Guys I am stunned by the response this story is getting so far. Thank you so much to everyone who has added this story to their follows and/or favourites lists since my last update.

Another short chapter, this one does get kind of dark around the middle.

Thank you to Guest, Lydsabella, FANatic Writer, LunarCatNinja, FireShifter, god of all, ariella21, Skidney, SleepyMangaHead, Foxchick1, JannaKalderash and windsongspringheart for their lovely reviews.

Guest: Here's the next chapter :) Hope you like it :)

Chapter Four: The Owl and the Rat

Peter Pettigrew had envisioned spending years hiding out in the Weasley's home. It was peaceful and the family was about as close to Dumbledore as any light family could be. The Burrow was the perfect place to be able to claim that he had been spying on what was left of the Order if any of the Dark Lord's Followers should happen upon him in the future, whilst living as a pampered pet.

That had been his plan, after one of the brood- he still hadn't learned their names- had picked him up and carried him into Molly Weasley's homely kitchen and asked for some food for the rat he had found.

Now though…

Peter wasn't safe, not since he had seen his own face on the front page of the Daily Prophet along with the news that he was alive, and dangerous. The public had to be on the lookout for a rat which was missing a toe on its front foot. A rat just like the newly christened Scabbers…

He had to leave.

Bugger

Peter lingered in the Burrow, hiding in the attic with just the ghoul for company, until late in the night; until he was sure that the whole house was asleep, before scurrying from the ramshackle house.

He just had to make it across the property line and he would be home free.

A shadow passed overhead.

Not far now, just a few more fee…

Peter squealed as something snatched him up and lifted him higher and higher into the air. He writhed in the thing's grasp and squealed again, as terror made his blood run cold.

A barn owl

He had been caught by a barn owl.

He must have blacked out in his terror because the next thing Peter knew he was waking up; still in his rat form; on a rough wooden surface in a room which reminded him eerily of one of the Hogwarts Dungeons, one of the ones which the students weren't allowed into.

"Oh good," a voice purred from somewhere above him. "You're awake."

Peter found himself staring up at the strangest looking man he had ever seen. That the man wasn't human was obvious, his features were too sharp to belong to a human: eyes, ears, teeth. He thought that the man might be a vampire, but what vampire would have hair like this man's wild mane?

The man smirked.

Peter shivered.

"No Mr Pettigrew, you are correct," he said. "I am not a vampire, but by the time I am finished with you, you might wish I was."

One leather covered hand flexed and a transparent ball appeared in the man's fingers.

"This is a crystal," the man informed him. "Nothing more, but inside it holds every nightmare you have ever had, and now you lucky old devil you, you get to relive each of them, in real time, and then you shall live them all over again until your heart stops beating. And I am delighted to be the one to inform you that, thanks to this, you'll be living a very long time to come. Here, catch."

The man tossed the crystal towards him, and when it hit him, instead of shattering like glass, it popped like a bubble. As the first nightmare- the cracked porcelain face of his mother's old Jack-in-the-box super imposed itself over the man's, its empty glass eyes glinting yellow in the candle light Peter decided that the man was right, he did wish the man was just a vampire- the worst thing a vampire could do to you was kill you.

"OW!"

Hazel and Sirius froze at the sound of Sarah's cry. They had been sat at the table having breakfast and beginning to plan how they were going to raise Sarah- together of course, since James and Lily would want her to have two parents- when the toddler had cried out.

She sat, completely unhurt in the high chair which Hazel had liberated from the house in Godric's Hollow.

"Mama, ow!" she declared, pointing one chubby, porridge coated hand at the window. "Pafuh, ow!"

Sitting on the window ledge was a handsome barn owl, a letter clamed in its beak. The two adults let out a sigh of relief, thank Merlin she wasn't hurt.

"I'll clean this one up, if you let the bird in," Hazel offered.

Sirius nodded and rose to open the window for the owl to enter but as it passed him, Sirius all but forgot about the bird, at the sight of a familiar rodent lying, immobile on the ledge.

"Merlin's beard," Sirius gasped.

"What's wrong?" Hazel asked from behind him. "Pads?"

Sirius snatched up the little bastard who had ruined all of their lives and turned to show him to Hazel. "Look who came crawling out of the woodwork."

"Wormy," Sarah, who was no longer covered in the remains of her breakfast, declared. Recognizing the little bastard just as easily as Sirius and Hazel had. "Wormy seep?"

"That's right sweetie," Hazel agreed. "Wormy sleeps."

She took the letter which the owl had dropped onto the table and opened it. Sirius saw her frown.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Here," she said, holding the letter out to him.

The note consisted of a single line of cursive, written in black ink:

Who better to hand over a traitor to the authorities than those he most betrayed.

-a friend

Sirius and Hazel's eyes locked, twin frowns on their faces. Who would have done this? Most witches and wizards would have just called the Aurors if they came across a wanted criminal; not sent him to someone else to hand over.

"Hi Ow," said Sarah happily.

The owl, had moved from his perch on the back of the chair to the lip of the highchair tray, and was allowing Sarah to stroke his feathers.

"Pitty Ow," she told it, and the bird preened.

"Yes," Hazel agreed. "He is a pretty owl, now sweetheart, it's time to say goodbye to him- we have to get dressed and see uncle Moony."

"Mooey!"

"Mooey," Hazel agreed, plucking Sarah from her highchair. "Say bye-bye to Mr Owl now love."

"Bye-bye," Sarah parroted and blew the bird a kiss. "Ma."

The owl didn't leave the flat until Hazel had carried Sarah out of the kitchen. It gave one screeching call and flew out of the window and disappeared over the London skyline.

Nobody noticed the white barn owl flying over Diagon Alley, owls were so commonplace in the wizarding world that Jareth could essentially come and go as he pleased in his avian form. The Goblin King flew in through the window of his office and shifting back into his more commonplace form. He had a meeting with the matriarch of one of the oldest wizarding families in the country, in a few minutes.

Jareth waved his hand, slipping behind the glamour he used when dealing with wizards in this capacity and settled at his desk to wait for the woman to arrive.

Sarah had called his owl form pretty, had stroked his feathers and blown him a kiss. Of course, it meant little, given her infancy, but maybe, just maybe- this time around she would be more open to a relationship with him when she grew old enough to understand what he had to offer her.

Now that he had seen Sarah properly, in the light of day, for the first time since the day of her birth, Jareth could see that she would not grow to resemble the portrait he kept of her former self. Her eyes, while green were a brighter shade, positively emerald instead of the deep jade they had been before. Her hair was black rather than brown and her skin was a few shades darker- but that was most likely due to her not being a princess in this life: royalty in that realm did seem to prefer their females have a complete lack of skin colour.

He would have to commission a new portrait

A knock on the door brought Jareth back to the present.

"Enter," he barked.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty," Ragnold, the Bank's manager bowed upon entering the office. "But Mrs Longbottom is here."

"Show her in then Ragnold," Jareth nodded, and tried not to wince at the sight of the stuffed vulture which bobbed on the woman's hat as she entered.

Remus Lupin had been wandering around the park for about half an hour, looking for Hazel and Sarah, whom he had arranged to meet up with the day before, when:

"Mooey!" a child crowed. "Mooey!"

Remus scanned the area and found the toddler advancing on him at a brisk toddle that she had not been capable of when he had last seen her in person. As she reached him Remus sank into a crouch and scooped her up in a hug.

"Hello Sarah."

"Hi Mooey,"

"Yeah," Hazel agreed, appearing close behind her niece. "Hi Mooey."

"Mama, Mooey." Sarah announced, twisting in Remus' arms to look at Hazel, who nodded in response.

Remus frowned. "She thinks you're…?"

Hazel nodded. "Don't have the heart to correct her." She sighed, and together the two old friends returned to the bench which Hazel had left their belongings by. "Padfoot and I were talking about this this morning, and…"

"You've seen him then?"

"Of course I have, Sarah and I sort of pinched his flat while he wasn't using it- and he hasn't kicked us out yet, think he appreciates the company."

"I'm sure he does," Remus agreed, grinning. "So, are you two…?"

"Back on again? No, not yet, but I- it's looking like we might be heading that way though."

"I owe him an apology," Remus said. "Merlin's pants I was so certain that he was…"

"That I was the spy?" Sirius' voice broke in softly, from behind Remus. Remus turned sharply and took in the man he had wrongly believed had turned traitor for over a year now. He looked pale, drawn, but happy. "I'm not surprised, I thought the same of you, you know."

"Forgive me?" Remus asked.

"Of course," Sirius nodded. "If you'll forgive me?"

"Of course."

The pair shared a brief hug of reconciliation, and when they parted, Sarah had managed to worm her way into her godfather's embrace.

"Hello Bambi," he smiled and kissed her forehead, then looking at Hazel added. "Hey babe,"

"Hey," she returned, moving to stand beside Sirius. "Did you take care of our pest problem?"

"Yeah," Sirius nodded. "Left the little rat with Moody."

"Little rat?" Remus echoed. "You mean…?"

"Yes," Hazel smiled and glanced up at the darkening sky. "Why don't we head back up to the flat, we'll fill you in over a cuppa. Smells like rain."

~v~

Next time: We skip ahead ten years, a school trip reveals something unexpected about Sarah and the the girl who lived gets her Hogwarts letter.

Note: I am skipping over Sarah's whole childhood, I don't think its particularly relevant to the story but I am considering posting a series of one shots about Sarah's pre-Hogwarts life, and those around her: if there is a situation you would like to see let me know, I'm open to suggestions.

Until next time: please leave a contribution in the little box. :)