Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs

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It took a few seconds for the absurdity of this statement to sink in. Then Ron spoke.
"You three are mental!" he said, motioning at Remus, Sirius and I.
"Ridiculous!" Hermione said faintly.
"Peter Pettigrew's dead!" Harry said. "He killed him twelve years ago!
Harry pointed at Sirius, whose face twitched convulsively.
"I meant to," he growled, his yellow teeth bared. "But little Peter got the better of me... not this time, though!"
And Sirius let go of me, which caused my legs to give out and I collapsed to the ground. He then lunged at Scabbers; Ron yelled as Sirius's weight fell on his broken leg.
"Sirius, NO!" Remus yelled, launching himself forwards and dragging Padfoot away from Ron again. "Wait! You can't do it just like that, they need to understand- we've got to explain-"
"We can explain afterwards!" Sirius snarled, trying to throw Moony off, one hand still clawing the air as it tried to reach Scabbers, who was squealing like a piglet, scratching Ron's face and neck as he tried to escape.
"They've- got- a- right- to- know- everything!" Remus panted, still trying to restrain Sirius. "Ron's kept him as a pet! There are parts of it even I don't understand! And Harry- you owe the truth to him!"
Sirius stopped struggling, though his hollowed eyes were still fixed on Scabbers, who was clamped tightly under Ron's bitten, scratched and bleeding hands.


"All right, then," Padfoot said, without taking his eyes off the rat. "Tell them whatever you like. But make it quick, Remus, I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for..."
"You're nutters, all three of them," Ron said shakily, looking round at Harry and Hermione for support. "I've had enough of this. I'm off."
He tried to heave himself up on his good leg, but Remus raised his wand again, pointing it at Scabbers.
"You're going to hear me out, Ron," he said, quietly. "Just keep a tight hold on Peter while you listen."
"HE'S NOT PETER, HE'S SCABBERS!" Ron yelled, trying to force the rat back into his chest pocket, but Scabbers was fighting too hard; Ron swayed and overbalanced, and Harry caught him and pushed him back down to the bed.
Then, ignoring both Sirius and I, Harry turned to Remus.
"There were witnesses who saw Pettigrew die," Harry said. " A whole street full of them..."
"They didn't see what they thought they saw!" said Sirius savagely, still watching Scabbers struggling in Ron's hands.
"Everyone thought Sirius killed Peter," Moony said, nodding. "I believed it myself- until I saw the map tonight. Because the Marauder's Map never lies... Peter's alive. Ron's holding him, Harry."
After a few minutes, Hermione spoke, in a trembling, would-be calm sort of voice, as though trying to will Remus to talk sensibly.
"But Professor Lupin... Scabbers can't be Pettigrew... it just can't be true, you know it can't..."
"Why can't it be true?" Remus said calmly, as though they were in class, and Hermione had simply spotted a problem in an experiment with Grindylows.
"Because... because people would know if Peter Pettigrew had been an Animagus. We did Animagi in class with Professor McGonagall. And I looked them up when I did my homework- the Ministry keeps tabs on witches and wizards who can become, and their markings and things... and I went and looked Professor McGonagall up on the register, and there have only been seven Animagi this century, and Pettigrew's name wasn't on the list-"
Remus started to laugh.
"Right again, Hermione!" he said. "But the Ministry never knew that there used to be three unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts."
"If you're going to tell them the story, get a move on, Remus," Sirius snarled, who was still watching Scabber's every desperate move. "I've waited twelve years, I'm not going to wait much longer."
"All right... but you'll have to help me, Sirius," Moony said. "I only know how it began..."
Remus broke off. There had been a loud creak behind him. The bedroom door had opened of its own accord. All six of us stared at it. Then Remus strode towards it and looked out into the landing.
"No one there," he said.
"This place is haunted!" Ron said.
"It's not," Remus said, still looking at the door in a puzzled way. "The Shrieking Shack was never haunted... the screams and howls the villagers used to hear were made by me."
Moonlight pushed his greying hair out of his eyes, thought for a moment and then started speaking again.
"That's where all of this starts- with my becoming a werewolf. None of this could have happened if I hadn't been bitten... and if I hadn't been so foolhardy..." he said.
He looked sober and tired. Ron started to interrupt, but Hermione shushed him. She was watching Remus very intently.

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