Headstrong

Chapter 35

"Well, hello, Peter." Remus said pleasantly. "Long time, no see."

"S-Sirius...R-Remus..." Pettigrew squeaked. "My friends...my old friends..."

Sirius' wand arm rose and Remus seized him around the middle to stop him, but he forgot about Amanda.

Amanda stepped forward and punched his nose. Pettigrew squealed and clutched his nose.

"Amanda!" Remus sighed.

Amanda rubbed her knuckles. "I've been waiting to do that for a long time, Pettigrew. As you can see, I'm quite patient."

Amanda stepped back and waited for everybody else to talk.

"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," Remus said, a bit more coldly. "I'd like to clear up one or two matters with you, Peter, if you'd be so-"

"He's come to try and kill me again!" Pettigrew shrieked suddenly, using his middle finger to point at Sirius. "He killed Lily and James and now he's going to kill me, too...you've got to help me, Remus..."

"The only one that is going to kill you, is me, Pettigrew." Amanda growled, looking murderous. Nobody had ever seen her like that before, but Sirius noticed the tears threatening to leak from her eyes.

He pulled her away from Pettigrew as Remus said, "Stand down, Amanda. No one is going to kill Pettigrew until we've sorted a few things out."

"Sorted things out?" Pettigrew squealed, "I knew he'd come after me! I knew he'd be back for me! I've been waiting for this for twelve years!"

"You knew Sirius was going to break out of Azkaban?" Remus said, his brow furrowed. "When nobody has ever done it before?"

"He's got Dark Powers the rest of us can only dream of!" Pettigrew shouted shrilly, "How else did he get out of there? I suppose He Who Must Not Be Named taught him a few tricks!"

Sirius and Amanda laughed. "Voldemort, teach me tricks?" Sirius boomed. Pettigrew flinched.

"What, scared to hear your old master's name? I don't blame you Peter. His lot aren't very happy with you, are they?"

"Don't know - what you mean, Sirius-" Pettigrew muttered.

"You haven't been hiding from me for twelve years. You've been hiding for Voldemort's old supporters. I heard things in Azkaban, Peter...they all think 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's 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..." said Pettigrew again, his voice getting more and more shrill. "You don't believe 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," Remus said evenly.

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