Josephine had never been part of a stranger group. Crookshanks led the way down the stairs; Lupin, Pettigrew, Hermione, 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. Harry and Josephine brought up the rear.
"You made the right decision," Josephine said quietly.
"Did I?" Harry asked flatly, his eyes darting toward Pettigrew. His eyes darkened with hatred each time he did.
"Yes," she assured. "They shouldn't have to be the ones to do it. They lost too much already...They want to now, but that sort of thing carries a heavy weight. No one says anything good about revenge."
It was also a one-way trip to Azkaban, if anyone ever found out.
Harry made a noise of agreement.
"What're you gonna say to Snape when he wakes up?" Harry asked gruffly. He sounded nervous for her.
Her chest felt tight. "Hmm, I'm hoping he doesn't remember," she confessed. "But if he does, then I'll probably just apologize and hope he doesn't hate me."
She already had a father anyway. If Snape hated her for that, then he didn't deserve her. She'd tell herself that until she tricked herself into believing it.
"I don't think it's possible for him to hate you," Harry surmised. "Or anyone, really."
His words were effective for boosting her ego and mood. Harry was good at that sort of thing. His pep talks seemed to work.
"Well, I hope so," she muttered, nudging him. "If he does, I never said that, and I don't care."
"Okay," Harry laughed.
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. She could see them edging awkwardly along the tunnel in a single file. Crookshanks was still in the lead.
As Sirius started looking back at Harry, Josephine moved forward, falling into step with Hermione until they reached the end of the tunnel. Crookshanks darted up first; he pressed his paw to the knot on the trunk, which did something to the tree since Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron clambered upward without the sound of wildly swinging branches.
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. She didn't miss the looks he kept sending her, either.
Silently, they tramped through the grounds, the castle lights growing slowly larger. Snape was drifting weirdly ahead of Sirius.
And then a cloud shifted. There were suddenly dim shadows on the ground. Their party was bathed in moonlight.
Snape collided with Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron, who had stopped abruptly. Sirius froze. He flung out one arm to make Harry, Josephine, and Ron stop.
She could see Lupin's silhouette. He'd gone rigid. Then, his limbs began to shake. Her heart sunk, skipping a beat before booming with fear.
"Oh, my," Hermione gasped. "He didn't take his potion tonight! He's not safe!"
"Run," Sirius whispered. "Run now."
But Josephine couldn't run, not when Ron was chained to Pettigrew and Lupin. She jumped forward, but Sirius caught her around the chest and threw her back into Harry.
"Leave it to me, run!"
There was a terrible snarling noise. Lupin's head was lengthening. So was his body. His shoulders were hunching. Hair was sprouting visibly on his face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws.
YOU ARE READING
No Goodbyes \ Ron Weasley
Fanfiction"You said it was unimportant, Joe! This is monumentally important!" "A foe like she'd never known." "Friendship was going to be the only way to get through this." "He looked at her, actually looked at her, and wondered how anyone who saw her didn't...
