Chapter 3

You know, it's the simple things in life that can bring a surprising amount of joy. Like the looks on everyone's face at the current situation.

From what I can tell from passive scanning, Sirius is having trouble trying to decide on what to deal with first. The fact that he might have a son he never knew he had, or dealing with the traitor once and for all.

This fact actually surprised me a little. Sirius in the book and movies gave off that manic vibe of singlemindedness to get at Pettigrew, which all things considered is quite understandable.

Sometimes I fear I'll never quite get over the fact this is now my life and I should stop treating everything I know from the story as if it's true in this world.

Rose, Hermione and Ron just look confused at the entire thing.

Lupin though, is giving me a considering look, as if he is just now noticing the similarities between Sirius and myself now that the two of us are side by side.

"Sirius." Lupin mutters to his friend. "He does look almost exactly like you did growing up, I think it might be possible."

Sirius turns back and forth between Remus and myself, as if just now taking in my features and realizing the quite remarkable resemblance to himself in his younger days.

"But how can it be. I always made sure to take precautions, and yeah it's true I got around quite a lot but.."

Lupin gives Sirius a blank stare as he blandly interrupts him. "Sirius, there's a reason your form is a 'dog'." Sirius flinches as he looks abashed. "There wasn't a week that went by that you didn't brag about your conquests increasing."

"Maybe so but I was always careful about certain kinds of things ok?" Sirius retorts back.

Rose, Hermione and Ron are just looking back and forth as the two adults talk about the accused murderer's love life in muted confusion at how things devolved to this point.

I myself decide that this might be a conversation for another time and point out possibly more important topics of discussion.

"Perhaps we should discuss this at a later date. Preferably after dealing with a certain person thought dead who might not be?" I say to get things back on track.

As if a switch is flipped a dark look comes over my father's eyes as he slowly turns in the direction of what half the room would think is Ron, but the other half knows is the animal held in his hands.

'Which I gotta say, Pettigrew certainly has his priorities straight. I couldn't help but notice out of the corner of my eye how he didn't stop once in trying to get away even after my reveal.' I think to myself. 'Have the years staying as a rat dulled his mind or maybe made him rely more on instinct than actual thought?'

At this, Rose decides to voice her thoughts. "I'd very much like to know about that. Who is this Peter Pettigrew."

Remus answers first. "He was at school with us, we thought he was our friend."

"And didn't you yourself kill him?" Rose directs to Sirius.

Remus jumps in front of Rose to keep her attention. "No he didn't. That is what I also believed until you mentioned seeing Pettigrew on the map."

"It's a map. It was wrong, or broken, it was lying."

Sirius finally interjects into the conversation. "The map never lies, Pettigrew's alive."

He points at Ron. "And he's right there!"

Everyone else looks at Ron, and Hermione and Rose turn back to Sirius as if to question his sanity while Ron shouts out. "Me? What is wrong with.."

Sirius gives a shake as he interrupts. "No not you!" He scoffs at the misunderstanding. "Your rat!"

"Scabbers is just a rat!" Ron defends his pet. "My family has had him for.."

"12 years!" Sirius points out before Ron can finish himself. "Quite the long life for a common garden rat wouldn't you say?!"

"He's also missing a toe is he not?" He points out with a gesture bring attention to the rodents front paw.

At this point Rose is starting to get a look of understanding about where this is going. "And all they could find of Pettigrew was his finger."

Sirius turns to Rose. "Yes! The bastard cut it off before running as a rat to make everyone think he was dead! And that I did it!"

"Show me." Rose demands.

"I believe I can be of assistance with that." I interject into the conversation.

With a wave of my hand Pettigrew is pulled out of Ron's hands to the center of the room, where a circle of glowing lines rapidly spin into existence under and around the rat as his form seems to shift and grow into that of a disheveled, heavyset, rodent of a man. The entire sequence of events taking but a moment but visibly distracting everyone else with the look on Hermione's face in particular being that of open curiosity and interest.

As Pettigrew seems to process the change, ethereal strings and ropes of magic snap up from the circle under him and pull his legs and arms back behind him to the floor, holding him in place in front of everyone.

"Comfy?" I ask him as If we were having a lovely chat and I had just shown him to his seating arrangement. Well, this is true in my opinion anyway, not so much for him.

A look of horror crosses his features as Sirius stalks slowly up to his bound form. "Hello.. old.. friend.." The look of glee and anticipation clear to everyone in his voice and on his face.

"Sirius.." Peter croaks out, voice scratchy from years of misuse. "Remus.. My old friends.."

The situation is clearly not in his favor.

"You are no friend of ours Peter." Lupin responds as he walks slowly to Sirius' left. "You lost that right when you sent James and Lily to their deaths. When you betrayed us all."

Terror starts to creep into Peter's countenance as the looks on the two's faces and the situation sets in. "You don't understand!" He screeches out. "You have no idea the kinds of weapons and magic the Dark Lord possesses! The things he could do!" Hysterically he shouts out, begging for any kind of understanding to his supposed plight. "What would have had me do!? What would you have hoped to do in my place!?"

Sirius roars in his face. "I would have died! I would have died rather than betray James and Lily! My Brother, my Family!" Spit flying out in his fervor. "As you should have done!"

Looking around in hysteria, Peter looks for any sign of saving, until his eyes land back on Rose who by this point has slowly walked closer to get a good look of her parents betrayer.

Hope seems to shine in his eyes as he grabs at anything he can to escape his situation. "Rose! James wouldn't have wanted to have me killed! He would have shown mercy! He wouldn't let them kill me!"

"My father isn't alive to have any say in what happens to you. You have yourself to blame for that." Anger and disgust grow on her face and in her tone as she spits in response.

Utter GLEE shows on Sirius' face as in the last few seconds he has grabbed a fallen wand and started back at the restrained Peter. "You should have known this day would come, that someday your sins would catch up to you. It's why you stayed hidden after all. Isn't it?" Sirius prepares to finish what he started when he saw peter in the paper before breaking out of prison.

More and more terror fills Peter as he twists his head to and fro for any kind of escape, trying everything he could to run. Whatever kind of magic it was that held him, not even a shred of his own was answering his call. Even his rat form fell from between his metaphorical fingers.

"Father."

Peter's eyes snap to mine at the sound and tone of my voice, as everyone else in the room suddenly remembers that I am also here.

"We should take him back to the castle father." I voice my opinion, as Hope blossoms in Pettigrew's entire form at what he thinks his is only salvation. "He will be needed to prove your innocence and attain your freedom."

The hope that he has dies a little at my comment, but it is the next words I speak that shatters it entirely. "Besides, I believe a vacancy has only recently opened up in Azkaban that needs a new occupant. Who knows if he would even make it that far and the minister doesn't just skip a trial and throw him to the Dementors."

This is the last thing Peter hears, as with a snap of my fingers, the magic below Peter flares and shifts as Peter's form is dragged into a beam down into the circle, leaving behind a small glowing cube.

"I know you want to kill him yourself Father, but Rose needs you free." I tell him gently as I lay a hand on his shoulder. "I need you."

Indecision wars inside him as he comes to terms with all that has happened tonight, and with a deep breath and nod, his form slumps from exhaustion. His feet taking him a few steps away from everyone as he takes a moment to get his thoughts in order.

Remus takes no time to think as he joins Sirius in quiet support. Rose, Hermione and Ron staring in the background to the two men grieving in silence.

d(^.^)

Things progressed faster as everyone decided it was best to head back to the castle to bring everything that happened here to the headmaster's attention. As everyone filed out of the house and down the stairs, Sirius and Rose were helping Ron as he complained to Sirius about his leg.

After a few moments I decided he'd suffered long enough as with a jab at his wounded foot, I healed the damage done.

With a grunt and stumble Ron's words of complaint cut off as he tests his full weight on his feet. "What the?" He questions.

"Easy enough to fix." I draw his attention as he sees my wand pull away from his feet.

Indecision crosses his features as he debates on a response. "Thanks I guess.." He finally grunts out after a moment, missing the grateful look on Rose's face.

"Don't mention it. Pretty sure it was unintentional on Sirius' part, he was probably aiming for the rat." I give him an easy out.

"I was in fact, sorry about that." Sirius adds.

Ron seems to let things go with the pain gone and only nods, walking on ahead out of the tunnel and onto the Hogwarts grounds.

The rest of us follow out behind him as we slowly start heading back to the castle. Rose and Sirius quietly talking and making plans for when everything is said and done.

I trail slowly behind Remus as I wait for what for now only I know is to come, or who knows, with the changes made so far I suppose it is possible we could make it back to the castle before the clouds clear and Remus sees the moon. As it stands the moon has been out for some time now and he still hasn't changed, what with being indoors and all.

Of course it is this thought that causes the world to go Gotcha Bitch! As the clouds part and Remus lets out a loud grunt, falling to the ground.

"Remus!" Sirius shouts as he rushes forward, taking him by the shoulders. "Did you not take your potion?!"

But all he says falls on deaf ears and Remus starts to change, his clothes ripping and tearing as his form twists and cracks and stretches, becoming a mockery of man and beast.

"Sirius!" I shout, trying to get his attention, as Rose backs up with Hermione and Ron to the base of the tree and entrance to the tunnel. "Sirius!" I Repeat a few times, each unsuccessful as the last.

"Father!" My words finally reach him as his eyes shoot to mine, Lupin's form almost completely turned.

"It's okay! Back away, I can handle this!" I implore him to see the truth of my words, to see the steadiness of my posture and determination in my eyes.

With a hesitant nod he quickly backs away to stand in front of the others.

Whatever he might be thinking, whatever everyone else might be thinking, what happened next was the last thing they might have thought would occur, as with a grunt and shudder my form shifts and grows. Taking only a second to grow more than a foot in height.

My form quickly twisting, fur black as night shooting out of my skin as my clothes seem to melt into my body. My face deforming and growing, my nose and mouth jutting out as hands and feet turn into claws, teeth to fangs, my eyes taking on a glowing silver, a long tail growing from my back.

To say they were surprised would be an understatement as horror fills my father's eyes, despair clouding his mind as he tries to process the truth of what he is seeing.

And yet there is also confusion there, as the form I take is not that of what he first believes.

And he would be right, for the form Remus now takes is as far apart as it could possibly be. Where as he is deformed and lanky, looking like a diseased beast, form hunched over. My form is tall and straight, as I move to interpose myself between Remus and the others. My fur shines with an almost luminescence as my eyes stay locked with the transformed professor in front of me.

Both of us are similar to what one would call a wolf, but we are very much different in almost all ways.

My father's thoughts, and I'd bet the others thoughts as well, including the recently appearing Snape, crash to a halt as a rough, gravelly voice sounds out from my form.

"Stay back. I'll hand things from here." My head turns slightly, as they see a single glowing, silver, eye take them in with all the intelligence that Remus currently lacks.

Lupin's form growls and roars at me in challenge, eyes locked on my form, recognizing the threat I pose.

I give a growl back in return as I slowly advance towards him, my full attention on his movements as I move to put a stop to his rampage before he could even begin.

'And in this I must succeed without causing too much harm. This is not his fault.' I think as we rush at each other with a roar.

d(^.^)