A Potter Secret

A Werewolf Revealed

As Pettigrew emerges from the gap, he prattles desperately. "Turn me into a maggot. A dung beetle. A Flobberworm! Anything but the Dementors," Peter pleads as Ron emerges. "Ron! Haven't I been a good friend? A good pet? You won't let them kill me, will you? I was your rat."

As Ron draws back in disgust, a sleepwalking Snape bumps his head against a low limb. Hermione turns to Harry. "Don't worry. He's under the Somnambulist Charm. It's primarily used to transport the seriously deranged," Hermione replies.

As Harry nods, Pettigrew's pleading eyes find Hermione. "Sweet girl. Clever girl. Surely you won't let them," Peter tries.

Hermione tugs her robes from Pettigrew's sweaty grasp. Harry turns, sees Black staring in wonder at the castle, shining radiantly under the bright bowl of the night sky. "Beautiful, isn't it? I'll never forget the first time I walked through those doors. It'll be nice to do it again. Freely," Sirius replies, turning to Harry. "That was a noble thing you did back there. He doesn't deserve it."

Harry studies Pettigrew briefly, looks away. Lost in thought. "I don't reckon my father'd want his best friends to become killers for a worthless piece of vermin like Pettigrew. Besides: Dead, the truth dies with him. Alive you're free," Harry reminds.

Sirius studies Harry's profile, moved by this. "I don't know if you know, Harry, but when you were born, James and Lily made me your guardian," Sirius explains.

"I know," Harry replies, looking away.

Sirius nods. "And, well, I'll understand if you choose to stay with your aunt and uncle, but, so you know, you could-"

"When! Come live with you?" Harry asks.

"Soon as my name's cleared," Sirius assures.

Harry looks at Hogwarts and grins. Sirius does the same. Then, Hermione's voice rises on the air, quavering with fear. "Harry," Hermione calls.

He turns, see Hermione staring at the full moon. His eyes shift. Lupin is a rigid silhouette, his fingers twitching. "Remus, old friend did you take your potion tonight?" Sirius Black asks, holding him back. Lupin, twitching, shakes his head. Pettigrew's eyes dart, taking in the situation, then slowly shift, note the wand trembling in Lupin's lengthening fist. "Run. All of you. Now," Sirius instructs.

But none of them do, transfixed, watching as bristles poke through lupin's skin. Black steps forward, wraps his arms around his friend, presses his mouth to his ear. "You know the man you truly are, Remus. This flesh is only flesh," Sirius says, pounding Lupin's chest. "This heart is where you truly live. This heart! Here!"

As Lupin's wand drops Pettigrew leaps. "No!" Harry shouts, flashing his wand. "Expelliarmus!" Lupin's wand flies from Pettigrew's hand and he freezes. Then slowly turns. Face blank, eyes closed, he grins hideously and transforms. Stunned, Harry watches a rat dart into the night. A small creature dashes after it but Harry is distracted by a howl that pierces the air and Harry wheels. With a shrug, Lupin tosses Black into the air, then turns. He is no longer human. He's a werewolf. Harry and Hermione begin to edge back.

"Professor?" Hermione asks.

The werewolf's eyes blaze. Long teeth glitter. Then a horrifying growl erupts from its throat. Harry and Hermione spin, begin to flee and run flat into Snape. As they collapse in a great clumsy pile, Snape's eyes flutter open, the spell broken. Seeing Hermione atop him, he sweeps her aside. "Out of the way!" Snape demands. The werewolf preparing to pounce. Leaping to his feet, Snape draws his wand and steps forward, shielding Hermione, Harry and Ron. The werewolf howls, sprints forward, when, swoosh!, A giant dog, Sirius Black, intercepts it in midair. They hit the ground in a fierce tangle of flashing teeth, a single horrible flailing beast. Again and again, the dog pushes the werewolf back, but the werewolf is too strong. "Sirius!" Harry cries.

The dog yelps, roars in pain, and the werewolf flings it into the tall grass. As it charges after, Harry pushes past Snape, dashes into the night. Hermione makes to follow, but Snape holds her back. "Harry!" Hermione calls.

Harry runs full out. Up ahead, framed against a full moon, he spies the dog, lying inert, the werewolf's razor-sharp claws suspended over its neck. "NO!!!" Harry shouts. Desperately, Harry plucks a thick branch from the ground and hurls it with all his might. Bull's-eye. The werewolf freezes. Turns. Begins to move toward Harry. Harry draws his wand, terrified, but tormented as well, knowing Lupin dwells somewhere within the beast. "Please, Professor. Stop- It's me."

Suddenly a howl pierces the night. The werewolf falters, cocking its head toward the forest. Harry waits, petrified. The werewolf's eyes shift back to him. It snarls, moves closer, ready to kill. Harry covers his face with his arm, when a second howl echoes high above the forest. Slowly, Harry drops his arm. Looks. The werewolf bounds toward the forest, vanishes. Harry's eyes shift. In the darkness, the wounded dog lurches through the tall grass. Falls. Rises. Falls again. Each time becoming more human. As he disappears over the ridge, Harry sprints after.

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Harry stumbles down to Black, who lies on the water's edge, now fully a man, arms and face gleaming with lacerations. "Sirius!" Harry cries. Harry looks into his glassy eyes. "Sirius!" A fragile mist escapes Harry's mouth. A raw wind tosses his hair. Chill-bumps pebble his skin. A fringe of ice appears at the lake's edge. Then they appear, oozing like smoke through the trees across the lake. Dementors. "No No!" Harry draws his wand. "Expecto Patronum!" A thin silvery wisp weeps from Harry's wand, hovering like a veil, but the Dementors continue to come. Harry places his hand on Black's heaving heart, poises his wand once more, casts, "Expecto Patronum!"

Harry's Patronus blooms briefly and dies. Harry's eyes flutter, the dementors twisting madly in his vision, drawing closer. Black gasps. Silvery feathers of light tumble from his lips, as if his very soul were leaving him then a light splinters the trees. Harry squints, sees a fiery stag appear its body luminous slashing through the trees sowing light in the darkness. The dementors wilt in its wake, but more replace them, sweeping down in waves. Still, the stag charges on. The light expands. The forest blazing with it. The remaining dementors flee, drifting across the moon like ash. The light ebbs. The stag's luminous body flickers. There is a bright flash and darkness returns, a single thread of light all that remains, spinning down to the size of a pearl in the palm of man, standing deep in the trees. Harry studies the strangely familiar silhouette, then it is gone. Silence drops like a curtain. Mist rises from the lake. As Snape appears at the top of the rise, we, fade to black.

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