"Wormtail. What news brings you here?" Voldemort's eyes fixed on the man cowering at his feet.

Peter looked up at his master's knees. He didn't dare to say it, but he had to. Voldemort would kill him if he didn't.

"I… I know where… the Potters have made me their Secretkeeper, master," Peter stammered, avoiding the dark eyes that were burning holes in his head. "I can give you the exact location of their house."

Voldemort smiled. It wasn't a happy smile. It was a smile of victory.

"Stop shaking, Peter," James said a bit nervous.

Their hands were joined across the kitchen table. Lily sat next to them, her wand ready. Sirius watched them from the other side of the table.

"Lily?" James asked, "Are you ready?"

"You need to concentrate on the location you want to hide," Lily told her husband. James closed his eyes. After a few seconds he gave a slight nod.

Lily pointed her wand at their hands. "Fidelio," she whispered. Strands of light winded themselves around their linked hands. Then the light faded and James and Peter opened their eyes.

"Did it work?" Sirius asked after a few seconds of silence.

"James?" Sirius yelled while entering the house in Godric's Hollow.

"In the living room," James answered, and Sirius closed the front door behind him. Entering the living room, he found James sitting on the sofa.

James put Harry's bottle down on the table, and after gently placing Harry on a cushion, he stood up to hug his friend. Lily greeted Sirius from the kitchen, where she was preparing dinner.

"What brings you here?" asked James smiling, catching Harry in mid-air as he tried to crawl off the sofa.

"I've got an idea, Prongs," Sirius said, sitting down in the armchair opposite to James. "About the secret keeping-thing."

"The Fidelus Charm, Sirius," James sighed smiling.

"I know what it's called. But I had this idea." He looked at his hands, looking for the words. "James, I don't think... I don't think I should be the Secretkeeper," he said.

"What? Why not Padfoot? We trust you more than anyone!"

"I know. And that's exactly why I shouldn't be. Voldemort will know that it's me. It's too obvious, don't you see?"

James stared at him frowning, deep in thought. "But you'll go into hiding too, won't you?"

"Yes, but still... If someone else takes my place you'll be safer! It will be the perfect bluff. Everyone will be after me, while the real secret is completely safe."

"Peter?" James guessed.

"Yes," Sirius agreed. They hadn't heard from Remus from more than a month. One of them had to be the traitor, and it was very likely that Remus was now helping Voldemort. "And besides," Sirius added grinning, "who would ever expect little, unimportant Peter to be your Secretkeeper?"

James nodded thoughtfully. Then he looked up and stared Sirius in the eyes. "Are you sure you don't want to do it?"

"Yes," Sirius said seriously. "Don't think I don't want to. I'm not a coward. But it's just safer."

"Fine then," James said, picking Harry up again and handing him to Sirius. "Do you want to hear what this little monkey did today?"

Sirius laughed. "Sure."

Sirius entered the pub and looked around in the dusky room. He'd never been here before, although it was a wizard's pub. His eyes found Peter soon though, sitting at a table all by his own at the other side of the room. 'Why not the Three Broomsticks?' he wondered while walking over to Peter's table.

"Hello, Wormtail. What's up?" he asked while sitting down in front of him. "Why did you want to meet me here?"

Peter looked up. "Hello Sirius," he said, his voice a bit shaking. He seemed nervous.

Sirius stared at him, waiting for what was coming. He looked surprised when Peter pulled out his wand. "Peter, what are you doing?" he asked frowning, backing away when the wand was pointed at his head.

Peter took a deep breath, and before Sirius could do anything, he whispered "Confundo."

Sirius' expression went blank immediately.

"You'll go to James' house," Peter said, his voice still shaking, "You'll tell him to change the Secretkeeper. Tell him to take me instead of you. You'll tell him that it would be safer for him. If the Death Eaters track you down, he'll still be completely safe. You'll forget that I told you this. You'll forget that you met me here. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Sirius said mechanically, staring into nothing.

"Good," Peter said. His voice was steadier now, but an expression of worry crossed his face. He sighed, there was no way of undoing it anymore. He had asked Voldemort to spare his friends, that was all he could do. He stood up and exited the pub. In the doorway, he stopped for a second, pointed his wand at Sirius and mumbled "Finite."

While Sirius looked around surprised, Peter left the pub quickly and disappeared in the dusk outside.