Redamancy (d.m)

Chapter fifteen-dogs, cats, and rats, oh my!

The euphoric mood that winning the quidditch cup gave me lasted all week, if not longer. It seemed that nothing could dampen my joy, not the stress of exams, which all went smoothly, with the exemption of divination, not even Malfoy's increasing hostility at the loss.

Unfortunately, I was proven wrong at the sight of the minister of magic, accompanied by a number of minister representatives and a brooding moustached man holding a sharpened axe.

"We're going down to see him" I said firmly at the news of Buckbeak's execution.
"But it's after dark, that's against the rules, especially for Harry" Hermione said worriedly
"We'll use Harry's cloak, no one'll even seen us" I insisted, and Harry nodded.

So we did. Though Hagrid tried to tell us off when we showed up at his door, he was in too much of a state to turn us away, letting us in and failing to pour us some tea, opting instead to return Scabbers to Ron, who was miraculously alive. We tried our best to comfort a sobbing Hagrid, until he looked up, his red face turning white as he caught sight of the people outside the window

"They're coming-yer gotta go, they mustn't find yeh here" he said quickly, ushering us out the back door, where we creeped quietly, Harry throwing the clock over us, and we hurried back to the castle, not wanting to witness the execution. Halfway there, Ron started to squirm, and the clock lifted, threatening to expose his leg.

"What in Merlin are you doing, Ron" I snapped, readjusting the cloak
"It's Scabbers-he wont-stay put" he grunted, trying desperately to hold onto his franticly struggling rat, who suddenly leapt out of Ron's hands and scampered away, his owner desperately chasing after it.

Suddenly, I was filed with horror at the sight of a large, black coated dog, who leapt onto Ron, dragging him away from us and into a small hole at the feet of the Whomping Willow. As I tried to follow them with no result due to the violent thrashing of the Willow branches, I yelled at my friends to stop as I saw Crookshanks slither through the branches and place a paw on a knot of the tree, ceasing all movement.

"He's friend with that cat" Harry informed myself and Hermione as we climbed through the hole, landing in a dark cold passageway, "I've seen them together before"
"Where the hell does this lead to?" I wondered, walking quickly down the cobblestones, wand out and lighted.
"I think.." Hermione trailed off as the passageway widened to reveal...
"The shrieking shack" I finished for her, my voice barely above a whisper.

We found Ron in an upstairs bedroom, clutching his leg and whimpering in pain. I darted to him and crouched down beside my friends, our faces full of concern

"Ron-are you okay?"
"Where's the dog?"
"Not a dog" Ron managed to moan back weakly, "it's a trap, he's an Animagus"

His eyes darted behind us and widened in fear, and I turned around to face Sirius Black, who pointed Ron's wand with a dirt smeared, dry hand and disarmed us.

"You'll have to kill us all to get to Harry" i said fiercely, unable to distinguish if I was being brave or foolish. Most likely the latter. The murderer laughed and shook his head before replying,
"No, only one will die tonight."
In a furious rage, Harry lept onto Sirius and tackled him, screaming about his parents before we were joined by an unexpected guest, Professor Lupin. Even more unexpected, was the brotherly way he embraced Sirius.

"I DONT BELIEVE IT" Hermione screamed, watching the exchange with wide eyes

Lupin and Sirius tried to calm her down, with no avail

"I didn't tell anyone! We've been covering for you, me and (y/n)!"
"We trusted you! And all this time you've been his friend" I added, shoving a finger in Sirius' direction. Noticing Ron and Harry's confused expressions, I sighed and explained,
"He's a werewolf!"

A silence filled the room, as the professor gazed at me and Hermione with a surprisingly calm expression, before he spoke

"How long have you two known?"
"Since (y/n) figured out your boggart form" Hermione replied
"Well, Professor Snape will be delighted, he was hoping someone would figure out my, er, ailment"

Then he turned to Ron, who cowered in fear, and said evenly

"Do you think I could have a look at your rat?"
"What?" Ron croaked, holding his rat close to his chest, "what's my rat got to do with anything?"
"That's not a rat" Sirius said suddenly, his state fixed intently on Scabbers.

And then it finally clicked

"It's him" I whispered in shock, as all heads turned to me, "he's an animagus"
"What?"
I turned to Harry, then to the rat, and said
"Peter Pettigrew"

Everyone was silent, as though trying to process this statement.

"No" Harry spoke first, shaking his head, "Pettigrew's dead, he killed him" he looked at Sirius, who looked exceptionally tired as Lupin explained everything.

"So that's why Snape doesn't like you?" Harry asked, "because he thought you were in on the joke?"
"That's right" a cold voice sounded from the doorway, and Professor Snape wasted no time restraining Lupin with magically bond ropes, much to the anger of Black. In a split second, his wand was pointed at Sirius' throat, and I quickly shouted

"STUPEFY"

Snape was blasted backwards, colliding with the wall before laying motionless one the ground. I locked eyes with Harry and smiled, before a sudden blast of pain shot up the right side of my stomach, and my legs weakened, making me stumble. Harry rushed forward to catch me, as did Hermione, Lupin, and Ron, limping over from the bed he was resting on.

"(Y/n), what's wrong"

I opened my mouth to speak, but the pain was too strong, and all I could go was grunt. I felt my shirt being lifted up slightly and I looked down to reveal and long, deep gash on my side where the Whomping Willow had hit me. The wound was steadily leaking blood, my robes already soaked. In all the commotion, I hadn't even noticed. My vision started getting spotty, and the voices of my friends started floating further and further away from me, until I couldn't hear them at all.

I woke up in Harry's arms, who was trudging up the grassy hills to the castle, Sirius Black talking casually next to him. Seeing that I was awake, Harry smiled widely and said

"You're okay, (y/n), Professor Lupin bandaged you up alright, I'm sure Madam Pomfrey'll want to redo them, though"
"Why is he here" I pointed at Sirius, brows furrowed.
"That's a long story, but the summarised version is Sirius isn't a murderer, he was framed by Pettigrew, you were right, he's scabbers, and we're going to turn him in and clear Sirius' name, who also happens to be my dad's best mate and my godfather"

I stared in disbelief before responding,

"I should've stayed in home school"

Harry laughed, but stopped at the horrific sight in front of us. I wrestled out of his arms as Professor Lupin transformed into his werewolf form, howling at the full moon.

Yeah I really should've stayed in home school

I ran into the thick forest as Sirius morphed back into a dog, leaping onto Lupin as they started to growl and scratch. We stumbled over roots and brushed past overhanging branched, until arriving at a large lake.

"I think we lost him" I panted, resting my hands on my knees, "I think we're safe now"

Uh huh that is not correct

suddenly, the forest was covered with a mist of coldness, and a swarm of dementors descended from the sky, heading towards Sirius. I screamed as a pair of slimy, freezing hands grabbed onto my shoulders, whipping me around to face the dark hood. The pain in my side returned, and my heart felt like an anchor as I watched the hooded figure draw closer and closer.

Come on, (y/n), you're almost there, come be with me (y/n), I miss you! It's me, it's Noah, I love you!

And at the brink of death, I thought

"If my last moments on this earth are ones filled with Noah, then to death I welcome with open arms"