The Gryffindor Royal - Year Three

Chapter Twelve

But it was too late. Professor Lupin had already begun his transformation into the dreaded beast that was the werewolf. Sirius tapped the general area of Remus' heart, trying to get him to remember who he truly was, but it didn't do much. Harry and Shelena raced back to Ron, (Y/N) and Hermione, helping Ron get to his feet in case they needed to escape. Remus let out a guttural cry, and the sound of bones cracking amplified, causing the five younger Gryffindors to wince.

In all the chaos, Pettigrew seized his chance to grab a wand and try to magic the binds around him off, but Harry caught him, raising his own wand and saying, "Expelliarmus!" loudly. Pettigrew's temporary wand flew out of his hand, but he didn't let that stop him. With a sinister grin and a wave, the five watched in horror as Pettigrew shrunk to the size of a rat, and morphed into Scabbers once again. Shelena dashed after Pettigrew at top speed, filled with rage at the suffering he'd caused her father to go through. Harry and Hermione, both responsible for holding Ron up, could not chase after her.

So (Y/N) did. She jumped over a tree root and ran as fast as her aching legs could carry her, cursing Shelena's dark clothes and the canopy of dense tree tops blocking the moon. She had to rely on Shelena's constant shouts of, "COME FACE ME LIKE A MAN, COWARD!" to find the girl. But then they stopped. The eerie silence freaked (Y/N) out. She lunged blindly around in the darkness, calling her friend's name with fear running through her veins.

Whining and growling could be heard in the distance, and she chalked that up to Professor Lupin having morphed into a werewolf, but she still shivered in the uncomfortably chilly night breeze. "Shelena!" She yelled, suddenly remembering her wand was in her pocket. "Lumos!" The light brought (Y/N) some comfort, but she still fidgeted with the hem of her shirt as she stumbled around, tripping on fallen branches and roots as she tensed up from the painful stinging sensation her new cuts brought her.

Thankfully, it wasn't in vain. She found Shelena slumped against a thick tree trunk, muttering a string of curses, and the occasional failed healing spell as she tried to mend her cuts and wounds. Similarly to (Y/N), her legs and arms were dotted with horrible wounds, but as (Y/N) held her lit wand closer to Shelena, she noticed little bite marks on her legs, as well as the odd position her left ankle was in. "What on earth happened?" (Y/N) gasped, pulling out her wand and casting one or two simple Healing spells. "That arse of a Pettigrew, that's what. I caught him, then he bit me no end! My ankle might be broken, too. And now he's run away..." Shelena looked sadly into the darkness ahead of her. With Pettigrew gone, there was no way to prove her father was innocent.

"We can worry about him later," (Y/N) said firmly, hoisting Shelena up and wrapping her arm around her friend. "C'mon, you need a trip to the hospital wing." By the time (Y/N) hauled Shelena back to where she'd left Ron, Harry, Hermione, Lupin and Sirius, they were all gone. She heard the occasional howl, but nothing too exciting. "Must've taken us, what, almost half an hour to get out of there?" (Y/N) said breathlessly, as she continued up the hill toward the castle.

Shelena didn't know how long it took, nor did she care. The only thought in her mind was that she'd found her father, and he wasn't a murderer; on the contrary, he was one of the coolest people she'd met! And even better, he'd offered for her and Harry to stay with him during the holidays! "I can't believe I finally met my dad," Shelena said, breaking the silence. "Dumbledore told me, just before I came to Hogwarts, the truth about my father. He gave me the option of telling everyone who I was, or to keep it a secret." She sighed and took in the silence around her. "I knew I'd never find any friends if I told people my parentage. Plus, Sirius didn't raise me with my mum. She was a close friend of his, nothing else. He was in love with someone else, and planned to bring me up with him..."

(Y/N) blinked in surprise. "Him?" she repeated. "Well, that was unexpected." Shelena nodded. "I never knew who it was. But I think I do know. It's Professor Lupin." The two girls had now crossed the threshold of the castle, and (Y/N) nearly dropped Shelena. "Lupin?" she echoed, looking stunned. Shelena chuckled at her reaction. "I know it's hard to believe, but think about it. Remember his reaction when he saw me on the train? And although he tries not to, he doesn't always treat me the same as everyone else. He doesn't even blink an eye when I don't submit my essays on time! And did you see the way Professor Lupin embraced Sirius just now? Plus, when he was telling Sirius about me, he addressed me as 'our'."