Miss Brightside

Chapter 26

"Back off, Harry."

Her friends gave her looks of betrayal. Harry most off all, "What the hell are you doing, Addi?"

"I'm not going to let you become a murderer over something you don't understand," She shot back giving him a pleading look that made him falter for a second. Only a second. 

He pulled his own wand out and pointed it at her with a blank face, "Get out of the way, Addison."

She winced as he said her full name, but stayed firmly planted in her spot, "No."

"Expelliarmus!" 

Harry's wand shot out of his hand, but it wasn't Addi who had cast the spell. Their heads swiveled to the hall where Remus Lupin stood holding the scarred boy's wand. "Don't threaten your best friend, Harry." He walked into the room towards Sirius and Addi, "Well, well Sirius. Looking rather ragged, aren't we? Finally, the flesh reflects the madness within."

Sirius grinned, "Bet you'd know all about the madness within, wouldn't you Remus?" They embraced each other in a hug, pulling back slightly, so they could continue to speak. "I found him!"

"I know, I understand-" Remus replied. 

"Let's kill him." Sirius told his friend, but was cut off by Hermione. 

"No!" She yelled. "I trusted you!" She directed her words toward Remus. "And all this time, you've been his friend. You've been manipulating Addi! She would never do this!" She turned to Harry and Ron, "He's a werewolf! That's why he's been missing classes."

A grim look settled on everyone's faces at her declaration. "How long have you known?" Remus asked her, looking briefly at Addi, whose wand was finally lowered. 

"Since Professor Snape set the essay," the girl replied. 

"Well, well, well, Hermione. You really are one of the brightest witches of your age, along with Addi here. She figured it out as well! And considering her defense of Sirius here, I'm assuming she figured out he was an animagus long ago. Isn't that right?"

She nodded, meeting eyes with her friends one at a time, "That's where I would disappear to every Hogsmeade trip. He was telling me the truth."

"What truth," Harry snapped, glaring holes into her.

"Enough talk, Remus!" Sirius interrupted them. "Come on, let's kill him."

"Wait-"

"I did my waiting! Twelve years of it! In Azkaban!" Sirius raged, and Remus gave in.

"Very well...kill him. But wait one more minute. Harry has a right to know why-"

"I know why," said boy stated. "You betrayed my parents. You're the reason they're dead."

Addi shook her head, "No, Harry, it wasn't him."

Remus nodded at her to confirm what she said was true, "Someone did betray your parents, but it was somebody I believed until quite recently to be dead."

"Who was it then?" Harry questioned, gaze moving between the three in front of him. Addi put her wand away, and held her hands by her sides to show she wasn't going to do anything to them.  

"Peter Pettigrew!" Sirius revealed. "And he's in this room! Right now! Come out, come out, Peter! Come out, come out and play!"

"Expelliarmus!" Snape burst into the room, disarming Remus before doing the same to Addi. Yet, since she wasn't holding her wand, the spell sent her flying into the adjacent wall. She slid down to the floor holding her head. 

"Addi!" Her friends shouted. Even though they didn't understand why she'd stood up for Sirius, they didn't want to see her hurt either. Remus rushed over to the girl, checking on her before turning to Snape with a deadly glare, but Snape ignored it and continued to focus on Sirius. 

"Ah, vengeance is sweet. I hoped I'd be the one to catch you." The man sneered. 

"Severus-" Remus tried to cut in, but was also subjected to the potionear's steely gaze.

"I told Dumbledore you were helping an old friend into the castle and now here's the proof. No doubt you also bewitched Miss Tyler to help you as well."

"Brilliant Snape," Sirius began. "Once again you've put your keen and penetrating mind to the task and as usual have come to the wrong conclusions! Now if you will excuse us, Remus and I have some unfinished business to attend to-"

Snape lurched forward, jabbing his wand into Sirius's neck, "Give me a reason. I beg you."

Remus stood from next to Addi," Severus, don't be a fool."

"He can't help it. It's habit  by now," Sirius blurted. 

"Sirius, you be quite."

"Oh, go bite yourself, Remus."

"Listen to you two," Snape snarled. "Quarreling like an old married couple."

"Why don't you run along and play with your chemistry set," Sirius bit back, shrinking away as Snape pressed his wand down harder.

"I could do it, you know?" He stated. "But why deny the dementors- they are so longing to see you. Do I detect a flicker of fear? The dementor's kiss, one can only imagine what that would be like to endure. It's said to be nearly unbearable to witness, but I will do my best."

"Severus please!"

"After you." Snape said, shoving Sirius forward. 

In a flash, Harry had snatched Hermione's wand and pointed it at Snape, "Expelliarmus!"

Snape was sent backward into the old bed, it collapsing from the sudden weight. His three friends gaped at him. Hermione turned to him, "What did you just do? You attacked a teacher!"

"He attacked an unarmed student," Harry replied, pointing his wand between the two grown men. "Tell me about Peter Pettigrew."

"He was at school with us, we thought he was our friend!" Remus told the boy, who was rather quick to deny his words.

"No, Pettigrew is dead. You killed him," He said, referring to Sirius.

"No, he didn't," Remus replied. "I thought so too, until you mentioned seeing Pettigrew on the map." 

"The map was lying then," the scarred boy told them as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"The map never lies!" Sirius shot back at him, helping Addi to her feet as she used the wall for support. "Pettigrew is alive...and he's right there."

Ron gave a gasp of disbelief as the convict pointed at him. "Me? He's mental!"

"Not you, Ronald. It's your stupid rat!" Addi sighed, wishing the ache in her head would go away. 

The boy shook his head, unable to grasp onto the information, "Scabbers has been in my family for-"

"Twelve years." Sirius cut in. "Curiously long life for a common barn rat. And he's missing a toe, isn't he."

"So what?" Ron asked, not seeing the point.

"The only thing they could find of Pettigrew was-"

"A finger!" Sirius confirmed Harry's words. "The coward cut it off, so that everyone would think he was dead, and then he transformed into a rat."

"Show me," Harry demanded him. Sirius nodded, walking over to Ron and trying to take the thing from him, but he would give it up. "Give it to him, Ron."

"What will you do to him?" Ron simpered. "Scabbers! Leave him alone. What are you doing?"

Addi moved over to him and kneeled to check on his leg, she was rather surprised when he pulled her into his arms. He held her tightly, and Addi rubbed his back trying to give him some sort of comfort. Together they watched as Remus and Sirius shot silent spells at the scampering rat. 

And before their eyes, a disheveled man appeared where there was once a rat.