The Redemption of Peter Pettigrew

The Redemption of Peter Pettigrew

A ficlet by Isla142

Harry Potter lay twitching on the floor, head bleeding from being thrown against a tombstone in Little Hangleton, as you would do if the most powerful dark wizard in the world had just thrown Crucio at you. Only one Death Eater watched; the rest were in jail, the rest pretending to be normal human beings. Peter Pettigrew was the Death Eater who remained, since he was thought to be dead.

Only Wormtail remained to watch as Voldemort raised his thirteen-inch long yew wand containing one Phoenix feather. He cleared his throat nastily; it sounded like Voldemort had a cold! Then he spoke to the young, dark-haired boy,

"And now, Harry Potter, nothing can save you. Your parents are dead, their best friend is dead, and it is the night before the full moon. Now prepare to die! Avada..."

But skinny, weak, cowardly, Peter Pettigrew owed his life to Harry. He remembered that moment in the shrieking shack,

"You should have realized if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Goodbye, Peter."

Remus, calm as always, 'I wish he had killed me', thought Wormtail too late.

"NO! You can't kill him, you can't."

Harry, why had he saved him? Harry had no reason to after what Wormtail had done to his family. But he had.

"Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents. This cringing bit of filth would have seen you die, too, without turning a hair. You heard him. His own stinking skin meant more to him than your whole family."

'Sirius, not any more, I once called you a friend, I wish I could call you that again. Oh, Sirius, forgive me, even in heaven as you are.'

"I know, we'll take him up to the castle. We'll hand him over to the Dementors. He can go to Azkaban... just don't kill him."

This boy who owed him nothing, who had more reason to take his life than to keep it, had saved him. If Harry had not done that Wormtail would not be here, 'probably in hell,' thought the animagus sadly.

He had thanked Harry, but the boy; he looked so much like James...

He saw Voldemort raise his wand, and Wormtail grabbed his, as the dark lord began the killing spell Peter Pettigrew yelled out,

"STUPEFY!"

The wand dropped to the floor, and Voldemort crumpled in a heap at Wormtail's feet. Hand shaking, Peter lowered his wand, and sank to the floor.

Harry stared at Pettigrew, impressed by his bravery, and he managed to gasp out, before fainting from the pain,

"That was very Gryffindor of you."

Peter thought, 'I am a Gryffindor,' but he did not say this out loud, since no one would have heard him.

~*~*~

Suddenly a huge dog leapt over a gravestone and landed near to Peter, Peter looked at the spectral figure and raised his wand,

"You're dead, dead! Get away from me!"

"Do I look dead?" asked Sirius, transforming.

"How... how?" asked Peter weakly.

"I passed through the veil of death, and was sent back because I was needed on this side. I agree with Harry, by the way, that was a very Gryffindor thing to do."

"Well that's the house I was sorted in. Would you believe I almost got Slytherin?" Peter could not believe that Sirius was alive and being friendly to him.

Sirius grinned, "yes I would, actually. But you saved Harry, why?"

"Do, d'you remember in the shrieking shack? I remembered today. I owed Harry a lot, and so I saved his life. I- will you forgive me Sirius?" tears ran down the small man's face, and Sirius took him into his embrace and they made peace again.

"Now, let's get Harry away from here before he wakes up!"

Peter nodded and Sirius gently picked up Harry in his arms, and carried him towards the gate. Transforming, Wormtail ran at their feet, and then became human again to unlock the gate with a quick "Alohomora". Once through they headed for the forest, Peter behind Sirius. They seemed to be looking for something, which turned out to be a tree house.

"I've been out with Moony at the full moon, he doesn't know that I'm alive yet."

"He forgets everything still?"

"I'm afraid so, it appears that Snivellus isn't making him any Wolfsbane potion."

"Snivellus? What's he got to do with anything?"

"He's a spy for the Order of the Phoenix."

"I see. What do we do now?"

They had laid Harry onto the one bed and Sirius spoke quickly before transforming,

"You look after him for now, I'm supposed to be dead. Revive him in ten minutes and give him something to eat."

"I understand."

Sirius left in dog form.

~*~*~

Sirius Black still hadn't explained really how he had not died, but Peter did not question him at all. Instead he watched his old friend leave and went into the kitchen. To his surprise he found some microwave meals in the kitchen, and a microwave to cook it. It wasn't too hard to use and in seven minutes he had cooked some spaghetti bolognese.

Peter then waited for a couple more minutes and then enervated Harry. Harry blinked several times and then looked at Pettigrew.

"You saved my life," he acknowledged.

"I did," admitted the animagus.

"Why?"

"You saved my life," said Peter, copying Harry's previous words. "Hungry?"

Harry noticed suddenly a rumbling in the pit of his stomach. "Very," he nodded.

Peter went into the dining room/kitchen and took the meal in to his charge's room.

Harry ate hungrily and had soon finished the meal. Then he stood up, winced, and sat down again, clutching his arm.

"Let me see that," said Peter, Harry rolled up his sleeve and showed Wormtail a huge gash, freely bleeding. Peter drew his wand out swiftly and Harry made to draw his own in a panic but winced again. Peter lowered his wand.

"Did anyone tell you that I was a healer at St. Mungo's? No? Well you should have a look at the list of healers sometime..."

Harry relaxed and allowed Peter to perform a healing spell upon his arm.

"Not as fast as phoenix tears, I'm afraid, but it works just as well."

Harry grinned for the first time, as he remembered Lockhart his Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in his second year, now in St. Mungo's. He also remembered Fawkes, Dumbledore's beautiful bird and longed for those carefree days again.

Harry had already noticed an easing in the pain, and stood up properly. "I have to get back to Hogwarts, Dumbledore and my friends will be worried."

"Wait until you are healed first," suggested Peter. Harry nodded again, then he noticed something odd.

"Peter, why are there dog hairs on this bed?"

Harry suspected something, Peter could tell, and so Peter made up something quickly.

"It's my old dog, he died recently, I- I called him Padfoot after, after Sirius," he placed his head into his arms. Harry looked uncomfortable; little did he know how close to the truth that Peter was.

~*~*~

As they were talking about Quidditch, and Peter was describing James' chaser skills, Hedwig flew in the window.

Peter knew about Hedwig, of course, because he had been Ron's pet rat Scabbers for three years. Once he had belonged to Percy Weasley. Hedwig landed on Harry's shoulder, and he stroked her feathers gently.

"Hedwig, will you send a letter to Ron and Hermione for me?" his owl flapped her wings in anticipation and flew over to the desk where an inkpot stood in a holder with parchment and a quill lay flat on it. Harry sat down at the old wooden chair and picked up the eagle feather quill, he dipped it into the ink and began to write,

"Dear Ron and Hermione,

You may be wondering where I am, and the answer is that I don't know. Even if I did know I couldn't tell you. I'm with an old St. Mungo's healer who saved me from Voldemort and healed my arm, which was bleeding. Don't worry about me, I'll be back at Hogwarts in no time,

Harry."

Harry did not give details in his letter; he did not want to worry his friends, however he told the exact truth. Hedwig flew out of the window and into the night.

Harry yawned; twenty minutes of unconsciousness had not helped him stay awake very much. He was tired, and said goodnight to Peter. Peter said that Harry could stay on his bed, that he would sleep on the sofa.

~*~*~

In the morning when Harry woke up, the sun was streaming through the window. It was the beginning of June, and birds whistled in the trees. Harry glanced out of the window, and was shocked to discover that he was in a tree house.

A rat with a silver paw ran across the ground and up to the trunk. He pressed a knot in the trunk and then vanished inside the tree. Harry was oddly reminded of the whomping willow. Soon he heard footsteps on the stairs and a door opening. He went into the small lounge for the first time and saw Peter closing a door cut into the trunk.

"Good morning Harry. I've just been out in the forest."

"Why?"

"This place is close to Little Hangleton. It's where the Riddles used to live, and where V-Voldemort has his base."

"Does he know about here?"

"No, of that I am sure."

At that moment Hedwig flew through the window again, carrying a letter. She dropped it at Harry's feet and settled on the back of a chair. Tucking her head under her wing she fell asleep.

Harry took the letter, which had "Harry", scribbled on the front.

"To Harry,

At least we know you're safe, but no one knows who you are staying with although Remus seems to be acting a little strangely. Dumbledore trusts you and tells us not to worry, but Ginny is really worried. Please come home soon, we all need you, and Voldemort has gone quiet again.

From Hermione and Ron,

Love Ginny."

"Voldemort's gone quiet again," remarked Harry.

"Yes, I expect that he's looking for you. We will have to move out of here soon as he will be on my trail as well."

Harry nodded, and Peter went into the kitchen, soon Harry heard the sizzling of bacon and eggs on a magical fire.

"Have you eaten yet today?" called Peter.

"No, I'm starving," replied the boy, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Ok, one fried breakfast coming right up!"

Soon Peter and Harry sat at the table eating their breakfasts, and then the pair started to pack useful items into a small trunk. They were ready to leave in an hour.

~*~*~

Harry and Peter headed out of the tree and he watched as the entrance closed up and vanished into the trunk. They headed North through the forest, Hedwig sailing behind them through the trees. The forest went for miles, and then they came to a motorway.

Peter frowned, how were they going to cross this? Harry was also puzzled, but living with Muggles had taught him about motorways.

"If we walk along we will eventually come to a bridge and be able to cross," said Harry. "Look, there's one just there."

In the distance, about half a mile away, a small bridge crossed the six lanes of traffic. They walked through the long grass and many cars passed them. After fifteen minutes they reached the bridge and proceeded to cross it. Once on the other side, Hedwig flew across normally; they were forced to cross several fields until they reached a large city.

Hedwig headed high into the sky, and through the city. She seemed to know where she was going. The road they followed into the city showed that it was called Coventry. They walked along the tarmac path and didn't notice the large black Labrador watching them as they vanished into the houses.

They walked along a fairly deserted road, the heat of the day driving many of the residents inside their houses. The weather had completely changed since the previous day, which had been heavy rain. Patches of it could still be seen on wooden benches and fences.

A man apparated with a 'pop' onto the path in front of them. Instantly Peter transformed and Harry froze. It was Moony. Even though the full moon was readily approaching he looked less ill than usual. He looked with a benign smile upon Harry and the rat scurrying about on the floor.

"Thank you Peter," he said, a smile lighting up his face. The rat stopped what he was doing and Peter returned to his original form.

"What?" he exclaimed in some surprise.

"I knew who you were the moment I received Harry's letter, and although I assume that you approved it first, from the writing style I knew that you had not kidnapped Harry. Therefore I realized that you had changed."

Peter looked down. He muttered an apology, but Remus embraced him kindly, as friends. Peter made sure to keep his silver arm away from him.

Suddenly Peter broke down into tears again, remembering friendships lost and pranking Snape. He knew somehow that life would never be the same again. Harry, behind him where he could not see, drew his wand. Pointing it at Peter's silver arm he spoke a wonderful charm to make his life slightly less of a misery.

"Agent ad aurea."

In an instant the colour of his arm changed, turning from the silver colour, to a beautiful gold sheen. Peter looked at it in amazement; he no longer had a silver arm, but a gold one! Remus looked gratefully at Harry, as Peter offered his gold hand to examine.

"That's gold all right," said Remus as soon as he had touched it yet remained unscathed.

"Thank you Harry," said the rat animagus.

The trio walked further into Coventry, Harry constantly on the lookout for Hedwig, wherever she was. They had no idea of where they were walking; apart from the fact that Harry needed somewhere to stay. As the sun reached towards the highest point on its journey across the sky, Remus apologized for having to leave for Grimmauld Place. A mask of sadness covered his face, but quickly passed.

Peter thought for a moment, then spoke.

"Why don't you go into the woods south east of here? They are only a short distance away and will save you energy for tonight."

Remus pondered this over for a moment, and then nodded. He said that he still had to go to Grimmauld Place though, because Snivellus was making him some Wolfsbane potion at the request of Dumbledore.

"Shall I tell everyone that I have seen you and that you are all right Harry?" he asked the young man.

"Please do Remus, but don't mention that it was Peter with me."

"I will not. I do not think that anyone else suspects anything yet anyway. Do you know of anywhere to stay tonight?"

Peter glanced at Harry, before telling him about the tree house in the woods, and having to stay away from Voldemort. He cleverly did not mention Sirius or the fact that the woods were the ones in which he had told Remus to go. With a 'pop', the werewolf vanished.

That night the two men, now fast friends, slept in a disused bus stop much further north. Peter had explained his plan to walk to the castle of Hogwarts. Although he did not know the exact location he could make a fairly good guess, since it was due north of Kings Cross station. They had bought an OS map of the local area, with some Muggle money Peter had found, as well as a compass. Peter, for some unknown reason, knew the exact longitude of the station, so all they had to do was follow the lines.

In the morning, they saw Hedwig sitting on a fence post near to them. She held a letter in her claw, which she offered, not to Harry, but to Peter.

"Dear Peter," read the message.

"You said that if you ever had need of me then the Seeker would alert me. It has done so, and this fair owl has come to see me. I have placed a Tracker on it, and all you have to do to call me is to say my name.

"Regulus."

"Regulus? As in Regulus Black? I thought he was dead!" exclaimed Harry with some surprise.

"So did I," admitted Peter. "But if I managed to pretend to be dead for however long then why not he."

"You are still pretending to be dead," remarked Harry. "So is Regulus, it appears."

"Shall I call him?" asked Peter to Harry.

"Yes, do," was all that the young man could say.

Peter turned to the owl and spoke the full name of Regulus Thomas Edward Black. In an instant a man who looked exactly like his brother appeared silently next to them. He had a grin on his face exactly the same as Sirius' used to be. Harry looked away, as an unwanted tear fell down his cheek. When the man spoke, however, it was not like Sirius.

"Peter," he said in a calm, quiet voice. "What has happened?"

"I turned," said the smaller man with a piece of happiness in his voice.

Regulus nodded. Harry was looking at him again, as he explained that he had also changed from the way his parents had wanted. He spoke of his family with shame and disgust. He said that the reason he had not remained on the 'dark side' was because he had been told to kill his brother.

Harry drew in a sharp breath. "And you refused?" he said in amazement.

"Yes," said the man. "I love my brother, even if I didn't always support his ideas. Now that I do I love him even more."

"He's dead," said Harry, a tear falling down his cheek. Regulus felt compassion for the young man, who had been without family for ages. He drew him into a tight, fatherly hug and then slowly released him. Harry wiped away his tears, although his eyes were still slightly red.

Regulus, it appeared, knew the way to Hogwarts very well. He decided that he would stay with them and guide them. He had been going under the guise of Stubby Boardman and everyone thought that he was in a convent, so it was fine for him to be with them.

However, they had only gone two miles when a woman ran up to them screaming in delight, she wanted Stubby's signature. Harry and Peter kept their distance as Regulus scrawled his hand on the paper. Hedwig flew over their heads as they wandered the fields. They made twenty miles that day, and since Regulus had some Muggle money they stayed overnight at a B&B.

This was how they progressed for the next three days. Regulus paid for their food and sleep, Peter kept an eye out for trouble, and Harry just walked. He felt fairly safe in the company of two ex-Death Eaters. They were not like Snape, who was simply cruel, but were friendly and joking all the time.

On the fourth day, they came to a mountain range, and began to tackle the foothills. All three could somehow sense that Hogwarts was getting closer. The magic in the air was almost tangible. Then Peter spotted the railway, and a plume of smoke coming from a large red train heading south.

"It's the end of term," realized Harry, and sighed. They paused to watch the train gather speed as it continued on its way south.

'Gather speed?' thought Harry. He suddenly clenched his fists and punched the air.

"We're nearly there!" he yelled out to no one in particular. And even as they neared the top of the hill they saw the towers and buildings of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry before them. The small village of Hogsmeade rested at the foot of the hill and the lake glimmered in the sunlight.

The party halted on its journey, as it was nearly at an end. They surveyed the scene like explorers discovering a place lost to mankind for millennia. Then Harry yelled out what could have been described as a war cry and pounded towards the shrieking shack. He did not sound like a seventeen-year-old but an excited child.

Peter transformed and scrambled onto Reg's shoulder as he followed his brother's godson. They found him casting Alohomora onto the door, and it sprang open. They went inside and sat down on the ravaged chairs inside. After getting his breath back, Reg sealed the door and they went down the long tunnel to Hogwarts.

~*~*~

Peter froze the tree as they emerged onto the lush green grass of Hogwarts. As they looked about them, and the tree began to move again behind them, they saw one man at the entrance of the castle. He was tall and had a long white beard and hair. From behind half-moon glasses his blue eyes twinkled merrily. Albus Dumbledore was always ready to give people another chance.

From across the grounds, a dog barked, and a man called something. Turning his head, Harry saw the sight of the one person he had never dreamed that he would see again. As tears of joy fell from his eyes he pounded across the lawn to Sirius, and hugged him tightly. The dog licked his face and then they fell apart. Harry was laughing and he looked up at Remus with a grin on his face.

Remus' own face was filled with a beautiful light, and he looked at Peter with raised eyebrows. Sirius transformed and he stood up, offering his hand to his godson. As he helped Harry up, he glanced across the grounds to Regulus. He froze.

His brother looked him in the eyes, and did not look away. Sirius straightened and walked slowly towards him, a moment he had never dreamed of. They stood face-to-face, everyone else watched them but they didn't notice.

"Regulus," said Sirius quietly. The man nodded his head calmly, yet his insides were writhing.

"Sirius," he replied.

"I thought you were dead," whispered Sirius, his voice shaking. Regulus closed his eyes momentarily.

"I had to take on a false identity. He would have killed me otherwise," the brother responded.

The brothers remained motionless for several seconds, and then Regulus stepped forwards and embraced his long-lost brother. Tears ran down their cheeks, but they neither noticed nor cared. For them, life had turned out to be full of happiness and family.

Now Professor Dumbledore approached from the doors of the castle. He stood next to the head boy and watched the two men. Harry felt a great, heart-wrenching sadness deep inside him now. Unlike Sirius, he had no family, no one he could really turn to. Even seeing Sirius again, that was not like having parents or brothers and sisters. He could not even talk to his girlfriend Ginny as he felt he would be able to with a parent.

Harry turned away from the scene and walked towards the castle. Remus and Peter, noticing him, followed as he passed into the deserted entrance hall. They walked by his side, not saying anything, as he put his foot onto the first of the marble steps.

As they headed past the library, Harry glanced inside. There at a table were Ron and Hermione, and perched on a chair opposite was Hedwig. They seemed to be doing something very romantic, snogging to be exact. After motioning Peter to stay out of sight, he stepped quietly through the door. He cleared his throat loudly, and the pair broke apart.

"Harry!" said Hermione in surprise.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Why didn't you go home on the express like everyone else?"

"Waiting for you of course mate. Didn't think we'd leave after our last year together without you?"

Harry smiled. Then he looked around. Luna and Neville were sitting together at a table, with a book of Herbology between them. Ginny was sitting alone. He walked up to her and kissed her on the forehead and she took his hands. Standing up she walked with him to the middle of the room, and then he spoke to the gang.

"I have been away for a short while, but I return to you now at the turn of the tide. The battle is going our way, for Death Eater's minds are changing. Some return to where they have once been, and I want you all to forgive one of them, for me. You may be surprised, you may not, but I am pleased to say... Peter, come in."

Rather shyly, the ex-Death Eater entered the room. All was silent until Remus came behind him.

"Moony, where have you been?" asked Luna. "You haven't been here for ages!"

"I have been looking for friends, and have found them. I am no longer alone, and can be happy."

After this cryptic message, Harry sat down quietly next to Ginny, absorbed in his own thoughts.

"He's not dead yet," he said. "I have still got that to do."

There was silence for several long hours in the library. Ron and Hermione were kissing again. Ginny and Harry held each other's hands and thought. Neville and Luna read. Then the door opened wider, creaking as it did so. Sirius and Reg entered and looked about them at the shocked faces. Then Luna came out with one of her odd comments.

"Are you Stubby Boardman?" she asked Reg.

Reg grinned and nodded. Sirius looked shocked himself.

"You're Stubby Boardman?"

"Yep. I took your initials and used them to make a new name for myself."

"Regulus Thomas Edward Black!" exclaimed Sirius.

"Sirius Lee Matthew Robert Black!" replied Reg, signing a piece of paper for Luna.

Everyone burst out laughing. His name was so funny when said in full. Sirius growled in the back of his throat, then transformed, diving at his brother.

Harry again felt the pain of being without a family. He put his head in his hands and sighed.

"What's the matter Harry?" asked Sirius, transforming suddenly. The room fell silent.

Harry shook his head. "Nothing."

"There is something. What's the problem?" he asked, smiling.

"Well... you're all so happy, and I..."

Sirius became solemn and looked seriously at his godson.

"No one can bring Lily and James back, Harry," he said. "But..." Harry interrupted.

"You came back!" he almost shouted.

"Yes, but I had an unfinished task on earth, to help you to defeat Voldemort. Your parents did not."

Harry looked down at the ground, misery lined on every inch of his face.

"I know that I am no substitute for them, none of us are. You grew up without anyone who really cared for you, but Lily and James died to save your life. That was their task on this earth, as they told me before they sent me back," said Sirius.

Harry looked up. Wonder was etched in his eyes.

"You spoke to my parents?" he said.

"I did," said Sirius, his eyes as bright as Dumbledore's. "They told me to tell you that they love you, and that although you cannot see them, they are always there."

Harry then smiled as well, and closed his eyes. Then he opened them again, and enveloped Sirius in a backbreaking hug.

Then Ron and Hermione stood up.

"Harry, we will always be here for you, whenever you need us."

"Yeah... always."

"Harry, I love you. I will always stand by you, even unto your darkest hour of need," said Ginny firmly. Neville and Luna stood up together.

"We too will be there for you Harry."

Peter and Remus came forwards.

"As I have always protected you, so I will now."

"Well, I cannot say quite the same, but please accept my help now."

"Same with me," said Regulus.

"And I will also protect you," said Sirius.

They stood in a circle around Harry, leaving a gap for the last person. He had just entered the room.

"Know this, that we too are your family. We all want to see you happy, and will protect you forever more," said Albus Dumbledore, completing the circle.

A few minutes later, and much happier, Harry and his friends headed back towards the Great Hall for their final meal before going home. As he put his foot onto the first step of the marble staircase, a huge explosion rocked from the doors of the entrance hall. They blew inwards, falling onto the great stone floor and falling apart.

In the doorway stood Voldemort, laughing like a maniac. His red eyes glowed like coals as he sneered.

Harry knew instantly what to and drew his wand. Then he gave it to Ginny, who took it wordless. Slowly walking down the marble staircase with all eyes on him, he stood before Voldemort and waited.

"You have something for me," said Voldemort. "Give them here."

"You shall not have them," said Harry firmly. "Have my life instead."

"No!" cried Ginny from the staircase.

"You would willingly give up your own life? You know full well that I shall just kill them as well."

Harry did not say anything. He stood there and looked Voldemort in the eyes and waited.

"Fine," said Voldemort, although he wasn't very happy. He snapped his fingers and a Death Eater entered the room.

"Kill him," commanded the dark lord.

"Can't kill me yourself, Tom?" asked Harry. Voldemort growled like a bear, and blasted Avada Kedavra at the young boy. Green light filled the room from end to end, and Harry fell down dead.

To Harry, he saw the green light fill the room, and then did not appear to be in his body anymore. Figures unknown to him filled the room, yet he could still see his friends. They looked very faded compared to the new figures.

"You chose well son," said a figure standing next to him.

"Dad?" asked Harry in wonderment.

"Yes, you are dead. But you chose the right option. Now come with us."

On his other side, his mother stood and smiled, but she held up her hand.

"We cannot go yet."

Even as she spoke, one of the faded figures of Harry's friends began to come clearer. It was Sirius, and the others were panicking. Their muffled voices came to him,

"He's fading!"

"Sirius!" that was Reg.

When Sirius appeared to be fully in their world he looked up and saw the three of them standing there. The crowd of figures parted to let him through and he stood with the reunited family. Everyone then turned to watch as Voldemort began to change. But instead of becoming clearer, he began to glow a deep red, and shake. Then he vanished from all sight, and was never seen again.

Lily and James took Harry's hands and Sirius took James', then they seemed to float upwards on the breeze, into the air.

"There will still be a battle between your friends and the Death Eaters. More will join us this day."

They looked down from where they hovered and saw Peter locked in a duel with Lucius Malfoy. Professor Snape, wherever he had come from, battled another. Reg was tackling his cousin Bellatrix, who had killed his brother initially.

From nowhere a voice began to sing, and angels filled the air. The clearer figures joined in, as did Harry and his parents. It was a sad song, but one of hope, and full of beauty.

As the song ended, so did the war. Harry found himself standing in a field of long grass with flowers everywhere. Trees stood placed at random intervals, and children played in the grass. Birds flew in the sky overhead and bees buzzed through the air. The sun shone brightly down on the field, which seemed to stretch forever into the distance.

Lily, James and Sirius too watched the incredible place. All four had a feeling of insurmountable energy, and then they began to run. Laughing and shouting they chased each other between the grasses. They were as children again, enjoying life without pain or suffering, and they were happy.