Just as Harry and the others were wavering, shaken by Peter's breakdown, Black finally snapped. He drove his foot into Peter hard, sending him sprawling across the ground.
"Is that supposed to justify betraying us?!"
He moved to kick him again, but Lupin grabbed him and held him back.
"Have you ever thought about it?" Lupin demanded. "Because of your betrayal, how many parents lost their children? How many children were left without parents?!"
"Kill him, Lupin!" Black roared at him.
"I can't wait another second. Kill this shameless traitor!"
"No!"
As both men raised their wands, Harry suddenly stepped in front of Peter, blocking them.
"You can't kill him!"
"Harry, this man is responsible for your parents' deaths!" Black said, turning on him in disbelief.
"I know," Harry replied calmly, "but you shouldn't turn yourselves into murderers over someone like him."
Peter, who had been collapsed on the ground moments ago, suddenly sprang up with a speed that didn't suit him at all. Beaming, he grabbed Harry's arm.
"You're too kind, Harry. I knew someone as merciful as you wouldn't bear to see me hurt."
Harry shook him off in disgust.
"Don't misunderstand. I just want to take you back to the castle and hand you over to the Dementors for judgment."
Only then did Black and Lupin exchange a look and let out a shared breath of relief.
"I have to say, Harry, you really are just like your father," Black said softly, his thoughts drifting into the past.
"All right, we can't waste any more time," Lupin said, clapping his hands once.
He quickly conjured a length of rope and bound Peter tightly.
"If you try to escape, I won't hesitate to kill you."
Then he fixed Ron's injured foot with a wooden splint, allowing him to move a little more easily.
"Honestly, I think we should make a suggestion to Professor Fawley," Ron muttered. "The badge he gave us doesn't block physical damage at all."
"What about Professor Snape?" Hermione asked, voicing the worry she had been holding onto all night.
"Snivellus will be fine," Black said impatiently, flicking Snape's wand.
Snape seemed to jerk back to life as invisible cords looped around his wrists, neck, and knees, hauling him upright.
His head still lolled forward like a grotesque puppet, his feet hanging a few inches above the ground.
He was suspended in a posture that looked disturbingly like a cross.
"Once we're back at the castle, we'll hand him and Ron over to Madam Pomfrey. They'll get proper treatment," Lupin said, reassuring the still-anxious trio.
To be safe, he bound Peter to himself and Ron as well, forming a bizarre little group.
Together, they made their way back through the passage and headed toward the castle.
Harry's mood, however, had lightened considerably.
"I don't know if you're aware of this," Black said hesitantly, more nervous than he had ever felt in his life, "but… when you were just born, I was… I was your godfather."
"I was thinking… if it's possible, and if you've got the time, or you want to… you could come stay with me for a while."
"Of course, if you actually like living with your aunt and uncle, I won't force you—"
"Of course not!" Harry blurted, practically glowing.
"I mean, where do you live? I can move in anytime!"
"Oh!" Black laughed, delighted. It was the first time he had sounded this happy in over a decade. "It might need a bit of cleaning. I'll come and pick you up."
"We can help," Ron said suddenly.
Everyone turned to stare at him, and he immediately went a little red.
"I mean… if you don't mind."
"Hah, of course I don't mind. But I should probably apologize in advance. When I'm a dog, I'm usually pretty gentle," Black said, looking slightly sheepish.
"It's fine. I'm used to being the one who gets hurt," Ron grumbled.
Watching them joke and chatter, Harry felt lighter than he had in ages.
Like walking back through the passage together, it almost felt as if everything had finally reached the best possible ending.
But the moment they stepped back onto the school grounds, that happiness vanished.
"Harry, the moon!" Hermione cried, her voice sharp with fear.
Harry felt the moonlight on his skin and whirled around.
Lupin's face was already twisting with pain.
"Mate, you didn't take your potion tonight?" Black grabbed him fast, trying to hold him steady.
"Don't… I have… the bracelet…" Lupin rasped, his voice turning into a strained snarl.
"The bracelet?" Black said, frantic. "What bracelet? No, we have to get you back into the passage—now!"
"It's the Werewolf bracelet!" Hermione gasped, sudden hope flashing across her face. "It suppresses a werewolf's urge to attack. Professor Lupin really is wearing one!"
"How does it suppress it?" Black demanded. "Will it actually hold?"
Hermione froze, caught out.
"I… I don't know. The papers never said—"
In the full wash of moonlight, Lupin completed the change. Whatever human will he had left was snuffed out completely.
"Aaah—!"
The werewolf threw back its head and howled, bloodshot eyes snapping straight to Black.
Its claws rose high—
And in that instant, a ring of white light flared around him. As the claws came down, the light shrank sharply, snapping back into his body.
"Aaagh!"
The werewolf's face contorted as if it had been hit by a wave of agony. The raised claws sagged, suddenly limp.
"What was that?" Black stared, stunned. "Was that the bracelet?"
"It has to be!" Hermione said, almost laughing with relief.
But the werewolf's feral stare had changed. Fear seeped into it.
It tried again, swinging a claw in a testing strike. The white light flashed a second time, and the creature shuddered as if something deep inside it had been slammed hard.
"Aa…."
This time, even its howl came out weak.
It stumbled backward several steps.
Losing its mind did not mean losing every scrap of sense. It clearly understood now that the people in front of it were not prey it could take.
With its decision made, it turned and bounded away, disappearing in a few leaps into the depths of the Forbidden Forest.
"Remus!" Black lurched as if to chase, but Harry grabbed him and stopped him.
"Sirius… the sky…" Harry's hand shook as he pointed upward.
Sometime without them noticing, Dementors had gathered in countless numbers, packed together like a storm cloud pressing down.
"Damn it," Black hissed, retreating back to the others. "The howl must've drawn them in."
At the same time, Snape, who had collapsed after Lupin's magic restraint faded, seemed to feel the Dementors' despair rolling toward them. He clutched his pounding head and staggered over to Black.
With a grimace, Black shoved Snape's wand back into his hand and took Lupin's wand for himself.
"Snivellus, didn't you say you had a pile of spells ready? Use them!"
After that long in Azkaban, Black wasn't confident his Patronus would still have enough strength.
"Damn you," Snape snapped, gripping his wand. "If it weren't for you, would we be in this situation at all?"
He knew perfectly well that when Dementors fed, they would not mind an extra "dessert."
And with this many, one or two Patronuses would never be enough.
Grinding his teeth, he lifted his wand high, aiming straight at the Dementors.
A dazzling light burst into existence in front of them, glaringly bright against the night.
Then a white, spherical shape shot forward like a cannonball and slammed into the swarm, blasting a huge hole through the dark mass.
"Tch. Even I have to admit it, you've got real skill."
"Damn it," Snape barked. "That wasn't my magic!"