I am going to hell. Now I know what all of you are thinking, 'no shit Sherlock', it has been well known ever since my actions were revealed to our world where I will end up in death; I have known from the first plot, all those years ago, and now with the time drawing nearer you will understand too. Yes I am going to hell in the next great adventure, but not for the reasons you think.
It all comes down to prophecy, to the one born as the seventh month dies. So much could have been different, I think, so many ways that our lives could have been changed. Had Lily been a little less sure; had the Potter's been a little more traditional; If Sirius hadn't hated his family quite so much; Had Remus not been a werewolf; and me, had I not already lost a brother to prophecy. Even with our strange upbringings all of us guys considered going along with the prophecy, if only for a moment. Lily took care of that, right quick, she hexed our heads back on straight after she heard us beginning to plan for the prophecy. That was what had snapped her from the horrified stupor that she found herself in after Dumbledore recited the prophecy: 'The one to defeat the dark lord approaches… born as the seventh month dies… born to those who have thrice defied him… and he shall have the power the dark lord knows not… and one must die at the hand of the other… for neither can live while the other survives… the one to defeat the dark lord approaches… born as the seventh month dies… and fates child, the chosen sacrifice… with his death shall bring a new era, a golden age of peace'. It was our decision that night that will send me to my friends, to hell; we set out to break a prophecy and we have succeeded; now when death comes I will greet him and the suffering he brings.
That night we planned and plotted, looked for every eventuality, but how does that muggle saying go; 'Best laid plans of mice and men' and all those other clichés. Neville Longbottom and Harry Potter the two children of prophecy, while the Longbottoms were, like all other pureblooded families, ecstatic about the potential for their son to be a part of a prophecy, we were not going to let either child become a sacrifice to this world or any other. Every plan we had was about getting those two away, getting them safe. No matter what we would protect them, and so the hardest sacrifices were planned and fail safes were put into place, and above all Dumbledore must not know.
If all had gone well Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom would have disappeared and in their place would have been Henry Lupine and Neil Lupine twin sons of Selene Lupine, with their wolf-dog Rem, they would have been raised in America and never found. Sirius would have taken a potion to change him permanently to a she, locking her memories away and taking on an entire new identity for the rest of her life raising 'her children' in the muggle world away from magic. Remus would have locked himself into the guise of a wolf/mutt mix, their faithful dog, finishing a spell created by Lily to tie protecting the boys into his very being. I would be in Azkaban for the rest of my life, a branded Death Eater and a traitor to both causes as I gave up as many of the marked as I could. Lily and James would be dead, so would the Longbottoms, though they were not in on the plan. Heh, the best laid plans of mice and men indeed.
We planned for every eventuality, a plan A-Z for every possible outcome, except that one. We never considered what would happen if both Sirius and Remus were caught after plan A began, if their failsafe was activated after I gave up the Secret of the Potters to my lord. We agreed that no one must know of our plans, and with the headmaster's frequent use of Legilmancy, Lily created a spell that would wipe our memories of all incriminating evidence and replace them with a false set of memories should our secret come close to discovery, smart as she was she then tied those charms together so we would all know that the plan had been compromised. Sirius and Remus were to pick up the two boys as the dark lord was attacking, using the confusion of the wards breaking to slip from Dumbledore's 'protective' reach. As my lord apperated away I felt the charms Sirius activate, and knew we needed to turn to the plan we called Sirius D, first I said a few word to Barty Crouch Jr., then I ran making sure my former friend would be able to track me. Plan Sirius D was in the event that Sirius was compromised and under the assumption that we failed to save Harry, Remus and I were to focus our attention to the other prophecy child and steal away with him. I faked my own death, sending Sirius to Azkaban like the plan dictated and began to make my way to the meeting point where Remus would be waiting with a potion and the child we would run away with when I felt Remus's charm activate as well.
Without a plan, and knowing we failed, I did the only thing I could do I became a pet to a wizarding family. I was hoping that I would hear new about Neville and be able to formulate a new plan from there and what news did I hear but both of the children survived where their parents couldn't, and I was stuck. As a marked Death Eater I could not approach either of the homes without setting of every alarm there was, not to mention as a dead man I would ruin all the planning. I couldn't leave because I had sworn to protect them however I could, and I couldn't approach anyone because of the charms Lily had in place, even Remus. So I watched, and I waited, eventually returning to Hogwarts as Scabbers. I saw, and heard about, the adventures that the Trio got up to. I was so close to my charges but unable to do much more than bite that thug's knuckles. Then came their third year, I knew where Sirius was headed; knew what he remembered as the truth. I had helped create the failsafe memories after all.
Lily's failsafe was a thing of beauty, I doubt that anyone will ever be able to fully understand exactly how she did it, let alone replicate it. She explained it as a conditional memory charm, with a full set of memories tied to it depending on what part of the charm activated, yes part, each of us were part of the spell itself. Because it was Sirius that fell first he remembered me being the secret keeper and suspecting Moony, and him suggesting the switch. He also remembers the three of us distancing ourselves from Moony and me sowing distrust between them. While Moony, since he fell second tapped into the Sirius set of memories as his own formed. He remembered us pulling away, and overhearing Sirius trying to convince Lily and James that he was the spy, he remembers the agony that the wolf put him through for the loss of hid pack. Most of all he remembers confiding in me and having me agree that Sirius is the most likely suspect as the traitor. Had Remus fallen first they would have remember everyone believing Remus to be the secret keeper while all of our memories would have been adjusted accordingly. It was the same for each of the five of us a full set of memories for each of us adjusted by who Dumbledore got to first. That was why Lily Evans was considered the smartest witch of her age.
At the end of Harry's third year I escaped, losing my ability to know what is going on in my charges lives; with nowhere to turn I executed a hastily made plan. Dumbledore could not directly sacrifice either child so long as my lord was active, it was only the belief that one or the other might still be needed to destroy the dark lord that has stayed his hand thus far. I sought out my lord, stayed a loyal death eater, and helped resurrect a menace that would kill thousands. I made Barty believe that my lord wished for the portkey that was the Triwizard Cup to be two way, so he could introduce himself to the world properly. Though I made it seem as if I tried to dissuade my lord from using Harry's blood, I had hoped that even the Headmaster would be smart enough to know that blood wards would no longer protect Harry after the resurrection, thus removing him from Lily's vile sister. After that failure I tried so hard to arrange things while remaining within the scope of my role, but where five can arrange one can only plot on a much more limited scope. With Dumbledore so recently dead, and with his death the only other who knows the truth about the prophecy is gone, I know that my journey to hell will begin within the year. I have charmed this letter in the only way that I can and still impart the knowledge needed to set the record straight, It will appear only if the dark lord has been killed and the children of prophecy, the potential sacrifices', are alive.
Sincerely Yours
Peter Pettigrew
P.S: In order to show you the truth of this I have written it in my own blood.
P.S.S: There are two vials filled with memories accompanying this letter, the first is the memory of our planning for the prophecy, the other is a short collection of memories of your parents throughout the years. It has been sitting for as long as you have been alive and it is yours now Harry.
Harry Potter sat heavily, and abruptly, on the chair when he finished reading the letter. His face was pale as he handed the letter, shaking slightly, to his best friends. The three twenty year olds had been enjoying an afternoon for just the three of them when this letter had appeared before him. Knowing that appearing letters never meant good news, but still unable to restrain his curiosity, he read it, and then read it a second and third time before it truly sank in. The entire second war was started to break a prophecy? He heard a gasp from his oldest and dearest female friend, Hermione, and saw the pale white, though slightly less shocked, face of his first friend Ron as they both read the letter.
"Could it be faked?" he asked Hermione, knowing she had far more knowledge than him and Ron combined.
She muttered a brief charm which caused the letter first to glow red then blue and said, "No, this letter was written entirely in wizarding blood, which means that everything written is true. "
"Merlin" Ron Breathed, "Do you know what this means?"
This is it, my viginette. Anyone who feels inspired please accept my challenge:
First, Start with this story (with the proper credit given of course), completely unedited
Second Hermione and Ron must not betray Harry, bonus points to those who can include them as a ship but not a requirement
Third Ron has become a politician, non corrupt
Fourth it is post series entirely, meaning in cannon through the end of the seventh book
Fifth, and most important LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU POST SOMETHING, PLEASE!!!