Bella and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Chapter Fifty Two

I'm in a writing mood so...Also, the pic attached is of me and my boyfriend...ignore how I look...I know I'm not pretty :)

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I had never been part of a stranger group than this. Crookshanks led the way down the stairs; Lupin, Pettigrew and Ron went next, looking like contestants in a six-legged race. Next came Professor Snape, drifting creepily along, his toes hitting each stair as they descended, held up by his own wand, which was being pointed at him by Sirius. Myself, Harry and Hermione brought up the rear.

Getting back into the tunnel was difficult. Lupin, Pettigrew and Ron had to turn sideways to manage it; Lupin still had Pettigrew covered with his wand. I could see them edging awkwardly along the tunnel in single file. Crookshanks was still in the lead. I went right after Sirius and Harry followed. Sirius was still making Snape drift along ahead of us; he kept bumping his lolling head on the low ceiling. I had the impression Sirius was making no effort to prevent this.

"You know what this means?" Sirius said abruptly to me and Harry, as we made our slow progress along the tunnel. "Turning Pettigrew in?"

"You're free," I said. 

"Yes..." Sirius said. "But I'm also - I don't know if anyone ever told you both this - but Bella I'm your father and Harry, I'm your godfather"

"Yeah, I knew that," Harry said. 

I chuckled. "And I kinda figured it out. It wasn't hard...we have the same last name after all..."

"Well...Harry your parents appointed me your guardian," Sirius said stiffly. "If anything happened to them...and Bella...well as your father it's my job to look after and protect you..."

I waited. Did Sirius mean what I thought he meant? He wanted me and Harry to move in with him?

"I'll understand, of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle," Sirius glanced at me. "And you with your guardians...but well...think about it. Once my name's cleared...if you wanted a...a different home..."

Some sort of explosion took place in the pit of my stomach. I can finally be with the person I was always meant to be with! And be with Harry all day, every day...SCORE!

"What - live with you and Bella?" Harry said, accidentally cracking his head on a bit of rock protruding from the ceiling. "Leave the Dursleys?"

"Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to," Sirius said quickly. "I understand. I just thought that I'd -"

"Are you mad?" Harry asked, his voice easily as croaky as Sirius's. "Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in?"

I cleared my throat. "When can we move in?" they looked at me. "What? Did you expect me to turn it down? Ha, you're funny"

Sirius looked at us both; Snape's head was scraping the ceiling but Sirius didn't seem to care.

"You both want to?" he asked. "You mean it?"

"Yeah, I mean it!" Harry said. 

"Wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it," I chimed in.

Sirius's gaunt face broke into the first smile I had seen upon it. The difference it made was startling, as though a person ten years younger was shining through the starved mask; for a moment, I thought he was the recognisable as the man who had laughed at Harry's parents' wedding. 

We did not speak again until we had reached the end of the tunnel. Crookshanks darted up first; he had evidently pressed his paw to the knot on the trunk because Lupin, Pettigrew and Ron clambered upwards without any sound of savaging branches. 

Sirius saw Snape up through the hole, then stood back for myself, Harry and Hermione to pass. At last, we all were out.

The grounds were very dark now, the only light came from the distant windows of the castle. Without a word, we set off. Pettigrew was still wheezing and occasionally whimpering. My mind was buzzing. I was going to leave the house I was currently in. I was going to live with my dad, Sirius Black and Harry. I felt dazed...

"One wrong move, Peter," Lupin said threateningly, ahead. His wand was still pointed sideways at Pettigrew's chest.

Silently, we tramped through the grounds, the castle lights growing slowly larger. Snape was still drifting weirdly ahead of Sirius, his chin bumping his chest. And then -

A cloud shifted. There were suddenly dim shadows on the ground. Our party was bathed in moonlight. 

Snape collided with Lupin, Pettigrew and Ron, who had stopped abruptly. Sirius froze. He flung out an arm to make me, Harry and Hermione stop.

I could see Lupin's silhouette. He had gone rigid. Then his limbs began to shake. 

"Oh my -" Hermione gasped. "He didn't take his Potion tonight! He's not safe!"

"Run," Sirius whispered. "Run! Now!"

But I couldn't run. Ron was chained to Pettigrew and Lupin. I leapt forwards but Sirius caught me around the chest and threw me back.

"Leave it to me - RUN!"

There was a terrible snarling noise. Lupin's head was lengthening. So was his body. His shoulders were hunching. Hair was sprouting visibly on his face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws. Crookshanks's fur was on end again, he was backing away -

As the werewolf reared, snapping its long jaws, Sirius disappeared from my side. He had transformed. The enormous, bear-like dog bounded forwards. As the werewolf wrenched itself free of the manacle binding it, the dog seized it about the neck and pulled it backwards, away from Ron and Pettigrew. They were locked, jaw to jaw, claws ripping at each other -

I stood, transfixed by the sight; too intent upon the battle to notice anything else. It was Hermione's scream that alerted me -

Pettigrew had dived for Lupin's dropped wand. Ron, unsteady on his bandaged leg, fell. There was a bang, a burst of light - and Ron lay motionless on the ground. Another bang - Crookshanks flew into the air and back to the earth in a heap.

"Expelliarmus!" I yelled, pointing my own wand at Pettigrew; Lupin's wand flew high into the air and out of sight. "Stay where you are!" I shouted, running forwards.

But it was too late. Pettigrew had transformed. I saw his bald tail whip through the manacle on Ron's outstretched arm, and heard a scurrying through the grass.

Damn it!