Redemption For A Monster (Marauder fanfic) Book Three

11- First Impressions

As the weeks turned into months, Sara and Sirius began to lose hope that they would ever find Wormtail.
Every other night, Sirius would search the castle and school grounds, as Padfoot. But as the school year came to end, he was still no closer to finding Wormtail.
Sara was anxiously awaiting Sirius's return one evening, when she heard the trapdoor swing open, despite the fact that Sirius had only been gone a few minutes.
She heard the sound of screams coming from the floor below her, which immediately put her on alert.
After jumping off the bed, Sara removed her wand from her pocket, just as the bedroom door swung open, and Sirius entered, dragging a body along the floor, by his mouth.

"Sirius!" Gasped Sara, as Sirius transformed back into a human.
Sirius didn't reply, instead he ripped the wand from Ronald Weasley's hand, who he had just dragged into the room.
A few seconds later Crookshanks entered the room, and jumped up onto the bed, where he began purring loudly.
Sara heard more footsteps approaching, which made her step back nervously.
The door was suddenly kicked fully open, as Harry Potter and Hermione Granger entered the bedroom, with their wands raised.
Sara's jaw dropped as the pair ran towards their friend, who was sitting on the opposite side of the room, holding his injured leg that Sirius had been pulling. They didn't even seem to notice Sara or Sirius, as they were too focused on Ron.

"Ron, are you O.K? Where's the dog" Harry asked.
"He's not a dog. Harry, it's a trap. He's the dog, he's an Animagus" shouted Ron, pointing to where Sirius was standing.
"Expelliarmus!" Croaked Sirius, causing Harry and Hermione's wands to fly into his hand.
"I thought you'd come and help your friend. Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you not to turn and run for a teacher. I'm grateful, it will make things easier" continued Sirius.
Without warning, Harry suddenly threw himself at Sirius, causing Sara to jump back in shock.
Since Sirius had also not expected Harry to do something so stupid, he did not react, as Harry knocked him to the ground.

"No. I've waited too long" hissed Sirius, as Harry held him down.
Sirius' free hand suddenly found its way to Harry's neck, as he tried to push the teenager off of him.
"Sirius! Stop!" Ordered Sara, as Harry began to choke.
Sirius realised what he was doing, and let go of Harry.
Harry quickly grabbed hold of his wand, and jumped to his feet. He then pointed his wand at Sirius, who hadn't moved from his place on the floor.
"Going to kill me Harry?" Sirius asked quietly.
"You killed my parents" shouted Harry.
"I don't deny it. But if you knew the real story-"
"The real story? You sold them to Voldemort, that's all I need to know".

"Harry, it's not true. Sirius didn't betray your parents" revealed Sara, when she realised that she couldn't sit back and watch any longer.
Harry looked at Sara, as if noticing her for the first time, and a slight look of recognition crossed his face, for just a moment.
But before he could reply, Crookshanks suddenly jumped onto Sirius' chest, protectively.
"Get off" murmered Sirius, as he tried to push the cat off of him.
Crookshanks stayed put, and sunk his claws deeper into Sirius' clothes.
However, this didn't make Harry lower his wand arm, which was still pointed directly at Sirius.
Sara had her own wand in her hand, but she wasn't sure that she wanted to use it against her own godson.

Before any of them could act any futher, the door burst open again, and Remus Lupin walked in, with his own wand raised.
"Expelliarmus!" Shouted Remus, causing Harry's wand to fly into his own hand.
Remus looked from Sirius to Sara, his face as white as a ghost.
"Hello Remus" murmered Sara quietly.
"Sara" whispered Remus.
Sara looked into Remus' eyes, until she started feeling guilty about leaving him, and ended up looking away.
"Where is he Sirius?" Remus asked softly, as his head turned back to his friend.
Sirius raised his hand and pointed at Ron, which confused Sara, until she saw the rat in Ron's hand.
She hadn't noticed it before, as there had been too much going on. But now, she could see the rat in Ron's hand. And it was quite clearly Peter Pettigrew.

Remus lowered his wand, and stepped towards Sirius, helping him to his feet, before embracing Sirius like a brother.
Sara smiled as she looked at her two best friends, united once again, after so many years. But the happy moment was quickly interupted by a furious Hermione.
"I don't believe it! I've been covering up for you. I didn't tell anyone. I trusted you, and all this time, you've been his friend!" shouted Hermione angrily.
"You're wrong. I haven't been Sirius' friend for 12 years, but I am now, just let me explain-" started Remus.
"No! Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black into the castle, he wants you dead too, he's a werewolf" interupted Hermione.

"Not up to your usual standard Miss Granger. Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius into the castle, and I certainly don't want Harry dead, but I won't deny that I am a werewolf" sighed Remus.
Sara looked sadly at Remus, as he revealed his deepest secret to Harry and his friends.
Ron tried to stand to his feet, but fell back down and winced in pain.
Remus stepped towards him, looking concerned, but Ron recoiled away.
"Get away from me, werewolf" he spat.
Sara frowned, she hated it when people treated Remus badly because of his condition, as she knew exactly how that felt, since she had a curse of her own.
"How long have you known?" Quizzed Remus.
"Ever since Professor Snape set the essay" answered Hermione.

"He'll be delighted. He set the essay hoping that someone would figure it out. You really are the cleverest with of your age" complimented Remus.
"Clearly not clever enough, or I would have told everyone what you are" replied Hermione.
"But they already know. At least the staff do. Dumbledore had to work hard to convince certain teachers that I was trustworthy-"
"And he was wrong. You've been helping him all this time!" Harry interupted angrily.
"I have not been helping Sirius" insisted Remus.
He then threw the kids back their wands, before continuing.
"There. Now you are armed. So now will you listen?".

"If you haven't been helping Sirius, then how did you know that we were here?" Asked Harry suspiciously.
"The map. The Marauders Map-"
"You know how to work it?" Interupted Harry.
"Of course I do. I helped make it. I'm Moony, that was my friends nickname for me at school. Sirius is Padfoot, and Sara here is Smokey. We made it together. But the important thing is that I was watching it tonight, thinking that you would sneak out of the castle, to see Hagrid, which you did.
I watched you head back to the castle, but this time, you were not alone. You were accompanied by someone else" revealed Remus.

"What! No we weren't" insisted Harry.
"I couldn't believe it when I saw it. I watched the dot labelled as Sirius Black collide with you. And then I watched as he pulled two of you into the Whomping Willow" replied Remus.
"One of us!" Shouted Ron.
"No Ron, two of you" Remus revealed as his eyes turned to look at Ron.
"Do you think I could have a look at that rat?" He asked.
"What's Scabbers got to do with anything?" Ron questioned.
"That is not a rat" croaked Sirius.
"What do you mean? Of course he is" replied Ron.
"No he's not. He is a wizard" admitted Sirius.
Sara stepped closer to the group and nodded her head.
"He's an Animagus, by the name of Peter Pettigrew" she revealed.