I stumbled to my feet and backed away from the tree just out of reach right beside Harry and Hermione. The Whomping Willow's branches twisted and turned as the tree creaked. Ron's screams filled the air as they echoed out of the whole.

    "Great, what do we do now?" Hermione huffed.

"Come on." Harry grabbed the both of our hands and just booked it forward towards the tree.

The Whomping Willow slapped down a large tree vine, forcing Harry and I to separate. I jumped to the side, wobbled on my feet and continued to run.  Two more vines slapped down between Harry and Hermione making them separate as well.

"Duck!" I shouted seeing a vine coming straight for Hermione and Harry.

Hermione listened, but Harry wasn't quick enough. The vine slapped Harry's chest and sent him hurting through the air right for me. Before I could move he crashed into me and we tumbled to the ground. Harry's glasses fell off his face and he began to look for them. Hermione stood on her feet and was jumping over the vines that were swinging towards her. I stood to my feet and dodged my way over towards her and the hole.

"Grab on!" Hermione shouted to me.

The branch swung down and we both grabbed onto it. It swung around the trees and I shielded my face with my arm. Branches hit my sides, my back, and Hermione and I both grunted and screamed as it whipped us around like a rag doll. The giant tree used one of it's more club like branches and bent down to the ground nearly crushing Harry. He squinted his eyes to see as he stood up again.

"Harry!" Hermione and I screamed as the branch swung at him. He ducked quickly and avoided being hit.

"Grab him next time!" I shouted my plan and she nodded.

Harry was on the ground, feeling around for his glasses. He appeared to have found them, placed them on his face and stood up. The branch we were on swung down again to try and hit him. Harry turned just as Hermione and I approached, grabbing the collar of his shirt and lifting him up into the air with us on the branch. It swung us around violently and as it came back down Hermione and I grunted swinging him towards the hole. Harry screamed and disappeared into the hole, and Hermione and I soon followed tumbling in after him.

"Ahh!" We shouted. I landed on Harry and then Hermione landed on top of me. "Oof!" We groaned.

"Oh, oh, I'm sorry." Hermione apologized.

"Sorry, Harry." I said climbing off him.

"Don't worry." Harry grunted.

"Where do you suppose this goes?" Hermione asked.

"I have a hunch." Harry and I stated together.

"I just hope we're wrong." Harry sighed. "Come on."

I walked in front of them and up the stairs, hurrying to try and find Ron. Indeed, the passage we'd seen on the Marauder's map led from the Whomping Willow all the way to the Shrieking Shack. The building was creaking as we poked our heads up through the trap door. I gasped seeing all the blood on the floor leading up the stairs. I climbed out and helped up the other two.

"We're in the Shrieking Shack, aren't we?" Hermione whispered.

"Yes." I nodded. "Come on."

I walked up the stairs and started to be able to hear Ron's whimpering and groaning again. As I hit the top of the stairs, just around the corner was an open door and inside was Ron sitting on a dirty old couch.

"Ron!" I gasped and ran to him. I flung my arms around his neck and he held me tightly against him.

"Ron, we're so glad you're okay." Hermione breathed.

"The dog, where's the dog?" Harry asked. I sat up and moved and Ron pointed a shaky hand towards the door.

"Harry, Olivia, it's trap! He's the dog! He's an animagus!" Ron shrieked.

The three of us turned and looked at the blood trail on the floor. It led from Ron to the doorway, and halfway through the dog prints, they became human. The broken door swung shut and reveal a dirty, disgruntled looking Sirius Black. His face was sunken in, his hair was matted and dirty just like in his prison photos. He looked to be near skin and bone. Clothes tattered, and his body seemed to be covered in tattoos and brands. Hermione jumped in front of Harry and I protectively as he began to walk forward.

"If you want to Kill Harry and Olivia, you'll have to kill us too." Hermione growled.

"No." Sirius spoke for the first time and his voice sent a shiver down my spine, but for some strange reason I didn't feel afraid. "Only one will die tonight."

I scrunched my nose at his words and tilted my head in confusion. Only one? But there's two of us? Does he intend to kill one and keep the other? Before I could say a thing, Harry lunged out from behind Hermione at Sirius.

"Then it'll be you!" Harry snarled.

"Harry!" I shouted.

He tackled Sirius and pinned him to the floor. Harry pulled out his wand from his pocket and aimed it at Sirius's throat. Sirus started to chuckle.

"Are you going to kill me, Harry?"

The door to the room swung open again and in barged Professor Lupin.

"Expelliarmus!" He shouted and disarmed Harry, making his wand flick across the room. We all looked at him shocked and he gestured for Harry to move.

He climbed off Sirius and I quickly moved forward and grabbed his arm. Pulling him back towards the couch.

"Well, well, Sirius, looking rather ragged, aren't we?" Lupin asked with his wand pointed at Sirius who still laid on the floor. "Finally the flesh reflects the madness within."

"Well, you'd know all about the madness within, wouldn't you, Remus?" Sirius asked.

Suddenly Lupin seemed to grin at Sirius and to all of our shock, Sirius stood up and they embraced. Hermione scowled even more than Harry and I stepping closer to them.

"I found him. He's here."

"I understand."

"Let's kill him." Sirius growled in a low whisper.

He? I thought to myself. He doesn't want to kill me, he wants... Harry?

"No!" Hermione and I shouted together.

"You will not touch my brother." I shouted.

"We trusted you!" Hermione yelled. "And all this time, you've been his friend."

Hermione's words boiled inside me like a overflowing pot. I trusted this man. I kept his secret.

"You're a werewolf!" I exclaimed, looking back at Ron and Harry who seemed surprised. "That's why he's been missing classes."

"How long have you known, Olivia?" Lupin questioned as he stepped closer.

"A while. Near the beginning of the year. I had my suspicions because the lunar cycles were always when you'd miss class, but it's not only me. Hermione helped me figure it out." I explained angrily.

"I figured it out when Professor Snape set the essay. I brought it to Olivia, since the two of you are so close. She said she had the same suspisions. We kept your secret." Hermione explained firmly, glaring at Professor Lupin.

"Well, well, Olivia, Hermione. You really are the brightest witches of your age I've ever met." Lupin explained almost proudly. Entirely inappropriate for the situation at hand, which clearly Sirius thought so.

"Enough talk, Remus!" Sirius shouted angrily. "Come on, let's kill him!"

"Wait!" Lupin demanded.

"I did my waiting! Twelve years of it, in Azkaban!" Sirius yelled emotionally. His eyes seemed to flood with tears.

Lupin took a deep breath and looked back at us. We stood their waiting to see what he would do. His expression changed again and he gave his wand to Sirius. Rage boiled inside at his betrayal.

"Very well." Lupin said as he handed him the wand. "Kill him, but wait one more minute. Olivia and Harry have the right to know why."

"We know why!" I stepped forward again with my brother by my side. I shielded him the best I could. "You're the one who betrayed our parents! The reason they're dead!"

"No, Olivia. It wasn't him. Somebody did betray your parents, but it was somebody who, until quite recently, I believed to be dead!" Lupin explained.

"Who was it then?" Harry challenged.

"Peter Pettigrew!" Sirius answered him, snarling the name. "And he's in this room! Right now! Come out, come out, Peter. Come out, come out and play!" Sirius taunted.

Finally it began to make a lick of sense. He wasn't after he, being Harry. It was Peter. But the only people in the room were Harry, Me, Ron, Hermione, Lupin, and Sirius. If he was so sure he was here, then where was he? Suddenly Professor Snape appeared in the door way, and rushed the room.

"Expelliarmus!" Snape casted and disarmed Sirius. We all gasped at his sudden intrusion. "Ah, vengeance is sweet. How I hoped I'd be the one to catch you." Snape snarled.

"Severus..." Lupin tried to diffuse the situation, only for Snape to turn his wand on him now as well.

"I told Dumbledore you were helping an old friend into the castle, and now, here's the proof."

Both Professor Lupin and Sirius backed away from Professor Snape as they basically circled each other within the small room.

"Brilliant, Snape. Once again, you put your keen and penetrating mind to the task, and as usual, come to the wrong conclusion." Sirius blatantly insulted him. "Now, if you'll excuse us, Remus and I have some unfinished business to attend to."

Snape lunged forward and I gasped softly. He pressed his wand against Sirius's throat. If Snape goes and blabbers, Harry and I will never find out the real truth about what happened to our parents.

"Give me a reason." Professor Snape threatened. "I beg you." He spat.

"Severus, don't be a fool." Lupin warned.

"He can't help it. It's habit by now." Sirius replied sarcastically.

"Sirius, be quiet!" Lupin shouted.

"Oh, quiet yourself, Remus!" Sirius shouted back.

I held the wand in my pocket and slowly began to pull it out, waiting for the right moment. Harry seemed to have the same idea as we made eye contact. He reached around Hermione and snuck her wand from her pocket.

"Oh, listen to you two, quarreling like an old married couple." Severus taunted.

"Why don't you run along and play with your chemistry set." Sirius spat. Snape pressed his wand harder against his throat.

"I could do it, you know? But why deny the Dementors? They're so longing to see you. Do I detect a flicker of fear?" Snape enjoyed his upper hand. "Oh, yes. The dementors kiss. one can only imagine what that must be like to endure. It's said to be nearly unbearable to witness, but I'll do my best."

"Severus, please." Lupin begged.

I knew we couldn't wait much longer. Snape was really starting to get on my nerves now.

"After you." Snape pointed to the doorway. He looked over at us and gestured for us to go too.

Harry and I both stepped forward with our wands raised. Sirius flinched seeing us aiming at him, but we quickly aimed at Snape.

"Expelliarmus!" We both shouted.

The force of us both using the spell, caused a blast to hit Professor Snape in the chest and send him flying backwards, crashing on a dusty old bed. The entire room gasped at Harry and I's action.

"Olivia, Harry, what'd you just do?!" Ron asked shocked.

"You've both just attacked a teacher!" Hermione exclaimed.

Sirius gave us both a almost grateful smiled. Until our wands turned and pointed at them, me towards Sirius and Harry towards Lupin.

"Tell us about Peter Pettigrew." I demanded, ignoring our friends remarks.

"He was at school with us." Remus explained urgently. "We thought he was our friend."

"No, Pettigrew's dead." Harry shook his head and aimed his wand at Sirius as well. "You killed him!"

"No, he didn't!" Lupin stepped in front of our wands. "I thought so, too, until the both of you mentioned seeing Pettigrew on the Map!"

"The Map had to of been lying then! Harry and I searched for him and couldn't find him!" I stated with a frown.

"The map never lies!" Sirius explained. Lupin moved and we could see Sirius looking straight at the both of us. His expression a tad softer as he spoke to the pair of us. "Pettigrew's alive. And he's right there!" He pointed to Ron.

"Me?!" Ron bursted shocked. "He's mental! I..."

"Not you." Sirius said throughly annoyed. "Your..."

"Rat." I gasped at the same time as Sirius said the word. He looked at me and gave a proud smile.

"But Scabbers has been in my family for..." Ron explained in a shaky voice.

"12 years!" Sirius exploded interrupting Ron. "A curiously long life for a common garden rat. He's missing a toe isn't he?" Sirius asked as he moved closer towards us.

"So what?!" Ron retorted.

"All they could find of Pettigrew was his fi..." Harry and I murmured together.

"Finger! The dirty coward cut it off so that everyone would think he was dead. And then he transformed into a rat." Sirius snarled at Ron's arm's, still clenching tightly to Scabbers. Who had been squeaking and trying to escape his grip the entire time.

"Show us." Harry and I demanded.

Ron whimpered as Sirius moved closer to him reaching for Scabbers. He reached out and grabbed a hold and the rat started squeaking tremendously. But Ron wouldn't let go.

"Give him to him, Ron." Harry stated.

"What are you trying to do to him?! Scabbers!" Ron cried out and my heart ached at the pain in his voice. " Leave him alone!"

Sirius finally had him in his grip and held him up. Lupin grabbed Harry and his wands from the floor and handed one to Sirius. I gave Ron a sympathetic look and Hermione walked to him, putting her hands on his shoulders to calm him. Sirius placed the rat on a broken piano in the room and let go. Scabbers scurried across the strings, making the keys ding as Lupin and Sirius both shot spells at the rat. Harry and I had lowered our wands, watching them try to get the rat to transform again.

Just as Scabbers was about to escape out the door, Sirius hit him with the spell. And before our very eyes Scabbers became stuck in the bottom of the broken doorway with a shriek of his own. Peter, was a plump, ugly man, that quite literally looked like a rat. Lupin and Sirius pulled him from the doorway and shoved him backwards. He snorted and squeaked as he rubbed his eyes, adjusting to the new light.

"Remus? S-S-Sirius? My old friends." Pettigrew whined and tried to make a dash for the door. Remus and Sirius stood guarding it and forced him backwards again. Peter seemed to be looking around for any sort of exit, when he noticed us. "Harry, Olivia, look at you. You look so much like your father, like James. And you, like your mother, Lily." He snorted as he spoke, his voice quivering. Peter came right up to us, nearly touching us, while Harry and I slowly backed away. "We were all the best of friends."

"How dare you speak to Olivia and Harry!" Sirius roared, jumping in front of us. My heart filled with so much joy at that moment. Peter snarled and ran away from us and Sirius chased him. "How dare you talk about James and Lily in front of them!"

They cornered him behind the piano and had their wands aimed.

"You sold James and Lily to Voldemort, didn't you?!" Lupin said aggressively.

"I didn't mean to!" Pettigrew whined. "The Dark-Lord... You have no idea the weapons he possesses! I thought of Sirius. What would you have done? What would you have done?" Pettigrew whined.

"I would have died!" Sirius shouted angrily and Peter tried to escape under the piano. "I would have died rather than betray my friends!"

Harry and I quickly ran to the door to stop him. We blocked his path and Pettigrew grabbed ahold of our shoulders. Whispering in between the both of our heads.

"Harry, Olivia, James wouldn't have wanted me killed! Your parents would have spared me... Your Mum and Dad would have shown me mercy!" Peter screeched as Sirius and Lupin pulled Pettigrew off from us. They both stood and aimed their wand at him.

"You should have realized, Peter, that if Voldemort didn't kill you then we would. Together!" Sirius stated harshly.

"No!" Harry and I shouted together.

"Olivia, Harry, this man is..." Lupin began to explain.

"We know what he is." I confirmed gently.

"But we'll take him to the castle." Harry explained moving closer towards them. Peter fell to the ground gratefully and travelled at our feet.

"Oh, Bless you, boy. Bless you, girl."

"Get off!" I snarled as he touched our feet. "This isn't a kindness."

"I said we'd take you to the castle. After that the Dementors can have you." Harry informed him with a hardened tone. Peter whimpered in fear.

We got everybody sorted, given back their correct wands and headed back down the shack to the tunnel to the Whomping Willow. Lupin levitated a still knocked out Snape down the tunnel, not terribly great at minding his head. Hermione and I held Peter Pettigrew at wand point. While Sirius and Harry helped Ron out of the tunnel. His leg was pretty torn up from Sirius's bite.

"Sorry about the bite." Sirius apologized. "I reckon that twinges a bit."

"A bit?! A bit?! You almost tore my leg off!" Ron squeaked angrily.

"Now, I was going for the rat." He explained apologetically. "Normally, I have a very sweet disposition as a dog. In fact, more than once, James suggested that I make the change permanent. The tail, I can live with. But the fleas? They're murder."

Harry and I chuckled at his joke, but Ron was completely angry. We finally made it out to the bottom of the tree and out the hole into the night.