Chapter 558: The Truth Restored
The Whomping Willow thrashed its branches in a violent frenzy, slamming them
against the earth with enough force to kick up plumes of dust.
"Harry... wait..."
Sean's warning came a second too late. Harry had already sprinted into the reach
of the branches, his focus singular and unyielding.
A moment later, he was sent flying backward. Even with the Cushioning Charm Sean
had quickly cast, Harry tumbled nearly twenty feet across the grass.
The Staffroom.
Remus Lupin stood by the window, his gaze fixed on the darkening grounds. Above
the spires, a moon that was not quite full hung in the sky.
He had taken the evening off, citing his recurring "illness." In his pocket sat
a square of blank parchment he had borrowed from Sean. He pulled it out now, his
expression softening into one of bittersweet memory.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he whispered.
Ink bloomed across the parchment, revealing the intricate layout of the castle.
Lupin scanned the map methodically, ensuring no one would stumble upon his
design. His eyes caught a cluster of names near the edge of the forest.
He stood up, closing the door firmly behind him. On his desk, he left a single
vial of Wolfsbane Potion and the map. Ever since receiving the news from Sean,
Remus had vowed not to take the potion tonight. He needed his strength, and he
needed his mind clear of the fog the brew often brought.
His silhouette vanished into the corridors.
Behind him, another figure emerged from the shadows of the hallway. Professor
Snape's cold eyes tracked the direction Lupin had taken. He turned and entered
the staffroom, his gaze immediately falling on the desk.
The storm outside was growing in intensity. Wind howled through the treeline of
the Forbidden Forest, and rain lashed against the stone walls. Near the Whomping
Willow, Harry was desperately dodging the swinging limbs of the ancient tree.
Sean realized they couldn't wait for Lupin any longer. He raised his wand. He
didn't know the trick of pressing the specific knot on the trunk—this tree was
centuries old and covered in gnarled protrusions. He decided on a more direct
approach.
"Muffliato."
Sean raised his wand, casting a Master-level bubble of silence over the area.
"By stone as the base, by growth as the bond—Vine-Stone Guardian!"
Sean's gaze turned razor-sharp. Even with the silencing charm active, the ground
beneath them began to vibrate.
Harry watched in stunned silence as the earth split open. Thick, emerald vines
erupted like writhing serpents, coiling around the thrashing branches of the
Willow. Then, a massive hand—the size of a small hill, constructed from jagged
stone and reinforced by pulsing vines—burst from the dirt.
In a heartbeat, the giant hand clamped down over the entire area where Harry
stood, effectively pinning the tree's branches to the soil.
The sheer scale of the magic left Harry breathless. The hand had a diameter of
over thirty yards, standing like an ancient ruin against the backdrop of the
castle.
"Find a knot, Harry! Press it until the tree stops!" Sean's voice echoed within
the "palm" of the stone hand.
Harry saw Sean's calm face reflected in his Magic Hand Mirror. He scrambled
forward, his wand-light illuminating the trunk. A few seconds later, the Willow
went rigid as if it had turned to stone. Not a single leaf stirred.
The two of them found the opening between the roots. Sean led the way, with
Harry taking a deep breath and sliding down into the low, earthy tunnel.
They moved quickly, hunched over as the tunnel wound its way deep underground.
It felt as long as the passage to Honeydukes. Eventually, the floor began to
slope upward. They rounded a final turn and saw a sliver of light coming from a
small trapdoor.
They emerged into a room that was a scene of total desolation. Wallpaper hung in
shreds, the floor was caked in dust and grime, and every piece of furniture had
been smashed to splinters as if by a wild animal. The windows were all boarded
up.
"We're in... the Shrieking Shack," Harry realized, his voice trembling.
"Yes," Sean said. He held up the cage; Peter was still deep in his dreamless
sleep.
"Is he here?" Harry asked, his hands shaking with a mix of fear and fury.
"Mmm," Sean nodded.
"COME OUT! YOU COWARD! SHOW YOUR FACE!" Harry roared.
A shadow flickered in the corner. Before Harry could react, his wand was torn
from his hand, flying across the room.
A skeletal hand reached out from the gloom to catch it. A man stepped into the
light, a manic, yellow-toothed grin on his face.
Sirius Black.
A wave of pure hatred flooded Harry's chest. He didn't care that he was unarmed.
He didn't care that he was thirteen and facing a high-profile murderer. He
lunged forward, throwing his entire weight into a tackle.
Surprised by the boy's reckless courage, Black didn't raise his wand in time.
Harry gripped the man's gaunt wrist, forcing the wand to point at the ceiling,
and slammed a fist into Black's temple. The two of them crashed into the wall.
Sparks flew from the wands in Black's hand, narrowly missing Harry's face. Harry
pounded his fists into every part of the man he could reach, his rage blinding
him to the danger.
To Harry's shock, Black didn't fight back with magic. He allowed Harry to pin
him, his sunken eyes bright with a strange emotion.
"If this makes you feel better, Harry... I suppose I owe you this much," Black
rasped.
"YOU OWE ME EVERYTHING!" Harry screamed.
"Are you going to kill me, Harry?" Black whispered.
Harry stopped, looming over him. He snatched his wand back and pressed it
against Black's chest. The man looked pathetic—his left eye was already
swelling, and blood was trickling from his nose.
"You killed my parents," Harry said, his voice shaking with the weight of the
accusation.
"I don't deny it," Black said softly. "But if you knew the whole story—"
"I know enough! You sold them to Voldemort!"
"I did not. I would have died for them," Black said with a tragic smirk. "If
you're going to kill me, let me finish my task first. Please."
"Whose task?! His?!" Harry's voice rose to a shriek.
"The same task as you, Harry," Black said, his eyes lowering.
Harry's head was spinning. He stood frozen, wand level with Black's heart.
Then, a new sound echoed from below—muffled footsteps on the floorboards. The
door burst open in a spray of red sparks.
Professor Lupin charged into the room, wand held high.
"He's telling the truth," Lupin said, his gaze shifting to Sean. "Good evening,
Mr. Green."
"What?" Harry backed away, moving instinctively to stand behind Sean. He was
suddenly overwhelmed by the gravity of what he'd just done—he had physically
tackled the most wanted man in the world.
"The one who betrayed your parents is in this room, Harry," Sean said calmly.
"But it isn't Sirius Black."
The room went silent. There was a universal law at Hogwarts: Sean Green does not
lie. Even those who disliked him trusted his word implicitly.
Sean turned his wand toward the cage.
A jet of blue light hit the sleeping rat. In a flash of distortion, Scabbers was
hoisted into the air. His grey body began to twist and stretch, like a
time-lapse video of a growing tree. Limbs sprouted, a head emerged, and a second
later, a man stood where the rat had been.
He was a very small man, barely taller than Harry. He had thin, mousy hair with
a large bald patch, and his skin looked grey and wrinkled, as if he were a fat
man who had lost weight far too quickly. His watery, darting eyes and pointed
nose still carried the unmistakable features of a rat.
He looked around the room, gasping for breath, his eyes fixed on the door.
"Hello, Peter," Lupin said pleasantly, as if it were a common occurrence for his
old schoolmates to emerge from rodent form. "Long time no see."
"You... you don't believe them, Remus?" Peter squeaked.
"Well, he did find the most reliable witness in Britain," Lupin noted, gesturing
toward Sean with a look of profound respect.
"He's going to kill me! Harry—help me!" Peter turned to the boy.
"I believe Sean," Harry said, his voice thick with disgust. "You make me sick."
Harry was shaking. The switch of the Secret Keeper... Peter the traitor...
Sirius innocent... the facts were exploding in his mind. Sirius is my godfather.
That thought was louder than anything else.
"Let's move this along," Sean said.
Sirius and Remus seized Peter, forcing a vial of Veritaserum down his throat.
The rat-man's eyes immediately cleared, and he began to weep—a pathetic,
blubbering mess that looked like an oversized infant.
"Sirius... Sirius... what was I to do? The Dark Lord... you don't know the
weapons he had! I was afraid! I was never brave like you and James!"
"SHUT UP!" Black roared. "You were passing him information for a year before
they died! you were his spy!"
"He was winning!" Peter wailed. "What was the point in resisting?"
"The point," Black hissed, his face a mask of fury, "was to save the innocent
lives that hadn't been lost yet, Peter! We would have died for you!"
As Black shouted, a mirror began to float in the air between them. Sean's face
appeared in the surface.
"Minister, I trust you heard all that?" Sean asked quietly.
"Every word, Mr. Green," a smooth, oily voice replied from the mirror. "You've
done the Ministry a great service. We shall ensure Mr. Pettigrew receives the...
proper hospitality at Azkaban. Until his bones turn to dust."
Sean gave a curt nod, and the mirror went dark.
"We're taking him to the Ministry for trial, Harry," Lupin said gently. "Do you
accept this?"
"Will this clear Sirius's name?" Harry asked immediately.
Sirius's eyes widened. He covered his face with his hands, unable to look at the
boy. "I don't deserve you, Harry..."
"Go on, Harry. Head back to the castle. We'll take him to the Wizengamot," Lupin
encouraged.
Harry nodded and looked at Sean, who had clearly been the architect of the
entire evening. Before leaving, Sirius caught Harry's eye.
"Harry... I don't know if anyone told you... but I am your godfather."
"I know," Harry said.
"Your parents... they appointed me your guardian," Sirius said awkwardly. "In
the event that anything happened... well. If you wanted a different home... once
my name is cleared... think about it."
Harry felt his heart swell. "What—live with you? Leave the Dursleys?"
"I'd understand if you didn't want to—"
"Are you mental?" Harry's voice was as hoarse as Sirius's. "Of course I want to!
Do you have a house? When can I move in?"
A genuine smile broke across Sirius's gaunt face. In that moment, he looked ten
years younger. He looked like the man in the wedding photo again.
"I'll come for you, Harry. I promise."
Harry left the shack with a light step. Once he was gone, Sean turned to Peter.
He pulled out the ancient Goblin Scroll.
"I believe you've heard of me, Peter?" Sean asked "gently."
"Your name is known even in the gutters," Peter squeaked, cowering. He looked at
Sean's titles: The Future's Greatest Wizard, The Destined Legend...
He knew that if any man could find him, no matter where he hid, it was Sean
Green. Peter put on a groveling, desperate smile. "I can be useful, sir...
please."
Sean's smile was equally thin. The contract was signed in blood. As Peter lay
twitching on the floor from the magical resonance, Sean successfully read his
surface thoughts. The man was terrified, but he was also calculating. He had
already decided to serve Sean because Sean was the rising "strongest master."
"A despicable opportunist," Sirius sneered. "He always did know which way the
wind was blowing."
"It makes things easier for us," Lupin added softly.
Everything was perfect. Harry had a godfather, Sean had a spy, and the traitor
was in custody.
Lupin stepped forward to open the door, a smile on his face. He found himself
staring down the length of a wand.
"Ah... I suppose you're wondering how I found you?"
Professor Snape entered the room, wearing a cold, triumphant smirk. "I went to
your office, Lupin. I smelled the potion—the one you conveniently forgot to
drink. Lucky for me, you left a map on the desk. I watched you move along this
tunnel and vanish..."
Snape's voice dropped to a low hiss. "I told Dumbledore not to trust you. I told
him you'd help your old friend into the castle. And here is the proof... wait.
GREEN!"
Snape's voice broke as he spotted the boy. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! HOW DARE
YOU KIDNAP HIM?!"
"Calm down, Severus—" Lupin began, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
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