⌗ ⌗ ⌗

"He's in this room, right now!" Sirius told them, stumbling forward.

"Come out, come out, Peter!" Sirius yelled, making Iris cringe. He really did sound like a mad man, "Come out, come out and play..."

Iris' eyes shift from Ron's face to his hands, where Scabbers was twisting violently. Sirius took another step forward when--

"Expelliarmus!"

The wand flew from Sirius' hand. Everyone whirled around, finding Snape standing in the doorway, smiling smugly as he pointed his wand at Sirius.

The potions Professor eyed him, "Ah, vengeance is sweet. How I hoped I'd be the one to catch you."

"Severus--" Lupin tried, taking a step forward only for Snape to turn his wand on him.

Iris carefully took a step back from everyone, grabbing the worn-down wall to support her as her vision flashed for just a second. The dark-haired girl knew that she was losing a lot of blood and that she would need to get real medical assistance quickly.

"I told Dumbledore you were helping your old friend into the castle. And here's the proof." Snape then eyed Iris, taking note of both her bloody bandaged arm and her position on the opposite side of the room from her friends, "I would have hoped you wouldn't have dragged a young student into your charade, Lupin."

They all looked at Iris, who was clearly in a lot of pain, both physically and emotionally.

Sirius jumped in, "Brilliant! And-- as usual -- dead wrong. Now if you'll excuse us, Remus and I have a bit of unfinished business to attend to."

As her godfather approached him, Snape put his wand to Sirius' throat.

"Give me a reason. I beg you."

Remus took a panicked step toward them, "Don't be a fool, Severus!"

The greasy-haired man pressed the wand in a bit harder making Sirius shuffle back.

"He can't help it. It's habit by now," Sirius snapped back.

"Quiet, Sirius!" Professor Lupin scolded.

"Oh, quiet yourself, Remus!"

Remus gave up, pinching the bridge of his nose as he took a few steps back.

"Listen to you two," Snape drawled, "Quarrelling like an old married couple."

"Why don't you run along and play with your chemistry set," Sirus hissed.

Professor Snape's face twisted as he stared at his old enemy. Iris watched the entire exchange in fear, wishing Sirius would stop digging the hole deeper.

"Witty as ever I see," Snape spit out, "Tell me, will you be so irreverent when I turn you over to the Dementors?"

Sirius' face twitched, urging Snape to continue, "Do I detect a flicker of fear? One can only imagine what it must be like to endure the Dementor's Kiss. It's said to be unbearable to witness, but I'll do my best," he drawled, eyes hardened.

Snape gestured to the door, "After you."

He looked at Harry, Hermione, and Ron who were huddled close together on their side of the room and nodded his head toward the door, telling them to follow as well. Snape was about to turn around to Iris, who was now leaning all of her weight onto the wall in order to remain standing, but then Harry took a step forward, Hermione's wand in hand.

Iris watched her brother carefully as he pointed the wand at Sirius, taking another step forward.

"Expelliarmus!"

Snape soared into the air past Iris, hitting the four-poster canopy bed behind her with a thud. Iris jumped at the sound of him slamming into the bed and breaking two of the posts.

"Harry! What did you just do!?" Ron said, staring at the dust cloud escaping from the broken bed.

"You attacked a teacher!" Hermione said, shocked.

Harry looked a bit shocked himself, but then turned to Sirius.

"Tell me about Peter Pettigrew."

Remus spoke, causing Harry to turn the wand on him, "He was at school with us. We thought he was our friend."

"No. Pettigrew's dead." Harry whipped his arm back to facing Sirius, "You killed him."

As Harry pointed at Sirius, Iris pushed off the wall to stumble over to her godfather, clutching onto him for support. She angled her body to be a bit in front of Sirius' in hopes that Harry would consider her before he fired, even though he was furious with her.

Remus took a few steps forward, to stand in front of Harry, "No, he didn't. I thought so, too. Until you mentioned seeing Pettigrew on the Map."

Harry's face contorted in confusion, "The Map was lying then--"

"The Map never lies," Sirius explained, "Pettigrew's alive. And he's right there."

He pointed at Ron, making the poor boy go white with fear. They all looked over at him, Harry and Hermione in confusion.

"M-me? He's mental!"

Sirius rolled his eyes, "No-- no, not you. Your rat.

Ron's eyes widened, "Scabbers? Scabbers has been in my family for--"

"Twelve years," Sirius cut him off, "A curiously long life for a common garden rat."

Iris stepped away from Sirius, letting him walk closer to Ron and his 'rat' as she carefully sat down, leaning up against the broken door. She was breathing heavily, her arm feeling like she was carrying two bowling balls.

"He's missing a toe, isn't he?" He continued.

Ron hugged the rat closer to his chest, not wanting to believe, "So what?"

That's when Harry started connecting the dots and Iris finally sighed in relief, "All they could find of Pettigrew was his--"

"Finger!" Sirius cut him off, "Dirty coward cut it off so everyone would think he was dead. Then he transformed into a rat."

Harry stared into Sirius' sunken eyes. Wanting to believe. Desperate to believe. Iris glanced at Ron, seeing his agonized face. 'Scabbers' squirmed violently in his hands.

"Show me." Harry makes up his mind.

Professor Lupin and Sirius turn to Ron, the latter ripping Pettigrew from Ron's unwilling grasp.

"Scabbers! What are you going to do to him?!"

Sirius and Remus exchanged a glance while Iris leaned forward in anticipation. Remus bent over, plucking Snape's abandoned wand off the wooden floor, his own still in Sirius' grasp.

"Together," Sirius nodded at his old friend.

With that, he dropped the rat on the ground, only letting Pettigrew run towards the door for a second before, as one, he and Professor Lupin cast a stream of blue-white light. Scabbers twisted madly in midair, then transformed into a very short man with thinning hair and grubby hands.

Iris watched on in a horror-filled fascination as the man who was responsible for her parents' death stood before her very own eyes. Harry, Hermione, and Ron all had looks of utter shock and disgust upon their faces.

"S-Sirius... R-Remus. My old friends," Pettigrew stuttered.

Neither said anything, both transfixed on someone who had betrayed them so horribly.

Pettigrew's small, watery eyes darted toward the windows and door. Suddenly, he made a break for it, but Sirius merely shoved him back. Pettigrew's nose twitched, his gaze finding Harry. His hands were fluttering nervously, revealing a missing index finger.

Iris slowly pulled herself off of the ground, gritting her teeth when her arm hit the wall.

Pettigrew ran up to her brother, getting in his face, "Harry! Look at you! Y-you look just like your father. Like James. We were the best of friends, he and I--"

Remus yanked him away from Harry, hissing at the man, "How dare you speak to Harry!"

Pettigrew ran away, hiding behind the old piano that was set in the middle of the dusty room. Sirius and the Professor chased him over, blocking him in.

"How dare you talk about James in front of them!" Sirius yelled.

The two of them were pointing wands at the quivering man as Remus confronted him, "You sold James and Lily to Voldemort, didn't you?"

Pettigrew wailed, "I didn't mean to! The Dark Lord, you have no idea the weapons he possesses! Ask yourself what you would have done, Sirius. What would you have done!"

"I would have died!" Sirius yelled, "I would have died rather than betray my friends!"

The rat ducked under the piano, crawling across the floor and making a run for the door, before Iris stepped in front of it, glaring at him.

Pettigrew grabbed her shoulders and shook her, making Iris gasp in immense pain as he pleaded, "Iris, James wouldn't have wanted me killed. Your dad-- your dad would spare me, he would show me mercy--"

Sirius and Remus ripped him off of her, and as she started crumbling to the floor, grabbing for her hurt arm, another set of hands wrapped around her, steadying her.

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered to her as she clenched her eyes shut in distress.

The last remaining Marauders stood there in that room, two against one, ready to finish what they started all those years ago.

"You should have realized, Peter, if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would!" Sirius spit out.

As one, Lupin and Black raised their wands, pointing them directly into Pettigrew's face. He shrank back trembling, closing his eyes in fear, when...

"No!"

Everyone stopped. Iris looked at Harry in shock.

Professor Lupin's shoulders sagged before he spoke, neither he nor Sirius moving their wands from Pettigrew, "Harry, this man..."

Harry and Iris walked forward, the Potter girl leaning on her twin, feeling like she would pass out at any second.

"I know what he is," Harry said, "But we'll take him to the castle."

Pettigrew fell on his knees, reaching out to grab Harry's ankles, "Bless you, boy! Bless you--"

Iris kicked him, "Get off!" 

"I said we'd take you to the castle. After that, the Dementors can have you," Harry said, glaring down at the sobbing man.

⌗ ⌗ ⌗

Emerging back out of the tunnel a few minutes later, Sirius and Harry, who had carried Ron out, gently set him down on a flat boulder. The Whomping Willow was still after Sirius had reached around and tapped the knot on the trunk.

Hermione and Iris stumbled their way out next as Sirius wandered a little ways away from the four friends. He walked to the edge of the hill, where they could see the familiar sight of Hogwarts shining through a gap in the trees.

Hermione crouched down next to Ron and Harry while Iris followed after her godfather.

She came to a stop at his side and they stared in wonder at the castle, shining radiantly under the bright bowl of the night sky.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Sirius said.

Iris nodded with a small smile.

"I'll never forget the first time I walked through those doors. It'll be nice to do it again as a free man."

That was the first time Iris saw Sirius happy. The way his eyes lit up and crinkled, and the corners of his mouth lifting, bringing a warming expression to his face. Her eyes started watering as she realised that he would finally get to live the life he deserved: a happy one.

He turned to her, "That was a noble thing Harry did back there. He doesn't deserve it."

Iris turned, studying Harry briefly before looking away, lost in thought.

"I don't think our father'd want his two best friends to become killers. Besides: Dead, the truth dies with him. Alive... you're free."

Sirus observed her as she gazed at the twinkling lights of Hogwarts in the distance.

She kept her focus on the castle as she spoke, "I have to tell him... Harry."

There was a sudden burst of noise behind them as Professor Lupin dragged Pettigrew out of the tunnel. The two watched him plead hopelessly to Ron and Hermione to save him before Remus pulled him away from them.

Sirius spoke slowly, his eyes following Remus, "He has to tell him."

Iris tilted her head, watching.

It was only a second before Hermione yelled out that Iris' eyes widened with realisation.

The full moon was rising.

⌗ ⌗ ⌗

alright guys, what did you think of this chapter! lot's of tea was spilled of course, very dramatic(as is anything involving Sirius)

hope you guys liked it, let me know how your day is going so far! good, bad, and the boring, I'm here for all of it

❤️ love you all! -elle