The Grim ➸ R. Weasley

werewolf tag

     
Peter Pettigrew was a very short man, hardly taller than Harry and Hermione. His thin, colorless hair was unkempt and there was a large bald patch on top. He had the shrunken appearance of a plump man who has lost a lot of weight in a short time. His skin looked grubby, almost like Scabbers's fur, and something of the rat lingered around his pointed nose and his very small, watery eyes. His breath was fast and swallow as he looked at all of them.

Jamie, stunned, circled the man, stopping at Ron's side. He laid a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"Well, hello, Peter." Lupin said. "Long time no see."

"S-Sirius. . . R-Remus. . ." His voice was squeaky. His eyes darted to the door. "My friends. . . My old friends. . ."

"We've been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night Lily and James died. You might have missed the finer points while you were squeaking around down there on the bed—"

"Remus." Gasped Pettigrew. "You don't believe him, do you. . . ? He tried to kill me, Remus. . ."

"So we've heard." Lupin said coolly. "I'd like to clear up one or two more little matters with you, Peter, if you'd be so —"

"He's come to try and kill me again!" Peter cried, pointing at Sirius. "He killed Lily and James and now he's going to kill me too. . . You've got to help me, Remus. . ."

"No one is going to try and kill you until we've sorted things out."

"Sorted things out?" Squealed Pettigrew. "I knew he'd come back after me! I've been waiting for twelve years!"

"You knew Sirius was going to break out of Azkaban?" Said Lupin, his brow furrowed. "When no body has ever done it before?"

"He's got Dark powers the rest of us can only dream of!" Pettigrew shouted. "How else did he get out of there? I suppose he-who-must-not-be-named taught him a few tricks!"

Sirius started laughing like a mad man. It was a horrible and mirthless laugh. It made Jamie's hand curl into Ron's shirt for reassurance.

"Voldemort, teach me tricks!"

Pettigrew flinched.

"What, scared of your old masters name? I don't blame you, Peter. His lot aren't happy with you, are they?"

"Don't know what you mean, Sirius—"

"You haven't been hiding from me for twelve years. You've been hiding from Voldemort's old supporters. I heard things in Azkaban, Peter. . . They all think that you're dead, or you'd have to answer to them. . . I've heard them screaming all sorts of things in their sleep. Sounds like they think the double-crosser double-crossed them. Voldemort went to the Potters' on your information. . . And Voldemort met his downfall there. And not all Voldemort supporters ended up in Azkaban, did they? There are still plenty out here, biding their time, pretending they've seen the error of their ways. . . If they ever got wind that you were still alive, Peter—"

"Don't know. . . What you're talking about. . . You don't believe this—this madness, Remus—"

"I must admit, Peter, I have difficulty in understanding why an innocent man would want to spend twelve years as a rat."

"Innocent but scared!" Pettigrew squealed again. "If Voldemort's supporters were after me, it was because I put one of their best men in Azkaban—the spy, Sirius Black!"

"How dare you." Growled Sirius. "I, spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than myself? But you, Peter, I'll never understand why I didn't see you were the spy from the start. You always liked big friends who look after you, didn't you? It used to be us. . . me and Remus. . . and James. . ."