janus ~ hermione granger

xxi

"professor lupin, can i ask something?"

"why do we always get ourselves into these problems," maddy grumbled, causing the man to chuckle as he answered hermoine.

"of course, hermione," he smiled.

"w-well, why didn't scabbers-i mean this man, he's been in harry's dormitory for three years. why didn't he ever try anything? to hurt harry, i mean."

"thank you!"

"she wasn't defending you dipwad," maddy was ignored by mostly everyone.

"i like her," sirius chuckled.

"language," hermione scolded.

"sorry mom."

"you see r-remus, i have never touched a hair on their heads!" peter went back to defending himself, looking around at all the possible exits.

"i'll tell you why. you never did anything without there being something in it for yourself. there was word of your old master being half dead, and you were not going to commit murder under albus dumbledore's nose for someone who had lost all of his power. you were going to wait until voldemort was rumored to be on the rise, then you would have brought harry to him, wouldn't you have, peter?"

"p-preposterous," the accused man stuttered.

"uh, mr black-sirius, if you don't mind me asking, how did you break out of azkaban?"

"y-yes! t-that's exactly what-"

"can it troll."

"madison!"

"i don't like him," the taylor girl shrugged, earning another chuckle from remus and sirius.

"i-im not sure how i did it, honestly," he began to answer hermione's question. "i believe that the only reason i never lost my mind in there was because i knew i was innocent. it wasn't exactly a happy thought, so the dementors couldn't take it from me, and when i transformed when it all came to be too much, the dementors couldn't exact sense the emotions as I was, well a dog. i was also so thin that i could slip through the bars and i swam to the mainland," he paused to look at harry in a pleading way. "believe me, harry. i never betrayed your parents. i would have died before i betrayed them."

"no!" peter squeaked as harry's eyes filled with tears. "s-sirius my old friend, y-you wouldn't," he fell to his knees.

"get off. there's enough dirt on my robes without you touching them," he snorted in amusement, kicking off the man.

"r-remus, y-you don't believe this. wouldn't s-sirius have told you they'd change the plan?"

"not if he had suspicions that i was the spy. i assumed that's why you never told me, sirius?"

"im sorry, remus," he sighed. "forgive me, please."

"of course, padfoot, and you, will forgive me for believing you were the spy in return?" lupin asked as he began to roll up his sleeves.

"of course," black did the same action his friend did. "shall we kill him together?"

"i think so, yes."

"y-you won't, y-you wouldn't. ron, have i not been a good friend, a good pet? y-you wouldn't let them k-kill me, i-i was your r-rat, a good pet-"

"i let you sleep in my bed!" the red-head gagged.

"madison. you enjoyed my presence, right?"

"you were a rat," the girl snorted. "who apparently didn't get their teeth brushed or something," she backed away, letting go of hermione's hand for a quick second to get the gum she had in her pocket and toss a strip at the man.

"i was supposed to brush his teeth?" ron questioned.

"well i-"

"not the time," hermione shook her head at the two while harry chuckled, happy he had them to make things better.

sirius said some words, but maddy was distracted by ron groaning in pain as he moved.

the yellow man proceeded to walk towards hermione, so madison pulled her closer.

"don't touch her."

"sweet, clever girl, you-you won't let them. help me," he ignored the darker girl.

the bushy-haired girl then got herself out of the man's grip, stumbling into the wall.

"are you two okay?" maddy ignored peter's sobs as she helped hermione and ron.

"splendid," the red-head sarcastically smiled and the girl just nodded.

"i can't believe-how i didn't see it-"

"don't blame yourself."

"you couldn't have, hermione. none of us had an clue-"

"no!" harry caught their attention, and they noticed black and lupin had their wands pointed at a trembling peter.

"harry, this man-"

"i know what he did. sorry, i just don't think my dad would want to see his two best friends become killers. we'll take him up to the castle."

"oh!" pettigrew sighed, falling at the boy's feet. "bless you, boy!"

"get off! we'll take him to the castle. the dementors can have him."

𓆉

"i need a nap," maddy complained after everyone had made their way out of the tunnel, which was harder for those who were chained to pettigrew.

"well, i don't know if you're aware, but james and lily appointed me as your godfather, and with turning pettigrew in, i am a free man. well, you'll probably want to stay with your aunt and uncle, but if you wanted to-"

"i could come and live with you?" harry's face lit up.

snape glanced at maddy for a quick second, thinking about how he was her godfather. he would love to tell her, but due to the promise he made with her parents, he would love to wait longer.

"if you want to. we could finally be a proper family. im not sure if-"

"yes, i would love to!" he grinned.

"severus, aren't you-"

"-harry!"

hermione's panicked voice interrupted sirius, who rushed towards lupin to help him.

it was going to be a full moon, which only meant one thing for werewolves.

"he isn't safe. he didn't take his potion tonight."

"leave him to me, get out of here!"

"no!" maddy's voice was heard, thuds following. the other two teenagers turned to see their friends on the floor, unconscious, while peter had lupin's wand.

"expelliarmus! don't move!"

but it was too late. he had already turned into his animagus and left.

"madison!" snape rushed to the girl, picking her up and ignoring everyone else.

while everyone else had their struggles, severus took the girl, who was thankfully still breathing, to the medical wing.

he moved at a quick pace, afraid that something would happen to the girl he had a soft spot for would.

can you believe that?

draco malfoy and severus snape having a soft spot for someone.

a girl they'd do anything to protect.

just like the weasley's, minnie, harry and hermione.

sadly, there was someone else.

someone evil, who needed her.

word count- 1111
date written- october 1, 2020