Harry Potter the Visored

Chapter 53

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo and J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter.

"Zanpakuto Talking"

"Mental Talking/Parseltongue"

"Kido/Zanpakuto/spells"

'Thoughts'

"Hollow/wraith/horcrux Talking"

"I have to admit," said the gaunt form of the Azkaban fugitive, "I didn't expect anyone to find me out here. How'd you pull it off?"

"I had a bit of help," said the Defense Professor as he kept his wand trained on Black, "remember that map we drew up all those years ago?"

"That thing's still intact?" said Sirius in surprise, "We picked some bloody good parchment didn't we."

"Mm," agreed Lupin with a nod, "in any case, I was looking over it when I noticed a particular pair of names located around this area. Now seeing your name was to be expected, but the second name, the name of our late friend Peter, that got me thinking. Since the map does not show those who have passed on, that meant only one thing, Peter Pettigrew is alive, and if he's alive, then you didn't kill him that night."

"Of course I didn't kill him!" exclaimed Sirius, "Though I bloody well intended to…" he muttered.

Lupin raised an eyebrow at that last comment but gestured for Sirius to continue, still covering the man with his wand.

"I didn't betray Lilly and James," said Sirius, "I was afraid that You Know Who and his followers would realize that I was the obvious choice to be Secret Keeper, so we switched in secret. The world believed that I was the one holding the secret within me, but in truth it was that rat Pettigrew."

"So," said Lupin as he glanced at the squirming rodent, "you're saying that this rat is actually Wormtail?" Looking closer at the trapped rodent Lupin nodded to himself, "The distinguishing marks are all there, but how did you know?"

"This bastard here made one mistake," said Sirius, "he went into hiding as the pet rat of the Weasley family, and when they were featured in the Daily Prophet, I instantly recognized Wormtail's Animagus form."

"Still," said Lupin as he moved his wand to point at the captured Rat, "this could be a lot of trouble if you're wrong."

"I'm not," insisted Sirius, "that rat is Wormtail, I'd recognize him anywhere."

"We should check regardless," said Lupin, "capturing the wrong rat is something I'd rather not happen a second time."

A bright blue light began to shine from the tip of Lupin's wand and enveloped the struggling rat in Sirius's hand, causing its form to grow and transform into a short man that had a rat-like appearance, that cowered away from the two Wizards now facing him down.

"Hello Peter," said Lupin in an icy tone.

"Remus," exclaimed the revealed Pettigrew, "it's so wonderful to see you again."

"I wish I could say the same," growled Lupin, his wand still trained on the man.

"You can't believe what that man is saying, Remus," said Pettigrew, "I would never hurt James or Lilly. You can't think that I would betray them to You Know Who!"

"Actually," said Lupin, "it's seeming more and more likely. You always were one to fall in line with those with 'power' in order to protect yourself. And I agree that Sirius would have been the obvious choice as a Secret Keeper, James and Lilly deciding to use him as a decoy and trust the Secret to someone else, someone that nobody would suspect because he was too much of a coward."

"It's not true!" exclaimed Pettigrew frantically as he scrambled across the ground to kneel at Lupin's feet, "It was Black! Like everybody said!"

Sirius let out a growl, but Remus silenced him with a look before returning his icy stare to the man at his feet, "Then why did you run?"

"What?" asked Peter in surprise, not having expected this question.

"Why did you run?" asked Lupin again, his eyes narrowing, "If you were afraid that Sirius would come for you, why not seek out me? Or the Order? Or Dumbledore? Why did you run and let us believe you had died instead of coming to us for help and protection? Why run, unless you knew you were guilty? Unless you were the one that betrayed them."

"Remus please…" pleaded Pettigrew as he grasped the hem of Lupin's robes.

"Get off me," spat Lupin as he turned his head away from Peter, "you're a disgrace to your Marauder name. I can't even stand to look at you."

Suddenly in an instant, Pettigrew's expression went from desperate to cunning and he tackled Lupin to the ground and ripped his Wand from his grip, before turning it on the two Marauders, causing thick ropes to appear and wrap around their bodies, binding them immobile.

"You always underestimated me," said Pettigrew, "and it will be your undoing. The Dark Lord will rise again and there is nothing you can do to stop him!"

Pettigrew turned and made to transform into his Animagus form to escape, but suddenly, a voice forced him to stop.

"Bakudo #1: Sai!"

Pettigrew suddenly found his arms wrenched behind him, forcing him to the ground as the motion and inability to use his arms made him lose his balance and fall on his face, the spell he had cast on Sirius and Lupin dispelling as he lost focus.

"Now then," said Harry as he pulled his Invisibility Cloak off his body and pointed the blade of his sealed Zanpakuto at the man who had betrayed his parents, "let's talk."

"Harry?" said Lupin in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"That's Harry?" said Sirius as he stared at the young Visored, "James's son?"

"Y-y-young Harry," stammered Pettigrew as he struggled against the binding Kido spell, "you look so much like your father…"

Harry cut the man off by increasing his Reiatsu and directing it toward Pettigrew, causing the man to sweat and flinch back from the pressure being exerted on him.

"Shut up!" growled Harry, "for what you did I should cut you down and cast your soul into the pits of Hell, but something tells me that would be too good for you."

"Please Harry," begged Pettigrew, "have mercy. It's what your father would have wanted."

"What my father would have wanted?" snarled Harry, "What my father would have wanted, was to be alive to see his son grow up! He would have wanted to know he could trust his friend to keep him safe! He would have wanted to LIVE! Don't you dare tell me what he would have wanted!"

As Harry verbally tore into the cowering Wormtail, his Reiatsu continued to surge around him, slowly becoming darker and more intense as blackness slowly ate away at the whites of the teen's eyes.

"Harry!" called out Ryuge, causing the boy to stop short, "Calm yourself. Do not give in to your anger. Your Hollow uses those emotions to gain strength. Do not let it take control."

"Right," said Harry as he calmed himself and forced the Hollow's Reiatsu back, "thanks Ryuge."

"In any case," said Harry, "while I would take great pleasure in taking retribution here and now, as I said, it is too good a fate for you."

"Indeed," said Lupin, resuming his composure now that Harry's Reiatsu was subsiding, "we'll turn him over to the Aurors. Let him rot in Azkaban with the Dementors."

Walking over, Remus retrieved his wand from Pettigrew's squirming form and cast the same spell Peter had cast on him and Sirius, binding the traitor with black ropes that shot from his wand. The group were about to make their way to Hogwarts when a chill set over the area and a familiar sensation of encroaching despair began to set in.

"No…" breathed Sirius as hundreds of shadowy figures began to arrive, their dark forms blackening the night sky.

"Dementors," swore Lupin as he tried to focus on a happy memory to cut through the despair.

"Go!" said Harry as he drew his sword, "Get Pettigrew back to the castle and bring the truth to light. I'll hold them back until you can get help!"

"Are you crazy Harry?" exclaimed Sirius, "You won't stand a chance!"

"They'll target me regardless," said Harry, "they've been doing so all year because my Zanpakuto can wound them."

"No!" said Sirius, "I won't allow you to throw your life away!"

"Just go!" yelled Harry, "The longer you wait the less time you have to go and get help!"

"But…" began Sirius before Lupin hit his old friend with a Silencing spell and a full body bind, levitating him off the ground for easy transportation, "we'll be quick. Be safe, I don't want to have to send you to St Mungo's!"

As Lupin carried Sirius and Pettigrew back to the castle, Harry faced the oncoming swarm of Dementors, raising his Reiatsu in an attempt to drive back their crushing miasma. Upon noticing him, the creatures let out a shrill cry and began to swoop down en masse in order to destroy the one that they identified as a threat.

"Blaze: Ryuge!" called out Harry, releasing his Zanpakuto in a burst of flame as he faced the incoming army of darkness.

Swinging his Zanpakuto, Harry sent a wave of fire at the Dementors, driving them back for a moment, but not for very long, as they surged forward as the flames dissipated. Not letting up, Harry ignited the flames on his sword and began slashing at the incoming Dementors, causing them to falter as several of their numbers were set ablaze by the flames of Harry's Zanpakuto.

Harry fought hard, knowing he had to buy Lupin enough time to return with help and pushed his power into Ryuge's blade, increasing the power and magnitude of the flames as he fought to drive back the Dementors, but the sheer numbers were slowly overwhelming him and the encroaching miasma that the hoard was exuding was slowly eating away at his Reiatsu, forcing him to his knees as the Dementors began to claw at his Shihakusho, tearing pieces out of it as Harry tried to guard his face and fight back.

"You can do this Harry!" encouraged Ryuge, "Fight! Several lives, including your own, are depending on this! You have to hold firm!"

"It's too much!" said Harry, "There are too many of them! The fire isn't enough to keep them back!"

"Do not give in!" said Ryuge firmly, "Fear is the enemy, and it is the weapon these creatures wield against you. Do not let them overwhelm you. You have the power within you to fight them, your family made sure of that, you just have to call upon it!"

"Right," ground out Harry as he gathered his power and drew his flames into the blade of his Zanpakuto, causing it to glow white hot, "BANKAI!"

The blade of Harry's Zanpakuto shattered as an inferno of flames that burned blue was released, ending the lives of several Dementors that were incinerated due to being too close.

"Gōka Dai Uzumaki!" yelled Harry, directing the inferno at the Dementor swarm as he called out the name of his Bankai.

Harry directed the flames around him, forming a blazing cocoon around his position, holding the Dementors back as the ground beneath his feet grew dry and cracked. He could also feel his skin blistering due to the intense heat his Bankai gave out and due to the fact that he had yet to master its full power, despite having unlocked it, and knew he couldn't keep his Bankai going at these levels for much longer if he wanted to make it out of this without serious injury, so he decided to go on the attack.

Gathering his inferno around himself, Harry formed the flames into the head of a raging lion before launching it at the Dementors, the beast's jaws clamping down on several dozen of the dark creatures, releasing an explosion that incinerated several of the creatures and sent others flying away, their cloaks set ablaze.

This didn't give the Dementors much pause however, in fact, it seemed to make them even angrier, if that was possible, and they began to rush at him again, this time from multiple angles at once. Swinging his arms around himself, Harry used the hilt of his Zanpakuto to direct the flames around him before shooting out multiple fireballs that trailed streams of flame that ripped through the ranks of the Dementors. Capitalizing on this, Harry gathered his flames and condensed them, causing them to grow in strength and intensity as he focused his power.

"Shinsei Furea!" yelled Harry as he directed his flame shell to rapidly expand, engulfing a good majority of the Dementors while the remaining few managed to fall back.

Harry fell to his knees at that point, his power spent from the attacks, but as the Dementors began to close in, several silver shapes streaked past him and drove the creatures off, forcing them to flee as the young Visored succumbed to his exhaustion now that the threat was over. The last thing he heard, were concerned voices calling out his name.