"Mr. Filch, you've been watching the show long enough. Enjoying yourself?"
Snape fixed Argus with a cold, hostile glare.
He wasn't blind. Argus had lingered in the shadows, observing without intervening.
"Professor Snape," Argus replied evenly, "our priority should be why Professor Lupin transformed without a full moon."
He glanced at the shattered roof. Through the jagged hole, the moon hung half-hidden by clouds—not full, by any measure. Yet Lupin had still become a werewolf. Argus refused to believe it was coincidence. Someone had meddled.
Snape paused, his lips thinning. "Did you sense anything unusual?"
"On the way here, we spotted another trail besides yours. But whoever it was vanished before I could identify them."
Snape's mind raced to a single name. At Hogwarts, few could evade Argus so deftly—not even some professors, perhaps not the Headmaster himself. Argus had likely reached the same conclusion but held his tongue.
He turned to Harry and Sirius. "Sirius, you can't stay here. Find a new hiding spot."
"Harry, you've got the Invisibility Cloak. Go with him."
"Snape and I'll track Lupin and that intruder."
Snape eyed them both, then nodded curtly. With Argus present, capturing Sirius was impossible. The shock of Lupin's change had cleared his head, letting logic take over.
Harry and Sirius slipped away under the Cloak, leaving Argus and Snape alone.
"Professor, should we check on Lupin first?" Argus suggested. The werewolf's path was clear and direct—easier to follow than some shadowy figure. In his feral state, Lupin could endanger anyone he encountered.
Snape's eyes narrowed. "A mindless beast doesn't require two of us. You handle Lupin. I'll pursue the intruder."
Argus frowned. Splitting up was reckless without knowing the intruder's identity. Snape knew that. Was old hatred for Sirius clouding his judgment?
Before Argus could argue, Snape strode out. Shaking his head, Argus followed Lupin's trail into the night.
Soon, he realized the truth: Lupin was hunting Harry and Sirius.
At that pace, he'd overtake them in no time.
...
Meanwhile, Harry and Sirius moved silently through the darkness, cloaked in invisibility. Neither spoke, the weight of their fractured bond hanging heavy.
"Where to?" Harry finally whispered, the blackness swallowing the path ahead. They needed a safe haven for Sirius—fast.
"A spot your father and I used to haunt," Sirius murmured, steering them toward Hogwarts Castle.
They halted at a distance, the castle's warm lights piercing the gloom like a beacon.
"It's stunning, isn't it?" Sirius said softly. "I'll never forget stepping through those doors the first time. Being free to do it again... it's everything."
Loneliness etched his face. Twelve years in Azkaban had broken him—from vibrant youth to fugitive pariah. The scars ran deep, beyond outsiders' grasp.
"Harry, you remind me so much of your dad. Not just the looks..."
"If James were here, he'd make the same call you did tonight."
"Will we catch Peter Pettigrew?" Harry asked.
"Absolutely. We have to."
"Once we do, you'll be free."
Sirius nodded, a faint smile breaking through. "Harry, did you know? When you were born, James and Lily named me your godfather."
His voice cracked with regret.
"I know," Harry said, meeting his gaze.
"If you want to stay with your uncle, I get it. But if you're looking for another home..."
"You mean, with you?"
"I'd love that. But if not, I understand—after all I've—"
A guttural howl cut him off, followed by pounding footsteps.
They whirled to see Lupin—now a snarling werewolf—barreling toward them.
The Invisibility Cloak hid their forms, but not their scent or tracks. Lupin had followed the trail unerringly.
Harry stumbled free in panic, exposing himself. The beast locked onto him with yellowed eyes and lunged, jaws snapping.
"Harry!" Sirius cried. Beyond his old friend Remus, Harry was his last tether to the world. If Lupin bit or killed him... the guilt would destroy Sirius. He'd never face James and Lily again.
"Remus, snap out of it! That's Harry—James and Lily's son!"
"You know who you are! Feel your heart— that's your true self!"
Sirius refused to harm Lupin or let Harry suffer, shouting instead in a frantic bid to reach him.
But the werewolf was lost to instinct, ignoring the pleas. Saliva dripped from its maw, eyes wild and empty.
"Expelliarmus!"
With no choice, Sirius fired the Disarming Charm. It struck true, slamming Lupin to the ground.
Sirius's magic was feeble—emaciated from Azkaban, wielding a borrowed wand. Lupin staggered up almost immediately, fixated on Harry.
"Harry, run!"
Sirius bombarded the beast with spells, buying time. Harry bolted, heart pounding, but glanced back to see Sirius still rooted in place.
He skidded to a halt, wand raised, joining the fray.
"Harry, get out of here! Don't worry about me!"
A distracted Sirius was bowled over by the werewolf's charge. As it loomed over him, Harry watched in horror.
"He survived Azkaban," Sirius thought grimly,
"only to fall to Moony. At least I can tell Lily and James I died shielding Harry..."
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