Bones

Chapter 17

        I had never been part of a stranger group. Crookshanks led the way down the stairs; Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron went next, looking like entrants in a six-legged race. 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. Me, 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. I could see them edging awkwardly along the tunnel in single file. Crookshanks was still in the lead. Harry and I went right after Black, who was still making Snape drift along ahead of them; he kept bumping his lolling head on the low ceiling. I had the impression Black was making no effort to prevent this.

        "You know what this means?" Black said abruptly to Harry as we made our slow progress along the tunnel. "Turning Pettigrew in?"

        "You're free," Harry said.

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

        "Yeah, I knew that," Harry said.

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

        There was silence.

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

        "What -- live with you?" Harry 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," Black said quickly. "I understand, I just thought I'd --"

        "Are you insane?" Harry said, his voice easily as croaky as Black's. "Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? 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!" Harry said.

        Black's gaunt face broke into the first true smile I had seen upon it.

        "Er - Mr. Black, sir," I said stepping forward.

        "Please call me Sirius," he said giving me the same look he gave Hermione earlier.

        "Yes, er - Sirius, how come you didn't try to tell Harry about Pettigrew before? I remember Harry telling us there was a black dog with him when he ran off from his home, that was you wasn't it?"

        Sirius nodded with a glint of astonishment. "It was. I was going to but then the Night bus came. I never got another opportunity," he said looking at Harry.

        We did not speak again until we 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 Ron clambered upward without any sound of savaging branches.

        Black saw Snape up through the hole, then stood back for me, Harry and Hermione to pass. At last, all of us were out.

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