Peter's Pathetic Plea
Subtitled: The REALLY long chapter with loads of canon stuff
that Alphie didn't want to write!
"You shouldn't have done that. You should have left him to me…." Sirius growled, looking over at a startled Harry.
"We attacked a teacher…. We attacked a teacher…." Hermione had gone pale. "Oh, we're going to be in so much trouble –"
Remus struggled awkwardly against his bonds to pull himself upright. There is still so much to explain. I only hope Severus didn't ruin everything. Sirius came to his rescue and untied the ropes. Now, let's do this logically…
"Thank you, Harry," Remus said, standing up and rubbing his aching wrists and arms.
"I'm still not saying I believe you," began Harry in a suspicious voice much deeper than normal.
Remus nodded in agreement. After all, he was finding this all very difficult to believe himself. Everything that he knew – or thought he knew – was a complete falsehood. It was only logical that Harry was having trouble believing it as well.
Sirius eyed Harry and said, "Then it's time we offered you some proof. You, boy– " he turned to Ron. "Give me Peter, please. Now." It wasn't a question. It was a demend.
"Come off it," protested Ron weakly as he clutched Wormtail close to his chest. "Are you trying to say he broke out of Azkaban just to get his hands on Scabbers? I mean…"
Remus and Sirius looked at each other.
"Okay," Ron continued. "Say Pettigrew could turn into a rat – there are millions of rats – how's he supposed to know which one he's after if he was locked up in Azkaban?"
"You know, Sirius, that's a fair question." Ron had a point. And Remus wanted to know the answer just as much as Ron did. He turned to face Sirius expectantly. "How did you find out where he was?"
Sirius frowned at Remus. Reaching into his robes, Sirius pulled out an old copy of The Daily Prophet. He held it up to show Remus and the others the picture on the front page. Remus stared blankly at the photo of the entire Weasley family on the cover. Then comprehension dawned. Dear God—that's a rat on Ron's shoulder…
Remus found his voice. "How did you get this?" Remus asked in amazement, still studying the picture.
"Fudge. When he came to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter, on the front page…on this boy's shoulder…. I knew him at once…how many times had I seen him transform? And the caption said the boy would be going back to Hogwarts…to where Harry was…."
Remus peered closely at the rat in the picture. "My God. His front paw…" His eyes darted from the picture to Wormtail and back to the picture.
"What about it?" Ron asked angrily.
"He's got a toe missing," explained Sirius
"Of course. So simple…so brilliant…he cut it off himself?" Remus looked up at Sirius.
"Just before he transformed." Sirius returned Remus' gaze evenly and Remus knew, with absolute certainty that Sirius Black was totally innocent.
Sirius continued his explanation but Remus barley heard him. He could only think about how negligent he had been in overlooking the fact that Peter could transform. For months now, Remus was trying to convince himself that Sirius was not using Padfoot as his means of escape. And yet, he never once though Peter would have used Wormtail for the very same reason. He almost felt disgusted with himself.
When Sirius finished his story, Remus glanced at Ron and saw his puzzlement. "Didn't you ever hear, Ron? The biggest bit of Peter they found was his finger." Put it together, Ron. I know it's confusing - I just figured it all out myself! But you must put it together!
"Look, Scabbers probably had a fight with another rat or something! He's been in my family for ages, right –"
"Twelve years, in fact," Remus stated. "Didn't you ever wonder why he was living so long?"
"We – we've been taking good care of him!" Ron was pale. Whether from the pain of his injured leg, or the strain of taking in this incredible information, Remus couldn't tell. But Ron was listening. In spite of his protests, he was listening. They all were.
But Remus had to point out the obvious. "Not looking too good at the moment, though, is he? I'd guess he's been losing weight ever since he heard Sirius was on the loose again…"
"He's been scared of that mad cat!" Ron shouted, stabbing a finger in the direction of the cat that sat quietly on the bed.
"This cat isn't mad," protested Sirius. "He's the most intelligent of his kind I've ever met. He recognized Peter for what he was right away. And when he met me, he knew I was no dog. It was a while before he trusted me…. Finally, I managed to communicate to him what I was after, and he's been helping me…."
Remus opened his mouth to ask, but it was Hermione's voice he heard posing the very questions he had.
"What do you mean?" asked Hermione, obviously horrified by the thought that her cat was associating with wanted criminals.
"He tried to bring Peter to me, but couldn't…so he stole the passwords into Gryffindor Tower for me…. As I understand it, he took them from a boy's bedside table…."
Neville! So that's what happened!"But Peter got wind of what was going on and ran for it…. This cat – Crookshanks, did you call him? – told me Peter had left blood on the sheets…. I supposed he bit himself…. Well, faking his own death had worked once…."
The cat managed to do all that? What kind of a cat is this? Surely this cat isn't another animagus?
Remus was just about to ask Hermione about her pet when the tenuous calm of the room was torn apart as Harry broke his silence angrily "And why did he fake his death?" raged Harry. "Because he knew you were about to kill him like you killed my parents!"
"No." I've got to explain! " Harry –"
"And now you've come to finish him off!"
"Yes, I have," acknowledged Sirius, eyes fixed steadily on Wormtail.
"Then I should've let Snape take you!" Harry snapped.
Sirius looked as if he'd been slapped. He turned his gaze to Harry, but said nothing. Harry still doesn't understand!"Harry, don't you see? All this time we've thought Sirius betrayed your parents, and Peter tracked him down – but it was the other way around, don't you see? Peter betrayed your mother and father – Sirius tracked Peter down –"
In a furry unlike any Remus had ever seen, Harry bellowed, "THAT'S NOT TRUE! HE WAS THEIR SECRET-KEEPER! HE SAID SO BEFORE YOU TURNED UP. HE SAID HE KILLED THEM!"
"Harry…I as good as killed them." Sirius met Harry's eyes and his voice softened. "I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as Secret-Keeper instead of me…. I'm to blame, I know it…. The night they died, I'd arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, he'd gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. It didn't feel right. I was scared. I set out for your parents' house straight away. And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies…I realized what Peter must've done…what I'd done…."
Dear God. We can't dwell on this. We need proof.
"Enough of this. There's one certain way to prove what really happened. Ron, give me that rat," commanded Remus.
"What are you going to do with him if I give him to you?" asked Ron, uncertainly.
"Force him to show himself. If he really is a rat, it won't hurt him."
Hesitantly, Ron handed Wormtail over to Remus. The rat squirmed and squeaked, trying to break free. But Remus held on tight, hoping to finally get to the bottom of things. Sirius moved to the unconscious Snape and picked up his wand.
"Ready, Sirius?" Remus asked.
"Together?" he said with newfound determination.
"I think so." Remus held Wormtail out. Both he and Sirius pointed their wands at the struggling Rat. "On the count of three. One – two – THREE!"
The flash of white light was blinding, but Remus didn't take his eyes off of the rat. Suspended in mid air, Wormtail began twisting and contorting wildly. From the bed, he could hear Ron screaming, but paid no attention. We're too close to stop now!
He rat fell to the floor with a thud and another white flash erupted from him. Slowly, a human head shot up from the ground. It was followed by two arms and legs. After a brief moment of disorientation, a much aged Peter Pettigrew looked up at his old friends in pure terror.
Remus gave a twisted smile. "Well, hello, Peter. Long time, no see."
It had been a long time. Remus thought wryly that the years had been little kinder to Peter than they had been to himself. Or to Sirius. Peter's hair was thinning and colorless and his skin was a dirty gray. His pale watery eyes looked shadowed and fearful. But it was indeed Peter Pettigrew – the man for whose murder Sirius had been imprisoned.
Peter was breathing rapidly, wringing his small hands. His eyes twitched nervously to the door and then back to Remus and Sirius standing in front of him. "S – Sirius…R – Remus…. My friends…my old friends…" He stammered.
Sirius' anger flared and he raised his wand to curse the traitor. Giving him a warning look, Remus grabbed Sirius' arm and forced it down. Not like that, Sirius. We have to do this properly.
"We've been having a little chat, Peter," Remus began, "about what happened the night Lily and James died. You might have missed the finer points while you were squeaking around down there on the bed –"
Peter shook his head in disbelief. "Remus, you don't believe him, do you…? He tried to kill me, Remus…."
"So we've heard," Remus said coldly. "I'd like to clear up one or two little matters with you, Peter, if you'd be so –"
"He's come to try and kill me again!" Peter interrupted, pointing his middle finger at Sirius. "He killed Lily and James and now he's going to kill me too…. You've got to help me, Remus…."
Remus looked at Sirius. His eyes had narrowed and his lips were pursed. Remus knew Peter was in real danger – that if Sirius had his way, Peter would be dead by now. But Remus couldn't allow that to happen in front of the children without real proof first. They needed to know…Remus needed to know.
Remus said firmly, "No one's going to try and kill you until we've sorted a few things out." Remus made sure Sirius caught the full weight of his promise.
"Sorted things out?" Peter's eyes flew around the room, looking for a way out. "I knew he'd come after me! I knew he'd be back for me! I've been waiting for this for twelve years!"
What? That doesn't add up. "You knew Sirius was going to break out of Azkaban? When nobody has ever done it before?" asked Remus
Peter paused momentarily, as if caught in a lie. Then he shrieked, "He's got dark powers the rest of us can only dream of! How else did he get out of there? I suppose He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named taught him a few tricks!"
Sirius laughed loudly. "Voldemort, teach me tricks?"
Peter jumped back, cringing at what Sirius had said.
"What, scared to hear your old master's name?" Black pressed. "I don't blame you, Peter. His lot aren't very happy with you, are they?"
"Don't know what you mean, Sirius –" Sweat dripped off of Peter's tense face.
Sirius took a step closer to Peter and Remus nearly grabbed him back. But Sirius didn't attack with his wand or his fist – he attacked with words. "You haven't been hiding from me for twelve years. You've been hiding from Voldemort's old supporters. I heard things in Azkaban, Peter…. They all think you're dead, or you'd have to answer to them…. I've heard them screaming all sorts of things in their sleep. Sounds like they think the double-crosser double-crossed them. Voldemort went to the Potters' on your information…and Voldemort met his downfall there. And not all Voldemort's supporters ended up in Azkaban, did they? There are still plenty out here, biding their time, pretending they've seen the error of their ways…. If they ever got wind that you were still alive, Peter –"
Remus took a deep breath, knowing full well what Sirius was implying.
"Don't know…what you're talking about…" Peter stuttered and wiped his wet face off with the back of his sleeve. Maintaining his innocence, he looked up at Remus, "You don't believe this – this madness, Remus –"
Remus swallowed. "I must admit, Peter, I have difficulty in understanding why an innocent man would want to spend twelve years as a rat."
"Innocent, but scared! If Voldemort's supporters were after me, it was because I put one of their best men in Azkaban – the spy, Sirius Black!"
"How dare you," barked Sirius, offended at the implication. His shoulders straightened and he drew up to his full height, making him look more like the man he had once been. "I, a spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than myself? But you, Peter – I'll never understand why I didn't see you were the spy from the start. You always liked big friends who'd look after you, didn't you? It used to be us…me and Remus…and James…."
Peter was no almost gasping for breath. "Me, a spy…must be out of your mind…never…don't know how you can say such a –"
"Lily and James only made you Secret-Keeper because I suggested it." Sirius now spoke with such ferocity that Peter actually had to take a step away from him out of fear. "I thought it was the perfect plan…a bluff…. Voldemort would be sure to come after me, would never dream they'd use a weak, talentless thing like you…. It must have been the finest moment of your miserable life, telling Voldemort you could hand him the Potters."
Remus drew a shuddering breath at the very idea. He had always assumed that Sirius had been the Secret Keeper. All these years. He felt ashamed for having doubted Sirius.
"Professor Lupin? Can – can I say something?" asked Hermione shyly.
"Certainly, Hermione."
"Well – Scabbers – I mean, this – this man – he's been sleeping in Harry's dormitory for three years. If he's working for You-Know-Who, how come he never tried to hurt Harry before now?"
"There! Thank you!" squealed Peter. "You see, Remus? I have never hurt a hair of Harry's head! Why should I?"
Another good question. Remus turned to Sirius, hoping he would have an explanation.
And he did. "I'll tell you why. Because you never did anything for anyone unless you could see what was in it for you. Voldemort's been in hiding for fifteen years, they say he's half dead. You weren't about to commit murder right under Albus Dumbledore's nose, for a wreck of a wizard who'd lost all of his power, were you? You'd want to be sure he was the biggest bully in the playground before you went back to him, wouldn't you? Why else did you find a wizard family to take you in? Keeping an ear out for news, weren't you, Peter? Just in case your old protector regained strength, and it was safe to rejoin him…."
Remus smiled. You've got him figured out, Sirius! Well done!
"Er – Mr. Black – Sirius?" Hermione said politely. Sirius turned to look at her in amazement. "If you don't mind me asking, how – how did you get out of Azkaban, if you didn't use Dark Magic?"
"Thank you! Exactly! Precisely what I –"
Remus shot a warning look at Peter. Shut up!
It took Sirius a moment to gather his thoughts before he answered Hermione's question.
"I don't know how I did it. I think the only reason I never lost my mind is that I knew I was innocent. That wasn't a happy thought, so the dementors couldn't suck it out of me…but it kept me sane and knowing who I am…helped me keep my powers…so when it all became…too much…I could transform in my cell…become a dog. Dementors can't see, you know…." He swallowed. It was obviously very difficult for him to tell. "They feel their way toward people by feeding off their emotions…. They could tell that my feelings were less – less human, less complex when I was a dog…but they thought, of course, that I was losing my mind like everyone else in there, so it didn't trouble them. But I was weak, very weak, and I had no hope of driving them away from me without a wand…." His voice fell and became very soft.
Remus closed his eyes, pondering what life must have been like for Sirius over the past twelve years. When he opened them again, he found it difficult to look Sirius in the eye. How could I have ever doubted you?
Sirius continued with more energy. "But then I saw Peter in that picture…I realized he was at Hogwarts with Harry…perfectly positioned to act, if one hint reached his ears that the Dark Side was gathering strength again… ready to strike at the moment he could be sure of allies…and to deliver the last Potter to them. If he gave them Harry, who'd dare say he'd betrayed Lord Voldemort? He'd be welcomed back with honors…"
Peter shook his head, his eyes wide. He tried to speak, but was only able to mouth inaudible words of disbelief.
"So you see, I had to do something. I was the only one who knew Peter was still alive. It was as if someone had lit a fire in my head, and the dementors couldn't destroy it…. It wasn't a happy feeling…it was an obsession…but it gave me strength, it cleared my mind. So, one night when they opened the door to bring food, I slipped past them as a dog…. It's so much harder for them to sense animal emotions that they were confused…. I was thin, very thin…thin enough to slip through the bars…. I swam as a dog back to the mainland…. I journeyed north and slipped into the Hogwarts grounds as a dog. I've been living in the forest ever since, except when I came to watch the Quidditch, of course. You fly as well as your father did, Harry…"
Remus looked up at Sirius. So that WAS Padfoot I saw in the forest! I knew it!
Sirius locked eyes with Harry. "Believe me. Believe me, Harry, I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them."
Believe him, Harry! It's the truth!After what seemed like an eternity, Harry nodded. Remus felt his knees go weak with relief!
"No!" Peter fell to the floor and pleaded with Sirius. "Sirius – it's me…it's Peter…your friend…you wouldn't…"
Peter grabbed at the hem of Sirius' robe, but Sirius only snatched it away. "There's enough filth on my robes without you touching them," he spat.
"Remus!" Peter now turned to Remus, continuing his search for pity. "You don't believe this…wouldn't Sirius have told you they'd changed the plan?"
Remus thought for a moment and at long last realized why Sirius hadn't told him about the switch. "Not if he thought I was the spy, Peter. I assume that's why you didn't tell me, Sirius?"
"Forgive me, Remus," Sirius said in all sincerity.
"Not at all, Padfoot, old friend," Remus smiled. He began rolling up his sleeves, preparing himself for the task at hand. "And will you, in turn, forgive me for believing you were the spy?"
A smile pulled form the corner of his mouth. "Of course. Shall we kill him together?"
"Yes, I think so." It was a grim thought, but it had to be done.
"You wouldn't…you won't…." Peter shrieked and scurried over to where Ron lay on the bed. "Ron…haven't I been a good friend…a good pet? You won't let them kill me, Ron, will you…you're on my side, aren't you?"
"I let you sleep in my bed!" Ron said in disgust.
"Kind boy…kind master…you won't let them do it…. I was your rat…. I was a good pet…."
"If you made a better rat than a human, it's not much to boast about, Peter," Sirius pointed out.
Peter crawled over to Hermione and tugged at the bottom of her robes. "Sweet girl…clever girl…you – you won't let them…. Help me…."
Speechless, Hermione pulled herself away from the groveling man and backed up against the wall.
Shaking uncontrollably, Peter turned to the last person in the room – the only person he had yet to ask for mercy. "Harry…Harry…you look just like your father…just like him…."
Sirius snapped. "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HARRY? HOW DARE YOU FACE HIM? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES IN FRONT OF HIM?"
Ignoring him, Peter whispered, "Harry. Harry, James wouldn't have wanted me killed…. James would have understood, Harry…he would have shown me mercy…."
Remus glanced at Sirius and knew he was just as revolted by this scene as Remus was. They walked over to Peter, each taking a shoulder, and threw him back away from Harry. Peter looked up at them horrified.
"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort. Do you deny it?" Sirius had his wand pointed at him.
Bursting into tears, Peter wailed, "Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord…you have no idea…he has weapons you can't imagine…. I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen…. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me –"
"DON'T LIE!" thundered Sirius. "YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!"
"He – he was taking over everywhere! Wh – what was there to be gained by refusing him?" sobbed Peter.
"What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed? Only innocent lives, Peter!"
Sirius was very right. The only thing that had come from all this was the loss of innocent lives. James and Lily died because of this man. Harry was sent to live with Muggles who treated him terribly. And Sirius…Sirius spent twelve years paying mightily for a crime he didn't commit. What was to be gained? Remus couldn't even believe Peter had asked that question.
"You don't understand! He would have killed me, Sirius!"
"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"
Remus stood next to Sirius' side and raised his wand at Peter. "You should have realized, if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would," he added quietly. "Good-bye, Peter."
Remus and Sirius readied themselves for the attack. Remus felt a twinge in his heart that the three children in the room would witness a man's death, but they needed to see justice served. They would understand it all once this was over. But just as Remus and Sirius were about to utter the killing curse, Harry jumped in front of Peter before they could even utter the curse. "NO! You can't kill him. You can't."
What the devil? Remus glanced at Sirius in confusion."Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents," reasoned Sirius. "This cringing bit of filth would have seen you die too, without turning a hair. You heard him. His own stinking skin meant more to him than your whole family."
"I know. We'll take him up to the castle. We'll hand him over to the dementors…. He can go to Azkaban…but don't kill him."
"Harry! You – thank you!" Peter wrapped his arms around Harry's knees and hugged him. "It's more than I deserve – thank you –"
"Get off me," snarled Harry, pushing Peter away from him in revulsion. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it because – I don't reckon my dad would've wanted them to become killers – just for you."
He's right. And we should have realized that.Remus and Sirius lowered their wands respectfully. "You're the only person who has the right to decide, Harry. But think…think what he did…" Sirius said.
"He can go to Azkaban. If anyone deserves that place, he does…."
"Very well," said Remus moving forward. "Stand aside, Harry." Harry didn't move. "I'm going to tie him up. That's all, I swear." Harry moved aside slowly.
Calmly and expertly, Remus cast the spell to bind Peter. Cords shot from his wand and wrapped around the fat, little man. He lost balance and toppled over, sending him wiggling and writhing on the floor.
"But if you transform, Peter, we will kill you," Remus warned. "You agree, Harry?" Harry agreed.
"Right. Ron," Remus said, turning around to face Ron, "I can't mend bones nearly as well as Madam Pomfrey, so I think it's best if we just strap your leg up until we can get you to the hospital wing."
Ron nodded and Remus walked over to him slowly. He met Ron's eyes, looking for any sign that the boy would accept him as a teacher rather than a monster. Ron nodded approvingly when Remus held out his wand. With a tap of his wand and a quiet, "Ferula," the broken leg was bandaged to a splint. Ron leaned on Remus' arm as he stood up.
"That's better. Thanks," Ron said, giving Remus an accepting smile. Remus couldn't help but smile in return.
"What about Professor Snape?" questioned Hermione?
I almost forgot about him…Remus felt at Snape's throat for his pulse and easily found it. "There's nothing seriously wrong with him. You were just a little – overenthusiastic. Still out cold." I could wake him up, but he might try to attack Sirius. "Er – perhaps it will be best if we don't revive him until we're safely back in the castle. We can take him like this…Mobilicorpus."
Snape lifted off the ground as if invisible strings were pulling him up by his arms. He dangled in mid air like a rag doll hanging on a hook. With a nod, Remus picked up the invisibility cloak and tucked it into his robes for safekeeping.
"And two of us should be chained to this," Sirius said, kicking at Peter who was still lying on the floor. "Just to make sure."
"I'll do it," said Remus
"And me," volunteered Ron with resolute determination
With a wave of Snape's wand, Sirius conjured a set of manacles. A few moments later and Peter was bound to Remus on the left and Ron on the right. It would be awkward moving through the tunnel, but it was the safest way to make sure Peter didn't escape.
Remus looked to Sirius for approval and Sirius nodded. The group headed for the door, out onto the landing, and down the stairs. Although there was still much to discuss, Remus felt as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Very soon now the wizarding world would know the truth about Sirius. Sirius would certainly be pardoned. This opened up so many opportunities, not just for Sirius' future, but for Harry's as well. As they reached the opening to the tunnel, Remus glanced over his shoulder at Sirius and Harry. He smiled knowing that the future would be much better than the past.
(Side note – I'm betting that "After the End" is updated within a day of this being posted. It always is!)
