September 10, 1988

A total of six Aurors were lost during the raid on the Riddle House. Two were lost to insanity, the other four were killed in duels or when the structure caved in on top of them. Several people, Callie included, thought the whole thing was a bloody waste of time. McKinnon wasn't quite right and took a temporary leave of absence. The Auror Department found itself short on Aurors. Emboldened by their success at the Minister's Mansion and the blow they'd struck during the raid, Death Eater activity spiked.

During a particularly long and grueling mission, Callie began to think that maybe they were going about this all wrong. She kept seeing Snape in the back of her mind, black eyes burning with personal hatred. She heard the way he spoke as she tried to get to sleep at night, desperate and cold and lonely. Couldn't some Death Eaters be trying to right personal wrongs? Couldn't some of them simply be weak-willed? Not all of them, of course. But maybe some?

She suggested this idea to Sirius, who laughed and said she was naive. They were there to "catch the monsters, not tame them." Then he promptly took two days off in the middle of a chaotic scramble to get the Office back in order. His leave happened to coincide with Marlene getting out of the hospital. Callie took his opinion for a grain of salt.

Technically, she wasn't supposed to be working by herself yet. She was passed over for most important cases. But it left her more open to follow her own angle, so she ventured out on her own to investigate when she found the time. She began by locating an old friend.

The door of the quaint little house was opened by a plump, jolly-faced woman in her sixties. She asked a security question before letting Callie inside, apologizing as she did so. The interior of the home was furnished with antique chairs and cupboards full of ceramic collectables that waved or jumped or did a jig. Doilies draped over nearly everything, making it look like a thin layer of snow made of extremely large snowflakes. Callie was seated in a parlor with pink walls and handed a little, blue china cup with tea. Mrs. Pettigrew went to fetch her son. Callie sipped her tea while she waited.

She hardly recognized Peter when he entered. He was a fairly short man, but handsome, in a mousy way. He had a look of half-restlessness, half-relief at being idle. He was mild, more timid than Remus, and had none of the harshness of James or Sirius. She could tell that he'd really come into his own since she'd seen him last. He smiled when he saw her and she stood and embraced him.

"Peter, it's really good to see you," she said, smiling.

"You, too." He took the seat opposite her. "I was surprised when I got your owl. Why do you want to talk about Snape?"

Callie explained her brief encounter with the Death Eater. She reported how his hand shook every now and then, and the venom in his words. Peter listened thoughtfully. When she finished, he took a long sip of tea and nibbled a scone.

"Why ask me about this?" he questioned. "I mean, James has more answers, and it would be easier to just talk to Sirius. You're still working with him, right?"

"You'd think so," Callie replied dryly. "Sirius laughed me off when I tried talking to him about it, and you know James has never been unbiased in his life."

"If you want unbiased, why not Remus?"

"Remus has been working for the Order pretty much nonstop. He's gone in werewolf covens, or whatever they are, and rarely comes back up except to report to Dumbledore."

Peter frowned. "He thinks he belongs there."

"I know, and I could slap him for it." She sipped her tea. Peter refilled her cup when she drained it. "But to tell you the truth… it was nice to have an excuse to see you. I've really missed you."

Peter smiled. "I've missed you, too."

"You were always the kindest of the lot." She smiled at the memory. "I used to have nightmares almost every night, and you'd sit up with me when you were staying with James over the summer. You'd make me hot chocolate."

Peter smiled again, refilling his own cup and reaching for another scone. "It wasn't all charity," he said with a squeaky chuckle. "I had nightmares, too." He sat back and peered at her for a moment. "But you're not really here about Snape, are you?"

She frowned, taken aback. "What are you talking about? Of course I am."

"Please," Peter argued. "I've seen that expression too often. Who do you think sent all that chocolate to girls Sirius broke up with?"

"Merlin, that was you?" She laughed. "I thought it was Remus!"

Peter shrugged. "Remus was just my supplier." He eyed her for a moment. "Seriously, though, it's Sirius that's bothering you, isn't it? That's why you didn't go to James or Remus."

Callie sighed deeply. "You should have been in Slytherin or Ravenclaw, Pete. You're smarter than any Gryffindor has a right to be."

He poked her arm. "Don't change the subject!"

She picked up her cup and hid either a smile or a frown behind it; she wasn't sure which. Her face couldn't quite decide between amused and annoyed. She pretended there was far more tea in the cup so she could collect her thoughts. Finally, she put it down and said, "He took two days off work. You know how many days off he's taken since I joined? Exactly one, and that was to take Harry to a Quidditch match for his seventh birthday. I don't even think he goes home; I think he just lives at that office."

"Do you know what it's for?" Peter asked fairly.

"I think it's pretty obvious what it's for! Marlene McKinnon got out of the hospital the same day he took leave."

Peter nodded very slowly, eyes sparking with recognition. "Oh… I see. Yeah, I think this might be Remus' territory."

Callie kicked him under the table. "Don't be a coward," she argued. "What do you think?"

Peter considered for a moment. "First of all, you're way better than Marlene, and Sirius is an idiot if he can't see that."

Callie choked on her tea, flushing deep red. "No! No, that is not what I meant." She coughed, nearly breaking the tea cup as she set it down. Eyes watering, she continued in a scratchy voice, "I meant, is Sirius fit to keep working if his girlfriend works in the same department?"

Peter didn't seem to believe her, but he humored her at the very least. "Well… in a word…" He stopped, sighing. He thought for a moment longer. "He's always been impulsive and his most basic desire is to protect the people he cares about. Always has been. So do I think he'd stop mid-case and risk everything to save her? Yeah, I do. That's… a fact. But another fact is… he's always been the best at what he does. You guys can't afford to lose him."

"We can't afford much of anything," Callie replied. "We're short-staffed, and the Death Eaters are starting to get uglier again. Some really stupid decisions have been made and resulted in too many of our men lost." She paused. "So yeah, I guess I see that point."

"There's always the chance Marlene just won't come back to work," Peter pointed out. "And if she doesn't…" He grinned. "Make your move."

"Oh, god," Callie groaned, "please stop talking."

Peter laughed. "Look, just because they dated on and off for half their time at Hogwarts doesn't mean they're in love. So chill out and wait for it to blow over again. It usually does."

Callie raised an eyebrow. "They dated in Hogwarts?"

"Yeah, on and off. You didn't know that?"

"He neglected to tell me that bit of information," Callie reported sourly.

"I don't think you really need to worry about it. They've always been sort of… drawn to each other. But in love? Doubt it. They're really just friends who are attracted to each other. Their relationship is probably more friends with benefits than anything. It's not really that surprising. He was pretty… let's just say, active while in school. We like to joke that he was a heartbreaker, but really, he stayed on pretty good terms with all the girls he did it with. And there were, admittedly, a lot."

Callie wrinkled her nose. "I did not need to know that."

Peter smirked. "Look at us, off topic. Snape?"

Callie glared at him. "You're horrible. I firmly believe you had every one of those idiots jumping through hoops in school, too. And they never even realized it, did they?"

"Nope." He took a proud sip of tea. "I trust this remains between us?"

"You can buy my silence with information, Pettigrew."

"Fair enough. So, Snape?" He nodded when she made a noise of affirmation. "Sorry. I really can't tell you anything besides what you probably already know. For my part, I really just watched James and Sirius go at him. I mean, it was obvious that he was obsessed with Lily, but they'd already fallen out when she started going out with James."

"Why did they fall out?" Callie asked.

"Well, he was in Slytherin. No offense. He was always a filthy person and had a hard time being liked anywhere he went, so he started hanging out with Death Eaters. Lily flipped. She gave him an ultimatum their fifth year, after he'd been an idiot and called her a Mudblood. He chose the Dark Arts, and that was that. They weren't friends anymore."

Callie sat back, thinking hard. "So," she said slowly, "do you think some of the Death Eaters are mired in self-hatred like Snape must be? Do you think they're just looking for redemption?"

Peter grinned. "What did Sirius do when you suggested that?"

"Never mind Sirius. Stay on topic!"

"Alright, sorry. I mean… I guess it's possible. What's You-Know-Who offering if not redemption for Pure-Bloods? Or what they think is a sort of redemption."

She nodded thoughtfully. "Do you think some of them might turn if we offered them true redemption?"

"Do I think flowers and rainbows and love will win the war?" Peter grinned. "I suppose crazier things have happened."

She sat in silence for a moment, turning the idea over in her head. It seemed logical, if risky. She supposed that everyone was after redemption of some sort, and truth was always better than a lie. At this point, what did they have to lose?

She stood. "Thanks, Peter. I really appreciate this. I should get back."

Peter walked her to the door. "Come by anytime. It gets a bit lonely around here. I'm starting to feel a bit useless, to tell you the truth."

"Well, you have my owl." She made sure her wand was secure and turned to face him. "Thank you," she said fervently. "Thank you for keeping my brother and his family safe."

Peter shrugged. "They'd do the same for me. And it's not too hard. I think we outwitted You-Know-Who with our double Secret Keepers. I'm James', and Sirius is mine. The Death Eaters don't stand a chance." He grinned. "But please lock them all up so I can come out of my house."

Callie chuckled. "We're doing our best. Thanks again, Pete."

She ventured out into the steadily-approaching evening. She thought of Snape, how vengeful he must be, how much bitterness he carried. How many others were like him? How many others had simply made one bad choice after another until they didn't know how to make a right one? If something better was offered them, would they take it?

There was really no way of knowing unless they had an inside perspective. What the Aurors really needed was a spy, but as far as she knew, all the ones they'd tried out had ended up dead.

She apparated home once out of the protective barrier of the Pettigrew cottage. Her simple, rather dull apartment greeted her. She unlocked the door, and promptly locked it again once inside. The lights switched on. Her apartment was starting to look like Sirius' safe house, with papers stacked on every surface. She ventured into her kitchen, moved a pile, and put the kettle on. It would be a long night.

Her toilet flushed. She froze. A shiver ran down her spine. For heaven's sake, not now! She gripped her wand and crept to the wall, pressing her back against it. She breathed deeply in and out to calm her nerves. Only one other person had a key to her apartment, but plenty of people had been killed in their homes.

She heard the bathroom door open and footsteps approach. With a last inhale, she jumped out and pointed her wand straight at the figure. It was the very last person she'd expected. Cool, grey eyes, short, black hair, proud, but very nervous face. His arms rose, hands open to show her they were empty.

"Unarmed," he promised.

Her expression twisted in confusion at the sight of a known but unarmed Death Eater in her home. Her wand arm fell to her side.

"Regulus?"