The Past Meets the Future at Hogwarts: Part 3

Chapter 32: Victoria

There was a ringing in my ears after he said that. From what Harry had told me, Pettigrew was dead. The fact that he wasn't was bothersome. "You're both mental." Ron cried.

"Ridiculous!" Hermione said faintly.

"Peter Pettigrew's dead!" Harry said. "He killed him twelve years ago!" He pointed at Black with a certain look of hatred.

"I meant to," Sirius growled, his yellow teeth bared, "but little Peter got the better of me... not this time, though!"

And Crookshanks was thrown to the floor as Black lunged at Scabbers; Ron yelled with pain as Black's weight fell on his broken leg.

Jason and Leo pulled Sirius off and held him back as Ron whimpered in pain. Sirius tried to fight the two boys off, but my brother joined them in their effort, and Sirius stood no chance.

"Sirius, we must explain first," Lupin said before turning to the rest of us.

"But Professor Lupin... Scabbers can't be Pettigrew... it just can't be true, you know it can't..." Hermione said, as if we were still in the classroom.

"Why can't it be true?" Lupin said calmly, taking Hermione's classroom lead.

"Because... because people would know if Peter Pettigrew had been an Animagus. We did Animagi in class with Professor McGonagall. And I looked them up when I did my homework -- the Ministry of Magic keeps tabs on witches and wizards who can become animals; there's a register showing what animal they become, and their markings and things... and I went and looked Professor McGonagall up on the register, and there have been only seven Animagi this century, and Pettigrew's name wasn't on the list."

The fact that Hermione had gone that in depth on that project shocked me. How was she not top of the class when Owen and I did what was necessary and a little more. We never went that all out on homework.

"Right again, Hermione!" he said. "But the Ministry never knew that here used to be three unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts."

"If you're going to tell them the story, get a move on, Remus,"Black said, itching to get away from the boys and toward Scabbers. "I've waited twelve years, I'm not going to wait much longer."

"All right... but you'll need to help me, Sirius," Lupin said, "I only know how it began..."

Lupin stopped talking as there was a creak from somewhere downstairs. Before Lupin could go check, I beat him to it. I looked into the downstairs area but there was nothing. I saw a small flicker of something moving near the entrance but shrugged it off as nerves.

"No ones there..." I said as I reentered the room.

"This place is haunted!" Ron cried out.

"It's not," Lupin said, still looking like he wanted to double check if anyone was here. "The Shrieking Shack was never haunted.... The screams and howls the villagers used to hear were made by me."

He paused, pushing back his hair before sighing, "That's where all of this starts -- with my becoming a werewolf, None of this could have happened if I hadn't been bitter... and if I hadn't been so foolhardy... I as a very small boy when I received the bite. My parents tried everything, but in those days there was no cure. The potion that Professor Snape has been making for me is a very recent discovery. It makes me safe, you see. As long as I take it in the week, preceding the full moon, I keep my mind when I transform.... I'm able to curl up in my office, a harmless wolf, and wait for the moon to wane again."

"Before the Wolfsbane Potion was discovered, however, I became a fully fledged monster once a month. It seemed impossible that I would be able to come to Hogwarts. Other parents weren't likely to want their children exposed to me. But then Dumbledore became Headmaster, and he was sympathetic. He said that as long as we took certain precautions, there was no reason I shouldn't come to school...." Lupin sighed, and looked directly at Harry. "I told you, months ago, that the Whomping Willow was planted the year I came to Hogwarts. The truth is that it was planted because I came to Hogwarts. This house" -- Lupin looked miserably around the room, -- "the tunnel that leads to it -- they were built for my use. Once a month, I was smuggled out of the castle, into this place, to transform. The tree was placed at the tunnel mouth to stop anyone coming across me while I was dangerous."