previously

"You talk a lot, Snivellus," an unexpected voice scoffed. "FLIPENDO!"

"Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled—except that his wasn't the only voice that shouted. Hermione had tried to disarm him at the same time. 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.

"Ah, well, hello Potter," Cassiopeia spat, walking in and kicking a piece of rubble toward Snape.

"Black?" Potter said incredulously, his face morphing into one of disdain.

***********************

Cassiopeia just tilted her head in acknowledgment before flicking her black hair behind her shoulder.

Lupin grunted, struggling against his bonds.

"Moony," Cassiopeia rushed worriedly, not the only one who approached.
Sirius, too, bent down, his hands fiddling with the knot.

Cassiopeia gave him a look of utmost disdain as if he were something unpleasant at the bottom of her shoe

"Leave it," she spat before taking out her emerald dagger and cutting off the bonds.

 Lupin straightened up, rubbing his arms where the ropes had cut into them.

"Cassie," he said.

Sirius glanced at his use  of cassie's nickname and the lack of Cassiopeia's objection

"What are you doing—"

Cassie huffed. "Long story short—as I told you, I went to free the hippogriff. But when I reached Hagrid's, I only saw him weeping. So, I thought I missed the chance. Turning back, I see you rushing towards the willow and Snape following you like a bat."

Cassie snorted at the unconscious Snape.

 "So, professor moony, caught on yet?" turning back towards lupin

"You know?" Hermione asked, surprised.

Cassie turned to her, her nose wrinkled as if there was a bad smell. "Of course I do, Granger."

Silence filled the room as Cassiopeia looked around, her face in a frown. "You done with your story yet or not?" she asked, not looking at Sirius but clearly addressing him, 

"yes"

"I don't believe you," Harry said.

Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Then it's time we offered you some proof," said Lupin. "You, boy—give me Peter, please. Now."

Ron clutched Scabbers closer to his chest. "Come off it," he said weakly. "Are you trying to say he broke out of Azkaban just to get his hands on Scabbers? I mean..." He looked up at Harry and Hermione for support. "Okay, say Pettigrew could turn into a rat—there are millions of rats—how's he supposed to know which one he's after if he was locked up in Azkaban?"

"You know, Sirius, that's a fair question," said Lupin, turning to Sirius and frowning slightly. "How did you find out where he was?"

Sirius put one of his clawlike 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.

"How did you get this?" Lupin asked Sirius, thunderstruck.

"Fudge," said Sirius. "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..."

"My God," said Lupin softly, staring from Scabbers to the picture in the paper and back again. "His front paw..."

"What about it?" said Ron defiantly.

"He's got a toe missing," said Sirius.

"Of course," Lupin breathed. "So simple... so brilliant... he cut it off himself?"

"Just before he transformed," said Sirius. "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...."

"Didn't you ever hear, Ron?" said Lupin. "The biggest bit of Peter they found was his finger."

"Look, Scabbers probably had a fight with another rat or something! He's been in my family for ages, right—"

"Twelve years, in fact," said Lupin. "Didn't you ever wonder why he was living so long?"

"Not looking too good at the moment, though, is he?" said Lupin. "I'd guess he's been losing weight ever since he heard Sirius was on the loose again...."

"He's been scared of that mad cat!" said Ron, nodding toward Crookshanks, who was still purring on the bed.

"This cat isn't mad," said Sirius hoarsely. He reached out a bony hand and stroked Crookshanks's fluffy head. "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..."

"What do you mean?" breathed Hermione.

"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...."

"Enough of this," Cassiopeia spat, her face bored. "Force that bitch to show himself," she said, pointing at the squirming rat.

Lupin shrugged. "Not how I would have said it, but yes. Exactly."

Cassiopeia reached forward to take the squirming rat. Scabbers began to squeak without stopping, twisting and turning. Cassie held it tightly, his tiny  eyes bulging in his head. "Ready, Sirius?" said Lupin.

Sirius had already retrieved Snape's wand from the bed.

"Together?" he said quietly.

"I think so," said Lupin. "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. Harry saw his eyes dart to the door and back again.

Cassie frowned immediately, her face twisted with disgust. Every bit of the man screamed cowardice.

"Well, hello, Peter," said Lupin pleasantly, as though rats frequently erupted into old school friends around him. "Long time, no see."

"S -- Sirius... R -- Remus..." Even Pettigrew's voice was squeaky. Again, his eyes darted toward the door. "My friends... my old friends..."

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

"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 --"

"Remus," gasped Pettigrew, and Harry could see beads of sweat breaking out over his pasty face, "you don't believe him, do you...? He tried to kill me, Remus...."

"So we've heard," said Lupin, more coldly. "I'd like to clear up one or two little matters with you, Peter, if you'll be so --"

"He's come to try and kill me again!" Pettigrew squeaked suddenly, pointing at Sirius,"He killed Lily and James and now he's going to kill me too.... You've got to help me, Remus...."

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

"No one's going to try and kill you until we've sorted a few things out," said Lupin.

"Sorted things out?" squealed Pettigrew, looking wildly about him once more, eyes taking in the boarded windows and, again, the only door. "I knew he'd come after me! I knew he'd be back for me! I've been waiting for this for twelve years!"

"You knew Sirius was going to break out of Azkaban?" said Lupin, his brow furrowed. "When nobody has ever done it before?"

"He's got dark powers the rest of us can only dream of!" Pettigrew shouted shrilly. "How else did he get out of there?"

"You haven't been hiding from me for twelve years," said Sirius. "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 --"

"Don't know... what you're talking about...," said Pettigrew again, more shrilly than ever. He wiped his face on his sleeve and looked up at Lupin. "You don't believe this -- this madness, Remus --"

"I must admit, Peter, I have difficulty in understanding why an innocent man would want to spend twelve years as a rat," said Lupin evenly.

"Innocent, but scared!" squealed Pettigrew. "If Voldemort's supporters were after me, it was because I put one of their best men in Azkaban -- the spy, Sirius Sirius!"

Sirius's face contorted.

"How dare you," he growled, sounding suddenly like the bear-sized dog he had been. "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...."

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

"Me, a spy... must be out of your mind... never... don't know how you can say such a --"

"Lily and James only made you Secret-Keeper because I suggested it," Sirius hissed, so venomously that Pettigrew took a step backward. "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."

Pettigrew was muttering distractedly; Harry caught words like "far-fetched" and "lunacy," but he couldn't help paying more attention to the ashen color of Pettigrew's face and the way his eyes continued to dart toward the windows and door.

"Professor Lupin?" said Hermione timidly. "Can -- can I say something?"

"Certainly, Hermione," said Lupin courteously.

"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?"

"There!" said Pettigrew shrilly, pointing at Ron with his maimed hand. "Thank you! You see, Remus? I have never hurt a hair of Harry's head! Why should I?"

"I'll tell you why," Cassie scoffed 
 "Voldemort's been in hiding for fifteen years, he wasnt about to commit murder right under Dumbledore's nose. He just stayed around for news, didnt YOU, Pettigrew? Just in case your old protector regained strength, and it was safe to rejoin him...."

Pettigrew opened his mouth and closed it several times, backing away from the curly-haired witch who was glaring daggers at him.

"Er -- Mr. Sirius -- Sirius?" said Hermione.

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

"If you don't mind me asking, how -- how did you get out of Azkaban, if you didn't use Dark Magic?"

"Thank you!" gasped Pettigrew, nodding frantically at her. "Exactly! Precisely what I --"

But Lupin silenced him with a look.

"I don't know how I did it," he said slowly. "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...." He swallowed. "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...."

Pettigrew was shaking his head, mouthing noiselessly, but staring all the while at Sirius as though hypnotized.

"... 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...."

Cassiopeia looked stoic, her heart slightly crushing. Part of her was hoping he would at least have one bit of motive to relocate her. But no. just as before. Always for potter.

"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 with occasional visits to the Shrieking Shack. That's where Cassiopeia saw me." He said nonchalantly, not even looking at cassiopeia...his gaze fixed on harry with such love and care that cassiopeia wanted to puke.

" I stayed in hiding except when I came to watch the Quidditch, of course. You fly as well as your father did, Harry...."

Cassie looked away, blinking away any trace of a tear, something not unnoticed by Lupin.

sirius looked at Harry, who did not look away.

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

And at long last, Harry believed him. He nodded.

"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.

"There's enough filth on my robes without you touching them," said Sirius.

"Remus!" Pettigrew squeaked, turning to Lupin instead, writhing imploringly in front of him. "You don't believe this wouldn't Sirius have told you they'd changed the plan?"

"Not if he thought I was the spy, Peter," said Lupin. "I assume that's why you didn't tell me, Sirius?" he said casually over Pettigrew's head.

"Forgive me, Remus," said Sirius.

"Not at all, Padfoot, old friend," said Lupin, who was now rolling up his sleeves. "And will you, in turn, forgive me for believing you were the spy?"

"Of course," said Sirius, and the ghost of a grin flitted across his gaunt face. He, too, began rolling up his sleeves.

"Shall we kill him together?" "Yes, I think so," said Lupin grimly.

"You wouldn't... you won't...," gasped Pettigrew.

And he scrambled around to Ron. "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. But Ron was staring at Pettigrew with the utmost revulsion. "I let you sleep in my bed!" he said. "Kind boy... kind master..." Pettigrew crawled toward Ron

"You won't let them do it.... I was your rat.... I was a good pet...." "

If you made a better rat than a human, it's not much to boast about, Peter," said Sirius harshly.

Ron, going still paler with pain, wrenched his broken leg out of Pettigrew's reach.

Pettigrew turned on his knees, staggered forward, and seized the hem of Hermione's robes. "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 squirmed and turned to Cassiopeia, who was now flipping her dagger. "Don't even try. This dagger is just a slip away from your heart," she spat.

Peter squealed, backing away hastily. He knelt, trembling uncontrollably, and turned his head slowly toward Harry.

"Harry... Harry... you look just like your father... just like him...."

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HARRY?" roared Sirius. "HOW DARE YOU FACE HIM? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES IN FRONT OF HIM?"

"He didn't have any problem when this rat was talking to me," Cassiopeia huffed under her breath.

"Harry," whispered Pettigrew, shuffling toward him, hands outstretched. "Harry, James wouldn't have wanted me killed.... James would have understood, Harry... he would have shown me mercy..."

Sirius threw him backward onto the floor. He sat there, twitching with terror, staring up at them.

"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort," said Sirius, who was shaking too. "Do you deny it?"

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

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

"DON'T LIE!" bellowed Sirius. "YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!"

"He -- he was taking over everywhere!" gasped Pettigrew. "Wh -- what was there to be gained by refusing him?"

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

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

"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" roared Sirius. "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"

Sirius and Lupin stood shoulder to shoulder, wands raised.

"You should have realized," said Lupin quietly, "if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Good-bye, Peter."

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

"NO!" Harry yelled. "You can't kill him," he said breathlessly. "You can't."

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Seriously?"

Sirius and Lupin both looked staggered.

"Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents," Sirius snarled. "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."

"I know," Harry panted. "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."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Cassie spat.

"Harry!" gasped Pettigrew, and he flung his arms around Harry's knees. "You -- thank you -- it's more than I deserve -- thank you --"

"Get off me," Harry spat, throwing Pettigrew's hands off him in disgust. "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."

"It's a good thing your dad didn't know me then," Cassie smirked. "Ligare Anguis!" she commanded.

(idk why i laughed so much writing thiS)

In an instant, thick cords burst forth from her wand, snaking their way towards Peter and wrapping around him with a forceful grip.

Peter let out a loud scream as the cords tightened around him, hovering him in the air.

Hermione squealed, and Harry shouted, grasping Cassie's hand, trying to pull it down.

In one swift motion, Cassie took out the dagger from her other hand, keeping the grip on her wand.

 "Stay out of this, Potter. This is not the time to play your oh-so-compassionate Boy Who Lived. Even this rat's dead body will be enough to prove the truth."

Peter gasped, the cords tightening around his neck. "Die, you rat," Cassie whispered, her grey eyes glinting murderously.

"Cassiopeia," Sirius began, stepping forward. "Stop. Harry is the only person who has the right to decide."

Cassiopeia spat in anger, her grip tightening on her wand. "He just needs an excuse to be the mighty glorious  Boy Who Lived again." her eyes never leaving the squirming man.

"I'm not doing this for glory," Harry shouted

"Cassie, enough!" Lupin said firmly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Cassie faltered, her grip loosening. She glanced at Lupin, desperation and anger in her eyes. "Come on, Professor Moony, you get it, right? Do you think this bloody coward deserves mercy? After everything he's done?"

"No, he doesn't," Lupin said firmly. "But he can go to Azkaban."

Cassiopeia's gaze bore into Lupin's, who gave her a nod. Slowly, reluctantly, she lowered her wand. The cords around Pettigrew loosened, and he dropped to the floor, gasping for breath.

"Mercy has a price, Professor. Make sure you're willing to pay it," she warned, her voice cold.

With that, she turned towards Pettigrew, who was cowering on the floor. 

"You are lucky he was here," she spat at the trembling man. "And for your sake, you better hope you don't escape Azkaban. If you do, we'll give you a much worse death."

Cassie turned away from Pettigrew with a sneer, Her eyes flicked to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were watching the scene unfold with wide eyes...Their faces filled with disdain

"Pathetic," she muttered, 

Harry, glanced at her warily.

Ron, still clutching his injured leg, glared at her. "You nearly killed him!"

"And I would've been doing the world a favor," she snapped back. "But, of course, you'd rather play hero and let him live."

Lupin, sensing the tension escalating, stepped between them. "Cassie, that's enough. We've got him now. Let's just get back to the castle."

"I'm going to tie him up," said Lupin.

Thin cords shot from Lupin's wand this time, and the next moment, Pettigrew was wriggling on the floor, bound and gagged.

"But if you transform, Peter," growled Sirius, his own wand pointing at Pettigrew too, "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.

"Right," said Lupin, suddenly businesslike. "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.

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

"What about Professor Snape?" said Hermione in a small voice, looking down at Snape's prone figure.

"There's nothing seriously wrong with him," said Lupin, bending over Snape and checking his pulse. "You were just a little overenthusiastic. Still out cold. Er -- perhaps it will be best if we don't revive him until we're safely back in the castle. We can take him like this...."

"Do we have to" cassie groaned

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.

"And two of us should be chained to this," said Black, nudging Pettigrew with his toe. "Just to make sure."

"I'll do it," said Lupin.

"And me," Cassie said savagely.

Black conjured heavy manacles from thin air; soon Pettigrew was upright again, left arm chained to Lupin's right, right arm to Cassie's left.

Cassie glared at Pettigrew, her contempt unmistakable. "If you so much as twitch the wrong way, I'll make sure you regret it," she hissed.

*********************************************

Getting back into the tunnel was difficult. Lupin, Pettigrew, and Cassie had to turn sideways to manage it; Lupin still had Pettigrew covered with his wand while Cassie had her dagger out. They moved in a single file, with Crookshanks still in the lead. Harry followed right after Sirius, who was still making Snape drift along ahead of them, Snape's head bumping against the low ceiling.

"You know what this means?" Sirius said abruptly to Harry as they made their slow progress along the tunnel.

Cassie's ears perked up as she overheard.

"Turning Pettigrew in?"

"You're free," said Harry.

"Yes...," said Black. "But I'm also -- I don't know if anyone ever told you -- I'm your godfather."

"Yeah, I knew that," said Harry.

"Well... your parents appointed me your guardian," said Black stiffly. "If anything happened to them..."

"I'll understand, of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle," said Black. "But... well... think about it. Once my name's cleared... if you wanted a... a different home..."

Cassie's heart felt as if it exploded. Her eyes stung, and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying out. Her hands clenched into tight fists, her knuckles white. She felt a burning anger Of course, he would ask his godson to live with him rather than his own daughter.

Lupin did not miss her reaction. "Cassie," he whispered, "I'm sure he didn't mean—"

"You heard him, Lupin," Cassie said coldly, not letting her voice crack

Meanwhile, Harry was having a field day. "Are you insane?" said Harry, his voice as croaky as Sirius's. "Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in?"

Sirius turned right around to look at him; Snape's head was scraping the ceiling, but Black didn't seem to care. "You want to?" he said. "You mean it?"

"Yeah, I mean it!" said Harry.

Cassie kept her face stoic despite the wrenching emotions inside. Lupin glanced worriedly towards her.

They did not speak again until they had reached the end of the tunnel.

Crookshanks darted up first; he had evidently pressed his paw to the knot on the trunk, because Lupin, Pettigrew, and Cassie clambered upward without any sound of savaging branches. Sirius saw Snape up through the hole, then stood back for Harry, Hermione, and Ron to pass. At last, all of them were out.

The grounds were very dark now; the only light came from the distant windows of the castle. Without a word, they set off. Pettigrew was still wheezing and occasionally whimpering.

Silently, they tramped through the grounds, the castle lights growing slowly larger. Snape was still drifting weirdly ahead of Black, his chin bumping on his chest. And then—

A cloud shifted. There were suddenly dim shadows on the ground. Their party was bathed in moonlight. Snape collided with Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron, who had stopped abruptly. Black froze. He flung out one arm to make Harry and Hermione stop.

Cassie froze, her heart pounding.

She could see Lupin's silhouette. He had gone rigid. Then his limbs began to shake.

"Oh, my—" Hermione gasped. "He didn't take his potion tonight! He's not safe!"

"Run," Black whispered. "Run. Now."

Cassie was paralyzed. Her mind had gone blank. She could hear Harry, Ron, and Hermione backing away and Sirius trying to get her to move.

"Moony," she whispered.

There was a terrible snarling noise. Lupin's head was lengthening. So was his body. His shoulders were hunching. Hair was sprouting visibly on his face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws.

As the werewolf reared, snapping its long jaws, Sirius yelled, "Run, Cassiopeia!" before turning into a huge black dog.

Cassiopeia snapped out of her stupor, tugging at the heavy restraints that bound Pettigrew to her. She reached forward, attacking the restraints with her dagger.

As the werewolf wrenched itself free of the manacle binding it, it took a huge swipe at her. Its huge claws grazed along Cassie's free arm.

Cassie gave an anguished scream, her arm feeling as if it were on fire. Blood poured from the deep gashes, and she stumbled backward, clutching her arm in pain.

Pettigrew saw an opportunity and harshly yanked away, squeezing Cassie's injured arm with cruel force. Cassie gasped in pain, her vision spotting as she scrambled for her wand.

Too late. Pettigrew had already transformed. Cassie saw his bald tail whip through the manacle and heard a scurrying through the grass toward the Forbidden Forest.

"That fucking coward!" Cassie yelled, running after him. She tried to keep sight of the small figure in the darkness, her arm freely bleeding and growing numb.

Her breath came in ragged gasps as she stumbled through the uneven terrain,

she could see the faint outline of Pettigrew's rat form darting through the underbrush. entering the forbiddened forest

"You won't get away!" she hissed through gritted teeth 

"Petrificus Totalus!" she shouted, aiming at the scurrying figure. The spell shot through the air, missing Pettigrew by inches as he zigzagged through the forest floor.

The forest seemed to close in around Cassie,  Twisted branches reached out like gnarled fingers, and the ground was uneven, littered with roots and fallen leaves. Her breathing was ragged, the pain in her arm becoming unbearable as blood continued to flow freely. She stopped against a tree, panting heavily.

Cassie looked at the wound on her arm. it wouldnt turn her into a werewolf, but it would definitely leave a scar. She winced, trying to ignore the throbbing pain. Just then, she heard a small shuffle ahead.

Her adrenaline surged again, and she pushed off the tree, heading further into the darkness. Suddenly, her foot caught on a long vine, and she tripped, crashing to the ground. She fell hard, the impact jolting her injured arm and sending a fresh wave of pain through her body.

"Stupid plants!" she spat, angrily swiping at the vine with her dagger. She managed to cut it, but the vine seemed to react, coiling around her legs even tighter as if in retaliation.

Cassie struggled, her frustration mounting. "Incendio!" she shouted, aiming her wand at the vine. Flames erupted, and the vine caught fire, quickly disintegrating.

She gasped as the fire left a burn on her leg,

Cassie tried to stand up, only to gasp louder in pain. Her leg was sprained from the fall, making it difficult to put any weight on it. She looked around, realizing she was too deep in the forest; anything could be lurking in the shadows, and she had no way of knowing which direction led back to safety.

Frustration bubbled up inside her, and she huffed, sliding down to lean against a tree. Her eyes stung, but she refused to let the tears fall, nursing her injured arm.

In the distance, she heard a loud howl. Cassie stopped, her eyes scanning the dark forest, straining to see anything moving in the gloom. Moments later, she heard galloping, the sound growing closer and closer.

Cassie froze, her heart pounding in her chest. Her body was gripped by fear, making her breath come in quick, shallow bursts. Her hands trembled, her mouth went dry, and a cold sweat broke out across her skin. She tried to run, but her sprained leg gave out, causing her to stumble and fall again.

She could almost see huge, glinting amber eyes approaching through the darkness. She knew her spells wouldn't be useful against a fully fledged werewolf, and she didn't want to use any dark spells that could harm Lupin. The approaching sound was louder than ever, and Cassie closed her eyes, bracing herself for the worst.

Suddenly, a pair of arms grabbed her and harshly pulled her behind a tree. Cassie's eyes flew open, her mouth opening to scream, but a warm hand quickly covered it. Her heart pounded wildly as she struggled against the grip, her eyes wide with fear and confusion.

*********************


AHAHAHHHHH WHO IS IT THAT SAVED CASSIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MAKE UR GUESSES

AND GIVE FEEDBACK!!!

3 MORE CHAPS I THINK

THEN ILL TRY AND KEEP 2 BONUS YEAR END CHAP!!!

ps- I stayed up all night writing and editing this- so yeah- hopefully dint miss out any finer points

Also- i think i mis calculated--- next chap will be better- primarily cos it will be my orignal!!!!!!!!!!

till next time

byweioi

Mx riddle