The Lost Potter

The Big Reveal

To everyone in that room, those seconds felt like hours. Harry readjusted his grip at least twenty times, and Hermione tried to quietly shuffle towards the exit. Harry ushered the poisonous words to come pouring out, yet they stayed in the back of his mind and did not move.

To end the silence, muffled footsteps were heard from downstairs.

Hermione yelled from her new spot near the exit, "WE'RE UP HERE! WE'RE UP HERE— SIRIUS BLACK— QUICK!"

Sirius's own panic stirred him, dislodging Crookshanks as he tried to scurry out of there. He didn't focus on Harry's grip tightening even further, he just knew he couldn't be caught again and survive.

The footsteps were heavy as they went up the stairs, and had just made it up when another heavy sound resounded through the shack.

Olivia burst out of her room with extreme effort. She had been practicing her powers as she had waited for Sirius, and had been seriously drained of energy. Thankfully, the panic lent her some adrenaline to use. And with another person being added to the mix, she needed to make sure that Sirius and her friends were okay.

The man at the top of the staircase hesitated as he saw her, "Olivia Gaunt?"

Olivia limped towards him for only a step, a menacing look in her eyes, "Are you here to kill him?"

The man's wand hand lowered slightly, "No, I know what really happened."

Olivia winced as she stepped on a loose board and had to brace herself. She hoped she could trust him as she pointed towards Sirius's door, "Go on, then. They're right in there."

The man in the shadows nodded and dashed into the room, leaving Olivia to struggle in the hallway.

Sirius looked upon Remus's face as if he'd never seen it before. When had the boy grown so old? When had one of his best friends become the man aiming his wand at Sirius?

Remus seemed to have a similar reaction, but was much quicker about recovering. He shouted an all-around, "Expelliarmus!" And caught his student's wands in his empty hand.

The trio looked at Lupin in shock as he turned towards the broken man lying in the corner.

"Where is he, Sirius?"

Sirius couldn't believe his ears. The simple sentence that confirmed that the only friend he had left actually believed him sent him on another heartbreaking mood swing. Not letting it show, and never losing eye contact with Remus's irises, he lifted his bony finger towards Ron.

"But then...," Remus had his signature thinking face as he studied Sirius's, "why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless" Remus's eyes broke the contact as they stared off into the distance, "unless he was the one... unless you switched... without telling me?"

Sirius kept his disbelieving eyes on Remus as he nodded. It never ceased to amaze Sirius just how brilliant Remus was, even now.

Harry, in true James-like interrupting, "Professor, what's going on — ?"

Lupin paid no attention to the boy. He approached his skeleton friend and offered his hand, helping him up from his defeated position. And, as Sirius became even more emotional realising that Remus was actually there, Remus embraced him fiercely.