Set Point Theory

Chapter Three

Harry winced as Madam Pomfrey gently prodded his stomach. "Does that hurt?" she asked gently. It did, but for some reason, Harry didn't want to admit it. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia always acted as though he had no right to be in pain.

"I'm fine," said Harry. The nurse raised her eyebrows.

"I've heard that one before," she said with a quick glance in Remus' direction. Remus smiled sheepishly.

"His cousin was hitting him pretty hard in the stomach," said Annie. Harry looked down at his stomach and noticed that the bruises looked much worse than they had when he took a bath at the Weasleys'. They resembled an August sunset.

Madam Pomfrey walked over to her bag and pulled out a small bottle. She handed it to Annie. "Give him a dose of this once a day for a week and check his urine for blood." Annie nodded as she took the bottle.

"I don't have blood in my pee!" said Harry indignantly.

"It's just a precaution, Harry," said Annie as she brushed his bangs out of his face.

Thus concluded Harry Potter's first magical medical examination since 1981.

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Harry was very happy with his new life and new guardians, but the first month was still an adjustment for him. Remus and Annie were as different from Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia as they could be, but Harry was still cautious about doing things and asking questions. He was simply used to living with a lot of restrictions.

For the first time Harry could remember, he had his own bedroom. His bed was large and comfortable, but he still found himself curling up into a fetal position when he slept. Seven years of sleeping in a cupboard under the stairs had a lingering effect on him. He often had nightmares that he was forced to go back to the Dursleys and woke up crying. He always found Remus or Annie at his side sooner or later when this happened.

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"Harry, wake up," said Remus shaking Harry's shoulder. Harry's eyes snapped open. Tears streamed down his cheeks. Remus reached over and wiped his face. Feeling slightly embarrassed, Harry turned over and hid his face in his pillow. Remus sighed. He knew what waking from a nightmare looked like. He also understood Harry not wanting him to see that he was crying. Remus also knew that Harry needed comfort whether he knew it or not. He reached over and pulled Harry into a tight hug. "No one's going to hurt you, Harry," he whispered soothingly.

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The next day, Harry sat with Annie's tabby cat Nikita, who was a little shy around new people but quickly warming up to Harry, in his lap while looking through a book on magical creatures when a large shadow fell over him. He looked up to see a purple-faced Uncle Vernon. Nikita darted under the sofa. "Didn't think we'd find you, did you boy? I'll make you sorry you were ever born. You won't leave your cupboard for a very long time." Uncle Vernon grabbed Harry's arm and jerked him up. Harry struggled desperately to get away. He finally screamed and yelled:

"LET ME GO! REMUS! ANNIE! HEEEELP!"

"Riddikulus!" Annie yelled from the doorway. Uncle Vernon was suddenly wearing a poke-a-dot suit. He swelled up like a balloon and floated to the ceiling. "Harry, are you alright?" asked Annie as she approached him followed by her other cat Sasha. Harry was shaking from head to toe, but he stared dumbfounded at the figure on the ceiling. Sasha rubbed up against purring loudly as though trying to comfort him. Remus ran into the room and noticed the floating uncle Vernon.

"I was wondering where that Boggart went," he said as Uncle Vernon disappeared with a pop and was replaced by a silver orb. Remus pulled out his wand and forced the orb into a box on the desk. "I suppose we'll have to do away with. We could invite some people over and make it a party."

"What's a Boggart?" asked Harry gazing at the box.

"It's a creature that turns into what it thinks will frighten someone the most," Remus explained as he put his wand back into his belt.

"So you fight it by trying to make it funny?" asked Harry. Remus smiled.

"Exactly."

"Are you alright, Harry?" Annie asked again. Harry nodded. He still felt himself shaking a little, but his fascination with the Boggart had eased the tension. Annie squeezed his shoulders gently. Remus bent over and picked up the book Harry was reading.

"Ah," he said. "Centaurs. Fascinating people, even if they are a bit cryptic. Why don't we read up on them together?" Harry smiled and nodded.

"I'd better check on the potion," said Annie and she left the room followed by Sasha.

Remus sat down on the couch and Harry climbed up next to him. Nikita cautiously crawled out from under the sofa and made herself comfortable in Remus' lap.

"Remus?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Why are some people called beasts in this book? You know, like the Centaurs." Remus smiled.

"That, Harry, is something that Wizards have been debating for centuries." Harry bit his lip. He flipped toward the back of the book to the Werewolf section.

"Why do they think you're a beast, Remus?" Harry asked in a barely audible voice. Remus hesitated. His mind travelled back briefly to the day Harry had come to live with him. He and Annie had decided to tell Harry before their new living situation began. Remus was amazed at Harry's reaction. He was simply a curious eight year old boy. Harry had a lot of questions. He wanted to know how big the wolf was, did the wolf get cold in the winter or hot in the summer, ect. Remus may as well have been explaining a simple summoning charm to Harry.

"Because, Harry, once a month I am."

"So what!" said Harry crossly. "This book talks like you're a beast all the time, it's stupid and I don't like it." Harry snatched the book out of Remus' hands, threw it on the floor, and folded his arms over his chest. "They should write about Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia and Dudley and Aunt Marge!" Harry's eyes started to fill with tears again and he wiped them away with the sleeve of his shirt. He felt Remus' hands gently on his shoulders and the next moment he was being pulled into a tight hug.

"Remus?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"H-how did you become a werewolf? I-I mean, how did you get bitten?" Remus closed his eyes. Harry suddenly felt guilty. "I'm sorry, Remus. I--"

"It's alright, Harry," said Remus giving his shoulder a squeeze. "I just didn't expect you to ask about that so soon. You're quite a sharp young man." Harry smiled.

"I was four years old," Remus began. "One night I couldn't sleep. I was looking out my bedroom window and saw a frog, so I decided to sneak out and catch it." Harry listened to Remus' story very intently. "Before I knew it, I had strayed rather far from my house." Remus paused for a moment and closed his eyes. "That's when it happened. A large werewolf came out of nowhere. I tried to run, but it was too fast. It bit me on the shoulder. Fortunately, the moon set and the werewolf turned back into a man. Before I passed out I saw such a look of horror and guilt on his face. So you see, Harry, I can't risk doing that to anyone else." *

"But it still wasn't your fault," said Harry vehemently. "People shouldn't say you're a monster!"

"Would you like to look at another book, Harry?" asked Remus in an attempt to change the subject even though he was glad that Harry didn't see him as a monster.

"Can I see some pictures of my Mum and Dad again?"

"Oh course you can," said Remus. He stood up, walked over to the bookshelf, and pulled out an old photo album.

"I want to hear some more stories too," said Harry. He had grown quite fond of Remus' stories about his Hogwarts days, although it always felt like there was something or someone Remus was leaving out. Remus told Harry that his father, James, learned how to turn into a stag in order to make Remus' monthly transformations bearable. Harry somehow thought that there were other friends who did this too, but Remus always seemed to tense up when the subject was brought up.

"Here we are," said Remus cheerfully as he sat back down next to Harry. He flipped to a photograph of Harry's parents cover in a thick, purple substance. They looked like they were eighteen or nineteen. Harry started to laugh.

"Is that a potion?"

"No," said Remus with a mischievous smile. "Just some pudding with an engorgement charm. Your father thought he would surprise your mother and got a little surprise himself."

"Who's that?" asked Harry pointing to a short teenager who stood near the edge of the frame laughing. He felt Remus tense slightly.

"His name was Peter," said Remus. "He was a friend of your dad and myself. He could turn into a rat just like your dad turned into a stag." Remus closed his eyes again. Harry heard him swallow hard.

"Did he...die?" asked Harry timidly. Remus nodded. Harry bit his lip. He decided to turn the page. There was a picture of his parents' wedding. They stood side by side with another man next to them laughing. "Who's that?" Remus opened his eyes. Harry couldn't read his expression.

Shit! Remus thought. He wasn't sure how to answer. That's your godfather, Harry. We all trusted him and he handed your parents to Voldemort and murdered Peter. Fortunately, Annie walked in and spared Remus any explanation.

"Can you come with me for a minute, Harry? I need to show you something." There was a very serious tone in Annie's voice that Harry hadn't heard before.

"O-okay," he answered.

Remus silently cursed himself as he watched Harry follow Annie out of the room. He looked down at the picture of Lily, James, and Sirius. There was his old friend laughing as he always did. Remus felt a surge of anger. He put his hand over the picture and made to crumple it, but something held him back. For some reason he couldn't bring himself to hate Sirius. Nikita purred next to him and he stroked her head. Remus couldn't comprehend his feelings. After all, Sirius had betrayed everyone in one way or another when he turned spy for Voldemort, but something just didn't feel right.

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"Don't destroy that picture, Remus," said James as he watched Remus' hand claw at his wedding picture. James let out a sigh of relief as Remus' hand relaxed. He looked up at Lily. "Do you think anyone can hear us? Subconsciously, I mean."

"I don't know," she replied. "I think that deep down Remus does know that Sirius never betrayed us. I just hope that he and the others figure it out before Wormtail gets his hands on Harry." James let out a derisive snort.

"I don't think Peter'll try anything as long as Voldemort isn't in power. He probably doesn't want the other Death Eaters to know he's alive."

"Be that as it may," said Lily. "Sirius is still is Azkaban and there's no guarantee that Voldemort won't come back."

"I know," said James taking his wife's hand. "It's frustrating that all we can do about Peter and Sirius is hope that someone will figure out the truth."

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Annie was very quiet as she and Harry made their way down to her "lab" followed by Sasha.

"Are you mad at me, Annie?" Harry asked anxiously. She looked at him quickly and smiled.

"Of course, not," she said. "It's just that what I need to tell you is very important."

"Oh," said Harry with a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry that I scared you." Annie caressed Harry's forehead.

"That's okay, you didn't mean to," Harry replied as they reached the room where Annie brewed her potions and extracted substances from her plants. She led him to a bubbling cauldron. Sasha sat down and watched them.

"This is called Wolfbane," she started to explain.

"Is that the potion that helps Remus when he transforms?" Annie nodded.

"I need you to listen to me very closely now, Harry, because what I am about to tell you is very important. Just remember that I am not mad at you, but I need you to understand how serious this is." Harry bit his lip and nodded slowly. "This potion helps Remus keep his mind when he transforms. Wolfbane, the main ingredient, is a plant that is deadly to werewolves. This potion is very precise and if it isn't properly brewed, the Wolfbane could still kill Remus."

Harry's eyes widened in horror. He didn't like the idea of Remus dying.

"If it doesn't kill Remus," Annie continued. "It will at least become useless, and the wolf will be a danger to himself and others. That is why I must impose on you the importance of not touching this potion. Understand?"

"Yes," Harry whispered.

"Good," said Annie as the smile returned to her face. "I'm sorry if that sounded a little harsh." She gave Harry a quick hug and he smiled at her. Annie then turned to the cauldron, dipped a ladle into the potion and put some of the foul liquid into a goblet. "Let's take Remus his potion, shall we?" Harry nodded.

"Annie?"

"Yes?"

"If that potion makes Remus safe, why do I have to leave when he transforms?"

Annie sighed. "It's just an extra precaution the Ministry wants us to take."

"I hate the Ministry," said Harry crossing his arms. "They shouldn't get to tell me what to do."

"They won't forever, Harry."

"I don't want them to tell me what to do ever again. What if they want to send me back to the Dursleys some day?"

"That won't happen, Harry, I promise."

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"Is anything wrong? You didn't say much during dinner," said Annie as she took Remus' pulse. He tensed slightly.

"I was showing Harry some old pictures of Lily and James." Annie stopped her watch.

"A little fast, but nothing serious. What about the pictures?" Remus leaned back into his pillows. Annie pulled out a cool, damp cloth and began patting Remus' sweaty forehead and neck. He grabbed her hand.

"We came across a picture of Peter."

"And? I'm sure it brought back some painful memories, but no more than looking at pictures of Lily and James. What's really bothering you?"

Remus inhaled deeply. Annie swore she saw the colour in his face turn two shades paler. "I told him about Peter becoming an Animagus."

Annie sat beside Remus on the bed, put her head on his shoulder, pulled his hand that held hers to her mouth, and lightly kissed his knuckles. "You aren't worried that Harry will tell anyone, are you? He seemed to understand perfectly well when we told him about James."

"No, it isn't that. We came across a picture of Sirius." Remus felt Annie tense up beside him.

"D-did you tell him anything?"

"No that was when you came in. Annie, your timing couldn't have been more perfect. What worries me is that Harry will want to know. He asks a lot of questions, that boy. Not that I blame him." Remus quickly stood up and walked over to the window to where the nearly full moon shined. "Damn it! I should've destroyed that picture years ago."

Annie walked over to him, put her hands on his shoulders, and kissed him between his shoulder blades. "You couldn't," she whispered leaning her forehead against the back of his neck. "Not any more than I could. None of this makes sense." Remus turned around and took her hands.

"You know what I thought of Sirius before Lily and James died? Sure he constantly got in trouble and took very few things seriously, but he was always so loyal. Sometimes I feel like I'd give anything to find out he didn't help Voldemort kill all those people."

"Me too," said Annie. "So many things just didn't feel right when we investigated Peter's death. I found his finger and it looked more like it had been cut off rather than blown off, if that makes any sense. Then there was Crouch twisting the words of the Muggles in the reports."

"What do you mean, Annie?" said Remus looking at her curiously.

"Oh nothing really major. It's just that a Muggle witness I interviewed said that he's seen an explosion and in the report Crouch wrote he said that the witness saw Sirius blow up Peter. Then he sent Sirius to Azkaban without a trial. Rita Skeeter's articles didn't help matters." Annie sat down and put her face in her hands.

"Annie," said Remus kneeling beside her. "Are you saying you think Sirius is innocent?"

"I don't know," said Annie looking up. "I want him to be. But the one thing we can't deny is that he was Lily and James secret keeper. He's the only one who could've sold them to Voldemort." Remus nodded sadly.

"I still don't know what to tell Harry. 'Sorry your Godfather betrayed your parents, kid,' just doesn't feel right."

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Harry slumped back against the wall. No wonder Remus had gotten so quiet when he saw that picture. He felt the tears forming in his eyes and quickly stood up. He headed down the hall toward the study, not wanting Remus and Annie to know he'd been listening to their conversation.

When he reached the study, he noticed the photo album sitting on the desk. It was still open to his parents' wedding picture. He saw the man (Sirius) standing beside them laughing. Part of Harry wanting to reach into the picture and hit the man, but another part told him that the man didn't look like a killer.

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Sirius looked up as the sunlight made it's way through a crack in his cell wall. If there were no Dementors around, it would have given him hope. What it gave him instead was knowledge; knowledge that the outside world still existed and so did he, Sirius Black. "I am Sirius Black...I am Sirius Black." He said aloud, mostly to drown out the Lestranges talking in their sleep.

"Get Wormtail, must get Wormtail." Sirius thought it sounded more and more like an ancient Celtic chant every day. He picked up sharp stone and made another mark.

"Day 2552," he muttered. "It hardly feels like I've been in here 2400 days. He tossed the stone aside and transformed into Padfoot. Padfoot wondered how Moony was doing. He wasn't certain he had counted correctly, but he thought that the full moon was getting close.

Don't give up, Padfoot. Padfoot's ears pricked forward. He could've sworn he'd heard Prongs. No, the Dementors were getting to him again.

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"Have Mrs. Weasley call through the fire as soon as you're there," said Annie as she handed Harry his overnight bag.

"I will," Harry promised. He gave Annie a quick hug, walked over to Remus and did the same. Remus looked really pale and that worried Harry. "Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine, Harry," said Remus with a smile. "Don't worry about me, just have fun tonight." Harry nodded and walked over to the fireplace. He grabbed a handful of Floo powder.

"The Burrow!" he shouted and felt himself being sucked up into the flames. Harry spun faster and faster as he passed several fireplaces before finally reaching the Burrow. He fell hard out of the Weasleys' fireplace and hit the kitchen floor. Fortunately, his overnight bag softened the landing.

"Are you alright, Harry Dear?" asked Mrs. Weasley helping Harry to his feet. Harry nodded and smiled. He saw Ginny sitting at the table with her cat, Cyrus curled up in her lap.

"Where's Ron?" Harry asked noticing that Ron was not in the kitchen as he normally was whenever Harry arrived at the Burrow. Ginny started to giggle and Mrs. Weasley gave her a stern look. She grinned behind her mother's back as Mrs. Weasley turned back to Harry.

"Ron accidentally did a little magic on himself and he's not feeling well, Harry Dear. Why don't you go see him?"

"Okay," said Harry. Ginny jumped off of her chair, grabbed Harry's hand and led him out of the kitchen and up the stairs to Ron's room. "What did Ron do to himself?" Harry asked her. Ginny giggled harder than ever.

"He got real mad a George for putting spiders in his bedspread again so he made a vase explode and it knocked Daddy's wand off the shelf then the wand hit Ron with some sort of slug curse. He's been burping up slugs all day." Harry started to laugh. He did feel sorry for Ron, but the thought of him burping up slugs was pretty funny. He managed to hold his laughter in as he and Ginny reached Ron's bedroom and opened the door. Harry saw that his friend was a horrible shade of green.

"Hi, Ron," said Harry trying to sound cheerful. Ron opened his mouth to reply but instead ducked to the side of his bed. Harry heard a horrible noise of something (probably slugs) hitting a bucket. Ron sat back up and let out a pitiful moan. Mrs. Weasley entered the room carrying a smoking goblet.

"Feeling any better, Ron?" she asked. Ron responded with a belch. Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "You'd better get some rest, dear. You two had best go outside," she said to Harry and Ginny.

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"C'mon," said Ginny, pulling Harry across the yard to the old oak tree. The evening summer air and smell of the exotic plants was very refreshing to Harry who was used to the carefully manicured lawns of Privet Drive.

The two of them reached the tree and climbed it. Harry liked the tree because it was so dishevelled. Things that he would never find near the Dursleys made him feel safe. Harry carefully placed his hands and feet on the thick bark as he climbed with Ginny close at his heels. When he reached their usual branch, Harry turned around and gave Ginny a hand to help her the rest of the way up. He leaned against the trunk to catch his breath and relax his sore arms and legs. Ginny sat next to him.

"Harry?"

"What?"

"I like it when you come here."

"Me too."

"You don't tease me like my brothers do. Well, Bill and Charlie never tease me. Percy really doesn't either, but he likes to criticize me a lot because he thinks he knows everything. Fred and George just like to tease me. Ron gets teased by everybody else, but he teases me and I don't get to tease anybody. It's not fair!"

"Dudley and his friends used to tease me a lot and I couldn't tease back," said Harry. Cyrus, Ginny's white, fluffy cat had climbed up the tree and made himself comfortable between them. He closed his eyes as his tail flopped lazily.

"My brothers aren't really mean like Dudley. I just wish they'd stop sometimes."

"I know," said Harry. Ginny reached over and squeezed his hand. Cyrus started to purr loudly. "Maybe we could do something about it."

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"You're my best friend. I mean, I know that you're Ron's best friend, but you're my best friend too." Ginny looked down and blushed for the first time since Harry had known her. Ginny's words made him feel good. Harry had spent his life believing that no one would ever call him his or her friend.

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Annie stroked behind the wolf's ear as he rested his head in her lap. Under the influence of Wolfbane, Remus' alter ego seemed so peaceful. It was hard for Annie to believe that this was the same wolf that made those horrible sounds from the shrieking shack all those years ago. Out side, the sun was slowly rising, yet the moon still lingered. As it finally began to set, Annie felt Remus' alter ego stiffen. His limbs shook violently as the wolf's paws turned into human hands and Remus collapsed onto the floor. Annie grabbed his robe and draped it over him. She began to rub circles on his back.

"Rough night?" she asked dryly. Remus looked up with a slightly crooked smile before he darted for the bathroom. Annie grimaced as she heard the horrible sound of Remus' vomit hitting the toilet. She walked to the bathroom to see Remus bracing himself against the toilet in a manner that strongly reminded her of mornings after their nights in Muggle London shortly after they had left Hogwarts.

Remus finally leaned back against the wall and Annie sat next to him. "I always enjoy that part of the moonset," said Remus wryly. Annie let out a snort of laughter.

"I can tell."

"Am I that obvious?"

"Well, you should at least try to hide the pleasure that comes from excessive vomiting. Think we could sell some of that to Bertie Botts?" Annie asked pointing to the toilet.

"It's worth a shot," said Remus scratching his head thoughtfully. "We could fund a new pufflepod experiments."

"C'mon," said Annie helping Remus to his feet. "Let's get you into bed, young man."

"Alright, Madam Pomfrey." Annie punched him playfully in the arm and led him to the bed. She couldn't help but notice that his skin felt cold and clammy. This wasn't anything unusual, but it always worried her. She draped the covers gently over him. Sasha jumped up onto the bed and snuggled next to Remus purring loudly. Annie's cats tended to avoid Remus when he was in wolf form, but adored him in his human form.

"I'd better call the Weasleys and see how Harry's doing," said Annie as she leaned over and carefully kissed Remus on the side of the mouth.

"Annie," Laura Spinnet's voice called from the fireplace down the hall.

"Shit," Annie said through gritted teeth.

"Maybe you should just answer her," Remus suggested lightly. "You have to call the Weasleys anyway."

"Maybe I should just ignore her and wait a few hours to call Molly. Harry's probably still asleep anyway."

"ANNIE! I KNOW YOU'RE THERE!" Laura's voice bellowed. Annie stood up, walked coldly to the bedroom door and shut. She then pulled out her wand and pointed it at the door.

"Silenso! Ah, much better," she said smugly. Remus, who had turned over and was lying on his stomach, groaned.

"She is your mother, Annie."

"True, but I'm just not in the mood for her motherly advice right now. Maybe she'll shout herself hoarse," Annie added hopefully as she pushed Remus' robe off of his shoulders and began to massage his back.

"You're trying to change the subject."

Annie bent over so that her mouth was within a centimetre of Remus' ear. "I know, but we've taken in a child who is away at a friend's house for the day. This is a golden opportunity, Love," she whispered and playfully nipped his earlobe.

"Alright, we'll change the subject," said Remus as he grabbed her wrist and kissed her palm tenderly. Annie swatted jokingly at him and started to giggle.

"Honestly! I just knew you had to be like the typical male in some way."

Remus propped himself up on one elbow and used his free hand to caress her knee with his index finger. "Do you want to take this golden opportunity or not?"

"Wait." Annie held up her index finger.

"What?" asked Remus with his brows furrowed. Annie reached over and grabbed a Honeydukes mint off of the nightstand.

"Here," she popped the mint into Remus' mouth. "Vomit isn't exactly my favourite flavour of Bertie Botts. Go away, Sasha." Annie pushed her cat off the bed. Sasha gave her and annoyed look and went into the bathroom with he nose and tail in the air. "You'll thank me later," Annie called to her cat as Remus wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down.

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Ron stared at his fried eggs and sausages as though they were slugs.

"Ron, you need to eat," said Percy as he leaned across the table and pushed Ron's plate closer to him. Ron glared at Percy.

"His stomach is still bothering him," said Ginny. "He isn't hungry!"

"Starving isn't good for him," Percy said in a know-it-all tone. Harry looked down and saw Scabbers between himself and Ron sitting up on his hind legs. While Percy wasn't looking, Ron slipped his sausages to a grateful Scabbers. Harry watched the rat take a sausage in his paws and noticed that he was missing a toe. He suddenly had a very strange feeling.

"Ron!" said Percy causing Harry to jump. "Are you feeding Scabbers under the table again?"

"No," said Ron trying to sound innocent.

"Yes you are!" Percy stood up, walked around the table, scooped up Scabbers and left the kitchen. Ron took the opportunity to dump his breakfast in the garbage. Percy returned and sat back down glaring at Ron.

"Percy, where did you buy Scabbers?" asked Harry.

"I didn't but him, I found him near Father's office shortly after You-Know-Who vanished," said Percy.

"Shortly after Voldemort vanished?" asked Harry. Ron, Ginny, and Percy all flinched. "Sorry," he added. The three Weasleys shrugged.

"Yes," said Percy in response to Harry's question.

Harry looked down at his plate of sausages. It was crazy, but he just had a strange feeling he couldn't ignore. "Say, Percy, do you think I could borrow Scabbers?" Percy regarded him with a suspicious look.

"Did Fred and George put you up to this?"

"No. I just wanted to show Annie something."

"Alright, then," said Percy. "You can borrow him." He looked at his watch. "I'm going to read some of my Hogwarts books. I want to be ready."

"You have more than a month," said Ron.

"It's never too soon to start," Percy huffed and left the kitchen. Harry continued to stare at his plate, wondering why he had his suspicions. Ron and Ginny looked at him with concern.

"What is it, Harry?" asked Ron.

"Nothing," said Harry with a shrug. Ginny shook her head and folded her arms over herself.

"Some is so wrong," she said. "What is it?"

"I'll tell you later. I'd better go get Scabbers. I need to show him to Annie and Remus."

"What?" asked Ron. "You aren't supposed to go home till tomarrow." Harry shrugged. Ginny and Ron exchanged bewildered looks.

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"Remus! Annie!"

Annie jerked awake. "Huh?" Remus was sound asleep next to her. The day after a full moon, an explosion couldn't wake him.

"Remus! Annie!" It was Harry. Annie looked over at her clock. She's been asleep for nearly three hours.

Shit! I forgot to call Harry. she thought. Annie quickly got dressed. She heard a knock at the bedroom door. "What the--"

"Remus! Annie!" Annie hurried to the door. She opened it, stepped out, and quickly closed it behind her.

"Harry, what are you doing here?"

"I had to show you and Remus something."

"Remus is asleep and I don't think he'll be awake any time soon. Is something wrong?"

"I don't know." Harry held up the small cage that contained Scabbers. Percy's rat suddenly started to squeak wildly and tried desperately to get out of his cage. Annie's jaw dropped. She pulled out her wand and pointed it at Scabbers.

"Stupefy!" Scabbers fell over unconscious. Annie opened up the cage and examined him closely.

"He's missing a toe," Harry explained. "I just had a weird feeling." Annie swallowed.

"Listen to me very carefully, Harry. I need you to go back to the Burrow. I'll explain everything to you later." Harry nodded slowly and threw some Floo powder into the fireplace.

"The Burrow!" he said and disappeared. Annie headed back into the bedroom.

"Remus! Wake up!" It took a few minutes to wake Remus.

"Is something wrong?" he asked as he rubbed his eyes. Annie held out the cage with the rat. Remus went from being half asleep to wide awake.

"My God! It can't be."

"That's what I thought too," said Annie. "Do you think it's him?"

"Only one way to find out," said Remus. He quickly got dressed and picked his wand up off of the night table. "Ready?" Annie nodded.

"Go!" she said and a flash of blue light shot forth from each wand. Before their eyes Scabbers the rat transformed into Peter, the friend they had believed to be dead for the last seven years.