A/N: I do not own Harry Potter or the Advent of the Archmage. They are owned by J.K. Rowling and Mo Xiang respectively.

Peter was having the worst time of his life. For eleven years he lived in semi-luxury. He was cared for, bathed, fed, and played with. Interacted with people even if by happenstance. Enjoyed the anonymity being an animal afforded him. He took the thought of what life would be like as an animal and lived through it.

Life was not perfect, but he was content.

He was stress-free.

That was shattered the first day he met Rose Potter. She looks so much like her mother, but with her father's hair, and the need for glasses. He was not afraid that she might recognise him, after all, they met when she was but a babe. Though the possibility still existed.

Even then it was only cursory. A passing thought that triggered his flight or fight response from his animal brain. Becoming an animagus influences one's thoughts to match that of their animal. Rather, their personality is tied together with the animal from the get-go. However, given that he was in his animal form for 12 years he was even more influenced by his animal characteristic.

That means he has become more skittish than he was originally. He adopted a few of its habits as well. Namely rapid eye movements in constant search of a threat.

What truly triggered his danger sense was when he saw the boy Rose was always around. Link. That boy was dangerous. At first, he did not understand his animals' instincts. Could not comprehend how an eleven-year-old boy freshly introduced to the magical world could possibly pose a threat to him. He may not be the best wizard around, but he was still slightly above average.

So he observed.

He understood now.

A mind so sharp very little escapes his notice. A body well maintained through muggle physical effort, giving him a martial advantage over most wizards. A talent so monstrous even naming him a genius would be an insult. He was sure there was more. He was not with the boy all the time. However, from the rumours spread around, he was sure there was more.

Every time Peter was near the boy he would feel restless. As though at any moment his charade would be spotted. But it never came. For two years, Link never suspected him. Thankfully he wasn't in Gryffindor otherwise Peter wasn't sure how he would cope with that stress.

He relaxed when they were in Egypt, as far away from that boy as possible. Yet, he was baffled when news of Lucius Malfoy's death was announced. Although the cause of death was relegated to a mere magical illness, his animal instincts interpreted this as a sign of danger. The stress level was so high that he fell slightly ill during the trip. Thankfully it wasn't anything serious.

He can't believe that his 12-year stint was over… all because of a Merlin damned cat.

"Pettigrew?"

The word echoed amongst the stunned crowd. Like a ripple in a calm lake, its effect was felt all over.

A reporter for the Daily Prophet was also among the crowd. He was just taking the day off with his family. Strolling around the Alley, while his daughter was too young to attend Hogwarts yet, there were quite a few things they can do other than shopping for school supplies. Like getting ice cream in Fortescue.

He had left his daughter and wife at the shop while he came over to find out what the commotion was.

Emotion bubbled in him as he was finally at the right place and the right time for a golden story.

Pushing his way to the forefront, Dean took out his notepad and started asking questions before the crowd could become too loud.

"Are you sure that is Pettigrew?"

"Positive, I met him before"

"But how, wasn't he reported killed? By Sirius Black?"

That was as far as he could get before the crowd exploded into hurried shouts and stunned whispers. The name of he-who-must-not-be-named's second in command was enough to jar them from their reverie.

"Isn't this great, we found the man. He was not killed."

"Right? That means he escaped"

"Wonderful"

There were cheers amongst the crowd. They thought it a good thing that the man was found alive. Completely neglecting the fact he was caught by the Aurors for being discovered as an animagus. A rat. For twelve years.

Fortunately not all present were so simple-minded. Kingsley Shacklebolt is a man of great stature and insight. He is the Head Auror in the DMLE. Second only to Madam Bones.

So it is no surprise that he smelled foul play a mile away.

"I wouldn't be so sure"

That silenced the masses, as they were confused.

"For one, why was he hiding for so long? I would understand for a few months to make sure that Sirius Black was captured, but twelve years? Missing for that long? And as a rat to boot. Not even out of the country. Seems oddly suspicious"

Dean was writing everything down. This was amazing news. He didn't even have to ask the questions himself. The crowd did it for him.

"Take him to the holding cells at the DMLE. Madam Bones must be made aware of this. Something seems odd about this"

With that, the Aurors apparated away with their prisoner. Slowly the crowd was dispersing, leaving Dean able to narrow down another piece of the story. The Weasleys; they were the owners of the rat animagus. He had to find out about their thoughts.

"Excuse me… Excuse me… Dean Locke, Daily Prophet" he could see their eyes widening at his introduction, unsure of how to react. "What are your thoughts on what just happened? How does it feel to suddenly discover that your pet was an animagus?"

The father stepped forward, likely to end this quickly.

"We are shocked, furious and disgusted. Imagine for one moment that this… This fiend was present in our home for 12 years. He ate our food, he slept in our beds. He had free reign in the house, he could go wherever he pleased. Think about that last part for a moment. Any. place. he. Pleased. The bathroom? Our children's rooms? Their most private of lives has been exposed. He's damn well lucky he was held by the Aurors, with what we would have done to him."

That stunned him. That was not what he was expecting. The story got all the more interesting. The world needs to know the truth now.

The air was stale. No source of life anywhere near.

The holding cells of the DMLE are mostly used for minor offences or intermediaries before either a trial or a transfer.

Currently, the cells housed one particular man, once thought dead. Yet here he lays, breathing, and very much alive.

As the man is an animagus, he is under constant surveillance and for proper measure stunned into inaction for the majority of the time.

Standing before him, Madam Bones and her second in command, Shacklebolt.

"I can't believe it… he's alive."

"Yes, Ma'am. However, I think there is something fishy about this whole situation. Like…"

"Like why was he hiding all this time, why as an animagus. Did he commit any indecent acts as an animagus, and most importantly, what happened 12 years ago with Sirius Black."

She was right of course, she isn't the Head of the DMLE for nothing. Her skills and mental acuity are truly sharp. It is one of the reasons why the Aurors under her respect her so much. She is truly a cut above the rest. He didn't even think about the part that he might have committed acts of paedophilia. He hoped to Merlin that the rat did not.

"Bring him here, get a vial of Veritaserum with you. It's time we find out the truth."

"Yes Ma'am"

Shortly after, Peter Pettigrew was brought into a secure room for interrogation. He was quickly restrained, the door was locked first before enervating him.

The effect was immediate, the man started squirming and squeaking. Just when it seemed he was about to transform, 5 wands were pointed straight at him. Startling him into inaction.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You are in a lot of trouble Pettigrew, I wonder where we should start?"

Looking straight at the person talking, Peter tried to go for amicability.

"Amelia… It's been soo long. James always used to say you were a great mentor in his days at the DMLE. I heard that…\"

"Shut it… I have a few questions… Answer the question and nothing but the question. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Good, since when were you an animagus?"

"Oh, it was a fairly new discovery. If this is about my illegal situation, don't worry I will register as soon as possible"

"Uh-huh… and where were you for 12 years?"

"Oh here and there. Had to make sure none of the Death Eaters know I'm alive. Sorry for misleading the world."

Everyone present was incredulous. How stupid did you have to be to believe such absurdities? For one, they apprehended him because he was disguised as the Weasley's pet rat for 12 years.

A lie on two counts. Reason to enforce Veritaserum.

She didn't have to speak. All it took was a glance for one of the Aurors to march forward and take out the vial containing the Truth Serum.

"Hey… what are you doing? Stop… STOP…"

Struggle as he might, Peter couldn't stop the potion from being forced down his throat. All it took was a few seconds for this powerful concoction to take effect.

His eyes stared vacantly ahead, ignorant of the world around them. His entire being slacked, as his brain became temporarily hard-wired to only uttering the truth.

"Let's start over, shall we?" started Madam Bones, her demeanour much more serious than previously. "When did you become an animagus?"

"It happened in our fifth year at Hogwarts."

"Our? Who else?"

"James and Sirius"

That startled some of them. They didn't know Sirius was an animagus. That put some ill at ease.

"Where were you for the past 12 years?"

"I was hiding at the Weasley's estate as their pet"

"Why were you hiding?"

"I was afraid"

"Afraid from whom?"

"Sirius Black and other Death Eaters"

"I understand Sirius Black, but why would the other Death eaters be after you?"

"They might think I betrayed them"

That was another revelation that shocked the occupants of the cell. What does he mean by betrayed?

"How would they think you betrayed them?"

"They might think that our Lord's downfall was because of me."

"Who is your Lord?"

"The Dark Lord"

The more things are unveiled the more alarmed the group of Aurors gets. It feels as though they were peaking into a conspiracy with all the events unfolding before their eyes.

"What happened on the 1st of November, 1981 during your confrontation with Sirius Black?"

"I was running away from Sirius. He had me cornered in a muggle street. I knew it was over for me then. So I did the only thing I could. I severed my finger, which managed to stun him for a bit. Long enough for me to send an explosion curse at the street. I was lucky there was a gas pipe there. It did more damage than I had intended. Though that gave me time to run away and hide while Sirius tried to save the people."

With every word that was uttered, a sinking feeling of dread and repulsion grew in their stomach.

"Y-you… You mean Sirius Black did not try to kill you?"

"No, if Sirius wanted me dead I would have died. He is much more powerful than I am."

"Why was Sirius chasing you?"

"Because I gave up the Potter location to the Dark Lord."

That was a bomb none of them expected.

"Does that mean Sirius Black is innocent?"

"No, Sirius black is guilty of a lot of pranks, illegal animagus status, and…"

"Stop, I meant was he the Potter family secret keeper?"

"No, I was"

The information hit them hard… It took them a while to process what they just heard.

Madam Bones was the first to spring to action.

"Hurry, someone transfer Sirius Black from Azkaban to the holding cells. Get a healer present for him as well. Lock up this piece of shit too. Extra surveillance. I need to report to the Minister. We need an emergency Wizengamot meeting. The trial must go on post haste."

Like a well-oiled machine, every member of the group was quick to start their task. Two of them initiated the transfer process, Sirius should be in the Ministry Holding Cells in 2 hours. The other two restrained Peter again and escorted him to his cell. They got 3 more people to keep close surveillance on the rat. Just before he was taken away, Amelia asked a question that shook everyone to their soul.

"We found two wands on you. Who does the second wand belong to?"

"That was the Dark Lord's"

The very air was frozen as she stared in horror at the wand in her hand. She was half tempted to just throw it away. She kept it, she would make sure to destroy it after the trial.

Finally, Madam Bones made her way up to the Minister's office.

Things were about to get messy.

"What in the name of Merlin is going on?" said the Minister, his voice containing wheezing that detracted from his seriousness. "Why are we transferring an Azkaban prisoner? And why is the DMLE in full mobilisation? The people are going frantic. The Ministry must not be a cause for panic."

"Apologies Minister, however, the situation calls for such drastic measures. We have located Peter Pettigrew. He was not dead but rather a rat animagus in hiding." She hated dealing with the oafish man. He was never easy, incredibly biased and quickly susceptible to pressure from the public.

"Well, that's great news. A Hero back from the dead. The people will love that. I can see it already, 'Hero escapes death and returns triumphant'. I must call the Prophet." Did she mention stupid? Because she should have.

"That's not it, Minister. We believe there is something wrong with the original story. So we have done our investigation and found out that Pettigrew is, in fact, not a hero. But rather the criminal we should have been prepared for."

"Preposterous. If that were the case, then the Ministry made a mistake. And the Ministry never makes mistakes. Am I right, Madam Bones?" there was a darkish quality to his voice, one far removed from his character. Though, it is not entirely surprising. He had a ruthless side that allowed him to claw his way to the highest position in the British Magical Ministry.

Any other might have quailed under the veiled threat, however as stated before, Amelia is not an ordinary woman. She was head of the DMLE, she was also the Lady of House Bones, with alliances throughout the 'Gamot. Not to mention Dumbledore himself that is in her corner. That man may not be entirely Politically savvy, but he cares for the future of Magical Britain, and with inconceivable influence.

So there was nothing to fear.

However, before she could utter a single word in defence, the Minister continued.

"Of course, we don't. Cover up the situation. We will talk with Pettigrew and get a good story out of this. Everyone wins."

Before the conversation could get any further, the Minister was presented with the latest issue of the Prophet from his assistant.

There on the front pages was a title that clipped the sails from his speech.

"Peter Pettigrew: Hero or Rat?"

The article goes on to explain what happened earlier this morning in the Alley, depicting the scene and emphasising the intrigue of the case to the public. Questions were raised, like why was he hiding, who was he hiding from and most importantly why was he a pet rat residing with a family for 12 years. Did he see anything he shouldn't? Was there any untoward action taken by the man? All in all, it painted Pettigrew in a very negative light, forstalling any and all action the minister wanted to take. The fact that this incident was the Ministry's fault was also pointed out.

Fudge wanted to rage and scream. His most powerful weapon worked against him. The press was supposed to highlight him in a good light. Not these controversial stories.

"In this case, they did Minister. If you are that worried about your reputation, you can just dump all the negative connotations to the previous Ministry, and that yours is a just and fair system. Don't you think that is an incredible angle for the people to see you in?"

Like a child distracted from his tantrum, the Minister went glass-eyed as he pictured such a scene. Nodding in determination, he expressed the direction in his most authoritative voice.

"For the good of the people, we must rectify our predecessor's mistakes"

Rolling her eyes, Amelia nodded her head in ascent and started the process of calling for an emergency meeting, which happened to coincide with the final debate regarding Link's issue. 'Good for the lad'

Three things contribute to the insanity of the victims of Azkaban. The first and most obvious is the soul-sucking wraiths that roam freely around the walkways of the massive prison, including their oppressive aura.

Second is the bone-biting cold that permeates their very being. Imagine being stuck in a freezer most of the time, with terrible thoughts. That seems to be all it takes, and most would agree. But there is one more, far less obvious but equally as important to the loss of coherence.

All inmates are confined to their cells with no chance of exit. Imagine living in a 5m by 5m room with only a bed and a toilet. No source of entertainment, no source of distraction, and thanks to the wards and location of the prison, no source of light. Only enough to see, but nothing more than that.

Day in and Day out. Even without those monsters, you will slowly but surely lose all coherent thought. Humans are social creatures by nature. Even the most introverted among us, get out of the house every now and then. These poor souls were denied even that very right. They were stripped of everything.

Sirius had nothing to do but nap and sleep every day. Starvation did its part to make even those two activities strenuous. Ever try to sleep hungry? It's very difficult, made ten times worse by the fact that they were in a constant state of hunger. Fed just enough to not die, but in no way is it enough to sustain any form of energy.

Had they not been magical in nature, they would all have died off within a year of their stay. However, their magic works against them and keeps them alive for longer.

The only reason he is not completely lost is the thought that he was innocent and that Rose needed him. That sooner or later he will need to be there for her. That she will need him. He will be there for her. Nothing, not even Azkaban would stop him from helping her.

Though after 12 years that thought, more like obsession at this point, is slowly but surely losing its strength. He is not sure how much longer he can hold on. Maybe he should try and escape. His animal form is slim enough to slip through these bars. Surely he can make it, the swim might be long, tiring with freezing water, but Sirius is sure he can make it.

Imagine his surprise when he hears approaching footsteps for the second time in a week. A never before seen anomaly. Just when he thought of escaping. 'Did they… Nah… but could they… nahhh… however…'

Regardless, he shifted back to his human form and sat down, waiting for their arrival.

Two Aurors made their presence known in front of his cell. Their countenance is not as hostile as it was last week.

"Twice in a week. Do you miss me?"

"Black, you are to be transferred to the Ministry holding cell, we…"

A barking laugh interrupted the one speaking.

"Finally decided to grant me a trial? Took you long enough"

The casual talk stunned them. They were told the man was highly cognisant and perfectly sane, however, they took that as an over-exaggeration. How can a man survive Azkaban for so long and still be fine? Surely they were wrong.

They weren't… Sure he is not perfect, however, at most Sirius seems to be stir crazy and that is common amongst people even outside of prison, to only be stir crazy after 12 years in Azkaban is a feat worthy of an Order of Merlin: second-class at least.

Regardless, they had to bring him along. Paperwork done, and the transfer was successful.

Sirius Black is now a resident of the holding cells of the Ministry until the day of the trial.

Through all that hustle and bustle, there was one tiny detail they forgot. The official letter sent to Link Granger to attend his hearing and prove without a shadow of a doubt that he wasn't cheating.

10 days before Hogwarts resumes, the Granger residents received a letter.

The family was in the living room, playing a round of Monopoly, though it was before things got out of hand.

Rose was introduced to yet another thing she lacked growing up, board games.

Imagine their surprise when an Owl swoops in through the open window, landing before Link, messing up the board in the process.

The night bird extends its foot, indicating the official-looking letter attached.

Taking the letter, Link read through its content with Rose reading over his shoulder.

It was her indignant shout that alerted the rest of the family to the bad news the missive contained.

"What? How can they think you cheated?"

"It's understandable, I passed the O.W.L.'s three years earlier than the norm."

"Just because they can't do something doesn't mean you can't. This is ridiculous."

"Yeah, but I'm not worried, I can prove I didn't cheat. Unless they try to play dirty."

There it is, something she has heard multiple times before. Direct and indirect. The wizarding world is extremely biased against muggles and muggle-born. She knew that, but she didn't think it would affect them in any way outside a few jeers from jealous classmates.

However, the very government places muggle-borns in a difficult place. It's a new type of helplessness that she hadn't experienced before. Near-death experiences are terrifying, however, there is a switch flipped at those moments that just urges you to survive at any and all cost. You can fight and struggle with every inch of your being and every little effort contributes to your survival.

Unfortunately, this does not translate to the political world. Every little action will be used against you, words twisted and moulded to paint you as the villain. Every word must be measured. Every action controlled.

As though you were waddling through a minefield.

"Want to come along?"

Link's calm voice jars her from her spiralling thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Do you want to come along?"

"Can I?"

"Of course. Also as the future Lady Potter, the sole heiress to the Potter family, you will have a spot in the wizengamot. It will do you good to experience how a session proceeds."

His words were akin to a lighthouse in the middle of a storm. Her ship finally has a destination in sight. Link may be powerful. He may be a genius. However, he is still discriminated against simply for being born as a muggle. His life is in the hands of those with political power.

Well, not if she had a say. As a member, she can become the voice of the voiceless in the political arena. She would be able to have a true impact. She would be more than simple moral support while Link risks his life. She can make it so that his efforts are not in vain. That he will get more than what life will allot him.

"Yeah. I'll be with you"

Her eyes glowed with a strength previously absent in the young girl. There was a sharpness to them, akin to a predator stalking its prey. The young Potter finally had a goal to work towards.

A/N: Hope you enjoy the story.