Just like Brothers

Chapter 37

Harry reached for his wand, but it was too late.

With one enormous leap, the dogs front paws knocked into Harry's chest, sending him tumbling to the ground.

However, instead of tearing Harry's limbs apart, the dogs eyes locked on Ron.

Ron was on his feet, his wand outstretched... but the dog was just too fast.

Harry tried to call the dogs attention away from his friend but it wasn't to his avail, the dog pushed past Harry and sank his inch long teeth into Ron's outstretched arm.

Harry lunged as Ron howled in pain, he grabbed a handful of fur but the dog was already dragging Ron away as if he was a rag doll.

Harry scrambled back to his feet only to be knocked back down.

Something came out of nowhere and had hit so hard across his face that he was too dizzy to stand.

He heard Hermione shriek in pain and fall as well.

Harry looked up, blinking blood out of his eyes.

His heart dropped as he recognized where they had chased Scabbers to.

The Whomping Willow's branches frantically swung in every direction snapping dangerously through the air.

Harry turned his head and saw the dog at the base of the trunk, dragging Ron backwards into a large gap in the roots. Ron was fighting furiously but his head and torso were quickly slipping from sight.

"Ron!" Harry shouted, panicked, he stepped forwards to help his friend but a blow to the stomach from one of the willow's branches threw him back again.
     
"Harry! We have to go get help!" Hermione cried, she was holding her shoulder that had been sliced open by the vicious tree.

"There's no time Hermione!" Harry gritted his teeth, "that thing could eat him by the time we get somebody."

"There's no way we can get past the branches without help!" Hermione shouted, desperately.

"There has to be a way," Harry muttered to himself. "If the dog got through, so can we." He forcefully told Hermione.

Harry began weaving through branches, leaping from foot to foot trying to get closer to the base of the tree.

However every time he stepped closer he was met with a branch swinging at him.

"Careful! Harry!" Hermione stood on shaky legs a few feet back. "We need help." She sobbed.

Crookshanks darted forward, passing Harry with a flick of his orange tail.

The cat slithered through the branches to the base of the tree where he then pressed his front paws against a knot on the trunk.

The tree immediately stopped moving, leaving no evidence that it had been attacking the teens seconds earlier.

"Crookshanks," Hermione gasped, painfully clinging on Harry's arm, "How?"

"He's friends with the dog," Harry said walking towards the gap in the roots, "I've seen them together before."

Harry looked down the hole but could only see darkness.

"Keep your wand out, stay alert," said Harry, grimly, as Crookshanks slid into the opening in the ground. Harry went next and was quickly followed by Hermione.

"Lumos," Harry murmured, lighting up the low-hanging path to Merlin knows where.

"Where's Ron?" It was evident that Hermione was anxious from her tone of voice. That made Harry more unsettled as he followed the ginger cat closely.

"This way," Harry answered in a hushed voice. He didn't know if it was smart to let the dog know they were coming, their best course of action might be the element of surprise.

Although with a dog that size, Harry didn't think there was much advantage in a few gained seconds.

"Where does this tunnel let out?" Hermione asked breathlessly, her back was bent in a similar fashion to Harry's as she followed close on his heels.

"I don't know, this passageway is on the map but Fred and George said that nobody's ever gotten in it," Harry stepped over a bone and tried not to think of what the dog was doing to Ron, "but from the looks of it, it let's out somewhere on the edge of Hogsmeade."

The duo sped up their pace but the tunnel seemed to go on for ages. Harry assumed that it was as long as or longer than the one that leads to Honeydukes.

However the tunnel began to rise after a while and Harry and Hermione were able to comfortably stand up and walk.

A few feet later, the path twisted and Crookshanks disappeared from sight.

Harry could see a patch of light and a small opening up ahead. He and Hermione paused to catch their breath and prepare themselves before raising their wands to get a better look inside before pushing forwards.

There was a room on the other side of the opening, it didn't appear to be in use from the thick coat of dust lining the furniture.

Harry cringed as he saw a line across the floor that disrupted the layer of dust, it was shiny, as if something dragged something else through it.

Wallpaper was peeling from the walls and every piece of furniture was broken in a way you could tell somebody or something smashed it.

The windows were boarded up and no light from the moon shone through.

Hermione grabbed Harry's hand in her free one, "Do you think Ron is in there?" She gasped.

Harry shook his head, "there's no where else for him to be."

"Harry," she whispered, edging closer and closer towards him, "I think we're in the Shrieking Shack."

Hermione squealed and buried her head in Harry's shoulder as creaking was heard from above. Something had moved upstairs. Hermione tightened her grip on Harry's hand, he felt as if his fingers were going to fall off.

Hermione looked at Harry and they both nodded, the brunette let go of his hand and they crept over to the crumbling staircase.

"Nox," they whispered and the light coming from their wands was extinguished. Harry pressed his ear to the door at the top of the staircase and heard noise from behind it.

Somebody, he assumed Ron was moaning in pain, he gave Hermione a last nod before kicking the door open.

Wands gripped tightly in their hands, Harry and Hermione sprung inside the room and scanned their surroundings, ready to attack.
     
On a four-poster bed pressed up against the back wall laid Crookshanks who purred when he saw them.

On the floor besides the bed Ron was clutching his oddly bent leg.
      
"Ron!" Hermione gasped rushing towards him, "are you alright? What happened?"
     
But something wasn't right, Harry stood in the center of the room with an unsettling feeling.
    
"Ron," Harry hissed, "where's the dog?"
    
"Not a dog," Ron got out through gritted teeth, "it's a trap." His face was twisted with pain as he spoke.
   
"What?" Harry's eyes grew wide.
   
"Animagus, he's the dog!" Ron cried pointing over Harry's shoulder.
  
Hermione clamped her hand to her mouth and gasped, stepping back so her back pressed against the wall.
   
Harry snapped around but it was too late, a man with filthy matted hair that hung to his elbows slammed the door closed with a sickly snap.

If it wasn't for his eyes peering through his blackened eye sockets, Harry could've mistaken him for a corpse. His skin was waxy and was stretched so tightly against the bones in his face that it looked like a skull. His yellow teeth were bared in a vile grin.

It was Sirius Black.