AU!
Rated T for a couple of swear words. Definitely not for Snape lovers.
Written for Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
House: Thunderbird
Class: Arithmancy
Task: 3. What if Severus Snape had not heard the prophecy?
Word Count: 1496/4500
Demonstrating Loyalty
Dumbledore knew what he had to do. He had to wipe Trelawney's memory of visiting him. If she didn't remember applying for the Divination post, she would never realize she had predicted something that could make or break the Wizarding World.
Waving his wand and uttering just three syllables, Dumbledore's job was done.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…" Sybill Trelawney's eyes fluttered shut right after she had finished speaking, and Dumbledore wondered how much truth was in her words.
Is this a real prophecy or a sham? It could be a self-fulfilling prophecy too.
Divination was a tricky subject to master, and Dumbledore knew he couldn't take any chances. If there was any truth in Trelawney's words, he couldn't let anyone else learn about the prophecy. He knew there were two couples who had defied Voldemort thrice: the Potters and the Longbottoms. And both witches were pregnant.
Dumbledore knew what he had to do. He had to wipe Trelawney's memory of visiting him. If she didn't remember applying for the Divination post, she would never realize she had predicted something that could make or break the Wizarding World.
Waving his wand and uttering just three syllables, Dumbledore's job was done.
Peter Pettigrew winced as his friends screamed at him, and he didn't blame them for it. He had made a huge mistake, and its evidence was starkly visible on his left arm. The Dark Mark gleamed in the harsh light of the Evans' living room, and Peter regretted taking it. It was why he was being berated and scolded by his best friends in the first place.
"Maybe you should let the poor bloke speak," Mrs Evans said, walking into the room with a tray with tea and scones. Everyone stopped yelling at him and waited for Mrs Evans to leave. But Mrs Evans didn't move. She stood there and stared at them pointedly. "Well, go on, Peter. Tell them why you took such a drastic step."
His friends all turned to look at him, and Peter winced when he saw the suspicion and anger in their gaze. He bowed his head and said, "I was terrified of his power, his influence, and I… I didn't want to be on the losing side. I didn't want to die. It's no excuse, but… Everything was changing — you two are having a baby soon, Remus is doing his own thing, and even Sirius has a stable job as an Auror — and I… I have nothing."
"That's not true, Peter! You had us!" Lily cried, wrapping her arms around her pregnant belly. "Why didn't you just tell us how you felt?"
"I thought you would mock me for it… James already did." Everyone turned to look at James, who looked bewildered.
"Me? When did I mock you?" James cried, aghast.
"I told you I was scared after the Prewett twins were killed, and you said that I can't be a scaredy-cat," Peter said pointedly. "You mocked me for how I felt, James."
"I didn't call you a scaredy-cat — I called you a scaredy-rat," James said absentmindedly, scratching the nape of his neck. He winced when Lily smacked his chest with the back of her hand. "All right, all right! I did mock you, and I'm sorry for that… But my… immature behaviour doesn't give you the excuse to run off to Voldemort and take the Mark! Tha—that's a poor excuse!"
Remus nodded and said, "He's right, Pete. We understand you were scared — we are, too — but none of us ran to Voldemort the first chance we got, did we?"
Peter lowered his head once again, feeling incredibly guilty. "I'm so sorry, guys, I really am… That's why we… defected."
"Did you just say defected?" James and Sirius asked in unison.
Remus caught Peter's usage of the word 'we' and asked, "More specifically, who do you mean by 'we'?"
"Regulus and I," Peter whispered, slowly looking up and meeting Sirius' eyes. "We didn't want this… this life."
"Reggie… defected? What? He took the Mark?" Sirius asked with disbelief. "When? Where is he?"
Peter swallowed and said, "He has some important information — I mean, really important information — about the Dark Lord, so he's with Dumbledore at the moment. Dumbledore muttered something about a prophecy… Said it was useless and unnecessary now… And then, he told me to come to you and tell you what I chose… He thought you would forgive me."
The others were quiet as they exchanged significant glances. Finally, James turned to Peter and said, "You betrayed us, Pete."
"I know."
"You also came back to us."
"Yes…" Peter trailed off worriedly, his heart beating abnormally fast in his chest, reminding him of his heartrate in his Animagus form.
"We won't forget what you did any time soon."
"I know. I don't expect you to."
"But we forgive you," James said, walking over to Peter's side and pulling him into a fierce hug. Sirius and Remus hurried over to join in on their embrace.
"Y-you do?" Peter whispered, his face buried in Sirius' armpit, his arms wrapped around Remus and James. "Really?"
"Yes." Remus pulled back and placed his hand on his shoulder. "You are not only our best friend, but you're also a true Gryffindor. You actually came to confess your crimes to us — even though you knew we would be furious at you. That takes courage… Gryffindor courage."
Peter's tears streamed down his face as he wrapped them in a tight hug again. "I'll do everything I can to prove my loyalty to you. To the Order. And I know just where to start…"
"Where?" Lily asked, leaning against the couch, massaging her back tiredly. She knew her due date was almost a month away, but she really wanted their child to arrive soon so she could at least sit down properly.
"You-Know-Who's most loyal Death Eaters are the Lestranges and Snape. He's given them an assignment. If we could just…" Peter trailed off when he saw Lily's obvious distress at his mention of Snape. "Oh… I'm sorry, Lily."
Lily swallowed the lump in her throat and shook her head. "Don't be, Peter. He's chosen his side, and I've chosen mine. Carry on."
"Maybe you should sit down, honey," Mrs Evans said, patting Lily's back. She walked her daughter over to the armchair and helped her down.
Peter looked up at his friends and said, "If we could just get Snape out of the way, maybe it could affect the war."
"It might be a small change, but it will affect the war," Remus said, agreeably nodding his head. "We should inform the Order."
"I'm on it — Pete, when and where are they going?" James asked, pulling out his wand to cast his Patronus.
Peter glanced at the old grandfather clock near the fireplace and said, "The McKinnons' house in Somerset. I'm not sure of the time though."
James quickly sent his Patronus to the Order and Dumbledore, hoping nothing bad happened to the witch and her family. He returned to his seat and looked at Peter. "Hopefully, you're right, Pete. If this is a false alarm or a trap…"
"It's not. I promise." Peter desperately hoped he had done the right thing. He knew his every action would warrant suspicions from his friends for a long time, and he hoped one day he would be able to redeem himself in their eyes.
"Kill him! Kill the murderous bastard!"
Severus Snape winced when he felt a strong Slicing Hex whiz past his cheek. Blood dripped down his sallow face, and he tasted the metallic liquid when he licked his dry lips. Snape couldn't believe how badly he had failed his master. It should have been a simple attack on the McKinnons' house, but he had failed. The McKinnons were alive, and Snape and a handful of Death Eaters had been arrested for their attempted murder.
The Aurors dragged him towards the Ministry for his so-called trial — everyone knew he wasn't innocent and would be sent to Azkaban to rot for all eternity. When Snape turned his head, he caught sight of Lily and James standing near the furious mob. James' arm was wrapped securely around Lily's waist, his other hand on her pregnant belly.
But it wasn't her impending motherhood that made Snape pause, and neither was it James' protective hold. It was the look of pity and pure hatred in his ex-best friend's eyes that stopped him dead in his tracks. His heart lurched when he saw Lily turn away, not bothering to look back at him, and Snape knew… He knew it was the last he would ever see of her.
And deep down, a seed of regret bloomed in his heart, but it was too late. He had made his bed, and now, he would have to lie in it.
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