"Lure him out with what he desires most."
The voice came from behind Malfoy, and he turned to see Cassandra approaching through the gloom.
"Cassandra?"
Harry and Ron exchanged puzzled glances. What was she doing here? And had she overheard their conversation? Not that it mattered; they were all on the same side.
Cassandra ignored their unspoken questions. "Sirius didn't betray Harry's parents; he knows it. So why risk Azkaban to escape now, after all these years?"
"Uh… Scarface?" Malfoy stroked his chin, a confident smirk playing on his lips. "But the Daily Prophet published stories about Harry two years ago. Even Azkaban would have heard the news."
The others frowned, now thoroughly confused.
Cassandra decided to dispense with the riddles, an affectation she'd picked up from Tom. She simply met their gazes pointedly.
Understanding dawned on the three boys. "Peter Pettigrew?"
Ron's eyes narrowed. "Ha, so we're using that rat as bait? I like it!"
Harry, however, looked troubled. "What if he escapes again?" He was still haunted by the thought that the chubby rat had once betrayed his parents. Letting him slip through their fingers again was not an option.
"Don't worry," Ron said with a shrug. "Tom says after Peter eats the candy, all he can think about is..." Ron trailed off, gesturing vaguely.
"..."
Witnessing Peter Pettigrew's… enthusiasm… left Harry and the others speechless.
...
Night descended.
In a secluded patch of grass bordering the Forbidden Forest, a group of rats engaged in a rather… disturbing display. The fattest rat was the most zealous participant, attempting to "mate" with every other rat present.
Tsk, tsk, tsk…
Despite their small size, the rats certainly made a racket. Perfect. The more noise they made, the better the odds of drawing their target.
Concealed in the shadows, Harry and his friends employed their various methods of stealth.
Cassandra, having recently learned the Disillusionment Charm from Tom, was just barely managing to keep herself hidden. Since she was the furthest away from Peter Pettigrew, it would have to do.
Harry and Ron were in a far less comfortable situation, crammed together beneath the tight confines of Harry's Invisibility Cloak.
Each clutched at a corner, trying to cover themselves. Thankfully, the cloak did its job and prevented anyone outside from seeing the rather comical tableau beneath… at least they hoped.
As long as they didn't make a sound, Sirius Black shouldn't detect them.
Time stretched on.
As the full moon climbed high in the sky, Harry spotted a dark figure emerging from the Forbidden Forest.
He knew that silhouette. It was Sirius Black.
Harry clenched his fists, fighting the urge to leap out. He had to stay put. Charging out now wouldn't trap Sirius, it would only spook him, making the capture even more difficult.
But Harry underestimated Sirius's burning desire for revenge.
Using Peter Pettigrew as bait was almost a guaranteed success. Sirius would come, no matter the cost, no matter the odds. Killing that rat was all that consumed him.
The situation was obvious. Peter Pettigrew had suddenly appeared in an open field, engaging with the other rats… it was too obvious!
Sirius knew that despicable rat wouldn't dare show his face out here. Pettigrew's very condition was too suspicious! All the warning signs screamed that this was a trap!
But Sirius couldn't stop himself. The enemy he craved to destroy was so close. He was willing to gamble everything, even his freedom.
Just kill the rat. Nothing else matters.
With that thought fueling him, the emaciated black dog moved with surprising speed, launching himself at the oblivious fat rat in the center of the group like a vengeful phantom.
Cassandra and the others mentally ticked off the distance. Seventy meters, sixty, fifty… now!
"Petrificus Totalus!"
"Incarcerous!"
"Levicorpus!"
"Wingardium… dammit! My wand's still broken!"
They abandoned their concealment, unleashing a volley of spells at Sirius, who was bearing down on Peter Pettigrew.
Harry and the others had calculated that the most vulnerable moment for Sirius was at the height of his attack when he'd be least able to dodge.
But they'd underestimated Sirius Black. He had secretly made his way here using his Animagus form; it was perfected!
Sirius Black dodged the first three spells with surprising agility.
Seeing this, Cassandra and the other children emerged from the bushes, spreading out to encircle the large black dog.
Sirius Black crouched low, glancing at the fat rat before scanning the group of children surrounding him. He understood the situation… except for the redhead waving a broken wand? Was he underestimating him with just a broken twig?!
Frankly, he'd rather just rush in, kill Peter Pettigrew, and then let Harry and the others deal with him.
But, while he was an adult wizard, resistant to some of the children's spells, it wasn't a foolproof plan.
An adult wizard's Petrificus Totalus would freeze him for half an hour, while the children's version would probably only last ten minutes.
But even frozen for ten minutes, he was still frozen. That didn't mean he couldn't kill Peter Pettigrew, did it?
Without a wand, Sirius was at a distinct disadvantage. He could just barely manage some wandless magic.
But without a wand to focus his magic, all aspects of the spells, including the power, were difficult to control. He was terrified of accidentally hurting Harry and the others.
There's nothing I can do now. Unless a wand just falls out of the sky.
"Oof!"
Sirius suddenly felt something strike him on the head. He looked down and… hey? It was a brown wooden wand!
"..."
Where the hell did this thing come from?!
Sirius, and even Harry and the others who witnessed this, were completely dumbfounded.
---