crookshanks sprang after him, and before Harry or Hermione could stop him, Ron had thrown the Invisibility Cloak off himself and pelted away into the darkness.
“Great,” Harry said.
“Should have anticipated that,” Hermione said.
“Ron!” Hermione moaned.
She and Harry looked at each other, then followed at a sprint;
“I have the feeling that it's not easy to run underneath that cloak,” Cedric said.
it was impossible to run full out under the Cloak; they pulled it off
“Looks like you're right,” Harry said.
“I hope no one sees us,” Hermione said.
“Yeah, cause if someone does, you'll be in big trouble,” Cedric said.
and it streamed behind them like a banner as they hurtled after Ron; they could hear his feet thundering along ahead, and his shouts at Crookshanks.
“And lets hope that no one hears him,” Luna said.
“Get away from him – get away – Scabbers, come here –“
“I don't think that Scabbers is in a mood to obey,” Harry said.
There was a loud thud.
“Gotcha! Get off, you stinking cat –“
Harry and Hermione almost fell over Ron;
“That would have been kind of funny to see,” Luna said.
“That would have hurt, him and us,” Hermione said.
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.
“Best way to make sure Scabbers stays there,” Harry said.
“Ron – come on – back under the Cloak –“ Hermione panted.
“Yeah, that would be the best thing to do, particularly since Dumbledore and the Minister could be coming around at any minute,” Luna said.
“Dumbledore – the Minister – they’ll be coming back out in a minute –“
But before they could cover themselves again, before they could even catch their breath, they heard the soft pounding of gigantic paws.
“I think the dog's arriving,” Cedric said.
Something was bounding towards them out of the dark – an enormous, pale-eyed, jet-black dog.
Harry reached for his wand,
“I don't think that you're going to get it out in time,” Hermione said.
but too late – the dog had made an enormous leap and its front paws hit him on the chest.
“Ow,” Harry said. “That's probably not going to feel too good.”
“I hope it's not attacking you,” Hermione said.
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;
“I doubt it's that,” Hermione said.
“Yeah, I think it say that you were reaching for your wand and just wanted to stop you,” Luna said.
it rolled off him; dazed, feeling as though his ribs were broken, Harry tried to stand up;
“It's probably going to be a few minutes before I'm actually able to stand up,” Harry said.
he could hear it growling as it skidded around for a new attack.
Ron was on his feet.
“So it's going after Ron now,” Hermione said.
“I have a feeling that Ron – and, subsequently, Scabbers – is it's target all along,” Luna said. “Remember, it did mention before that the dog and Crookshanks know each other.”
As the dog sprang back towards them, he pushed Harry aside; the dog’s jaws fastened instead around Ron’s outstretched arm.
“Yeah, it's definitely after Ron,” Cedric said.
Harry lunged at it and seized a handful of the brute’s hair,
“Somehow, I don't think you're going to win,” Hermione said.
but it was dragging Ron away as easily as if he were a rag-doll –
Then, out of nowhere, something hit Harry so hard across the face he was knocked off his feet again.
“Ow,” Harry said. “What's hitting me?”
He heard Hermione shriek with pain and fall, too.
“What's hitting us?” Hermione amended.
Harry groped for his wand, blinking blood out of his eyes –
“Lumos!” he whispered.
The wand-light showed him the trunk of a thick tree;
“Aw, no,” Hermione said.
“We're near the Whomping Willow,” Harry said.
“Well, it's safe to say that we now know what hit you two,” Luna said.
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 forwards to stop them going nearer.
“Wait, if the Willow's in front of us, and considering that you were looking in the direction that the Ron was, does that mean that the dog is pulling Ron towards the Willow?” Luna said.
“Yes, I do believe so,” Harry said. “It might be dragging him towards the the entrance to the tunnel that it's on top of. In fact, this must be the tree I saw when I saw Crookshanks and the dog together.”
“But it mentioned that the tree sat innocently,” Hermione said.
“They might be a way to get to the get the tree to behave,” Harry said.
And there, at the base of the trunk, was the dog, dragging Ron backwards into a large gap in the roots –
“Yeah, it's definitely dragging him into the tunnel,” Cedric said.
Ron was fighting furiously, but his head and torso were slipping out of sight –
“He's probably not going to get away,” Hermione said.
“Ron!” Harry shouted, trying to follow, but a heavy branch whipped lethally through the air and he was forced backwards again.
“I really would like to know how the dog managed to get them through to the hole without getting thrown back,” Harry said.
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 pulling him further underground.
“I don't think that's going to end up being a good idea to do,” Hermione said.
Then a horrible crack cut the air like a gunshot; Ron’s leg had broken,
“Knew that wouldn't have been a good idea,” Hermione said.
“So, basically, even when the dog lets him go, he won't be able to move unless he crawls. Nice,” Harry said.
“I don't think the dog was actually looking for him to get a broken leg,” Hermione said.
“I don't either, but it's what happened,” Harry said.
and next second, his foot had vanished from sight.
“Harry – we’ve got to go for help –“ Hermione cried;
“I don't think you have time to get help. Considering how big that dog is. For all we know, it could eat Ron,” Harry said.
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 –“
“Apparently, your book self is thinking the same thing,” Hermione said.
“We’re never going to get through without help –“
“I won't argue with that,” Harry said.
“However, there has to be a way to get through,” Hermione said.
“Exactly,” Harry said.
Another branch whipped down at them, twigs clenched like knuckles.
“I think it wants to punch one of you two,” Cedric said.
“If that dog can get in, we can,” Harry panted,
“That dog is probably a bit smaller, and closer to the ground than you are, though,” Luna pointed out.
darting here and there, trying to find a way through the vicious, swishing branches, but he couldn’t get an inch nearer to the tree-roots without being in range of the tree’s blows.
“Try crawling,” Cedric said.
“Oh, help, help,” Hermione whispered frantically, dancing uncertainly on the spot, “please ...”
“Okay, that's not really going to help us,” Hermione said.
Crookshanks darted forwards.
“I wonder what he's doing,” Harry said.
He slithered between the battering branches like a snake and placed his front paws upon a knot on the trunk.
Abruptly, as though the tree had been turned to marble, it stopped moving. Not a leaf twitched or shook.
“Okay, so maybe praying for help will help us,” Hermione said.
“So the tree does have a way to keep it from moving,” Harry said. “That's good to know.”
“I suppose it is. Now, I have to wonder where in Hogsmeade the tunnel goes to,” Cedric said.
“That is a good question,” Hermione said.
“Crookshanks!” Hermione whispered uncertainly.
“Well, he did just make a tree freeze up,” Hermione said. “Of course I'm going to be uncertain. I have no idea how he would figure out how to do that, after all.”
She now grasped Harry’s arm painfully hard.
“Sorry,” Hermione said.
“How did he know –?”
“The dog probably figured it out, and then taught it to him,” Harry said.
“He’s friends with that dog,” said Harry grimly. “I’ve seen them together.”
“That's going to be surprising to hear,” Hermione said.
“Come on – and keep your wand out –“
“I have to wonder if that means that I didn't already have it out,” Hermione said.
They covered the distance to the trunk in seconds, but before they had reached the gap in the roots, Crookshanks had slid into it with a flick of his bottle-brush tail.
“My guess is that you're safe once your right where you're at,” Cedric said.
“It would seem that way, otherwise he probably wouldn't have let it go,” Luna said.
Harry went next; he crawled forwards, headfirst, and slid down an earthy slope to the bottom of a very low tunnel.
“I hope that we don't have to bed down to walk through it,” Harry said. “Because that would be very uncomfortable.”
Crookshanks was a little way along, his eyes flashing in the light from Harry’s wand. Seconds later, Hermione slithered down beside him.
“Where’s Ron?” she whispered in a terrified voice.
“Probably at the end of the tunnel,” Luna said.
“This way,” said Harry, setting off, bent-backed, after Crookshanks.
“Where does this tunnel come out?” Hermione asked breathlessly from behind him.
“Who knows?” Harry said, shrugging.
“How about a guess, then?” Luna said.
Harry thought about it for a moment, thinking about what he knew about Hogsmeade. “If I had to guess, I'd imagine that, just as the tunnel is almost inaccessable, where it leads is probably the same,” Harry said slowly. “Maybe even more so...”
“The Shrieking Shack,” Hermione said promptly. “It's the only think in Hogsmeade that would make sense, with what you just said. And, what you just said would make a lot of sense, otherwise the Willow most likely wouldn't be over the tunnel.”
“That's probably true,” Cedric said. Harry nodded before beginning to read again.
“I don’t know ... it’s marked on the Marauder’s Map but Fred and George said no one’s ever got into it. It goes off the edge of the map, but it looked like it ends up in Hogsmeade ...”
They moved as fast as they could, bent almost double; ahead of them, Crookshanks’s tail bobbed in and out of view. On and on went the passage; it felt at least as long as the one to Honeydukes.
“It's probably longer,” Hermione said. “After all, the Shack is probably a bit further away from the castle and it's grounds that Honeydukes is. In fact, it's probably set apart from Hogsmeade quite a bit as well.”
All Harry could think of was Ron, and what the enormous dog might be doing to him ... he was drawing breath in sharp, painful gasps, running at a crouch …
“I wonder why it was made that way,” Harry said. “I mean, couldn't it have been made so that he ceiling was a bit taller.”
And then the tunnel began to rise; moments later it twisted, and Crookshanks had gone. Instead, Harry could see a patch of dim light through a small opening.
“You're finally there,” Luna said. “Now we get to see where your at.”
He and Hermione paused, gasping for breath, edging forwards. 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.
“Yeah, it definitely sounds like the Shack,” Cedric said.
Harry glanced at Hermione, who looked very frightened, but nodded.
Harry pulled himself out of the hole, staring around. The room was deserted, but a door to their right stood open, leading to a shadowy hallway. Hermione suddenly grabbed Harry’s arm again. Her wide eyes were travelling around the boarded windows.
“Harry,” she whispered. “I think we’re in the Shrieking Shack.”
“Looks like, just like now, you're the first to figure it out,” Harry said.
“I only did so after we got there in the book, though,” Hermione said. “Once inside, it's kind of easy to figure out.”
“True,” Harry said.
Harry looked around. 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.
“Ghost didn't do that,” Harry said.
“Ghosts didn’t do that,” he said slowly.
At that moment, there was a creak overhead.
“The dog and Ron must be upstairs,” Hermione said.
Something had moved upstairs. Both of them looked up at the ceiling. Hermione’s grip on Harry’s arm was so tight he was losing feeling in his fingers. He raised his eyebrows at her; she nodded again and let go.
“Thank you,” Harry said.
“Your welcome,” Hermione said.
“You know, that would kind of be rather scary to watch,” Luna said. “I mean, you just talked without words.”
“That would probably make others either jealous, or think that there's something going on between you two as well,” Cedric pointed out. The two scrunched their noses at that. They weren't foolish enough to think that there might be something
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.
“I have the feeling that your not as quiet as you need to be,” Luna said.
“Yeah. Had the dust on the floor still been there, it would have helped muffle the sound of your feet, but it wasn't, so...” Cedric said, trailing off at the end.
“So we won't quiet have an element of surprise on our side,” Hermione said. “Not that we did to begin with, since it's probably that the dog figures that we would follow after Ron anyway.”
“True,” Cedric said.
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 towards it, they heard movement from behind it; a low moan, and then a deep, loud purring.
“So, Crookshanks is already in the room,” Luna said.
They exchanged a last look, a last nod.
Wand held tightly before him, Harry kicked the door wide open.
“Well, that'll certainly surprise anyone whose in there,” Cedric said
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.
Harry and Hermione dashed across to him.
“You two,” Cedric said, shaking his head. “If this was a trap, you'd be in real trouble.”
“Who says that it isn't a trap?” Luna said. Harry and Hermione gulped lightly, realizing that it was very possible that Luna was right.
“As far as the book is concerned, Black is after them, and this could be a way to trap them,” Luna continued to say. “In fact, for all we know, the dog is Black.”
Cedric wasn't so sure about that, as he had the feeling that it would be known that Black was an animagus, but then, he really didn't know who was one or not. There was a list in the library, but people rarely looked at it. Plus, if Black was one – or known as one – it would have been in the papers.
“Ron – are you OK?”
“Where’s the dog?”
“Not a dog,” Ron moaned.
“So it's an Animagus,” Cedric muttered.
His teeth were gritted with pain. “Harry, it’s a trap –“
“It appears that Luna was right in believing that it was a trap,” Harry said.
“What –“
“He’s the dog ... he’s an Animagus ...”
Ron was staring over Harry’s shoulder. Harry wheeled around. With a snap, the man in the shadows closed the door behind them.
“And this is why you should have checked around you before rushing into the room,” Cedric said.
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, it looked like a skull. His yellow teeth were bared in a grin. It was Sirius Black.
“He's an Animagus?” Cedric said, sounding surprised. Although, now thinking about it, it would explain why he had been able to get to the castle without much trouble.
“I take it that something like that isn't known” Hermione said.
“No, it's not,” Cedric said.
“It's against the law to become an Animagus and not register,” Luna said.
“And, if it was known, it would have been mentioned in the papers to look our for whatever is form is,” Cedric said.
“Well, at least we know how he was able to get around without getting caught,” Hermione said.
“Expelliarmus!” he croaked, pointing Ron’s wand at them.
Harry’s and Hermione’s wands shot out of their hands, high in the air, and Black caught them. Then he took a step closer. His eyes were fixed on Harry.
“I thought you’d come and help your friend,” he said hoarsely. His voice sounded as though he had long ago lost the habit of using it.
“Well, considering that he's been in Azkaban, and most likely hasn't any human interaction to force him to use it, it would make sense that he hadn't used it in a while,” Luna said.
“Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you, not to run for a teacher. I’m grateful ... it will make everything much easier ...”
“You know, he's not doing much to make it actually seem like he's innocent,” Harry said. “And mentioning my father isn't going to make me happy. After all, as far as my book self knows, he's the reason my father is dead.”
“I wonder if he thinks it's useless to try and plead innocent,” Hermione said.
“It's that, or he might feel like it's his fault,” Luna said.
“For the mentioning of Harry's dad, I think he's saying it as a compliment,” Cedric said. “But for the rest... it really doesn't make it sound as if he's innocent.”
The taunt about his father rang in Harry’s ears as though Black had bellowed it. A boiling hate erupted in Harry’s chest, leaving no place for fear. For the first time in his life, he wanted his wand back in his hand, not to defend himself, but to attack ... to kill.
The other three, upon hearing this, looked at Harry, who was looking a bit startled at what his book self wanted, as well as a bit scared.
“I have the feeling that you won't really be able to act upon that,” Luna finally said, motioning for him to continue with the book.
Without knowing what he was doing, he started forwards, but there was a sudden movement on either side of him and two pairs of hands grabbed him and held him back.
“Yeah, you probably should hold him,” Cedric said to Hermione.
“No, Harry!” Hermione gasped in a petrified whisper; Ron, however, spoke to Black.
“If you want to kill Harry, you’ll have to kill us, too!” he said fiercely, though the effort of standing up had drained him of still more colour, and he swayed slightly as he spoke.
“He should sit back or lie down,” Luna said.
Something flickered in Black’s shadowed eyes.
“Lie down,” he said quietly to Ron. “You will damage that leg even more.”
“You know, the fact that he's showing concern towards Ron should be a bit of a give away that he's not what he's said to be,” Cedric said.
“Yeah, I really doubt a mass murderer would care if Ron damaged his leg even more or not,” Hermione said.
“Did you hear me?” Ron said weakly, though he was clinging painfully to Harry to stay upright. “You’ll have to kill all three of us!”
“There’ll only be one murder here tonight,” said Black, and his grin widened.
“You know, he's sounding really psychotic right now,” Luna said.
“Why’s that?” Harry spat, trying to wrench himself free of Ron and Hermione.
“I don't think we're going to want to let you go quite yet,” Hermione said.
“Didn’t care last time, did you? Didn’t mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew ... What’s the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?”
“Ah, but, if he, based on the evidence, he didn't kill Pettigrew,” Cedric said. “So he can't have 'gone soft' in Azkaban.”
“Harry!” Hermione whimpered. “Be quiet!”
“You probably think that I'm going to anger him enough to attack.” Harry said.
“Most likely,” Hermione said.
“HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!” Harry roared,
“That's not true. While, as far as you know, he was the secret keeper, he was not the one who raised his wand on them and killed them. That was Riddle,” Cedric said.
“But, in a way, my book self is right, because, as far as I know, had he not told Riddle where they were, they wouldn't be dead. Or rather, they might still be alive, as there is nothing to say that he wouldn't be able to get to them at some later point down the road,” Harry said.
and with a huge effort he broke free of Hermione and Ron’s restraint and lunged forwards –
He had forgotten about magic – he had forgotten that he was short and skinny and thirteen, whereas Black was a tall, full-grown man. All Harry knew was that he wanted to hurt Black as badly as he could and that he didn’t care how much he got hurt in return ...
Perhaps it was the shock of Harry doing something so stupid, but Black didn’t raise the wands in time.
“I don't think it's shock. In fact, I would imagine that he doesn't want to hurt you,” Luna said.
One of Harry’s hands fastened over Black’s wasted wrist, forcing the wandtips away; the knuckles of Harry’s other hand collided with the side of Black’s head and they fell, backwards, into the wall –
Hermione was screaming; Ron was yelling; there was a blinding flash as the wands in Black’s hand sent into the air a jet of sparks which missed Harry’s face by inches;
“The wands were probably reacting to a thought of his,” Cedric said. “But that was rather close. It's never a good idea to have a spell done so near your head.”
Harry felt the shrunken arm under his fingers twisting madly, but he clung on, his other hand punching every part of Black it could find.
But Black’s free hand had found Harry’s throat –
“No,” he hissed. “I’ve waited too long –“
“Well, if he's after Scabbers, that's very true,” Hermione said.
The fingers tightened, Harry choked, his glasses askew.
“However, choking you is not allowed,” Hermione added, glaring at the book as if it was Black.
Then he saw Hermione’s foot swing out of nowhere. Black let go of Harry with a grunt of pain.
“That sounds like it was a nice kick,” Harry said.
Ron had thrown himself on Black’s wand hand and Harry heard a faint clatter –
He fought free of the tangle of bodies
“So either Ron has gotten into it so much that he's causing more harm to himself, or Hermione has also gotten into the fight,” Luna said.
and saw his own wand rolling across the floor; he threw himself towards it but –
“Argh!”
Crookshanks had joined the fray; both sets of front claws had sunk themselves deep into Harry’s arm;
“I get the feeling that my cat knows what you want to do, but also knows the truth about Black,” Hermione said.
Harry threw him off, but Crookshanks now darted towards Harry’s wand –
“That's not going to make me happy,” Harry said.
“NO YOU DON’T!” roared Harry, and he aimed a kick at Crookshanks that made the cat leap aside, spitting;
Hermione frowned at Harry, but refrained from saying anything, knowing that he didn't really want to hurt Crookshanks.
Harry snatched up his wand and turned –
“Get out of the way!” he shouted at Ron and Hermione.
“So it was both of you,” Cedric said.
They didn’t need telling twice. Hermione, gasping for breath, her lip bleeding, scrambled aside, snatching up her and Ron’s wands. Ron crawled to the four-poster and collapsed onto it, panting, his white face now tinged with green, both hands clutching his broken leg.
“That's not a good thing,” Luna said.
“No, I don't suppose it is,” Hermione said.
Black was sprawled at the bottom of the wall. His thin chest rose and fell rapidly as he watched Harry walking slowly nearer, his wand pointing straight at Black’s heart.
“Going to kill me, Harry?” he whispered.
“My book self wants to,” Harry said.
Harry stopped right above him, his wand still pointing at Black’s chest, looking down at him. A livid bruise was rising around Black’s left eye and his nose was bleeding.
“You killed my parents,” said Harry, his voice shaking slightly, but his wand hand quite steady.
Black stared up at him out of those sunken eyes.
“I don’t deny it,” he said,
“Wait, what?” Hermione said, saying the words that Harry had been about to say. “But I thought you said that he couldn't have betrayed Harry and done that?” Her words were directed at Luna.
“He most likely can't,” Luna said. Before she could say something else, Harry, who had looked down at the book, realized that Black had more to say, and he started reading out loud again.
very quietly. “But if you knew the whole story –“
“The full story,” Hermione muttered. “There's more to it than what's already known.”
“Do you think he might have some misplaced guilt, and that's why he's not denying it?” Cedric asked. “I mean,Fudge did say that your father had pretty much demanded that he be used – though we suspect that something changed later, as it doesn't appear that he was the Secret Keeper. Do you think that, perhaps, Black feels that it's his fault that your parents died because he wasn't the secret-keeper?”
“That is possible,” Luna said. “I mean, if I had a chance to keep some friends of mine safe, and I didn't take it, only for them to end up hurt, I'd feel guilty.”
“Well, you have to admit that, with how close your father and Black were said to be, Black's reasons for not being the Secret-Keeper are pretty good,” Hermione said. “While I can understand him feeling guilt over not being so, him being a decoy is a pretty good plan, so...”
“The whole story?” Harry repeated, a furious pounding in his ears. “You sold them to Voldemort, that’s all I need to know!”
“You’ve got to listen to me,” Black said, and there was a note of urgency in his voice now. “You’ll regret it if you don’t ... you don’t understand ...”
“That's true,” Harry said. “I don't really have all the facts, and what I do know is rather contradictory. I mean, why would Black turn on my father if they were like brothers? And then there's Black's behaviour right now. He could have hurt Ron, but didn't – after all, Ron didn't need to be kept alive. And I doubt he really meant for Ron's leg to end up broken. He says that he only wants one person to die – not that he wants me to die. HE didn't try to defend himself when I went after him – though that could be because his was surprised at my actions. And, while he might have choked me, it was more of a subconscious action, like he just didn't want me interfering with what he wants to do.”
“When you put it out like that, it does seem like he doesn't want to hurt you,” Hermione said.
“I understand a lot better than you think,” said Harry, and his voice shook more than ever. “You never heard her, did you? My mum ... trying to stop Voldemort killing me ... and you did that ... you did it ...”
“No, evidence points towards him not having done it,” Luna said.
Before either of them could say another word, something ginger streaked past Harry; Crookshanks leapt onto Black’s chest, and settled himself there, right over Black’s heart.
“Considering that my cat seems to be a good judge of character, I'd say that means that Black is innocent,” Hermione said.
“And why do you think he's a good judge of character?” Luna asked.
“Well, he doesn't like Scabbers, and Scabbers seems to be untrustworthy,” Hermione said. “He likes Harry, and is indifferent about Ron – as far as I can tell. I most likely consider Harry my best friend, and I'm not on good terms with Ron a good bit of the time. And I'm sure there are other examples that just haven't been seen yet as well.”
“You know, she's right,” Harry said. “I do think that Crookshanks is a good judge of character.”
Black blinked and looked down at the cat.
“I take it that he wasn't expecting Crookshanks to protect him,” Luna said.
“Get off,” he murmured, trying to push Crookshanks off him.
“I have the feeling that's not going to make me happy. In fact, I have the feeling that all I'll see is that he seems to care more for the cat than my parents,” Harry said.
But Crookshanks sank his claws into Black’s robes and wouldn’t shift. He turned his ugly, squashed face to Harry, and looked up at him with those great yellow eyes. To his right, Hermione gave a dry sob.
“I'm probably afraid that Crookshanks will end up hurt,” Hermione said.
Harry stared down at Black and Crookshanks, his grip tightening on the wand. So what if he had to kill the cat, too? It was in league with Black ... if it was prepared to die, trying to protect Black, that wasn’t Harry’s business ... if Black wanted to save it, that only proved he cared more for Crookshanks than Harry’s parents …
“Knew it,” Harry muttered.
Harry raised the wand. Now was the moment to do it. Now was the moment to avenge his mother and father. He was going to kill Black. He had to kill Black. This was his chance ...
The seconds lengthened, and still Harry stood frozen there, wand poised, Black staring up at him, Crookshanks on his chest. Ron’s ragged breathing came from near the bed; Hermione was quite silent.
“You can't do it,” Hermione said.
“No, it seems that I can't,” Harry said.
And then came a new sound –
Muffled footsteps were echoing up through the floor – someone was moving downstairs.
“But who knows how to get into the tunnel?” Cedric asked.
“WE’RE UP HERE!” Hermione screamed suddenly. “WE’RE UP HERE – SIRIUS BLACK – QUICK!”
Black made a startled movement that almost dislodged Crookshanks; Harry gripped his wand convulsively – Do it now! said a voice in his head – but the footsteps were thundering up the stairs and Harry still hadn’t done it.
“I get the feeling that disappoints my book self a bit,” Harry said.
The door of the room burst open in a shower of red sparks and Harry wheeled around as Professor Lupin came hurtling into the room, his face bloodless, his wand raised and ready.
“Of course,” Hermione said. “He's a werewolf. He would have had to have some place to go when he transformed. And with how inpenatrable the Shack seems to be...”
“It would be the perfect place for him to go,” Cedric said.
“And he's probably the reason for the sounds that were heard at the Shack years ago,” Harry said.
“Meaning that he was a werewolf when he was at school,” Cedric said, sounding impressed. It was rather well known that werewolves weren't invited to go to magical schools.
“Which probably means that the Willow wasn't just planted when he came to school. It was most likely planted because he came. I mean, even if he managed to get to the tunnel, he's probably have a hell of a time getting passed the Willow," Luna said.
His eyes flickered over Ron, lying on the floor, over Hermione, cowering next to the door, to Harry, standing there with his wand covering Black, and then to Black himself, crumpled and bleeding at Harry’s feet.
“Expelliarmus!” Lupin shouted.
“Well, that's not going to make us think of him in a good light,” Harry said.
“No, it definitely is not,” Hermione said. “I wonder why he did it.”
“Well, he does have the map, and he did seem to know what it was,” Luna said. “It's not too much of a stretch that he might know how it works, and was using it to keep an eye on you.”
“Which would mean that he would probably know who Scabbers really is as well,” Hermione said. “And would also explain why he just did what he did.”
Harry’s wand flew once more out of his hand; so did the two Hermione was holding. Lupin caught them all deftly, then moved into the room, staring at Black, who still had Crookshanks lying protectively across his chest.
Harry stood there, feeling suddenly empty. He hadn’t done it. His nerve had failed him. Black was going to be handed back to the Dementors.
“You make that sound like you wanted to become a murderer,” Hermione said, shaking her head.
“I know that you probably think that, since you never knew that, you won't know what they would want, but I have to say that I really don't think that they'd want you to become a murderer, for any reason,” Luna said.
“Yeah, and I really don't know why you'd think doing it for revenge would do anything,” Hermione said. “Revenge won't bring them back, after all, and, I have the feeing that, while it might feel good for a few moment, it won't after a while.”
Then Lupin spoke, in an odd voice, a voice that shook with some suppressed emotion. “Where is he, Sirius?”
“So it's someone that Professor Lupin knows,” Hermione said. “And, if he's suppressing his emotion, then I have the feeling that whoever it is was also a friend.”
“That does make some sense,” Harry said.
Harry looked quickly at Lupin. He didn’t understand what Lupin meant. Who was Lupin talking about? He turned to look at Black again.
Black’s face was quite expressionless.
“I wonder if he's unsure to trust Professor Lupin or not,” Hermione said.
For a few seconds, he didn’t move at all. Then, very slowly, he raised his empty hand, and pointed straight at Ron.
“Who still has Scabbers, of course,” Luna said.
“You know, that's going to confuse us, quite a bit,” Harry said. “I mean, we think he's there for us, and then he's pointing at Ron...”
Mystified, Harry glanced around at Ron, who looked bewildered.
“But then ...” Lupin muttered, staring at Black so intently it seemed he was trying to read his mind, “... why hasn’t he shown himself before now?”
“Which kind automatically says that whoever it is is guilty for some reason,” Hermione said.
“Unless –“ Lupin’s eyes suddenly widened, as though he was seeing something beyond Black, something none of the rest could see, “– unless he was the one ... unless you switched ... without telling me?”
“Pettigrew,” Harry said. “It's Pettigrew.”
“Yeah, it does appear to be so,” Luna said. “And I think we know why Black is after him. Not only did he put him into jail for a mistake he didn't commit, but he, it seems, is the real reason why Riddle was able to get to your parents.”
“And how do you figure this?” Hermione asked, curious.
“Okay, we know that, on the day that Pettigrew supposedly 'died', that he was said to have been after Black, though we figured that wasn't true, meaning that Black was after him. But why?” Harry said. “Why would Black be after someone who is said to be a friend of his and my father's? The only conclusion I can come to is that Pettigrew was the actual secret-keeper, which would also explain why Sirius is after him.”
“Which would also explain why he stayed as a rat,” Luna said. “Because not only was Black after him, but the fact is, the followers of Riddle would most likely go after him as well.”
“Plus, if he was shown to be alive, he's probably have to explain how he survived, and I doubt he can lie well underneath pressure,” Cedric said.
“So, basically, he can't show himself to the light side because he'd be faced with questions he couldn't really answer, and would most likely end up in Azkaban with Black free; and he can't show himself to the dark side – save for with Riddle, probably – because they'd probably want to kill him for leading their master into a trap, as most of them probably believe,” Hermione said.
“I'm assuming your saying that he could show himself to Riddle because of Riddle's condition right now,” Harry said.
“It does make sense,” Hermione said. “I doubt Riddle would be picky, after all. And the prophecy that Trelawney made did say that the servant who went back to him would help bring him back, which also suggests that he wouldn't be picky right now.”
Very slowly, his sunken gaze never leaving Lupin’s face, Black nodded.
“Professor Lupin,” Harry interrupted loudly, “what’s going –?”
But he never finished the question, because what he saw made his voice die in his throat. Lupin was lowering his wand. Next moment, he had walked to Black’s side, seized his hand, pulled him to his feet so that Crookshanks fell to the floor, and embraced Black like a brother.
“Yeah, that would make me forget what I was going to say,” Harry said. “And this is also going to make me think that I was wrong to trust Professor Lupin.”
Harry felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach.
“I DON’T BELIEVE IT!” Hermione screamed.
“Apparently, I'm not the only one who feels wrong to have trusted him,” Harry said.
“I have the feeling that I'm about to out him,” Hermione said.
Lupin let go of Black and turned to her. She had raised herself off the floor, and was pointing at Lupin, wild-eyed. “You – you –“
“Hermione –“
“– you and him!”
“Hermione, calm down –“
“I didn’t tell anyone!” Hermione shrieked.
“Yeah, you're definitely about to out him,” Luna said.
“I’ve been covering up for you –“
“Okay, how am I covering up for him exactly. I mean, yeah I'm not saying what he is, but I don't think counts as covering something up,” Hermione said.
“Hermione, listen to me, please!” Lupin shouted.
“I think he wants to be heard,” Cedric said.
“I can explain –“
“I don't think I'm in a position ready to hear what he has to say,” Hermione said.
Harry could feel himself shaking, not with fear, but with a fresh wave of fury.
“And it looks like I'm about to share your anger,” Harry said.
“I trusted you,” he shouted at Lupin, his voice wavering out of control, “and all the time you’ve been his friend!”
“Now, Harry, you know that's not true. Remember when you mentioned Black to him the first time, how he said that he 'thought' he knew him. It's obvious that he didn't trust him any more at the moment,” Cedric said.
“You’re wrong,” said Lupin. “I haven’t been Sirius’ friend for twelve years, but I am now ... let me explain ...”
“Again, I have the feeling that we're not going to be up to letting him explain,” Hermione said.
“NO!” Hermione screamed, “Harry, don’t trust him, he’s been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too – he’s a werewolf!”
“And there it is,” Luna said. Hermione frowned. She honestly didn't think that being a werewolf meant that you were bad. However, she had the feeling that she was just so angry at Professor Lupin right now that common sense had flown out the window, and she had the feeling that mentioning that would also make Harry and Ron distrust him as well. Though Cedric hadn't mentioned it, she had noticed that he has seemed a bit wary about Professor Lupin for a bit when they speculated that he was a werewolf, something that she doubted he had realized.
There was a ringing silence. Everyone’s eyes were now on Lupin,
“Even Black's,” Harry said, acting like it was in the book.
who looked remarkably calm, though rather pale.
“Not at all up to your usual standard, Hermione,” he said.
“He's making a bit of a joke about it,” Harry said.
“My guess is that it's only the werewolf part that true, and he's probably faced the prejudice enough that it doesn't affect him as much any more,” Luna said.
“Only one out of three, I’m afraid. I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don’t want Harry dead ...” An odd shiver passed over his face.
“I wonder why he did that,” Cedric said.
“But I won’t deny that I am a werewolf.”
Ron made a valiant effort to get up again,
“Well, we know that Ron isn't all that happy to know this fact,” Harry said.
“Well, his mother has told him that werewolves are not to be trusted,” Luna said.
“Just like most parents in the wizarding world do,” Cedric said.
“I have to say, that's kind of horrible to do. I mean, I doubt they ask to turn into a monster once a month,” Hermione said. “And I doubt they purposely put themselves in a position to harm others. Just because they turn into a monster once a month doesn't mean that they should be treated differently.”
Cedric was about to mention that most of them had sided with Riddle – which was the reason why his father has said they weren't to be trusted – but then, when he thought about it, he had to wonder if that was fully true to distrust everyone of them. Just because a good portion had sided with Riddle didn't mean that they all did, as evident by Professor Lupin. Which also made him wonder if they had been distrusted even before Riddle came along.
but fell back with a whimper of pain. Lupin made towards him, looking concerned, but Ron gasped, “[/i]Get away from me, werewolf![/i]”
“How quickly a position can change,” Hermione said sadly, and sounding ashamed of herself for causing it.
Lupin stopped dead. Then, with an obvious effort, he turned to Hermione and said, “How long have you known?”
“Ages,” Hermione whispered. “Since I did Professor Snape’s essay ...”
“So we were right in saying that Hermione would know since she did that essay,” Cedric said.
“He’ll be delighted,” said Lupin coolly. “He set that essay hoping someone would realise what my symptoms meant.”
“So we were also right in saying why he wanted you guys to do that essay,” Harry said.
“Did you check the lunar chart and realise that I was always ill at the full moon? Or did you realise that the Boggart changed into the moon when it saw me?”
“Probably both, knowing me,” Hermione said.
“Both,” Hermione said quietly.
Lupin forced a laugh.
“You’re the cleverest witch of your age I’ve ever met, Hermione.”
“I’m not,” Hermione whispered. “If I’d been a bit cleverer, I’d have told everyone what you are!”
“One, that's not being clever, that's being stupid and vindictive, as well as prejudice; and two, the staff and headmaster probably already knows,” Cedric said.
“But they already know,” said Lupin. “At least, the staff do.”
“Dumbledore hired you when he knew you were a werewolf?” Ron gasped. “Is he mad?”
“Considering that Ron mentioned twice that Dumbledore was mad in the first book, I don't know why he should be surprised,” Hermione said.
“Some of the staff thought so,” said Lupin. “He had to work very hard to convince certain teachers”
“Most likely Snape for the most part,” Cedric said.
“that I’m trustworthy –“
“AND HE WAS WRONG!” Harry yelled. “YOU’VE BEEN HELPING HIM ALL THE TIME!”
“Geez, it only takes one little hug to completely change my mind about which side Professor Lupin is on,” Harry said, shaking his head.
He was pointing at Black, who had crossed to the four-poster bed and sunk onto it, his face hidden in one shaking hand. Crookshanks leapt up beside him and stepped onto his lap, purring.
“He's trying to comfort them, how cute,” Hermione said.
Ron edged away from both of them, dragging his leg.
“I take it that Ron now thinks he's justified in his dislike of my cat,” Hermione said, frowning.
“I have not been helping Sirius,” said Lupin. “If you’ll give me a chance, I’ll explain. Look –“
He separated Harry, Ron and Hermione’s wands and threw each back to its owner; Harry caught his, stunned.
“There,” said Lupin, sticking his own wand back into his belt. “You’re armed, we’re not. Now will you listen?”
“I do believe that will make us more willing to listen to him,” Harry said.
Harry didn’t know what to think. Was it a trick?
“If you haven’t been helping him,” he said, with a furious glance at Black, “how did you know he was here?”
“The map,” Hermione said.
“The map,” said Lupin. “The Marauder’s Map. I was in my office examining it –“
“You know how to work it?” Harry said suspiciously.
“Since he knew it was a map, it's obvious that he knows how it works,” Cedric said. “After all, there isn't a way to know what it is without knowing how it works.”
“Of course I know how to work it,” said Lupin, waving his hand impatiently.
“I think he wants to get on with his story,” Hermione said.
“I helped write it. I’m Moony – that was my friends’ nickname for me at school.”
“He helped write it,” Hermione said.
“He's one of the Marauders?” Harry said. “Well, I definitely wasn't expecting that.”
“I don't think any of us were,” Cedric said.
“You wrote –?”
“The important thing is, I was watching it carefully this evening, because I had an idea that you, Ron and Hermione might try and sneak out of the castle to visit Hagrid before his Hippogriff was executed. And I was right, wasn’t I?”
“Yes,” Hermione said.
He had started to pace up and down, looking at them. Little patches of dust rose at his feet.
“You might have been wearing your father’s old Cloak, Harry –“
“How d’you know about the Cloak?”
“The number of times I saw James disappearing under it ...” said Lupin,
“I think it's safe to say that Professor Lupin was understating how close of a friend he was to your father,” Hermione said, remembering what he had said before.
“Wait, how did he know I was wearing the cloak?” Harry said. “I mean, does the map show even if someone is wearing it?”
“Seems that way,” Cedric said.
waving an impatient hand again. “The point is, even if you’re wearing an Invisibility Cloak you show up on the Marauder’s Map. I watched you cross the grounds and enter Hagrid’s hut. Twenty minutes later, you left Hagrid, and set off back towards the castle.”
“So it doesn't show the inside of Hagrid's hut,” Luna said.
“But you were now accompanied by somebody else.”
“Pettigrew,” Hermione said.
“What?” said Harry. “No, we weren’t!”
“I couldn’t believe my eyes,” said Lupin, still pacing, and ignoring Harry’s interruption. “I thought the map must be malfunctioning. How could he be with you?”
“I wonder when exactly he realized that the map wasn't malfunctioning,” Hermione said.
“No one was with us!” said Harry.
“And then I saw another dot, moving fast towards you, labelled Sirius Black ... I saw him collide with you, I watched as he pulled two of you into the Whomping Willow –“
“And that's probably when he realized that it wasn't malfunctioning,” Harry said. “When he saw Black pulling Ron and Pettigrew with him, and realized, with the fact that he had gone after Ron in the common room, why Black had done that.”
“One of us!” Ron said angrily.
“No, Ron,” said Lupin. “Two of you.”
He had stopped his pacing, his eyes moving over Ron.
“Do you think I could have a look at the rat?” he said evenly.
“And it's finally time for the big reveal,” Hermione said.
“What?” said Ron. “What’s Scabbers got to do with it?”
“Everything,” the four said.
“Everything,” said Lupin. “Could I see him, please?”
Ron hesitated, then put a hand inside his robes. Scabbers emerged, thrashing desperately; Ron had to seize his long bald tail to stop him escaping. Crookshanks stood up on Black’s lap and made a soft hissing noise.
“Crookshanks is just ready to grab him should he make a run for it,” Harry said.
Lupin moved closer to Ron. He seemed to be holding his breath as he gazed intently at Scabbers.
“What?” Ron said again, holding Scabbers close to him, looking scared. “What’s my rat got to do with anything?”
“It has to do with anything because that's not a rat, it's Pettigrew,” Harry said.
“That’s not a rat,” croaked Sirius Black suddenly.
“What d’you mean – of course he’s a rat –“
“No, he's not,” Hermione said.
“His long life has proven it, too,” Luna said.
“No, he’s not,” said Lupin quietly. “He’s a wizard.”
“An Animagus,” said Black, “by the name of Peter Pettigrew.”
“So we are right, it is Pettigrew,” Cedric said.
“That's the end of the chapter,” Harry said, handing the book to Hermione.