0283 Unacceptable

The tension in the air was palpable as the scene unfolded in the dimly lit clearing. Hagrid, bound by the constricting ropes, had fallen with a thunderous crash mere steps from Sirius, sending tremors through the earth beneath them. The dust and debris from the impact hung in the air, creating a haze that blurred the lines between friend and foe.

Harry, with reflexes honed in Quidditch, spun on his heel, his wand slicing through the air to point unerringly towards the source of the attack. Ron and Hermione, were only a fraction slower, their own wands emerging as extensions of their will, ready to defend against the unseen threat. It was only when the shadowy figure stepped into the faint moonlight, revealing the familiar contours of a human form, that the trio allowed themselves a momentary sigh of relief.

The newcomer was none other than Professor Lupin, his usually composed features marred by a pallor that spoke of exertion and haste. His chest heaved with the effort of his pursuit, and his clothes clung to his frame, damp with the sweat of his exertions.

"Professor Lupin, Hagrid was dealing with Sirius–" Harry began, his voice tinged with anger and confusion, but he was abruptly silenced by a sharp gesture from Lupin. The interruption left Harry bewildered; this was Sirius Black, the man who had betrayed his parents, and yet Lupin, his parent's old friend, showed no sign of anger, only a bone-deep weariness that seemed to emanate from his very soul.

Hermione's sharp intake of breath was audible in the sudden stillness, her hand flying to her mouth as her eyes widened in dawning horror.

"Hey!" The exclamation was torn from Hagrid's lips as he struggled against his bonds. The ropes, conjured by Lupin's deft magic, were resilient, and though Hagrid's immense strength allowed him to snap a few strands, they seemed to have a life of their own, twisting and writhing in the air before rejoining as if they had never been severed. Hagrid, unable to rise, could only glare balefully at Lupin as the professor strode past him without a word.

"Your magic is much worse than Bryan's, Remus. You injured me!" Hagrid's accusation was tinged with a mix of pain and indignation.

"Calm down, Hagrid," Lupin replied, his voice a soothing balm in the midst of chaos. His hair, usually so well-kept, was now a disheveled mess, clinging to his forehead in damp locks. He moved with purpose, bypassing Hagrid to approach Sirius, who had taken to the ground in a defensive posture to evade the stunning spell. Their eyes met, and in that silent exchange, volumes were spoken.

All eyes were drawn to Lupin, Harry's included. Yet, as he watched the professor, Harry felt a numbness creeping over him, leaching the strength from his limbs and leaving his gaze hollow. 

The spell he had cast had not touched Sirius, and now, with Hagrid incapacitated and Lupin present, the man he had believed to be the architect of his parents' deaths had nowhere to run. The Dementors would claim him, condemning Black to a life of torment and despair. And if the recent events were true, and Voldemort did indeed return, perhaps he would seek out his loyal servant. Harry's thirst for vengeance, it seemed, had been quenched by fate's cruel hand.

"What happened to Mr. Malfoy?" The question hung in the air, unexpected and jarring.

To their collective astonishment, Lupin's attention did not fixate on Sirius but instead turned to the prone form of Draco Malfoy, lying unconscious on the ground. It was a testament to Lupin's character, his role as an professor overriding any personal feelings he might have harbored towards Sirius. Yet, the gravity of the situation could not be ignored; Sirius Black was a wanted man, an alleged murderer.

Confusion clouded Hagrid's features, and Harry's eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement. Ron seemed oblivious to the undercurrents of tension, but Hermione's face was a mask of terror, her eyes wide with unspoken fears.

"I didn't do anything to him. He fainted on his own," Sirius stated, his tone clinical as Lupin knelt beside Draco, his wand casting a soft glow that illuminated the boy's pallid face. After a brief examination, Lupin's voice took on a grave form, "It might be the Imperius Curse."

'The Imperius curse? What curse was that?'

Harry felt like his brain was rusted, unable to comprehend what was happening before his eyes.

"I think so too," Sirius concurred, his voice devoid of triumph as he rose unsteadily to his feet. His gaze lingered on Draco's ashen features, a flicker of recognition crossing his face. "And it seems like this little guy has been under control for quite some time. Strange that no one noticed."

Suddenly, Sirius frowned, remembering the odd behavior he had witnessed from Draco when he saw him in Bryan's office.

"What's wrong?" Lupin inquired, his senses honed to detect any hint of danger.

"Nothing," Sirius replied, shaking his head slowly. Doubts about whether Bryan had perceived the same anomalies in Draco's demeanor nagged at him, but such concerns were moot now.

"By the way, how did you realize something was wrong?" Sirius's question was directed at Lupin.

"Thanks to our previous inventions," Remus said with a sinister gleam in his eyes. He glanced at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, whose expressions had turned dumbfounded. Then, he took out an old piece of parchment from his pocket and explained, 

"Before this, I left my office to go to the professor's restroom to freshen up. When I came back, this parchment was lying on my desk, and I was very curious about who put it there. I saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione leaving the castle in a hurry, so I looked for your name on the map. But unexpectedly, I saw Mr. Malfoy's and that person's name suddenly appear on the edge of the Forbidden Forest--"

The person who threw the map into Remus's office undoubtedly wanted to lure him out. There was no doubt about that, and the reason for doing so was likely to capture them all at once.

"Why do you have the Marauder's Map? It belongs to me—" 

If Harry still couldn't see that Black and Lupin were working together, then he was too foolish. He watched the two of them conversing in a familiar tone, his face expressionless, unable to describe his feelings. However, when he saw Black take the map from Lupin's hand, which should have belonged to him, he blurted out.

The sudden outburst from Harry drew the attention of the two men, their conversation halting as they turned to face the group. A moment of stillness ensued, before the realization dawned on Remus that the truth of Sirius's innocence remained unknown to the young wizards.

"Don't worry, Harry--" Remus said, exchanging another glance with Sirius. He took the initiative to explain, "There's a misunderstanding here. For certain reasons, we haven't had a chance to explain-"

"Is that so?" Harry's response was laced with venom, his green eyes alight with a fury born of betrayal. "You mean to say that you and Black are in league with one another?"

"Don't believe anything he says, Harry!" Hermione screamed immediately. "Don't trust him. He helped Black enter the castle on Halloween last year. He wants you dead, Harry. He's a werewolf!"

The silence that followed was deafening, the weight of Hermione's accusation hanging in the air like a guillotine poised to fall. All eyes turned to Lupin, who met their gazes with a calm that bordered on resignation, a faint smile playing upon his lips.

"I anticipated this. If any young wizard could figure out my identity, it would be you, Hermione. It's true that I am working with Sirius, but I wasn't the one who helped him enter the castle on Halloween last year."

"We'll talk about the werewolf matter later, Hermione—"

Not knowing when, Hagrid had already broken free from the ropes. He stood up from the ground, breathing heavily, as if he was about to explode.

"What are you saying, Remus? Are you admitting to the betrayal of Dumbledore's trust?"

"We can't waste any more time. Peter must be watching us somewhere. I know he's plotting to kill me, and he must not have known about our misunderstanding being resolved. Seeing this, he's likely preparing to escape!" Sirius said impatiently.

'Peter? Peter Pettigrew?'

The mention of Peter Pettigrew sent a ripple of disbelief through the group, but before they could process the revelation, Remus's voice cut through the tension.

"You're right, Sirius--"

Remus took a deep breath, his eyes alert as he glanced at the darkness surrounding them. He quickly said, "Give me five minutes to briefly explain the situation to you all--"

For the next few minutes, there was complete silence in the Forbidden Forest. Everyone remained quiet, trying their best to understand Remus's explanation. However, when Remus finished explaining the series of events involving the secret-keeper identities of Sirius and Peter, and when he mentioned the incident on Halloween last year when Sirius burst into the castle to kill the rat, Ron couldn't help but exclaim in excitement,

Ron's exclamation, a mix of disbelief and dawning comprehension, punctuated the silence. "Peter Pettigrew, the traitor to Harry's parents, has been hiding as my pet rat, Scabbers….... This is nonsense!"

"Expelliarmus!"

Just as Remus was trying to convince Ron, a suppressed roar came from a nearby tree. Two beams of piercing red light shot out from a certain spot, and both Remus's and Sirius's wands flew into the air. After arcing through the sky, they landed precisely in the hands of the person who had slid down from the tall tree trunk.

Upon hearing that familiar voice, everyone was stunned.

"It's rare that you're clear-headed, Mr. Weasley."

A sinister face, filled with extreme hatred, emerged from the darkness.

"I've had enough of your nonsense, werewolf!"

The night air was thick with tension, the forest around them a silent witness to the unfolding drama. Harry stood, his mind reeling from the rapid succession of revelations that had turned his world upside down. Professor Lupin, with the Marauder's Map clutched in his hand, had not come to capture Sirius Black but to stand by his side, revealing truths that shattered the narrative Harry had believed for so long.

Sirius Black, the man Harry had been told was the murderer of his parents, was innocent. The true villain was Peter Pettigrew, the dwarf man awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class, by the Ministry of Magic who had been hiding in plain sight as Ron's pet rat. The thought that he had been living with, and even caring for, the man responsible for his parents' deaths sent a shiver of horror through Harry's spine.

Neither Harry nor Ron could come to terms with this stagering new reality.

And then there was Snape, the professor who had always seemed to harbor a deep-seated animosity towards Harry. Now, his hatred was directed at Black and Lupin. With a swift and violent motion, Snape had disarmed them, rendering Lupin unarmed. His wand now pointed menacingly at Black's eye, Snape's face twisted with a loathing so intense it seemed he might strike the fatal blow at any moment.

At that moment, Harry couldn't tell whose hatred ran deeper as Snape and Black stared each other down.

"Say something," Snape demanded, his voice a venomous hiss, each word dripping with contempt. "Tell me that everything this werewolf lying on the ground said is false, Black. If you say so, I promise to give you a quick death. Come on, Black, say it!"

A terrifying light gleamed in Snape's dark eyes, his last word emerging as a menacing growl that seemed to echo through the forest.

In the eerie silence of the forest, a faint sigh was hidden among the rustling of the wind and leaves, unnoticed by anyone.

Sirius, faced with the prospect of his imminent demise, showed no trace of fear. Instead, a slight grin played upon his lips, his voice raspy but defiant.

"You're making a fool of yourself again, Severus. You haven't made any progress in all these years."

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