These are so incredibly deeply old drawings and my style has changed so much since then xD It was also a simpler time before all the crap with Rowling and I know that's soured so many on Harry Potter and I don't blame them. But I found these again and really wanted to share.
Anyway, a long, long time ago, I made up an AU where everything was the same, but Harry was one of triplets, with a younger sister and brother, Heather and Henry. He was still The Boy Who Lived and the one Voldemort went after but now he didn't grow up totally alone (and the Dursley's had to put them in the second bedroom sooner as three kids no matter how scrawny arnt gonna fit into a broom closet)
Harry was the balance between the shy Heather and the brash Henry. Where as Harry responds to confilict with snark, Henry hits back literally, and Heather tries to stay out of it and usually ends up patching the boys up after. Throughout the series the other siblings would learn both restraint and courage as Harry grows as well.
The boys ended up in Gryffindor together while Heather went to Hufflepuff, the first time they'd ever really been separated, and its a bit hard for all of them. But they still stay close throughout their school days (I felt in this hypothetical version of the books this would give us an excuse to actually see the Hufflepuff dorms in canon. Plus, logistically, they really wouldn't all end up in the same house)
Harry still gets very into Quidditch, Heather turns her talent at patching up her brothers (mostly Henry) to Herbology and wants to become a Healer at St Mungo's. Henry for all his boldness is actually afraid of heights (and dogs, blame Sirius startling him as a baby) and its Malfoy sending him off on a broom after he tries to get back Neville's rememberall in their first lesson and Harry having to save him that gets Harry's flying noticed. But Henry takes this as a point to improve his ability to fight in the magical world and actually gets really into dueling (he's incredibly disappointed by Lockheart's Dueling Club and tries to get it going for real after).
In year one Heather solves the Devil's Snare trial, and the troll is still awake in this AU and Henry gets to fight it (having learned from their first battle in the bathroom) but also gets knocked about so Heather stays behind to get him and Ron patched up with Hermione so Harry still faces Voldemort alone.
Henry also gets Petrified in book 2 after a fight with Harry which gives Harry even more personal incentive to track the true Heir down and stop them. Heather stays with him and Hermione in the Infirmary trying to help Madame Pomfrey.
Henry is both pleased to find out he doesn't need to make up his exams when he's de-petrified, and furious that he missed out on the chance to punch a giant snake. Or Voldemort. Or both.
Book Three sees Henry not letting Snape get off with trying to posion Neville's toad and calling him out on his crappy behavior.
Henry, being the actual spitting image of James with no Lily's eyes to even remotely stave Snape's loathing actually almost gets himself hexed pretty bad when Snape, letting his emotions again get the better of him, agrees to duel a /thirteen/ year old out-of spite (and the chance to bully James Potter in miniature)
Luckily Dumbledore steps up for once as an actual sensible adult and chews Snape out hard for it.
Henry loses sooo many points for Gryffindor over the years with his Cast First Think Second tendencies. He would get detention byt that would mean Snape would have to be in the same room with him for even longer, and Henry doesn't grit hisbteeth and shoot out one sarcastic comment like Harry does, he talks and constantly.
Snape avoids looking at or interacting with Heather at all costs. His policy seems to be torment Harry and Henry and ignore her existence as much as possible. (This was mostly kid me playing with "How would Snape change with Mix and Matched Potter-Evans traits--oh and Albus Potter is not named after Snape in this for sure :p )
I had the whole Canon Divergance AU planned out, down to what happened to each of them after Hogwarts (and a few fun AU AUs, like one where the kids are lovingly raised by Wolfstar instead of the Dursley's, and a The Potter Parents Live one thstvwas just domestic fluff) but this was all the art I did that I could find. So I'll end with the triplets asking their newly aquired Godfather a pertinent question:
Harry:" Hey if you're our Godfather...then you can answer a Really Important Question for us"
Sirius: "Uh, sure. What is it?"
All Three: " Who's the Oldest?"
(This is something they argue about constantly as kids anytime they want to Pull Rank and Harry is rather smug to find out its him x)
A/N: This is my first fan fic I’m writing mainly as a way to practice. This is a retelling of the hp books with an inserted character. Although most every character will be written about, this is mostly for the pro snape fandom. Please do not fear, although this is a severus x oc story, it is an incredibly slow burn as I do not intend for them to get together at all until after the final book events. Chapters will be posted twice a week.
This derivative work follows the events of the Harry Potter books by Jk Rowling and is intended as a fun way to practice my writing. Thank you for reading :D
Back with the next chapter! Happy Snapetober :D have a very spooky day :o
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Heather rubbed her eyes and when she opened them again, she could see blurs of color streaking all around her. Harry was looking around as well, while Hermione focused on the little hourglass, watching it spin on its own. Heather felt tingles all around her skin, like a heaviness was in the air, except she also felt incredibly light, like she could fly away if not held down by the gold chain around her neck, even as she felt pressed on and squeezed down by the blurs of colors.
Just as suddenly as the air became heavy, it stopped. The hard ground was suddenly present under her shoes and the weight of her body was once again felt by her knees and heels. Hermione pulled the chain off them and tucked it in her shirt once more.
“Oh good, we haven’t drifted very far – it sometimes happens.” Hermione walked to the window and looked out into the dim sunlight that had replaced the darkness of a clouded night.
Heather looked down at where she stood with Harry, noticing that they were only standing a few tiles away from the foot of Harry’s bed, where they began. “Drifted? What… Hermione what’s going on? What just happened?”
Hermione came back to stand before them and looked down at her shoes nervously. “Well, sometimes when going back in time I get pushed around, because the space is suddenly taken – ”
Harry laughed. “Back in time? We’re back in time? Then – Then we can save Sirius!”
Heather heard Madam Pomfrey’s office door open and she quickly pulled them with her as she ran for the hospital doors. They pushed through it and closed it quickly. “Professor Dumbledore said not to be seen, remember. We can’t stay in one spot too long.”
Hermione nodded. “We need to go down to Hagrid’s before WE do.”
Harry looked at her like she’d gone crazy. “Before we do what?”
Heather snorted. “No, we, as in us, need to go down to Hagrid’s before we, as in them, do.” Hermione nodded at her explanation.
Harry nodded with a tight frown. “We went back in time which means we’re in two places at once… Right… Course.”
They made their way down, sticking to shadows and jumping into empty rooms on occasion, and stopped at the stairs before the entrance hall. Hermione pulled them against the wall and leaned forward, peaking from behind a smooth stone pillar.
“I hear us,” she whispered, still peeking around the corner. “We’re under the invisibility cloak… going down the stairs…”
Heather ran her tongue over her teeth, very annoyed. Being a 3rd year wizard, she wasn’t at all annoyed about the sudden concept of time travel, or that she had been pulled into it without an explanation prior… it was the fact that last year Hermione felt very hurt about Heather not telling her of trying out for the team and now? Now she keeps TIME TRAVEL all to herself?
Except I’m also keeping secret about going over to Draco’s, she thought. But it’s not the same.
“So when did you get that hourglass thing?” Heather tried to bite back the bitterness from her words.
Hermione didn’t seem to notice, still waiting for the other them to exit the castle. “It’s called a time-turner actually.” She paused and this time did look back at them. “I got it the first day… when Professor McGonagall talked to me…” Seeing the look of fury on Heather’s face, Hermione quickly continued. “She had me swear not to tell anyone! She had to write all sorts of letters and fill out endless forms to convince the Ministry to lend me one! I swear I’ve been doing nothing fun with it, I just do hours over again so I can attend all my lessons. I swear it.”
Heather tasted iron and had to release her tongue from the bite of her teeth before she bit it clean off. “But how could you not tell me! I could have asked for one too!” Her eyes widened. “I could have found when Professor Snape gave Malfoy lessons!”
Hermione shook her head. “You couldn’t! Professor McGonagall had to convince the Ministry I was a model student and – ”
“And I’m not?”
“It’s just that Snape would have had to do that too!”
Heather couldn’t picture Professor Snape doing any such thing. In fact, he might have taken the opportunity to do the complete opposite for her AND Harry. Still she crossed her arms and didn’t look at Hermione. “We were both the top students in our year… And now you’ve gone and gotten ahead of me.” The very idea of falling behind made her clench her fists even more.
Harry shifted beside them. “We’ve gone through the door… but what now?”
Heather put aside her anger and shook her head. “Three hours ahead is more than enough time to save Sirius…”
Hermione nodded. “There must be something he wants us to fix around now.”
Harry bit his lip and moved his glasses up. “Three hours ago we walked down to Hagrid’s and… and Buckbeak was executed.” He looked like he was holding back tears.
Heather put her hand on his shoulder and shook him. “This IS three hours ago. Buckbeak hasn’t been executed yet!”
Hermione’s eyes lit up. “He wants us to save Buckbeak!”
The three of them smiled and headed after the other them at a careful distance. Outside, hiding behind the doors and pressed up against the stone wall, they paused.
“If anyone’s looking outside the windows…” Hermione shook her head. “We’ll get caught.”
“No one is,” Heather took a cautious step forward, then another. They all held their breaths for what seemed like minutes, waiting for something – anything – to happen. Heather turned and released her breath finally. “I would have gotten caught now already, and Professor Snape would have known about me being outside then and he didn’t, remember?”
Harry was frowning and scratching his forehead but nodded. “Right. Well then just in case, we’ll go around behind the greenhouses, head into the forest, and run down to Hagrid’s that way.”
The nodded and sprinted off after him. They darted through the gardens, ducked behind the glass sheds, and dove into the forest, pausing only long enough at the edge of the tree line just to make sure they hadn’t been spotted, and took off towards Hagrid’s, jumping over roots and fallen branches as they went.
They ran through the forest’s edge fast and stopped behind the great oak just outside Hagrid’s pumpkin patch. As far as Heather could tell, looking every which way carefully, they had made it unseen and wouldn’t be seen so long as they remained there.
Harry was looking at Hagrid’s door as it opened. Heather sighed heavily, seeing Hagrid looking so white with dread. We’ll save Buckbeak, she promised him silently. The door to Hagrid’s hut closed and the other them should be inside now.
“Every year it just gets weirder and weirder,” Harry whispered.
Heather nodded, crouching to his left. “Every year YOU get weirder and weirder.”
Harry scoffed and shoved her to the ground, rolling his eyes. Heather grumbled and scrambled back behind the oak, taking a spot next to Hermione.
“Let’s get nearer Buckbeak.” Hermione scampered off to another great oak and Heather followed behind. She peered around its massive trunk and nodded. “We’ll wait until the committee people come, and only then will we free him.”
“Why not now?” Harry whispered, coming up behind them.
“Because when we left we saw him, remember?” Heather looked up at Harry who shook his head but said yes. “And if we take him now, they’ll think Hagrid did it.”
They jumped at the sound of broken glass and turned towards the hut.
Hermione put a hand to her heart and sighed. “Hagrid’s broken the milk jug… in a moment I’ll find Scabbers and – ”
Heather jumped at the realization. If she grabbed him now… then it would fix everything! If she took him now, Sirius would be free, no dark lord’s servant would be returning tonight, and Harry would remain perfectly safe away from any potential form of Voldemort. Already thrice he’s tried to kill Harry, and there was no way Heather would risk another attempt, not when it would be so simple as taking a rat from Ron’s hands.
They heard the other Hermione shriek and before Heather could put more thought into it, she stood and took a step out from around the tree.
“No!” Hermione hissed and pulled her back by the waist. “It’s against wizarding law! No one is permitted to change time, no one!”
Heather huffed and struggled against Hermione, who was clinging to her as if clinging to a twisting weathervane at the top of a very tall roof. “But he’ll get away!”
Hermione shook her head vigorously. “It’ll change time and they’ll see you!”
Hearing the direness of Hermione’s voice, Harry helped pull Heather back. Once back around the oak, Harry frowned, unconvinced. “But it’s only us… Us and Hagrid. Surely we’d understand – ”
“Professor McGonagall told me that awful things happened when wizards meddled with time. They almost always end up killing their past or present selves by mistake!” Hermione panted and finally let go of Heather.
She slid back to the ground and tisked. “I wouldn’t have.”
“I suppose I might have.” Harry quickly waved away Heather’s shocked expression. “Well I might have thought it was some form of dark magic.”
Hermione pointed behind them, past the few trees hiding them from sight. Heather turned and watched three figures leaved the castle and begin heading down along the trail. Something tall reflected the sun’s light above the last one’s head, and she shuddered.
“We’ll be coming out soon.” Harry whispered.
Sure enough, just as Professor Dumbledor and the execution-ing party came close enough, the four of them headed out of Hagrid’s hut - although it wouldn’t seem so to others who had not lived through that memory, for only Harry’s and Ron’s heads floated about as they begged Hagrid to let them talk to Fudge and the executioner. Hagrid waved his hairy mane from side to side and pulled the cloak over the floating heads.
She watched the grass flatten in patches up towards the school. It almost pained her to think about the memory she was witnessing herself experience. She both longed to reach out, warn her of what she needed to focus on, and run away from the creeping feeling of this living breathing other who looked exactly like her. In that moment, she had never been gladder to be a fraternal twin, and not an identical one like Fred and George.
The back door to Hagrid’s hut must have been left ajar, because they could hear the cold voice of Macnair asking where the violent beast was.
“He’s outside,” Hagrid croaked.
The three of them jumped back behind the tree as Macnair’s face appeared at the window, searching for Buckbeak.
“I – er- We have to read you the official notice of execution… I’ll make it quick, Hagrid – but Macnair you must listen as well,” Fudge said. “You’ll both need to sign it…”
Macnair moved away from the window.
“Has to be now,” Heather whispered to them, keeping her eyes on the window just in case.
“I’ll do it,” Harry whispered back. “Wait here.”
Harry darted out from behind the tree before Heather could stop him. “How!” she hissed. Fudge’s voice started up again as Harry vaulted the fence into the pumpkin patch. “Careless,” she mumbled to herself.
“Quickly,” Hermione tilted her head towards the wooden chest at the foot of the fence that Harry had stepped on to get over the top.
“ – and as it is the decision of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures, it is declared that Buckbeak – who will hereafter be called the condemned – shall be executed on the sixth of June at sundown – “
Heather held open the heavy, weathered lid, careful of splinters, while Hermione plugged her nose and took out three freshly killed ferrets – only a few flies orbited with the stench. Heather closed the lid silently and kept her eyes on the window as Hermione climbed over the fence. Once over, Heather ducked down and followed the fence towards it’s gate. She was sure, if they could get Buckbeak to move at all, they would need to walk him out – although in this case, flying would be more ideal.
“ – sentenced to execution by beheading, to be carried out by the Committee’s appointed executioner, Walden Macnair – “
Heather pulled out the wooden stick that worked as a lock for the gate and carefully swung it open. She spotted Harry and Hermione struggling with Buckbeak, who seemed very unwilling to move from his little patch among the giant pumpkins.
“Hurry!” Heather waved them over, sweat dripping down her brow from the anxiety. If they got in trouble now and were forced to do detention, they’d never save Sirius in time.
“ – as witnessed below – Hagrid you sign here – “
Finally, Buckbeak seemed to register the tasty treats Hermione was waving in front of his face and began to take a step forward, and then another.
“Let’s get this over with then,” Macnair’s eager voice carried through the walls, adding to Heather’s growing panic. “Perhaps you should stay inside, Hagrid.”
Buckbeak was now halfway through the patch with Harry pulling on his rope as hard as he could and Hermione waving around the dead ferrets.
“No, I – I think – I wan’ ter be with him… He won’ go through ‘is alone,” Hagrid sobbed.
Footsteps echoed through the cabin and Heather could almost hear the protest in her stomach. She covered her mouth, both as a way to stop from hurling and to keep from yelling at them to move it!
“Buckbeak! Move!” Harry hissed as the creature took another cautious step.
“One moment, please, Macnair.” Dumbledore’s voice halted the footsteps. “You must sign here as well.” The footsteps echoed again but seemed to be moving deeper into Hagrid’s hut.
Harry reached the gate and Heather took the rope with him, pulling as hard as she could against Buckbeak’s impressive strength.
“Come now, Buckbeak, you want these treats!” Hermione waved them around again.
One of them dropped from her hands, and before she could bend down to pick it back up, Buckbeak had swooped his neck down and snatched it up to fling into the air in one quick motion. The ferret landed face down into Buckbeak’s open beak and swallowed it down in one bite. That seemed to have convinced him he was better off following them because immediately his steps quickened towards the next tasty bite.
Heather let go of the rope and let Harry and Hermione coerce the creature into the trees while she re-secured the stick on the gate before bolting back into the trees as the back door of Hagrid’s hut creaked open.
Heather stood stark still with Harry and Hermione as Buckbeak finished off the second ferret. Everything was silent until -
“Where’s the beast?” Fudge’s voice broke the silence.
“It – It was tied there! I saw it! Just there! It’s – ”
“Extraordinary,” Professor Dumbledore cut Macnair off with a note of amusement.
Heather squinted passed the foliage and saw Hagrid looking around the pumpkins, his teary-streaks reflecting the last of the sun’s rays.
“Beaky!” Hagrid yelled huskily.
Macnair’s nostrils flared. He picked up his axe and swung it down on the nearest pumpkin, slicing it cleanly in two.
Hagrid started howling with glee then, his laughter echoing through the grounds. “Gone! ‘is gone! Cleaver boy, Beaky!” he yelled. “Musta pulled himself free!”
Heather felt breathing down her neck and turned to see that Buckbeak had now moved closer, and Harry and Hermione were trying to hold him back from leaping out of the trees. “It’s ok, Buckbeak. Hagrid’s ok,” Heather whispered to him.
“Someone untied him!” Macnair rounded on Hagrid but thought better of it, given he couldn’t really intimidate such a giant fellow. He turned frustrated and pointed at something on the ground. “Someone stole him. We should search the grounds for – ”
“The grounds?” Professor Dumbledore still sounded amused. “Search the skies if you must. Do you really think the thief would have gone away with him by foot?” He turned to Hagrid and gave him a small pat on the arm before turning inside. “I could do with a cup of tea, or a large brandy – if you have it, Hagrid.”
“O’ course, Professor,” said Hagrid, whose voice cracked with glee.
Heather, Harry, and Hermione waited for all footsteps to go back in before talking.
“Now what?” Harry asked, looking at Buckbeak’s chains.
“We can’t leave, not until the Minister and Professor Dumbledore leave. I have no doubt Macnair would chase us down with his axe if he even glimpsed Buckbeak.”
Hermione nodded. “We’ll hide here then.” She was shaking with worry but swallowed down her fears and spoke clearly. “Here’s the plan: We’ll wait until they’ve gone back to the castle. Then we wait until it’s safe and we fly up to Sirius’ window in another couple hours and – and then we’ll think of the rest.”
Harry looked as dubious as Heather felt but nodded firmly. “Alright.”
Heather nodded. Except, what about Peter Pettigrew? She knew none of Professor Dumbledore’s plan even hinted at stopping him from escaping but, it would be best if they did. Heather squatted on a stump with Harry and Hermione and looked up at the castle entrance.
“Shouldn’t we move closer to the Whomping Willow to see what’s happening?” Heather whispered. “Besides if Buckbeak makes any noise right now, they might hear and we’ll risk being discovered until we know they’re in the castle.”
Hermione looked over her shoulder into the darkness of the forbidden forest and it’s growing shadows and nodded. “We should get going.”
They pushed through branches along the edge of the forest as shadows flooded the night, hiding them almost as well as the invisibility cloak. They stopped beside the trees behind the Whomping Willow just as its thrashing branches froze and three figured darted into it and disappeared.
The tree began to move again, swatting at small creatures – a pair of rabbits and an owl. Harry nudged them and pointed at the three black figures walking up to the castle from Hagrid’s hut. They watched them as they marched up the stairs and closed the castle doors behind them.
They were finally alone. Harry settled between two thick roots of a tree and Hermione secured Buckbeak to a tree behind them. After a few minutes Hermione broke the silence.
“If only Dumbledore would have come out sooner and seen us go in. He could have helped us.”
Harry grumbled. “If he had, Macnair and Fudge would have followed. Fudge would have ordered Macnair to kill him on the spot.”
“Look,” Heather pointed at the castle doors. They opened and a lump was dashing through the ground towards the Whomping Willow. “It’s Professor Lupin.”
“He should have grabbed the cloak, it’s just lying there…” Harry looked at Heather. “I could grab it… I could run before – ”
“Absolutely not – ” Heather and Hermione hissed in unison.
Harry sunk deeper into his spot. “How can you two just sit there and watch this happen?” He paused for several minutes and turned to them suddenly, “I’ll be quick.” He leapt to his feet and Heather lunged for his collar and pulled him back. He made a choking noise and broke free. “What’re you doing!”
“Saving you from getting in trouble,” Hermione responded. “Look.” She pointed towards the path Professor Dumbledore and the others had just taken.
Hagrid was singing merrily, swinging a bottle around, stumbling on the few stones on the path. He was walking up to the castle and would have easily spotted Harry, even in his state.
As if just noticing as well, Buckbeak started pulling on his rope, straining against it in an attempt to reach Hagrid. The tree shook and the three of them rushed to pull him back before he snapped the tree in half. The hippogriff huffed warm breath out of his nostril’s and pawed the ground in annoyance.
Hagrid entered the castle and Buckbeak calmed down. They settled back down and only noticed the doors open so soon again when Buckbeak huffed excitedly. They turned and prepared to jump to the tree’s aid again when they realized the shadowy figure was not Hagrid.
Heather watched Professor Snape run down the grassy slopes and stop to pick something gleaming off the ground. Harry grumbled as Professor Snape disappeared on the spot.
“Now we wait,” Heather said. She fixed her vision on the tree, ready to do what she needed to do when the time came.
A/N: This is my first fan fic I’m writing mainly as a way to practice. This is a retelling of the hp books with an inserted character. Although most every character will be written about, this is mostly for the pro snape fandom. Please do not fear, although this is a severus x oc story, it is an incredibly slow burn as I do not intend for them to get together at all until after the final book events. Chapters will be posted twice a week.
This derivative work follows the events of the Harry Potter books by Jk Rowling and is intended as a fun way to practice my writing. Thank you for reading :D
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The tunnel was much larger than Heather remembered it being. Under her wand’s soft light, it seemed more open and less constricting. On her way through the first time, it felt like the walls could cave in at any moment, crushing them before the Grim or Sirius Black could get a chance. Now it felt like the tunnel was experiencing one long, full breath as wind came in through the Whomping Willow’s opening far ahead.
Heather breathed in just as deeply, opening up her lungs and filling them as much as possible like she was taking in her very first breath. It smelled damp and the dusty mud the others kicked up pricked at her lungs but the knowledge that everything was now under control was enough to soothe the stings.
Heather looked on ahead at the strange, tall man in front of her, still holding Snape up like a doll on strings by Snape’s own wand. By the way Snape’s head bumped on the rough ceiling of the cave, Sirius seemed more focused on the path ahead, eyes trained on glimmer of light just beyond. Sirius’ long curls caught on branching roots but he paid the constant tugging no mind. Did this feel like a second prison break for him? With Peter Pettigrew, he would become a freer man than when he broke out of Azkaban.
Heather winced at the fifth bump to Snape’s head. “I don’t think he’ll forget I blasted him against the wall with so many scrapes and bruises to his head,” she whispered.
Sirius turned to her. “He’ll have more to worry about when he wakes up than you and Harry’s attack on him.” He flicked his wrist down and the toes of Snape’s shoes began dragging along the floor, kicking up more dust but saving his forehead from future scrapes. “He won’t very pleased to see only Peter taken away in chains… and less so to see me freed and reunited with my old pal.”
There was more color to Sirius’ face now, making him look only a bit less grim and skeletal than minutes before.
Sirius cleared his throat. “Do you two know what all this means?”
“Yes. You’re free,” Harry declared from the back. “They won’t be sending you back to Azkaban ever again.”
“Yes…” Sirius kept looking onward but his free hand fidgeted at his side, pulling on the tattered holes of his grey-striped shirt. “Yes, but… Well… You know I’m – Your parents made me your Godfather… to the both of you – I don’t know if anyone ever mentioned it.”
“We overheard it,” Heather admitted. She looked back at Harry who was looking up at Sirius intently. The light of their wands reflected of his scratched glasses and although she couldn’t see his eyes, she could guess she’d find a spark of excitement in them.
“That would make me your appointed guardian,” Sirius continued more stiffly. “That was, if anything happened to them…”
Heather gripped her sweater, feeling her hands begin to shake.
“Of course you both have full say in where your home is – I wouldn’t wish to take you from your aunt and uncle… And… Well… See, once my name is cleared – should you ever want a different home – if you wanted…”
“Are you suggesting we live with you?” Harry stepped on Heather’s heal – she hadn’t realized she had slowed down her pace. “Leave the Dursleys?”
Sirius shook his head and coughed. “No – No, of course I thought you wouldn’t want to – ” he said quickly. “I understand, I just thought you two would want to know you have a choice should you – ”
“Are you insane?” Harry’s smile could be heard through his croaky voice. “Of course we want to leave the Dursleys! Right, Heather?”
“Oh,” Heather nodded. “Yeah.”
“Have you got a house? When can we move in? How many room’s it got? Oh – !”
Heather elbowed Harry in the ribs to push him off her. In his excitement he’d almost begun to climb over her to get to Sirius, as if his proximity would get him answers faster.
Sirius whirled around – Snape’s body instantly began drifting up again – and smiled ear to ear at them. Heather could see why his animagus was a dog. If he’d had a tail he’d be wagging it faster than bee’s wings.
“You really want to? The both of you?” Sirius beamed down at them. “Mean it? Really?
“Yeah, we mean it!” Harry shook Heather’s shoulder. “Heather?”
She nodded and smiled up at Sirius. “We mean it.” Harry beamed at her confirmation as brightly as Sirius and she felt wholly engulfed in their collective eagerness.
Heather pushed Harry’s hand off her shoulder. She looked up at Sirius’ gaunt face and tried to envision that she might one day find it familiar and friendly. He turned back around and at her reminder and lowered Snape’s body back down. Their conversation had only left his forehead a little scratched.
The grunting up ahead had brought the three of them back down to earth. They were only just getting Peter up out of the hole. It took Hermione a few minutes to direct Professor Lupin and Ron on how to maneuver themselves and a few longer to help Sirius get Snape out of the hole in one piece. Heather crawled out, heaving her body onto the grass, and extended her hand down for Harry to take. His hand squeezed hers and she pulled him up fast.
“Can you believe it?” he whispered to her as they stood and shook off dust.
Heather brushed off her shoulders and watched Sirius take in the grand castle up the sloping grounds. They were so far away it almost looked like it was on an entirely different mountain, resting on the edge of a small cliff above the glittering lake.
“Everything will be different now,” she whispered.
Harry squeezed her arm. “Different good.”
She nodded and looked down at the lake. There were lights dancing on its surface. She could almost count all the Hogwarts windows reflecting off the water. ‘Different good.’ …At least Hogwarts seemed to always remain the same.
“Let’s get going.” Professor Lupin called down to them, already moving up the hill. “And one wrong move Peter…”
“I’ll drop the snake and aim for your head,” Sirius threatened.
Hermione, Harry, and Heather brightened their wands and illuminated the path for the others as they walked on silently. The castle lights slowly grew larger and very curiously, less bright. Heather looked down at the lake, almost obscured by the growing forest, and caught sight of a large white moon reflecting clearer and clearer as they walked.
Through the light wind she heard a grunt and stopped, shining her light on the abrupt jam of their party. Sirius had bumped into Snape’s body, which had knocked into Ron who had bumped into Peter who was pressed up and quaking against a very still Professor Lupin.
Sirius looked down at the ground, at their growing shadows, as the moon bathed them in light. He froze and stuck out an arm, signaling them back to him.
Heather kept her eyes on Professor Lupin’s rigid body as his limbs began to tremble one by one. “It’s a full moon…”
Hermione gasped. “He didn’t take his potion! He’s not safe!”
“Run,” Sirius hissed. “Run! Now!”
Heather turned and stopped, whipping back around to Ron. “Ron…”
He was bent down awkwardly, desperately pulling at the chain around his ankle. Harry dashed forward to help him but Sirius pulled him back, dropping Snape.
“Go! Leave it to me! RUN!”
Heather hesitated with Harry and Hermione, still unsure if it was safe to leave Ron and run away. A sickening snarling noise broke the air. Heather’s eyes flickered over Professor Lupin, or what was left of him not yet morphed into a monstrous figure. His head lengthened out into a long snout with jagged teeth and a slobbering tongue. His shoulders hunched and jutted out inhumanly. Rough hair sprouted out along his face, hands, and neck. His shoes shredded in two and rolled down the hill, as if running from the enormous claws that had split them apart. With a single snap of his long jaws, the werewolf wrenched itself free of the shackles that held on to his wrist and ankle.
A large black streak dashed across Heather’s vision. The blur lunged for the werewolf’s neck and pulled it backwards, away from Peter and Ron. The giant bear-dog held its ground as the werewolf broke free and turned, growling deep. In an instant they were locked, jaw to jaw, claws tearing into shoulders and pulling fur by the clump.
Heather snapped her gaze away from the violent battle and looked around at Harry and Hermione. Both as transfixed as she had been. Ron had stopped pulling on his chains, instead pressing himself to the ground in an attempt to melt away among the grass, and Peter –
“NO!” Heather screamed.
Peter pulled Professor Lupin’s wand up from where it had dropped and aimed its tip at his head.
Harry rushed forward. “Expelliarmus!”
The wand in Peter’s hands flew out into the shrubbery behind. Heather’s breath caught and the scenery almost melted away. The sudden snaps of powerful jaws quieted, the grass seized to sway, and the moonlight brightened around Peter. For a second it felt like Harry had done it. Harry had prevented a horrible disaster.
But Peter grinned at them and Heather’s heart sank. In a blink of an eye, the little man shrunk and transfigured into a large rat with patchy fur and bent whiskers.
Crookshanks – who had taken refuge behind a rock at first sign or Professor Lupin’s condition – now jumped out from the shadows and chased after the bald tail poking out from the shifting grass as Scabbers scurried downhill and away.
Heather clutched her throat and tried to breath in. ‘The Servant Will Break Free And Set Out To Rejoin His Master. The Dark Lord Will Rise Again With His Servant’s Aid, Greater And More Terrible Than Ever Before,’ Trelawney’s raspy voice echoed in her mind over and over in overlapping waves. The prophecy will come true! “No, no, no.”
“He’s gotten away! Sirius needs him!” Harry turned back to the beastly fight happening feet away.
A shrieking wolf howl ripped through the air and before they could dive for the ground next to Ron, the werewolf leapt over them and ran into the forest at full force. The giant dog limped after the wolf, staggering off his intended path more and more with each pained step, padding out of sight.
Hermione dashed for Ron who was still on the ground, arms covering his head protectively.
“Is it gone? Please tell me it’s all miraculously over.” He looked up at Hermione who could only look on to Heather and Harry to answer the question.
Snape was still crumpled on the ground, Sirius was gone, Professor Lupin was gone, and Peter Pettigrew was gone.
“We – We need to get to the castle. We take Ron to Madam Pomfrey and tell Professor Dumbledore Snape’s out here and – ”
“And that Sirius is innocent?” Harry interrupted her. “We have no proof. None at all. And if those dementors find him…” he trailed off.
Heather gulped. He was only a few steps away from her. She took a step towards him and he backed away, already pulling his hand farther out of her reach.
“Harry…” Heather warned.
A wounded whine carried softly through the wind and Harry was off, running down the moonlit grounds into the shadowed forest near the lake’s edge.
She took a step, intending to speed off after to him when she saw Hermione point out of the corner of her eye. She turned and saw Snape reaching for the back of his head with a weak hand, but that wasn’t what Hermione was pointing at.
“Dementors!” Hermione took out her wand but did not know which shadowy figure to aim for.
It looked like dozens of unnatural clouds of blackness were blowing in against the wind. The whispy shadows floated in groups across the sky in the same direction as Professor Lupin, Sirius, and Harry, cutting the moonlight beams like nightmare-ish blades as they went.
Heather shivered and fell to her knees, wincing as a cold wave washed over her. Guilt prickled her chest and traveled through her arms, numbing her. She’d let Peter get away. If she had told Harry they could have taken higher precautions. She should have used Expelliarmus on Snape. He could have been restrained and listened to it all. So many things could have prevented Harry from leaving her, running off and facing a werewolf and dementors alone… Heather shook her head, refusing to let her brain dig into her fears. “Think happy… Happy thoughts…” There wasn’t anything happy she could grasp onto. Not a single cheerful event, joyous occasion, or delightful day came to mind. It was all so horrible, painful, and lonely… and cold.
Slowly the image of a large castle pushed through fog, with torches glowing in every window and flames undisturbed by the sweeping wind. A vast lake that reflected every window only disturbed by the ripples from the giant tentacles greeting dozens of small boats. The rush of excitement upon first seeing Hogwarts filled her blood and she sucked in a fresh breath of chilly air.
She looked up and saw the last of the cloaked figures duck below the tree lines. Hermione lay next to Ron and they both looked deeply asleep. Snape got to his feet quickly and looked her way, giving her a cold glare, and turned his attentions to Hermione and Ron.
Heather breathed in again and stood, wiping her grassy hands on her skirt and looked towards the edge of the forest. Harry was in trouble. She hugged and arm around herself and held in a sob, pulling her wand out.
“Don’t even think about it.” Snape growled.
“But Harry – ”
“Take them back to the castle!” Snape pushed her back and ran down the hill. His cloak billowed in the wind making him look like a dementor flying low across the grounds.
“But how am I to – ” Heather cut herself off and gaped at the two stretchers floating at chest-height.
Hermione and Ron each lay on one and when she pushed Hermione’s, Ron’s moved in parallel. She turned back in search of Snape but the wind was already stitching the clouds back together to cover the moon. She had to trust Snape would save him… Professor Snape. If she was trusting him with Harry’s life… and he was risking his own life to save him… he at least deserved that bit of respect from her again.
She turned to her friends and pushed the stretchers up the darkening lawn until she reached the entrance steps. She hesitated with the first step, not sure if she kept pushing it would only ram the stretchers straight into the fifth step, but after a hesitant push she realized the stretchers knew what to do and raised themselves accordingly.
She pushed on the doors and found they opened with easy, left unlocked by Professor Snape from when he rushed out after Professor Lupin.
“Out of bed! Students out of bed!” Mr. Filch screeched from down the entrance hall, waving a finger as he jogged down.
Heather sprinted to the entrance hall stairs yelling back, “Don’t lock the door! There’s more coming!” Shocking Mr. Filch to a halt.
She took the stretchers up to the hospital wing and pounded on the door, wishing Madam Pomfrey would hurry up and take Hermione and Ron so she could run back down to help Professor Snape with Harry… If he’d saved him… She shook her head. “Of course he did.”
“Five more minutes…” Hermione muttered.
“Hermione!” Heather stopped her pounding and shook her awake.
“Miss Potter!”
Heather jumped as Madam Pomfrey flung the door open and scolded her.
“It’s nearly midnight and – Oh my! Bring them in – bring them in.”
Hermione rolled off her stretcher and looked around as Heather took Ron’s stretcher to the farthest bed.
“What happened?” Hermione still looked weary-eyed.
“My question precisely.” Madam Pomfrey’s accusing eyes bore into her, having more than enough reasons to believe it was one of their faults.
“I remember dementors.” Hermione lifted her hand to her mouth. “Oh and I suppose Ron’s leg is also broken from a bite wound.” She rubbed her eyes and stumbled as they followed Ron’s stretcher to a bed.
Madam Pomfrey only rolled her eyes and got to work on Ron. “There’s chocolate in the cupboard if you need it,” she said over her shoulder.
Heather motioned Hermione to sit and opened the cupboard. She scanned shelf after shelf until she spotted brown little chips filled to brim in a lidded jar. She took a handful and walked back to Hermione, pouring them into her hand. She jerked her head and motioned for the chairs against the opposite wall under the large windows. Hermione followed.
“Where’s Harry? He left and… and I don’t remember much after that.”
Heather nodded grimly. “Professor Snape went after him… Hermione I need to tell you – I don’t know why I didn’t before – I should have told you guys but so much happened suddenly and I wasn’t sure how seriously to take it and – ”
Hermione gripped Heather’s shoulder, calming her. “What is it? Just tell me.”
Heather calmed herself with a slow breath out. “I thought it was Sirius Black going back to Voldemort tonight. But it’s really Peter Pettigrew that’s going back.”
“What do you mean?”
“Professor Trelawney – when we were getting the cloak – I bumped into her and she – ” Heather shook her head as Hermione’s eyebrow shot up. “No, I know. Professor Lupin also thought – ”
“Harry finished him, twice if you count his journal. He’s dead three times over. You heard Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black and Professor Lupin in the shack. Peter Pettigrew is a coward. He probably ran off to hid in the forbidden forest and Professor Dumbledore will do something about him if he needs to when we explain it all to him.”
“I suppose… I mean there isn’t anything to do now other than tell Professor Dumbledore everything so he can free Sirius and hopefully forgive Professor Lupin.” Heather knelt on the chair and stared out at the darkness below. The moon was well hidden now and nothing could be seen.
Heather and Hermione both jumped when the doors to the hospital wing flew open and Professor Snape sauntered in with an unconscious Harry floating on a stretcher. Heather ducked quickly behind a bed, not wanting to remind him of her existence. If there was a chance he’d forgotten she’d attacked him only a couple hours ago, then she’d gladly hide from him for the rest of the year until the start of next term. Hopefully summer holidays for adults and school events did the same as for students and learned topics.
“Take Mr. Potter here. He’ll need all the chocolate you have.” Professor Snape pushed the stretcher into Madam Pomfrey’s hands and turned on his heel, ready to leave.
“The dementors – why have they attacked the students? They’re not in the castle are they? Surely the Headmaster – ”
“I’m sure Miss Granger can explain to you enough so that you may imagine what has happened tonight. I, however, must speak to the Headmaster and the Minister before he departs.” Professor Snape’s eyes flashed with eager excitement as he walked out the doors, closing them shut with an echoing thump.
Heather wondered if it was only Harry that he found. She hoped it was, and that Sirius had somehow escaped to his hiding place once more. ‘We won’t need to go that far… All I have to do is call the dementors once we get out of the Willow. They’ll be so pleased.’ Professor Snape’s words rang in her head turning his silky tone into a cruel grain.
A/N: This is my first fan fic I’m writing mainly as a way to practice. This is a retelling of the hp books with an inserted character. Although most every character will be written about, this is mostly for the pro snape fandom. Please do not fear, although this is a severus x oc story, it is an incredibly slow burn as I do not intend for them to get together at all until after the final book events. Chapters will be posted twice a week.
This derivative work follows the events of the Harry Potter books by Jk Rowling and is intended as a fun way to practice my writing. Thank you for reading :D
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~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~
Heather and Hermione followed Madam Pomfrey as she moved Harry into a bed next to Ron. He looked pale and there were beads of sweat trickling down his temples.
“When will he wake up?” Hermione asked.
Madam Pomfrey placed a cold towel on his forehead and sighed. “Soon I suspect. How many where there?”
“Dozens, maybe hundreds… or more…” Heather tried to count all the misty cloaks in her memory but they all morphed into one nightmare-ish cloud of anguish and torment.
“Oh dear.” Madam Pomfrey shook her head and moved onto Ron again.
Heather and Hermione sat on the chairs by Harry’s bed and waited for something to happen. Hermione seemed to be waiting for Harry and Ron to wake up, but now that Harry was safe under Madam Pomfrey’s care, Heather waited for Professor Dumbledore to show up like he always did after these events.
She would settle everything with Professor Dumbledore as soon as he arrived and save Sirius, their only chance at a better home. She and Hermione would tell him everything that happened and their reputations as good students should at least warrant an investigation into it all.
“Shocking business…” a grim voice sounded from outside the hospital wing, just barely audible enough in the quiet chamber. “Shocking…”
Heather turned and strained her hearing.
“Miracle none of them died…”
Heather turned to Hermione and whispered, “I think that’s Fudge.”
Hermione nodded. “Is he alone?”
The voice was growing louder. He must be walking down the hall towards them! Heather moved to stand at the foot of Harry’s bed, ready to face the Minister of Magic with the unbelievable truth they’d all learned tonight.
“Never heard the like… by thunder, it was lucky you were there, Snape…”
“Thank you, Minister,” Snape said courtly.
Heather’s courage began to diminish. If Professor Snape was the one he was conversing with, then her reputation as a good student would surely be ruined if he mentioned her attack on him to Cornelius Fudge. She wondered if it was possible for her school file to transfer to a ministry file. Would her future employers be able to open up a file and know all the reasons for her detentions? Maybe she should hide again…
“Order of Merlin, Second Class, I’d say. First Class, if I can wrangle it!”
“Thank you very much indeed, Minister.” Professor Snape had never sounded more kindly.
Heather and Hermione exchanged wide-eyed looks. Although Professor Snape had done nothing for uncovering Peter Pettigrew and his whereabouts or listened to Sirius plead his innocence OR saved them all from Professor Lupin’s werewolf attack… She supposed she could look the other way, considering Harry was safe in bed next to her and not at the mercy of hundred or more soul-thirsty dementors.
“Nasty cut you’ve got there… Black’s work, I suppose?”
Her courage drained completely.
“As a matter of fact, it was the Potters.” He now sounded right on the other side of the hospital doors.
Furdge gasped. “You don’t say! Why, I wouldn’t have thought Harry to be the kind to – ”
“Black had them bewitched. I recognized it immediately. A Confundus Charm on each one, Weasley and Granger included, judging by their behavior. They seemed to believe there was a possibility he was innocent. They weren’t responsible for their actions… However, their interference might have led to more serious consequences had I not regained my consciousness in time. I believe they thought they were going to catch Black single-handed. Had their previous bad behavior not been excused, I’m sure they wouldn’t have even attempted it. They’ve gotten away with a great deal before now… I’m afraid it’s given them a rather high opinion of themselves… And of course the Potters have always been allowed an extraordinary amount of license by the Headmaster – I can hardly manage the girl with the boy being permitted just about anything.”
Heather closed her gaping mouth and crossed her arms. ‘Manage’? Her frown was as deep as Hermione’s. How were they to convince him if Professor Snape was going around saying they had been Confunded!
“Ah, well, Snape…. You know how it is, with Harry Potter and of course his sister… We’ve all got a bit of a blind spot where they’re concerned.”
“And yet – is it good for them to be given so much special treatment? Personally, I try to treat them like any other student. And any other student would be suspended – at the very least – for leading their friends into such dangers. Consider, Minister… against all school rules set in place for them, after all the precautions the Ministry put in place for them, they found themselves out-of-bounds, after hours, consorting with a werewolf and a murderer – and I have reason to believe they’ve been visiting Hogsmeade illegally too – ”
“Yes, yes, well… We shall see. We shall see… They have been undoubtedly foolish – ”
“They are children after all – say, you’ve really no idea what made all the dementors retreat?”
“No, Minister… By the time I had come ‘round, they were all heading back to their positions at the entrances.”
“Oh dear… Their behavior both amazes me and frightens – to be perfectly honest. You don’t think Black had commanded them in any way before he fell to their effects?”
“Trust me, Minister, Black hasn’t the skill or capacity for the knowledge. He is merely a dangerous murderer through sheer excitement for chaos and his atrocious disregard for lives. Potter is lucky to be alive. If the dementors hadn’t exhausted Black half to death – ”
Heather jumped. Was Sirius really half dead? But he wasn’t being treated in the hospital wing… Hermione looked to her with concern. She hoped Professor Snape would leave already so they could have the Minister’s ears to themselves.
“I am sure this night would have ended quite differently,” Professor Snape finished.
“Ah, you’re awake!”
Heather turned to Madam Pomfrey and saw her looking down at Harry. She was carrying the largest brick of chocolate she’d ever seen.
She took out a little wooden mallet from her nurse’s apron pocket and began crushing it on Harry’s bedside table. “Belgian dark chocolate, only used for emergencies. And don’t mind the cocoa solids if you find any, those’ll perk you right up – What do you think you’re doing, Mr. Potter?”
Harry sat up and slid his glasses up his nose. “How’s Ron?”
“He’ll live – Just one moment, Potter – ” She tried to push him back into bed but he wiggled out before she could.
“We need to see the Headmaster,” Harry said hoarsely.
“Fudge is right outside,” Heather told him. “When he comes in here we can, but first – hey!”
“Good then let’s go tell him right now.” Harry pushed passed Hermione and Heather and headed for the door.
“Potter,” Madam Pomfrey said as soothingly as possible. She had come around the bed and planted herself in his way. “It’s all right. They’ve got Black. He’s likely already locked away upstairs. The dementors should be performing the kiss any moment – ”
“WHAT?” all three of them yelled.
Madam Pomfrey angrily sushed them. “Mr. Weasley is resting – as you should be, Mr. Potter.”
The hospital doors swung open and Professor Snape and Cornelius Fudge stepped in, having heard their exclamation. Fudge didn’t look very pleased, seeing Harry out of bed and trying to get around Madam Pomfrey.
“You should be in bed, Harry.” He turned to Madam Pomfrey, “Has he had any chocolate?”
“Excuse me, Minister, please,” Heather cut in before Madam Pomfrey could drag Harry away. “Please, its important – ”
“Sirius Black is innocent,” Harry began talking over Heather. “We saw Peter Pettigrew tonight! He faked his death – we can’t let the dementors do that thing to Sirius! He’s – ”
Hermione joined in the explanation. “He was Ron’s rat, Scabbers, of course we didn’t know that – he’s an animagus you see and – ”
Fudge was shaking his head and waving his hands around, trying to halt their talking. “Harry, children – Please, you’re all very confused. This dreadful night has been far too much, hasn’t it? Let’s get you back in bed, Harry. Madam Pomfrey, please. Don’t worry, we have everything under control, children – ”
“BUT YOU HAVEN’T!” Harry yelled. “YOU”VE GOT THE WRONG MAN!”
Heather clasped her hands together pleadingly, desperate. “It’s true, please believe us, he’s innocent and Peter Pettigrew is getting away – ”
Professor Snape approached from behind Fudge’s shoulder. “See, Minister?” he whispered. “Completely confunded… Black’s done quite the job on them all.”
“NONE OF US ARE CONFUNDED!” Harry roared, throwing his arms up angrily.
“Minister! Professor! This conversation is distressing my patients and I must insist that you both leave.” Madam Pomfrey now began motioning them both away. “Mr. Potter, Miss Granger – this way to bed, please.”
“No! I’m not distressed! I’m trying to tell them what happened if they’d just listen!” Harry said furiously but Madam Pomfrey had found the perfect opportunity at the last word and stuffed a chunk of dark chocolate in his mouth.
Madam Pomfrey pulled Harry by the arm and forced him into bed. She turned back around and pointed at the door. “Now, visiting hours are over, please, Minister.”
But before Madam Pomfrey could shoo them out, the door opened and Professor Dumbledore came in, spotting them immediately.
Heather ran up to him and walked by his side as he approached the group. “Professor! Peter Pettigrew is gone – and Sirius Black is – ”
He walked on, ignoring her completely without even a look her way. Her heart dropped. Everyone was ignoring them! An innocent man was about to die and not a single person in the room was willing to hear them out!
“Headmaster, I’m trying to deliver the proper care to these students. I must insist that everyone leave so that they may calm down – ”
“Of course, Poppy, my apologies. However I do need a word with the Potters and Miss Granger for just a moment.” Professor Dumbledore looked at Harry, “I’ve just been talking to Sirius Black – ”
Professor Snape scoffed in revulsion. “And is he still telling the same fairy tale he’s planted in their minds? Something about a rat and Pettigrew being alive – ”
“That very one,” said Professor Dumbledore, regarding Professor Snape closely over his half-moon glasses.
“And does my evidence count for nothing?” Professor Snape spat. “Peter Pettigrew was not in the Shrieking Shack, nor did I see any sign of him on the grounds.”
“That was because you were knocked out!” Heather said too quickly to rethink her words.
“And who’s fault was that!” he snarled.
“But it’s true,” Hermione began, sounding like she often did in class. “If you had only arrived in time to hear – ”
“Miss Granger, HOLD YOUR TONGUE!”
The Minister jumped at Professor Snape’s tone. “Now, Snape. They are clearly disturbed in the mind. After what happened, we must make allowances – ”
“I would like to speak to Harry, Heather, and Hermione alone,” Professor Dumbledore cut him off. “Cornelius, Severus, Poppy – Please leave us.”
“Albus! But they need rest and – ” Madam Pomfrey frowned at Professor Dumbledore’s polite smile and huffed. She marched off across the room and slammed her office door shut.
Fudge took out a large golden pocket watch from his waistcoat and consulted it. “The dementors should have arrived by now.” He looked out the window and shivered, turning back to Professor Dumbledore. “I’ll meet you upstairs.” He walked to the door and held it open for Professor Snape.
Professor Snape made no intention to leave and Fudge walked out, letting the door close on its own.
“You surely don’t believe a word of Black’s story?” Professor Snape whispered, his eyes fixed on Professor Dumbledore’s half-lidded eyes.
“I wish to speak to Harry, Heather, and Hermione alone,” Professor Dumbledore repeated politely.
Professor Snape took a step closer. “Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen,” he breathed. “You haven’t forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven’t forgotten that he once tried to kill ME?”
“My memory is as good as it ever was, Severus,” Professor Dumbledore said quietly. He stared down at Professor Snape for several seconds until he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door louder than even Madam Pomfrey.
As soon as it turned quiet, the three of them began speaking at once.
“Sirius is telling the truth! We saw Peter Pettigrew escape – ”
“ – he’s an animagus and ran when Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf and – ”
“ – a rat with only four fingers – ”
“ – is completely innocent and it’s really Pettigrew who – ”
Professor Dumbledore pressed his finger to his lips and they immediately stopped talking.
“You three must listen very closely, and there is no time for interruptions,” he said calmly. “It is your word – the word of three thirteen year olds who have already been accused of being confunded – and the word of a convicted criminal against the Minister’s and a member of my staff – a head of house no less – with no shred of proof to discredit the street full of eyewitness accounts who swear they saw Sirius murder Pettigrew. I myself gave evidence to the Ministry that Sirius had been the Potter’s Secret-Keeper.”
“But Professor Lupin can – ” Hermione was cut off by Professor Dumbledore’s hand held up to stop her.
“Professor Lupin is currently running deep within the forest, unable to tell anyone anything. By the time he is human again, it will have been too late for Sirius. Even if Professor Lupin could give his account to the details of tonight it would count for very little. Werewolves are deeply mistrusted by most of our kind and the fact that he and Sirius are old friends – ”
Harry was shaking his head. “But – ”
“Listen to me, Harry. It is too late for explanations. By the time you get anyone to listen to you, Sirius will be worse than dead. Professor Snape’s version of events is far more convincing than any of yours.”
“He refuses to listen because he hates Sirius!” Hermione wiped the tears that had started running down her cheek. “That’s why he refused to listen in the shack. All because of some stupid trick that Sirius played on him YEARS AGO – ”
“Sirius’ actions this year have not helped his reputation. The attack on the Fat Lady, entering Gryffindor Tower with a knife, none of those are actions of an innocent man. We would need Pettigrew, alive or dead, to have any chance at overturning Sirius’ sentence.”
Heather frowned. “But if you believe us, Professor… Can’t you – ”
Professor Dumbledore shook his head. “I have no power to make these men see the truth, or to overrule the Minister of Magic.”
Heather’s lips began to tremble as she ran out of ideas. What could they do? Their word didn’t matter. Sirius’ word didn’t matter. Professor Lupin couldn’t give his word and even if he did it wouldn’t matter. In a matter of seconds Sirius could be given the kiss and not even Professor Dumbledore could save him. Do they just give up?
She hugged herself and squeezed tight, wishing she could go back in time and act more enthusiastic about possibly living with Sirius. She regretted feeling so cautious about him and not participating in their special moment in the tunnel, godfather and godchildren reunited. “So then, what can we do? What do we do?”
Professor Dumbledore’s tone changed and he spoke very slowly, “Sirius is locked in a prison cell inside Professor Flitwick’s office on the seventh floor. Thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. To save Sirius… we’ll need – ” His eyes moved to Hermione. “more time.”
Heather stared at Hermione intensely as she pieced together what Professor Dumbledore was saying.
“But – Oh!”
Professor Dumbledore smiled. “Keep in mind, you must not be seen. Miss Granger, you know the law – and you know what’s at stake… Do – not – be – seen.” He turned on his heel and was already across the room by the time Harry had realized their conversation had ended.
“B-but what – I don’t – ” Harry sputtered.
Professor Dumbledore opened the door and looked at them over his shoulder. “I’m going to lock you in. It is – ” he pulled out a pocket watch and flipped it open, “five minutes to midnight. Three turns should do it. Good luck.”
He closed the door and a click echoed through the chamber. Harry whirled around and stared at Hermione with Heather – who was crossing her arms over her chest, still staring but with an added frown.
Hermione ignored them and pulled on a golden chain around her neck, pulling a little trinket out from under her sweater. “Come here, both of you, quick!”
Harry moved towards her and Heather was pulled into them before she could open her mouth to start her long string of complaints. Hermione threw the chain around the three of them.
“Ready?” Hermione didn’t look up at them for confirmation. She picked up the trinket – it was a tiny golden hourglass with sand that sparkled with the light – and began twisting.
Heather watched her closely. “And when were you going to tell us about – ”
At the third twist, the hospital chamber dissolved.
A/N: This is my first fan fic I’m writing mainly as a way to practice. This is a retelling of the hp books with an inserted character. Although most every character will be written about, this is mostly for the pro snape fandom. Please do not fear, although this is a severus x oc story, it is an incredibly slow burn as I do not intend for them to get together at all until after the final book events. Chapters will be posted twice a week.
This derivative work follows the events of the Harry Potter books by Jk Rowling and is intended as a fun way to practice my writing. Thank you for reading :D
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~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~
Hagrid started pushing them away from the window and towards his back door. “Yeh gotta go! They mustn’ find yeh here – out the back, out the back.”
Heather threw the cloak over everyone as Hagrid pushed them out the door into his back garden. Buckbeak looked up at Hagrid from the center of the pumpkin patch and chirped.
“Good Beaky… I’ll be righ’ back… I promise,” Hagrid’s voice broke and he cleared his throat. “Now get goin’ yeh four.”
Harry pulled the cloak over his head. “We can’t leave. . .”
Ron stuck his head out too. “We can tell them what really happened. They can’t kill him – it’s not fair.”
Hagrid sniffed and pulled the cloak back over their heads. “Nothin’ no one can do now. Don’t worry, alrigh’? Beaky knows how much yeh four care about ‘im – I’ll tell ‘im again. Don’t yeh worry no more. Now go,” Hagrid said fiercely. “No point in you lot gettin’ in trouble fer this too.” He stepped back into his hut and shooed them away with his hand.
They turned and shuffled out around the left of his hut as Professor Dumbledore, Fudge, and the executioner, Macnair, knocked on Hagrid’s door on the opposite side. They waited until they heard the front door open and close with a snap before setting off back to the castle in a slow silent trance. Even Scabbers kept still in Ron’s pocket as they climbed over the sloping lawn.
They stopped at the highest hill and looked down at Hagrid’s small shack. Only a single large pumpkin was visible over the curve of the hut’s roof from their distance. Hermione was sniffling as the last of the sun reflected off something shiny in Hagrid’s back garden. The shiny object lifted higher, and dipped back down behind the roof in a fast swoop.
A thick thud echoed over the grounds.
“No,” Heather sobbed and hugged Harry tight.
He hugged her back and pressed his eyes into her shoulder. Macnair’s axe had undoubtedly cut clean and swiftly. Heather pulled back and placed a hand on Hermione, who was clinging onto Ron, sobbing hard.
There was a howl in the distance. Poor Fang must be so upset to lose a friend, and to see Hagrid in such a sad state as well… Heather wanted to burst into loud uncontrollable cries but held herself together, clinging onto Harry’s arm.
Ron wiped his tears and grumbled. “Scabbers – stop moving! Ow – Someone’ll hear you.” Ron pushed Hermione away and wrestled with his pocket.
“We’ve got to go,” said Hermione, wiping away a tear. “Dumbledore’ll be out any minute to walk Fudge and Macnair off the grounds.”
Ron shook his head. “Well he – won’t – stay – down – ”
Heather couldn’t keep her eyes off the hut as the sun finally dipped below the trees, and the deep purple set over the whole of Hogwarts. As Ron struggled with a clearly terrified Scabbers, Harry pulled on Heather’s sweater sleeve.
She looked over at him, and saw, in the reflection of his glasses, the wide yellow eyes of Crookshanks, slinking out from the shadows of a nearby bush, slowly approaching the high pitched squeals of Ron’s rat.
“Oh, Crookshanks!” Hermione gasped. “No, no, get out of here. Not now!”
Ron fought harder to keep Scabbers down in his pocket, but it was too late. Crookshanks jumped onto the cloak, knocking them all down.
“Ow! He bit me!” Ron screamed. “Scabbers – NO !”
The rat had wriggled free in all the commotion, and was now bounding away as fast as possible while Hermione held onto Crookshanks tightly. Before Harry or Heather could stop him, Ron had thrown the invisibility cloak off himself and bolted after Scabbers into the darkening night.
“Ron!” they all yelled after him.
Crookshanks vaulted after its prey. Harry threw the cloak off of them and the three of them ran after them, wands lit. They could hear the clacks of rocks hitting against other rocks as they tumbled on the path ahead and the distant shouts at Crookshanks.
“Stay away! Leave him alone! – Get – Scabbers this way!”
They ran onto a grassy part, following Ron’s shouts and heard a thud.
“Gotcha! Get away before I kick you!”
They slowed as their wand lights illuminated a grass-stained Ron clutching Scabbers to his chest and kicking madly at Crookshanks.
Heather panted. “Ron, get up – We need to get back to the cloak before – ”
Hermione screamed and pointed at a dark mass hurdling towards them with inch-long teeth bright and bared up to the gums. “The Grim!” she shouted.
They ran towards Ron but jumped back as the giant jet-black dog leapt between them and growled ferociously, saliva pooling under it.
Heather aimed her wand, “Alarte Ascendare!”
The hound jumped out of the way as the purple flames shot out of Heather’s wand and hit Crooshanks, sending him ten feet into the air. The massive hound sprang towards Heather, mouth aimed at her wand.
“Flipendo!” she panicked.
Sparks erupted and the dog was knocked back behind Ron and howled as Crookshanks landed claws down onto it.
Harry ran forwards and grabbed Ron’s arms, trying to pull him up before the dog could get its bearings back. The hound shook its head and clamped onto Ron’s leg, dragging him back quickly.
“Ron!” Heather and Hermione grabbed hold of Harry’s waist and pulled, but it was Ron who let go of Harry hand.
“AHH!” Ron let himself be dragged back, the pain in his leg too great to have held onto Harry for much longer.
They ran to keep up with Ron, but he was being pulled away too fast to keep up with, as if he weighed nothing more than a few lumps of feathers. Harry dove forward to catch Ron’s outstretched hands and missed by an inch.
“Harry!” Ron whimpered as he was dragged down towards the base of a large trunk, down between a gap in its enormous roots, into a hole.
Harry looked up as the Whomping Willow curled its thick branches ready to smash him into the ground.
Heather and Hermione grabbed hold of each of Harry’s legs and pulled him back seconds before the tree pounded the ground with all its strength.
Harry stood and fixed his glasses. “Ron!”
No answer.
Heather shined her wand brighter at the hole they hadn’t ever noticed before. No one ever dared go near the tree – they were probably the only to have ever gotten so close to the Whomping Willow, except for last year when they had crashed into it. No one would risk getting pummeled to death.
“Harry,” Heather breathed. “This is – the – Fred and George mentioned the Whomping Willow was planted over one of the secret passages.”
“What does that mean!” Hermione cried. “That Ron’s being dragged out of Hogwarts?! Where does it go! I told you three – I told you to hand the map over to – !”
“We don’t have time!” Harry hissed. He stepped forward, trying to spot an opening between the pounding branches.
Heather pulled him back before he could dash forward. “Harry! Are you mad?”
Hermione was anxiously dancing around. “Think! Think!”
Crookshanks, who had been sitting next to Hermione swishing its tail, trotted towards a big knot on the willow’s trunk and pressed it in. The tree immediately stopped moving and held its branches frozen in place.
Hermione gasped. “How did – ”
“They’re friends. They walk the grounds together.” Harry glared at Hermione, as if further accusing her of owning a monster of a cat.
Crookshanks slithered between the roots and slid down the gap. They covered the distance within seconds and crawled into the hole. First Harry, then Hermione, and Heather last, keeping her wand in hand, just in case.
Eventually the tunnel became large enough to stand in, and they did, holding their wands out and ready. They walked on fast but silently, listening intently to every sound of the cave.
It felt like the first time Harry and her had gone into the witch’s tunnel. The same eeriness of what lurked in the shadows made Heather’s throat tight as her heart pounded like crazy in her ears. The dog, Sirius Black, Ron… It could be anything waiting for them just beyond.
“W-what if this is how Sirius Black lures us to him?” Heather’s voice trembled. “What if that’s his dog and – and Ron’s the bait?”
Hermione sniffed.
“Then we get Ron back and – and you two take him to the castle.”
“And you’ll what, Harry? Fight him alone? Kill him yourself?” Hermione sobbed. “He’ll hurt you and then it won’t just be Ron who we need to worry about.”
Heather nodded, though no one could see her. “Harry, we’re not leaving you. So don’t make us stay any longer than we have to.”
They stayed silent the rest of the way. The tunnel felt longer than the one to Hogsmeade, and Heather wondered if they would pop up around there, and in which shop – if it was a shop at all – or . . . or the home of Voldemort, brought back by his most devoted servant. Heather shook her head, remembering what Professor Lupin had said.
Harry’s footsteps picked up, and they were now sprinting down the tunnel as it sloped up. They stopped below what was dim light seeping out from a wooden square. They caught their breath and together pushed the wooden board up. They pulled themselves out of the opening and rolled onto the dust-covered floorboards of a long-abandoned room.
The room was greyed from all the dust, and the furniture was all smashed to pieces – though none looked newly-broken. Cobwebs covered the ceiling and weaved between the cracked railings of stairs across the room.
“Could this be – ”
“The Shrieking Shack,” Heather cut Hermione off.
“Nowhere but out or up,” Harry pointed at the boarded up door and broken stairs.
“Up,” Hermione whispered.
They held their wands up and made their way to the stairs, wincing at every creak and groan of the steps. They heard thumps coming from one of the rooms, and a loud groan.
“Knox.”
“Knox,” Heather and Hermione followed Harry’s lead.
The hallway went dark, and a deep creaking echoed throughout. The two closed door in the hallway groaned while the one at the far end swung ajar and back closed as the wind seeping through the old wood of the house and swept through the rooms. They crept forward and stopped, listening to a loud purring coming from beyond the last door. They exchanged a last look and nodded together, ready with wands up and pointed.
Harry took a deep breath and kicked the door open. They all jumped in and saw Crookshanks lying on a large king-sized bed with moth-eaten hangings and beside him, on the ground, sat Ron gritting his teeth and clutching his bloody leg.
“Ron!” Heather screamed.
They dashed across to him and Harry pulled back his hand to assess the damage.
“We need to get you to Pomphrey – where’s the dog?”
Ron winced and opened his eyes. “H-he’s the dog – He’s an Animagus!”
There was a creak behind them and they turned, standing quickly, as Sirius Black stepped into the room and closed the door with a push of his finger on the doorknob.
His eyes looked sunken in and dark grey circles surrounded his eyes. His wax-pale skin was pulled tight around his face as he smiled, showing brown-stained teeth. His elbow-length black hair was matted and ridden with twigs and leaves and dirt, matching the filthy striped uniform he wore that draped off him much worse than Professor Lupin’s clothes ever did. He was a walking, breathing husk of the man they’d seen on the cover of the Daily Prophet.
“Expelliarmus!” Sirius Black croaked, pointing Ron’s wand at them with a jittery hand.
Heather’s wand shot out of her hand along with Harry’s and Hermione’s. Her heart dropped as she watched their wands land in Sirius Black’s. His skeletal fingers wrapped around them.
“Figured you’d come running in to save your friend, Harry.” Sirius Black’s voice was hoarse and scratchy, like a vintage battery-drained radio recently brought out of storage. “James… would have done the same for me… Brave of you to not run for a teacher. Everything will go much more smoothly like this.”
Heather felt a tear drip off her chin. He’d said the name so easily… Her fists clenched and she saw Harry stiffen with a boiling hate, so hot it radiated off him. Hermione put her hands on both their shoulders, ready to stop them from acting on Black’s taunt.
“I-if you want to kill Harry – ” Ron gripped a bed post and hauled himself up, gritting his teeth through the pain in his leg. “T-then you’ll have to go through us.”
“You shouldn’t be on that,” he whispered. Sirius Black’s eyes drifted down to the bloody mangled mess that was Ron’s ankle.
“Did you hear him? If you want to kill Harry – ”
Sirius Black barked a sharp laugh, interrupting Hermione and making them all take a step back.
“There will only be one murder here tonight.” Sirius Black focused his crazed eyes at Ron, and grinned.
“No there won’t.” Heather said firmly and held on to Harry’s arm as he stepped towards Black.
“No. He’s right,” spat Harry, struggling against Heather and Hermione. “There’ll only be one murder… AND IT’LL BE YOU!” Harry broke free and lunged at Black, knocking him over onto the ground.
Heather gasped and ran forward, clawing for their wands as Harry held Black’s arm down with one hand while his other attempted to smack the man’s face but was held back by the man’s thin boney hand. Heather ripped the wands from Black’s grip and looped her arm under Harry’s dragging him back with her as he kicked and screamed.
Hermione helped drag him back and they all grabbed their wands, pointing them directly at Black’s chest. Harry’s lips began to move when –
“Crookshanks! No!” Hermione hissed.
Crookshanks had jumped onto Sirius Black’s chest and curled up, claws stuck onto his black and white shirt.
“Wingardium Leviosa,” Hermione whispered, and her cat began to levitate.
Black plucked his shirt off the floating cat’s nails and crawled towards the wall and sat up. A deep purple bruise was beginning to form on his chin, where Harry had kicked him.
Harry stepped forward, wand pointed at the very center of his chest. “You murdered them. Our parents trusted you and you betrayed them, and murdered dozens of innocent muggles and Pettigrew…”
Heather saw a twinkle in Harry’s eyes. A spark of hatred so deep it sparkled on the tip of his wand. “Harry,” she whispered.
Black saw it too, and his grin widened. “Going to kill me, are you Harry? You don’t even have the right story.”
Harry stood over him with a steady hand. “You killed our parents.”
“I don’t deny that…” Black stared up at him from behind his sunken eyes, and then turned to Heather. “But if you heard the whole story – ”
“What whole story?”
“Don’t listen to him, Heather.” Harry turned back. “The murders were all over the news. You gave them up to Voldemort. That’s the whole story.”
There was a creak from the floor below.
“No – You’ve got to listen,” Black said, dropping his grin and sat up urgently. “You’ll regret it – You need to understand – ”
“I understand plenty!” Harry choked.
“Harry!” Heather screamed. Her breaths were coming out as huffs and her wand hand trembled as she pointed it at the crumpled man before Harry’s feet. He was going to do it. He was going to murder Sirius Black right in front of them, with his own wand. No – he wouldn’t – he couldn’t. That wasn’t Harry – Harry would never… Heather waited for Harry to step back, to turn away.
Harry’s grip on his wand strengthened, turning his knuckles white. Crookshanks, levitated high above their heads, cried out as Black closed his eyes. Harry breathed, held it… and let out a sob. He stepped back and droped his arm. Heather’s grip on her own wand strengthened and she stepped forward as Harry turned his back to Sirius Black and walked back to them with tears streaming down his face.
She stood over Black and watched him scan her face. If he made any move at her, at Harry, at an escape… she’d make him wish he hadn’t. Although she knew she couldn’t avenge their parents the way Harry wanted, she wasn’t going to let him run off again. He was going right back to Azkaban to rot away the rest of the years he had left. After tonight, the next time she saw him was going to be when he’d finally withered away into an old sad skeleton.
Footsteps thundered up the stairs, and before Harry could finish wiping his tears, the door to the room burst open in a flurry of red sparks. Professor Lupin charged through and took in the scene. Ron was sickly white gripping his bloody leg, Hermione had fallen to the floor in the commotion, Harry was in the corner drying tears, Crookshanks clawing at the air, and Heather threatening a crumpled and bruised Sirius Black.
Hermione sat up quickly. “Someone needs to alert the Dementors!”
“Expelliarmus!” Professor Lupin yelled, and caught the four wands in his hand.
Heather gasped and stepped away from Sirius Black, joining Harry and Hermione as Professor Lupin took her place over Black.
He raised his wand at him, and for a second they just looked at each other. “Sirius… Where is he?” he spoke in a pained, quivery whisper.
Sirius Black looked at Ron and pointed. Professor Lupin turned to look at Ron along with Heather and Harry. Ron looked bewildered.
Professor Lupin turned back to Black. “Why hadn’t he shown himself? Why – Unless… You switched with... You didn’t tell me,” he whispered, and dropped his arm.
“What are you doing?” Why was he dropping his guard? Heather looked at Black, who had started to get up.
The heat inside Heather’s body flared as she watched, open-mouthed, as Professor Lupin clasped Black by his arm and pulled him up to his feet, holding him as he wobbled. She watched Professor Lupin embraced him like a long lost brother leaving her empty and dizzy. All the heat drained from her body as the realization set in.
“YOU’RE WORKING WITH HIM?” Hermione screamed. She was pointing with a wild look of betrayal in her eyes.
Lupin turned to them and raised his hands. “Now, kids – listen – ”
“No! I’ve been keeping your secret – covering up for you! And you’ve been helping him.”
Lupin shook his head and stepped forward. “Hermione, let me explain – ”
“Don’t get any closer!” Harry yelled, shaking. His tears had dried now, and his fists were clenched down to his sides. “We trusted you! – I TRUSTED YOU! And all this time… you’ve been his friend.”
Lupin shook his head furiously. “Trust me Harry. I’ve been the farthest thing from a friend to Sirius – but I am now and if you’ll just let me explain – ”
Heather turned to Harry, unable to keep watching as he defended a murderer, blocking Sirius from them as if THEY were the dangerous ones. “Don’t trust him… He’s a werewolf.” She spat the word out like a thorn.
The room went quiet. It was plainly obvious neither Harry nor Ron had suspected a thing, not even after Snape’s essay. Ron moved farther back, with a terrified look on his face. Harry’s mouth hung open in shock. He had easily spent the most time with Lupin, at least once a week for several hours until he had produced a good enough Patronus, and the whole time he’d had no clue.
Heather glanced at Lupin. She should have told everyone the second she’d found out. That’s what Snape had wanted and tried to do with the essay. He’d wanted everyone to know, for their safety. If she or Hermione had told, then Lupin would have been taken away and Sirius Black wouldn’t have had all these chances to attack Harry.
Lupin met her eyes and she could see a pained fear in them and in the way he hesitated standing before them. He wanted to run.
A/N: This is my first fan fic I’m writing mainly as a way to practice. This is a retelling of the hp books with an inserted character. Although most every character will be written about, this is mostly for the pro snape fandom. Please do not fear, although this is a severus x oc story, it is an incredibly slow burn as I do not intend for them to get together at all until after the final book events. Chapters will be posted twice a week.
This derivative work follows the events of the Harry Potter books by Jk Rowling and is intended as a fun way to practice my writing. Thank you for reading :D
The next chapter will be posted either later today or early tomorrow! :D
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Snape might as well have been a terrifying shrieking shack ghost. He certainly got the right type of reaction from everyone.
Hermione let off a loud, shrill scream. Lupin jumped a foot in the air and turned. Harry went white as a sheet, though not as white as Ron. Sirius Black whirled so fast Heather thought he’d make himself puke. She just stared, dumb-founded at her Head of House for not only catching them out after hours, but outside of Hogwarts grounds after hours and outside of Hogsmeade visits. Maybe she’d be the one puking.
Snape moved slowly in a hunched crouch, inching towards Lupin as he aimed at his heart, arm fully extended and unwavering. He was a predator ready to strike and it stilled the air around them. “Thank you, Potters, for leaving the cloak behind for me. It came very useful.”
As still and calculated as Snape looked, he spoke from breaths. Heather could see it was a great struggle to contain his look of triumph, though she could still see it plainly in his eyes.
“Not expecting me, Lupin?” Snape’s eyes glittered as he continued to hold their silent attention perfectly. “You’d forgotten to take your Potion tonight, Lupin – not surprising considering how relentlessly unreliable you prove to be. And… like the responsible dog-sitter I am… I took a gobletful along with me to your office. How very lucky was I, that there, open on your desk, was a certain map.”
Snape’s eyes flickered to Harry and Heather for a second, letting them know they never had him fooled. Heather swallowed and began to shiver with fear. Surely, this was their last year attending Hogwarts… whether they made it through tonight or not.
“One glance,” Snape continued, “and I knew everything I needed to know. I saw you run along the passage and out of sight.”
Lupin licked his lips and began speaking with a quiver. “Severus – ”
“I’ve told the Headmaster again. And again,” Snape spat the words out like venom. “That you’ve been the one helping Black into the castle. And here’s the proof. If only I had guessed you’d be using this old place as your hideout – Only I never dreamed you’d have the nerve.”
“Severus, you’re making a mistake,” Lupin held his hand down and out, as if trying to physically lower Snape’s anger. “You haven’t heard it all – I can explain everything – Sirius was never going to kill Harry or Heather – ”
“I’ll be the one to call and let them know they’ll be needing TWO cells in Azkaban tonight.” Snape’s eyes gleamed fanatically. “I shall be interested to see how Dumbledore takes this… He was quite convinced you were harmless… A tame werewolf – ”
Lupin shook his head and took a step back. “You fool…” he said softly. “Would you really put an innocent man back in Azkaban over a schoolboy grudge – ”
BANG!
Thin, green, snakelike cords shot out from the tip of Snape’s ready wand and wrapped themselves around Lupin’s head, shutting his mouth tight. More twisted themselves around Lupin’s wrists and ankles, unbalancing him and knocking him to the floor. He fell with a heavy thump and groaned.
Black growled furiously and started to lunge at Snape. Snape snapped his wrist to Black and held his wand tip right between Sirius Black’s eyes, stopping him mid motion.
“Give me a reason,” Snape whispered. “Give me a reason to do it, and I swear I will.”
Heather didn’t doubt for a second that whatever it was, Snape really would do it. Nor did she doubt, that at the first chance Sirius Black saw, he’d turn into that horrible dog and rip Snape’s throat out in one quick tear. It was plainly obvious to her, that in the presence of one another, they were only both still alive by some miracle.
“Professor,” Heather whispered, trembling.
He did not take his eyes off Black. She looked around and saw Hermione pressing her hands to her mouth and turned away. Harry stood frozen, looking wide-eyed between Lupin and Snape. Ron was looking even paler and was sweating as he continued to struggle with Scabbers in his grip.
She turned back to the terrifying display of lethal hatred Snape and Black were somehow managing to rein in and remembered Professor Trelawney’s words. Tonight was the night Voldemort’s servant would return to him, and Sirius Black was the only one so far accused, no matter how much Lupin was trying to convince them of his innocence.
Hermione creaked along the floorboard to Heather, steady, so as to not make either man jump or flinch at the noise. “Professor Snape – m-maybe – it wouldn’t hurt to listen to them – to what they’re trying to explain?”
“You four are already facing certain expulsion from this school,” Snape spat. “Not only, but also currently in the presence of a convicted murderer and a werewolf. For once in your LIVES – hold, your tongues – however hard that might BE, Granger.”
“B-but i-if – if there was a mistake – ”
“SILENCE, YOU STUPID GIRL!” Sparks were sizzling out of the end of Snape’s wand as he seethed, looking very deranged. “DON’T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!”
Black did not seem to flinch at the threat of Snape’s attack, still waiting for an opening with deadly patience. Hermione fell silent and stepped back.
“Vengeance is very sweet,” Snape breathed. “I did hope I would be the one to catch you…”
Black forced a laugh that deepened Snape’s glare. “Joke’s on you again. Severus. As long as this boy takes his rat up to the castle I’ll come quietly.”
Snape’s mouth twitched up in amusement. “The castle?” he said silkily. “We won’t need to go that far… All I have to do is call the dementors once we get out of the Willow. They’ll be so pleased. They’ve been so eager to see you, Black… I wonder how long they would hold off on giving you their long-awaited kiss… Seconds? Minutes perhaps?”
Sirius Black’s color went from grey-white to egg-white at the mention. “Severus – You’ve got to hear me out,” he croaked. “The rat – look at the rat – ”
Heather stared into Snape’s eyes, wondering to see if the man’s desperate pleas would change anything in Snape’s certainty, but all she could see was a mad glint she’d never seen in anyone before.
Snape snapped his fingers and the ends of Lupin’s serpent-y ropes flew to his hands. “Come on. All of you. I’ll drag the werewolf. Perhaps the dementors will have a kiss for him too.” His eyes flicked to Heather. “Potter. Open the door.”
Heather nodded, hoping beyond hope that this was all the prophecy working itself out correctly. She edged passed Sirius Black and put a hand on the doorknob. She looked down and twisted it, but before it could open even a centimeter, a body had rammed into her and the door had slammed shut.
She looked up at Harry with shock.
“Get out of the way, Potter. You’re in enough trouble as it is,” he snarled. “If I hadn’t been here to save your skin – ”
“But Professor Lupin could have killed me about a hundred times this year! I’ve been alone with him loads of times – same with Heather. If he was working with Black, why didn’t he finish us off then?”
He had a point, maybe that truly wasn’t the intention…
“I wouldn’t fathom to understand the way a werewolf’s mind works,” Snape hissed. “Now get out of the way, Potter.”
Or maybe all Black wanted was to make sure he knew where the boy who defeated his master was. So that when he went back to Voldemort, he could tell him everything. Then Lupin wouldn’t have needed to kill them at all. He would have only needed to help Black hide until the day he needed to return…
“Harry,” Heather shoved him away hard, making him stumble back. “Sirius Black was Voldemort’s servant and he still is! Please… We’ll all just leave and go back to the castle and nothing bad will happen tonight, alright? Please?”
Harry looked at her, and back down to Lupin, up at Black, and finally back at Snape. After a moment, he took his place at the door again. “No.”
“Potter,” Snape gave a warning growl. “I will not listen to you or these – ”
“YOU’RE PATHETIC!” Harry staggered forward with the weight of his words. He meant it with all his being. “JUST BECAUSE THEY MADE A FOOL OF YOU AT SCHOOL YOU WON’T LISTEN – ”
“QUIET! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT!” Snape looked like he’d had enough of everything. The sparks started up again on the ends of his wand like a frayed wire ready to start a large uncontrollable fire. “Like father, like son, Potter! I’ve just saved your neck; you should be thanking me on hands and knees! You would have been well served if he’d killed you! You’d have died like your father, too arrogant to believe you might be mistaken in Black – Now get out of my way, or I. Will. Make. You. GET OUT OF THE WAY POTTER!”
Before Heather could think she raised her wand, and at the same time as Harry yelled ‘Expelliarmus,’ she yelled “Flipendo!” right at Snape’s heaving chest, putting all of her pain and anger into the words.
Both Harry and Heather’s spells blasted out of their wands and hit Snape square in his chest, lifting him off the ground and sent him flying onto the wall with a thunderous thump. He fell onto the bed below him, making Ron dive for the floor. Snape’s wand had been blasted out of his hand and landed with a rolling click down at Harry’s feet.
Heather was at the bed in an instant, checking to see if Snape was alive. There was a trickle of blood oozing from under his hair. She gasped and pressed her hands to her mouth. She was shaking, trembling so hard she might have fallen if she wasn’t kneeling on the bed besides Snape’s still body.
Sirius Black gave a quick, victorious laugh that snapped Heather back into the moment.
“Don’t worry. He’s only knocked out.” Black glanced at Ron and back at Harry and Heather. “You two really should have left him to me…”
This was wrong. This was so horribly wrong. Snape was knocked out and Sirius Black, convicted murderer, servant of Voldemort, was free and loose. She had been so angry she had completely lost her mind after hearing him say those awful things. She wanted to hurt him, make him regret saying Harry should have died. She could care less what he’d said about their father. Harry was everything she had. And now… this night could end in her worst fear.
“We attacked a teacher…” Hermione was shaking her head furiously, staring at Snape’s body. “We – we attacked a teacher!”
Heather sniffed. She’d have run and hugged Hermione if this was any other situation. It had really only been Harry and her that attacked him.
“We’re going to be in so much trouble – !”
“We were already going to get expelled, Hermione,” Ron groaned from the floor.
Sirius Black had managed to untie Lupin and they both stood quickly.
Lupin rubbed his wrists and mouth. “Thank you, Heather, Harry.”
Heather shook her head, regretting her actions immensely.
“This doesn’t mean we believe you,” Harry replied.
“No, of course not.” Lupin nodded. “I think it’s time we show you the proof.”
Black turned to Ron. “Give me Peter. Now.”
Ron held Scabbers closer to his chest. “Come off it,” he whimpered. “Are you trying to tell us he broke out of Azkaban just to get his hands on Scabbers? That’s just… That’s mental,” he said weakly. “Peter can turn into a rat – there are millions of them! How’s he know this one is Peter if he was locked up in Azkaban!”
Lupin turned to Black with a puzzled look that made Heather’s heart stop and her stomach flip.
“How DID you find out he was here?” Lupin asked with a slight frown.
Black stared at Lupin as he extended out his hand like a claw. He bent his elbow and in one exasperated motion pulled out a wrinkled paper from an inside pocket. He smiled and handed it to Lupin, who took it and smoothed it out.
Harry inched closer and Heather followed suit, peering around Lupin’s shoulder to look down at the very same photograph Heather and Harry had seen of the Weasleys the previous summer holiday. It was a Daily Prophet clipping of Ron and his family posing to show off the vacation they had won, and Scabbers was clinging to Ron’s shoulder.
“What is it?” Ron croaked.
“Your family on vacation,” Heather whispered, stepping back.
“Mental!” Ron yelled.
“How did you come by this?” Lupin asked Black, thunderstruck.
Black gritted his teeth. “Fudge. When he came down to inspect Azkaban, he gave me his paper.” Black laughed weakly. “And there he was. Right on the front page. On this boy’s shoulder… I knew him at once… How many times had I seen him transform? And the caption… it said he was going back to Hogwarts… Back where Harry and Heather were…”
Lupin stared at Sirius black with wide-eyes and in total disbelief. Heather felt sick.
Lupin looked back at the picture and pointed. “Merlin...” He looked from the picture to Scabbers and back. “His paw.”
Black nodded.
“What about it!” Ron looked down at Scabbers.
“He’s got a tow missing,” Black said flatly.
Lupin looked at Scabbers incredulously. “Of course… So brilliant. He cut it off himself.”
“Right when I cornered him. Right before he transformed. He yelled for the whole street to hear. Before I could curse him he blew apart the street and killed everyone within twenty feet of him… and sped down the sewer with the other filthy rats.”
“Scabbers probably got in a fight with another rat!” Ron looked to Hermione, Heather, and Harry for support, but they all stayed very quiet. “He can’t be Peter, he’s been in my family for – ”
“Twelve years, isn’t that right?” Black snapped.
“Rats don’t live that long, Ron.” Lupin looked down at Scabbers. “That’s an abnormally long time for even magical rats.”
“No, we’ve just been taking good care of him!”
“He looks sick and underweight. I’m guessing he started getting like this right around the time when he heard Sirius had finally escaped.”
Ron was shaking his head. “No. No. It was that cat! That monster! He’s been scaring Scabbers ill! That mad cat!”
“He’s not mad.” Black bent down and pet Crookshanks as he purred between his legs. “He recognized him for what he was immediately. He even tried to help me. Tried to bring him to me and couldn’t. Then he tried to bring ME to him. Stole the Gryffindor passwords for me.”
Poor Neville. Heather was feeling a little less ill as everything was slowly getting clearer, to her immense and relieving surprise.
“He tried relentlessly for me. Then he said Peter faked his death – bit himself and left blood on the bed – he must have supposed if it worked once it could work again – ”
Something clicked and Heather felt like puking again. She shook her head. “He really is Peter… And he knew you’d come to finish him off – ”
“That’s why he faked his death! Why he’s been running!” Harry yelled, coming to the same conclusion Heather had just come to. “He knew you’d murder him like you murdered our parents!”
“I will murder him!” Black yelled back.
“We should have let Snape take you – ”
“Harry – ” Lupin put up his hands quickly. “All this time we’ve thought Sirius betrayed them and Peter tracked him down – But it was the other way around! Peter betrayed them, and Sirius tracked him down!”
Heather stepped forward, refusing to let Lupin continue with the lies. “No. We know Sirius was their Secret-Keeper, Peter couldn’t have betrayed them. Only HE could. Only the Secret-Keeper could betray them.”
“Precisely.” Lupin stared at her.
She blinked several times. “Peter wasn’t their Secret-Keeper…”
“I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment.” Black’s sunken eyes darkened with pained regret and he looked down as he continued. “I Persuaded them to use him as their Secret-Keeper instead of me… The night they died I had arranged to check on Peter. To make sure he was still safe. But when I got to his hiding place he wasn’t there. There wasn’t any sign of a struggle. I got scared and headed to your parent’s house right away… That’s when I saw it had been destroyed… and their bodies… I realized what Peter must have done… He betrayed them… But it’s my fault they’re dead. I as good as killed them – ” his voice caught and he turned away.
Lupin, looking down, shook his head. “Enough… Let’s really prove what happened. Ron,” he stepped over to Ron and extended his hand. “Give me that rat. I’ll force him to show himself. It won’t hurt him if he really is a rat.”
Scabbers was struggling like crazy in Ron’s grip. Ron looked down at him, and finally handed him over to Lupin. Scabbers started squeaking and squealing at the top of his tiny lungs, thrashing and twisting in Lupin’s hands.
Lupin turned to Sirius, who was back to his ferocious-looking self, teeth bared and all. “Ready, Sirius?”
Black nodded.
Lupin handed Sirius his wand. “Do the honors.”
Black snatched it from him at once. “Gladly!” He pointed the wand and a bright flash of white-blue light erupted from the tip, engulfing Scabbers’ body.
Lupin had let go and jumped away, and for a moment Scabbers was suspended mid-air and thrashing wildly. Ron yelled. And the rat hit the floor.
For a few seconds nothing happened, and then the rat started growing. It arched its spine and held his ears down. His tail began to shrink as his head and hands grew and turned from worm-pink to pale-pink. In a quick blink the rat turned into a grotesque child-sized creature and in another quick blink there was a man cowering in the very spot Scabbers had been.
Heather quickly turned and threw up under one of the farther boarded up windows, clutching her stomach and holding back her hair as she did.
A/N: This is my first fan fic I’m writing mainly as a way to practice. This is a retelling of the hp books with an inserted character. Although most every character will be written about, this is mostly for the pro snape fandom. Please do not fear, although this is a severus x oc story, it is an incredibly slow burn as I do not intend for them to get together at all until after the final book events. Chapters will be posted twice a week.
This derivative work follows the events of the Harry Potter books by Jk Rowling and is intended as a fun way to practice my writing. Thank you for reading :D
Happy Birthday Severus Snape!
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Heather wiped her mouth with her sleeve and turned back around.
Harry pulled her aside, frowning. “Heather are you ok?”
Heather looked over Harry’s shoulder at Black, Lupin, and Crookshanks – who was hissing, spitting, and snarling with claws out and ready – surrounding the cowering man. Professor Trelawney’s words were spinning around in her head like a twirling tornado. Sirius Black was a convicted murderer, CONVICTED. Even Fudge went to see him. Surely… Surely he must have been given a chance to explain. Someone must have looked into his involvement. Dumbledore must have known somehow… ANYTHING. But Peter... Lupin was convinced Sirius Black was innocent. If Peter really was the one who betrayed their parents, then it would be Peter who would be returning to Voldemort tonight.
She looked at Harry again and shook her head.
Lupin took his wand back and Sirius Black picked up Snape’s. Both men held them out, pinning Peter in place.
“Hello, Peter,” Lupin greeted him pleasantly, as if they had both bumped into each other on the cobbled streets of Diagon Alley. “Haven’t seen you in some time.”
Peter was still crouching, trembling slightly, trying to make himself shorter than he already seemed. He had his hands out close to his chest like Scabbers had often done when he sat on his hind legs. He had a bald spot in the middle of his matted blonde hair that grew out in tufts that stopped at his sideburns. His eyes were beady and looked around at Lupin, Black, and Harry and Heather.
“S-Sirius… R-Remus…” Peter squeaked. “M-my old friends… M-my friends… I’ve missed you so!” He gave a small smile that wrinkled his eyes.
Black raised his wand arm, ready to unleash a flurry of spells but Lupin’s free arm extended out, stopping him from reacting to the small man’s words.
“How nice it is to have you join our little chat,” Lupin’s voice remained soft and casual. “See, we’ve been talking about the night Lily and James died.”
Peter’s smile dropped. He licked his dry, cracked lips and turned his hands palm up, though he still kept them tucked close to his body. “Remus… Y-you don’t believe him do you? He tried to kill me… murder me… Remus…!”
Lupin fixed his jaw, setting it tight at the sound of his name. “Yes. I’ve heard.”
Peter stuck out his middle finger and pointed it at Black – his hand had only four finger, with the knuckle of his index finger ending in a clean scar where a finger should have been. “He’s come to kill me!” The unnatural squeak of his voice turned raspy. “He killed Lily and James and now he’s come to murder me too… Remus… You’ve got to help me…”
Sirius Black was baring his teeth and looked at him with even more hatred than he’d looked at Snape. His eyelids pulled back so far his red-rimmed eyes bulged and his face looked more skull-like than ever.
“No one’s going to die tonight until we’ve sorted some things out… Peter,” Lupin lightened his cold voice, “Let’s clear up one or two little matters about that night, shall we?”
“What matters?” Peter squeaked. He looked around the room wildly and pointed at Black again. “He’ll kill us all with his Dark powers! He broke out of Azkaban when no one’s ever done it before, imagine what he’ll do to us all! Who knows what more of the Dark Arts He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has taught him! H-horrible things I’m sure… Horrible Dark tricks…!”
Heather felt the room spinning as fast as the tornado in her mind. “Harry,” she hissed. He turned to look at her and she knew she had to tell him. “A prophecy… Professor Trelawny she – ”
Black barked out a laugh, dropping his wand arm to hold his stomach. It struck the air horribly sending a chill down everyone’s spines. “Taught tricks? From Voldemort?”
Peter flinched, as if he’d been struck in the face.
Black sobered immediately, focusing his gaze on Peter. “What? Afraid to hear your old master’s name?” Black slowly smiled again, grinning at how horribly Peter was shaking. “Of course you must also be afraid of all your old palls, too, aren’t you? I hear they aren’t very happy with you… Not happy at all. I hear…” Black stepped forward menacingly, grin slowly shrinking. “They think the double-crosser double-crossed them. I hear…” He stepped closer once more. “They all think you’re dead, or you’d have to answer to them. I hear they all know Voldemort went to the Potter’s on your information… and met his downfall there. And that’s just what I hear from Azkaban… I hear… Not all his supporters ended up in there though. Did they? There are plenty still out there, biding their time, pretending they’ve seen the error of their ways… If they got wind that you were still alive… for twelve years alive and hiding from them, Peter – ”
“D-d-don’t know what – ” Peter swallowed. “What you’re talking about…” He wiped his face on his sleeve like a twitch and looked around again, his little eyes searching. He turned to Lupin again. “Remus! You can’t believe this – madness!”
“What innocent man spends twelve years as a rat, Peter?” Lupin shook his head. “It’s a little hard to understand.”
“Innocent! Yes! But also scared! If-f Voldemort’s supporters were after me then it is because I put their best man in Azkaban! The spy – Sirius Black!”
“Me? A spy?” Black growled. “When have I ever been the one to sneak around people stronger and more powerful than myself? You, Peter – Why I didn’t see you were the spy from the start. After all! You always liked big friends who’d look after you, didn’t you? It used to be us… Remus, me… and James… But there were bigger friends out there. Weren’t there?”
Peter was panting, looking around wildly again. “Me? A spy… madness… you must be out of your mind… I’d never… don’t know how you could say – ”
“I convinced James and Lily to make you Secret-Keeper,” Black hissed, forcing a panicked jump out of Peter. “I thought it’d be the perfect plan… a bluff… Who’d ever use a weak talentless thing like you as their Secret-Keeper? I was sure Voldemort would come after me… I was prepared. Ready… Waiting to give up my life while little Peter hid, keeping our friends safe… I can’t imagine how grand you must have felt, telling Voldemort you could hand over the Potters – Must have been the finest moment of your miserable life!”
“Most farfetched… Absurd – ” Peter’s eyes were darting from the floor to the ceiling, the boarded up windows, to the closed door behind Lupin and Black. “Lunacy…”
Heather settled her eyes on Peter Pettigrew, ignoring the panging feeling that everything would go horribly wrong like it always did. He was looking for escape, but was it for fear of Sirius Black, or was he planning to run in search of his most powerful ‘friend’, Voldemort?
Hermione stepped forward again, swallowing thickly at the sight of the distraught man in front of her. “If… If I may ask – Why had he never tried to hurt Harry, if he was working for Voldemort? Scabbers – I mean – this man – he’s been sleeping in the boy’s dormitory for three years.”
Peter perked up at once and pointed at Hermione with a smile. “See, Remus! I would never want to hurt a single hair on Harry’s head! Why should I…? He – ” He pointed at Sirius Black again. “He injured Ron! Bit his leg and he would have hurt Harry if he had to! I kept them safe, running away when I did!”
“Easy answer,” Black snapped, ignoring Peter. “Why? Because this useless thing never does anything if he can’t see what’s in it for himself! Voldemort’s been in hiding for twelve years. He wasn’t about to commit murder right under Dumbledore’s nose – not for a half-dead wizard who’d lost all his power. That’s why you found a wizard family to take you in. To keep an ear out for news. Just in case your old protector came back and it was safe to rejoin him.”
Peter was opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water trying to breathe.
“But – so then – How DID you get out of Azkaban if you didn’t use Dark Magic?” Hermione asked.
“The dog. You turned into a dog, didn’t you?” Heather looked at Black who nodded. “They didn’t know you were an animagus when they locked you in.”
“That’s only part of it, I suppose.” Black shrugged. “I’m not too sure if that’s the reason – though that’s my guess as well… I kept sane as best I could, knowing I was innocent helped. And knowing I was innocent wasn’t a happy thought at all, so the dementors couldn’t suck that out of me. I repeated it to myself… over and over… It helped me keep my powers – weak as they became – until the day came when I transformed myself…” He looked at one of the windows, as if he could see out beyond it. “Dementors can’t see, you know… They let people’s emotions guide them… I think they could tell my emotions were less… human.” He swallowed. “I was obsessed, first with my innocence… then when I saw that picture – I knew where he was, in Hogwarts with Harry and Heather. Perfectly positioned to deliver the last two Potters should he hear word that his side was gathering strength again… Who’d dare say he betrayed Voldemort after that? He’d be welcomed back with honors... Knowing that, I became even more obsessed, and that cleared my mind… When the time came, I transformed. I slipped past them when they opened my cell to bring me my food… It’s hard for them to sense animal emotion… not impossible… but much harder. Then I swam as a dog back to the main land and journeyed north.”
“You were at the match that day…” Heather realized Harry had told her the truth about seeing the Grim, not just in the clouds.
Sirius Black looked at them, his sunken eyes much softer. He faced them fully and nodded. “Yes… Harry you fly as well as your father… I’m sad I could not watch any more matches. I did not want to bring any more dementors into your games.” He looked deeply into both Harry and Heather’s eyes, as if baring his soul to them. “Believe me… Please. I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them.”
Heather swallowed. Suddenly, the man she had feared all year didn’t look anything like the man he was. Although he had the clothes of a prisoner and a wild dangerous look about him despite being skin and bones… Heather could see the genuine sadness of a man who’d lost someone he treasured. It was a pained longing… the same look she saw in Harry sometimes, deep into the night on hard summer days.
Harry looked at her and nodded. If anyone could recognize the hurt of losing James and Lily, their parents… it would be him. She nodded back.
“NO!” Peter fell to his knees and scuttled closer to Professor Lupin, his hands held up over his bent-down head as if in prayer. “Remus! You can’t – ”
Sirius kicked him onto his side and growled.
“S-Sirius! It’s me… It’s Peter… Your childhood friend… you wouldn’t…” He reached out to grab for Sirius. “You couldn’t possibly hurt – ”
Sirius stepped back. “I don’t need more filth on me.”
Still coiled in on himself Peter looked up imploringly at Professor Lupin. “Wouldn’t Sirius have told you they’d changed the plan…! Wouldn’t you have found out?”
Professor Lupin gave a quick tisk. “Not if he thought I was the spy… I assume that’s why I wasn’t told?” he asked Sirius casually.
Sirius gave an embarrassed smile. “Forgive me, Remus.”
“Not at all, Padfoot, old friend.” He began rolling up his sleeves. “And in turn, will you forgive me for believing you were the spy?”
“Of course, Moony.” He too began rolling up his sleeves and gestured to the sad heap of a man still coiled on the floor. “Shall we kill him together?”
Professor Lupin gave a nod. “Yes, I think so.”
Peter gasped and shuffled to his feet, still crouching down to half his height. “You won’t…! You can’t…!” He turned quickly and for the first time since he’d turned back, faced Ron and Hermione. He dove for Ron, holding up his hands again pleadingly. “Ron! I’ve been a good friend… a good pet to you!”
Ron looked more disgusted than when he’d drank the tea that Fred and George had melted all the bad flavors of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans they’d collected over the last five years.
Seeing the look on Ron’s face he turned to Hermione and shuffled on his knees to her. “Clever girl… You don’t believe them… how could you! Help me… Help – ”
Hermione backed away, drawing closer to Ron.
Peter turned slowly to Heather and Harry, his hands coming up to hid his face. “H-Harry… Heather… You’re parents wouldn’t – ”
Sirius seized Peter by the collar of his tattered robes. “HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO THEM! HOW DARE YOU FACE THEM! HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT THEIR PARENTS IN FRONT OF THEM! AFTER WHAT YOU DID?”
Peter’s head fell limp on his shoulder and he looked at them despite Sirius’ face being inches from his own. “They wouldn’t have wanted me killed… James would have understood… he would have had mercy…”
Sirius threw him back onto the floor with disgust. “Do you deny selling James and Lily to Voldemort? DO YOU DENY IT?”
Peter’s face contorted and he began bawling. Great heaping tears rolled down his cheeks as he gasped and drew them away with the backs of his trembling hands. “S-Sirius! What could I have done! The Dark Lord… You have no idea…! He has weapons you can’t imagine…! I was so scared, Sirius… I was never brave like you and James and Remus! I never meant it to happen… He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me to – ”
“YOU FRIGHTFUL LITTLE RAT!” Sirius bellowed. “YOU’D BEEN HIS SPY FOR NEARLY A YEAR! GIVING HIM INFORMATION FOR NEARLY A YEAR BEFORE JAMES AND LILY DIED!”
Peter shook his head and sobbed like whining child. “Because he was taking over everywhere! W-what would have been gained by refusing him?”
“Only INNOCENT LIVES! What more could one hope to gain when fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed?”
“You don’t under-understand! He would have killed me, Sirius!”
Sirius clenched his fists and began trembling as hard as Peter was. He bent down furiously. “THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!”
Sirius stepped back, panting, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Professor Lupin as they both raised their wands.
Professor Lupin shook his head. “You should have realized… If Voldemort didn’t kill you… We would. Goodbye, Peter.”
The knot in Heather’s stomach loosened and she felt she could finally breathe. She turned away, although she knew she’d feel nothing but relief knowing there would be no servant making his way back to his master tonight.
“NO!” Harry yelled.
Heather whipped back around to see Harry had placed himself in front of Peter. “Harry!”
He faced their wands with open arms, shielding Peter. “You can’t kill him. You can’t.”
Professor Lupin and Sirius both looked startled and staggered back a step.
“Harry, this pest is the reason you have no parents… This truckling piece of vermin valued his own skin over your whole family. You heard him. He would have delivered you and your sister to Voldemort without a second thought if it meant he could continue about his filthy life,” Sirius snarled. “Step aside, Harry. He deserves this and more.”
“Yes, I know! But you can’t kill him… He should go to Azkaban. We’ll take him to the castle… hand him over to the dementors – just don’t kill him.”
Heather looked at him surprised. It was months ago, weeks go… hours ago that Harry would have killed the man who murdered their parents. He almost had. And now the pitiful wheezing man behind him was being shown great mercy… and now it was her that was willing to see him dealt with.
She sighed and moved next to Harry. “H-He’s right.”
“You sweet… children – I don’t deserve – thank you!” Peter bent his head down so that his forehead rested on Heather’s heals.
“Get off her!” Harry kicked him back. “We’re not doing this for you.” He turned to look Professor Lupin and Sirius in the eyes. “I don’t think Dad would have wanted his two best friends to become killers over someone so pathetic.”
Heather nodded. “And Peter can clear your name… Sirius.”
Sirius looked into her eyes and nodded, grasping the delicate extension of friendship and trust Heather had just thrown him. “In the end… it’s you two who have the right to decide what happens to him.” He lowered his wand hand.
They nodded.
“Very well… Stand aside and I’ll tie him up.” Professor Lupin motioned for them to part and as soon as they did, thin cords shot from his wand and wrapped around Peter.
Peter was groaning and wiggling under his binds but seemed well enough secure that Heather could catch her breath from the whole experience.
Peter stopped wiggling when Sirius pointed his wand at him again. “If you transform, Peter. We WILL kill you. Do you agree Harry? Heather?”
Harry nodded. Heather breathed out and turned away from Peter. “Yes.”
“Right, then.” Professor Lupin walked over to Ron and assessed his leg. “Why don’t we strap your leg up and take you back to the castle where Madam Pomphrey can mend your leg.”
Ron nodded and winced when Professor Lupin tapped his leg and said ‘Ferula.’ Bandages sprung out of his wand end and wrapped around Ron’s bloody leg. He stood with the help of Hermione and tapped his foot lightly on the floor. “Doesn’t hurt much anymore. Thanks.”
Heather looked over at Snape still knocked unconscious and poked his shoulder with her wand. “Er – what about Snape?”
Professor Lupin walked over and examined him. “There’s nothing very wrong with him. Still knocked out from those two spells – a little overenthusiastic with it weren’t you?”
Heather’s cheeks heated. “I didn’t like what he said… But I regret it.”
“I don’t,” Ron cut in with a laugh. “First Hermione now you. I hope you two DO keep up the good work coming next year.”
“Next year?” Hermione huffed. “We’ll be expelled after this!”
Professor Lupin chuckled. “I’m sure the Minister of Magic won’t allow the expulsion of Harry Potter, his twin, and the children responsible for capturing Sirius Black, clearing his name, and also capturing the man really responsible for those crimes…” He gave a smile and a shrug. “It’s not good press.”
“But we attacked a teacher,” Hermione whispered stubbornly.
“Right well. Perhaps we hold off on waking him up until we’re safely back in the castle.” Professor Lupin looked at Sirius and jerked his head back at Snape’s unconscious body.
Sirius nodded and pointed his wand. “Mobilicorpus.”
In an instant, Snape was lifted up into the air by his shoulders into a limp sort of standing position. His head rolled around as Sirius motioned him off the bed, and he looked more like a ragdoll then than seconds before when he was first lifted.
“Two of us should be chained to this, on top of the ropes… Just in case.” Sirius prodded Peter with his foot.
Ron stepped up, looking down at Peter with disgust. It looked like he was taking Scabbers’ true identity as a personal insult. “I’ll do it.”
Professor Lupin fixed the ropes and attached chains connecting Peter’s left arm to his own right and Peter’s right arm to Ron’s left. “Then it’s settled. Let’s make our way out… And leave all this in the past… as it should have been.” He looked around at the old and dust shrieking shack and gave them a grimace of disgust.
Crookshanks led the way out of the shrieking shack, tail held high at a job well done, and they all followed. Professor Lupin, Peter, Ron, and Hermione went through the trap door first, then Snape’s limp body, Sirius, Heather, and Harry.
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