star shopping ✰ d.m.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Arabella was almost frozen with shock as she watched Scabbers transform into a man in a matter of milliseconds. It appeared that Professor Lupin and Sirius Black had been right. They dragged him out of the wall by his robes and threw him back into the room. Arabella was disgusted. A man had been sleeping in her and Ron's room for twelve years.

"Remus?" said the man. "Sirius! My old friends!" He attempted to run through the door and escape but Lupin and Black caught him and threw him back, pointing their wands at him. Pettigrew looked around the room and his eyes fell on Harry. "Harry! Look at you. You look so much like your father. Like James. We were the best of friends, he and I."

Black lunged forward. "How dare you speak to Harry," he said. Pettigrew began to run away and Black and Lupin trapped him behind the piano. "How dare you talk about James in front of him!"

"You sold James and Lily to Voldemort, didn't you?" Lupin asked in a harsh tone.

"I didn't mean to!" whined Pettigrew. "The Dark Lord. You have no idea the weapons he possesses. Sirius, what would you have done? What would you have done?"

"I would have died!" Black shouted. "I would have died rather than betray my friends!"

Pettigrew crawled under the piano and made towards the door, but Harry stood in the doorway, blocking him. "Harry," said Pettigrew. "James wouldn't have wanted me killed. Your dad would have spared me. He would have shown me mercy!"

Once again, Lupin and Black tore Pettigrew away from Harry. "You should have realized, Peter, that if Voldemort didn't kill you, then we would!" said Black. "Together!"

"No!" Harry shouted.

"Harry, this man-" Lupin started.

"I know what he is. But we'll take him to the castle."

"Bless you, boy," said Pettigrew, dropping to his knees. "Bless you."

He made to grab Harry's leg, but Harry backed away. "Get off! I said we'd take you to the castle. After that, the dementors can have you."

Pettigrew began to gnaw on his overgrown fingernails nervously.

Lupin cast a spell on Professor Snape, who was still lying in an unconscious heap on the old bed, to make him levitate behind them as they walked through the tunnel out onto the Hogwarts grounds.

"Sorry about the bite," Sirius said to Ron as he and Arabella helped him through the tunnel. "I reckon that twinges a bit."

"A bit? A bit? You almost tore my leg off!" Ron exclaimed.

"I was going for the rat. Normally, I have a very sweet disposition as a dog. In fact, more than once, James suggested that I make the change permanent. The tail I could live with. The fleas... murder."

As they climbed out of the other end of the tunnel, Ron gently sat down on the trunk of the Whomping Willow. Arabella sat down next to him while Hermione and Harry kneeled beside him. Sirius walked away, staring off into the distance.

"You better go," Ron said to Harry.

"No. No. Don't worry, it's fine. I'll stay," Harry protested.