Rosabella Black |Daughter Of Sirius Black| (Book 3)

The Dementor's Kiss

Rosabella's Point Of View:

I had never been part of a stranger group. Crookshanks and Winter led the way down the stairs. Remus, Pettigrew and Ron went next, looking like contestants in a six-legged race. Hermione helped Ron limp through the passage. After Hermione came Professor Snape, drifting creepily along. Dad, Harry and I brought up the rear.

Getting back into the tunnel was difficult. Remus, Pettigrew and Ron had to turn sideways to manage it, Remus held his wand at Pettigrew ready to use it if needs be. Harry and I walked side by side behind dad. Dad was making was still making Snaoe drift along ahead of us, Snape kept bumping his lolling head on the low ceiling. I got the impression that dad was making no effort to prevent this.
      
"You know what this means? Turning Pettigrew in?" Dad said abruptly.
      
"You're free." Harry responded.
      
"Yes . . . But I'm also - I don't know if anyone ever told you - I'm your godfather." Dad said.

Where was he going with this? I looked at him curiously.
      
"Yeah, I knew that." Harry said.
      
"Well . . . your parents appointed me your guardian, if anything happened to them . . ."  Dad said stiffly.

Is this going were I think it's going? I'm starting to get excited. Harry and I both waited for Dad to continue.
      
"I'll understand, of course, if you want you want to stay with your aunt and uncle. But . . . well . . . think about it. Once my name's cleared . . . if you wanted a . . .a different home . . ." Dad said.

An explosion took place in the pit of my stomach. I looked at Harry, I think he was feeling the same. If not even more excited.
      
"What - live with you? Leave the Dursleys?" Harry said hopefully.
     
"Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to. I understand. I just thought I'd -" Dad said quickly.
      
"Are you mad? Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in?" Harry said, his voice just as croaky as Dad's.

Dad turned right around to look at him, Snape head scraping the ceiling but Dad didn't seem to care. Snape's going to have one hell of a headache.
      
"You want to? You mean it?" Dad said.
      
"Yeah, I mean it!" Harry said enuastically.

I was grinning from ear to ear. Dad smiled, the smile that made him look ten years younger. A true smile.
      
"I can't wait to show you the Manor!" I said excitedly to Harry.

Harry smiled at me genuinely.

No one said anything else untill we reached the end of the tunnel. We all clambered out. The grounds we're very dark now.
     
"Harry?" I squeaked.
     
"Yeah?" He responded.
     
"On a scale of one to ten, how much trouble do you think I'm in with my brothers?" I asked with wide eyes.

Harry's eyes widened and he smirked at me.
      
"Eleven." He said smirking.

I groaned. My dad was smiling and shaking his head.
      
"They're protective then?" Dad asked still smiling.
      
"You don't know the half of it. I wonder where they get it from." I replied, giving dad an accusing look, while fighting a smile.
      
"Guilty." Dad simply said, grinning.

Without another word, we set off. Winter was walking besides Remus growling at Pettigrew making him whimper.
      
"One wrong move, Peter." Remus threatened.
      
"Quite the remarkable animal you got there, Rosabella." Dad commented.

I smiled.
      
"Thank-" I started to say but stopped when Snape collided with Remus.

Remus, Pettigrew, Ron and Hermione had stopped abruptly. Clouds had shifted and we were bathed in moonlight.

Dad froze. He flung his arms out to make Harry and I stop.
      
"Oh my - He didn't take his potion tonight! He's not safe!" Hermione gasped.
      
"Run. Run! Now!" Dad whispered.

But we couldn't.

Ron was chained to Pettigrew and Remus. Hermione was trying to unchain Ron from the others. Harry and I leapt forwards, but dad held us back.
      
"Leave it to me - RUN!" Dad demanded.

There was a terrible snarling noise. Remus' transformation was nearly done. As the werewolf reared, snapping it's long jaws, Dad disappeared from mine and Harry's sides.

Dad had transformed. The enormous, bear-like dog bounded forwards. The werewolf wrenched itself free of the menacle binding it, the dog then seized it around the neck and pulled it backwards away from all of us. They were locked, jaw to jaw, claws ripping at each other. Without a second thought,  I transformed into my black wolf and attacked the werewolf from behind. Winter also charged at the werewolf and all three of us started to drive it back, slowly.

Hermione's scream broke my concentration. Pettigrew made a dive for Remus' wand. Ron fell down on his bandaged leg. Pettigrew shot a curse at Ron that made him lay motionless on the ground. Winter seeing this, charged towards Peter and was hit with the same spell.
      
"Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled, disarming Pettigrew.

Pettigrew transformed back into his rat form and started to run for it.

At my distraction and with Winter no longer helping, the werewolf made a swipe towards me. Dad knocked me out of the way and got slashed on his muzzle and back. I started attacking the werewolf with more aggression and with the help of Dad, the werewolf started to take flight and galloping towards the Forest.

I helped dad scramble back towards Harry.
      
"Sirius, Ro, he's gone! Pettigrew transformed." Harry shouted urgently.

Without sparing a glance at each other, Dad and I set off trying to find that stupid rat.
We ran towards the lake searching everywhere. Dad collapsed. Weakened by the fight with the werewolf. He changed back into his human form and was panting heavily on the ground. I changed back too.
      
"Dad! Hold on, I can get you back to the castle." I said, then cursed.

Without Pettigrew, we had no proof. I couldn't take him back to the castle. They would just hand him to the – Dementors. They were everywhere. There was at least a hundred, easily. I gulped. They swormed towards us.
       
"Ro . . . get - get out of here . . . run. Run now and dont look back." He tried to say in a demanding voice.
       
"Not a chance." I whispered.

It wasn't long before the Dementors were making us relive our worst memories. Mine weren't too bad. I never saw my mother die like Harry saw his, Remus gave me a pretty happy childhood. All the tragedy that had happened in my life, I'd never seen it happen. It was affecting Dad a lot worse then it was me.
       
"Noooo. Noooo . . . please . . ." Dad moaned.

Someone then grabbed me and pulled me up to my feet. It was Harry.
      
"Think of something happy!" Harry said urgently.
      
"Expecto Patronum!" Harry kept chanting.

Silver mists were coming from his wand. Enough to stop one Dementor but not all these. Hermione and I tried as well, but we were less successful then Harry. Dad rolled over, as pale as death. I felt tears fall from my eyes and I looked at my father. Closer to death then ever. The Dementors were closing in. We started to beg.
      
"No! He's innocent!" We all said at different times.

We resumed chanting but I could feel myself draining. We wouldn't last much longer. A Dementor close to Harry raised its rotting hand and lowered its hood.

Where their should of been eyes, there was only thin grey scabbed skin, stretched blankly over empty sockets. There was, however, a mouth. A gaping, shapeless hole.
We were all paralyzed terror consumed us all. Harry patronus flickered and died. There was white fog surrounding the Dementors, I collapsed the floor and I scrambled to find my father. I found his left arm, while Harry had his right. Hermione collapsed next to me. I reached for her, but a pair of strong, clammy hands suddenly wrapped themselves around my neck. I looked around frantically and saw that the other where in the same position. The Dementor made me face upwards.
I could feel its breath . . .

There was a blinding light. Something was driving the Dementors back . . . it was circling around Dad, Harry, Hermione and me. The galloping patronus of a stag was the last thing I saw before I blacked out.