The Road Not Taken

The Road Not Taken
By: Bethany
Rated: PG
Chapter II: The Fight for Truth
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Amidst Harry's anguished cries, the sound of a far door shutting reached Minerva McGonagall's ears and she turned just in time to see Albus Dumbledore, flanked by Hagrid's huge form, coming down the hall at a very swift rate. Noticing the two stunned bodies on the floor in front of the two professors and the crying child, he broke into a run. "What is going on here? What is the meaning of this?" he asked upon joining the scene.

Snape's black eyes flashed up to the Headmaster and then down to the two forms of the wizards on the floor. He sneered, but at Albus' stern look, it dropped off his face, mostly. "Headmaster, these two men broke into the castle--"

Whatever he was about to accuse Remus and Sirius of, no one found out. At that moment McGonagall seemed to have recovered her senses and cut him off sharply. "I believe they were on their way to see you, Professor Dumbledore."

Dumbledore's eyes shifted to Minerva, took in the still sobbing child, and then the two wizards on the floor once more. "Then we should hear what they have to say," Dumbledore decided. Snape's sneer suddenly reappeared on his face and he looked as if he were preparing to speak when the Headmaster continued. "Thank you for your assistance, Severus, but I believe we have this under control and you have a Potions class to prepare for."

Left with no room for argument, Snape turned, his black robes sweeping the floor in his wake. His posture clearly spoke of his anger, but no one paid him any attention. Dumbledore pointed his wand at the two men and commanded, "Mobilicorpus!" The two bodies rose from the stone floor and hovered a few feet in the air, supported only by Dumbledore's wand. "Let's take this to my office, the bell should be ringing any moment and this could create quite a few problems."

They made an odd looking group as they climbed the stairs that would lead to Dumbledore's office. First in line the two unconscious wizards, followed by Dumbledore, McGonagall who still carried a still crying, though slightly calmer (since he was slowly falling asleep) Harry, and lastly the giant Hagrid. As if they knew and respected the Headmaster, the gargoyle at the bottom of his secret staircase moved aside as they approached without so much a muttering of the password, and the stairs appeared, moving up towards the room Dumbledore called his office. Once they all gathered in the circular room, Dumbledore closed the oak door. "Enervate."

Sirius and Remus blinked around in a confused manner for several moments until they regained consciousness and remembered what had happened. Sirius jumped to his feet, searching frantically for something that not even Remus seemed to realise what it was until the young man's eyes fell on Harry. Without so much as a word, he took the nearly sleeping child from McGonagall and exhaled a breath of relief as he flopped down in the chair beside Remus. Dumbledore, his lips lifted slightly, sat across the desk from them in his own chair. "Oh!" he gasped. "Allow me to draw up a chair for you, Minerva, Hagrid."

"No need, Albus," McGonagall replied, taking her own wand out. She flipped it around and a tall back wooden chair appeared out of thin air, spinning. Slowly it came to a stop and landed beside her where she sat. Dumbledore motioned to make a chair for Hagrid, but he was standing by the door, looking nervous. Dumbledore seemed to understand. "Thank you for all your help, Hagrid."

"You're welcome, sir," Hagrid replied, and bowed a bit before exiting.

Albus Dumbledore then turned his attention to Remus Lupin and Sirius Black again, his blue eyes intense as he studied them both. Finally he leaned back in his chair and placed his hands out in front of him. "I've just been to your home, Mr. Lupin. I thought someone was home, but by the time we knocked, there wasn't. Perhaps you were in a hurry to get somewhere."

For the first time in many years, Sirius got the joy of seeing Remus blush, his face turning a slight red. He recovered quickly enough, but not before realising that Sirius would probably never let him live that down. The werewolf chewed the inside of his lip thoughtfully for a second before giving a half glance at Sirius, and thus threatening him with a brutal hex if he spoke, and looked to the Headmaster. "Sorry, sir."

"Understandable, understandable," Dumbledore replied, waving his hand as if waving away the apology. "What I'm eager to hear is what happened." Sirius' face fell visibly and he tightened his hold on his godchild. "Sometime in the last week something happened that has lead us to this point, and I'm afraid that without the details, all signs point to you, Sirius, as being a traitor and spy for the Dark Lord. Now, as men guilty of those crimes wouldn't be risking their life by coming into this school, I assume it's safe to say that you have something to tell me."

Sirius barely moved. His jaw was clenched shut in anger, regret and a burning desire for revenge shone through his eyes. Remus watched his friend out of the corner of his eye, desperate to say something, but knowing that this was Sirius' story to tell. After all, they had thought him the traitor.

Just as he had thought Sirius had been.

The very thought of James and Lily made Remus feel like someone had punched him in the stomach. James had been his first friend, the boy who had joined Sirius in risking everything to turn Animagi for his own sake. And the man he had become still risked everything for those he cared about. And he was dead. The only thing left that connected Remus to that past was Sirius and the baby boy sleeping contentedly on Sirius' lap. The baby who looked so much like James and Lily.

"...and that's when I went to Remus'." The werewolf blinked, having missed the entire story about Sirius' activities in the last forty-eight hours during his own train of thought. But he had already heard it once, and the story was engraved in his mind permanently. He didn't need, or want, to hear it again.

The Headmaster looked thoughtful for a tense moment. Remus let his line of vision wander and noticed (though he said nothing) that Professor McGonagall, while sitting so silently through Sirius' tale, was wiping tears from her eyes. Remus knew that no matter what they did, or how much trouble they got into, the Marauders had always held a special place in their Head of House's heart. And Lily, too, had been a favourite of the witch. It was no wonder she sat now, shedding the tears that Remus felt that had he had been alone, he would shed. At that moment McGonagall seemed to notice Remus' gaze on herself and she gave him a shaky smile and reached over to pat his hand gently.

"The problem, as I'm sure you know, is that the only people who know for certain what happened are you, James, Lily and Peter." Dumbledore began. "Needless to say, Sirius, this doesn't bode well for you. The Ministry is going to want answers. Not only because the Potters were killed, but because they were a prominent family, fighting against Voldemort. And their son..." Dumbledore's eyes landed on Harry's sleeping form as he sucked on his thumb gently. "Their son lived. This will not be easy. We must find Peter and--"

"And shove my wand up his--"

"Sirius!" Remus hissed, widening his eyes. Harry stirred and Sirius shot Remus a warning look. But Remus didn't back down. "We have to bring Peter in alive. Without him, you are looking at Azkaban." The colour drained from Sirius' face, but the rage was still evident. Remus drove his meaning home with his next words. "And what will happen to Harry?"
For the first time in eleven years of friendship, Sirius Black backed down from a fight of wills against Remus. He turned his blue eyes back to the Headmaster, who was watching the scene with a sense of foreboding that made Sirius' skin crawl. "He has most likely," Sirius began, gritting his teeth. "Gone back to the safety of the Death Eaters."

"I don't think so," Dumbledore replied, making all three people in his office sit up and look at him oddly. "Voldemort has gone. He went to the Potters on Peter's information, and meet his downfall. I'd imagine there aren't many Death Eaters very happy with Mr. Pettigrew at the moment."

Sirius' eyes were burning again, but not with rage so much as a determination. "I can find him."

"Sirius, no, I don't--"

"Remus, if anyone can find him, it's me. If he's running scared, then I will know how to track him down--"

"I think we should let hit wizards bring him in, or Aurors," Remus interrupted for the second time, placing his words carefully lest Sirius run out the door now. "If you let your emotions get in the way, Sirius, and you hurt him in anyway..."

"You're damn right I'm going to hurt him, Moony, he killed James and Lily!" Sirius' voice roared. Harry awoke and began crying, but Sirius didn't pay him much attention as he was busy staring Remus down.

Dumbledore and McGonagall said nothing, seeming to realise that this had to be fought out between the friends. The werewolf didn't flinch. "Sirius, this is what I'm talking about. If you kill Peter you will go to Azkaban. It doesn't matter if you were the secret keeper or not, you will have killed a man that they don't know is a Death Eater. No one but us knows, Sirius. Keep a level head about you!"

Sirius choked, leaned back and busied himself with calming Harry. The baby continued to cry, fat tears running down his face and his fists balled up in frustration and fear. Remus couldn't blame him really, he felt like doing the same. Only for far different reasons. Trying to calm himself, he too leant back in his chair while Sirius consoled the child in his lap. Dumbledore, sensing their argument had come to an end, took the moment to speak. "I think that if Sirius thinks he can track him down, than he should." Dumbledore raised his hands to ward off anything Remus might say. "And you, Remus, should accompany him. We need to find Peter straight away, but not alert the Ministry to what we are doing. Which leaves us with precious little time."

"Why not alert the Ministry, Albus?" McGonagall asked.

"Because until they find Peter and hear the truth, they will most likely send Sirius to Azkaban to await Peter's trial and send Harry to live with his aunt and uncle."

"No!" Sirius and Remus spat out together, looking at their best friend’s son simultaneously.

"Then, I repeat, we have very little time." The Headmaster stood up and came around the desk. "Minerva, breakfast will be starting any moment. Please see that the announcement of Voldemort's fall is given to our students. I need to head to the Ministry to try to buy some time with Minister Fudge. The longer he waits to send out the Aurors in search of Sirius, the better the chance we have to find Peter first."

"What about the child?" McGonagall asked, nodding her head to Sirius. "He can't go with them to track down..."

"Indeed," Dumbledore replied, looking thoughtful for only a second. He then snapped his fingers. "The safest place for him is here. Remus, Sirius, on your way out, please go down to the kitchens and send up two house elves to see me immediately. They'll be able to care for him while we are away. I will lock my office when I leave. No one will be able to enter until I return."

Reluctantly Sirius placed Harry in Dumbledore's arms and the two men left the office. Just before the door shut, Dumbledore called out to them: "Let no student see you! Use the secret passages."

Sirius and Remus continued down the stairs, but instead of leaving through the gargoyle, Remus tapped his wand on a brick at the foot of the bottom most stair, and a doorway slid open out of the seeming solid wall to their left. The two men stepped into it, lit their wands, and continued towards the kitchens. "How did he know that we could get around in these passages?" Sirius wondered aloud.

Remus chuckled dryly. "I don't think there is much that man doesn't know."

Sirius said nothing, only continued down the dark passage towards the kitchens. They made a few turns when suddenly Sirius stopped dead causing Remus to nearly plough straight into him. "What are you--" He stopped, though, when he saw what Sirius was looking at. The passage way had caved in. There was no way around it. "Great," Remus muttered. "So much for not going out and about in the school. And not being seen."

"That has to have caved in since we left school," Sirius said thoughtfully, giving one last, almost mournful look at the rubble before turning around.

"We used that, what, three weeks before the end of school? I wonder what happened to make it cave in?" Remus asked, not really expecting an answer. He wasn't disappointed, Sirius didn't give him one. They were nearly back to the staircase that led to Dumbledore's office when Sirius stopped dead once again.

"The Marauder's Map!" Sirius exclaimed before Remus could protest again, excitement coursing through his voice. "We could nick it back from Filch and get to the kitchens. And it would help when we get back, so we don't run into any students or anything--"

Remus threw Sirius an unbelievable look, but Sirius wasn't to be dissuaded. "No, no, it's perfect. It shows everyone in the school, right? So it's just as good as James' invisibility cloak."

"Couldn't we just ask Dumbledore to get it?" Remus asked, looking sceptical that any plan of Sirius' was worth trying to execute.

"No!" Sirius replied. "We'd have to explain a lot if we did that, Moony. Let's just sneak in there and get it back. Come on." And before Remus could get a word in edgewise, Sirius was running back off in the direction they had just come, leaving Remus to follow him. Heaving a great sigh, Remus took off at a run after him.

They left the wall passage way a few moments later, just outside the broom cupboard that also served as Filch's office. Remus went out ahead of Sirius, checked that there was no one in the hall and motioned for the other man to come out. The scent of danger made shivers run up and down Remus' spine. How often had he and his friends snuck around the school, much as he and Sirius were doing now as adults? And how many times had James and Sirius both tried to get the Marauder's Map back, only to be caught? Lily had once told them it wasn't meant for them to get it back. And Remus couldn't have helped but agree. But maybe, just maybe, the reason they couldn't get it back was because it was meant for them to be able to get to it now. Otherwise, wouldn't it have blown up in the house with James and Lily?

Remus shook his head. He was beginning to think a lot like Professor Antoinette, their old Divination teacher. The woman believed in things like "fate" and that things happened for a “reason”. Remus had refused to believe in those things when he was a child, and he sure as hell wasn't going to start now. After all, what "fate" had decided that he should be a werewolf? Sirius nodded his head to him once and Remus held his wand at the ready. It was easy to fall into this role. This is how they successfully played so many pranks during their school years. Falling back to that position and state of mind, Remus nodded back and Sirius pointed his own wand at the door. "Alohomora!"

The door creaked ajar and Remus pushed it open from his side of the door, allowing Sirius to drop back into the shadows, waiting for the all clear. As stealthily as he could, Remus pushed the door open completely and peeked inside. Waiting, it seemed, for them to enter, sitting on the desk, was Mrs. Norris, the caretaker’s ugly and telltale cat. Remus jumped back outside the door. "Mrs. Norris," he hissed to Sirius, who nodded.

With a faint pop! Sirius assumed his animagi form and the large black dog entered the office, hackles raised. Immediately Mrs. Norris' back arched up and she hissed as she jumped up onto a filing cabinet with Sirius quick on her heels. While Sirius growled and paced on the ground below the cat, Remus slipped into the office and quickly made his way towards the opposite wall where he knew Filch kept all the files of confiscated objects. And lying inside a drawer that was devoted completely to the four Marauders, he found a blank piece of parchment. It was like seeing an old friend, and Remus felt as though he could have kissed it.

He stuffed it in his robe pocket and ran back to the door. "Come on, Padfoot, I got it."

With one last growl and hiss, Sirius turned, ran out of the office and slipped into the secret passage with Remus before Mrs. Norris could catch up with them. Or worse, use her unexplainable ability to contact Filch and have him walk in on them. Remus leaned against the wall in the tunnel. "Lumos," he instructed his wand, which lit brightly and cast a pale yellow glow around the passageway. Sirius had changed back into himself and was holding his side to keep from laughing. "Did you see that cat run? Merlin, I've wanted to do that for the longest time," Sirius panted, grinning.

Remus grinned, on a slight high from their success in recovering the Marauder's Map. His heart still pounding, he handed the parchment to Sirius, who took it almost as if he too had found a long lost friend. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Sirius said, touching his wand to the parchment. At once, from the tip of his wand black lines started fanning out, multiplying and zigzagging until a map of Hogwarts and it's grounds appeared. And then, above the map, words in emerald green ink spread out: Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers Proudly Present: The Marauder's Map. Sirius scowled as he read the names at the top, thinking about how much they had given Peter. How much they had risked, and how he had just thrown away their loyalty.

He was interrupted by Remus placing a hand on his shoulder. "Let's get out of here and find him, Padfoot."

Sirius nodded and again lit his wand so he could direct the light at the map. He searched it eagerly for himself and Remus, and found their small dots labelled "Sirius Black" and "Remus Lupin" inside the wall next to Filch's office. It looked as if "Mrs. Norris" had darted into the Great Hall, most likely to inform Filch that someone had been in his office. The dot labelled "Professor Dumbledore" was in his office, still, with "Harry Potter" and at the moment there was no one in the hall beyond the secret passageway they were in.

Sirius tilted his wand to clear the map when suddenly something caught his eye. He squinted, not sure he was seeing correctly. But there, in a hallway off from Gryffindor Tower, was a small dot. Sirius shone his wand on the dot, and a bubble appeared: "Peter Pettigrew".

Remus had already cleared the doorway to the outside hall when Sirius' hand suddenly shot forward, grabbed the back of other's robes and dragged him back into the secret passage so quickly that Remus nearly found himself sprawled out on the ground. He blinked in a confused manner and opened his mouth to ask Sirius what his problem was when Sirius shoved the Marauder’s Map in his face and pointed to the dot. "Do you see what I see?"

Remus' brown eyes, so usually calm and understanding, were ablaze with anger. When they met Sirius' eyes over the parchment and lit wands, Sirius mentally cursed himself for even once thinking that Remus was the traitor. This was Moony, their friend. The werewolf with a soft heart, a keen mind and a sense of humour that didn't leave much unnoticed. And in his eyes Sirius could see all his hurt, pain and anger reflected. Without speaking a word, Sirius didn’t clear the map, didn’t go into the main hall of the castle, but turned back with Remus towards Dumbledore's chambers. Because no matter how badly Sirius and Remus both wanted to hunt Peter down that second and kill him, they had something else to think about. A child. A child that was all that remained of a friendship that had been their saviour, their life, and would now become the centre of it.

*************

The stone walls looked huge from this angle. They arched upwards towards the heavens for what seemed like forever. Every small bit of rock on the stone floors seemed larger, more jagged. But to the rat that scurried across the floor, none of that mattered. He was used to it, really. After three years of roaming these halls in this form, it was second nature to avoid the cracks, sidestep the larger stone pieces and keep to the shadows, lest Mrs. Norris was hungry.

The last twenty-four hours kept playing in Peter Pettigrew's mind as he ran across the floor on his four feet, with his long tail swishing behind him. Voldemort going after James and Lily. Seeing the destroyed house and thinking, entirely too late, that he never meant for that to happen. But that was his life story, wasn't it? He never meant to do the damage he did. But what else did he know how to do? Good spells, precise magic and the ability to stand up to stronger wizards than himself had never been Peter's strong points. So he did the only thing he knew how: he betrayed, lied, and in the end; killed two of the only friends he had known.

And then, then it had all backfired. Voldemort was gone, and the Death Eaters were more angry than he had ever seen them. They wanted revenge, they wanted him dead for the destruction of their Master. But he hadn't meant to. He hadn't known. He’d had no idea that Voldemort would be no more. He had no more meant for that to happen than he had meant for James and Lily to die.

The only thing he knew for certain is that he had to run, now. He had to find a place to hide from all of them. Sirius would surely tell Remus that he hadn't been the secret keeper, and he would believe him. And then Remus would tell the Ministry it hadn't been Sirius, because people always believed Remus. They always loved Sirius, wanted to be like James, believed Remus and... and where did he fit into that? He never understood. But he knew now: he didn't fit into that. Never had. And he was the one to betray their trust.

So in order to hide from it all, he had a plan. He would find some young witch or wizard, get taken into a wizarding home and spend the rest of his life as a rat. Alive, but as a rat. It was a good plan, and Peter never really came up with good plans. He was proud of this one, actually. And it might have worked. Because two minutes after the fact, a young boy came out of Gryffindor Tower, his bright red hair sticking up at odd angles as he charged out of the room. And in another time; another fate, he very well may have tripped over the rat and hurt him. And feeling badly for it, would have kept him and given him to his younger brother for his forthcoming birthday.

But none of that happened. Perhaps the Fates had been in a good mood that crisp November morning of 1981. After the destruction of a friendship, after the killing of two people and the lives that lingered on the edge of sanity, perhaps it was time for one thing to go right.

As the portrait that covered the entrance to Gryffindor Tower slammed open, revealing a tall red headed wizard, Peter Pettigrew found himself ripped up from the floor. He squeaked, thrashing about madly. And only when he seen the angry, rage filled eyes of Sirius Black, did he realise it was over. Sirius was smiling, and it was perhaps the most frightening thing Peter had ever seen in his life.

Bill Weasley on the other hand, looked startled at the two wizards in the hall, a struggling rat held between them by its tail. "Hey, who are you?"

"I'm probably the happiest wizard in the world at this moment, kid," Sirius replied, his voice ringing with a hard edge that sounded as it came from someone on the border of sanity. His white teeth flashed in the torch light. "Hello Peter," he said to the rat. "We'd like to have a little conversation with you, if you would be so kind."

The rat in question struggled harder, but Sirius had a firm hold on the end of the bald tail. For the first time in Sirius' life he saw a quiet yet demented look flash across Remus' face, much like that of the werewolf when it smelled flesh. "Yes, we have a couple of questions to ask you. About James, Lily and Voldemort."

Bill Weasley took that moment to make his exit. He wasn't sure what was going on, or why those two men were talking to a rat as if it could understand, but since they didn't seem to notice him, he was leaving. It wasn't until he got to the end of the hall that he turned to look back, but the two men and rat were gone. With a confused expression making his eyebrows wrinkle, he turned to walk down the stairs and slammed straight into the wall. "Bloody hell, it isn't my day."

Alone with his former best friends in a passage that ran between the walls of Gryffindor Tower and Professor Dumbledore's office, Peter Pettigrew was thinking along those same lines. Although perhaps with more colourful language. But no one would know, since he was still in his Animagus form. The three of them exited through the same doorway that Sirius and Remus had used not more than an hour before and went up the stairs to a large oak door. Without so much as a knock, Sirius swung the door open, Peter's tail still clutched tightly between his forefinger and thumb. "Look who we found still lurking outside Gryffindor Tower."

Dumbledore's eyes flashed to the rat that was still fruitlessly struggling and cleared an area on the floor with a wave of his wand. "Put him down there," he instructed, his voice hard. It was this, even more than the hate filled glare of Remus and Sirius, that caused Peter to go still. Small, black, beady eyes stared at the Headmaster and there was a great deal of fear. The power seeming to radiate off the older wizard was strong, and suddenly everyone in that room knew without a shadow of a doubt why Voldemort had feared Dumbledore. Sirius, his wand held and pointed at Peter with his right hand, lowered the rat to the floor. But either Peter was smarter than they gave him credit for, or scared witless, because he didn't try to run.

Albus pointed his wand at the rat and a large flash lit up the room that nearly blinded them all. Belatedly, Sirius looked for Harry, but his thoughts were back on the situation at hand quickly. For within a few seconds, Peter had been forced from his animagus form to that of his human self. Dumbledore looked slightly surprised. "I must say," he began, walking around the desk and talking as if this were merely a surprise visit from an old student. The power still radiated off him in waves, so thick you could feel it in the air. "I was very surprised when Sirius and Remus told me you were an Animagi, Peter."

Peter Pettigrew was a short man. Short and rather plump, especially around the middle. His blonde hair was plastered to his forehead at the moment, sweat rolling off his brow almost constantly. He gave a terrified squeak that sounded much like a rat and watched as Dumbledore leaned against his desk in almost a casual way. Sirius was reminded forcibly of the way Remus acted, and thought he must have picked up a lot of his behaviour from the Headmaster. "I-I'm not sure what you mean, Headmaster."

"He means," Remus provided, the angry and rage filled look still haunting his normally friendly brown eyes, "That no one could believe a talentless thing like you would be able to turn animagus."

"But look what you became," Sirius added, even though he knew that such childish behaviour should be beyond him. "It fits, don't you agree?"

"I--"

Dumbledore raised a hand to silence anything Peter was about to say, and then waved that same hand towards a chair that had appeared behind the shorter man. "Have a seat, Peter. We have much to discuss."

Peter, looking as if he would rather not, but didn't have the nerve to say so, sat down in the seat. For all the world he looked as if he thought the chair arms would bite him. He wiped his hand across his forehead, then wiped his now wet hand on his robes. Obviously he had missed Remus' rage and anger filled expression, because he turned to him. "Moony, what is going on? W-Why are we here?" he asked, his eyes darting around the room, as if in search of an escape.

"Don't you know?" Remus replied, holding his wand up a bit so that it was in clear view of Peter. "I would have thought you did, being here. James and Lily died last night."

"Ja-James? And--and.."

"And Lily, yes," Dumbledore said, cutting Remus off. "Peter, I don't have time for whatever games and lies you want to try out. You are under the arrest for being a Death Eater, and for your involvement in the murders of James and Lily Potter, and the attempted murder of Harry Potter."

"Attempted?" This information seemed to be something he honestly didn't know. The curiosity on Peter's face made Sirius want to strangle him, but he was stopped by the pressure of Remus' hand on his arm. He growled under his breath. "Murder?" Peter added, a bit too late. "I-I don't understand."

"Perhaps this will help," a voice said from the doorway behind them, leading off to what Sirius assumed was Dumbledore's private quarters. From the shadows emerged Severus Snape, holding up for them all to see a small vial of clear liquid. "It's Veritaserum." Snape chuckled coldly, evilly, Sirius and Remus thought. "But I daresay you knew that?"

Peter's eyes had grown as large as saucers. There was amazingly more fear in his eyes now than Sirius had seen in them at the sight of Dumbledore. The threat didn't last long. Peter, shaking almost violently, shook his head and backed into the seat as Snape came closer. "N-n-no Severus--" Peter spat pathetically. "I-no-I'll talk."

It wasn't a pretty sight. Binding ropes sprang out of the chair to keep Peter seated while Severus Snape held a bottle of clear liquid threateningly to the side. Peter's eyes flashed towards him more than once, even as he licked his lips and tried to keep tabs on everyone’s wands. Remus would have felt sorry for him, had he not known that if it hadn't been for the actions of this coward before him, Harry would still have had parents this morning. James and Lily would be alive. That thought made him turn a blind eye to any pleading this traitor tried. And he tried it. Oh, did he. He had tried it out on everyone; everyone except Snape. Even Peter didn't seem to think he would get help there. And by the evil gleam in Snape's eyes, Remus couldn't say he blamed him.

Remus turned his attention to Sirius now. His friend looked on the border of insanity himself. His eyes were bloodshot from tiredness and one fist was clenched over the handle of his wand threateningly. Remus knew how badly Sirius was hurting under that shell. He knew, because he felt the same way. And after this was said and done, both he and Sirius would have to face that hurt. But not until then.

"Please tell us everything," Dumbledore commanded Peter, posing a quill on a piece of parchment beside him. Remus vaguely recognised it as a self-taking-notes quill. Lily had owned one, to help when she was taking her N.E.W.T.S. He shook his head to clear it. "Tell us everything from the moment you became a Death Eater."

Peter didn't start immediately. He was shaking under the bonds that held him down, and his watery eyes kept searching for an escape. But after a moment or two he seemed to realise it was a fruitless effort. This was not only Hogwarts, but Dumbledore's office, and there were four wands in hand, all trained upon him. There was no escape. With a final glance at Snape, Peter licked his parched lips. "I was recruited just after we left school. I was in the Order, and Death Eaters were hounding my flat daily. I-I tried to ignore them, but the threats went from being personal, to my mother, and then my friends.

"So about two years ago I gave in. You-Know-Who told me if I did that when the end came, he would make sure my friends lived. I-I gave him enough information to save my neck. It wasn't too long until I realised what I had done. But it was too late. What was there to be gained by opposing him at that point? He would have killed me."

"And you thought we wouldn't save him the trouble?" Sirius growled. Remus hushed him with a stern glance.

Peter seemed reluctant to continue, but with a flash of the bottle Snape held, he did so. "When James and Lily made me the Secret Keeper, I thought it was perfect. He would think Sirius was the Secret Keeper, and-and never suspect me. But he has powers... powers that are horrible, and he knew. And he," Peter gasped, looking positively terrified at the look in Sirius' face. Remus guessed that anyone in their right mind would have been scared of Sirius at this point. He looked like he was about to snap. Gently Remus laid a hand on his friend’s arm.

Peter gasped again, like he couldn't get enough air in his lungs. "And then you know the rest," Peter muttered just loud enough to hear. The room was draped in silence, everyone lost in their own thoughts. A clock by the window chimed the hour, and Sirius tightened his grip on his wand and stared at Peter menacingly.

--End Chapter 2.