Defying the Stars

The Marauder's Tale and Attack of the Greaseball

   Within seconds, the door bursts open with red sparks, Pop hurtling himself into the room. His eyes flicker around the room-not seeing my 'hiding' spot-and lands on Harry pointing his wand at Dad.

"Expelliarmus!" Pop shouts, and all the wands in the room now fly straight into his hand as he walks further into the room towards Harry and Dad.

"Where is he, Sirius?" He asks, his voice shaking.

Dad points towards Ron. "Over there, but Mara's-" he looks towards me, Pop's gaze following until he sees me, and his face goes pale.

"Episkey" Pop mutters, and I feel the body bind curse release itself from me as Dad rushes over to me, helping me up and scanning for any other injuries.

"Leave it Dad," I whisper, lookin at the ground. "It's not important right now-they need to know." He solemnly nods as he leads me to the middle of the room, Pop giving me a quick hug as I make it to him.

"What're you going to do now, Black?" Harry spat. "Try to convince us some other lie about you? This is where you've been whenever you disappear, isn't it? You're having Daddy Daughter time while he'e been trying to kill me all year!" He shouts, and I wince.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione screams.

Pop lets go of me and turns to her; she's gotten herself off the floor and is staring at him, wide eyed. "You-you-"

"Hermione-"

"-you and them?"

"Hermione, calm down-"

"I didn't tell anyone!" Hermione shrieks. I've been covering up for you-"

"Hermione, listen to me, please!" Pop shouts. "I can explain-"

"I trusted you," Harry shouts, shaking from anger, "and all this time you've been-you've helped him! And you're probably the one who introduced her to him too, aren't you?!"

"You're wrong," Pop says calmly. "I haven't been anything to Sirius for almost twelve years, let alone Amara, but I-we are now...let us explain..."

"NO!" Hermione screams. "Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping balck get in to the castle, he wants you dead too-he's a werewolf!"

My stomach drops farther than what it already was. My world was continuing to spiral out of control and crash down, and I'm stuck in the middle of it, not knowing what I can do to fix it-but you can't put a band-aid on a rubble of debris, can you?

"Not up to your usual standard, Hermione," Pop says. "Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius into the castle and I most certainly don't want Harry dead...but I won't deny that I am a werewolf."

Ron tries to get up again, and when Pop goes to help, Ron shrivels away.

"Get away from us, werewolf!" He gasps.

"That's it," I say lowly. "You can insult all you want out of me, I don't care, I deserve it...but not my fathers. If you want someone to blame, blame me. But don't say a word against the two people that I've craved to know for as long as I can remember." I state, looking at Ron. I turn to Harry. "I know that I hid so much from you, and I know that it was wrong, but if you're going to throw away everything because by keeping this secret from you I was protecting you-that's your choice, and I won't force you otherwise." And without another word, I walk out of the room and ignore Dad's attempt to pull me back in.

I walk down the stairs, and sit at the last one, giving myself a moment to let go. I wipe the tears from my eyes, force the nerves out of my bones, and untwist the knot in my stomach. I scan my mind for anything that might be able to help me, to help my friends, to help my fathers, but I come up with nothing unless Ron will willingly hand over Scabbers, and Harry willingly listens to them. Which means the most I can do right now is find the girls and hope for the best. I stand up and dust myself off when I realize that my wand is still upstairs. Turning to go back up there to get it, and hand clamps on my shoulder and mouth, preventing me from screaming and breaking away from Snape's greasy grasp.