* OK, so here's the deal. I have to update a little faster now since I'm going to Guaremala on the fifth of July. I need to finish the story within a couple days, or else you won't get an update for around three weeks. There's no Internet where I'm going. Anyway, that's it.
John stepped back in surprises when he saw Peter Pettigrew. It wasn't like John didn't not believe in Remus Lupin's story, but rather, found it quite unlikely. Not impossible, just extremely unlikely.
Peter was short, shorter than John in fact. He was bald at the top of his head, and his hair was wild. It wasn't like a curly mess of hair, like John's, but more like his hair had been subject to electric shock. His pointed nose and black, watery eyes, made him look even less human.
"Long time no see, Peter," Lupin said coolly.
"S-Sirius? R-Remus?" Peter stuttered. "My old friends… yes…"
John flinched when he saw Black raise his wand, but exhaled sharply when Lupin forcefully grabbed Black's wrist.
"We've been talking about you, Peter. About when Lily and James died…" Lupin said, once he had Black under control.
"S-surely you don't believe what he's saying, Remus! He-he tried to kill me!" Peter begged.
"Ah, yes. I've heard of that. I would like to bring some clarity to-"
"Oh, and he's come to kill me again! Remus, please old friend, you've got to help me, you've got to help me!"
"Nobody will try to kill you until everything's been sorted out," Leupin explained.
John narrowed his eyes when he saw Peter's gaze drift to the boarded windows and only door. He was quite sure that Pettigrew was meaning to escape.
"I-I've been waiting for Sirius to hunt be down for twelve years!" Peter cried.
"Oh, you haven't been hiding from me for twelve years," Black said, menacingly. "At mt time in Azkaban, I heard the mutters and the wails of other prisoners saying that you, Peter, gave Voldemort information about James and Lily's hideout. But, that caused Voldemort's downfall, didn't ir?" Black leaned forward, "Peter, there are many of Voldemort's supporters who want to get you for bringing down the Dark Lord's reign," he whispered, almost to himself.
"Remus!" Peter begged again. "You don't believe this, this madness!"
"I'm having trouble grasping the idea of why an innocent man would hide for twelve years as a rat," Lupin said.
"I was scared! Definitely innocent, but scared nonetheless!" Peter defended. "Voldemort's supporters are only after me, because, because I put their best man in Azkaban!"
Black snarled. "You dare say that I spied for Voldemort? I'll never understand how you Peter, became a spy for the start!"
"I...would...never... become a spy!" Peter panted.
John was having trouble deciding on which side to support. A supposedly dead, innocent man? Or an Azkaban escapee, and convicted murderer. Despite all common sense, John was leaning toward Black. He didn't know why… He kind of just knew who...
Black continued to spit accusations toward Peter, but John couldn't fail to notice the colour draining from Peter's face each time. Or that his eyes would wander around the room ecstatically.
Wandering eyes and fidgeting were some of the firsts signs of lying.
Then, Hermione asked something quite intelligent. "Sir, if you don't mind, hasn't Scabbers, er whoever been sleeping with Ron and Harry for a couple years now? Why hadn't he tried to kill Harry earlier if he were working for um, You-Know-Who?"
Peter went a little mad. "See? See Remus? I haven't done anything to Harry!"
"You wouldn't have done anything Peter unless it was told upfront to you! Stupid idiot…" Black muttered.
Again, Hermione spoke. "How did, er, Black escape from Azkaban?"
"Yes! How did he escape from Azkaban Remus? Hm?" Peter asked frantically.
Pondering his answer for a bit, Black said, "I'm not really sure how, actually. I knew I was innocent, and it's what kept me going. Knowing I was innocent was actually a happy thought, so the Dementors couldn't suck it out of me. But, I became a dog… Dementors can't sense animal emotions like human emotions."
"And then I saw Peter in that picture, and I realized that he was Hogwarts with Harry. He would be ready to strike at any moment. He'd be welcomed back to those those who followed Voldemort with honours…"
"So I had to do something! I became a dog again, and was so skinny I slipped through my bars. The dementors only thought of me as a less complex being mentally and emotionally, and barely noticed me…" he shuddered, "Barely. But, I swam to the mainland as a dog and lived in the forest since."
John felt awful. The pain of this man, just to keep his best friend's son safe… John suddenly had a sensation of déjà vu. It was weird, because this scenario was familiar…
Harry nodded, to prove that he believed in Black. Next to John, Clara sighed.
Petr began begging and pleading. Sirius kicked him hard, and Peter begged even more. John faintly noticed that Clara had threatening tears in her eyes.
"Shall we kill him together?" Sirius asked.
"Yes, I shall think so," Lupin answered sadly. Again, John felt another pang of hurt inside himself that coursed throughout his whole body.
Peter, on his knees, scrambled toward Ron. "Ron… I've been good! I've been a good rat! You're on my side? Right, Ron?"
Ron, stared at Peter angrily. "I let you sleep in my bed!"
John coughed. "That's right! A grown man-rat slept in your bed, Ron. And you Harry with the special map didn't notice?"
Harry stuttered, but was cut off by Pettigrew's cries.
"I was a good rat, Master!"
The final word electrified John, and he shuddered. John clenched his fists.
Peter scurried to Hermione's side, and clawed at her robes.
"You wouldn't let them, sweet, sweet, girl…"
Hermione yanked her robes from Pettigrew's grasp, and hit the wall behind her while backing away, horrified.
Clara backed up slowly too, but Peter grabbed her too, which caused her to shriek.
"Don't touch me, you rat-faced bastard!" Clara kicked furiously, and jumped back, panting.
Peter knelt below Harry next, and whispered, "Harry… You're just like your father…"
Black went ballistic.
"DON'T YOU EVEN TALK TO HARRY! HOW DARE YOU? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES IN FRONT OF HIM?"
Lupin and Black grabbed Pettigrew by the shoulders, and pushed him onto the ground. Black whipped out his wand.
"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort, deny it?"
John felt like collapsing when the tears came bursting from Peter's face. He stumbled back, breathing hard. He couldn't take tears. Not because they showed you were weak, but because they were just so painful to watch.
"What could I have done?" Peter shrieked. "The Dark Lord had such weapons! I wasn't able to resist him! I was never brave like you three!"
"THANKS TO YOU IT'S ONLY US TWO, PETTIGREW!" Black yelled. "YOU WERE A SPY FOR A YEAR, A YEAR, BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED!"
"He was taking over everywhere! Why would I refuse? What been gained?"
"Innocent lives!" Sirius snapped.
"He would've kill me!" Pettigrew said, panting.
"YOU SHOULD'VE DIED! DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS! WE WOULD'VE DONE IT FOR YOU!"
To John's horror, Black and Sirius raised their wands.
"Good bye, Peter."
Clara whimpered, and Hermione covered her eyes. A sudden surge of anger vaulted through John.
"NO! WE ARE NOT KILLING HIM! KILLING ISN'T THE ANSWER! AND IF YOU THINK IT IS, THEN YOU WILL ANSWER TO ME!"
Lupin frowned. "John, you are merely a boy. This is of no concern of yours. You do not decide who dies or not."
"Maybe not every day, Remus," John panted. "But me being a boy doesn't mean I'm going to let you do something so STUPID that you'll end up ruining everybody else's lives. I am 100% sure that nobody here wants to see a man die!"
"John, this piece of vermin killed Harry's parents, in cold blood. He deserves to die!" Lupin yelled. "He saved his own skin rather than protect his friends."
"I never said he doesn't deserve punishment!" John argued. "Just no killing. Give him hell in Azkaban, but no death. Death is kinder than Azkaban"
"Th-thank you," wheezed Pettigrew, as he was let go. Pettigrew flung himself onto John.
"If you think this means I support you in any way, you are completely wrong," John said. "Make one move and I may just take back what I said and do it myself."
The words sickened John as he said them. He couldn't bring himself to say 'kill' but, the point was made.
"No second chances. I'm that sort of a person, Pettigrew. NOW GET OFF!"
Peter jumped back, and cradled himself in his arms. Slowly, Lupin and Black lowered their wands.
"You're right, Mr. Smith," Lupin admitted. "Death is kinder than Azkaban. Now, stand aside." John obeyed, and Lupin pulled his wand out again. "I'm only going to tie him up, OK?"
Seconds later, Peter was bound and gagged on the floor.
"If you transform Peter, we will kill you!" Black warned.
John stared at the shaking figure of Peter, but decided that he had seen worse.
Lupin straightened his back. "Right, we best be off. I can't mend bones like Madam Pomfrey, but I can do my best."
He strode over to Ron, and whispered, "Ferula." Bandages wrapped around his leg, and bound them tightly into a new splint.
Lupin looked at Clara appreciatively. "You did well, Miss Oswald. Shame the first one broke."
Clara nodded nervously, but John noticed that her eyes never left Peter.
"What do we do about Professor Snape?" Hermione asked tentatively.
Lupin bent over, and put two fingers to Snape's neck. "He's fine. He's still unconscious. Mobilicorpus!" Invisible strings tugged at Snape;s lims, and he was hovering a couple of inches above the ground. Lupin gathered the Invisibility Cloak and tucked it safely in his pocket.
"Two should be chained to him," Black spat, and kicked Peter on the foot.
"I'll do it," Lupin said.
"And me," Ron offered.
There were thick, metal shackles that were conjured from the air. Peter was upright again, and attached at the arms to Ron and Lupin. John still wasn't sure about how Ron felt, now knowing that he slept with a murderer/adult man/rat. John winced when he realized what he thought.
Crookshanks led everyone out, with his tail bobbing behind him. John took a breath and followed the ugly cat.