𝐀𝐭𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬 | ʜᴀʀʀʏ ᴘᴏᴛᴛᴇʀ

✧. * 026. True identity ✧. *

T R U E I D E N T I T Y

"Say another word too Ron, or get any closer, you'll loose another finger."

HERMIONE SCREAMED. BLACK LEAPT to his feet. Har​ry jumped as though he'd re​ceived a huge elec​tric shock.

"I found this at the base of the Whomp​ing Wil​low,"
Snape said, throw​ing the Cloak aside, care​ful to keep his wand point​ing di​rect​ly at Lupin's chest. "Very useful, Pot​ter, I thank you ..."

Snape was slight​ly breath​less, but his face was full of sup​pressed tri​umph. "You're won​der​ing, per​haps, how I knew you were here?" he said, his eyes glittering. "I've just been to your of​fice, Lupin. You for​got to take your Po​tion tonight, so I took a gobletful along. And very lucky I did ... lucky for me, I mean. Ly​ing on your desk was a cer​tain map. One glance at it told me all I need​ed to know. I saw you run​ning along this pas​sage​way and out of sight."

"Severus –" Lupin be​gan, but Snape over​rode him.

"I've told the Head​mas​ter again and again that you've been help​ing your old friend Black in​to the cas​tle, Lupin, and here's the proof. Not even I dreamed you would have the nerve to use this old place as your hide​out –"

"Severus, you're mak​ing a mis​take," Lupin said urgent​ly. "You haven't heard ev​ery​thing – I can explain – Sir​ius is not here to kill Aurora, Atlas and –"

"Two more for Azk​aban tonight," Snape said, his eyes now gleam​ing fa​nat​ical​ly. "I shall be in​ter​est​ed to see how Dum​ble​dore takes this ... he was quite con​vinced you were harm​less, you know, Lupin ... a tame were​wolf ..."

"You fool," Lupin said soft​ly. "Is a school​boy grudge worth putting an in​no​cent man back in​side Azkaban?"

BANG! Thin, snake-​like cords burst from the end of Snape's wand and twist​ed them​selves around Lupin's mouth, wrists and an​kles; he over-​bal​anced and fell to the floor, un​able to move. Aurora's eyes widen in shock. With a roar of rage, Black start​ed towards Snape, but Snape point​ed his wand straight be​tween Black's eyes.

"Give me a rea​son," he whis​pered. "Give me a rea​son to do it, and I swear I will."

Black stopped dead. It would have been im​pos​si​ble to say which face showed more ha​tred. Aurora stood there, paral​ysed, not know​ing what to do or who to be​lieve. So much information, but not enough time to process it all. However, she was certain who she believed the most.

She glanced around at Harry, Ron and Hermione. Ron looked just as con​fused as he did, still fight​ing to keep hold of the strug​gling Scab​bers. Harry was just as paralysed as she was before. Hermione, howev​er, took an un​cer​tain step to​wards Snape and said, in a very breath​less voice, "Pro​fes​sor Snape – it – it wouldn't hurt to hear what they've got to say, w-​would it?"