𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀.

twenty seven.

   Jovie paced back and forth as she ran her hands frantically through her hair, constantly tripping over her own feet. She bit into her lip, finally stopping herself as she heard a pair of footsteps.

   Snape rounded the corner, his lips pursed, "are you ready?"

   The blonde nodded curtly, following him down the hall. He led her through the halls before they made it outside, making their way around the castle until the whomping willow was in sight.

   Jovie slowed her pace as they neared the tree, its branches not moving as the wind blew its leaves around.

   Just as she opened her mouth to ask why Snape grabbed her hand, pulling her over to a nearby ledge, the same one they had hidden under to capture Tundra.

   "Snape? What's going on? Where's the surprise?" she was growing constantly more anxious. She shouldn't have trusted him.

   Remus was right, she was too kind.

   Jovie stood to leave, Snape grabbing her arm to pull her back down. The blonde tried to tug her arm away, "let me go! You're hurting me!"

   Snape shook his head, "just wait-"

   Just then a deer appeared, dashing out from a small space beneath the tree. It pranced around, Jovie watching it in fascination. She squinted her eyes, noticing a big rat seated on its head.

   She watched them run around, both seemingly very happy. A moment later a big black dog appeared, chasing after the two. Jovie was worried for a moment before she realized it looked as though they were playing tag.

   What a strange group.

   She was about to turn to Snape again when one more creature appeared. It was a wolf, sort of, the wolf was huge and had scars covering it's back, nonetheless it joined in to play with the other animals.

   Jovie blinked in confusion, "seriously what's going on?"

   The wolf suddenly stopped its playing as it began to sniff the air urgently, running his nose along the ground. It began to near the ledge, the dog suddenly pouncing on the wolf and throwing it away.

   The dog looked over its shoulder to the two, Jovie's eyes widening.

   Sirius bloody Black.

   Snape tugged Jovie's arm, "let's go, come on!"

   Jovie went to stand, falling back to the ground as she realized her shoe was wedged between the ledge and the dirt, not budging. "I'm stuck!"

   Snape knelt, trying to wiggle her foot out of its place. He looked up again at the dog now on its side trying to pull itself to its feet slowly, bloody drenching the grass.

   The deer was stationed in front of the ledge, using its antlers to try and steer the wolf away but it was unbudging. The wolf pounced on the deer, biting into its side and throwing it aside.

   Snape's eyes widened, his grip on the shoe loosening as the wolf neared them. He looked back to Jovie's teary eyed face, the girl now frantically trying to unlace her shoe and slip her foot out.

   "I'm sorry," he took off, running away as Jovie watched him go, her mouth agape.

   Jovie looked up with wide eyes as the wolf began to approach her, fumbling with her shoe messily. She finally got her foot free just as the wolf pounced, throwing her to the ground.

   "Please," she sobbed, hyperventilating as the huge wolf hovered over her, slobber dripping down her cheek as it bared its teeth. She cried, "please don't."

   Panic rose in her chest and she couldn't see through her tears. The wolf seemed to not understand a word she said as it dug its claws into her arms, the girl crying out in pain. He raised a paw, swiping it across her face as if to shut her up.

   Jovie bit into her tongue as blood dribbled down from her face to her lips. She felt the wolf's eyes sharpen, the creature ready to take her life when suddenly it was thrown away, the deer back on its feet.

   It stabbed an antler into the wolf's side, stomping its feet in anger. The wolf seemed to have had enough, digging its claws into the deers side. The animal let out a wince, sinking to the floor as it slowly took a different form.

   One of a boy.

   Jovie felt her heart sink, slowly willing herself to stand, She made her way over to James lying in the grass and quickly draped her jacket around his body. She shook his shoulder, "James wake up, come on."

   She tried to ignore the stinging in her arms and blood clouding her vision. The wolf was staring at them, glaring more like it. He took a slow step forward before stopping, noticing something in front of him.

   It was the rat from earlier, shaking as it held its ground.

   Peter.

   Everything was falling into place. Remus' sickness, James being an animagus, it all made sense. Which meant this wolf-

   It was Remus.

   Remus swiftly knocked the rat away, continuing on his path towards his two friends, before he was interrupted yet again.

   Sirius stood shakily in front of his best friends, holding up his wand. He was wearing torn pants unlike James, and he had a gaping scar across his chest.

   And he was crying.

   He sucked in a breath, "this is all my fault, I'm so sorry."

   Jovie hugged James closer to her, more tears falling down her cheeks, "what're you talking about?! Sirius answer me please!"

   Sirius just straightened his arm, "Petrificus totalus!" He froze Remus, falling to the ground the moment his job was finished.

   Jovie looked around at her bloody and hurt friends, her heart tearing in two. She raised her eyes to the sky, expecting to see pitch black but instead met with a warm orange.

   The sun was rising.