They reached the cabin and knocked.

“It's us, Hagrid,” Megan said.

He opened the door, pale in the face. He stepped back to let them in.

“Yeh should'na come…” he said.

“We couldn’t just leave you, Hagrid…” Megan said, stepping in.

He wasn’t crying or howling… he just looked lost… which was worse. They sat around his table.

“Where’s Buckbeak?” Hermione asked gently.

“Outside,” he said. “Though’ he’d want to smell the fresh air a bit… before…”

He sniffed loudly.

“We’re so sorry, Hagrid…” Megan said, desperate to do something for him.

“S’not yer fault…” he said. “Wherever a Malfoy’s involved, ain’t much chance of winnin’… Threatened ‘em, ‘xpect…”

“What about Dumbledore?” Megan asked.

“Ah, he’s done what he could… can’t overrule the committee, can ‘e? He’s comin’ down, to… be there with me. Great man, Dumbledore… Oh, b’fore I forget, Ron…”

He pulled a tin from the shelf and produced…

“Scabbers!” Ron gasped. “You’re alive!”

He looked thinner and older than ever but he was definitely alive. Ron put him in his pocket. Then, he turned to Hermione.

“Sorry I accused your cat...”

“... Well... we all thought he'd done it...”

Just then, Megan, who glanced outside, said:

“Hagrid… they’re coming…”

They looked out as the party steadily came nearer. Hagrid was paler than ever. Megan's small hand squeezed Hagrid's. Walking down was Dumbledore, Fudge, and a member of the committee followed by the executioner, which Cedric informed them was McNair.

“Yer gotta go… if yeh're caught yeh’ll be in so much trouble… hurry, go out the back.” Hagrid said.

“Hagrid, we can’t…!” Hermione said.

“We’ll tell them what happened!” Harry said.

“It won’t change nothin’, now get goin’!”

Heavy hearted, they hurried up the path, Megan clutching the cloak. They passed behind the pumpkin patch to avoid being seen. They scurried up the path and stopped at the entrance of the covered bridge. They waited. And then, in the deadly silence was the thud of an axe. Hermione's hands flew to her mouth.

“No…!” Megan gasped.

Hermione buried her face in Ron’s shoulder, sobbing. Megan held on tight to Cedric who wrapped his arm around her.

“I can’t believe it… they did it…” Megan whispered, too shocked to even cry. “They killed Buckbeak.”

They stood there, unable to move for several moments. Megan badly wanted to go back to Hagrid’s to see him but knew they would get him into trouble. They said nothing. When suddenly, Scabbers starting wriggling madly in Ron’s hands.

“What the- Scabbers, it’s me! What’s gotten into you?” Ron said. “Pipe down, you stupid rat-Ow!”

He dropped him, and Scabbers scampered off.

“He bit me!" Ron squawked, astounded. "He's never bitten me or anyone! Scabbers, come back!”

He chased after his rat.

“Ron! Wait, Ron!”

Harry, Hermione, Megan and Cedric darted after him. They found Ron on the floor, clutching Scabbers. Just then, Cedric yanked Megan to a halt.

“Stop, it’s the Whomping Willow!” he said.

“Ron!” Hermione wailed. “Get away, hurry!”

Ron looked up. His eyes widened and he yelled.

“Look out! Behind you, it’s the Grim!”

They whipped around. And a huge black dog stood before them, watching them with its big yellow eyes. And there was no mistaking it. Megan had seen it before. It bounded forwards. They managed to jump aside as it leapt forwards and yanked Ron away as easily as if he were made of straw.

“RON!”

Megan darted forwards, wand in hand but Cedric suddenly leapt onto her and pinned her to the ground as Ron disappeared into the hole. Just in time for a large brunch to come whipping the air a few inches above them. They rolled aside to avoid another attack. Harry and Hermione were trying to get through as well. They got to their feet.

“We’ve got to get help,” Hermione wailed.

Megan looked at the hole at the foot of the tree.

“That thing could eat him, we don’t have time!” Harry said.

Megan then got an idea. She raised her wand and yelled:

“IMMOBILUS!”

For a few seconds, Megan feared she hadn’t cast a strong enough spell but it finally froze. Panting, they hurried to the entrance of the hole.

“Let’s go… keep your wand out.” Cedric said, leading the way inside. “I'll go first.”

He got in and slid down a chute. Megan followed, landing in his outstretched arms, followed by Harry and Hermione.

“Where d’you suppose this goes?” Hermione asked in a nervous voice.

“… I think I know. C’mon.” Megan said.

They edged forwards into a large tunnel. They walked for what felt like a long time. At the end was a floor boarded room with a staircase. Cedric climbed out and held out his hand to Megan and then Hermione. Harry brought up the rear.

“It… are we in the Shrieking Shack?” Cedric asked frowning.

“I think we are…” Megan agreed.

They climbed the creaking wooden steps up to the top of the building. They heard a moan of horror.

“Ron…!” Megan said and hurried upwards.

“Megan!”

They followed and reached a large room. Megan stopped abruptly. She knew this room… those curtains, that old door… Ron sat on a chair, clutching his leg, as she had seen… she had seen this in Divination…

“Ron, you’re okay!” Hermione said, darting to him.

“Megan, get out of here, it’s a trap!” Cedric suddenly shouted.

Megan looked up; He had whipped out his wand and raised it. She turned and saw what he meant. There in a corner, where the paw marks showed in the dust and turned into feet… was Sirius Black.

He was wearing a long worn brown coat over his grey prison outfit. His long dark hair was tangled and unkempt. His face was pale, worn by twelve years in darkness.

“I knew you’d come and help your friend. Your father would have done the same for me. I’m grateful that you didn’t go to find a teacher.”

Cedric sprung forwards and stood before Megan, catching hold of her wrists.

“If you want to kill Megan, you’ll have to kill me first!”

“Cedric, no!” Megan said, trying to pry her hands free.

But he was a lot stronger than her.

“No, only one man will die tonight.”

“What’s it to you?” Ron asked. “Didn’t mind killing all those people twelve years ago, did you?”

But Megan was more interested in the words Black had used. Only one man. So she wasn’t the target after all…? Was she just a distraction from the real goal? But then, who was it? Surely not Ron…? Just then, the door sprung open and professor Lupin darted into the room. He took in the situation in one swift circular glance. Then, he turned to Sirius.

“Well, well, looking rather ragged, aren’t we, Sirius?” Lupin said, his wand pointed at Black. “Finally the flesh reflects the madness within.”

“We’ll you’d know all about the madness within, eh Remus?”

And then, they embraced like brothers. Megan and her friends stood frozen, utterly bewildered and confused.

“It's time, Remus, let’s do it!” Black said. “Let’s just get it over with!”

“No!” Hermione yelled. “I trusted you! And you were his friend!”

Then, Megan suddenly realised something. Why Lupin had been so often ill… why the Boggart turned into a silver orb…

“He’s a werewolf! That’s why he missed classes!” she said.

The boys turned to her in bewilderment. Hermione, who already knew just looked at the two men.

“How long have you known?” Lupin asked with difficulty.

“I only just realised it… but it’s since Professor Snape’s essay.”

Hermione nodded to indicate that was how she'd figured it out.

“Very clever, both of you… Snape was hoping for someone to find out…”

He turned to Black.

“We have to tell them first,” Lupin said. “Megan has the right to know the truth.”

“The truth?” Megan asked. “The truth is he betrayed my parents, and you helped him! I trusted you! I must have looked really thick, didn’t I?”

“You never appeared thick in the slightest to me, Megan.” He said calmly.

“Yet you helped someone who betrayed your friends!” Megan said.

“No, he didn’t.” Lupin said. “And I ceased to be Sirius’s friend twelve years ago… until now. Someone did betray your parents, Megan, but it was not Sirius. If you’ll let me explain…”

“He killed two of your school friends!” Megan shouted in disbelief.

“I thought so too,” he said. “Until you told me about seeing Pettigrew on the map.”

“You said yourself it was impossible! He killed him!” she said.

“Oh, enough talk, Remus, let’s do it!”

“Wait,” Lupin said.

“I did my waiting, Remus! Twelve years in Azkaban!”

“I know, Sirius. But just wait one minute more. Megan has the right to know what happened.”

“If you haven’t been helping him, how did you know where he was?” Cedric asked.

“The map, of course. I saw your names too so I hurried here.”

“You know how to work it…?” Megan asked.

“I was Moony. I helped write it.”

Megan put that aside for now and looked at Black again.

“If he wasn’t the one who betrayed my parents, who was it then?”

“Someone who I believed to be dead until quite recently.”

“Who?” Harry asked.

“Peter Pettigrew.” Black snarled. “He’s in this room, right now. Over there, in fact.”

He pointed to Ron.

“What? He’s mental!”

“Not you, your rat.” Lupin said.

“The rat’s Pettigrew?” Cedric asked, still standing in front of Megan.

“Yes. And he might have gotten away twelve years ago but not this time…!”

He lunged for Ron but Megan jumped in front of him as Lupin pulled Black away.

“We can’t do it like that, we have to explain!” Lupin said. “I myself only understand half of it!”

Then he turned to the others.

“Peter was an Animagus. He could turn into a rat. Like Sirius could turn into a dog.”

“Scabbers has been in my family for…”

“Twelve years,” Black said. “Oddly long life for a common rat, isn’t it? He’s missing a toe, is he not?”

Megan’s eyes widened.

“And all they could find of Pettigrew was his finger…”

“Exactly. As bright as your mother, Megan. Dirty coward cut it off so we’d all think him dead. And then, he turned into a rat. Very fitting for a filthy traitor like him.”

“But the witnesses…” Harry began.

“They saw what they were led to see.” Lupin explained. “But then, you told me you’d seen him on the map, Megan, and I saw it again tonight. And the map never lies.”

“… But Professor…” Hermione said quietly. “You know it can’t be true… Any and all Animagus are strictly registered at the Ministry… and Pettigrew wasn’t on the list, or Black!”

“As clever as ever, Hermione. But the Ministry was never informed that three unregistered Animagus were at Hogwarts.”

“Get a move on, Remus!” Black said. “I want to do what I was imprisoned for.”

“Patience, Sirius. And you’ll need to help me. I know only the beginning…”

He paused a moment.

“You remember Megan, when I told you about the Whomping Willow being planted the year I came to Hogwarts?”

Megan nodded.

“In truth it was planted because of me. And the rumours of this place being haunted were caused to keep people from finding out that I was the one howling and screaming. I was bitten as a boy and in those days there was no cure. Dumbledore sympathised, allowed me to come, said that it just required certain precautions. In those days, I was terribly dangerous, hence the Whomping Willow. But apart from those times, I was the happiest boy in the world. I had friends… Sirius Black… Peter Pettigrew… And of course, James Potter. Now, they eventually noticed that I disappeared once a month. So, I made up excuses, terrified they would learn the truth and desert me as soon as they found out.”

There was a pause.

“But they were smart too, and eventually figured it out. But they didn’t desert me at all. Quite the contrary. They did something that made my transformations not only bearable but enjoyable.”

“They became Animagi…” Cedric said.

“They did.”

“Dad too…?” Megan asked.

“Indeed, he did. They took nearly three years, but they succeeded.” He said. “Lucky that your father and Sirius were so talented, because it can go quite wrong, which is why the Ministry keeps an eye on Animagi.”

“… But how did that help you?” Harry asked.

“Werewolves are only a danger to humans,” Megan said. “I imagine they kept you company as animals since they couldn’t as humans…”

“That’s right,” Lupin nodded. “They used James’s Invisibility cloak and would slip down here to join me. Under their influence I was less dangerous. Eventually we left the shack and were roaming the grounds. Sirius and James were large enough that they could keep me under control. And we found out every corner of the school, which led us to writing the map.”

He looked away a moment.

“I still feel guilty at betraying Dumbledore’s trust like that, but they made me forget my guilt… and I haven’t changed. All this year I have been struggling with the decision of telling him Sirius was an Animagus or not. And I didn’t, because I was too cowardly. His trust meant the world to me, and admitting Sirius and I had betrayed it was unbearable. And I convinced myself Sirius had used Dark Magic. In a way, Snape was right all along…”

“Snape?” Black asked sharply. “What’s that idiot got to do with this?”

“He teaches Potions here, Sirius.” Lupin explained and turned back to the others. “He was at school with us, and, has been firmly opposing my appointment this year, claiming I couldn’t be trusted. He has his reasons, I suppose.”

“… Has this got anything to do with when my dad saved his life?” Megan asked.

“You never cease to surprise me by your astuteness, Megan.” He smiled. “It has everything to do with that. You see, Sirius and Peter had gotten the idea of playing a rather foolish joke on him. It involved me, and nearly killed him.”

“Served him right…” Black sneered. “Always trying to get us into trouble… “

“He was interested in my monthly absences,” Lupin went on. “We were in the same year, and… well, shall we say, didn’t get along very well. He especially hated James, actually. Jealousy was the main reason, I think. Popular on the Quidditch pitch, stellar marks… Anyway, he once followed me after spotting me and Madam Pomfrey walking through the grounds. Sirius thought it would be amusing…” He glanced reprovingly at his old friend. “…to tell him how to catch up to me. And he got pretty close. If he had gotten as far as this room, he would have run into me as a fully grown werewolf. James, on the other hand, didn’t think it was funny and hurried off after him without even thinking or transforming, which was a great risk. But Snape glimpsed me and knew from then on what I was. Of course, he was sworn to secrecy, but he was sure I was in on the prank and never forgave us.”

“No, indeed.”

Just then, Snape appeared on the threshold and pointed his wand at Black.