Never did I ever know my father was such a geek until I raided his office. Well, that sounds horribly incriminating, until I broke into his office. Yeah, no, that doesn't help either. Until I visited his office as a surprise - yes, that's it.

I stood in the doorway deciding whether or not to enter the room, even if I had perfect execution of my heist, he would know. I didn't want to violate his trust, but we needed the map back. Harry had foolishly lost it, and I know Papa would want me to have it. No, that's a lie I'm telling myself, I know he wouldn't want me to have it considering he never mentioned it to me, and I learned from Harry. Something is telling me my Papa wasn't always the goody-two-shoes he is now.

I shook my head as I crossed the room to the desk. I gave the handle a gentle tug, but it wouldn't budge.

"Alohomora," I whispered, pointing my wand at the drawer which started to open slowly.

The inside was unlike anything I had ever seen. There were tons of letters, notes, and a calendar with randomly marked dates. I rummaged through the items, I picked up a folded piece of parchment which I thought was the map, but I noticed it contained what looked like ink smears.

I let my curiosity get the best of me and I opened it. I started to read it, 'Pads, I don't understand. I mean, please help me to understand. It couldn't possibly be you, they're wrong about you, I know it. You would never sell out your friends, not Prongs, not Wormtail, not I. You'd rather die yourself than be the cause of harm to any of us. That's what I love about you, so please, tell them what really happened and don't go down for a crime you didn't commit. Please, write me back, I can help you. Love, your Moony.'

I folded up the piece of parchment and placed it back inside the desk. I felt my face flush as I had just read a very personal moment between two people, and for that matter, I recognized them from the map. Those were the creators of the map, so Papa was one of them, but I didn't know if he had written the letter or received it. I didn't want to spend time thinking about it, it wasn't my business. It was something for Papa to share with me if he ever felt ready too.

I continued to sort through all the items in the drawer. I found chocolates, muggle concert tickets to see David Bowie, and more letters between Moony and Padfoot. The rest were small sentences, they made me feel all so alone. I closed the drawer with a huff, realizing I was going to have to look elsewhere for the map.

I looked around the room until I had checked practically everywhere, and then it dawned on me. Where would you hide something if you didn't want it to be found? Something from your past that had been lost? If it were me, I'd place it with something else from my past, and since it wasn't in the drawer, there were only a few other possible options.

There was a picture standing behind a few bottles on the wooden shelf that sat behind his desk. It was as if he wanted to hide it, but still didn't want to forget. I picked up the wooden frame, and looked at the picture. It was four boys in Gryffindor gear, their faces painted, flags blowing in the wind. As the picture moved, their smiles faded into laughs as they locked arms and all almost collectively fell over. I recognized one of them immediately, it was Papa. It was the prime of his youth, he looked happy, free, and unburdened. He stood between a dark-haired guy, and a man that resembled Harry. I assumed it was James Potter.

The man to Papa's left must've been Sirius, I watched as he turned and smiled at the dark-haired man, both of them acted as if there wasn't anything bad in the world. As I went to set the picture back down, my hand caught on something sticking out of the back. The stained piece of parchment slipped out on its own. The map was mine yet again. I quickly returned the room to the state it had been in prior to my visit before leaving as quickly as I had entered.

That evening the common room was quiet. Too quiet. And Harry and Ron were nowhere to be found.

They were probably up to something.

Scratch that, they were definitely up to something.

So, I did the only reasonable thing I could think of - I consulted the map.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," I whispered softly, pointing my wand at the aged parchment.

As I unfolded the map, it started to reveal everything and everyone around me. I scanned until I found the names I was looking for. Ron and Harry were outside the castle with Hermione, and Draco was following them. As I jumped out of my bed and frantically tried to find my shoes, I noticed there was something else on the map that was odd. A name that was familiar - Peter Pettigrew.

But... wasn't he dead? Why would the map show someone who's dead?

I shook my head confused as I raced down the stairs to Harry, I wouldn't realize until later that I had completely forgotten about the map.

I passed Draco in the hallway, his hand was desperately clutching his nose. From my experience, I could tell it was most definitely broken. Karma was a bloody bullock.

"You might want to get that looked at Mr. Malfoy," I taunted as he walked past.

"Oh piss off, Black," he scoffed before brushing past me.

I could only wonder who got a hit in on him. Whoever it was, he probably deserved it, I owed them a round of applause.

As I walked out of the corridor, I spotted my friends at the base of the hill at Hagrid's Hut. I wondered what they could possibly be up to.

"Knock knock," I said, gently tapping the large door.

"Zenith?" What're ya doin' here?" Hagrid asked with a welcoming smile.

"I was trying to figure out why Harry and Ron were ignoring our curfew when we've had a murderer break into Hogwarts, not once, but twice now. You see, I'm a very concerned friend," I said with a sarcastic undertone.

Hagrid grinned, and simply opened the door wider, "That curfew is just a suggestion."

I joined my friends at the table.

"How'd ya find us?" Harry asked.

"I swore I'm up to no good," I said with a grin.

Ron playfully punched my shoulder, "Brillant! You got it back?"

"Of course, have I ever failed a mission? I'm the most dependable person around here."

"You're only dependable if the so-called mission doesn't require common sense," Hermione said, butting into our conversation.

"Who invited the pessimistic princess?" I whispered softly to Ron, pointing at her with my thumb over my shoulder.

"I think she did, but don't count her out. You missed it, she decked Malfoy in the face," he was brimming with excitement.

"Ah, she did that?"

I wasn't surprised, Hermione scared even me.

"Hermione, I applaud you for your beautiful punch directed at Malfoy's face," I clapped my hands eloquently.

"Malfoy is such a git! I cannot stand him!" she cried, frustrated. "I just hope he doesn't send his father after me like he did poor Buckbeak."

I laughed, and I didn't even have to force it. Most of the time, I couldn't stand Hermione Granger, but it seemed she was tolerable tonight, especially since she and Ron seemed to be getting along a bit better.

I remembered the whole reason I had sought out Harry, the map, and Peter Pettigrew.

"Harry," I said, reaching for his arm to get his attention, but just as I did Hermione shrieked.

"What's your problem, woman?" Ron asked, his hands glued to the sides of his head, protecting what little hearing he had left. I wish I had been as proactive as he was, my ears were ringing.

"Your filthy rat," Hermione said, lifting Scabbers up by the tail. He had been stowing away in an empty milk bottle.

Ron eagerly reached for Scabbers, carefully taking him from Hermione, but Scabbers was completely restless. He squirmed aggressively in Ron's hands, and squealed as Ron tried to subdue him.

Hagrid was paying no attention to us, but his face had dropped, and his body language had completely shifted. He was focusing on something that was happening outside. I stood up on my tippy-toes to peer out the window. I saw the Minister of Magic - Cornelius Fudge approaching the hut with a procession of men, one of which was carrying a very large axe.

"I think you kids ought to be leavin'," Hagrid said, motioning us towards his back door.

"Hagrid, we can stay if you would like," Harry said softly, standing slightly behind his mentor. "We have the cloak, they'd never know."

Hagrid just simply shook his head and walked off towards his door. "I wouldn't want yer to see this."

Harry stood frozen in the middle of the room.

"Harry, we really have to be going," Ron said pleadingly.

"You're right," he said, grabbing the cloak and throwing it over himself, Ron, Hermione, and I joined him not long after.

After we had made it outside, the cruel cries of the wind echoed through the empty valley. It was a sense of eerie silence, like a calm before the storm.

I could hear talking from the other side of the hut, and it lasted for a moment or so, but then came the worst sound of all. The sound of polished metal crashing to the ground. A slice of the wind, and then silence. The silence was temporary because as soon as the executioner had struck, all birds in the area fled, crying out for Buckbeak's unlawful end.

"Poor Hagrid," Harry said softly, he turned to walk back towards Hagrid's hut, but Hermione grabbed his arm.

"Harry, we can't go back, they'd know," her voice wasn't one of concern, but it seemed she was angry. She wasn't as composed as normal.

She was right, we couldn't. And I'm sure that all of us knew that what had been done to poor Buckbeak was unjust in every aspect. I couldn't understand why Malfoy had persecuted him so hard for a mistake. Malfoy made his fair share of mistakes, but you don't see us cutting off his head for them.

"Come on, let's go," Ron said, it sounded like he was forcing himself to speak. We could all hear his teeth grinding.

We started walking in silence back towards the castle, we all had to make an effort of staying close in order to stay hidden under the cloak. The sun was setting, creating a beautiful sunset above the castle. The sky of reds and oranges melting into the serenity of pink. Darkness was surrounding us, but the silence was just as engulfing.

"Scabbers, stop it," Ron hissed under his breath, clutching his chest where the rat had wandered to. Ron stopped all of a sudden, and I ran straight into his back. I grunted instinctively.

"Ron, what are you doing?" I whispered.

"Scabbers, won't stay still," Ron replied, wrestling with the rat who he was currently trying to shove into his pocket.

All of a sudden I heard something, a twig being crushed behind me, and then what seemed like a hushed bickering. It reminded me of Cressida. Before I could say anything, Hermione started tearing into Ron.

"Give it a rest, Hermione," I said softly, trying to ease the conflict.

"Tell Ronald to stop squirming, and to get his filthy rat under control," she scoffed.

Of course I didn't say anything, which just happened to make Hermione angrier. The three of us started bickering.

"All of you shush," Harry said, silencing our muffled arguments, "Fudge will be out here in a minute, and unless all of you want detention for the next four years, hush."

"That's very wise, I think he's right," I sound motioning towards Harry, "Should we just call you Harry Granger then?" I remarked with a grin.

He ignored my attempt at humor. How rude! Ron laughed amused, but that was cut short by Scabbers, who was working his way out of Ron's hands. The mangy-looking rat was irritated.

"What's his problem?" I asked, but not a second later I realized what was making the rat act so strange.

Even though the sun had begun to set, I could see the glimmer of a ginger tail which belonged to a ginger cat that was slowly slinking its way over to us. His body was low to the ground, and his level eyes seemed to be staring into our souls. Hermione realized immediately.

"Crookshanks," she whispered, "no, no, no, bad kitty, go away," she pleaded.

This didn't seem to bother him in the slightest, he was zoned in on a target.

"Scabbers," Ron whined, desperately holding onto the rat, "Ouch," he cried as Scabbers sunk his tiny teeth into Ron's hand, losing his grip on the rat, it took off into the darkness.

Ron threw the cloak off himself and bolted after the rat. "Scabbers, get back here!"

"Ron," Hermione and I chimed in together.

I turned to Harry with a guilty look and he shook his head. We didn't need to say anything aloud as he pulled off the cloak, and we started running after Ron.

I couldn't see anything, just a blur of trees as we ran further onto the grounds. I could hear Ron's footsteps ahead, so I knew I must be going the right way. Harry and Hermione were following me, I led the group by speed, not by choice. At some point, I had separated from them, but thankfully I had found Ron.

"Got ya!" I heard Ron shout, it was followed by a loud thump.

He was lying on the ground, sprawled out, his hands outstretched gripping the small rodent. I breathed a sigh of relief before I gasped for air, all that running had caught up to me. My lungs ached as I took in large gusts of wind. My hands rested on my knees as I stared at Ron aimlessly. I couldn't see Harry or Hermione anywhere.

I turned to look for them, but something caught my eye, a blur of movement. I turned back towards Ron to see a large, mangy black dog approaching us.

Wait, I had seen this dog before. It was outside the corridor the day Draco had punched me, and again during our quidditch match against Ravenclaw, there was some sort of connection. I felt a sense of panic start to set in as my pulse raced, and my blood pressure rose.

I hastily reached for my wand in my pocket, but I was too slow. The dog leapt towards me, its front paws knocking me back. My vision blurred as the air was knocked out of me, my head forcefully shoved against the cold ground. I blinked rapidly, the only thing I could see were two dark grey eyes that belonged to the dog that was standing over me. Its sharp, white teeth inches away from my face, its breath hot on my face. I was completely under its will.

Unexpectedly, the dog backed off, and reared around, putting distance between it and me.

I didn't understand. What was its target? What was it trying to do? I laid on the ground, but I leapt up as soon as I heard a voice.

"Zenith, get up!" a soft voice, no louder than a whisper. It sounded like Cressida, I must've hit my head harder than I initially thought considering I was hearing things.

I rolled over on the ground, pushing my palms into the grass, slowly getting up. The dog was circling me, Ron at some point had turned around, and was currently clutching Scabbers close to his chest, watching me and the dog anxiously. I think it was preparing to attack again.

"Watch out," I whispered, my intention was to shout, but no volume escaped my lips. I turned away from the dog to alert Ron, but that was my mistake

Ron realized what I was trying to do too late, instead, he did something I'd never expect him to do. He pushed me out of the way just as the dog was lunching at me, and instead of me being the victim, the dog latched onto his arm. Ron yelped out in pain, still gallantly protecting Scabbers with his other arm, the rat finally seemed still.

"Zenith, forget about me, and tell my mum I love her!" Ron cried out.

I panicked and reached for the back of the dog to try and help Ron, but I missed, only managing to grab a few pieces of hair. Poor Ron was being dragged away, and there was nothing I could do.

"Ron, you're not gonna die, just hang on, I'll get help," I yelled, still trying to catch the dog.

"Zenith, the tree!" Ron shouted, the terror in his eyes was visible.

The tree? What tr-

Out of nowhere, a sharp pain hit the left side of my body, throwing me backwards. I cried out, clutching my side. I could taste blood, I think I bit my tongue, but I think that was the least of my injuries. I could feel a numbness in my arm, I assumed I had been cut.

"Lumos!"

I turned towards the light immediately, "Hermione, thank Merlin."

She ran right past me, straight to the dog that was carrying Ron into the Whomping Willow.

"Ron!" Harry shouted, but he made the same mistake as I did. I watched as the Willow cast him away just as effortlessly as it had for me.

At the base of the trunk, the dog had disappeared into some tunnel, the only thing I could see was Ron's leg. It seemed he had hooked his foot onto something in order to prevent the dog from hauling him off.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but then a crack cut through the air. I heard Ron scream as I saw his leg disappear into the tunnel.

"What are we going to do? We have to get help! Oh poor Ron, what was that thing?" Hermione said, frazzled, she was bleeding too. There was a deep gash across her shoulder, and her hair was wilder than ever, currently homing some loose twigs and leaves.

"We haven't got time to get help, did you see the size of that thing!" Harry said, aggravated, he pushed himself off of the ground. His glasses were broken, and he had blood on his face.

"Harry's right, we haven't got time to go back to the castle, what if something happens to Ron?" I said, standing up beside Harry. "Repairo," I said, pointing my wand at his glasses, which mended simultaneously.

"Thank you," Harry smiled.

"You boys can't be serious! There's no way to get down there!" Hermione attempted to rationalize.

The tree continued to swing branches at us, which we managed to dodge only because we knew to pay attention.

Harry turned to me and smiled. "Listen, we just got to use the Cho Chang method."
I immediately understood what he meant, but Hermione looked utterly confused.

"If the dog could get down there, then we can too."

"What are you two suggesting?" Hermione asked.

"Well, when we played Ravenclaw, Harry went for the snitch, and I managed to keep Cho Chang from advancing on him. I was essentially the perfect distraction," I said proudly.

"Just follow our lead," Harry pitched in.

Harry went to the left, and I to the right, we dodged the limbs by both going over and under the barrages. We'd managed to get closer to the inside of the tree, but it was becoming more difficult to avoid the limbs. Just as I was about to reach the tree, I was struck across the chest, and thrown back. It wasn't long before Harry joined me.

"That seemed to work great," Hermione said, as she was sitting on a nearby rock, her wand still emitting a light, which illuminated her unamused face.

"Well, do you have any other suggestions?" I asked, I was tired of her offhanded, and unhelpful comments. If she thought she was all that, she should just waltz right in herself.

Just as Harry was about to step in between us, something ran between the two of us on the ground. A ginger blur. Crookshanks?

"Crookshanks, get away from there!" Hermione warned as her cat ran up to the tree.

He seemed better at dodging limbs than the rest of us. It was as if he had done this a thousand times before, he reached the trunk of the tree in no time, he placed a front paw on a knot on the tree. Then, everything was still.

"What?" Hermione asked, puzzled, "How could he possibly know?"

"I think he's friends with that dog, I've seen the dog before on the grounds, and not long after Crookshanks goes missing," I said with a grim tone.

Everything about the dog seemed weird, and things were continuing to become more confusing second by second.

"Let's go, and both of you," he paused for a moment, as we all crossed to the tunnel in which Crookshanks had already disappeared into, "Keep your wands out, and stay alert."

Harry climbed into the tunnel, headfirst, then I and Hermione followed behind me. The inside of the tunnel was dark, and smelt musty, as if it had been around for many years. I kept my wand in my mouth as I anxiously crawled through on my hands and knees. It was small, but definitely made for people. When I had finally reached the flat part of the ground, Harry was already standing up, his knuckles were white from the grip he had on his wand.

"Lumos," I whispered softly, holding my wand with one hand, and helping Hermione up with the other.

I could be a gentleman when I wished too.

"Where are we?" Hermione asked curiously.

I wondered the same thing.

The room was dark, and dusty. The walls were covered with a soft white wallpaper which seemed to be climbing off the walls. The floor was stained with various colors, but the most alarming was the crimson pools. Every piece of furniture looked as if it had been a victim, smashed in violent ways. Every window was boarded with an array of wood, multiple layers, it almost felt like a prison.

The only thing that felt out of place was the door that was to their right, it was wide open, yet past it there was only darkness. Hermione had worked her way over to where Harry was standing, and gently tugged on his arm.

"I know where we are," she breathed softly. "It's the Shrieking Shack."

I looked around, but my eyes caught on a specific piece of furniture. There was a chair lying in the corner of the room. Large chunks of the chair were missing, and one of the legs had been torn off entirely. I walked closer to the chair. I noticed large markings on the floor, like blades had carved it away. It almost looked like claws.

"One things for sure," I said, nervously swallowing, "Ghosts didn't do this."

Harry laughed softly, but we were quickly reminded of the situation when the overhead floorboards creaked, and dust gently rained from the ceiling. I covered my nose to avoid coughing. The last thing we needed to do was alert whoever was upstairs that we were here.

Without speaking a single word, we all collectively decided that we needed to head upstairs. Since I was closest to the door, I led the way. I made sure to watch where I stepped, avoiding boards that seemed broken or suspicious. A single creak could cost us.

We made our way up the worst spiral staircase I had ever seen. There was no guide railing, and the steps were extremely close together, and steep. I had to watch my feet to avoid tripping. A thick layer of dust coated the stairs, but in the middle, there was a clear path, it looked as if something had been dragged. I felt a twinge of nausea, not something, someone. I just hoped Ron was okay.

After what seemed like an eternity of walking in circles, we reached the landing. There was a single door at the end of the hall, it was slightly ajar, only allowing a small amount of light to escape. I moved out of the way so Harry and Hermione could make their way up as well. Our wands were still lit, and with the three of us, it was enough to light the whole hallway.

Harry pointed to the end of his wand, and then extinguished the light. Hermione and I followed suit.

As we walked down the hall, we stopped in front of the door. There was a dreary moan, and then a cat's purr. I paused to think rationally for a moment, which was completely out of character for me, but Harry pulled a me. He kicked down the door and marched in. Hermione and I looked at each other, shaking our heads before following him inside.

The room was mainly empty, there was a large, four-poster bed, but it looked as if it had been deserted for ages. Ron lay at the foot of the bed, clutching his leg, his eyes were closed, and his teeth gritted. Just looking at his leg nearly made me sick. It was bent in the wrong way entirely, not to mention the crimson blood seeping through his sleeve on his arm.

"Ron," I mumbled, "are you okay?"

His eyes fluttered open, and they looked crazed. A mix of fear and panic. Before he had a chance to answer, Harry spoke.

"Where's the dog?"

"It's not a dog," Ron moaned, his head leaning against the bed frame, "Iz a trap," he slurred.

"What?"

"The dog's not a dog, he's a wizard," Ron was staring off behind the three of us who had managed to walk far enough away from the entrance of the room. The door slammed behind us, and we all turned anxiously.

The disgruntled man stepped out of the shadows. His long, curly, black hair clutched to his face, matted down with sweat and dirt. His clothes were ragged and torn, covered in filth. It seemed as if his eye sockets were trying to swallow his dark, grey eyes, they stared at us blankly. As if nothing and no one mattered, completely soulless. They were the eyes of a killer, the eyes of Sirius Black.

"Expelliarmus!" he said meekly.

Harry's, Hermione's, and my own wand flew from our hands into the air, Black caught them effortlessly. I felt like I was sinking in the room, as if the ground was giving out beneath me. I felt the beginnings of a panic attack muster, but I had to force it down, not here, not now. I couldn't just roll over and let this man do as he pleased. Not to my friends, if I did then I would be no better than him leading Voldermort to slaughter his friends.

"I knew you'd come for him," he said hoarsely, his voice sounded old, and he stumbled over words like a child who was learning how to speak. "It will make things easier, you wouldn't understand. It's very brave of you three not to fetch a teacher. I knew deep down you wouldn't Harry, you're like your dad you see, he was the bravest man I ever knew."

Harry shifted uncomfortably, I could tell that Black was pushing some buttons. Harry never spoke about his parents, and we avoided the subject at all cost. I could see him digging his nails into his palm, his fists were balled so tight. I don't know what he was thinking, but he started to step forward. I grabbed him from behind, locking my hands across his chest.

"Harry, I hate him as much as you do, but you have to be smart here, don't give him what he wants, he's taunting you," I whispered in his ear.

"Yeah, listen to your little lapdog Potter," Black taunted.

I loosened my grip on Harry who struggled in my arms, "You know, better yet, maybe he's worth killing."

Hermione stood in front of Harry and I, "I hate boys," she said to us and Sirius Black. "You never can talk out your feelings, and always behave like children."

At some point, Ron had stood up, although using the word 'stood' was an overstatement. He leaned against the bedpost, and one arm was completely wrapped around it.

"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill all three of us first," Ron said, I know his intentions were to be protective of Harry, but Hermione had to throw an arm around him to keep him upright. He swayed back and forth with a sense of uncertainty as if any second he would collapse.

"Get off that leg, or you'll make it worse," Black mumbled with a completely different tone of voice than before.

"Didn't ya hear me?" Ron repeated, heavily relying on Hermione to even stand, "I said you'd have to kill all three of us!"

"There's only going to be one murder here tonight. No need for three," Black said, his eyes crazed, his grin slowly widening.

"No need for three? You didn't seem to have a problem killing all those muggles just to get to Pettigrew, you have some sort of conscience now? What's the matter? Has Azkaban made you go soft? The dementors sucked the crazy out of you?" Harry spat.

I have no clue what his intention was, but he continued to try and slip out of my grasp, instead I just started to hold him tighter.

"Harry, shush."

"I'm sorry? Are you telling me to shush, Zenith? HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD! You gonna switch sides too now? Join your dear old daddy?" Harry drilled me, the last two things were said softly only loud enough for me to hear. I had to bite my lip to keep from saying something I'd regret. In a moment of weakness, I let Harry get out of my arms.

He started to walk off, but then he had a guilty conscience, I think he realized the depth of the words he had said.

"Zen, I, I didn't mean it," he muttered.

I didn't care about that. I was more concerned about Sirius Black who seemed to be smiling and watching us like it was some sort of game.

I crossed the room quickly, and I'm not sure if he didn't react because he didn't think I had it in me, or if it was the shock of me doing something so stupid. I reached for his wrist, the arm holding the wands, and twisted it backwards.

I felt as he dropped the wands, and as soon as he did, I pulled my fist back and punched him as hard as I could. He fell backwards, and I stumbled with him, landing on top of him. I didn't let up, but he started to fight back. We rolled a few times across the floor.

"Zenith, stop it," Hermione shrieked, watching in horror.

Harry had joined in, he was trying to wrap his hands around Black's throat, and Black was currently reaching to wrap his hands around mine.

I panicked for a moment, and he landed his hands around my throat, "What?" I smirked as he pushed his wrapped hands around my neck. "You killed your best friend, what's to say you won't kill your son too? Did you like the thought of the Potters' death being at your hands? Did you get off on that? You destroyed Remus' life," I hit a nerve, his eyes dulled, and his grip loosened."Let's not forget Harry's life, or mine. And don't even get me started on Cressida," I hissed.

Before he could react, Hermione's foot caught Black's side, he grunted as he was pushed to the side. Crookshanks had joined in the brawl, he sunk his teeth into Harry's hand as he reached for their wands.

Harry grabbed Crookshanks by the tail, and pulled him back, casting him to the other side of the room. The cat hissed angrily.

Harry lunged for all of our wands, pushing them behind him. "Get out of the way," he yelled.

We didn't need to be told twice. I quickly grabbed our wands from the floor, and Ron collapsed onto the bed. I saw him roll over on his side, and to be honest, I think he was vomiting.

Harry had his wand pointed directly at Black's throat.

Black simply smiled, "Are you going to kill me, Harry?"

Black looked pathetic, he had a black eye, and his nose was dripping blood down his already disgusting shirt.

"You killed my parents," Harry said, his voice shaking, but his wand was steady.

Black stared at him with empty eyes, "I won't deny that accusation. I only wish you knew the whole story."

"The whole story?" Harry questioned, "I'm pretty sure I know it by heart, you betrayed them, and they died because they trusted you."

"That's not all," I said, butting in, "You betrayed Remus, and you left us," my tone just as passionate as Harry's.

"Both of you please, you've got to give me a chance to speak. You'll regret it, you wouldn't understand without me," Black said, his voice urgent.

Harry looked at me for advice, "Zenith?"

"Give him a chance to speak," I said, avoiding eye contact with either of them. I just hoped that this decision wouldn't be the biggest mistake of my life.

"What if it's just lies?" Harry questioned, his wand still pressed deep into Black's chest.

Before I could answer, something unexpected happened, Crookshanks ran from his hiding place under the bed, and climbed onto Black's chest, curling up over his heart. It was honestly cute if you ignored the fact that he was a murderer and now the cat was assisting.

"Crookshanks, move," Harry warned, his tone was serious. "I will not hesitate to kill you too."

"You sure as hell will," Hermione said, she was furious. "Crookshanks is a good cat, he's loyal, if he trusts Black, then maybe we should hear him out."

"Why are you all so suddenly trusting of Black? Have you all forgotten who he is?" Harry said, his tone changing, as if he was becoming more crazed.

Suddenly the silence that was setting in the room was disturbed by the pattering of feet from below us. Someone was in the house.

"HELP! WE'RE UP HERE!" Hermione shouted, hoping to gain the attention of the new visitor.

Within seconds, Papa burst into the room, he pushed the door open and saw Harry standing over Black.

"Expelliarmus," he shouted.

I felt as if the whole world had stopped. Why would Papa disarm us? It made no logical sense, or well it did, but I wanted to block that thought as far away as I possibly could. The only reason, and I mean the only reason Papa would disarm us would be the fact that he was helping Sirius Black.

Harry's wand was once again taken from his hand, as was mine, and the two that Hermione was holding. Papa caught them all deftly, and then his attention returned to Black.

Harry stood there and his face reflected the same emotions I was feeling. Confusion, and a sense of emptiness. What was going on?

"Where is he, Sirius?" Papa asked, his voice direct, but there was also a twinge of pain.

What was he talking about? What did he mean by 'he'?

"Papa, what's going on?" I asked, and for some odd reason, both Black and Papa turned to me. I had some colorful words to say but I refrained because Black pointed at Ron with a shaky outstretched hand.

Harry followed his arm to Ron, who seemed just as confused as the rest of us. What in the world was going on?

"If that's the case, why hasn't he shown himself all these years? Unless..."

There was a pause as Papa clutched Black's shirt, his anger and pain turned to relief, I saw a genuine smile forming. "Unless it was him instead of you.. Unless you switched without telling me? You traded off?" Papa was talking fast, and it was hard for any of us to understand what he could possibly mean.

Papa's eyes never left Black's but then Black nodded, and Papa breathed a sigh of relief, he offered his hand out to Black, helping him stand, and then something weird happened. They hugged, and it wasn't short either, it seemed as if both of them had been waiting for this embrace.

Did they forget they had an audience of very confused children?

"Professor?" Harry asked, interrupting the moment, "What's going on?"

"I cannot believe it!" Hermione yelled, crossing to the front of the room.

Papa pulled back from the hug, and tried to calm her down. "Hermione, listen-"

"No, do not Hermione me!"

"Calm down-"

"You and him?"

"You don't understand," Papa said, closing the distance between them, but she backed away as if he was some sort of monster, it upset me.

"I haven't told anyone. I kept my mouth shut. I've been covering for you this whole time, and for what?"

"Let me explain," Papa said, his voice getting more and more defensive. I knew this tone, he was nervous.

Harry was seething with anger, "I trusted you, and all this time you've been helping him! You've been his friend?"

"You're wrong," Papa said, "I haven't been Sirius' friend, but I am now, just give me a moment to speak before we start throwing around big words."

"You've been talking with him? Behind Cressida and my back? You told us you hated him, and you could never forgive him? Was that a bunch of lies too?" I seethed yelling directly at him.

"No, those weren't lies, I did say that," Papa said, his brow furrowed. He closed his eyes and grabbed the bridge of his nose with his free hand.

"Moony? You said you hated me? That's a bit harsh!" Black said with a grin.

Wait. Moony? Papa was Moony?

"No, you both shut up!" Hermione yelled, then she turned to Harry, her eyes wild, "Harry you cannot listen to anything he says, he's been helping Black break into the castle, and now he wants you dead too, oh and most of all, he's a werewolf!"

There was a deep silence. Everyone in the room was watching Papa including me, my mind was racing. Papa looked calm, he just looked as white as a ghost, he swallowed once before clearing his throat and gaining control of the room again. "Well Hermione, you tend to be the best academically, but it seems you've only got one of the three right this time."

"MERLIN!" I cried. "You mean to tell me this whole time you've been helping Black?! Was the talk we had in your office a bunch of rubbish then?"

Sirius Black started laughing, "Oh dear boy, you're hopelessly like me, all you've got going for you is that pretty hair."

"Zenith you absolute git," Hermoine said, shaking her head, although it seemed she was slightly amused. "You've lived with him your whole life and never once put together the connections? It's not hard to hide the fact that he mysteriously disappears for every full moon. How bloody oblivious are you?"

"I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle, and I do not wish Harry death, if anything I wish him the exact opposite. I cannot deny the fact that I am a werewolf though," Papa said softly as if he was ashamed of it.

Let me tell you, my mouth dropped to the floor, forget the fact that Sirius Black is here, and let's focus on the important part for a moment. Papa was a werewolf. Like howling at full moons and killing people werewolf? I didn't believe it. I couldn't believe it. I wouldn't believe it.

Ron tried to get up, but his leg bowed underneath him, he yelped in pain, and Papa being the good soul he is moved forward to help him, but Ron turned away from his touch like acid, "Get away from me werewolf," Ron spat.

Papa ignored Ron's harsh reaction, and again turned towards Hermione, "How long have you known?" he asked softly.

"For ages," she scoffed, "ever since Professor Snape assigned that horrid essay, I'm sure Cressida figured it out too, unless you had told her before, but judging by Zenith's reaction. I'd say she was just as in the dark as he was."
Papa nodded, and I couldn't believe my ears, "I didn't tell either of them, but Cressida figured it out, there's only so many times saying you have allergies works on brilliant witches like you and her," he paused for a moment, and closed his eyes. It was how he handled stress. "Did you track the dates I was ill with a lunar chart, or did my boggart give it away?"

"I was suspicious at first with the boggart, why would a grown wizard be afraid of the moon, but it all made sense shortly thereafter. I think it was a combination of the two," Hermione said proudly. Her facial expression quickly shifted as she remembered what he was.

Papa looked at me, "I really am sorry Zenith, but I didn't want you to know, Cressida understood, and I'm sure you will too."

Pause.

"You told Cressida, and not me?" my voice was starting to break, but I had to blink the tears that were trying to inhabit my eyes away. "When will I be enough for you, Papa?"

"Zenith, that is unfair," Papa said, his voice sounding just as broken as my own. "Do you think I didn't tell you because I didn't trust you?" He walked forward to close the gap between the two of us, his arms outstretched to embrace me, but I pushed him away.

"Unfair? Are you telling me I'm being unfair?" I balled my fist, and I was furiously blinking tears away to avoid crying. "How long have you been lying to us, Papa? To everyone? How long have you been helping him?" I asked, pointing to Black who had made his way over to the bed, he was lying face down, and practically ignoring everyone in the room. Crookshanks was curled up by his side, purring happily.

"I have not been helping him. You children are all bold to jump to such conclusions. Yes, Sirius and I have a history, but I genuinely believed him to be just as guilty as you all think he is. Here, just listen," he said, tossing us our wands back.

"You're armed, and Sirius and I are not, so let me speak," Papa said, walking over to sit on the edge of the bed where Sirius seemed to be enjoying the creaky mattress.

"If you haven't been helping him at all, then how could you possibly know we were here, and that he was here too?" Harry questioned.

"Simple," Papa answered, he smiled, "the map."

I left the map out.

"You didn't have the map," I argued.

"That is true," Papa said, "but you see, I wanted to visit my son, and when I visited the common room, it was empty, I asked Neville if he had seen any of you, and he said no, but I noticed a familiar-looking parchment laying on your bed, Zenith. Any guesses? Ah, yes, the map, which you had carelessly left out in the open. May I add that it is dangerous to be left lying around. I assumed the lot of you had come to see Hagrid, it's awfully sad about his Hippogriff."

Everything he was saying was the truth, Hermione glared at me angrily, "Zenith, how could you leave the map out?"

"Listen, you didn't have the guts to get it, so you don't get to lecture me on what I did with it. I saw you guys had left and I was in a hurry, I must've forgotten. I know for a fact it wasn't left open though."

I was regretting all the things I'd ever said about Neville's memory right about now.

"How'd you know how to work it?" Hermione questioned.

"Work it? My dear girl-"

I cut Papa off before he could finish, "He knew how to work it because he wrote it," I said, putting two and two together. "He's Moony, and I think Sirius is Padfoot," I said motioning to the man lying on the bed, who gave me a thumbs up in response.

"How could you possibly know he's Pads, I mean Padfoot," Papa corrected himself.

I didn't want to say anything aloud, not in front of the others, and not in front of Sirius, "I was in your office looking for the map," I said vaguely, but his face flushed, and I knew he knew what I was referring to.

"Back to the point, Professor," Hermoine said, holding up her wand, "What made you come here?"

"Well you see, there was someone else with you on the map, at first I was utterly confused, and I thought the map was just malfunctioning, but then something clicked, and I ran down here as fast as I could."

"Yeah, Sirius was near us," I said.

Papa shook his head, "I never saw him on the map, but the person I did see was Peter Pettigrew."

"But he's dead," Harry said slowly, "What are you getting at here?"

"I remember seeing Sirius collide with Zenith and young Weasley at the Willow, and then I watched as he pulled two of you into the tunnel."

"He pulled one of us," Ron corrected.

"No, that's where you're mistaken," Papa said, his voice beginning to sound desperate, "there was another with you," he approached Ron, and offered his hands out. "Do you think I could have a look at that rat?"

"What does Scabbers have to do with any of this?" Ron asked defensively, he was still clutching his precious pet with his good arm.

"Absolutely everything," Sirius said, sitting up on the bed. It seemed as if he had gotten bored of the moth-ball scented mattress.

"You see Ron, that's not a rat," Papa said gently.

"Of course it's a bloody rat," Ron said, annoyed. He was probably tired of everything, and in a great amount of pain.

"No, he's not," Papa said quickly, "he's a wizard."

"An animagus by the name of Peter Pettigrew," Sirius said, staring directly at the rat. 

hey friends! updates two nights n a row? yah we did. this is technically this week's chapter, and since it is so unbelievably long, it has been split into two parts, part 2 will post next week! and yes, I'm sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger! with love, agc & k.rae <3

let us know what you think, ur comments fuel us! did we do this chapter justice?