Chapter Twenty-Six
"Fink"

Page Two

"Alright," said Harry. "Any ideas?"

Ceres pursed her lips together and thought for a moment.

"There's a rather abandoned corridor in the east wing on the fifth floor," she said thoughtfully. "If I'm remembering it correctly, there are quite a few windows as well, that would certainly make it easier for them to get inside."

They raced through the corridors until they finally reached the owlery. Professor Ceres conjured up a piece of parchment and a quill for Harry, who quickly scribbled an urgent note. He took it inside the owlery and strapped it to Hedwig's leg.

"Take this as fast as you can," said Harry as he stroked her back. "It's really important."

Hedwig hooted a reply with confidence and ruffled her feathers. She snapped her beak resolutely and shot upwards and flew out through an open window. Harry nodded his head then walked back out to the hall where Professor Ceres was waiting.

"Sent?" she asked, leaning against the opposite wall.

Harry nodded his head in reply.

"Good," she said, standing up straight. "We'd better get going. There's no telling how fast they'll get that note, or how fast they'll be able to make it to that corridor."

"Alright," said Harry. "Do you feel up to running?"

"I am if you are," said Ceres smiling.

They bolted along the corridors, Ceres leading the way to the east wing. They passed through more doors, went up more staircases and ran down more corridors than Harry could count. As they past by windows they heard the pounding of the rain outside and they could see the effect the wind was having on the panes of glass. As Harry ran by one, he heard it crack as a small web-like splintering began to overtake the glass.

At long last, Ceres led Harry around one more corner and they were standing at the end of a very long, gothic style corridor with large arched windows along one side and a dramatic flagstone wall opposite. The ceiling was arched in the same manner as the windows, where four points curved upwards into the center, and great wrought-iron chandeliers hung from each center joint.

"This way," said Professor Ceres, walking slowly forward, limping slightly and rubbing her left hand, which seemed rather odd. One of her fingers seemed almost like it was shrinking. Harry blinked hard, dismissing the thought, thinking his over-exhausted brain was imagining things. They walked down the corridor, catching their breath. This gave Harry a moment to look back on the events that had taken place that day and then a thought struck him like a ton of bricks. He stood perfectly still and looked up at Professor Ceres who, when the sound of Harry's footsteps stopped, turned around to look at him.

"What is it, Harry?" she asked, a definitive croak to her voice. "Are you alright?"

Harry raised an eyebrow at her and asked skeptically, "How did you know about Sirius and Remus?"

Ceres' entire demeanor changed so quickly it was almost difficult to tell it was the same person. Her upper lip curled, her nostrils flared, her brow furrowed and that normal motherly twinkle to her eye had been replaced with a look of utter loathing.

"You little brat," she said in a voice so entirely different from her own that it made Harry jump. It was no longer feminine and melodious, but scratchy and… male.

She reached inside her robes and grabbed a wand faster than Harry could react.

"LIGARE!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, rattling the windows. Ropes shot out of the tip of her wand and snaked around Harry's body, binding him so tightly he nearly fell to the floor. He tried to talk, but a rope had tightened around his jaw, rendering his mouth totally useless.

"You imbecile," she said in that male voice that made her countenance quite disturbing. "I honestly thought you would have figured it out sooner. I guess you're more idiotic than Master ever thought possible."

She walked forward and raised her hand at Harry, which he noticed was indeed changing shape, to the point where her left hand was missing a finger. Her body was in no way invincible from this modification. She shrunk in height and her arms were gradually changing their very bone structure. Her hair started shortening as it changed from the gorgeous shade it had been before, to a dark, dirty gray lump on her head, until finally there was scarcely any hair on her head at all. Her features quickly lost their female lightness and became much more jagged and defined. In a matter of minutes, Professor Ceres had mutated into none other than Peter Pettigrew.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for that?" he said with a wicked smile on his face. He leaned forward so he was eye to eye with Harry. "That modified Polyjuice is some nasty stuff… disgusting, really." He let out a cold, blood-curdling laugh, but just then, they heard a tapping on a window a little farther down the corridor.

"Ah," he said, cocking his ear towards the window. "That'll be our guests now. Shall I let them in?" He pointed his wand to his throat and whispered, "Femineus." His voice changed temporarily back to the sweet sound of Professor Ceres' coo.

"We're in here! Just open the window," she shouted. "Turn the latch to your left."

They heard a clink as the latch was opened and Sirius and Remus toppled in through the window rather haphazardly.

"I told you not to push me!" groaned Sirius as he tried to get out from underneath Lupin who had fallen on top of him, but Lupin was frozen stiff. He was looking up at Pettigrew, who stood about five yards away, smiling at them.

"Bloody fools," said Pettigrew as he walked forward nonchalantly, his wand pointed straight at them. "Never could do anything properly."

Lupin tried to reach for his wand, but he couldn't find it. He started tugging at his robes, but to no avail. Finally, he forgot all respect for privacy and started tugging at Sirius' robes, looking for anything to defend them with.

"Oh no you don't," said Pettigrew tauntingly. He held up his right hand and there he was, twiddling two wands in between his fingers. "Lovely trick, isn't it? I'm so glad Master thought me worthy of it."

Lupin snapped his head up at Pettigrew and he began to growl so ferociously it even made Harry nervous. He saw something odd come over Lupin, such a venomous look that seemed so strange coming from a normally subdued, mild-mannered man. He leapt at Pettigrew, but while he was in midair, Pettigrew raised his wand and shouted, "Ligare," freezing Lupin in midair as the ropes bound him, then he fell with a thud as he hit the floor. Harry let out a muffled yell as he saw Lupin's head hit the floor, a small trickle of blood coming from his temple.

"You'll pay for that," said Black harshly, who had stood up during the confusion of Lupin's failed attempt at an attack. He quickly changed into his animagus form and leapt at Pettigrew, sinking his teeth into Pettigrew's leg, who let out a yelp of pain. He pointed his wand down at Black and shouted, "Oppugnare!"

Red sparks shot out of his wand and hit Black on the shoulder so hard it sent Black sliding across the floor until he was slammed against the wall.

"Don't ever do that again," growled Pettigrew, walking forward to where Sirius lay wounded. He had turned back into his human form and was curled up, clutching his shoulder, which was seeping blood through his fingers that he strained over the wound.

"Ligare," snapped Pettigrew sharply, binding Sirius, who screamed as a rope touched the open wound on his shoulder, but the scream was quickly muffled as a rope stretched across his mouth.

As soon as that was accomplished, a deep voice echoed down the hall, "Wormtail, I told you not to harm them."

Pettigrew looked anxiously up at the ceiling and stuttered, "I… I had to, Lord… he was about to -"

"Don't make up excuses," interrupted the booming voice. "Just bring them here and don't lay another finger on them. You know very well that I have plans for them."

"Yes, Master."

Pettigrew turned to Sirius and Lupin and said, "Leviosa," making them float in the air. He glided them over to Harry, who had since fallen to the floor and was looking up anxiously at Pettigrew.

"It's about time you shut your eyes," said Pettigrew flatly. "Somnus!" Blue sparks shot out of Pettigrew's wand, headed straight at Harry. Harry found himself unable to think anymore, nor could he remember where he was, or even who he was. All he could see or think was blackness.

Next chapter