Call me Squib

Crimson

Chapter Twenty: Crimson

***Embry's POV***

"The picture," I looked at Lupin and everything seemed to click. All Lupin did was nod while I looked back at Sirius to find him watching me with soft eyes.

"What's going on?" Harry asked and I saw that his wand was aimed at Sirius. I walked up to Sirius and just looked at him. He looked a lot like the man in the photo but his hair was longer and dirtier, he was also skinnier than in the photo but the eyes were the same.

"I thought you were dead..." Sirius whispered in disbelief as he looked over at Lupin. "Everyone told me that she was dead. I've seen her almost a hundred times over the past few months but I never realized it was her. Her hair was always changing colors."

"Lu, what's going on?" Hermione asked me as she, Harry, and Ron all looked at me for answers but I only shrugged. I honestly had no idea what was going on right now, all I could think about was the picture.

"As much as I love a little reunion, I believe that you came here to do something Sirius." Lupin spoke up. At Lupin's words Sirius turned to Ron and held out his hand.

"Hand over the rat boy." He demanded.

"Why do you want Scabbers?" Ron's voice cracked in obvious fear. "He just a pet rat, he's been in my family for ages! He isn't this Peter guy, you killed him!"

"No I didn't!" Sirius argued. "I tried to but he was quicker! He turned himself into a rat and killed all of those Muggles! He framed me for their deaths because he was scared and didn't want anyone else to know that he was the reason Lily and James were dead!"

"Ron," he looked over at me when I spoke up. I didn't know why but somehow I knew that Sirius was telling the truth. "Give him the rat."

"Ron, do it." Harry surprised me by agreeing with me. Ron looked at the both of us as if we'd lost our minds but I watched as he took his terrified rat out of his pocket and handed him over to Sirius.

"What are you going to do to him?" Ron asked as Lupin and Sirius each aimed a wand at the rat.

"Just a simple spell, if he's just a regular rat then it won't harm him. If he's anything else then it'll expose him." Lupin tried to reassure Ron. For the first time I noticed that his leg was bleeding and hurried over to help but before I could I felt a wand digging itself into the back of my neck and I went cold.

"Well look what we have here." Professor Snape's dull and lifeless voice filled the room as everyone looked at him. I was frozen in place in fear though. I didn't like wands and I'd had one too many aimed at me in my life. Out of the corner of my eyes I could see him tossing a cloak towards Harry and the others. "Quite useful, thank you for that Potter."

"How did you find us?" Lupin asked.

"The map," I realized that Lupin must have left it in his office for anyone to see. Snape must have seen it when he was walking by.

"Clever Miss Dobbs- or should I call you Miss Malfoy or Miss Black?" Snape dug his wand deeper into my neck making me flinch in fear and discomfort.

"What are you talking about?" Harry frowned as he turned his wand onto Snape and Hermione did the same along with Lupin and Sirius.

"You three," he nodded at Ron, Harry, and Hermione, "Go back to the castle. As for you two it looks like there'll be two more for Azkaban tonight."

"Let go of Lu!" Hermione yelled at Snape who only chuckled.

"Quiet Granger." He snapped at her as he dug his wand even deeper into my neck, it was a wonder that it hadn't broken my skin yet. "Miss 'Dobbs' will be joining me in front of the Minister so he can decide what to do with her. It's obvious that she's a danger."

"She hasn't done a thing!" Harry argued.

"She helped a criminal!" Snape hissed as I felt his wand leave my neck for a second before he dug it into the crook of my neck and shoulder, hard enough to break my skin and I gasped in pain.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry and Hermione yelled together at the same time I did. I could feel Snape jolt as all three of the spells hit him and he flew backwards into the wall, being knocked unconscious.

"Is he..." Hermione trailed off as Lupin walked over to check him.

"He's alive just knocked out," Lupin assured all of us before coming over to look at my bleeding shoulder. "Are you okay?" I only nodded in response, memories flooding my minds so I didn't trust my voice.

"Shall we Moony?" Sirius asked Lupin as he held out the still panicking rat but his grayish eyes were still on me. I could clearly see the concern in them, I knew I was still bleeding so I silently casted the healing spell and sure enough I felt my wound closing. I watched as Lupin and Sirius casted a silent spell on the rat which fell to the ground and seemed to be growing until it was the size of a man.

I didn't pay any attention to what happened next, all I could find myself doing was staring at Snape's wand that was next to his unconscious body on the ground. My blood was on the tip of it, bright crimson and damp. It almost looked like my father's wand. I knew that my hair was changing colors rapidly as I just stared at the wand but I didn't care. If it kept changing then the others wouldn't be able to see what I was feeling: terror.

"Embry?" Lupin knelt down in my line of sight so I couldn't see the wand anymore. Instead I was meeting his dark brown eyes that looked tired and worried. "You're safe, okay? We're going back to the castle now and we'll have Miss Pomfrey look you look you over."

He helped me up to my feet and kept a protective arm around my shoulders as I glanced around the room. I saw Sirius helping up a wounded and bandaged Ron while Harry and Hermione had their wands aimed at the man that used to be a rat. His hands were bound and he looked completely terrified. I couldn't help but notice that Sirius kept glancing at me as we all made our way outside to find it starting to get dark.

"Moony-" Sirius started.

"She'll be okay Padfoot," Lupin cut him off as we all headed backs towards the castle. We walked for probably five or ten minutes before I felt Lupin tense next to me.

"Professor?" Hermione must have noticed too from behind because I could hear the fear in her voice. "Lu, come over here."

"Lupin?" I ignored Hermione's warning as I looked at my favorite professor. He looked like he was in pain as he started to change.

"Lu move! He's a werewolf!" Hermione yelled at me as I heard the others yelling too but I couldn't bring myself to move. I watched as he finished changing and even dared to take a step towards him. A growl ripped through him as he swiped at me, his long claws ripping across my face and knocking me to the ground. I watched as a large black dog pounced on him and they fought until a howl filled the air and they disappeared into the trees.

"Lupin!" I yelled at the same time Harry yelled "Sirius!"

"Lu?" Hermione appeared next me and looked over my bleeding face in fear. Crimson is all I saw before it all became black to me.