Krestena's Third Year: Prisoner of Azkaban

The Marauders Tale

Krestena's POV

Hermione and Ron call the three of us mad. While Harry says dad killed Peter twelve years ago. "I meant to, but little Peter got the better of me. Not this time" dad snarls and I immediately jump in front of him as Uncle Remus tries to hold him back.

"Dad we have to explain" I tell him gently as I place a hand on his cheek. "I want him to pay as much as you do. But you owe it to Harry to explain first" I state and he calms down.

"Very well my pup, but make it quick Remus" he tells us. He sits back down on the bed and I sit beside him. Dad wraps his arm around me as Uncle Remus goes to begin the story I've heard a hundred times before. But Harry has to interrupt once again.

"There were witnesses who saw Pettigrew die" he reminds us. "A whole street full of them" he states.

"They didn't see, what they thought they saw" dad tells him.

"Everyone thought Sirius killed Peter" Uncle Remus says 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" he states.

"But sir, Scabbers can't be Pettigrew. You know he can't" Hermione says.

"Why can't it be true?" he asks her calmly, as though we were in class.

"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 of Magic keeps tabs on witches and wizards who can become animals; there's a register showing what animal they become, and their markings and things...and I went and looked Professor McGonagall up on the register, and there have been only seven Animagi this century, and Pettigrew's name wasn't on the list" she explains. Ron and Harry look at her dumbfounded while I laugh quietly with my uncle.

"Right again, Hermione" I say smiling sweetly.

"But the Ministry never knew that there used to be three unregistered Animagi running around Hogwarts" Uncle Remus states.

"If you're going to tell them the story, get a move on, Remus" Dad tells him. While he still watched Scabbers' every desperate move. I've waited twelve years, I'm not going to wait much longer" he states.

"All right...but you'll need to help me, Sirius" Uncle Remus tells him. "I only know how it began..." he trails off when the door opens suddenly. But there was no one there. Ron made a comment about the place being haunted.

"It's not," I tell him, while Uncle Remus still looked 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 Uncle Remus" I state pointing to him.

"That's where all of this starts — with my becoming a werewolf, None of this could have happened if I hadn't been bitter...and if I hadn't been so foolhardy" Uncle Remus tells them. "I as a very small boy when I received the bite. My parents tried everything, but in those days there was no cure. The potion that Professor Snape has been making for me is a very recent discovery. It makes me safe, you see. I keep my mind when I transform...I'm able to curl up in my office, a harmless wolf. Before the Wolfsbane Potion was discovered, however, I became a fully fledged monster once a month. It seemed impossible that I would be able to come to Hogwarts. Other parents weren't likely to want their children exposed to me. But then Dumbledore became Headmaster, and he was sympathetic. He said that as long as we took certain precautions, there was no reason I shouldn't come to school" he explains.

"Great wizard" I say smiling. I wish all wizards and witches were as understanding as Professor Dumbledore. Then perhaps things wouldn't be so hard for non-humans and half-breeds. When I tune back into the conversation Uncle Remus was up to the part where his friends found out he was a werewolf.

"They didn't desert me at all. Instead, they did something for me that would make my transformations not only bearable, but the best times of my life. They became Animagi" he explains.

"My dad, too?" Harry asks looking astounded.

"Yes" Uncle Remus answers. "It took them the best part of three years to work out how to do it. Your father and Sirius here were the cleverest students in the school, and lucky they were, because the Animagus transformation can go horribly wrong — one reason the Ministry keeps a close watch on those attempting to do it. Peter needed all the help he could get from James and Sirius. Finally, in our fifth year, they managed it" he explains.

"But how did that help you?" Hermione asks looking puzzled and I laugh loudly.

"And they call you the brightest witch of our age" I say as she blushes lightly. "Werewolves are no threat to animals, only humans. So while my dad and the others couldn't keep Uncle Remus company as humans. They could as animals" I explain.

"They would then slip down the tunnel and join me here. Under their influence, I became less dangerous. My body was still wolfish, but my mind seemed to become less so while I was with them" Uncle Remus states. He then explains what animals they turned into and their names. Hermione then said how dangerous it was how they used to sneak out of the shack on full moons. That he could of bitten someone.

"A thought that still haunts me" Uncle Remus says heavily. "And there were near misses, many of them. We laughed about them afterwards. We were young, thoughtless — carried away with our own cleverness" he states. He then goes on saying how cowardly he is in never telling Dumbledore the truth. How in some way Snape's been right all along.

"Snape?" Dad says harshly, taking his eyes off Scabbers; for the first time looking up at Uncle Remus. "What's Snape got to do with it?" he demands.

"He's here dad, he's our potions professor" I tell him.

"Professor Snape was at school with us" Uncle Remus tells the others. "He fought very hard against my appointment to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He has been telling Dumbledore all year that I am not to be trusted. He has his reasons...you see, Sirius here played a trick on him which nearly killed him, a trick which involved me" he states.

"It served him right" Dad sneers. "Sneaking around, trying to find out what we were up to...hoping he could get us expelled" he mutters.

"Snape was always trying to find out what we did every month. Why we went under the whooping willow.Sirius thought it would be — er — amusing, to tell Snape all he had to do was prod the knot on the tree trunk with a long stick. Well, of course, Snape tried it — if he'd got as far as this house, he'd have met a fully grown werewolf — but your father Harry, who'd heard what Sirius had done, went after Snape and pulled him back, at great risk to his life" Uncle Remus explains. "Snape glimpsed me, though, at the end of the tunnel. He was forbidden by Dumbledore to tell anybody, but from that time on he knew what I was" he states.

"It's the reason Snape disperses my uncle so much" I add.

"He thought he was in on the joke" Harry states.

"That's right" a cold voice sneers from the wall behind Uncle Remus.Severus Snape was pulling off the Invisibility Cloak, his wand pointing directly at Uncle Remus. I go for my wand secretly waiting for the right moment to strike.

A/N

Picture above of the human marauders and picture on the external link of their animal silhouette.