Author's Note:

WARNING: This chapter is VERY dark and gruesome.

Reviews and Comments: To alix33: It is horrible that Peter was treated that way. He did try to stop it and to fight back. Thank you. To ellyann13: Thank you! I loved writing the Marauder moment, showing how concerned they all were for Peter and then being there for him when he needed them. It only makes his betrayal that much worse. Thanks for picking up on the "knight in shining armour" bit as well. Thank you! To ThomasJAvery: Thank you for loving the additions I've made to the ASC one. I wanted to show more of the scene and see how the Marauders reacted to him being missing. Yes, thanks for loving the knights of the Auror mention. Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you! To A Huge Fan: It is enough to break anyone and yet his betrayal is still so horrible. Thank you! To Sets: Thank you! I don't know where I will but I'm keeping it in my back pocket! 😉! Yes, poor Peter. It is good that he was found, but he still suffered a great deal of torture! Nope, Crouch is still in fifth year at this point and while he's around the Death Eaters, hasn't officially joined up in the sense of how he is later on. Thank you! To EnigmaticEmperor: It was a dark chapter, hence my forwarding. Peter did resist at first. Thanks for loving my Easter eggs (ie MacGregor and the knight mentioning). Thank you!

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Thanks to Dusk for her amazing editing skills.

As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!

Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR:

The One Where Peter Takes The Dark Mark

June 1979…

Peter left Godric's Hollow, still smiling from his dinner conversation with James and Sirius. The wedding of James and Lily was coming up soon and Lily was starting to get a little mad with the planning. He found it very amusing to sit there and listen to his friends argue and dither and plan.

He was really looking forward to them finally tying the knot. He couldn't imagine two people more in love and more perfect for each other. He covered his mouth as he yawned and decided that he would treat himself to a nice glass of firewhiskey when he got inside. But he stopped, freezing in his tracks when he reached the front door.

"Peter, we've missed you," the Dark Lord said with a terrifying smile.

Peter stumbled backwards, fumbling for his wand. "I won't join you. You can't make me. I'd rather be dead."

"Well, that can most certainly be arranged," he said coyly.

Rosier disarmed Peter from behind before he could transform into his rat and they forced him to walk with them. He knew better than to struggle. He still had nightmares about the last time that he'd tried to fight back. They Apparated him to Malfoy Manor where a grey-blond haired wizard was waiting for them.

"Brax, let's get our guest settled in, shall we?"

"You know Abraxas Malfoy, of course," the Dark Lord said pleasantly as if introducing him at a dinner party. "He has graciously given us his home to talk to you in."

"I don't want to talk," Peter said.

The Dark Lord grimaced. "Now, no need to be rude." He waved his wand and chains shackled Peter. "And I know all about your little rat problem so no, you won't be able to transform while in those. But you can keep on trying."

He paced in front of him, twirling his wand between his fingers for a moment.

"James Potter is marrying a Mudblood in three months' time. Are you as disgusted by his traitorous ways as I am? Hmm, no answer," he said mockingly. "I plan on changing this world, Peter. I want society to understand why we must protect our magic; why we must stop these Mudbloods from sneaking in and stealing it from us. They take our jobs and they muddy our blood which makes us lose our magic, Peter. All purebloods must learn to breed only with each other to create perfect pureblood children. Do you understand, Peter?"

He ran his finger down the side of Peter's face with a cruel smile.

"Alecto rather liked riding your little prick, maybe you'd like to let her do it again? Maybe you'd like to get her with your child and start helping to rebuild this society the way that it should be. Would you like me to summon her out here, Peter? Do you want to fuck her?"

"N-no," Peter whimpered.

The Dark Lord smiled cruelly. "I thought that you might choose that option, which is why I've helped make the choice for you."

The doors opened behind him and two Death Eaters in masks held their wands in front of them as they floated a body towards them. The body was lowered to the ground before Peter and he let out a desperate gasp.

"Dad!"

"He's not dead yet," the Dark Lord said cruelly. "But I'd be more than happy to make him so. We had him help us with a little trouble in the East Village. Your father is quite good at raping little girls, the younger the better, I'll say. He tried quite valiantly to fight against my Imperius Curse, but he failed. But I won't have to use the curse on you, Peter, because you, you are going to be my most trusted servant."

Peter's lip trembled. "I w-w-won't j-join you."

"Ah, so you say now. But here's the thing, Peter, I need to know what Dumbledore is up to. Dumbledore… that man has never trusted me and now I hear you and your friends are working with him to try to overthrow me in his little rebellion? How completely pointless," he said with a cruel smile. "I need a spy on the inside. I need someone to tell me when and where and what and who and you, Peter, the weak underling, will do this for me."

"No!"

The Dark Lord simply smirked. "Ah, but I didn't get to the best part. Enervate!"

Mr Pettigrew's eyes fluttered open and he locked his gaze on his son. "Peter!"

"Dad," Peter cried, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, I didn't know!"

"No, Pete, no, it's not your fault, son. You be strong now!"

"Silencio!"

"No! Let him talk!" Peter cried out as he watched his father try to speak through the silencing charm to no avail.

The Dark Lord smiled. "Peter, you will accept my mark. You will join my cause and turn spy against Dumbledore for me. If you do not agree, I will once more Imperius your father and have him rape and torture and ultimately kill your mother."

Mr Pettigrew's eyes widened in horror. "No! Please, no!"

"But before I do that," the Dark Lord continued. "I will find a pretty little Muggle girl, a young child maybe eight or nine, and make him do it to her first while your mother watches." Mr Pettigrew vomited as Voldemort spoke. "I want your mother to see what a terrible man her husband has become. And after your mother has suffered most gregariously, I will kill both of them and make you dispose of their bodies."

Peter was so white that he was almost translucent. "No!"

"No? You don't think I'll do it? Oh, I assure you, that is the least of the horrors that I will inflict upon you. Accept my mark, join my cause or your parents' deaths will be on your conscience and their blood will be on your hands."

Peter swallowed. His eyes flew to his father who had vomit on his lips, his eyes pale and his body shaking in horror. Merlin, if he said no, so many people were going to get hurt, but if he said yes, so many people were still going to be hurt.

"Yes, yes, people will be hurt," Voldemort said dismissively. "It's all rather terrible, but are you willing to risk some of those people being your parents?"

Peter swallowed again, his whole body trembling as he realized that the Dark Lord had read his mind. "If — if I do what you ask, you'll let them go?"

"Of course," the Dark Lord said with a smile. "I will not kill your parents if you do what I ask."

Peter was silent for a moment and with tears rolling down his face he nodded. "I will join you."

The Dark Lord smiled widely and nodded at Rosier. Rosier rolled up the sleeve on Peter's left arm and Voldemort touched the tip of his wand to the inner forearm.

Peter screamed in pain as the dark magic inked itself into his skin in the shape of a skull with a serpent wrapped around the head and coming from the mouth. It oozed blood before turning black as coal.

Voldemort smiled. "Welcome to the Death Eaters, Peter."

Peter vomited on the ground and someone laughed.

When they finally dragged him home, he curled up in his bed, fisting his hand in his sheets and he cried.

~ TFTA ~

August 1979…

Sirius stared at the letter in his hand for a long time. He'd recognized the Malfoy family owl when he'd saw it arrive by the window of his flat, but he still wasn't sure why it had arrived, yet he couldn't seem to bring himself to open it.

"Is the tea ready?" James asked, shuffling into the kitchen and yawning loudly. When Sirius didn't answer, James moved to stand next to him. "What is it, Padfoot?"

Sirius gestured to the letter in his hand. "I… I don't know. The Malfoys' owl dropped it off."

James frowned. "Open it."

When Sirius made no motion to do so, James took it from his hand and reached for the letter opener on the counter to break the seal. He carefully unfolded it.

"It's from Narcissa."

Sirius' frown deepened as Remus came into the kitchen. "What?"

"Read it, Siri," James said, his gaze meeting Remus'.

Sirius took the letter from James and began to read aloud:

Dear Sirius,

I'm sure you're surprised to hear from me, but I wasn't sure if the news would reach you and I took it upon myself to let you know. My father-in-law, Abraxas, was all in a rage. He claimed that Regulus Black had stepped out of line. When I asked Lucius later, he told me that he didn't know what happened, but that Regulus Black had gone missing.

This was two months ago.

According to your mother, he's made no contact with her and he's presumed dead. I have a terrible feeling that he was killed by Abraxas or someone just as vile, but it's highly unlikely that he's alive.

I thought you should know. I know you loved Regulus as much as I did.

I'm very sorry for your loss, Sirius.

Your cousin,

Narcissa

Sirius crumpled up the letter in his hand as Remus' arms came around him from behind. James squeezed his shoulder as he leaned in to hug him from the front, squishing him between them.

"Mate, I'm so sorry," James said..

"I couldn't save him," Sirius whispered, tears in his eyes. "Why couldn't I save him, Jamie?"

James and Remus fell to the floor with him as he cried, neither of them having the words to help him in his grief.

And none of them noticed Peter standing in the doorway in the shadows watching his friends, biting his nails nervously as tears rolled down his cheeks.