Make Me.

Book 3 - Chapter 30

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were looking at Ellie, Remus, and Black with looks of unconvinced absurdity. It was Ron who spoke first, definitely saying what they were all thinking.

"You're all mental."

"Ridiculous!" said Hermione faintly.

"Peter Pettigrew's dead!" said Harry. "He killed him twelve years ago!"

He pointed at Black, whose face twitched convulsively.

"I meant to," he growled, his yellow teeth bared, "but little Peter got the better of me. . . not this time, though!"

Crookshanks was thrown to the floor as Black shot up and out of his chair and lunged at Scabbers, knocking into Ellie and Remus as he went. Ron yelled with pain as Black's weight fell onto his broken leg.

"Sirius, NO!" Remus yelled, launching himself forwards and dragging Black away from Ron. "WAIT! You can't do it just like that - they need to understand - we've got to explain -"

Remus was struggling to keep Sirius Black at bay and Ellie felt the urge to finish Black's job. They were there for the rat - and the rat was right there. She needed it - in her hands. She came there for the rat. She was getting the rat.

"We can explain afterwards!" snarled Black, still trying to throw Remus off of him, one hand clawing the air as it tried to reach Scabbers, who was squealing like a piglet, scratching Ron's face and neck as he tried to escape.

Ellie stepped past Black's arm and grabbed Ron round the shoulders. She kept her legs away from his broken one, trying not to hurt him as she grabbed for the rat. Black stopped moving. Remus groaned very loudly. Ellie shoved Ron's shoulders back into the bed and left him laying there.

Scabbers was screeching as loud as ever, wriggling in her hands. She had a tight grip on him. His eyes were bulging slightly. He wasn't going anywhere - no matter how he tried. He tried biting. Ellie's tough hands didn't even feel his brittle little teeth.

"That wasn't so hard, now, was it -" she started but was interrupted.

"Give him here," Black said impatiently, now beginning to reach for Ellie.

"Sirius - you touch my daughter - and straight back to Azkaban you'll go," Remus said, panting, restraining the man. "Everyone's - got - a - right - to - know - everything! Ron's kept him as a pet! There are parts of it even I don't understand! Parts I haven't told Ellie. And Harry - you owe Harry the truth, Sirius!"

Black stopped struggling, though his hollowed eyes were still fixed on Scabbers, who was clamped tightly in Ellie's scratched and bleeding hands.

"All right, then" Black said, without taking his eyes off the rat. "Tell them whatever you like. But make it quick, Remus. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for. . ."

"You're nutters, all of you," said Ron shakily, looking at Harry and Hermione for support. "I've had enough of this. Dracula, give me my rat -"

Ron tried to heave himself up on his good leg but Ellie transferred Scabbers to her left hand, withdrew her wand, and pointed right into the his fur.

"You're going to hear everyone out, Ronald," Ellie said quietly. "I've been telling you all year he's not a rat. We've been looking for him for weeks. I've been trying to get him all night. Peter's been -"

"HE'S NOT, PETER, HE'S SCABBERS!" Ron yelled. He tried getting up again and this time Remus withdrew his own wand and pointed it at Ron. Harry pulled Ron back down onto the bed and turned to Ellie and Remus, ignoring Black.