A Life Changing Story "Harry Potter and Percy Jackson

Part 12

thinking about what hewas doing, he made to turn back, but Percy grabbed his arm.
"No Harry."
"But..."
"We can't," said Ron, who was paper-white. "He'll be in worsetrouble if they know we've been to see him. . . ."
Hermione's breathing was shallow and uneven."How — could — they?" she choked. "How could they?"
"Come on," said Ron, whose teeth seemed to be chattering.
They set off back toward the castle, walking slowly. The light was fading fast now. By the time they reached open ground, it was dark.
"Scabbers, keep still," Ron hissed, clamping his hand over his chest. The rat was wriggling madly. "What's the matterwith you, you stupid rat? Stay still — OUCH! He bit me!"
"Ron, be quiet!" Hermione whispered urgently. "Fudge'll be outhere in a minute —""He won't — stay — put —"
"What's the matter with him?"
Percy and Harry have seen it. Crookshanks.
"Crookshanks!" Hermione moaned. "No, go away, Crookshanks! Go away!"
But the cat was getting nearer —
"Scabbers — NO!"
the rat had slipped between Ron's clutching fingers,hit the ground, and scampered away. In one bound, Crookshankssprang after him, and before anyone could stop him,Ron had thrown the Invisibility Cloak off himself and pelted awayinto the darkness.
"Ron!" Hermione moaned.
She and Harry looked at each other, then followed at a sprint; itwas impossible to run full out under the cloak. Percy however, was full on sprint invisible.
"Get away from him — get away — Scabbers, come here —"
There was a loud thud.
"Gotcha! Get off, you stinking cat —"
Harry and Hermione almost fell over Ron; they skidded to astop right in front of him. He was sprawled on the ground, butScabbers was back in his pocket; he had both hands held tight overthe quivering lump.
"Ron — come on — back under the cloak —" Hermionepanted. "Dumbledore — the Minister — they'll be coming backout in a minute —"
But before they could cover themselves again, before they couldeven catch their breath, they heard the soft pounding of giganticpaws. . . . Something was bounding toward them, quiet as ashadow — an enormous, pale-eyed, jet-black dog.
At first, Percy thought it was a hellhound, but then it hit him that it's eyes weren't red. Then it must be the grim.
Percy reached for his wand, but too late — the dog had madean enormous leap and the front paws hit Harry. Then the dog sprang back toward them hepushed Harry aside; the dog's jaws fastened instead around Ron'soutstretched arm. Harry lunged forward, he seized a handful of thebrute's hair, but it was dragging Ron away as easily as though hewere a rag doll —
Then, out of nowhere, something hit Percy so hard across the chest, he was knocked off his feet.. He saw Harry hit something on the face
"Lumos!" he whispered.
The wandlight showed him the trunk of a thick tree; they hadchased Scabbers into the shadow of the Whomping Willow and itsbranches whipping backward and forward to stop them going nearer.
At the base of the trunk, was the dog, dragging Ronbackward into a large gap in the roots — Ron was fighting furiously, but his head and torso were slipping out of sight —
"Ron!" Harry shouted, trying to follow, but a heavy branch almost whipped him if Percy didn't pull him back.
All they could see now was one of Ron's legs, which he hadhooked around a root in an effort to stop the dog from pulling himfarther underground — but a horrible crack cut the air like a gunshot; Ron's leg had broken, and a moment later, his foot vanishedfrom sight.
"Harry — we've got to go for help —" Hermione gasped; shewas bleeding too; the Willow had cut her across the shoulder.
"No! That thing's big enough to eat him; we haven't gottime —"
"Harry — we're never going to get through without help —"Another branch whipped down at them, twigs clenched likeknuckles
"If that dog can get in, we can," Harry panted, darting here andthere, trying to find a way through the vicious, swishing branches, but he couldn't get an inch nearer to the tree roots without being inrange of the tree's blows.
Thenn, Crookshanks darted forward. He slithered between the batteringbranches like a snake and placed his front paws upon a knot on thetrunk. Itstopped moving. Not a leaf twitched or shook.
"Or that." Percy commented taking off his ca and slipped it in his robes.
They covered the distance to the trunk in seconds, but beforethey had reached the gap in the roots, Crookshanks had slid into itwith a flick of his bottlebrush tail. Harry went next; he crawled forward, headfirst, and slid down an earthy slope to the bottom of avery low tunnel. Percy then helped Hermione and slid down.
"Where's Ron?" she whispered in a terrified voice.
"This way," said Harry, setting off, bent-backed, after Crookshanks.
"Where does this tunnel come out?" Hermione asked breathlessly from behind him.
"I don't know. . . . It's marked on the Marauder's Map but Fredand George said no one's ever gotten into it. . . . It goes off the edgeof the map, but it looked like it was heading for Hogsmeade. . . ."
They moved as fast as they could, bent almost double; ahead ofthem
And then the tunnel began to rise; moments later it twisted, andCrookshanks had gone. Instead, Harry could see a patch of dimlight through a small opening.
They gasped for breath, edging forward.Both raised their wands to see what lay beyond.
It was a room, a very disordered, dusty room. Paper was peelingfrom the walls; there were stains all over the floor; every piece offurniture was broken as though somebody had smashed it. Thewindows were all boarded up.
"It's the shrieking shack." Percy whisphered.
At that moment, there was a creak overhead. Something hadmoved upstairs. Both of them looked up at the ceiling. Hermione's grip on Percy's arm was so tight he was losing feeling in his fingers.He raised his eyebrows at her; she nodded again and let go.
They crept into the hall. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dustexcept the floor, where a wide shiny stripe had been made by something being dragged upstairs.They reached the dark landing.
"Nox," they whispered together, and the lights at the end of theirwands went out.
As they crept toward it,they heard movement from behind it; a low moan, and then adeep, loud purring. They exchanged a last look, a last nod.
Wand held tightly before him, Harry kicked the door wideopen.
On a magnificent four-poster bed with dusty hangings layCrookshanks, purring loudly at the sight of them. On the floor beside him, clutching his leg, which stuck out at a strange angle, wasRon.
Harry, Percy and Hermione dashed across to him.
"Ron — are you okay?"
"Where's the dog?"
"Not a dog," Ron moaned. His teeth were gritted with pain."Harry, it's a trap —"
"What —"
"He's the dog . . . he's an Animagus. . . ."
They wheeled around.With a snap, the man in the shadows closed the door behind them. Itwas Sirius Black.
"Expelliarmus!" he croaked, pointing Ron's wand at them.Harry's, Percy's and Hermione's wands shot out of their hands, high inthe air, and Black caught them. Then he took a step closer. His eyeswere fixed on Harry.
"I thought you'd come and help your friend," he said hoarsely. "Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you,not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful . . . it will make everythingmuch easier. . . ."
Percy realized how angry Harry was. It was the same whenever people taunted that he has no family. Harry was moving forward and Percy and Hermione grabbed his arms.
"No, Harry!" Hermionegasped in a petrified whisper; Ron, however, spoke to Black.
"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!" he saidfiercely,
"Which we're not planning to do today." Percy said dripping with sarcasm.
Something flickered in Black's shadowed eyes.
"Lie down," he said quietly to Ron. "You will damage that legeven more."
"Did you hear me?" Ron said weakly, though he was clingingpainfully to Harry to stay upright. "You'll have to kill all three of us!"
"Ron seriously lie down!" Percy shouted and he did.
"There'll be only one murder here tonight," said Black, and hisgrin widened.
"Why's that?" Harry spat, trying to wrench himself free of Ronand Hermione. "Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mindslaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew. . . . What's thematter, gone soft in Azkaban?"
"Harry!" Hermione whimpered. "Be quiet!"
"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!" Harry roared, and witha huge effort he broke free of Hermione's and Percy's restraint andlunged forward.
But what shocked Percy was that Black didn't even try to stop. Hermione was screaming; Ron was yelling; Percy, out of his trance lunged forward. there was a blindingflash as the wands in Black's hand sent a jet of sparks into the airthat missed Harry's face by inches but hit Percy and knocked him out of breath. Hermione screamed and rushed forward.
"No," he hissed, "I've waited too long —"The fingers tightened, Harry choked, his glasses askew.
Then he saw Hermione's foot swing out of nowhere. Black let goof Harry with a grunt of pain; Ron had thrown himself on Black'swand hand and Harry heard a faint clatter —He fought free of the tangle of bodies and saw his own wandrolling across the floor; he threw himself toward it but —
"Argh!"
Crookshanks had joined the fray; both sets of front claws hadsunk themselves deep into Harry's arm; Harry threw him off, butCrookshanks now darted toward Harry's wand —
"NO YOU DON'T!" roared Harry, and he aimed a kick atCrookshanks that made the cat leap aside, spitting; Harry snatchedup his wand and turned —
"Get out of the way!" he shouted at Ron and Hermione.
They didn't need telling twice. Hermione, gasping for breath,her lip bleeding, scrambled aside, snatching up her and Ron's and Percy's wands. He caught his wand and staggered up breathing heavily.
Black was sprawled at the bottom of the wall. His chest roseand fell rapidly as he watched Harry walking nearer with hiswand pointing straight at Black's heart.
"Going to kill me, Harry?" he whispered.
Harry stopped right above him, his wand still pointing at Black'schest,
"You killed my parents," said Harry, his voice shaking slightly,but his wand hand quite steady.Black stared up at him out of those sunken eyes.
"I don't deny it," he said very quietly. "But if you knew the whole story."
"The whole story?" Harry repeated, a furious pounding in hisears. "You sold them to Voldemort. That's all I need to know. Did you also kill Percy's mother?"
"You've got to listen to me," Black said, and there was a note ofurgency in his voice now. "You'll regret it if you don't. . . . Youdon't understand. . . ."
"I understand a lot better than you think," said Harry, and hisvoice shook more than ever. "You never heard her, did you? Mymum . . . trying to stop Voldemort killing me . . . and you didthat . . . you did it. . . ."
Crookshanks leapt onto Black's chest and settled himself there, right over Black's heart. Black blinked andlooked down at the cat.
"Get off," he murmured, trying to push Crookshanks off him.But Crookshanks sank his claws into Black's robes and wouldn't shift.
And then came a new sound —Muffled footsteps were echoing up through the floor — someone was moving downstairs.
"WE'RE UP HERE!" Hermione screamed suddenly. "WE'REUP HERE — SIRIUS BLACK — QUICK!"
Black made a startled movement that almost dislodged Crookshanks;
The door of the room burst open in a shower of red sparks andHarry wheeled around as Professor Lupin came hurtling into theroom, his face bloodless, his wand raised and ready.
His eyes flickered over Ron, lying on the floor, over Hermione, cowering next tothe door, to Percy who was pale and sweaty and to Harry, standing there with his wand covering Black,and then to Black himself, crumpled and bleeding at Harry's feet.
"Expelliarmus!" Lupin shouted.Harry's wand flew once more out of his hand; so did the twoHermione was holding and Percy's.
Lupin caught them all deftly, then movedinto the room, staring at Black, who still had Crookshanks lyingprotectively across his chest
"Where is he Sirius?" Lupin spoke, in a very tense voice.
For a few seconds, he didn'tmove at all. Then, very slowly, he raised his empty hand andpointed straight at Ron. Mystified, Harry glanced around at Ron,who looked bewildered.
"But then . . . ," Lupin muttered, staring at Black so intently itseemed he was trying to read his mind, ". . . why hasn't he shownhimself before now? Unless" — Lupin's eyes suddenly widened, asthough he was seeing something beyond Black, something none ofthe rest could see, "— unless he was the one . . . unless you switched . . . without telling me?"
Very slowly, his sunken gaze never leaving Lupin's face, Black nodded.
"Professor," Harry interrupted loudly, "what's going on — ?"
But his words died as he saw their Professor walk to Black's side, seized hishand, pulled him to his feet so that Crookshanks fell to the floor, and embraced Black like a brother
"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Percy and Hermione screamed.Lupin let go of Black and turned to her. She had raised herselfoff the floor and was pointing at Lupin, wild-eyed.
"You —you —"
"Hermione, Percy —"
" — you and him!"
"calm down —"
"I didn't tell anyone!" Hermione shrieked. "I've been covering up for you —"
"Hermione, listen to me, please!" Lupin shouted. "I can explain —"
"I trusted you, Remus!" Percy shouted at Lupin, his voice wavering out of control, "and all the time you've been his friend!"
"You're wrong," said Lupin. "I haven't been Sirius's friend, but I am now — Let me explain. . . ."
"NO!" Hermione screamed. "Harry, don't trust him, he's beenhelping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too — he's a werewolf !"
"Not at all up to your usual standard, Hermione," he said calmly."Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Siriusget into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry dead. . . ." Anodd shiver passed over his face. "But I won't deny that I am a werewolf."
Ron made an effort to stand up but fell back. Lupin made toward him, looking concerned, butRon gasped,
"Get away from me, werewolf !"
Lupin stopped dead. Then, with an obvious effort, he turned to Hermione and said, "How long have you known?"
"Ages," Hermione whispered. "Since I did Professor Snape's essay. . . ."
"He'll be delighted," said Lupin coolly. "He assigned that essayhoping someone would realize what my symptoms meant. . . . Didyou check the lunar chart and realize that I was always ill at the fullmoon? Or did you realize that the boggart changed into the moonwhen it saw me?"
"Both," Hermione said quietly.
Lupin forced a laugh.
"You're the cleverest witch of your age I've ever met, Hermione."
"I'm not," Hermione whispered. "If I'd been a bit cleverer, I'd have told everyone what you are!"
"But they already know," said Lupin. "So did my own godson and the staff does."
"Dumbledore hired you when he knew you were a werewolf?"Ron gasped. "Is he mad?"
"At least he knew his job unlike the previous ones." Percy said remembering th other three DADA teachers.
"Thank you Percy." Lupin said. "Well some of the staff thought it was mad. He had to workvery hard to convince certain teachers that I'm trustworthy —"
"AND HE WAS WRONG!" Harry yelled. "YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HIM ALL THE TIME!" He was pointing at Black,
"I have not been helping Sirius," said Lupin. "If you'll give me achance, I'll explain. Look —"
He separated Harry's, Percy's, Ron's and Hermione's wands and threweach back to its owner;
"There," said Lupin, sticking his own wand back into his belt."You're armed, we're not. Now will you listen?"
"If you haven't been helping him," he said, with a furious glanceat Black, "how did you know he was here?"
"The map," said Lupin. "The Marauder's Map. I was in my office examining it —"
"You know how to work it?" Harry said suspiciously.
"Of course I know how to work it," said Lupin, waving his handimpatiently. "I helped write it. I'm Moony — that was my friends'nickname for me at school."
"You wrote — ?"
"The important thing is, I was watching it carefully this evening,because I had an idea that you, and your friends might try andsneak out of the castle to visit Hagrid before his hippogriff was executed. And I was right, wasn't I?"
He had started to pace up and down, looking at them.
"You might have been wearing your father's old cloak, Harry —"
"How d'you know about the cloak?"
"The number of times I saw James disappearing underit. . . ," said Lupin, waving an impatient hand again. "The pointis, even if you're wearing an Invisibility Cloak, you still show up onthe Marauder's Map. I watched you cross the grounds and enterHagrid's hut. Twenty minutes later, you left Hagrid, and set offback toward the castle. But you were now accompanied by somebody else."
"What?" said Harry. "No, we weren't!"
"I couldn't believe my eyes," said Lupin, still pacing, and ignoring Harry's interruption. "I thought the map must be malfunctioning. How could he be with you?"
"No one was with us!" said Harry."And then I saw another dot, moving fast toward you, labeledSirius Black. . . . I saw him collide with you; I watched as he pulledtwo of you into the Whomping Willow —"
"One of us!" Ron said angrily.
"No, Ron," said Lupin. "Two of you."
He moved closer to Ron.
"Do you think I could have a look at the rat?" he said evenly.
"What?" said Ron.
"What's Scabbers got to do with it?"
"Everything," said Lupin. "Could I see him, please?"
Ron hesitated, then put a hand inside his robes. Scabbersemerged, thrashing desperately;
he gazed intently at Scabbers."What?" Ron said again, holding Scabbers close to him, lookingscared. "What's my rat got to do with anything?"
"That's not a rat," croaked Sirius Black suddenly.
"What d'you mean — of course he's a rat —"
"No, he's not," said Lupin quietly. "He's a wizard.""An Animagus," said Black, "by the name of Peter Pettigrew."