The Lost Potter

Explanations

"You're all mental. Scabbbers can't be Pettigrew!" Ron protested, staring at Lupin defiantly.

"He can't be Pettigrew because he," Harry pointed an accusing finger at Sirius, "murdered Pettigrew twelve years ago!"

Sirius felt his rage trickle back in as the accusing finger seemed to taunt him, "I meant to," he bared his yellowed teeth as he glared down the rodent, " but little Peter got the better of me. . . Not this time, though!"

Before anyone could register what was happening, Sirius had lunged at Scabbers, effectively putting all of his malnourished weight on Ron's broken leg. Ron pulled the rodent just out of reach as he yelped in pain.

"Sirius, NO!" Remus exclaimed, dashing towards Sirius and trying to drag him off of Ron, "WAIT— you can't do it just like that — they need to understand — we've got to explain—"

"We can explain later! The traitor needs to die!" Sirius snapped, defending himself against Remus with one hand as the other pawed towards Scabbers, who was scratching at Ron's face to try and get away.

Olivia, who was still sat behind Ron and had expected something like this to happen, grabbed the rat and hobbled away from the boy on the floor. Ron let out a shocked "OI!" But the two men didn't seem to notice.

"They've — got — a — right — to — know — everything!" Remus struggled, his eyes barely open as to try and stop Sirius's gnarled nails from clawing them out, "Ron's kept him as a pet! Even I don't understand everything! You owe Harry the truth!"

The last sentence stopped the fight. It came crashing back to Sirius— this was his godson. This was James's kid. He had to do right by Harry.

"All right then—hey!" Sirius exclaimed as he finally saw that Ron no longed held the rat, "What have you done with him?" Sirius roared, ready to lunge again.

"Hey!" Olivia used to get their attention, "How about you shut up and explain why you want to kill him!" She took a deep breath and said quietly to Sirius, "And maybe if they understand you won't have to go back."

Sirius looked up at her with a broken look that rivalled her's, "Liv, you know that I'll have to go back—"

Remus, similarly to Olivia, didn't want to hear a word of this and cut him off. "Alright, explanation time. You're all aware of what the media told about Sirius and Pettigrew, yes?"

"It wasn't just the media! A whole street full of muggles saw Sirius kill him!" The pig-headed Ron shouted, and Remus looked at him with the I'm-the-teacher-who-likes-you-but-you're-wrong look.

"Everyone thought Sirius killed Peter. I even beloved it myself— until I saw Peter's name on the Marauder's Map tonight. And the map, it never lies. . . Olivia's holding him, Ron. Peter's alive." Remus explained, gesturing towards the rat that squirmed in Olivia's grasp.

Hermione, who had been oddly silent as she tried to process everything, spoke up, "But, Professor Lupin, you know it can't . . . It just can't be him."

Remus raised his eyebrows, "Why can't it?" Sirius had a sudden thought of Remus making a really good teacher, and smiled internally.

"Because. . . Because people would know if  Peter Pettgrew had been an animagus. We did Animagi in class with Professor McGonagall. And I looked them up when we did our homework— the Ministry of Magic keeps tabs on witches and wizards who become animals; there's a register showing what animal they come, with their markings and everything. . .  And I went and looked up Professor McGonagall on the register, and there have been only seven animagi this century, and Peter Pettigrew wasn't on the list..."

"There's a register?" Olivia asked quietly as Remus nodded and chuckled.

"Right again, Hermione! But, the ministry only knows about the Animagi who have registered themselves or have been caught." Remus explained.

"Can we hurry up this explanation?" Sirius was fidgeting very heavily from where he sat on the floor, glaring at the rat that Olivia still held, "I've waited twelve years and I'm not waiting much longer."

Remus sighed, "I can try, but you'll have to help me with the explanation. I don't know everything."

His sentence break was interrupted by the bedroom door opening of its own accord. The group looked at the frame in terror as Remus stepped into the landing, confirming that there was no one there.

"This place is haunted!" Ron exclaimed after Remus returned.

"No, Ron, this place was never haunted," Remus sighed, "All that screaming and shrieking the villagers used to hear was made by me. Well, not all of them—Dumbledore made up a lot of the stories to keep people away from here. They're still working, I suppose..."

Remus trailed off and ran his hands through his hair as he thought of where to take this story. Ron took a breath to interrupt, but Hermione shushed him even before he had a chance to speak.

Sirius, however, was having none of this patience, "Remus came to Hogwarts, became friends with James, Peter , and I, and we figured out he was a werewolf. We then became illegal animagi so that we could help him. Let's get a move on, Remus."

Remus blinked, obviously shocked at the outburst. Harry had a thought about his father, and what animal he could transform into, but didn't voice it aloud.

"Right, right. And to answer your unspoken question, Hermione, I know I should've told Dumbledore about Sirius being an animagus. I've always been a coward, and I've no idea how I got into Gryffindor, but I know that it's wrong, so I guess Snape was right about me..."

"Snape? What's he got to do with this?" Sirius snarled, turning to face Remus and letting Peter out of his sight momentarily.

"He's teaching Potions now, Sirius. You wouldn't believe the fight he's put up to try and get me fired, telling Dumbledore how I can't be trusted. He does have his reasons, if you remember," Remus directed the last part at Sirius, who made a derisive noise.

"The prick deserved that and you know it. Always sneaking around, trying to get us expelled..." Sirius trailed off, his face in a permanent snarl.

Remus met the eyes of the confused students and launched into another story,"Severus was very interested in where I disappeared to, and Sirius decided to tell him how to get here so he could be met face-to-face with a full-blown werewolf. James pulled him out before I could injure him, but he still saw me— he was sworn to secrecy by Dumbledore, but has still hated me ever since. "

"So that's why he hates you," Harry said slowly, piecing it together, "Because he thought you were in on the joke?"

"That's right," a cold, snarling voice said from the wall beside Olivia.

Severus Snape pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, his wand aimed directly at Remus.

~~

This took so f*cking long ahhhhhh.

Anyway, please leave feedback and I hope you enjoyed!