A/N: Very odd ficlet here: a double-drabblish contemplation on courage. Occurs after the inevitable defeat of Lord Voldie.
The Hat Never Lies
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
-Alfred, Lord Tennyson
The hat never lies.
It's dark out, long past midnight, but Remus sits in his dim kitchen and holds his cup of tea and thinks about hats.
(The hat never lies.)
Green and bronze and yellow and gold; he knows these colors as he knows his name. Cunning, wisdom, kindness, courage. How do you choose one? Why? What's fate – Harry talked to him about it, once, but he doesn't have a reason.
But the hat never lies, and so once Peter Pettigrew was brave.
Perhaps, like Remus' godson, it was what he chose. And Remus aches to know the difference between what you choose and what you are – there is one, somewhere, he's sure of it. You are before you choose.
(The hat never lies.)
It's an old hat, a clever hat, it's sat upon the revered noggins of wizards far wiser than he. But he's never known Peter to be brave.
(What if you never live up to what you decide, then what?)
Duty must be done, debts must be paid, sometimes revenge is best left undone.
But Peter Pettrigrew only died because he had to. Green and blue and yellow and red; you can only be one – there must be courage somewhere.
He can't believe it, but he knows: the hat never lies.
Fin
Yes, I know Peter is a cad, and not yet deceased. Forgive the artistic license taken; doesn't it seem likely tht he will have to repay his debt to Harry and die in the process?
Please do review!