Harry's Godmother - Part 2

Give Me a Reason

Disclaimer: This chapter includes passages, or similar passages from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Those passages are property of J.K. Rowling.

Third Year

The moment Hagrid let Tawny and Remus through the gates, they did their best to hurry up to Remus's office. They had to check the map immediately. Once the map was unlocked, Remus spread it out as full as it could be across his desk. Both took a side as they scanned intently for any sign of Peter.

"There!" Tawny cried, pointing to his footprints on the map, his name hovering over them in its name banner. "Oh no. Remus, he's with Harry, Ron, and Hermione."

"That's not the only person he's with." Remus pointed to the approaching name banner and footprints. Fast approaching was Sirius's name banner and footprints. "We may be too late." Just as Sirius's name appeared, it vanished, along with Peter's and Ron's.

"Where did they go?"

"They must be off the map."

"Remus, look where they are?" Hermione and Harry's names were right beside the whomping willow, and the tunnel leading off the map.

"Sirius is taking him to the shrieking shack."

"We have to go, now!" Tawny yelled, heading for the office door. Remus, forgetting to lock the map, followed her out of the door.

The two began rushing down the corridors, trying to find the fastest route to the shack. Tawny could remember doing the same thing years ago, following Sirius out to the shrieking shack as quickly as he could. She could only hope he didn't make it there faster than he normally would've.

Just as Remus and Tawny turned a corner headed for the front doors of the castle Tawny heard, "Ms. Lovegood? What are you doing here?"

Stopping in her tracks, Tawny turned around to see Minerva McGonagall approaching her and Remus. "Minerva... I..." They had been so busy trying to get out to the willow that they had completely missed the professor in the corridor.

"Remus, Albus didn't tell me Tawny was visiting. It's the end of the term, Harry should be home in a couple of days. Is something wrong with him?" For the first time, Tawny and Remus could not come up with an excuse. They just stood there, searching endlessly for a reason as to why Tawny was there. But their minds were too preoccupied.

Luckily, Professor McGonagall realized very quickly what was wrong. Looking directly a Tawny, she asked the one question she already knew the answer to. "You know where he is, don't you?"

Tawny remained silent, unsure how to answer. Would McGonagall help them? Or take them directly to Dumbledore's office for knowing the whereabouts of Azkaban's only escaped convict and most wanted man alive.

With a quick glance in both directions, the professor said, "Go." Tawny's was aghast. "Go now before I change my mind."

"Thank you," Tawny whispered before running after Remus.

It didn't take long before she caught up with him at the edge of the whomping willow. Before Remus could even attempt to levitate a stone to hit the knot on the willow, Tawny left forward, transforming into her animagus and scampering up to the edge of the tree.

She had learned that trick from Peter years ago. His animagus was so small that he had been able to sneak past without signaling the willow. Although Tawny's rabbit animagus was bigger, she still was fast enough to slip by and hit the knot, pausing the tree before it had enough time to react.