“The question is: who will be set free by the truth?” Lily said grimly. Either way the Marauders were losing a member and she was quite sure of which member would be leaving them.

 

True to his word Professor Lupin had kept Harry’s little excursion to himself. Harry had revealed that Scabbers was missing a toe and everything else he knew about the rat. He had also told Lupin Hermione knew of his suspicions but didn’t know anything about Pettigrew and Black. Lupin was relieved to hear this. They really couldn’t afford to have anyone else know a person who was supposed to be dead was roaming Hogwarts grounds.

 

            “But wouldn’t Hermione help? She is quite smart,” Sirius said.

            “Yes, but she is still thirteen and I bet Remus is thinking that the fewer people know about this, less are the chances of this reaching the Auror and you getting the Dementor’s kiss,” Lily explained. The Dementor’s kiss threat was enough for Sirius to agree with any plan they came up with.  

Harry had told Hermione that Professor Lupin was looking into the matter as a favor to Harry. That seemed to dampen Hermione’s suspicions since she knew nothing about the Marauder’s Map that was now in Professor Lupin’s possession. It had been with great reluctance that Harry had given it up but Lupin had assured him he would get it back.

 

            “I hope you use the map only to track Peter and not to check students’ whereabouts,” James told Remus.

            “I wouldn’t do that! That’s, that’s… SACRILEGE!”  Remus said horrified.

 

Easter had come and gone with no sign of Black or of Scabbers, not that Harry really had time to think about it with all of the homework they had been given. Everyone knew by now to stay clear of Hermione since she looked close to a nervous breakdown. Harry and Ron did their best to finish their own homework and help Neville who also looked extremely overstressed. The thought of end of the year exams being anything like this made Harry cringe.

            “Oh, Harry! That’s nothing compared to O.W.L.s,” James said.

            “I am sure glad those are over,” Sirius said relieved.

            “Don’t get to relaxed Padfoot. We only have one year before we have to start worrying about N.E.W.T.s,” Remus said.

            “MOONY! Did you have to remind me?” Sirius cried.

 

In addition to the overabundance of homework, Harry also had Quidditch practice every day along with the team meetings on strategy. The Gryffindor-Hufflepuff match was the following Saturday and everyone in the Gryffindor Tower was feeling the excitement. Gryffindor hadn’t won the Cup since Ron’s brother, Charlie, had been a Seeker making it long overdue.

 

            “How long was that?” James asked nervous, “What do you mean we haven’t won the Cup? GRYFFINDOR CAN’T LOOSE!”

            “Calm down James. Gryffindor can’t win all the Cups,” Lily tried to soothe him but that was definitely the wrong thing to say since he was now hyperventilating.

            After a long while Remus and Sirius managed to calm down the hysterical James.

 

 A win against Hufflepuff would clinch the Cup which would meant the burden of the honor fell mostly on Harry since catching the Snitch was worth so many points.

 

The atmosphere for this match was certainly different than Harry had ever experienced. There was tension between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff houses but nothing as severe as it usually was between Gryffindor and Slytherin. The Ravenclaw house seemed to be torn between choosing sides. Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were usually close and a win against Gryffindor (more like Harry Potter and his Firebolt) would be a great boost to Hufflepuff’s moral but a Hufflepuff win would mean a Gryffindor loss which would result in the possibility of the Quidditch Cup going to the Slytherin house. That was something that just couldn’t happen.

            “Being a Slytherin must be difficult,” Lily mused.

            “Yes, so tough having to do all that threatening of little children, all that name calling and then have daddy bailing them out,” James mocked.

            “What I meant was; the whole school is always against Slytherin. Even the Hufflepufs and Ravenclaws,” she said annoyed.

            “She does have a point. Everyone assumes Slytherins equals evil. Just like they assume Werewolves and Parselmouths are evil,” Sirius said.

            Lily looked impressed, “I expected something deep like that from Remus not you.”

            “I am a Black. I’ve lived with the assumption that because I am a Black I must be Dark all my life. Besides, Uncle Alphard was a Slytherin, and he’s one of the few people in my family that are decent.”

 

The morning of the match, Harry woke up insanely early. The sun had barely broken the horizon but Harry knew he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep. His nerves were already twisting his stomach in knots. Looking out at the grounds, Harry saw that there was no breeze disturbing the trees of the forest or the Whomping Willow. No wind was a good thing.

 

Continuing to look over the grounds, Harry saw a small orange animal prowling across the lawn. Harry recognized that tail and knew it could only be Crookshanks. He watched as the cat approached the forest as something came out to meet him. Harry’s eyes widened to see it was the large shaggy black dog that he was quite familiar with. It was Midnight.

 

Midnight knows Crookshanks?

 

Harry continued to watch as they walked side my side as if they were old friends talking about anything and everything. It then hit Harry. What if Crookshanks’ obsession with Scabbers had been because of Black? Hermione did give Crookshanks a lot of freedom so no one would notice if he had gone missing for a few hours to meet with Black who had been hiding out. That meant Black now knew Scabbers was missing. Harry could only hope that didn’t push Black to do something stupid.

 

            “That would only work if Sirius could talk to cats and he can’t,” Remus said.

            “I don’t know, Crookshanks is quite smart for a cat, maybe he understood what Sirius wanted. But I have to agree. For him to be able to let Sirius know Peter faked his death is stretching it a bit.” Lily said pensively.

 

When the time for the match finally arrived, everyone on the team was so jittery they couldn’t think straight. They changed into their Quidditch robes in silence. Oliver was having a difficult time finding words to excite his team and could only manage “you know what to do so let’s go win the Cup.”

 

The moment they stepped out on the field they were almost blown over by the noise. It seemed that everyone on the Gryffindor side had somehow found a way to increase the volume of their voices. The Hufflepuff team emerged from their locker room and approached causing the Chasers, Angeline, Alicia and Katie, to start giggling. Harry looked over at them in confusion and was tapped on the shoulder by Fred.

 

“They fancy the Seeker, Diggory,” said Fred. “He doesn’t say much so don’t try to start a conversation with him during the match.”

            “FRED! The match is for looking for the snitch not starting conversations!” James cried.

            “Calm down James, we promise Harry will be very professional and only look for the snitch,” Remus said patting his friend. James was chewing his nails nervously.

 

Harry nodded and returned to his attention to Madam Hooch who was having the team captains, Oliver and Diggory, shake hands. He tightened his grip on his Firebolt and he mounted, waiting for the whistle to signal the beginning of the game. Diggory was older and larger than Harry which wouldn’t help him in a day like today. According to Oliver, Diggory was quite good so Harry would have to use every advantage he had.

 

            “Yeah, but Harry is lighter and has a better broom,” James said.

 

With the sound of the whistle, Harry took off, once again rising higher and faster than everyone else. The Snitch was released along with the Bludgers. Harry tried to follow the small golden Snitch but it quickly blended in with the crowd, vanishing out of sight. With another whistle blow, The Quaffle was thrown up and the game began.

 

It didn’t take long to discover Hufflepuff’s strategy for the game. It seemed that the Beaters had one mission which was to take Harry out of the game. It was difficult for Harry to keep an eye out for the Snitch when he was continuously dodging Bludgers but thankfully Diggory hadn’t seen it either.

 

            “Hey, that’s persecution!” Lily cried.

            “Nope, that’s Quidditch,” James stated, “Harry has better odds then Diggory so the Hufflepuff team has to knock him off his broom.”

            “That’s barbaric,” Lily huffed.

 

Fred and George quickly picked up on the dilemma and tried their best to help the young Seeker but that left the Gryffindor Chasers unguarded, something the Hufflepuff Beaters took advantage of.

 

It was by pure luck that Harry noticed a flash of gold fluttering near the Hufflepuff goal. Without a warning, Harry took off as fast as possible, taking both teams by surprise. He startled several members of the Hufflepuff team as he flew past them so close that they nearly fell off their brooms. He was nearly there when a high pitched whistling noise filled his ears. Knowing that noise by now, Harry quickly altered his course allowing the Bludger to fly by right where he had been only seconds ago.

 

He hadn’t heard the second Bludger though.

 

            “Oh, no!” Sirius winced, “That’s going to hurt.”

 

A force unlike any Harry had felt before slammed into his stomach, sending him flying backwards and off of his broom. He was certain he had heard a few cracks as pain flared throughout his body. The crowd went silent as Harry started to fall. All of the players on the field appeared to be unable to move. Everything seemed to move in slow motion.

 

            “He’s going to die!” Lily cried.

 

The pain was unbearable. Harry wanted to cry out in pain but he couldn’t seem to find his voice. Closing his eyes, Harry forced his brain to work. There is no pain. There is no pain. With a flick of the wrist, Harry had his wand in his hand and pointed it at his broom. “Accio Firebolt!” he croaked, remembering one of the spells he had been taught from the summer. His broom flew towards him as Harry arched his back so he was falling head first, ignoring the sparks of pain the simple action caused. He re-holstered his wand and reached out with both hands, grabbing the Firebolt as it flew past.

 

            James, Lily, Remus and Sirius let out a sigh of relief.

 

The quick change of direction seemed to send another jolt of pain on top of the agony Harry was already feeling. His legs continued to fall which gave Harry an idea. Using all of the momentum that he possibly could, Harry swung his body so that his legs went over the broom, allowing him to remount and fly off again towards the Snitch. Miraculously, it was still by the Hufflepuff goal. His body was screaming at him not to move but Harry didn’t listen. He couldn’t. The game and the Cup were on his shoulders.

 

            “James son through and through, nothing stops him when Quidditch is involved,” Remus said shaking his head.

 

It seemed like only a fraction of a second later that he had the Snitch in his hand, holding it up for everyone to see for one brief second before the arm quickly wrapped around his stomach. His pain suddenly had somehow multiplied a tenfold making it impossible for Harry to even concentrate on anything other than the pain.

            “CALL AN AMBULANCE!” Lily cried.

            “What?” Sirius asked.

            “She meant a healer,” Remus explained then cried, “CALL A HEALER!”

 

 

A loud whistle filled the air. “Gryffindor wins!” Madam Hooch shouted.

            James was too worried about Harry to remember to cheer. Such an unusual display from James showed how serious the situation was.

 

The crowd broke out in cheers. The Gryffindor team quickly flew over to Harry to help. Fred and George were there first and helped him land. The moment they touched the ground, the entire team helped Harry lie down as Harry started to cough. A bitter liquid filled his mouth. Harry turned his head to the side and spat it out, earning several gasps. His head seemed to be trapped in a storm of dizziness forcing Harry to close his eyes.

 

“Mr. Wood, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley, please move out of the way!” Professor McGonagall scolded.

            “Yes, help!” James said relieved.

 

A gentle hand touched his forehead with a familiarity that could only be Professor Lupin. Harry groaned as he turned his head in Lupin’s direction. Suddenly he felt like he was being lifted off the ground and placed on something firm. The movement shot another spark of pain but Harry was too out of it to register anything. He was too trapped in his current pain to recognize the presence of any more.

 

The sight of Harry Potter being hurried to the hospital wing by Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Lupin with Ron and Hermione following them was a sight that no one would forget. No one felt like celebrating.

 

            “Don’t worry. Madam Pomfrey will patch him up in a jiffy,” James said with the confidence that only came from someone that was very familiar with Madam Pomfrey’s abilities.

 

 

The warm sunlight on his face slowly brought Harry out of his dreamless sleep. His entire body felt sore and something was wrapped tightly around his chest. He opened his eyes but was overwhelmed by the brightness of the room forcing him to close them again. A distinct aroma filled the air alerting Harry that he was in the hospital wing. Great. Just great.

            They all chuckled.

 “Just like James, I swear,” Sirius said, “You can be all bloodied and broken that you refuse to go to the Hospital Wing.”

 

Slowly, Harry opened his eyes again and blinked a few times until his eyes adjusted to the vast sunlight. The events of the Quidditch game replayed in his mind reminding Harry why he was even here. That stupid Bludger! Harry let out a groan as he realized what it must have looked like to have him passing out of the field…again. Somehow it seemed that he was always the one that was hurt.

 

A gentle hand touched his forehead, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. Looking up, Harry saw the blurry figure of Professor Lupin standing over him. “Good morning, cub,” Lupin said softly as he slid Harry’s glasses into place. “You gave us quite a scare. Do you always play that dangerously?”

 

Professor Lupin came into focus allowing Harry to see how exhausted he looked. “You look tired,” he said in a scratchy voice.

 

            “Harry James Potter! Don’t be rude,” Lily scolded.

 

Lupin smiled. “Why thank you, Harry,” he said candidly. “Perhaps you should take a look in the mirror. That Bludger broke two ribs that pierced your left lung causing it to fill with blood. That was two days ago. You should hear the rumors going around the school. It’s quite entertaining. I don’t think your father ever had quite a following after a match, no matter how hard he tried.”

            “And he does try!” Lily said.

            “I do my best to please my fans,” James said happily. Lily rolled her eyes.

 

Harry scowled. “I didn’t do it on purpose,” he said as he tried to sit up and was immediately pushed back down by Lupin. “I didn’t hear it coming and it hit me, simple as that.”

 

Professor Lupin sat down on the edge of the bed. “Harry, do you even remember what happened after you fell off your broom?” he asked. “I have never seen a stunt like that even attempted much less pulled off successfully. Your father certainly would have been proud.

 

            “You bet I am!” James said beaming.

 

Your mother, on the other hand, would probably take your broom away for scaring her half to death.”

 

            “Good idea. Do that!” Lily said sternly.

 

“And you?” Harry asked with a grin.

 

Lupin smiled back. “Well, I reserve judgment for later,” he said then lost his smile. “You really did scare me when you started coughing up blood though. I don’t know how you managed to catch the Snitch with such a serious injury.”

 

Harry closed his eyes and let out a sigh. “Defense mechanism,” he said softly. Not wanting to elaborate, Harry figured it was best to change the subject. “So when can I get out of here?”

 

            “If Madam Pomfrey gets her way; never,” James said rolling his eyes.

            “One too many encounters with her James,” Sirius said with a sympathetic smile.

 

“Not for at least another day,” Professor Lupin said. “Madam Pomfrey wants to be certain you’re completely healed before leaving. There can be a lot of complications with punctured lungs. Plus I have a feeling you aren’t too enthusiastic about meeting the adoring public yet.”

 

Harry groaned in annoyance. Just what he needed was more people staring at him than usual. “It’s not my fault the Beaters decided to use me as target practice,” he said. “I’d like to see any of them deal with the pressure Oliver puts on me.”

            “Yes, that was persecution,” James stated annoyed.

            “James! You said before that any team would have done that if the other team’s seeker had a better broom,” Lily exclaimed.

            “I don’t care what I said. They hurt my baby!” he cried.

 

Professor Lupin couldn’t hold back his grin. “Don’t take it too personally, Harry,” he said. “It’ll die down in a few days.” He reached up and ruffled Harry’s messy hair as he stood up. “Get some sleep. I have a feeling that Ron and Hermione will be by in a few hours to check on you. They’ve only left your side for meals and classes. Do they normally fight so much?”

 

            “Yes!” four voices chorused.

 

Harry smiled and nodded as he closed his eyes. “Sometimes it’s better to just get as far away as possible,” he said.

 

Lupin pulled off Harry’s glasses and set them on the bedside table. He brought up the covers over Harry’s chest and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I’ll take that under advisement,” he said softly. “Take it easy, cub. You’ve certainly earned it.”

            “I like when Moony tucks me in,” Sirius said smiling.

            “When did that happen?” Lily asked with a raised eyebrow.

            “When I get sick. Moony is the designated healer of our dorm,” Sirius answered.

            “Do you really mean sick or hung-over?” Lily asked suspiciously.

“You wound me Lily”, Sirius said in a mock offended tone.

 

 

Professor Lupin had been right about admirers. It seemed that everyone wanted to congratulate Harry for winning the game and winning the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor. Oliver was practically jumping with joy which had a tendency to scare many of the Gryffindors. None of them could remember ever seeing the seventh year student so happy.

 

Cedric Diggory and the rest of his teammates had apologized repeatedly for the injuries Harry had sustained which Harry found silly. Everyone who played Quidditch knew of the risks. Harry had experienced many of the risks first hand. It was a game. It wasn’t like the Hufflepuff Beaters were intentionally trying to kill him or anything.

 

            “Nope, those would be the Slytherin beaters,” Sirius muttered.

            “It’s very nice of them to apologize,” Lily said. James just growled.

 

The Gryffindor Quidditch team wasn’t so forgiving. Most of them (especially the Weasley twins) saw Harry as a younger brother and therefore someone they had to protect. For nearly a week the Hufflepuff Quidditch team found themselves victims to various pranks. It was nothing mean or incredibly embarrassing, just harmless fun to prove if you mess with Harry Potter, you mess with the entire team.

            “Good,” James said pleased.

            “James!” Lily cried, “You make no sense whatsoever,” she said raising her hands.

 

The craziness soon died down and everyone went back to focusing on the overabundance of homework they were being given. June approached quickly along with the awareness of exams that were right around the corner. There had been no sign of Midnight since the morning of the Quidditch final making Harry wonder if Black had left, not that he would have blamed him. The person he was searching for was gone now.

 

Deep in thought about the entire mess, Harry sat during dinner mindlessly playing with his food. Hermione was once again unbearable to be around with all of the stress from her classes and Ron was once again questioning Hermione’s impossible schedule. Some things never change. Honestly, Harry was curious how Hermione was handling it but he wasn’t going to start prying…especially now. After all, he was the last person to criticize about keeping secrets.

 

The sound of the doors opening pulled Harry out of his train of thought. Looking up, Harry saw Hagrid entering with a smile on his face which had been a common sight this year. Although Professor Dumbledore had kept an eye on Hagrid’s classes there was no denying that the giant of a man loved teaching his subject. Unlike Divination, Harry had actually enjoyed Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid certainly brought a unique perspective into the ‘classroom’.

            “Well, any class is better than Trelawney’s,” James said making a face.

            “Nah, I think I’d rather have Trelawney than Snape,” Sirius said and James eyes bugged. He bit his lip but was unable to decide which was worse.

 

Hagrid stopped as he reached them and smiled down at the trio. “Hey Ron, Harry, Hermione,” he said happily. “I got somethin’ fer yeh, Ron.” He reached into his large pocket and carefully pulled out a small quivering ball of fur. “Found ‘im near me hut, hiding. Yeh should take better care of yer pets.”

            “Truth time!” James looked evilly at Peter. Peter’s trembling that had subsided with the lighter tone the story had taken came back full force.

 

Harry’s eyes widened in shock as Ron happily reached out and took his pet in his hands, thanking Hagrid over and over again. Glancing over at Hermione, Harry saw her biting her lower lip in worry as she stared at him. She was waiting for him to make the first move. Don’t worry. I will. With a flick of the wrist, Harry had his wand in hand. He knew he needed to act quickly before Scabbers noticed what he was doing. If Scabbers—er—Pettigrew knew, they would never see the rat again.

 

As quickly as possible, Harry pointed his wand at the rat. “Stupefy!” he shouted as he stood up. The rat went limp, allowing Harry to get a good look at the infamous missing toe. It was indeed Scabbers.

            “Harry sure likes to stun animals,” Sirius pointed out.

 

“Harry!” Ron shouted. “What did you do?”

            “Well, he prevented a back stabbing traitor from fleeing once again,” Sirius growled.

 

Harry ignored him as he looked up at the head table at Professor Lupin and nodded. Lupin jumped to his feet and hurried over to Professor Dumbledore and quickly whispered what was most likely a very brief overview of the situation. Professor Dumbledore stared at Professor Lupin for a moment before he looked over at Harry as if he were silently asking for confirmation. Harry met the Headmaster’s gaze for a moment before turning to Hermione. “We need Crookshanks, Hermione,” he said quietly. “Please?”

            “What does he need Crookshanks for?” Sirius asked.

            “No idea,” Remus answered.

 

Hermione only nodded before hurrying out of the silent Great Hall. Everyone was watching the scene in confusion. Professor Dumbledore noticed this and rose to his feet. “Harry, Ron, I believe we need to discuss some things in my office,” he said pleasantly. “Please bring your pet.”

 

Harry pulled Ron, who was now clutching Scabbers to his chest, to his feet and pulled him out of the Great Hall. The moment the doors closed, Harry reached into his bag and quickly pulled out a piece of parchment, quill and ink. Kneeling down, Harry dipped his quill in his ink and started writing on the parchment.

 

Midnight,

 

We found Scabbers. Come to the castle as quickly as possible as Midnight. We’re outside the Great Hall.

 

Harry

 

“Harry, what is going on?” Ron demanded. “What did you do to Scabbers? Why does Dumbledore want to see us?”

            “Poor Ron, he’s going to get the shock of his life,” Lily said.

            “Peter better start paying that he doesn’t,” Remus said coldly and Peter whimpered a little.

 

 

Corking his ink, Harry looked up at Ron to see confusion and anger. It’s only going to get worse, you know. “Ron, I promise to explain but I only want to explain it once,” he said as he put his ink and quill back in his bag. “I only stunned Scabbers. I didn’t want him to run away again.”

 

The sound of running footsteps echoed through the hallway. Harry turned towards the sound to see Hermione approaching quickly with Crookshanks in her arms. Ron tightened his grip on Scabbers and took a step back. “No!” he shouted. “Just keep the beast away!”

 

Harry rolled his eyes as he folded up the piece of parchment. “It’s not what you think, Ron,” he said then looked at Hermione. “Put him down. I need a favor from him.” He ignored Hermione’s curious look as he looked directly at the cat. “Crookshanks, I need you to take this to your friend as quickly as possible. Do you understand?”

            “Ahhhhhhh!” Sirius said in understanding.

            “Because you are friends,” Lily nodded.

 

Crookshanks let out a purr as he took the folded parchment out of Harry’s hand and hurried out of the castle, disappearing into the darkness. As Harry stood, he knew soon he would have to reveal his secrets to his friends. He just hoped they would understand why he had kept them in the dark all year and forgave him.

            “I hope they forgive him too but I understand why they’ll be angry. Especially Ron,” Remus said.

            “But Harry couldn’t tell,” Sirius protested.

            “Yes, but Ron will think he had the right to know since Scabbers was his pet,” Remus answered.

 

They waited in silence for not even five minutes before two figures emerged from the darkness. One was Crookshanks and the other was the large, shaggy black dog Midnight. Harry couldn’t help but smile in relief. Midnight hadn’t left after all.

 

“Harry!” Ron shouted as he backed away in fright. “It’s the Grim!”

            “Oh, please. It’s just Sirius,” Lily scoffed.

            “He doesn’t know that,” James pointed out.

 

Harry rolled his eyes as he walked over to the dog and knelt down. “Professor Lupin knows about you, Midnight, but no one else,” he said. “This is the only way I can think of to do what is right. Please stay like this until I explain everything, all right?” Midnight nodded. “Good,” Harry said as he stood up. “Let’s go. Dumbledore’s waiting.”

            “Harry’s friend must be doubting his sanity, talking to a dog and all,” Remus said.

 

Midnight stayed at Harry’s side as they walked to Professor Dumbledore’s office where Professor Lupin was waiting for them. Hermione was now carrying Crookshanks and Ron was still clutching Scabbers as if his life depended on it. Lupin glanced down at Midnight and nodded, receiving a nod from the dog in return.

 

“Are you ready for this, Harry?” Professor Lupin asked.

 

Harry let out a sigh. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” he admitted.

 

Professor Lupin gave Harry’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze before muttering the password. The statue slowly moved, revealing a staircase. Lupin led the way, followed by the teenagers and their pets. He opened the door to Dumbledore’s office then stepped out of the way so the three teenagers could enter before him.

 

Professor Dumbledore was there along with Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape.

            “Oh, no! What’s the git doing there?” James whined.

            “Go home Snivellus!” Sirius cried.

            “Hum, Sirius, Snape lives in the castle,” Lily said.

            Sirius glared at her.

Harry held back a groan. He just knew Professor Snape was going to find some way to make this difficult. Revealing his actions was going to be difficult as it was even without Snape’s snide comments about how he was an arrogant rule breaker like his father.

 

“I see you brought a few guests, Harry,” Professor Dumbledore said pleasantly.

 

Harry nodded. “This is Midnight,” he said as he glanced down at the dog. “Er—you all might want to sit down.”

 

Midnight was the first to sit, earning smiles from Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall.

            “So cute,” said James patting Sirius’ head. His hand was promptly swatted away.

Professor Lupin pulled up enough chairs for everyone but didn’t sit down himself. He moved to Harry and stood at his side. Harry glanced over at Ron before lowering his gaze to the floor. This is going to destroy him.

 

“All right, Harry,” Professor Dumbledore said patiently. “Remus informed us that you believe Scabbers isn’t what he appears to be.”

 

Harry nodded again. “First off I need to apologize for not being entirely truthful,” he said then looked over at Ron and Hermione before returning his eyes to the floor, “to all of you. I blamed myself for my—er—family problems and my disappearance. For a week, Midnight was my only friend. I told him everything. I trusted him completely. When he was there, I felt safe.”

            “And you were,” Sirius said.

            “Not exactly, his uncle did almost kill him,” Remus winced.

            “But I protected him. I kept him safe!” Sirius protested.

            “We know you did,” Lily said with a smile. Only Remus heard the soft whimper from the corner.

 

“That is understandable, Harry,” Professor McGonagall said. “You were in an impossible situation but you shouldn’t blame yourself. Your uncle had no right to take his anger out on you.”

 

“I know that,” Harry said softly. “I know it was wrong for him to work me harder than a house elf with the—er—condition I was in. I know that now but then Midnight was the only one who truly listened and treated me like a normal person. I wasn’t the-boy-who-lived or a freak to him so I quickly gave him my trust. He was the only one to see where I hid my homework and my wand. He was the only one there when Uncle Vernon was attacked.”

 

Professor Dumbledore eyed the dog curiously. “I see,” he said calmly. “When did you figure this out, Harry?”

            “There goes Dumbledore using Moony’s technique,” James mumbled.

            “What?” Lily asked.

            “You know, being all calm and polite and making you confess your worst crimes,” he answered.

            “How do you know this isn’t Dumbledore’s technique that I just happened to copy,” Remus said with raised eyebrows.

 

A hand rested on his shoulder from behind and squeezed, reminding Harry that he wasn’t alone. “Er—after you told me Black had used my wand,” he said softly. “It was the only explanation I could think of. After that, I believed every thing everyone said about Black. That’s why I worked so hard. I felt betrayed by someone who was supposed to be my friend. It wasn’t until Christmas when I told Ron and Hermione about my home life that I started to become suspicious. I didn’t understand how the man who betrayed my parents would rescue me from my uncle and then warn me at Halloween. I needed to know why he betrayed my parents.”

 

Hermione gasped. “Harry, what did you do?” she asked fearfully.

            “Uh,oh!” Sirius whispered.

 

Harry glanced down at Midnight who was looking up at him with those ‘puppy dog eyes’. “One night after Quidditch practice I saw Midnight,” he said nervously. “I—I didn’t know what to do. Since he didn’t know I had learned the truth about him, I sent him into the forest to wait for me. The next Hogsmeade visit I snuck out of the castle and met him.”

 

“You did WHAT!?!” Hermione exclaimed as she jumped to her feet. “Harry, how could you? How could you do something so stupid?!?”

            The boys winced.

 

“Miss Granger!” Professor McGonagall scolded. “Please control yourself!”

 

            “That’s precious,” James chuckled, “If Hermione hadn’t scolded Harry, McGonagall would instead she had to scold Hermione.”

 

Harry let out a breath in an attempt to keep himself calm. This was harder than he ever thought it would be. “I know it was risky and stupid,” Harry said, his voice quivering. “But it was something I needed to do. I entered the forest and when I saw him, I—er—stunned him and—er—sort of restrained him. When I revived him, I demanded answers. What he told me was the last thing I expected.”

 

            James glared at Peter.

 

“I can imagine,” Professor Dumbledore said curiously then looked at Midnight. “Sirius, I believe it’s time you revealed yourself.”

            “That’s going to go overly well with the people there,” Remus said sarcastically.

 

With a pop, a man was now where Midnight had once been. He slowly stood up, never taking his eyes off of Dumbledore. Professors McGonagall and Snape instantly took out his wand while Ron and Hermione cried out in alarm.

 

            “Overreacting much aren’t we?” Sirius scoffed.

Black looked a little more ragged than when Harry had last seen him but Harry didn’t dare say anything about that.

 

            “You go live in the forest and see how you look,” Sirius said offended.

 

“Don’t blame him, Dumbledore,” Black said coolly. “What was he supposed to do when everyone hid the truth from him? I told him the truth all of you were too blind to see twelve years ago. How could you possibly believe I would ever betray James and Lily? You know Harry was my entire life before you stripped him away from me.”

 

            “YES! HOW COULD YOU!”

            “Calm down Sirius,” Remus said while pulling Sirius, that had gotten up to yell, back down.

 

Professor Dumbledore let out a sigh. “You have to admit, Sirius, no one ever thought you would use Peter,” he said calmly. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

 

“I wanted to protect them,” Black answered. “We had no idea who the spy was. You may not realize it but you have this way of looking at people that gives you away. When we had meetings, you would always look at me for a moment longer than anyone else. Think about it, Dumbledore. You know how much I detest my family. I would never join them in supporting Voldemort. You should have at least pushed for a trial.”

 

            “YES! YOU SHOULD!” Sirius yelled.

            “I have to agree with him: Innocent until proven guilty.” Lily scolded.

 

“Sirius,” Professor Lupin warned. “Not now. Explain the rest of the story. You can vent your anger on us later.”

            “Always the voice of reason Moony,” James said fondly.

 

Black nodded. “As you see I’m an Animagus,” he said. “So was James and so is Peter. James was a stag and Peter—” he looked over at Ron, “—is a rat. I didn’t kill him. He framed me for the murders of those Muggles and escaped by transforming but not before cutting off his own finger.”

 

            “He’s lying,” Peter kept mumbling. James shot him a warning look and he decided that the best policy was to be quiet again.

 

Ron stared wide-eyed at Black. “No!” he shouted. “Scabbers has been in my family for—”

 

“—twelve years,” Black interrupted. “That’s quite a long life for an ordinary rat. He’s also missing a toe, isn’t he? Peter needed to find a wizarding family to take him in so he could stay up on all of the news pertaining to his master. No one knew he was a rat so he had the perfect cover until the time was right.”

 

            “Makes perfect sense until now, and I have yet to hear your explanation Peter. How are you going to explain hiding as a rat for so long?” James asked icily.

 

Professor Dumbledore slowly rose to his feet and shifted his gaze to Professor Lupin. “You knew about this, Remus?” he asked curiously.

            “Oh no, Dumbledore thinks I was helping Sirius!” Remus cried distressed.

            “Calm down Moony,” Sirius tried to soothe him.

            “And he knows I led you all in becoming illegal Animagi even after he gave me a chance to attend Hogwarts,” he continued without noticing Sirius’ attempts.

            “No Moony, we did that because we wanted to,” James tried to help Sirius, “Remember, you tried to talk us out of becoming Animagi.” But Remus was working himself up into hysterics. It took them a good ten minutes to calm him down enough.

 

Professor Lupin pulled Harry close and wrapped an arm around the teenager. “Harry confided in me about the forest,” he said. “When we were in school, we created a map of Hogwarts to help us with our pranks. Harry got his hands on it and saw Peter in the castle on it the night Scabbers disappeared. The map never lies. The only way Harry could have seen Peter was if he were alive.”

 

Dumbledore pulled out his wand. “Remus, Sirius, please back away with Harry and Hermione,” he instructed. “Ron, please put the rat down on the ground and join your friends.”

 

Ron reluctantly did as he was told and stood by Hermione which was as far as he could be from Black. Professor Lupin still had arm and around Harry while Black had put a hand on Lupin’s shoulder. For all three of them, this was the moment of truth. Their entire futures depended on this.

 

            James, Sirius and Remus were now on their knees, holding their breaths as Lily read Peter was trembling all over letting out little squeaks every now and then.

 

A flash of blue-white light shot out of Professor Dumbledore’s wand and hit Scabbers. There was another flash of light then all of them watched as the rat changed shape. The rat was slowly transforming into a short man who had thin, messy hair with a large bald patch on the top of his head. He didn’t look really anything like the picture Harry had in his photo album, except for his face. That face was unmistakably Peter Pettigrew’s.

            James looked murderously at Peter. Remus put a restraining hand on his friend’s shoulder.

            “Let’s hear what he has to say for himself.”

 

“Good heavens!” Professor McGonagall exclaimed. “It’s true!”

 

“It appears so,” Professor Dumbledore said with a note of regret in his voice. “I think it is time we hear what Peter has to say.” He pointed his wand to his door, locking it securely before pointing it back at Pettigrew. “Ennervate.”

 

Pettigrew stirred as he slowly opened his eyes. He quickly sat up and looked around to come face to face with Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape who were standing in front of Professor Lupin, Sirius Black and three overwhelmed teenagers. “Welcome back, Mr. Pettigrew,” Professor Dumbledore said. There was no pleasantness in his voice. It was clear that Dumbledore was angry.

 

Pettigrew must have recognized the tone as he quivered in fear.

            His past counterpart wasn’t faring much better.