"I don't know what to expect. Peter was kind to me last time, so I'm not dreading it," Narcissa told the three boys sitting in front of her. Sirius, Remus, and Severus gathered in the Slytherin common room to check up on her before her second outing with Peter.

"If Peter were always nice, you wouldn't have to be doing this in the first place," Sirius warned, his head low.

"We'll be nearby in the Forbidden Forest, so if he tries anything, the three of us are prepared," Remus assured her.

"Thank you, all of you," Narcissa smiled. The four resumed a routine of exchanging homework answers and studying before Sirius and Remus returned to Gryffindor Tower.

"At least we'll be through with him after this," Sirius huffed. "He's deranged for doing this."

"On the flipside, Narcissa seems to be enjoying her time with him. What if he continues to hang out with her?" Remus asked worriedly. "But she wouldn't, right? Not after what he did to us," Remus paused for validation, but Sirius stayed silent. "Does she know why she's doing this?" Remus questioned, his voice sterner.

"I didn't know if I should tell her or not," Sirius explained. "Of course I trust her, but we didn't need to tell her for her to do it anyway."

"But we do need to tell her for her to stop. Would you want your cousin hanging out with him?" Remus asked.

"Obviously not, but there is still a possibility that someone could find out. We have to get rid of Peter as a threat entirely," Sirius stated.

"We're not killing Peter," Remus responded firmly.

"Of course not, but this requires something else. We have to speak to James," Sirius revealed.

"Why? All he's done is be a prick this year," Remus scoffed, shuffling on the couch in the common room.

"But he has information we don't. He knows about all of the awful things Peter has supposedly done over the years," Sirius unveiled.

"Why can't we ask Narcissa? Didn't he tell her already?" Remus proposed.

"It wouldn't be as reliable. James could have changed the story to fit with his goal. It's more likely we'll get an honest answer if we ask him directly," Sirius clarified.

"We'll talk to him tomorrow morning before breakfast. He's at Quidditch practice now anyway, so we might as well rest until then," Remus suggested.

"What makes you think he'll do it for us?" Sirius asked, adjusting his hair.

"Because up until recently, we were calling him our brother," Remus stated, shutting off the lights.

Sirius lay awake, thinking of Remus's words. He recalled the time he and James put on a two-person show for Peter and Remus. Peter cheered the pair on, while Remus shifted his focus from his best friends to the book in his arms.

"What made James so resentful of me," Sirius wondered, further grasping onto the memory. "It was around the same time Peter started to act strangely as well," Sirius thought, shutting his eyes. Nothing beneficial would come of being tired in the morning.

James returned to the dormitory late, as he had to pay a visit to Madam Pomfrey. While at practice, he was hit by a bludger from his fellow teammate. He couldn't tell which one, as he had a slight concussion. However, Madam Pomfrey swiftly healed him and hesitantly sent him on his way.

"Good thing that rodent isn't here," James reflected, approaching his bed. He changed into his pajamas and sat up. He had to practically beg Madam Pomfrey to allow him to stay in his dorm overnight, but eventually, he persuaded her. However, she gave him very explicit instructions, one of which being not to engage in any sudden movements.

James glanced at Remus and Sirius, both in a deep sleep. He couldn't help but drift off himself shortly afterward. When James woke, the pair were already getting their belongings together for the day. Madam Pomfrey excused James of his classes, so he remained in his position on the pillow.

"Good morning James, may we speak with you for a moment?" Remus asked, grabbing his wand from the dresser.

"Sure, what about?" James hesitantly responded, slowly rising to sit up on the bed, using his elbows for support.

"We wanted to talk to you about what you told Narcissa about Peter while you two were in a fight. The stories you told her that made her stay away from him," Remus continued, fidgeting with his hands behind his robes.

"Oh, well, it doesn't matter anyway, what I said wasn't true, and they seem to be on good terms now," James stammered.

"James, we've known you for years; we can tell when you're lying," Sirius spoke, looking down James.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anything. I have nothing to say," James shrugged, leaning back down and pretending to go back to sleep. Remus and Sirius scoffed, exiting the room.

"That was useless," Sirius announced, walking beside Remus to the Great Hall.

"Not entirely; you were right; he's hiding something. If we know he's lying, it'll be easier for us to figure out what he's lying about," Remus pointed out.

"I guess you're right, but where would we start?" Sirius questioned.

"Well, everything we've been through recently is connected to Peter, so what if he's involved somehow?" Remus suggested.

"Possibly, but how? We know what James said is probably true, so why would he have to lie to us? He's no closer to Peter than he is to us," Sirius added.

"What if Peter is doing the same thing to James as he's doing to us. That's why James has been acting strangely ever since the train," Remus gathered, gently sitting on the bench of the Slytherin table.

"What would Peter have over James? He didn't have anything to hide," Sirius argued, taking the seat opposite Remus.

"People that don't have anything to hide don't lie about it," Remus concluded, stopping the conversation as Severus walked over.