𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 | Harry James Potter x Reader

YR 3 ☆•°~'* 13

AN - Thank you for over 400 reads! I hope you enjoy this chapter and please do leave comments and votes, they are highly appreciated!

❈🌠➵9¾♌ ⚯ 🗲━━━━━★. *･｡ﾟ✧⁺

A deafening silence met Sirius Black's words. Then Ron voiced what they were all thinking.

'You're both mental!'

'Ridiculous!' said Hermione faintly.

'Peter Pettigrew's dead!' said Harry, his temper rising again. 'He killed him twelve years ago!' He pointed at Black.

'I meant to,' he growled, 'but little Peter got the better of me... not this time, though!'

Scabbers writhed more violently than ever, squeaking loudly and trying to escape Ron's grasp. Black suddenly lunged at Scabbers and Ron yelled with pain as Black's weight fell on his broken leg.

'Sirius, no!' Lupin yelled and dragged Sirius Black away from Ron. 'you can't do it just like that - they need to understand - we've got to explain -'

'We can explain later!' snarled Black as he struggled against Lupin's grip. 

'No! Harry has the right to know the truth, Sirius!'

Black stopped struggling and leaned away, still staring at the squeaking rat with hatred etched on his face. 

'You're nutters, both of you,' said Ron shakily, then he tried to get up. 'I've had enough, I'm off-'

'You're going to hear me out, Ron,' said Lupin, pointing his wand at Scabbers. 'And keep a tight hold on Peter-'

'HE'S NOT PETER, HE'S SCABBERS!' Ron bellowed.

'Shut up, Ron!' said Y/N impatiently, getting up from the bed. 'I want to hear their explanation. Go on, tell us why you think that's Pettigrew,' she addressed Lupin and Black, her wand pointing at them.

'He can't be Pettigrew,' said Harry, looking at Lupin. 'A whole street of witnesses saw him die...'

'They didn't see what they thought they saw!' said Black savagely.

'I believed it was Sirius who killed Peter until tonight,' said Lupin quietly. 'The Marauder's Map never lies. Peter's alive, and Ron is holding him.'

'Ok, disregarding the map,' said Y/N. 'How can you identify that it's Peter and not just some random rat?'

'Well,' Lupin began slowly, looking around at Scabbers. 'I saw that he's missing a toe...'

'Okay...?' 

Then Y/N suddenly gasped.

'All they found from Peter-' Lupin began, but Y/N cut him off.

'A finger! All was left a finger...' 

She approached Ron and leaned down to have a closer look at Scabbers, who writhed more violently than ever. She grabbed him in a way he'd stop moving and peered at his toes. Indeed, a finger was missing.

'Y/N!' muttered Ron hoarsely. 'You can't possibly believe-'

She let go of the rat and looked back at Lupin and Black. What if it was just a lost toe because he got into a fight or something? How could they be sure?

'But Professor Lupin...' Hermione spoke in a trembling voice. 'Scabbers can't be Pettigrew, it just can't be true...'

'Why can't it be?' Lupin asked her calmly, as though they were in class.

'Because... Because Animagi have to register themselves... I looked it up when Professor McGonagall set us homework on them and an Animagus has to register and they have their markings and everything. The Ministry would know. And I had a look at the register, and there wasn't any Peter Pettigrew on it.'