Ron:You're both mental.
Hermione:Ridiculous!
Harry:Peter Pettigrew's dead!He killed him twelve years ago!
me:Some people you are...
Sirius:I meant to,but little Peter got the better of me...not this time, though!

And Crookshanks was thrown to the floor as Black lunged at Scabbers; Ron yelled with pain as Black's weight fell on his broken leg.

Remus:Sirius, NO!WAIT! You can't do it just like that -- they need to understand -- we've got to explain-
Sirius:We can explain afterwards!
Remus:They've -- got -- a -- right -- to -- know -- everything!Ron's kept him as a pet! There are parts of it even I don't understand, and Harry -- you owe Harry the truth, Sirius!

Black stopped struggling, though his hollowed eyes were still fixed on Scabbers, who was clamped tightly under Ron's bitten, scratched, and bleeding hands.

Sirius:All right, then.Tell them whatever you like. But make it quick, Remus. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for...
Ron:You're nutters,all three of you.I've had enough of this. I'm off.

He tried to heave himself up on his good leg, but Lupin raised his wand again, pointing it at Scabbers.

Remus:You're going to hear me out, Ron.Just keep a tight hold on Peter while you listen.
Ron:HE'S NOT PETER, HE'S SCABBERS!
me:Stop shouting,idiot!
Harry:There were witnesses who saw Pettigrew die.A whole street full of them...
Sirius:They didn't see what they thought they saw!
Remus:Everyone thought Sirius killed Peter.I believed it myself -- until I saw the map tonight. Because the Marauder's map never lies...Peter's alive. Ron's holding him, Harry.

Then Hermione spoke, in a trembling, would-be calm sort of voice, as though trying to will Professor Lupin to talk sensibly.

Hermione:But Professor Lupin...Scabbers can't be Pettigrew...it just can't be true, you know it can't...
Remus:Why can't it be true?
Hermione:Because... because people would know if Peter Pettigrew had been an Animagus. We did Animagi in class with Professor McGonagall. And I looked them up when I did my homework -- the Ministry of Magic keeps tabs on witches and wizards who can become animals; there's a register showing what animal they become, and their markings and things...and I went and looked Professor McGonagall up on the register, and there have been only seven Animagi this century, and Pettigrew's name wasn't on the list.
Remus:Right again, Hermione!But the Ministry never knew that here used to be three unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts.Just as dear Raven here is an Animagus too,yet professor McGonagall refused to document her as one.
Sirius:If you're going to tell them the story, get a move on, Remus.I've waited twelve years, I'm not going to wait much longer.
Remus:All right...but you'll need to help me, Sirius,I only know how it began...

Lupin broke off. There had been a loud creak behind him. The bedroom door had opened of its own accord. All five of them stared at it. Then Lupin strode toward it and looked out into the landing.

me:What was that?
Remus:There's no one there...
Ron:his place is haunted!
me:And you're silly enough to believe that?
Remus:It's not.The Shrieking Shack was never haunted...The screams and howls the villagers used to hear were made by me.

He pushed his graying hair out of his eyes, thought for a moment then said,
"That's where all of this starts -- with my becoming a werewolf, None of this could have happened if I hadn't been bitter...and if I hadn't been so foolhardy..."

He looked sober and tired. Ron started to interrupt, but Hermione, said, "Shh!" She was watching Lupin very intently.

Remus:I as a very small boy when I received the bite. My parents tried everything, but in those days there was no cure. The potion that Professor Snape has been making for me is a very recent discovery. It makes me safe, you see. As long as I take it in the week, preceding the full moon, I keep my mind when I transform...I'm able to curl up in my office, a harmless wolf, and wait for the moon to wane again.Before the Wolfsbane Potion was discovered, however, I became a fully fledged monster once a month. It seemed impossible that I would be able to come to Hogwarts. Other parents weren't likely to want their children exposed to me.But then Dumbledore became Headmaster, and he was sympathetic. He said that as long as we took certain precautions, there was no reason I shouldn't come to school...I told you, months ago, that the Whomping Willow was planted the year I came to Hogwarts. The truth is that it was planted because I came to Hogwarts. This house the tunnel that leads to it -- they were built for my use. Once a month, I was smuggled out of the castle, into this place, to transform. The tree was placed at the tunnel mouth to stop anyone coming across me while I was dangerous.My transformations in those days were -- were terrible. It is very painful to turn into a werewolf. I was separated from humans to bite, so I bit and scratched myself instead. The villagers heard the noise and the screaming and thought they were hearing particularly violent spirits. Dumbledore encouraged the rumor...Even now, when the house has been silent for years, the villagers don't dare approach it....But apart from my transformations, I was happier than I had ever been in my life. For the first time ever, I had friends,four great friends. Sirius Black,Yami Megurine...Peter Pettigrew...and, of course, your father, Harry -- James Potter.Now, my three friends could hardly fail to notice that I disappeared once a month. I made up all sorts of stories. I told them my mother was ill, and that I had to go home to see her...I was terrified they would desert me the moment they found out what I was. But of course, they, like you,Raven, Hermione, worked out the truth....And they didn't desert me at all. Instead, they did something for me that would make my transformations not only bearable, but the best times of my life. They became Animagi.

Harry:My dad too?
Remus:Yes, indeed.It took them the best part of three years to work out how to do it. Your father,Yami and Sirius here were the cleverest students in the school, and lucky they were, because the Animagus transformation can go horribly wrong -- one reason the Ministry keeps a close watch on those attempting to do it. Peter needed all the help he could get from Yami,James and Sirius. Finally, in our fifth year, they managed it. They could each turn into a different animal at will.
Hermione:But how did that help you?
Remus:They couldn't keep me company as humans, so they kept me company as animals.A werewolf is only a danger to people. They sneaked out of the castle every month under James's Invisibility Cloak. They transformed...Peter, as the smallest, could slip beneath the Willow's attacking branches and touch the knot that freezes it. They would then slip down the tunnel and join me. Under their influence, I became less dangerous. My body was still wolfish, but my mind seemed to become less so while I was with them.
Sirius:Hurry up, Remus.

Remus:I'm getting there, Sirius, I'm getting there...well, highly exciting possibilities were open to us now that we could all transform. Soon we were leaving the Shrieking Shack and roaming the school grounds and the village by night. Sirius and James transformed into such large animals, they were able to keep a werewolf in check. I doubt whether any Hogwarts students ever found out more about the Hogwarts grounds and Hogsmeade than we did... And that's how we came to write the Marauder's Map, and sign it with our nicknames. Sirius is Padfoot.Peter is Wormtail. James was Prongs and Yami was Spotfur.
Harry:What sort of animal --?

Hermione:That was still really dangerous! Running around in the dark with a werewolf! What if you'd given the others the slip, and bitten somebody?
Remus:A thought that still haunts me.And there were near misses, many of them. We laughed about them afterwards. We were young, thoughtless -- carried away with our own cleverness.I sometimes felt guilty about betraying Dumbledore's trust, of course...he had admitted me to Hogwarts when no other headmaster would have done so, and he had no idea I was breaking the rules he had set down for my own and others' safety. He never knew I had led four fellow students into becoming Animagi illegally. But I always managed to forget my guilty feelings every time we sat down to plan our next month's adventure. And I haven't changed...

Lupin's face had hardened, and there was self-disgust in his voice. 

Remus:All this year, I have been battling with myself, wondering whether I should tell Dumbledore that Sirius was an Animagus. But I didn't do it. Why? Because I was too cowardly. It would have meant admitting that I'd betrayed his trust while I was at school, admitting that I'd led others along with me...and Dumbledore's trust has meant everything to me. He let me into Hogwarts as a boy, and he gave me a job when I have been shunned all my adult life, unable to find paid work because of what I am. And so I convinced myself that Sirius was getting into the school using dark arts he learned from Voldemort, that being an Animagus had nothing to do with it...so, in a way, Snape's been right about me all along.
Sirius:Snape?What's Snape got to do with it?
He's here, Sirius.He's teaching here as well.
me:Surprise-Surprisehe teaches Potions.
Sirius:*snarls*Of course...

Remus:Professor Snape was at school with us. He fought very hard against my appointment to the Defense Against the Dark Arts job. He has been telling Dumbledore all year that I am not to be trusted. He has his reasons...you see, Sirius here played a trick on him which nearly killed him, a trick which involved me --
Sirius:It served him right.Sneaking around, trying to find out what we were up to...hoping he could get us expelled....

Sirius:Severus was very interested in where I went every month.We were in the same year, you know, and we -- er -- didn't like each other very much. He especially disliked James. Jealous, I think, of James's talent on the Quidditch field...anyway Snape had seen me crossing the grounds with Madam Pomfrey one evening as she led me toward the Whomping Willow to transform. Sirius thought it would be -- er -- amusing, to tell Snape all he had to do was prod the knot on the tree trunk with a long stick, and he'd be able to get in after me. Well, of course, Snape tried it -- if he'd got as far as this house, he'd have met a fully grown werewolf -- but your father and Yami, who'd heard what Sirius had done, went after Snape and pulled him back, at great risk to his life...Snape glimpsed me, though, at the end of the tunnel. He was forbidden by Dumbledore to tell anybody, but from that time on he knew what I was....
Harry:So that's why Snape doesn't like you,because he thought you were in on the joke?

"That's right," sneered a cold voice from the wall behind Lupin.
Severus Snape was pulling off the Invisibility Cloak, his wand pointing directly at Lupin.  

me:Great job,Potter.
Snape:I found this at the base of the Whomping Willow.Very useful, Potter, I thank you....You're wondering, perhaps, how I knew you were here?I've just been to your office, Lupin. You forgot to take your potion tonight, so I took a gobletful along. And very lucky I did...lucky for me, I mean. Lying on your desk was a certain map. One glance at it told me all I needed to know. I saw you running along this passageway and out of sight.

Remus:Severus --
Snape:I've told the headmaster again and again that you're helping your old friend Black into the castle, Lupin, and here's the proof. Not even I dreamed you would have the nerve to use this old place as your hideout --
Remus:Severus, you're making a mistake.You haven't heard everything -- I can explain -- Sirius is not here to kill Harry --
Snape:Two more for Azkaban tonight.I shall be interested to see how Dumbledore takes this...He was quite convinced you were harmless, you know, Lupin...a tame werewolf --
me:Better make it three more,cause I'm so not leaving my father behind again.

Remus:You foo...Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back inside Azkaban?

BANG! Thin, snakelike cords burst from the end of Snape's wand and twisted themselves around Lupin's mouth, wrists, and ankles; he overbalanced and fell to the floor, unable to move. With a roar of rage, Black started toward Snape, but Snape pointed his wand straight between Black's eyes.

Snape:Give me a reason.Give me a reason to do it, and I swear I will.

Black stopped dead. It would have been impossible to say which face showed more hatred.

Hermione:Professor Snape -- it wouldn't hurt to hear what they've got to say, w-would it?
me:It was all a misunderstanding,please,just listen to them!
Hermione:Miss Granger, you are already facing suspension from this school.You,Black,Potter, and Weasley are out-of-bounds, in the company of a convicted murderer and a werewolf. For once in your life, hold your tongue.
Hermione:But if -- if there was a mistake --
Snape:KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL!DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!

That's it.Someone shouted,lemme hide in my dark corner away from humanity.I hide behind dad,cluthing on his blouse.

Snape:Vengeance is very sweet.How I hoped I would be the one to catch you....
Sirius:The joke's on you again, Severus.As long as this boy brings his rat up to the castle,I'll come quietly....
Snape:Up to the castle?I don't think we need to go that far. All I have to do is call the Dementors once we get out of the Willow. They'll be very pleased to see you, Black...pleased enough to give you a little kiss, I daresay...I --

What little color there was in Black's face left it.

Sirius:You -you've got to hear me out...The rat -- look at the rat --

me:P-Please dont' do that...

But there was a mad glint in Snape's eyes that I never seen before. He seemed beyond reason.

Snape:Come on, all of you.I'll drag the werewolf. Perhaps the Dementors will have a kiss for him too --
me:NO!Don't hurt them!

Before he knew what he was doing, Harry had crossed the room in three strides and blocked the door.

Snape:Get out of the way, Potter, you're in enough trouble already.If I hadn't been here to save your skin --
Harry:Professor Lupin could have killed me about a hundred times this year.I've been alone with him loads of times, having defense lessons against the Dementors. If he was helping Black, why didn't he just finish me off then?
Snape:Don't ask me to fathom the way a werewolf's mind works.Get out of the way, Potter."
Harry:YOU'RE PATHETIC!JUST BECAUSE THEY MADE A FOOL OF YOU AT SCHOOL YOU WON'T EVEN LISTEN --
Snape:SILENCE! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT!Like father, like son, Potter! I have just saved your neck; you should be thanking me on bended knee! 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 the way, or I will make you. GET OUT OF THE WAY, POTTER!
me:Stop it...

Before Snape could take even one step toward him,Harry raised his wand.

"Expelliarmus!" he yelled -- except that his wasn't the only voice that shouted. There was a blast that made the door rattle on its hinges; Snape was lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall, then slid down it to the floor, a trickle of blood oozing from under his hair. He had been knocked out.

Harry looked around. I, Ron and Hermione tried to disarm Snape at exactly the same moment. Snape's wand soared in a high arc and landed on the bed next to Crookshanks.

Sirius:You shouldn't have done that..You should have left him to me...
Hermione:We attacked a teacher...We attacked a teacher..Oh, we're going to be in so much trouble --

me:At least he's not the head of YOUR house,Granger...He'll hate me SO much from now on...and Bully me...and hate me like he hates Harry..oh fucking hell...Can I just...Obliviate him?!

Lupin was struggling against his bonds. Black bent down quickly and untied him. Lupin straightened up, rubbing his arms where the ropes had cut into them.

Remus:Thank you, Harry.
Harry:I'm still not saying I believe you.
Remus:Then it's time we offered you some proof.You, boy -- give me Peter, please. Now.
Ron:Come off it...Are you trying to say he broke out of Azkaban just to get his hands on Scabbers? I mean...Okay, say Pettigrew could turn into a rat -- there are millions of rats -- how's he supposed to know which one he is after if he was locked up in Azkaban?
Remus:You know, Sirius, that's a fair questionHow did you find out where he was?

Black put one of his claw-like hands inside his robes and took out a crumpled piece of paper, which he smoothed flat and held out to show the others.
It was the photograph of Ron and his family that had appeared in the Daily Prophet the previous summer, and there, on Ron's shoulder, was Scabbers.

Remus:How did you get this?
Sirius:Fudge.When he came to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter, 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 said the boy would be going back to Hogwarts...to where Harry was...
Remus:My God...His front paw...
Ron:What about it?
me:He's got a toe missing...
Remus:Of course...So simple...so brilliant...he cut it off himself?
Sirius:Just before he transformed.When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself -- and sped down into the sewer with the other rats....
Remus:Didn't you ever hear, Ron?The biggest bit of Peter they found was his finger.
Ron:Look, Scabbers probably had a fight with another rat or something! He's been in my family for ages, right --
Remus:Twelve years, in fact.Didn't you ever wonder why he was living so long?
Ron:We -- we've been taking good care of him!
me:A rat's lifespan is 1 to 2 years...
Remus:Not looking too good at the moment, though, is he?I'd guess he's been losing weight ever since he heard Sirius was on the loose again....
Ron:He's been scared of that mad cat!
Sirius:This cat isn't mad.He's the most intelligent of his kind I've ever met. He recognized Peter for what he was right away. And when he met me, he knew I was no dog. It was a while before he trusted me...Finally, I managed to communicate to him what I was after, and he's been helping me...
Hermione:What do you mean?
Sirius:He tried to bring Peter to me, but couldn't...so he stole the passwords into Gryffindor Tower for me...As I understand it, he took them from a boy's bedside table...But Peter got wind of what was going on and ran for it.This cat -- Crookshanks, did you call him? -- told me Peter had left blood on the sheets...I supposed he bit himself...Well, faking his own death had worked once.
Harry:And why did he fake his death?Because he knew you were about to kill him like you killed my parents!
Remus:No,Harry--
Harry:And now you've come to finish him off
Sirius:Yes, I have.
Harry:Then I should've let Snape take you!

me:No way!
Remus:Harry,don't you see? All this time we've thought Sirius betrayed your parents, and Peter tracked him down -- but it was the other way around, don't you see? Peter betrayed your mother and father -- Sirius tracked Peter down --
Harry:THAT'S NOT TRUE!HE WAS THEIR SECRET-KEEPER! HE SAID SO BEFORE YOU TURNED UP. HE SAID HE KILLED THEM!
me:Why is everyone screaming...

He was pointing at Black, who shook his head slowly; the sunken eyes were suddenly over bright.

Sirius:Harry...I as good as killed them...I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as Secret-Keeper instead of me...I'm to blame, I know it...The night they died, I'd arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, he'd gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. It didn't feel right. I was scared. I set out for your parents' house straight away. And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies...I realized what Peter must've done...what I'd done....

Remus:Enough of this,.There's one certain way to prove what really happened. Ron, give me that rat.
Ron:What are you going to do with him if I give him to you?
Remus:Force him to show himself.If he really is a rat, it won't hurt him...Ready, Sirius?
Sirius:Together?
Reus:I think so.On the count of three. One -- two -- THREE!

A flash of blue-white light erupted from both wands; for a moment, Scabbers was frozen in midair, his small gray form twisting madly -- Ron yelled -- the rat fell and hit the floor. There was another blinding flash of light and then --
It was like watching a speeded-up film of a growing tree. A head was shooting upward from the ground; limbs were sprouting; a moment later, a man was standing where Scabbers had been, cringing and wringing his hands. Crookshanks was spitting and snarling on the bed; the hair on his back was standing up.
He was a very short man, hardly taller than Harry and Hermione. His thin, colorless hair was unkempt and there was a large bald patch on top. He had the shrunken appearance of a plump man who has lost a lot of weight in a short time. His skin looked grubby, almost like Scabbers's fur, and something of the rat lingered around his pointed nose and his very small, watery eyes. He looked around at them all, his breathing fast and shallow. He's quite spazic...

Remus:Well, hello, Peter.Long time, no see.
me:No way...
Peter:S--Sirius...R--Remus...My friends...my old friends...

Sirius's wand arm rose, but Lupin seized him around the wrist, gave him a warning took, then turned again to Pettigrew, his voice light and casual.

Remus:We've been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night Lily and James died. You might have missed the finer points while you were squeaking around down there on the bed --
Peter:Remus,you don't believe him, do you...? He tried to kill me, Remus....
Remus:So we've heard.I'd like to clear up one or two little matters with you, Peter, if you'll be so --
Peter:He's come to try and kill me again!He killed Lily, James and Yami and now he's going to kill me too...You've got to help me, Remus....

Black's face looked more skull-like than ever as he stared at Pettigrew with his fathomless eyes.

Remus:No one's going to try and kill you until we've sorted a few things out.
Peter:Sorted things out?I knew he'd come after me! I knew he'd be back for me! I've been waiting for this for twelve years!
Remus:You knew Sirius was going to break out of Azkaban?When nobody has ever done it before?
Peter:He's got dark powers the rest of us can only dream of!How else did he get out of there? I suppose He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named taught him a few tricks!

Black started to laugh, a horrible, mirthless laugh that filled the whole room.

Sirius:Voldemort, teach me tricks?

Pettigrew flinched as though Black had brandished a whip at him.

Sirius:What, scared to hear your old master's name?I don't blame you, Peter. His lot aren't very happy with you, are they?
Peter:Don't know what you mean, Sirius --
Sirius:You haven't been hiding from me for twelve year.You've been hiding from Voldemort's old supporters. I heard things in Azkaban, Peter...They all think you're dead, or you'd have to answer to them...I've heard them screaming all sorts of things in their sleep. Sounds like they think the double-crosser double-crossed them. Voldemort went to the Potters' on your information...and Voldemort met his downfall there. And not all Voldemort's supporters ended up in Azkaban, did they? There are still plenty out here, biding their time, pretending they've seen the error of their ways. If they ever got wind that you were still alive, Peter --
Peter:Don't know...what you're talking about...You don't believe this -- this madness, Remus --
Remus:I must admit, Peter, I have difficulty in understanding why an innocent man would want to spend twelve years as a rat.
Peter:Innocent, but scared!If Voldemort's supporters were after me, it was because I put one of their best men in Azkaban -- the spy, Sirius Black!

me:How dare you speak ill of my father?!
Sirius:I, a spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than myself? But you, Peter -- I'll never understand why I didn't see you were the spy from the start. You always liked big friends who'd look after you, didn't you? It used to be us...me and Remus...and James...and Yami...

Pettigrew wiped his face again; he was almost panting for breath.

Peter:Me, a spy...must be out of your mind...never...don't know how you can say such a --
Sirius:Lily and James only made you Secret-Keeper because I suggested it.I thought it was the perfect plan...a bluff...Voldemort would be sure to come after me, would never dream they'd use a weak, talentless thing like you...It must have been the finest moment of your miserable life, telling Voldemort you could hand him the Potters.
Hermione:Professor Lupin?Can -- can I say something?
Remus:Certainly, Hermione.
Hermione:Well -- Scabbers -- I mean, this -- this man -- he's been sleeping in Harry's dormitory for three years. If he's working for You-Know-Who, how come he never tried to hurt Harry before now?
Peter:There!Thank you! You see, Remus? I have never hurt a hair of Harry's head! Why should I
Sirius:I'll tell you why!Because you never did anything for anyone unless you could see what was in it for you. Voldemort's been in hiding for fifteen years, they say he's half dead. You weren't about to commit murder right under Albus Dumbledore's nose, for a wreck of a wizard who'd lost all of his power, were you? You'd want to be quite sure he was the biggest bully in the playground before you went back to him, wouldn't you? Why else did you find a wizard family to take you in? Keeping an ear out for news, weren't you, Peter? Just in case your old protector regained strength, and it was safe to rejoin him....

Pettigrew opened his mouth and closed it several times. He seemed to have lost the ability to talk.

Hermione:Er -- Mr. Black -- Sirius?

Dad jumped at being addressed like this and stared at Hermione as though he had never seen anything quite like her.

Hermione:If you don't mind me asking, how -- how did you get out of Azkaban, if you didn't use Dark Magic?
Peter:Thank you!Exactly! Precisely what I --

I silenced him with a look. Dad was frowning slightly at Hermione, but not as though he were annoyed with her. He seemed to be pondering his answer.

Sirius:I don't know how I did it...I think the only reason I never lost my mind is that I knew I was innocent. That wasn't a happy thought, so the Dementors couldn't suck it out of me...but it kept me sane and knowing who I am...helped me keep my powers...so when it all became...too much...I could transform in my cell...become a dog. Dementors can't see, you know...They feel their way toward people by feeding off their emotions...They could tell that my feelings were less -- less human, less complex when I was a dog...but they thought, of course, that I was losing my mind like everyone else in there, so it didn't trouble them. But I was weak, very weak, and I had no hope of driving them away from me without a wand....But then I saw Peter in that picture...I realized he was at Hogwarts with Harry...perfectly positioned to act, if one hint reached his ears that the Dark Side was gathering strength again.....ready to strike at the moment he could be sure of allies...and to deliver the last Potter to them. if he gave them Harry, who'd dare say he'd betrayed Lord Voldemort? He'd be welcomed back with honors....So you see, I had to do something. I was the only one who knew Peter was still alive...It was as if someone had lit a fire In my head, and the Dementors couldn't destroy it...It wasn't a happy feeling...it was an obsession...but it gave me strength, it cleared my mind. So, one night when they opened my door to bring food, I slipped past them as a dog...It's so much harder for them to sense animal emotions that they were confused...I was thin, very thin...thin enough to slip through the bars...I swam as a dog back to the mainland ...I journeyed north and slipped into the Hogwarts grounds as a dog. I've been living in the forest ever since, except when I came to watch the Quidditch, of course. You fly as well as your father did, Harry...

He looked at Harry, who did not look away.

Sirius:Believe me...Believe me, Harry. I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them...

"No!"

Pettigrew had fallen to his knees as though Harry's nod had been his own death sentence. He shuffled forward on his knees, groveling, his hands clasped in front of him as though praying.

"Sirius -- it's me...it's Peter...your friend...you wouldn't --"

Sirius kicked out and Pettigrew recoiled.

Sirius:There's enough filth on my robes without you touching them.
Peter:Remus!You don't believe this -- wouldn't Sirius have told you they'd changed the plan?
Remus:Not if he thought I was the spy, Peter.I assume that's why you didn't tell me, Sirius?
Sirius:Forgive me, Remus.
Remus:Not at all, Padfoot, old friend.And will you, in turn, forgive me for believing you were the spy?
Sirius:Of course.Shall we kill him together?
Remus:Yes, I think so.
Peter:You wouldn't...you won't..!Ron...haven't I been a good friend...a good pet? You won't let them kill me, Ron, will you...you're on my side, aren't you?
Ron:..I let you sleep in my bed!
Peter:Kind boy...kind master...You won't let them do it...I was your rat...I was a good pet....
Sirius:If you made a better rat than a human, it's not much to boast about, Peter.
Peter:Sweet girl...clever girl...you -- you won't let them...Help me....

Hermione pulled her robes out of Pettigrew's clutching hands and backed away against the wall, looking horrified.
Pettigrew knelt, trembling uncontrollably, and turned his head slowly toward Harry.

Peter:Harry...Harry...you look just like your father...just like him...
Sirius:HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HARRY?HOW DARE YOU FACE HIM? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES IN FRONT OF HIM?
Peter:Harry...Harry, James wouldn't have wanted me killed...James would have understood, Harry...he would have shown me mercy...
Sirius:You sold Lily and James to Voldemort!Do you deny it?My dear Yami had to die because of you!

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

Peter:Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord...you have no idea...he has weapons you can't imagine ...I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen...He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me --
Sirius:DON'T LIE!YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!
Peter:He -- he was taking over everywhere!Wh-what was there to be gained by refusing him?
Sirius:What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed?Only innocent lives, Peter!"
Peter:You don't understand!He would have killed me, Sirius!
Sirius:THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!
Remus:You should have realized,if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Good-bye, Peter.

Hermione covered her face with her hands and turned to the wall.

Harry:NO!You can't kill him.You can't.
Sirius:Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents.This cringing bit of filth would have seen you die too, without turning a hair. You heard him. His own stinking skin meant more to him than your whole family.
Harry:I know.We'll take him up to the castle. We'll hand him over to the Dementors...He can go to Azkaban...but don't kill him.
Peter:Harry!You -- thank you -- it's more than I deserve -- thank you --
Harry:Get off me.I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it because -- I don't reckon my dad would've wanted them to become killers -- just for you.He can go to Azkaban.If anyone deserves that place, he does....
Remus:Very well.Stand aside, Harry.I'm going to tie him up.That's all, I swear.But if you transform, Peter,we will kill you. You agree, Harry?

Harry looked down at the pitiful figure on the floor and nodded so that Pettigrew could see him.

Remus:Right,Ron, I can't mend bones nearly as well as Madam Pomfrey, so I think it's best if we just strap your leg up until we can get you to the hospital wing.

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

Ron:That's better,Thanks.
Hermione:What about Professor Snape?
Remus:There's nothing seriously wrong with him.You were just a little -- overenthusiastic. Still out cold. Er -- perhaps it will be best if we don't revive him until we're safety back in the castle. We can take him like this....

He muttered, "Mobilicorpus." As though invisible strings were tied to Snape's wrists, neck, and knees, he was pulled into a standing position, head still lolling unpleasantly, like a grotesque puppet. He hung a few inches above the ground, his limp feet dangling. Lupin picked up the Invisibility Cloak and tucked it safely into his pocket.

Sirius:And two of us should be chained to this,Just to make sure.
Remus:I'll do it.
Ron:And me.

Black conjured heavy manacles from thin air; soon Pettigrew was upright again, left arm chained to Lupin's right, right arm to Ron's left. Ron's face was set. He seemed to have taken Scabbers's true identity as a personal insult. Crookshanks leapt lightly off the bed and led the way out of the room, his bottlebrush tail held jauntily high.  

So,if this is the end of all the drama,then...I finally have my dad free and with me,safe and sound,and I'll be able to leave the orphanage and live with him!Yes!Oh,Great Salazar,that'd be just perfect!

~But that obviously wasn't the case,as the clouds that cloaked the full moon disappeared,exposing Moony to the terrible moonlight...without having taken the Potion...~