𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 | 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳

44 || Glow

"You know what this means, don't you?" My dad turned to Harry and I as we followed the rest of the odd group down the stairs and through the tunnel. "Turning Pettigrew in?"

"You're free," Harry replied.

"Yes..." said Black. "But I'm also--I don't know if anyone ever told you--I'm your godfather."

"Yeah, I knew that," said Harry.

"Well...your parents appointed me your guardian," said Black stiffly. "If anything happened to them..."

He trailed off and Harry didn't say anything.

"You mean..." I said slowly. "We could live with you? You have a house?"

Harry's head shot up.

"What--live with you?" he said, accidentally cracking his head on a bit of rock protruding from the ceiling. "Leave the Dursleys?"

"Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to," said Black quickly. "I understand, I just thought I'd--"

"Are you insane?" said Harry, his voice easily as croaky as my father's. "Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! When can I move in!?"

Black's face split into a toothy grin, his happiness evident while I felt like I was walking on air--I could live with my father, he'd be free, and Harry would get to eat real food during the summer. It felt too good to be true.

We didn't speak, all too wrapped up in our own gleefulness, until the end of the tunnel; Crookshanks had put his paw on the knot and we exited one by one, Snape's head rolling on his neck.

"One wrong move, Peter," said Lupin threateningly ahead. His wand was still pointed sideways at Pettigrew's chest.

We continued on, as quietly as possible, up to the castle, and then a cloud shifted.

Creamy moonlight bathed our party in a white glow and we stopped cold. Lupin's limbs had begun to shake uncontrollably.

"Oh, my--" Hermione began worridley. "He hasn't taken his potion tonight! He's not safe!"

"Run," Black whispered. "Run. Now."

Ron was still chained to Pettigrew--Harry and I leapt forward, ignoring him, but he flung his arm out and stopped us.

"Go!" he yelled. "RUN!"

There was a terrible snarling noise. Lupin's head was lengthening. So was his body. His shoulders were hunching. Hair was sprouting visibly on his face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws. Crookshanks's hair was on end again; he was backing away--

As the werewolf reared, snapping its long jaws, Sirius disappeared from Harry's side. He had transformed. The enormous, bearlike dog bounded forward. As the werewolf wrenched itself free of the manacle binding it, the dog seized it about the neck and pulled it backward, away from Ron and Pettigrew. They were locked, jaw to jaw, claws ripping at each other.

I was frozen, unable to move. My locket buzzed the loudest it ever had, and Hermione screamed. Pettigrew was grabbing Lupin's fallen wand, and then there was a burst of light--Ron lay motionless on the ground.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled, but it was too late. Pettigrew had transformed and scampered off through the tall grass. The werewolf had turned and was galloping away into the forest.

"Dad, Pettigrew's gone, Lupin ran to the forest!" I yelled. My words had an almost ethereal sound to them--soft and buttery, light on the ears. Sirius had been laying on the ground, unable to move, covered in wounds, but at my voice he got up quickly and ran out of sight, following Lupin.