Snape studied Sean, who radiated a palpable chill of protective anger, and found much of his own fury dissipating unexpectedly. His hatred for Sirius and Lupin hadn't diminished in the slightest, but at this particular moment, Snape could handle the situation with relative composure.
Waving his wand sharply, he severed the magical ropes binding Lupin. Without deigning to look at either Sirius or the werewolf professor, Snape addressed them curtly. "Take Pettigrew and the students back to the castle immediately. This matter must be reported to Dumbledore so he can handle it properly through official channels. Otherwise, the werewolf and the mangy mutt will continue wandering as fugitives indefinitely."
"Snivellus, you—" Sirius began furiously.
Lupin interrupted before Black could complete his protest.
The werewolf professor was clearly deeply affected by Sean's words on his behalf. In truth, among Lupin and Sirius, only Lupin had ever genuinely reflected on their childhood actions toward Snape. Perhaps this self-examination stemmed from the countless instances of discrimination and unequal treatment Lupin himself had endured since graduation due to his werewolf condition. Only those who have personally experienced suffering can truly comprehend the suffering of others.
However, his previous reflections had always been filtered through his own victimized perspective. Hearing Sean's fierce defense, Lupin considered their school-age bullying from an entirely different angle for the first time—from Severus Snape's perspective as the victim.
The group transported Peter Pettigrew from the Shrieking Shack.
Pettigrew had recovered from Veritaserum's compulsive effects during their journey. Upon regaining full consciousness and observing the hostile attitudes surrounding him, he immediately understood his situation was hopeless. He pleaded desperately with everyone, his face contorted with theatrical despair. However, knowing his utterly despicable nature, absolutely no one showed him the slightest mercy or pity.
Emerging from the secret passage, Lupin reached up to touch the Whomping Willow's knot, instantly calming the violent tree's thrashing branches.
Seeing Harry and the others' surprised expressions, Lupin smiled slightly despite the tension. "The Whomping Willow was actually planted specifically for my benefit when I was a student. You need only press the knot at its base to immobilize it completely."
The group escorted Peter Pettigrew away from the Whomping Willow while Harry immediately draped his Invisibility Cloak over Sirius Black, concealing his escaped-convict godfather from potential Dementor detection.
"You've all been deceived! You've made a catastrophic mistake! Black fooled you all!" Peter Pettigrew wailed pathetically.
Listening to Pettigrew's incessant rambling protests, Sirius Black—hidden beneath the Invisibility Cloak—finally lost his remaining patience. He delivered a vicious kick that sent Pettigrew flying forward to crash face-first onto the ground.
"Sirius, there's no need for that," Lupin chided gently, reaching down to haul Pettigrew roughly to his feet. "He's already finished."
Pettigrew immediately began thanking Lupin profusely, then resumed insisting desperately that everyone had been deceived by Sirius. "Enough, Peter," Lupin said with growing impatience. "You're done. Don't—"
Before he could complete his sentence, Lupin suddenly experienced a terrible premonition. A beam of pale moonlight broke through the cloud cover, illuminating his position. Instinctively turning to look at the full moon rising over the distant mountain peaks, Lupin's pupils dilated with horror as his body immediately began its involuntary transformation!
"Sirius, Severus—quickly, get the children away from me! Get them... away... ah... AWOOOO!"
Witnessing Lupin's transformation beginning, Sean cursed viciously under his breath. He'd been too preoccupied with other concerns and had completely lost track of the lunar calendar, mistakenly assuming it was still mid-month. Moreover, Lupin clearly hadn't consumed his Wolfsbane Potion beforehand.
Without an instant's hesitation, Sean lunged forward, seized Lupin firmly by the throat with one hand, and withdrew a vial of Wolfsbane Potion from his Undetectable Extension Charm bag with the other. He flicked the stopper off expertly with his thumb and attempted to pour the potion directly into Lupin's transforming mouth.
"Professor Lupin, drink it! Drink it now!"
If Lupin retained human form—or even a fraction of human rationality—he could potentially consume the potion successfully. However, Lupin was already predominantly wolf in nature, and only a small amount of the Wolfsbane Sean poured actually made it down his throat. Most of the precious potion spilled uselessly across his lengthening muzzle and dripped to the ground.
Damn it. This is going to be problematic.
Seeing Lupin begin struggling with escalating violence, Sean immediately released him and leaped backward, drawing his wand and casting a binding spell.
"Herbivicus!"
Under Sean's precise control, thick vines immediately erupted from the ground beneath Lupin's transforming feet. These conjured vines lacked the dangerous thorns from his combat-oriented version, instead designed purely for restraint. They wrapped rapidly around Lupin's increasingly wolfish body, binding him as securely as possible.
At this moment, Lupin had completed his transformation entirely. Perhaps because he hadn't consumed meat in werewolf form for many years, the transformed Lupin appeared extremely gaunt and malnourished. Nevertheless, he still possessed all the characteristic claws, fangs, and supernatural strength of his cursed state.
"Professor Snape, quickly escort the students back to Hogwarts immediately," Sean commanded without taking his eyes from the struggling werewolf. "Leave this situation to me."
"Sean, don't be reckless," Snape snapped. "This is absolutely not your responsibility yet!"
Seeing Snape's unwillingness to abandon him, Sean gritted his teeth in frustration. He couldn't act freely on his actual plans with these witnesses present.
Just as Sean and Snape remained locked in this tense standoff, Sirius Black suddenly transformed into his Animagus form—a massive black dog nearly the size of a young bear. The impressive size resulted from Sirius's naturally tall frame; if he'd been properly nourished rather than starved in Azkaban for twelve years, his Animagus form might have been even more physically imposing.
Regardless, the size advantage served its purpose.
The transformed Sirius Black immediately moved to control Lupin, clearly intending to lead his werewolf friend away from Hogwarts toward the Forbidden Forest to safely pass the night there.
Witnessing this development, Snape didn't delay further. He immediately moved to escort Harry and the others back toward the castle, preparing to secure Peter Pettigrew. However, when Snape's attention shifted to locate the prisoner, he discovered with fury that Pettigrew had already transformed into his rat Animagus and was scurrying away at high speed in the opposite direction.
"Stop! Don't let him escape!" Harry shouted, already pursuing with his wand raised.
Hermione and Ron moved to give chase as well, but Snape seized both of them firmly. "Don't cause additional complications!" he hissed with dangerous anger. "Return to Hogwarts with me immediately! Sean, you're coming back as well!"
At this critical juncture, Snape demonstrated his fundamental competence as a professor and responsible adult, prioritizing student safety above personal vendettas.
Sean looked at Snape, preparing to explain that he would pursue Harry, when suddenly a chorus of werewolf howls erupted from multiple directions simultaneously. Sean immediately recalled the prophetic vision he'd witnessed earlier!
"Professor, take Ron and Hermione back to the castle now!" Sean commanded urgently.
Snape frowned deeply, clearly about to protest, but Sean interrupted firmly. "Professor, trust me!"
Meeting Sean's steady gaze, Snape took a long, measured breath. "Your third-stage thesis isn't completed yet," he said quietly. "I don't appreciate irresponsible students who fail to finish their commitments."
"Don't worry, Professor," Sean replied with complete confidence. "I'll be perfectly fine."
Snape gave Sean one final, penetrating look. Without another word, he turned and departed swiftly with Ron and Hermione in tow, moving them toward Hogwarts' protective wards at maximum speed.
The moment they disappeared from view, Sean witnessed pairs of malicious, gleaming eyes emerging from the dark woods surrounding Hogsmeade. They were approaching the Shrieking Shack's position with predatory intent and supernatural speed.
The Greyback pack had finally made their move.