Secrets Revealed

Chapter 13

"He has not been helping Sirius," Nova said.

"If you’ll give me a chance, I’ll explain. Look —" Remus said.

He separated Harry’s, Ron’s and Hermione’s wands and threw each back to its owner.

"There," said Lupin, sticking his own wand back into his belt. "You’re armed, we’re not. Now will you listen?"

"If you haven’t been helping him," Harry said, with a furious glance at Sirius, "How did you know he was here?"

"The map," said Lupin. "The Marauder’s Map. Nova was stalking people again and —"

"You know how to work it?" Harry said suspiciously to both Nova and Remus.

"Of course we know how to work it," Nova exclaimed, waving her hand impatiently. "We helped write it. I’m Whitetail and he's Moony— that was our friends’ nicknames for us at school."

"You wrote —?" Harry began.

"The important thing is, Nova was watching it carefully this evening, because she had an idea that you, Ron, and Hermione might try and sneak out of the castle to visit Hagrid before his Hippogriff was executed. And she was right, wasn’t she?" Remus explained.

"Can I get that in writing?!" Nova asked, amused.

"No." Remus replied.

"Why not! If you said it, you can write it! Your hand isn't broken!" Nova exclaimed and crossed her arms.

"Remus! Nova! Not the time!" Sirius called from his location on the bed and startled everyone. They had nearly forgotten he was there.

Remus started to pace up and down, looking at them. Getting back on track. Little patches of dust rose at his feet.  "You might have been wearing your father’s old cloak, Harry—"

"How d’you know about the cloak?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"The number of times I saw James disappearing under it…" said Lupin, waving an impatient hand. "The point is, even if you’re wearing an Invisibility Cloak, you still show up on the
Marauder’s Map. We watched you cross the grounds and enter Hagrid’s hut. Twenty minutes later, you left Hagrid, and set off back toward the castle. But you were now accompanied by somebody else."

"What?" said Harry. "No, we weren’t!"

“I couldn’t believe my eyes,” said Remus, still pacing, and ignoring Harry’s interruption. "I thought the map must be malfunctioning. How could he be with you?"

"No one was with us!" said Harry.

"And then we saw another dot, moving fast toward you, labeled Sirius Black… We saw him collide with you; We watched as he pulled two of you into the Whomping Willow —"

"One of us!" Ron said angrily.

"No, Ron," said Nova. "Two of you."

Remus stopped his pacing, his eyes moving over Ron.

"Do you think I could have a look at the rat?" he said evenly.

"What?" said Ron. "What’s Scabbers got to do with it?"

"Everything," said Remus. "Could I see him, please?"

Ron hesitated, then put a hand inside his robes. 'Scabbers' emerged, thrashing desperately; Ron had to seize his long bald tail to stop him escaping. The cat from earlier stood up on Sirius' leg and made a soft hissing noise.

Remus moved closer to Ron. He seemed to be holding his breath as he gazed intently at 'Scabbers'.

"What?" Ron said again, holding the bloody traitor close to him, looking scared. "What’s my rat got to do with anything?"

"That’s not a rat," croaked Sirius  suddenly.

"What d’you mean — of course he’s a rat —"

"No, he’s not," said Remus quietly. "He’s a wizard."

"A bloody traitor and coward." Nova growled animalistically as she glared at the rat. Who in turn squealed and struggled even more under her predator like gaze.

"An Animagus," said Sirius, "by the name of Peter Pettigrew."