"One...Two...THREE!"
The blue-white flash lit up the room as the spells hit their target. Scabbers was hoisted into the air and squirmed even harder. He twisted madly seconds before Ron yelled, and then the rat fell to the floor.
The next moment seemed to happen in slow and fast motion simultaneously. The tiny form grew full feet in seconds, yet you could see every vertebrae extending. The pointed face squished in and grew round, the limbs stretched but remained stout, and his beady black eyes gave way to wild blue ones. He was still a smaller figure looking worse for wear, but now human instead of rat.
"Well, hello, Peter," Lupin said pleasantly, as though rats regularly erupted into old school friends around him. "Long time, no see,"
"S—Sirius... R—Remus," Peter squeaked out, "Friends... my old friends..."
Sirius raised his wand but Remus quickly grasped his wrist and forced it downwards again. Remus instead spoke in a light, pleasant manner.
"We've been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night James and Lily died. You might have missed the finer points when you were squirming around—"
"Remus," Peter's eyes shifted rapidly," you don't believe him, do you...? He tried to kill me, Remus..."
"So we've heard," Lupin said more coldly, "I'd like to clear up one or two manners with you, Peter, if you'd be so—"
"He's come to try and kill me again!" Peter squeaked suddenly, pointing at Sirius with his middle finger as his pointer was missing, "He killed Lily and James and now he's come to kill me too....You've got to help me, Remus..."
Sirius's deathly eyes bore into Peter with hatred that could only be imagined.
"No one's going to try and kill you until we figure things out." said Lupin.
"Er— may I ask you something, Mr. Black— Sirius?" Hermione piped up once again as the tension grew exponentially.
Sirius jumped at hearing "Mr. Black", being vaguely reminded of his treacherous father and many disappointed teachers.
Hermione took this as acknowledgement and continued, "If you don't mind me asking, how did you get out of Azkaban, if you didn't you dark magic?"
"Thank you!" Peter nodded frantically at her, "Exactly! Precisely what I—"
Lupin silence him with a look as all attention turned towards Sirius.
"I had given up. I had just passed the decade mark, and while my innocence slowed down the insanity, that—that place, it breaks down everyone...I was ready to give in to it all when they locked her away." Sirius glanced briefly towards the unconscious Olivia, "Her words, they woke me up. She—she never deserved that hell. And so I decided I was going to get her out of there. The dementors can't see, you know... they feel their way towards emotions... But when I transformed, they couldn't see me. Like my emotions were less—less human, less complex, when I was a dog... So I did all I could to turn Liv into an animagus, too, so she could escape..." Lupin gave Sirius an amazed look, and Sirius chuckled with no emotion, "I did my best. I never knew if it would work... And then Fudge showed up and gave me the paper. I recognised the scoundrel instantly," Sirius bared his teeth at the smaller man, "And told Liv all about his crimes. The next morning, she could transform... We slipped out as soon as we could, and came here to keep Harry safe from Voldemort's true spy, Pettigrew... He was too close to Harry. One move, and he could deliver him to the death eaters... you wouldn't have to be scared then, would you?" Sirius turned his attention towards Peter, "After all, no one could say you betrayed Voldemort if you brought him Harry."
Peter squirmed, but Harry was the one to speak up, "That's what the papers were saying, that you've been talking in your sleep...always the same...He's at Hogwarts. You were talking about him, weren't you?"
Sirius nodded, "As soon as I saw that picture, it was as if someone had lit a fire in my mind...It was an obsession. I managed to keep it hidden for Liv's sake, but even as we escaped the obsession drove me madder... I swam as a dog back to the mainland, with her flying over me— her animagus is a rook, you see— and she told me where to go. We've been living here ever since. And I'm sorry, Harry, if I'd scared you any before. I couldn't very well show myself, but both Liv and I needed to make sure you were okay... We even saw that match against Hufflepuff. You fly as well as your father did, Harry..."
Sirius looked at Harry, who met his eyes and did not look away.
"Believe me," Sirius croaked, his emotions running amuck, "Believe me, Harry. I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them."
They locked eyes for another moment before Harry nodded, affirming his belief.
"No!" Peter fell to his knees, looking as if Harry's nod had confirmed his death sentence. He shuffled towards Sirius, "Sirius—It's me...its Peter...your friend...you wouldn't —"
Black kicked Peter's hands away the the smaller man recoiled.
"There's enough filth on these clothes without you touching them," Sirius spat, and the man tried Remus next.
"Remus!" Peter tried, but Remus once again shut him up with a look.
"Sirius, is she the Liv I think she is?" Remus asked quietly, his brain scrambling to put together all the pieces.
"Exactly. He stole her and gave her to the Malfoys so she could be raised as a death eater." Sirius responded, looking at the girl resting on his jacket once again.
"Do you have any idea why? Why not just kill her like her parents? Or at least try?" Remus asked continuously.
"You're asking about the girl? I am tell you all about her! As long as I stay safe..." Peter piped up, approaching her but keeping his eyes on his used to be friends.
"Stay away from her!" Sirius snapped angrily, "Shall we kill him together, old friend?" Sirius said, fighting back his rage as he again looked down at the filthy traitor. His eyes lingered on Olivia, and he had the small thought At least she isn't around to see this.
"Yes, I think so," Lupin said grimly.
"Ron... kind boy, kind master," Peter crawled towards Ron next, "Haven't I been a good friend? A good pet?"
Ron just stared at him, horrified, "I let you sleep in my bed!"
Peter clutched on to Hermione's robes then, having seen that the ginger would be of no use, "Sweet girl...clever girl...you—you won't let them...help me..."
But Hermione assumed the same terrified look as Ron and pulled her robes from his grasp, backing against the wall quickly.
Peter tried again on the last one conscious, "Harry...oh, Harry....you look just like your father.."
"HOW DARE YOU?" Roared Sirius, "HOW DARE YOU FACE HIM AFTER WHAT YOU'VE DONE? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES IN FRONT OF HIM?!"
"Harry," whispered Pettigrew urgently, "Harry, James would t want me killed... He would have understood...James would have shown me mercy..."
Both Remus and Sirius stride forward, seized Peter's shoulders, and threw him backwards, onto the floor, away from Harry. He sat there there twitching in terror, staring up at them.
"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort," Sirius said angrily as his rage bubbled up, "Do you deny it?"
Pettigrew burst into tears, "Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord.. he-he was taking over everywhere! Wh-what was to be gained by refusing him? You don't understand!" Peter gasped, "He would have killed me, Sirius!"
"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" Sirius roared at him once again, "DIED RATHER THEN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"
Sirius and Remus stood shoulder to shoulder, backs to the trio, with their wands raised at Peter.
"You should have realised," Remus said quietly, "that if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Goodbye, Peter."
~~
School's out! But I'm going on vacation in a week, so it's all still pretty busy. Hopefully I update more, though.
Anyway, please leave feedback, and I hope you enjoyed!