Authors Note: Another almost ridiculously long chapter, but its all necessary so I can't complain, the arrival of Peter deserves the full treatment. Expect the next chapter to be a little shorter, especially considering the balance sways, and it is mostly my work instead of Rowling's. Some of the punctuation might be a bit buggered up, but on this rare occasion that is the fault of fanfiction.net, and not me. It keeps screwing up my commas….stupid website!!!!!!!

Enjoy!! And remember to always review!!!!! _____________________________________________________

Chapter IX

As the words lept angrily from Snape's mouth, little flecks of grease flicked from his jet-black oily hair, and onto the dusty walls of the Shack.

Sirius looked on in disgust. Snape may have the advantage, but at least Sirius had clean hair.

Or not.

He quickly remembered the slimy strands of hair hanging down over his ears and face.

"I shall be interested to see how Dumbledore takes this. He was quite convinced you were harmless, you know, Lupin, a tame werewolf!"

"You fool, Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back inside Azkaban?"

Sirius stared on, startled but somewhat unsurprised by Remus's reaction.

Snape's next move though was the most shocking, raising his wand and firing thin ropes at Remus, which wrapped themselves around his mouth, ankles and wrists. Sirius remembered the spell; they had learnt it in Defence Against the Dark Arts in the sixth year of Hogwarts.

As Remus fell, Sirius started forwards towards Snape, desperate to seize his wand and strike him down. Before he could reach his smirking enemy, he found the wand being raised again, this time pointed directly at his face.

Sirius looked downwards with his left eyeball, his right obscured by hair. The wand tip was pressing into the gap between his two eyebrows.

He looked back upwards, and met Snape's eyes. They stared at each other for an age, both recollecting their childhoods. Under different circumstances they could almost have been friends.

Snape had to admit being fairly impressed when he first heard of Sirius's betrayal all those years ago, even if it had been after his own return to righteousness.

Snape ended the silence by pushing the wand deeper into Sirius's skin and speaking quietly and menacingly.

"Give me a reason. Give me a reason to do it, and I swear I will."

Sirius couldn't help but think Snivellus was overreacting, so just stared backwards silently and furiously. Things stayed like this for what felt like a lifetime, neither party tempted to continue the conversation, until suddenly the girl interrupted, her small voice rising from the corner of the room.

"Professor Snape - it - it wouldn't hurt to hear what they've got to say, w- would it?"

"Miss Granger, you are already facing suspension from this school. You, Potter and Weasley are out of bounds, in the company of a convicted murderer and a werewolf. For once in your life, hold your tongue."

"But if - if there was a mistake?"

"KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL! DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

Some sparks erupted from the wand and Sirius could feel a tingling burn on his skin. The girl instantly fell silent. Sirius couldn't help but feel sympathetic as she slumped against the bed, looking as though she was going to burst into tears. Snape was a real bastard, and Sirius's opinion of him had just dropped another notch for his uncompassionate behaviour.

"Vengeance is very sweet. How I hoped I would be the one to catch you."

Sirius happily remembered the time he urinated up Snape's leg as Padfoot.

"The joke's on you again, Severus. As long as this boy brings his rat up to the castle - I'll come quietly."

"Up to the castle? I don't think we need to go that far. All I have to do is call the Dementors once we get out of the Willow. They'll be pleased to see you, Black. Pleased enough to give you a little kiss, I daresay."

If Sirius hadn't drunk so little over the previous few days, it is highly likely he would have pissed himself at this point. The tone of his voice changed from cheeky to pleading.

"You - you've got to hear me out. The rat - look at the rat."

Snape looked back at him as though he was looking at a man who had just assassinated his entire family.

"Come on, all of you. I'll drag the werewolf. Perhaps the Dementors will have a kiss for him, too-"

Sirius was contemplating who would get to go first, when unexpectedly Harry pushed past the other two children and stepped in front of the door, effectively blocking Snape's escape route.

"Get out of the way, Potter, you're in enough trouble already. If I hadn't been here to save your skin-"

"Professor Lupin could have killed me about a hundred times this year. I've been alone with him loads of times, having defence lessons against the Dementors. If he was helping Black, why didn't he just finish me off then?"

"Don't ask me to fathom the way a werewolf's mind works. Get out of the way, Potter."

Sirius glanced over Snape's shoulder, his back turned. He briefly considered making a move to transform, but swiftly changed his mind. It was too risky, Peter could escape.

"YOU'RE PATHETIC! JUST BECAUSE THEY MADE A FOOL OF YOU AT SCHOOL YOU WON'T EVEN LISTEN-"

"SILENCE! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT!"

Sirius's mouth gaped open in as much surprise as the other two children. Did this mean that Harry was beginning to believe him?

"Like father, like son, Potter! I have just saved your neck; you should be thanking me on bended knee! You would have been well served if he'd killed you! You'd have died like your father, too arrogant to believe you might be mistake in Black - now get out of the way, or I will make you, GET OUT OF THE WAY POTTER!"

Sirius almost smiled, but it came out as a feeble cough. It wasn't heard by anyone though, because the three children were all proceeding to attempt a disarming spell on Snivellus. They succeeded admirably, and Snape was sent flying, landing as a crumpled heap on the ground a moment later with blood trickling from under the oily hair. For his part, Sirius wished the man was dead, but he felt bad for the three children. They were in serious trouble now.

"You shouldn't have done that. You should have left him to me."

Harry ignored him, turning to his female companion who was being overcome by hysteria.

"We attacked a teacher, we attacked a teacher. oh we're going to be in so much trouble-"

Remus meanwhile was lying on the ground, struggling madly. Sirius quickly bent over and untied his old friend, lifting him to his feet and brushing some dust off his shabby robe.

"Thank you, Harry"

"I'm not saying I believe you"

"Then its time we offered you some proof. You, boy - give me Peter. Now."

Sirius spoke calmly and rationally; ready to claim his reward for 12 years of pain, but the boy remained defiant.

"Come of it. Are you trying to say you broke out of Azkaban just to get your hands on Scabbers? I mean, okay, 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. How did you find out where he was?"

Sirius reached inside his robes, and in the deep recesses of the pocket found, and withdrew, the scrap of newspaper from the Daily Prophet. He new this little prop would come in useful again at some stage.

"How did you get this?" Lupin asked, stunned as to how Sirius had gotten hold of a newspaper like the Daily Prophet inside Azkaban.

"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."

"My God. His front paw."

"What about it?"

"He's got a toe missing."

"Of course, so simple, so brilliant... he cut it off himself?"

"Just before he transformed. When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself - and sped down into the sewer with the other rats."

"Didn't you ever hear, Ron?" said Remus. "The biggest bit of Peter they found was his finger."

"Look, Scabbers probably had a fight with another rat or something! He's been in my family for ages, right-"

Sirius was staggered that the boy remained in denial.

"Twelve years in fact. Didn't you ever wonder why he was living so long?"

"We- we've been taking good care of him!"

"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!"

Sirius reached out his hand and stroked the cat's head. His companion through so many adventures did not deserve to be criticised.

"This cat isn't mad. He's the most intelligent of his kind I've ever met. He recognised Peter for what he was straight 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."

"What do you mean?" the girl replied, breathing heavily. She was evidently still in shock from knocking out her Professor.

"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. 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 suppose he bit himself as well, faking his own death had worked once."

"And why did he fake his own death? Because he knew you were about to kill him like you killed my parents!"

"No, Harry -"

"And now you've come to finish him off!"

"Yes I have."

Sirius felt that by this stage, blunt honesty was the best option.

"Then I should've let Snape take you!"

The boy's loyalties were drifting, he still wasn't convinced. It was almost time for the reveal.

"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 -"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE! HE WAS THEIR SECRET KEEPER! HE SAID SO BEFORE YOU TURNED UP, HE SAID HE KILLED THEM!"

Sirius shook his head sadly. The boy was right. Though exhausted by all the explanation, the boy deserved to know the truth in every minor detail.

"Harry, I as good as killed them. 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 realised what Peter must have done. What I'd done."

By the end of his speech, Sirius was unashamedly crying. His voice had been slowly breaking throughout, but the recollection of the events of that fateful night brought him to tears every time.

"Enough of this. There's one certain way to prove what really happened. Ron, give me that rat"

Remus it appeared had also been affected deeply by Sirius's story. His voice was no longer calm, but edgy and resolute.

"What are you going to do with him if I give him to you?"

"Force him to show himself. If he really is a rat, it wont hurt him."

The ginger boy finally gave in, and handed over the rat. Remus took Wormtail gently, cradling him in his hands. The rat madly struggled, insanely attempting to bite and scratch his way out of Remus's capable grasp.

"Ready, Sirius?"

Sirius picked up Snape's wand from the bed and approached Remus slowly.

It was time.

"Together?"

"I think so. On the count of three. One - two - THREE!"

At the precise same moment as Moony, Sirius performed the spell to forcefully transform an Animagi back into their default human appearance. It had been a long time since he had performed the spell, remembering the school days when a young Peter found it difficult to transform back. It was an easy piece of magic though, and the blue rays erupted from the wands and hit the rat, engulfing him in light.

Then, as expected, the rat began to transform back into Peter Pettigrew. His limbs exploding outwards, his body stretching into human shape, and his head emerging from between his shoulders.

He had aged as badly as Remus. Still short, but less overweight then Sirius remembered him. His hair had greyed a little, and dirt looked as though it permanently stained his face.

The Marauders weren't in quite as good a state as they had been last time around.

Sirius grinned evilly, and glanced at Remus who was also smiling. They might as well at least keep up the charade of respectability, and hear what the fat traitor had to say?

"Well, hello, Peter. Long time, no see."

"S-Sirius, R-Remus, My friends, my old friends."

Hearing his voice made Sirius's entire body tense with anger. He raised Snape's wand without thinking, ready to unleash his hatred by uttering the death curse. Remus grabbed his wrist instantaneously, pushing his arm downwards.

"We've been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night Lily and James died. You might have missed the finer points while you were squeaking around down three on the bed -"

"Remus, you don't believe him, do you. He tried to kill me, Remus."

Peter's relentless lies made Sirius feel physically sick.

"So we've heard. 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! He killed Lily and James and now he's going to kill me, too. You've got to help me, Remus."

For the second consecutive time, Sirius made to raise his wand, but a fleeting look from Remus stopped him. He just stood staring back at the raving Pettigrew.

In his oddly composed voice, Remus began again.

"No one's going to try and kill you until we've sorted a few things out."

"Sorted things 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!"

Peter was so full of bullshit, and it was beginning to get on Sirius's nerves. He contemplated the possibility of torture before murder.

"You knew Sirius was going to break out of Azkaban? When nobody has ever done it before?"

"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!"

Peter was just getting ridiculous now. The three children had drifted into the background, ignored. All that mattered now were the three remaining Marauders standing in the Shrieking Shack. Sirius began to laugh loudly and exaggeratedly.

"Voldemort, teach me tricks?"

Pettigrew flinched and covered his face with his hands.

"What, scared to hear your old masters name? I don't blame you, Peter. His lot aren't very happy with you, are they?"

"Don't know - what you mean, Sirius!"

"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 -"

"Don't know what you're talking about. You don't believe this - this madness, Remus -"

Peter turned desperately to Remus, pleading for some support. Thankfully Remus was quite set in his opinion, having come to realise the truth.

"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 on of their best men in Azkaban - the spy, Sirius Black!"

Sirius exploded in anger at the accusation.

"How dare you. I, a spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful that 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."

"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. 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."

Silence filled the shack again, as Peter was allowed to dwell on this thought. His reply came in the form of a few feeble mutterings, instead relying on the small girls voice drifting back into the discussion from the corner.

"Professor Lupin? Can - can I say something?"

"Certainly, Hermione," Remus replied kindly.

"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?"

Peter looked as though he had just won the lottery.

"There! Thank you! You see, Remus? I have never hurt a hair of Harry's head! Why should I?"

Sirius felt it pertinent to interject.

"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 twelve 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 his power, were you? You'd want to be quite 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."

Peter looked stunned, and didn't say a word.

"Er - Mr Black - Sirius?"

Sirius turned, a little surprised that he was being addressed so formally after so long of being identified by his tattoos.

"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 showed his dark and ruthless centre with a silencing look, as Sirius pondered how to phrase his answer.

"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. They feel their way towards people by sensing their emotions, they couldn't 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. But then I saw Peter in that picture, I realised 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 the moment he could be sure of allies, 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 honours. 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 my door to bring food, I slipped past them as a dog, its 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 come to watch the Quidditch, of course, you fly as well as your father did, Harry. Believe me. Believe me. I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them."

Sirius was crying again, although nobody else realised it. The sincerity of his answer had driven him to an uncontrollable gushing of emotion.

After so much patience, Harry finally nodded his head in acceptance of Sirius's story.

Sirius sighed, relieved that finally his mission could be completed.

"No! Sirius - it's me, its Peter, your friend, you wouldn't."

Wormtail was pathetically sprawled out on the floor, covered in dust and grovelling pitifully. Sirius kicked him away remorselessly.

"There's enough filth on my robes without you touching them."

Peter turned away and writhed at Remus's feet, stroking his ankles and attempting to generate some sympathy.

"Remus! You don't believe this, wouldn't Sirius have told you they'd changed the plan?"

"Not if he thoughts I was the spy, Peter. I assume that's why you didn't tell me, Sirius?"

"Forgive me, Remus."

"Not at all, Padfoot, old friend. And will you, in turn, forgive me for believing you were the spy?"

It was as though not a day had passed. They were the greatest of friends again, and always would be.

"Of course. Shall we kill him together?"

"Yes, I think so."

Sirius finished rolling up his sleeves and raised his wand in preparation. Peter was still scrambling around on the floor, desperately trying to beg for help from the children.

"You wouldn't, you wont! 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!"

The ginger boy had a look of disgust on his face.

"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 human, its not much to boast about, Peter."

Insulting Peter felt good, but the pathetic excuse for a human being was still weakly crawling about at the group's feet, now turning his attention to the girl.

"Sweet girl, clever girl, you - you won't let them! Help me."

She backed away from him immediately.

"Harry, Harry, you look just like your father. Just like him!"

This was the last straw, he had gone too far. Sirius felt his anger exploding out of his mouth again.

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HARRY? HOW DARE YOU FACE HIM? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES IN FRONT OF HIM?"

"Harry. Harry, James wouldn't have wanted me killed. James would have understood, Harry. He would have shown me mercy."

Sirius walked forwards quickly and grabbed Peter's shoulder. Assisted by Remus, they threw him backwards onto the floor and away from Harry, who stood looking terrified.

"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort. Do you deny it?"

Peter began to cry noisily on the ground, partly in a plea for mercy, partly because a nail from the wooden floor had cut his elbow open as he fell.

"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! 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?"

"What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed? Only innocent lives, Peter!"

"You don't understand! He would have killed me, Sirius!" "THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED RATHER THAN BETRAYED YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"

Remus and Sirius stood shoulder to shoulder; both fully prepared to utter the death curse, which would end life in a second.

"You should have realised. If Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Goodbye, Peter."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Harry ran in front of the two wands, protecting Peter. Sirius almost dropped Snape's wand in shock.

"Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents. 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. Just don't kill him."

Sirius pondered Harry's proposal for a moment. Certainly, Peter would feel pain indefinitely if he went to Azkaban, but there was also the permanent possibility of him one day escaping. Sirius decided fairly quickly he was against the idea. Peter meanwhile seemed jubilant, as though the noose around his neck had been loosened.

"Harry! You - thank you- it's more than I deserve - thank you-"

"Get off me! I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing it because I don't reckon my dad would've wanted his best friends to become killers - just for you."

With great hesitation, Sirius lowered his wand. Remus did the same.

"You're the only person who has the right to decide, Harry. But think, think what he did."

"He can go to Azkaban. If anyone deserves that place, he does."

Sirius remembered vividly the endless nights of pain. Soon Peter would be feeling that pain, and that was an encouraging thought.

"Very well. Stand aside, Harry."

Harry paused.

"I'm going to tie him up. That's all, I swear," Remus continued.

Harry stepped out of the way, and Remus whispered a quick spell. Thin cords flew from his wand and bound Peter tightly. A sudden thought entered Sirius's mind though, and he scratched his chin apprehensively.

"But if you transform, Peter, we will kill you. You agree, Harry?"

Harry nodded.

"Right. 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...FERULA"

Bandages strapped themselves around the ginger boys leg, and a splint magically appeared, supporting it. The boy stood immediately.

"That's better. Thanks"

Eyes now turned uncertainly in the direction of Snape.

"What about Professor Snape?"

"There's nothing seriously wrong with him. You were just a little - over- enthusiastic. Still out cold. 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"

Snivellus rose to a standing position, floating unconsciously a few inches above the ground, his feet dangling and his head flopped downwards.

Remus then leaned over, picking up the Invisibility Cloak and stuffing it into his pocket.

"And two of us should be chained to this. Just to make sure."

Sirius kicked Peter lightly with his left foot, causing the fat lump to twitch anxiously.

"I'll do it," Remus volunteered.

"And me," The ginger boy replied, limping into position next to Peter.

Sirius lifted the wand and conjured chains in the air. They tied themselves like snakes around Peter, his left arm chained to Remus's right and his right arm to the ginger boys left.

Crookshanks the cat purred, and hopped off the bed, and out of the door.

The group followed.

TO BE CONTINUED.........