Ch 1 A Wormy Appearance
He stared at the entrance of the Ministry of Magic with a grim look on his face. As much as he did not want to go in, his sense of honor and new found knowledge refused to let him leave. Severus Snape may have had to pretend he did not care for any one for many years, but now, now he would let his true colors show. Even if it meant defying Dumbledore. Even if it meant helping that….dog. His lip curled at the thought of his childhood nemesis before straightening out as he reminded himself that it was several years ago. They were not the same men they were, they had not even been men yet the last time he had seen him. He thought back to ten days ago, when he had found out information that would change many lives over the years to come….
He was in Knockturn Alley, he needed certain hard to acquire ingredients for his final exam before the Board of Potions to finally receive his mastery, when something, rather someone, caught his attention and made him disillusion himself before sliding out the door to follow the scampering man. He followed his through several twists and turns, before coming to a building he had never been able to bring himself to enter. Borlops Brothel was where Voldemort's followers gathered to take care of some of their more…adult proclivities, and Severus had to stop himself from shivering as he entered behind the smaller man. He quickly took his (or rather, his borrowed) invisibility cloak out of his pocket and threw it over himself before settling down next to the booth the familiar man had sat at. Now, safe in the knowledge that the cloak would hide far more than a simple charm ever could, he took the time to study the man a few feet away from him. He was thinner yes, and even more nervous than he had ever seen him before if it was possible, but Severus was now positive, Peter Pettigrew was very much alive.
He casted a quick notice-me-not charm around his booth so no one would join him and waited ten minutes before Thorfinn Rowle walked in to join the little worm. After listening for thirty minutes he was sure there was one thing left to do- free Sirius Black.
"I can't believe that I let him rot in there. I should have known! I trusted him with my life; I don't know why I would let everyone change my mind! Especially with so little evidence."
Severus turned to Remus Lupin, the only other wizard aware of what he was about to do, and answered.
"You couldn't have known. Dumbledore made a convincing argument against Sirius. Why would you second guess him? He'd never given you a reason to in the past."
"Still though…." Remus sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Never again will I let Sirius down, and never again will I blindly trust, if at all, Albus Dumbledore." He spat the last few words. "You have the rat?"
"Right here", Severus held up the magically enhanced container. Inside, a grey rat quaked, and the two men could just barely hear its squeak through the hard plastic. "Let's go".
They both walked to the desk and told the receptionist there that they would like to see head of the DMLE Amelia Bones about an urgent matter.