Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. However, since Rowling discarded my favourite characters I picked them up and took them into my care to give them the love and attention they deserve...and occasionally give them reason to need that love and attention no matter how much they deserve it without needing a reason.

Summary: What if Peter had come to his senses before everyone's lives had been ruined? What would have happened then?

Warnings: Strong bromance, can't stomach boys being extremely close without it being sexual, then this is not the story for you and you should hit the return button. Small hint of slash involved.

Special thanks to Kitty for her endless patience with me repeating grammatical errors over and over again, for her endless support and inspiration given for this fandom. You're the best!

Special note: I do not really write trials, my apologies to those who enjoy them but I am very aware of my lack of ability to properly write them so I usually avoid them all together.

This story is not a part of the A Bond of Family series.

Xxxxxx

"Petey will protect you all while I protect Petey. It'll be all right."

Peter watched in unease as Sirius cooed at Harry, easily making the previously teary toddler laugh, catching sight of the collar around his neck as Harry reached for it.

"No, pup, that's not for playing," Sirius carefully untangled the familiar tag from the small hands.

"No play?" Harry looked up at his godfather, obediently leaving the collar alone. "What for?"

"It is a sign of our family," Sirius showed him the tag even though the toddler wouldn't be able to read it. "The sign reads the Marauders."

"Mauwander?"

"Marauder. It's our family´s nickname," Peter was surprised by the soft smile on Sirius' face as he stared at the tag. "It means your Mummy and Daddy, you, Remy, Petey and I. We're a family."

"Family!" Harry giggled happily, placing a wet open mouthed kiss on Sirius' jaw and Peter swallowed as he caught sight of the word written on the tag, glistering in the sunlight.

The Marauders.

He was suddenly forcefully reminded of when he had first caught sight of that collar, a mere six years ago, on bruised skin and after his friend had run away from his childhood home.

He'd been confused about the sign of possession the youngest of their group had chosen to wear, seeing the collar as something that claimed their friend.

Until Sirius had showed him the tag attached to the collar that apparently Remus had given to him as a present, explained that to him it was a reminder of a family, a place he belonged, no matter what happened.

It was what Peter himself had felt about their group, but what he had eventually lost sight of over the years as he watched the other three grow closer.

A jealousy unlike anything he had ever known had taken hold of him as he'd watched the three interact more freely than he had ever been capable of, making him see conspiracies to leave him out of things every time the three had fun without him.

Promises of power and equality had eventually strayed Peter down a path he had never thought he would follow as it betrayed everything his friends believed in, what he in turn had grown to believe in as well.

The pain of seeing those bonds strengthen before his very eyes had made him lose sight of what was real and not, giving in to those promises as it would give him power equal to his friends, allow him to surpass himself and them.

But staring at Sirius now as he played with his godson, he knew he had gotten it entirely wrong as the dark-haired man shot him a grin.

It was something Peter had noticed he always did whenever one of them was around, and he now finally understood was Sirius' way of acknowledging their presence, even when his attention wasn't on them specifically; that he had not forgotten them.

Where Peter had felt left behind because his friend's didn't always talk to him, they had actually always spoken with their actions instead of words.

James always slapped a hand onto his shoulder, playfully messed up his hair any time he'd pass him or nagging at him for his eating habits.

Remus would always sit beside him and laughingly give him a roll of his eye when the two dark-haired of their group were fooling around, giving quiet companionship.

And Sirius, although not as freely touching with him as he was with the others, had gone out of his way to help him do well in class back in Hogwarts and always had a smile for any stupid joke Peter could come up with, no matter how lame they were, listening to whatever Peter had to say.

His friends cared about him and although their bonds with him were different than with each other, he now realised it didn't mean they were less strong and Peter couldn't understand how he could have ever forgotten they were his family.

"All right, are you ready?" James stepped towards them and Sirius passed Harry to Lily.

"No...I...," Peter found himself admitting as he met warm grey eyes and suddenly knew what he had to do, something he should have done weeks ago. "I did something stupid."

"What did you do?" The honest confusion in James' brown eyes broke Peter's heart as he knew his friends would never have thought the worst of him until it would've been too late and he wondered just how far he might have gone if he hadn't heard Sirius' confirmation that they were family.

Peter turned his focus on Sirius, finding it easier to talk to him than to James. "I...I'm the traitor."

The admittance came more easily than he had imagined, even as all three of them stared at him in shock and he looked down in shame.

"Why?" The pain in James' voice was unmistakable.

"Because I was jealous. You were all so strong while I was weak and I felt that you guys were leaving me behind. I wanted power, to become your equals and so when the opportunity arise, I...I took it."

"Why are you coming clean now?" James choked out, stepping between his family and him.

The protective move hurt, especially as Sirius shifted as well, but Peter couldn't blame them for it, not when he knew how much they loved their family.

"I lost sight of where I belong and let dark whispers lead me astray," he looked up to Sirius, finding himself unable to not do so as he knew the other had been ready to put himself in danger for his safety, would have died for him without hesitation. "But I realise how wrong I was and I can't...I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

"What made you realise that?" James pressed as Sirius remained quiet, automatically letting their leader take charge.

"Sirius' words to Harry and that tag. Seeing that, I remembered and I knew I was wrong."

"Are you a Death Eater?" Lily asked, hoisting Harry up higher on her hip so it was easier to keep him safe.

"Y-yes, they...his inner circle are marked," Peter revealed, slowly pushing up his left sleeve. "They...we...we all carry his mark and use it to communicate with him and one another."

"Damn it, Peter," James cursed, running a hand through his hair as the Dark Mark was revealed to them and Sirius' expression turned calculating.

"What were you planning to do if you'd gone through with becoming Secret Keeper?" Sirius spoke up, his voice remarkably steady for what was being told and Peter swallowed as he knew it meant the other was shielding his emotions.

Of all of them, he was surprisingly most afraid of Sirius' reaction.

While he had looked up to James during their Hogwarts years, it had been Sirius he had wanted to do right by. The other had been through so much and trusted so few that it had made Peter proud to know he was one of the few his friend trusted.

That trust was why he found himself unable to lie now when those grey eyes stared him down, not wanting to hurt him more.

"I was supposed to go see Him after it's done and inform him where you'd be hiding, he...he doesn't know of the switch yet."

"So our whole plan would've been for nothing," it was a statement, not a question. "How many people did you betray?"

"I...five, but none who've died. I didn't have anything to do with that," Peter swallowed. "I managed to prevent that, no matter what Dumbledore asked of me... and I..."

"Dumbledore?" Sirius cut him off and Peter remembered that the whole reason they were doing this in secrecy was because Sirius didn't trust their old Headmaster, hadn't since he'd taken the fall for the Prank while Snape walked away unpunished.

Another something Peter knew he had to come clean to Remus about soon, but that was not important right now.

"Yes, Dumbledore knows I am the spy and has been using me to alert him of situations or any plans You-Know-Who has."

"Which in turn resulted in people dying," Sirius said. "Why am I not surprised."

"Siri..." James swallowed thickly. "It's Dumbledore...he's seen as the leader of...he can't..."

James trailed off, shutting his eyes as he seemed to come to the conclusion that, yes, Dumbledore could. "Did he set up the attack on Sirius and my parents last month?"

"I don't know, but..." Peter hesitated. "But I think he might have."

"How so?"

"He asked me when Sirius would be babysitting Harry a few days before the attack happened. And I told him and he had me tell the Dark Lord Sirius' location but I knew Sirius would get away in time and go to the Manor, so I didn't think...not until after..."

"And when did you use your brain?" James sneered.

"I began to realise that Dumbledore is not the man we think he is and that he had set it all up. I don't know why and when I asked about the events, he told me it was my fault because I had told the Dark Lord where to find Sirius that day and should have known the plan he had in mind," Peter swallowed again.

"I wanted to come clean right then, but Dumbledore said you wouldn't listen, wouldn't believe me because I'm a Death Eater and he's...him. Who would listen to me?"

"We would," Sirius' voice was soft again, but the pain in it was unmistakable now. "You should have known that, even...even if you've betrayed us...we're listening now, aren't we?"

"I know and I should have remembered that much sooner. I messed everything up, it's my fault," Peter choked out, clutching his arm. "Your parents' deaths...it's on me."

"No, it's on Dumbledore," James growled. "And I will get to the bottom of that."

"Other things first," Sirius cut him off, stepping forward. "What do you plan to do now that you've told us this? Are you going back to Riddle?"

"No! No...he'll probably kill me for betraying him, but...no. I will not betray you guys again, never again," Peter was sure of that.

"But he trusts you?"

"I think so," Peter nodded.

"Then you go to him now and tell him we've made you Secret Keeper. Tell him this address and that I've gone to make preparations to go into hiding myself, acting as decoy, give him my address as well."

Peter wasn't the only one whose head snapped up to stare at Sirius surprised.

"W-what?"

"This war has gone on long enough, Dumbledore has had us reacting to attacks and coming to the aid of others. It's time to bring the war to Riddle himself, on our terms. If he learns that we kept the switch a secret, he will want to act soon to keep you as a spy and make it seem as if I've given James up under torture," Peter could hear the strategist in Sirius working, automatically finding himself falling in line as the dark-haired man spoke out what he was thinking.

"He will go after you personally, after your defiance he will want to do the kill himself. But while he'll come here, thinking he has the upper hand, we will instead be waiting for him."

"What if he'll go after you first and discover you are not there?" Lily asked.

"No, he won't go after me until he's coming for you guys, coordinating the attacks. He knows we can communicate in unusual ways and wouldn't want me to be able to warn you so you can get away."

James nodded in agreement. "We'll leave you and Harry somewhere safe and end this once and for all."

"Get them to Potter Manor, it is the safest place there is. I know Dumbledore talked you out of hiding there because it's such a big place to defend, but the wards are the best and we'll strengthen them," Sirius turned to Peter. "You become Secret Keeper of this place so that if he doubts your story, he will be able to see the truth in your mind."

"I don't think I can hold him off if he invades my mind," Peter admitted. "I'm not strong like you guys..."

"You are stronger than you think," Sirius met his eyes and suddenly Peter found the memories of today lock themselves behind a shield as Sirius invaded his mind without warning. "He won't be able to see them right away and the protection I've placed over it won't make him look for it either."

"You're not...you didn't look at my other memories," Peter found himself saying as Sirius stepped away from him.

"I wouldn't. I might be angry with you right now, but you are our brother and we don't break our families' trust like that."

"Right, I'm sorry," Peter looked down.

"We'll talk about everything later, let's end this now," James raised his wand and moments later Peter knew he was the Secret Keeper for this place.

"I...I won't let you down again," Peter promised after he had told them the Secret and handed it in a written form to Sirius when requested as well.

"Take this and see if you can push it if he's going on the move," Sirius transfigured a pebble into a watch and handed it over after pocketing the written Secret.

"I will, be careful...please," Peter wrapped the watch around his wrist, aware Sirius had probably transfigured it into an alarm.

"We will be, take the long route there and warn Dumbledore of what's going on before you go to Riddle," Sirius told him as he put on his coat, eyeing the house thoughtfully.

"Where are you going?"

"We're bringing Lily and Harry to Potter Manor and then set up the trap here. Now go," Sirius' order had Peter moving. "Oh, and Pete?"

Turning on the spot as Sirius called his name, he looked up to his friend confused.

"Be careful and we'll see you soon."

While Sirius didn't smile at him, the words themselves told Peter that he still had a chance to make things right and with a nod he turned again.

He didn't know if their plan would work or if they would all die today, but he found that he didn't mind so much either way as long as he was with his friends, where he truly belonged.

After alerting Dumbledore of the switch, like Sirius had asked him to, he Apparated to the Dark Lord's lair and hurried through the house to where he knew the man would be, stopping in time to not appear disrespectful.

"Come forth, Wormtail," Peter knew better than to linger so he hurried forth, making sure to bow before the man he no longer followed.

"It's done, my Lord."

"And where does Black reside?" Bloodshot eyes stared him down.

"He will go into hiding at his old apartment in Yorkshire, but that is not important, my Lord."

"Oh? How so, Wormtail?"

"Sirius made them change Secret Keepers at the last moment, believing it would create a diversion for you, my Lord. I am the true Secret Keeper and the Potter family is staying at Number seven Godric's Hollow, West Country," Peter revealed, forcing himself to twitch nervously as the Death Eaters around him cackled in laughter, while in reality he wanted to smile when the Dark Lord laughed cruelly.

"Very good, how worthless trust and sentiment are. Once more it is proven how foolish Dumbledore's people are," the Dark Lord rose to his feet. "Tell me, Wormtail, are they feeling safe?"

"Yes, Sir. They are even planning to celebrate Halloween tonight as they consider themselves safe," Peter answered.

"Then we shall make sure to squash that feeling as soon as possible. Bella, take as many as you can and go to Black's hideout. I shall go after the Potters myself."

"My Lord?" Bellatrix asked confused. "Why not take him out first while he doesn't see it coming?"

"We wouldn't want to give Black a chance to warn Potter, make sure you get a good look at his face when you tell him his beloved family is dead before you kill him, I will want to see it," the Dark Lord cackled.

"Shall I go with you, my Lord?" Bellatrix and Snape offered at the same time, the former leaning towards him eagerly.

"No, I shall do this myself. It will take my strongest to take out that traitor, so do not play around and take him out as soon as you see a chance."

"Yes, my Lord," both bowed their heads submissively.

"Do not fail me."

It was exactly as Sirius had said it would be, Peter thought grimly as he bowed again as well.

Sirius was a remarkable strategist, able to get into another's mind on a level Peter himself would never be able to, but for the first time he saw it as an asset instead of a reason for jealousy.

"You shall come with me, Wormtail. I would like to see their faces when they realise you have betrayed them," The Dark Lord pulled his cloak around him.

"Y-yes, my Lord," Peter made sure to keep his head bowed as the Dark Lord passed him, pressing button on the watch under the pretence of rubbing his arm nervously.

This, too, was something Sirius had been aware of, Peter realised, as the other had said they would see him soon and could only hope he had given them enough time to prepare as he followed the Dark Lo- no...V-Voldemort.

He could see all three of his friends roll their eyes over his fear of a name and fought to for once become brave like them.

The Da- Voldemort did not speak as he led them out of the house, though Peter did not have difficulties keeping up with his long strides, used to following James, Sirius and Remus around.

Though he now knew the others had always held in their strides to accommodate his shorter legs.

"Do not waste time," the Da-Voldemort ordered as he Disapparated and Peter quickly followed him.

Godric's Hollow was quiet, no children running around to collect candy for Halloween, but Peter didn't think much of it as it was cold and drizzling and apparently neither did the Da-Voldemort as he strode past the houses without pause.

His heart lurched as James became visible through the window when they approached number seven, rocking a small child in his arms, wand nowhere in sight.

Why wasn't he prepared as Sirius had said they would be and why hadn't Harry been brought to safety?

Heart clenching in his throat, he followed the Da-Voldemort as the man slammed the door open. "Avada Kedavra," the cruel voice croaked before James could even look up at the intrusion in his home.

But before the man's spell could hit its target, a jet of black light hit Voldemort out of nowhere and the man slammed into the wall beside him, dropping his wand as he fell into a boneless heap on the ground and James disappeared.

It took Peter's mind a long moment before he realised the James he'd seen had been an illusion, presumably made by Sirius as his illusions were much more realistic than any of theirs had ever been.

The man in question stepped out from the shadows, picking up Voldemort's wand.

"Can you keep him under control?" Peter nervously stepped back as red trimmed eyes, filled with anger and hatred turned to him and he realised Voldemort wasn't unconscious as he had first thought.

"Not an issue," Sirius pulled out his hand mirror, staring into it. "How are things on your side?"

"It's done. Your spell works perfectly and we've got twenty-six Death Eaters in custody," it was surprisingly Moody's gruff voice who answered back.

"Good, can we use them to round the others up?"

"I believe so, don't take chances, lad, and take him out," Moody ordered.

"I have no intention of becoming a cold blooded murderer," Sirius' grey eyes seemed to be glowing as he looked past Peter before returning his gaze to the mirror. "I've taken his magic away."

"You...you what?" Peter couldn't blame the shock and disbelief in Moody's voice as he felt the same. "How is that possible?"

"Through an ancient spell invented by Merlin," Sirius shrugged. "Thought it might come in handy now."

"He can't touch his magic?"

"No, he doesn't have magic any more," Sirius contradicted him. "You see, I was wondering why so many Pure-Bloods were afraid of Muggles stealing their magic and figured it had to origin from somewhere. Turns out they had a reason to fear it as there is such a spell indeed. It was used to punish Dark Wizards in the Middle Ages and make sure they couldn't rise again or escape prison."

"Why wouldn't the Dark Pure-Bloods have used it on Muggleborn and Half-Bloods?" Peter asked.

"Because there's a catch in the spell that Merlin placed upon it. The magic can only be removed if there is reasonable cause for it. If the target is innocent of abusing his magic and causing harm with it, the magic won't be taken. The Pure-Bloods of old wouldn't have wanted to admit there might be people who didn't steal their magic, thus shattering their beliefs and destroyed most knowledge that such a spell existed so it could not be used against them."

"But you found it," Moody's grumble sounded proud, yet curious.

"There is a lot of information that people would rather forget still lingering around, you just need to know where to find it," Sirius answered cryptically and Moody nodded in understanding.

"Right, we'll take care of things here and come collect him then."

"As discussed, your arrival will be awaited," Sirius tapped the mirror with his wand before slipping it

into his pocket again. "Right, let's get to work. You've told Dumbledore about the switch?"

"And that I was going to inform V-vol..."

"Don't say the name, you know it's jinxed," Sirius cut him off. "Call him Riddle instead."

"R-right, what are you planning?" Peter watched confused as Sirius levitated Voldemort's body to the middle of the living room and left him there.

"We're going to wait for Dumbledore to arrive."

"W-we are?" Peter stared at him, automatically taking a seat when indicated he should.

"Yes, we are," Sirius leaned back; staring down at Voldemort's downed form, lifting Voldemort's wand in his hand and pointed it to the hideous oil lamp James kept. "Avada Kedavra."

A jet of green light made the lamp burst apart, Peter jumped and a strange hint of red crept over the walls as Sirius sat down.

"What did you do that for?"

"To alert those watching that two killing curses were used here today. It will put things in motion."

Knowing he'd not get a straight answer out of Sirius, Peter stared down at Voldemort again.

"Why can't he move if he's conscious?"

"It's a side effect of the spell. Until the moment he is brought to justice, he won't be able to move. It is how Merlin and his followers would determine if one had received a trial in front of a court or not before the Wizengamot was established after his death."

"But isn't the removal of his magic already a sign of his guilt?"

"It is, therefore a trial was only to determine just what the consequences for the guilty party would be. You wouldn't want a rapist or murderer to walk free, just because his magic was removed, would you?"

"No," Peter fell into silence and they waited that way for almost half an hour until there was noise outside.

"Did you tell him the Secret or did he have you write it down?" Sirius cocked his head to the side, listening to what was going on.

"He had me write it down, shouldn't I have?"

"No, its fine. Hello Hagrid," Sirius stared at the half-giant as the man stumbled into the house.

"S...Sirius? What are yeh doing here?"

"Waiting for Dumbledore, but I see he's making you do his dirty work again," Sirius shifted in his seat. "But no matter, he'll want to come himself soon."

"Wh...what..." Hagrid's eyes fell onto Peter before they fell on Voldemort and the half-giant jumped back with a terrified roar. "That...how...yeh..."

"Don't mind him, he's taking a time out," Sirius waved off his attempt to speak. "Just like you will."

"I'm not..." suddenly Hagrid staggered back as he was hit by a spell, falling back onto the couch behind him and miraculously enough not breaking it.

"That's sturdier than I'd imagined it would be," Sirius commented surprised. "Guess Lily won't have a reason to skin me alive for breaking her furniture."

Peter gaped at him in utter disbelief as the man took a seat again.

"You...you...how did you knock him out? Everyone always says it is impossible to do so!"

"Nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it," Sirius said. "Dumbledore will arrive soon, now."

"Why did you knock Hagrid out in the first place?" Peter wasn't sure where to keep his gaze, but settled on Sirius.

"Because he'll get in the way and I don't want him to get hurt if I'm forced to defend myself," Sirius explained as he settled back down.

"Right," Peter hesitated. "Are we going to fight Dumbledore?"

"We?" Sirius looked at him, genuinely confused.

"You didn't think I'd let you take him on alone, did you? I know I'm not brave or strong, but I'm not letting you do this alone," Peter was determined not to do so, even if it meant going up against Dumbledore himself.

"You amaze me sometimes, Peter," the softness of Sirius' voice startled him. "You've betrayed us all, taking the cowards' way out, yet you are now trying to protect us, standing up to two powerful wizards to try and keep us safe. And you still think you are not strong?"

"I don't have even remotely as much powers as you guys have," Peter muttered.

"Power comes in many forms, Wormy. Magical strength is just one thing; it is not all there is."

"I'm beginning to see that now," the use of his nickname from a familiar voice took what nerves Peter had left away and he shot the dark-haired man across of him a small smile that was returned and he absently rubbed the Mark on his arm he'd grown to hate. "Thank you for letting me see sense and allowing me to try and make amends."

Sirius stared at him, shifting a bit uneasy after a moment. "Answer me one question. You say you didn't knowingly lead anyone to their deaths...did you kill anyone yourself?"

"No, I only passed information on what the meetings were about and whatever Dumbledore wanted me to tell him. I didn't take the initiation ritual to get..."

"All right," Sirius spoke over him, cutting him off. "So you would be willing to swear on your magic you've never killed anyone?"

"Yes, it was a reward for providing useful information," Peter didn't need to hesitate about that one, aware Sirius would probably be the one who'd know what the initiation ritual entitled and understandably want to know about that. "I always managed to prevent..."

He trailed off as Sirius stared at him with an unreadable expression for another long moment and Peter self-consciously rubbed his arm again when Sirius leaned over him in an awkward position. "Your arm's hurting you? Can I see it for a moment?"

"I...I'm not proud of it," Peter whispered as he allowed Sirius to pull up his sleeve and run his thumb over the ugly mark. Now more than ever he resented the brand on his arm that would forever remind him of what he'd done, of what he had almost done to his friends.

"Hmmm," Sirius pulled out a cloth, wet it with a bottle from his pocket and wrapped it around the Mark, tying it before pushing his sleeve back down again. "There, now you don't have to think about it any more."

"If only it were that easy, but thank you," Peter gave a small smile at the clear attempt to make him feel better.

"We've got company," Sirius rose to his feet, waving Peter off to remain seated and Peter's heart hammered in his throat as footsteps came closer.