Sign it [Lupin's Daughter]

Chapter 24

There was a large blast that made the door rattle slightly, and Snape was lifted off his feet. He slammed into the wall, and slid down into the floor, blood oozing from under his hair adding to his already bloody face. Maddy ran towards him, and tapped him lightly with the tip of her sneaker before turning towards the other conscious people. He's been knocked out.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had all attempted to disarm Snape at the exact same moment. His wand had landed on a bed, next to Hermione's cat, Crookshanks if Maddy remembered correctly.

Sirius Black was the first one to talk, "You shouldn't have done that. You should have left him to me...."

Hermione stared at the lifeless form of Snape with widened eyes. "We attacked a teacher.... We attacked a teacher...," Hermione whimpered. "Oh, we're going to be in so much trouble —"

Maddy's eyes widened when she saw her father still struggling in the ropes. She ran towards him and knelt down to untie him fully, but Black had done the same thing, and helped her undo each bond.

Remus straightened himself up, and rubbed his arms where the robes had slashed.

"Thank you, Harry, Maddy." he said.

"I'm still not saying I believe you," Harry retorted. But still, he looked Maddy in the eyes, "Do you know anything about what's happening, Maddy? You look confused."

Maddy looked around, slightly surprised to be acknowledged, and shook her head. Snape took me from Dad's office, and pretty much told Keany to shove off, and I'm not sure what exactly happened next. I was crying, and couldn't really see where I was going. At the base of the Whomping Willow, Snivellus picked me up and put me on his hip. I kept moving, trying to get him to drop me, but it didn't work. He just kept accusing me of being Dad's scapegoat. So, yeah, I'm a little confused.

Black looked at Maddy skeptically, "I have no idea what you just said, but who are you again? Snape kept calling you, 'Miss Lupin'."

Maddy shrugged and turned to Remus on her left, "Before we continue: Sirius, this is my daughter, Madeline Hope. Maddy, this is Sirius Black."

It was impossible to tell who was more confused; Maddy Lupin, who's father just introduced her to a mass murderer as if it was an everyday occurrence, or Sirius Black, who just found out Remus 'I'm never having a child' Lupin had a child.

Maddy came to her wits faster, and just signed a simple, Pleasure, and looked up at her father to sign, What is happening?

"She said, 'Pleasure', Sirius," Remus translated, after seeing his confused face.

"Oh, um...," he stuttered, "Pleasure to meet you as well, Madeline."

"Excuse me," interrupted Ron hesitantly, "Glad we got the introductions out of the way, but can we get back to why you three are convinced that my rat, Scabbers, is actually a man who that person killed." Ron pointed accusingly towards Black.

"Then it's time we offered you some proof," said Black. "Give me Peter. Now."

"Come off it," his voice was weak, "Are you trying to say he broke out of Azkaban just to get his hands on Scabbers? I mean..." Ron looked at his best friends for support, and gave a small glance in Maddy's direction. "Okay, say Pettigrew could turn into a rat ― there are millions of rats ― how's he supposed to know which one he's after if he was locked up in Azkaban?"

"You know, Sirius, that's a fair question," Remus turned to Black, a small frown on his face. "How did you find out where he was?"

Maddy saw Sirius stick his hand into his robe, and pull out a crumpled piece of paper. He smoothed it as flat as he could, and turned it towards them. It was a page of the Daily Prophet, all nine Weasley's were staring at the camera, smiling, and Scabbers was sitting upon Ron's shoulder. When was that? Maddy asked, never being one to read the paper once.