Chapter Thirty-Five: Acts of Mercy
"NO!" Pettigrew dropped to his knees like a man in prayer, shuffling forward towards Sirius. "Sirius—it's me . . . it's Peter . . . your friend . . . you wouldn't . . ." Sirius kicked out and Pettigrew immediately fell back, "There's enough filth on my robes without you touching them!" he spat.
"Remus!" Pettigrew squeaked, turning imploringly to Remus. "You can't believe this . . . wouldn't Sirius have told you if they changed the plan? Wouldn't he have told Cassie?" Remus looked at Sirius rather than at Pettigrew. "Not if he never got the chance," he said softly. Sirius smiled weakly at Remus, "Forgive me, Remus."
"You don't have anything to be sorry for." Sirius's faint smile widened oh so slightly. Pettigrew blanched and turned beseechingly to Cassie. "Cassie, Cassie, you're a good woman, a religious woman," he said pleadingly. "Surely you can forgive . . . AHH!" Cassie brought her wand down in a slashing motion and Pettigrew scrambled backwards clasping his hand which now bore a pain red welt . "The last time I checked, murder is mortal sin!" Pettigrew turned his gaze pleadingly to Snape. The potion's master never said a word; he simply raised his wand and pointed it straight at Pettigrew's heart. His face filled with disgust. "Shall we kill him together?" Sirius asked grimly, pushing up his ragged sleeves.
"Yes, I think so," Remus said bleakly. He too was pushing up his sleeves. Pettigrew gave a cry of terror and took his pleading to the horrified children. He scrambled first to Ron. "Ron . . . haven't I been a good pet . . . a good friend? You won't let them kill me, Ron, will you . . . you're on my side aren't you?" Pettigrew pleaded, clutching at his former master's leg.
Ron stared at his former pet in utter revulsion. "I let you sleep in my bed!" he said, wrenching his leg from Pettigrew's quivering grasp. "Sweet girl . . . clever girl," Pettigrew said, inching towards Hermione and seizing hold of the hem of her robe. "You—you won't let them . . . help me please!" Hermione yanked her robes from Pettigrew's hands and backed away, looking horrified.
Pettigrew turned on his knees and inched towards Harry. "Harry . . . Harry . . . you look just like your father . . . just like James," Pettigrew said desperately, "James would have shown me mercy. . ." Pale faced and appalled, Harry backed away. In a last ditch effort the man who was once a rat turned towards Alexis who took an unconscious step backwards. "Kind boy . . . clever boy . . . you can make them change their minds . . . you're such a kind boy . . . you wouldn't let them . . ." Alexis angrily shoved Pettigrew's hands away. The very sight of the man disgusted him. Sirius and Remus stepped forward, seized hold of their one time friend's shoulders and threw him to the dusty floor. Pettigrew lay in a pathetic, quivering ball. "You sold James and Lily to Voldemort," Sirius said, he too was shaking.
And with that, Pettigrew dissolved into tears. It was sickening. "Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done?" Pettigrew wailed pathetically. "He—he has weapons you can't even imagine . . . I was scared Sirius, I was never strong like you and Remus and Cassie and James. The Dark Lord forced me--" "Everyone has a choice," Alexis said darkly.
"DON'T LIE!" Sirius bellowed. "YOU WERE PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED!" Pettigrew didn't bother to deny this, he only sobbed harder. "He was taking over everywhere!" he sobbed. "What was there to be gained by refusing him?"
"What was there to be gained?!" Cassie spat harshly, her beautiful face filled with cold fury. "ONLY INNOCENT LIVES!" Pettigrew moaned pathetically, tears streaming down his rat-like face. "What else could I have done?" He would have killed me!" Pettigrew wept. "THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" Sirius shouted.
"DIED RATHER BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!" Remus and Sirius raised their wands. Alexis felt his blood run cold. Pettigrew was going to die. Cassie seized hold of Alexis's arm and pulled him away, keeping her arm securely around him.
"You should have realized," Remus said softly, almost pityingly, "if Voldemort didn't kill you then we would. Goodbye, Peter." Alexis closed his eyes and looked away. "DON'T!" Alexis cried just as Harry stepped in front of Pettigrew. Sirius and Remus stared at them, looking absolutely staggered. "Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents!" Sirius snarled.
"He would have watched you die without turning a hair. His pathetic life meant more to him than your whole family!" "I know," Harry said breathlessly. "We'll take him to the castle . . . He can go to Azkaban . . . but don't kill him." Alexis could have kissed him. "Harry! You—thank you—it's more than I deserve—thank you--" Pettigrew gasped, grasping Harry's knees.
"Get off me!" Harry spat, shoving Pettigrew's grubby hands away. "I didn't do it for you! I did it because I don't reckon my dad would have wanted them to become killers—just for you," Harry murmured. Alexis sighed aloud with relief. Snape was staring at Harry as if he'd never seen anything like him. Sirius turned him haunted gaze on his son.
"And you agree with this?" Sirius croaked. Alexis raised his gaze to meet his father's. Both of them. "You're not murderers," he said simply. Sirius raised his gaze from his son to his sister.
"Cass?" For the longest time, Cassie didn't say a word. The room was deathly quiet save for Pettigrew's whimpers. "All life," she began slowly, "is sacred." Sapphire found grey.
"And it is not our right to take it." Gods be praised. "He can go to Azkaban," Harry repeated. "If anyone deserves that place, he does." Sirius and Remus exchanged a look, then, with one movement, they lowered their wands and Alexis could've cried.
Thank you, Gods thank you! "Oh no you don't!" Apparently, Pettigrew had used their distraction as an opportunity to transform. Unfortunately, Snape was watching. Everyone spun around, wands raised.
BANG! This time a golden cage shot from the end of Snape's wand and trapped the rat. Alexis had never been so grateful for the potion master's presence. While he and the others looked positively floored, Cassie was smiling. Snape summoned the cage into his hands and shoved it rather viciously at a stunned Sirius.
"Sirius," Remus prompted. "Thanks," Sirius murmured. Snape simply sneered, eyes glittering with hatred. "You'll never be innocent in my eyes Black," he hissed. Alexis rolled his eyes, some things never changed.
"Severus, can't we just set aside our difference," Remus said rationally. Snape ignored him and instead spoke to Sirius. "You should thank your sister; she saved your worthless life!" Sirius smiled at Cassie over Snape's shoulder. "I know."
"Right," Remus said, suddenly very business like. He moved over to the four-poster but hesitated. Alexis saw the pain flash in his father's amber eyes. "Cassie, you should probably examine Ron's leg," he said, "he's got a nasty break." Cassie stared at Remus in confusion.
"But you can--" she paused, catching the look in his eyes. "Right," Cassie said slowly, moving to Ron's side. All Alexis felt was anger. Remus was worried Ron wouldn't want him to touch him because of his reaction earlier.
"Get away from me werewolf!" Ron tensed slightly as Cassie bent over him. "A—Are you sure you know what you're doing?" he stammered as she ran her wand over his broken leg. "I've been patching people long before you were born," she said briskly. Ron still watched her with a look of unease as she straightened.
Still the murderer's sister. "Well, lucky for you it's a clean break," Cassie said, tapping Ron's broken leg sharply with her wand. Ron winced slightly only to stare up at Cassie in amazement a second later. Cassie held out her hand and pulled Ron easily to his feet. His leg was as good as new.
He stared up at Cassie in awe, "Thanks." She gave a curt nod and turned instead to Remus. "Does anyone else need patching up?" Remus cast a quick glance around the room and shook his head. "I think everyone should be all right until we reach the castle," he said, though his concerned gaze lingered on Sirius.
Cassie clapped her hands and said, "Wonderful, that was my medical assessment as well." Remus chuckled as Alexis rolled his eyes and shook his head in mock weariness. "Excuse me, sir," Ron said tentatively approaching Sirius, who looked rather stunned at being addressed in such a way. "D—do you think I could carry that?" he asked, nodded at the anti-transformation cage in Sirius's hands. Ron seemed to have taken Scabbers true identity as a personal insult.
After a moment's hesitation, Sirius nodded and handed the cage to Ron. "Well come on!" Snape barked, sweeping out of the room like a great bat. The rest of them followed close behind.