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.Lupin picked up theInvisibility Cloak and tucked it safely into his pocket."And two of us should be chained to this," said Black, nudging Pettigrewwith his toe."Just to make sure.""I'll do it," said Lupin."And me," said Ron savagely, limping forward.Black conjured heavy manacles from thin air; soon Pettigrew was uprightagain, left arm chained to Lupin's right, right arm to Ron's left.Ron'sface was set.He seemed to have taken Scabbers's true identity as apersonal insult.Crookshanks leapt lightly off the bed and led the wayout of the room, his bottlebrush tail held jauntily high.CHAPTER TWENTYTHE DEMENTOR'S KISSHarry had never been part of a stranger group.Crookshanks led the waydown the stairs; Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron went next, looking likeentrants in a six-legged race.Next came Professor Snape, driftingcreepily along, his toes hitting each stair as they descended, held upby his own wand, which was being pointed at him by Sirius.Harry andHermione brought up the rear.Getting back into the tunnel was difficult.Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ronhad to turn sideways to manage it; Lupin still had Pettigrew coveredwith his wand.Harry could see them edging awkwardly along the tunnel insingle file.Crookshanks was still in the lead.Harry went right afterBlack, who was still making Snape drift along ahead of them; he keptbumping his lolling head on the low ceiling.Harry had the impressionBlack was making no effort to prevent this."You know what this means?" Black said abruptly to Harry as they madetheir slow progress along the tunnel."Turning Pettigrew in?""You' re free," said Harry."Yes.," said Black."But I'm also -- I don't know if anyone ever toldyou -- I'm your godfather.""Yeah, I knew that," said Harry."Well.your parents appointed me your guardian," said Black stiffly."If anything happened to them."Harry waited.Did Black mean what he thought he meant?"I'll understand, of course, if you want to stay with your aunt anduncle," said Black."But.well.think about it.Once my name'scleared.if you wanted a.a different home."Some sort of explosion took place in the pit of Harry's stomach."What -- live with you?" he said, accidentally cracking his head on abit of rock protruding from the ceiling."Leave the Dursleys?""Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to," said Black quickly."Iunderstand, I just thought I'd --""Are you insane?" said Harry, his voice easily as croaky as Black's."Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When canI move in?"Black turned right around to look at him; Snape's head was scraping theceiling but Black didn't seem to care."You want to?" he said."You mean it?""Yeah, I mean it!" said Harry.Black's gaunt face broke into the first true smile Harry had seen uponit.The difference it made was startling, as though a person ten yearsyounger were shining through the starved mask; for a moment, he wasrecognizable as the man who had laughed at Harry's parents' wedding.They did not speak again until they had reached the end of the tunnel.Crookshanks darted up first; he had evidently pressed his paw to theknot on the trunk, because Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron clambered upwardwithout any sound of savaging branches.Black saw Snape up through the hole, then stood back for Harry andHermione to pass.At last, all of them were out.The grounds were very dark now; the only light came from the distantwindows of the castle.Without a word, they set off.Pettigrew was stillwheezing and occasionally whimpering.Harry's mind was buzzing.He wasgoing to leave the Dursleys.He was going to live with Sirius Black, hisparents' best friend.He felt dazed.What would happen when hetold the Dursleys he was going to live with the convict they'd seen ontelevision.!"One wrong move, Peter," said Lupin threateningly ahead.His wand wasstill pointed sideways at Pettigrew's chest.Silently they tramped through the grounds, the castle lights growingslowly larger.Snape was still drifting weirdly ahead of Black, his chinbumping on his chest.And then -A cloud shifted.There were suddenly dim shadows on the ground.Theirparty was bathed in moonlight.Snape collided with Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron, who had stopped abruptly.Black froze.He flung out one arm to make Harry and Hermione stop.Harry could see Lupin's silhouette.He had gone rigid.Then his limbsbegan to shake."Oh, my --" Hermione gasped."He didn't take his potion tonight! He'snot safe!""Run," Black whispered."Run.Now."But Harry couldn't run.Ron was chained to Pettigrew and Lupin.He leaptforward but Black caught him around the chest and threw him back."Leave it to me -- RUN!"There was a terrible snarling noise.Lupin's head was lengthening.Sowas his body.His shoulders were hunching.Hair was sprouting visibly onhis face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws.Crookshanks'shair was on end again; he was backing away --As the werewolf reared, snapping its long jaws, Sirius disappeared fromHarry's side.He had transformed.The enormous, bearlike dog boundedforward.As the werewolf wrenched itself free of the manacle binding it,the dog seized it about the neck and pulled it backward, away from Ronand Pettigrew.They were locked, jaw to jaw, claws ripping at each other
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