Anchor~ Harry James Potter

3.17-Believe me-

Celeste had never been part of a stranger group. Crookshanks led the way down the stairs; Remus, Pettigrew, and Ron went next. Celeste was laughing because they looked like entrants in a six-legged race.

Celeste was walking behind the three. She found it highly amusing how they were all walking back to the castle, like this. It caused her to giggle to herself, every few moments.

Next came Professor Snape, drifting creepily along, his toes hitting each stair as they descended, held up by his own wand, which was being pointed at him by Sirius. Harry and Hermione brought up the rear.

Getting back into the tunnel was difficult. Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron had to turn sideways to manage it; Lupin still had Pettigrew covered with his wand.

Crookshanks was still in the lead. Harry went right after Black, who was still making Snape drift along ahead of them; he kept bumping his lolling head on the low ceiling. Harry had the impression Black was making no effort to prevent this.

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

Harry waited. Did Black mean what he thought he meant?

"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... with Celeste and her mother if she believes me too..."

Some sort of explosion took place in the pit of Harry's stomach.

"What — live with you?" he said, accidentally cracking his head on a bit of rock protruding from the ceiling. "Leave the Dursleys?"

"Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to," said Black quickly. "I understand, I just thought I'd —"

"Are you insane?" said Harry, his voice easily as croaky as Black's. "Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! When can I move in?"

Black 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.

Black's gaunt face broke into the first true smile Harry had seen upon it. What the two hadn't realised was Celeste was listening in to the conversation.

She was a bit jealous that her dad talked to Harry before he got the chance to talk to her, but she understood. Harry didn't have anyone, she had her mom and Remus, Harry had the Dursley's who treated him like shit. So she just held her head high and walked on, after Ron.

Crookshanks darted up first; he had evidently pressed his paw to the knot on the trunk, because Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron clambered upward without any sound of savaging branches.

Celeste followed out, limping, but she made it. Her ankle was now throbbing in pain but she still moved. She would get it checked by Madame Pomfrey, when she's back at the castle.

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.

"One wrong move, Peter," said Lupin threateningly ahead. His wand was still pointed sideways at Pettigrew's chest.

"Yeah mouse." Celeste called out, "One fucking wrong move and you're done. Moony will have you snapped in half, just like that." She snapped her fingers and Peter flinched.