Harry and Hermione received a thorough welcome from the Whomping Willow, its thick branches continuously attacking them with relentless fury.
At that moment, Lada arrived at the scene with Crookshanks, using controlled flames to drive back the tree's aggressive branches.
Crookshanks took the opportunity to pounce forward and press her paw down on the Whomping Willow's hidden knot, instantly calming the violent tree.
"Good girl," Hermione said, running over and patting Crookshanks's head with grateful affection.
The two friends seized the chance to enter the secret passage leading underground.
Passing through the narrow tunnel, Harry and Hermione arrived at the infamous Shrieking Shack, following the sounds of groaning to find Ron lying injured in a dusty room.
"No, Harry, run! He's an Animagus," Ron pointed weakly toward the corner.
Following Ron's gesture, they saw a shabby-dressed man standing there like a specter from the past.
"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to get through us first," Hermione declared boldly, blocking Harry's path with fierce determination.
"No, only one person will die tonight," Sirius said ominously as he approached Ron.
"That will be you," Harry and Hermione shouted in unison, rushing forward to fight Sirius with their bare hands.
During the chaotic struggle, Hermione managed to kick Sirius down with a well-placed flying kick, and Harry took the opportunity to draw his wand and point it directly at Sirius's heart.
"Hahaha, are you really going to kill me, Harry?" Sirius's laughter was tragic and hollow.
Crookshanks suddenly pounced on Sirius's body, protecting him with surprising loyalty.
Lada covered her face with her paws from her position in Hermione's arms, unable to watch the unfolding drama.
The light of pure anger radiated from Harry's body, overwhelming Sirius, and the three hidden dragons in the room simultaneously turned their attention toward the young wizard.
For a terrifying moment, anger almost broke through Harry's reason, driving him to potentially harm even the protective cat.
"Expelliarmus!" A spell knocked the wand from Harry's trembling hand.
Lupin arrived at the scene, tilting his head to signal Harry to step back from the precipice.
"Look at yourself, Sirius. Your appearance finally matches your inner madness," Lupin said with cutting mockery.
"Your inner self is the most insane, isn't it, Remus?" Sirius replied bitterly, shrinking back against the wall.
Lupin lowered his wand and helped Sirius to his feet.
"I found him. Let's kill him," Sirius confided quietly to Lupin.
"No! We trusted you so much, but you're actually working with Sirius! He's a werewolf!" Hermione angrily revealed Lupin's closely guarded secret.
"Merlin, you truly are one of the smartest students I've ever met," Lupin said with meaningful admiration.
Aiden, watching from the shadows, thought: "..."
"Hurry up, hurry up, Remus! Stop dawdling and kill him," Sirius urged with desperate impatience.
"Wait. At least explain things clearly to Harry," Lupin raised his hand to stop the rush to violence.
"I did my waiting! Twelve years of it! In Azkaban!" Sirius roared, his expression filled with regret and overwhelming despair.
"What were you waiting for? To kill my parents and then kill me?" Harry stepped forward to question Sirius with righteous fury.
"No, Harry. Someone did betray your parents, but it wasn't him. It was an old friend we recently discovered," Lupin stepped forward to explain.
"Who was it?"
"Peter Pettigrew, also known as Wormtail," Sirius answered grimly.
He gestured toward the corner of the room. "He's even here with us now. Come out, come out, Peter. Let's all play together happily again."
"Expelliarmus!" Snape entered the scene dramatically, knocking away Sirius's wand with a perfectly aimed disarming spell.
"Ah! The taste of revenge is so wonderfully sweet," Snape spoke as if intoxicated, every syllable trembling with long-suppressed emotion.
"I've been telling Dumbledore that you're helping an old friend sneak into the castle. Now there's finally proof," Snape declared, pointing his wand at the two accused men.
"How impressive, Snape. Why don't you go back and play with your cauldrons?" Sirius taunted with his usual reckless bravery.
Snape stepped forward menacingly, pressing his wand against Sirius's heart. "Don't try to provoke me. I won't let you die so easily. I hear having your soul sucked out by Dementors is extremely painful. It's quite necessary for you to experience it."
"Enough, Professor." Two hands simultaneously emerged from blind spots of consciousness, pressing down Snape's wand with gentle but firm pressure.
"Miss Greengrass, and the Rose of Ravenclaw?" Snape still didn't forget to mock Aiden despite the circumstances. "What are you doing here? Get out quickly."
"Coming to end a pointless farce," Aiden replied calmly.
Lada jumped out of Hermione's arms and ran into Aiden's welcoming embrace. Three pairs of draconic eyes simultaneously watched everyone present with supernatural awareness.
"What's going on? Explain it clearly to me," Snape demanded with characteristic impatience.
Aiden didn't answer him directly, instead waving his wand to allow Lupin and Sirius to retrieve their confiscated weapons.
"Continue, you two," Aiden gestured for them to proceed with their original plan.
Sirius and Lupin stepped forward to snatch Ron's rat from his protective grip.
"No, Scabbers!" Ron cried out desperately.
Aiden walked over and applied prepared dittany to Ron's bleeding wound with practiced efficiency.
"Ah!" Ron let out a pig-like scream of pain.
"Show yourself," Sirius commanded, casting a revealing spell on Peter.
The cursed rat transformed back into a greasy, pathetic man cowering on the floor.
Ron's face immediately turned an unhealthy shade of green. He had originally wanted to give Aiden an accusing look, but then, "Ugh..." he lost his composure entirely.
Snape and Astoria, two Slytherins, stood aside watching this unfolding drama, but Snape's tightly gripped wand revealed his barely controlled inner turmoil.
"Remus, Sirius, Severus, my old friends," Peter extended his hand as if greeting long-lost companions.
He desperately tried to run toward the door but was thrown back to the center of the room by the two working in perfect coordination.
Seeing escape was impossible, Peter looked around desperately and approached Harry with false hope.
"Harry, very pleased to see you. You really look like your father."
"How dare you speak to Harry!" Sirius rushed between them, baring his teeth at Peter like the loyal dog he could become.
Lupin also stepped forward, and together they cornered Peter against the wall. "It was you who betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort!"
Cornered and terrified, Peter sobbed and curled up into a pathetic ball.
"I didn't mean to! Do you know what kind of weapons the Dark Lord has? Do you know he has deep..." Peter was about to reveal dangerous secrets.
"Enough," Snape interrupted him sharply.
Snape strode forward, his rage finally breaking through his carefully maintained Occlumency. This was the first time Aiden had seen the raw light of emotion blazing in the Potions master's dark eyes.
"You filthy, despicable, vile rat! Go to hell and repent! Avada..."
"Snap." Aiden clicked his fingers, and Snape instantly entered a deep, peaceful sleep.
"Oh, thank you, thank you, Mr. Prewett," Peter groveled, kneeling before Aiden.
Lupin and Sirius again pointed their wands at Peter with renewed determination. Sirius spoke with cold finality: "You should know, even if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would have done it ourselves."
"No," Harry stopped them both with surprising authority.
"Harry, you need to understand, this man..." Lupin began to protest.
"I know, Professor. We'll take him to the castle and hand him over to the Dementors," Harry said, his calm eyes also containing a deep, controlled anger.
Seeing the matter concluded, Aiden flicked Lada's head gently. "Go notify Dumbledore to prepare for our arrival."
Lada jumped out of Aiden's arms and raced into the night like a silver shadow.
With the situation finally settled, Aiden carried the unconscious Snape, Sirius and Harry supported the injured Ron between them, and the two ladies kept their wands trained on the cowering Peter Pettigrew.
On the way back, Sirius said wistfully, "I'm usually quite gentle when I'm in dog form. James used to advise me not to change back to human."
"Gentle? Look what you've done to my leg," Ron complained weakly but with growing good humor.
Walking out from under the now-peaceful Whomping Willow, Sirius looked at the majestic castle and said to Harry with genuine emotion, "When this is all over, you can come live with me."
"Of course, that would be wonderful," Harry replied, his heart overflowing with joy at the prospect.
But things didn't go as smoothly as Harry had desperately hoped.
Upon entering the castle, Sirius was immediately detained by the arriving Aurors, their red robes stark against the ancient stone walls.
Dumbledore gave Aiden a meaningful "don't blame me for this" expression from his position nearby, his hands tied by bureaucratic procedure.