Minerva McGonagall looked pitifully at Peter Pettigrew. The poor boy was sitting on the other side of her desk nervously twitching every once in a while. His eyes kept darting around his room and anytime there was a noise, his hand would instinctually reach for his wand. It was late and it showed on his face; there were dark bags under his eyes and they were also bloodshot. A howl in the distance, one that McGonagall knew belonged to his friend, caused him to jump a few inches off his seat and look panicked towards the window.

"Peter," McGonagall began softly, as to not scare the already terrified boy, "I know this is difficult, but we need to know what happened today at Hogsmeade. You said earlier that you went with Ursula Black to meet up with Moira McGonagall and Mary MacDonald."

"It wasn't supposed to be me," Peter breathed, his eyes unfocused.

McGonagall tipped her head to side at that confession, "What do you mean that it wasn't supposed to be you?"

Peter jolted out of his trance-like state and shook his head frantically, "No! I just…N-n-n-normally it's Ben and Ursula who go to Hogsmeade together. I-I-I-I never knew that they were meeting up with other people. I d-d-d-didn't know a-a-anything about this. Then th-th-they had a fight s-s-so Ursula asked me to go b-b-but then….then….then all this happened."

"It's alright, Peter. Just take a deep breath."

He did as he was told.

"Alright, now what happened after you two got to Hogsmeade? Did you see anything or anyone suspicious?"

Peter shrugged, "I wasn't focused on looking for someone who would do something like this! I didn't! How could I've known this would happen!? I just went to Hogsmeade with some friends and now…" Peter cut himself off from his hysterical answer. "Are they going to be okay?" Peter asked softly, crushing guilt overwhelming his expression.

McGonagall was silent but it was enough of an answer for Peter. He sighed sadly and leaned back in the chair, "I-I-I guess I could explain what happened earlier. I don't k-k-know how it would help maybe you could see something I can't."

"That would be most beneficial to the situation." McGonagall concurred.

"I didn't know who were meeting up with at first…or why…"

Five hours previously

"I wonder where they are," Ursula muttered to herself as she scanned the crowd heading to Hogsmeade. Peter was practically jogging to keep up with her brisk pace.

"Where who is?"

Ursula stopped and rolled her eyes, "I said we're meeting up with Mary and Moira. Didn't you hear me earlier?"

The truth was that all Peter heard earlier was her saying that they were going on a date. Anything else she said didn't really stick with him. Knowing that they meeting up with Mary and Moira caused him to become more confused, "but I thought you usually go with Ben on dates on Fridays. Why would you meet up with two of your teammates?"

"Peter," Ursula began hesitantly, "you know that I hate any type of prejudice right? That just because someone is different than you and lives their life differently than you, there is no reason that someone should be viewed as less of a person and deserves to die. Well, that doesn't just apply to those who aren't pureblood."

"I don't get it," Peter nearly whined. "What does any of this have to with one of your teammates at Hogsmeade with her friend?"

Ursula huffed, "Because she's not her friend."

"Are they fighting like you and Elyse?"

In complete awe of Peter's thickness at that moment, Ursula could do no more than just stare at him and blink a number of times. Finally she shook her head, "Damn, Peter. You are incredibly thick sometimes, you know that?"

Peter flinched at the insult, "I still don't get it."

"Wormy, let's walk through this shall we?" Ursula said patronizingly. "Ben and I usually go on a date to Hogsmeade on Friday. We are meeting up with Mary and Moira. Mary and Moira and not just friends. Can you understand what I am implying?"

"Oh," Peter couldn't help but feel incredibly stupid and childish.

"Is that going to be a problem?" The steely tone of her voice matched the coldness in her equally silver eyes. She crossed her arms and stared at him in such a manner that if he fully expected for her to curse him at any moment.

"Not at all," he immediately lied. Well, it was a half lie. He didn't have anything again Moira or Mary but he had to admit…he was now less enthusiastic about this outing. Everything in his being screamed in protest. He believed in purity; of the blood, love, of magic. Moira was a halfblood and Mary was a muggleborn. They were the epitome of things he viewed wrong in the Wizarding world based only off their blood. Now knowing that they weren't just lower in blood status, they are also what he considered lower in that aspect as well. Their "love" was impure, their blood was impure, and their magic was impure; it made him disgusted.

Back in McGonagall's Office

Of course, he told McGonagall none of this. He had learned that the professor was protective of her niece's preference in the romance department.

"So you did not know you were meeting with Moira McGonagall and Mary MacDonald?" McGonagall said aloud as she made a note on a piece of parchment in front of her.

Peter mentally panicked, "How would I know? I swear I didn't know. It's not like I knew what was going to happen to the two of them!"

McGonagall pushed a tin in front of him, "Pettigrew, take a biscuit. You need to calm down."

"I CAN'T CALM DOWN!" The usually mousey boy screamed. McGonagall nearly jumped back in shock. In the six years that she had known Peter he had always been the meekest one out of his friends. The boy had been pulled into some wild schemes and often times; she would feel sorry for him. He didn't always deserve the detentions or other punishments that were given to the rest of them. He was simply a follow lost in the midst of leaders. The initial part of the story about him going to Hogsmeade without James or Sirius astounded her. He was rarely seen without one of the two of them. For him to act (or speak) in such a violent manner…McGonagall was unable to fathom the stress that must be on the boy's mind.

McGonagall rose from her seat and walked around her desk to place a comforting hand on Peter's shaking shoulders and his body wracked itself with sobs. "Peter," she consoled, "I know that this is not an easy situation. I can't even imagine what it is like for you and your peers: you are all too young to be dealing with things of this caliber. None of it was your fault—what you did or didn't do says nothing on your character in this situation."

"How can you possible know that?" He asked miserably.

"Because I have been your Head of House for the past six years. I have taught you and issued you an innumerable amount of detentions because of the mischief you and your friends have caused. I know that you are a good person who is growing up too fast because of a situation you have no control over. So yes, you may not have done everything you could have but that is something someone rarely does. This has changed nothing. Now, you mentioned previously that you met up with Mary and Moira at Hogsmeade and then went for dinner at the Three Broomsticks. What happened after dinner?"

Four hours previously

With full stomachs and renewed energy, the quartet stepped outside into the cool but moderately humid air that promised rain the near future. Ursula was absentmindedly fiddling with her wand as they walked, something that Peter knew Ben would often do; it irked him to see that.

As if knowing where his train of thought had gone, Mary commented, "You know, you never said why Ben isn't here?"

Ursula bristled but tried to act nonchalant, "His dad came to speak to our DADA class so he decided to spend some time with him afterwards. He's sorry he had to miss but knew that you guys would understand."

Mary and Moira nodded in acceptance of the excuse. Peter on the other hand, reached out and tightly grabbed Ursula's arm, "Why did you lie?" he hissed.

To her credit, Ursula made off as if nothing was wrong. She yanked her arm free subtly, "Peter, no offense, but it is none of your damn business."

"It is my business."

"Really? I didn't know that you were Ben. You got a little shorter."

"This isn't time for jokes."

Her grey eyes hardened, "I know that. This also isn't the time to worm your way into my business. You're one of my closest friends, yes, but this is something that doesn't involve you."

Their argument was cut short by Moira grabbing Ursula's wrist and dragging her into a Quidditch store that had just recently opened up to look at some chaser gear. Peter stood awkwardly next to Mary.

Beyond both sporting the Gryffindor colors, they had very little in common. Peter frantically searched for something to say but he came up blank. What could he say to the girl that he positively loathed the existence of? Just standing next to her, he felt the revulsion wash over him. The 'date' had started out with wonderful possibilities now he wished for anything to be back in the castle getting ready for the full moon with the rest of them. Instead he was trapped with two abominations and the girl who would never love him.

"I know that look," Mary commented softly.

"What?" he asked shortly.

Mary flushed slightly, "That look when Ursula is gone. That was the face I made for years when I thought of Moira could never love me."

"Love?" Peter spat. "What could you possible know about love? And I don't love Ursula. She had Ben."

Mary raised an eyebrow, "So the way you just spat Ben's name like it was worse than an Unforgivable doesn't mean a thing?"

"How dare you presume to know anything about anything!" Peter demanded, though the effect was lost as his voice cracked in the middle of his sentence.

There was a sadness in her eyes that made Peter almost feel bad about snapping at her, "Peter, I know a thing about love. I wanted to date Moira for years but we were best friends. I thought that that was all she would ever see me as. Then one night, Moira came back from Qudditch practice and said "If James Potter can ask Lily Evans out every five minutes and get rejected, I can handle it once: Mary, want to go on a date to Hogsmeade?" and that was how it all changed. I love her Peter, I truly do. But the only people who have been accepting of our relationship have been Professor McGonagall, Moira's father, her siblings, one of my sisters, and the Quidditch team. Do you know when I went home and told my parents that Moira was girlfriend, my mom told me that I didn't need to add the word girl in front of friend otherwise people would get the wrong picture.

"I sat her and my dad down that night. I told them that I was in love with Moira and it wasn't platonic. They exploded. They said such horrible and cruel things. By the end of the night, I was kicked out of my house and told to never come back. I took the night bus to my older brother's house. I was sleeping on the couch when the owl from my parents came. He kicked me out at three a.m. Got back on the night bus and went to my sister's. She was the last family member I had. She had a kid out of wedlock so I figured that she would at least let me stay the night. I still live with her. Because I love someone of the same gender, my parents hate me. Because of love, I lost what some consider the most unbreakable love there is; the love between a parent and child.

"So I may not know everything but I know love. I know about it being unrequited. I know a lot of things about you that your friends probably don't even know. I don't mean to sound creepy but since I'm around the Quidditch team (and therefore half your friends) a lot in the background, I notice things."

"What could you have possibly noticed?" Peter felt his heart drop to his stomach.

Mary shrugged, "Mostly that you fancy Ursula a lot."

Peter felt his shoulders sag in relief.

But then she continued.

"Also, for some reason, I've noticed that you've started hanging around a lot of Slytherins in the past year. It's really weird. I mean, especially since the ones I've seen around you are probably Death…Eaters…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes widened in realization.

Without hesitation, Peter pulled out his wand and nonverbally petrified her. Without a second to spare, he grabbed her and shoved her towards the small alley between the shops. He momentarily panicked before he took a few deep breaths, gathered his composure, and walked back out to the store front. Quickly, a plan started to form in his head…one that would require some assistance. Thankfully, at that moment, he saw his saving graces, Avery and Mulciber walking with a few other familiar Slytherins. He subtly motioned for them to come over.

Five minutes later, Peter was innocently standing by the Quidditch shop when Ursula and Moira walked back out. A look of confusion crossed over both their faces.

"Peter, where's Mary?" Moira asked.

"She had to use the bathroom." The lie fell from his lips so convincingly that he himself almost believed it. "She said that her stomach was starting to bother her."

Ursula nodded and then turned to her teammate, "Well, I wanted to go get something for James's birthday from Zonko's. Think you two are fine going on your own?" she directed her question towards Moira.

"Yeah. We've taken up enough of your night. Where did Mary go?" she asked Peter.

Momentarily, Peter panicked but quickly recovered. "I can bring you there. It was near the back of the shops."

If she found that suspicious at all, she didn't show it. Instead, she smiled and said, "Thanks."

With a quick goodbye to Ursula, the duo was walking back towards the alley. A snarl and grunt was heard; it was followed by laughter. Moira reached out for Peter's arm, "Peter…?"

Before he answered, rough hands grabbed her shoulders and covered her mouth to muffle the scream. Her eyes widened in shock before a light hit her and she fell unconscious.

"She doesn't need to see this," the figure cloaked in the shadows mumbled in explanation. Someone cuffed him painfully on the back of his head.

"Damn it Reg, we were going to have some fun with her."

Regulus's face lost any of the softness or mercy that he had on his face (looking incredibly similar to his older twin siblings) changed and hardened into stone, "She's Professor McGonagall's niece, you imbecile! If you hurt her we would be facing worse than expulsion!"

Mulciber sighed exasperatedly. "Fine. We'll just to have twice as much with this one." He jabbed his wand in the direction of Mary. She was now unpetrified but laying prone on the ground. She groaned in pain and reached for the cut on her forehead. Mulciber walked over and kicked her in the ribs. She gasped and rolled over, desperate to avoid the pain. He knelt down next to her and grabbed her face forcefully, "You know, you absolutely disgust me," he spat. "Not only a mudblood but a bloody dyke. Disgusting. So we're going to have a little bit of fun. Maybe show you the error of your ways? How does that sound?"

"No—error." She cough.

Any amusement, no matter how dangerous and cruel it was, melted off his face in an instant. "What?" he snapped.

"To imply an error, there must be a choice. I didn't choose to be born a muggle. I didn't choose to fall in love with Moira. But even if I did have the choice, if not being those things meant being like you, I would rather die."

Mulciber titled his head to the side, "You're a brave little mudblood, aren't you? Such stupidity. It must be a trait of your House. Well, all except Peter. He's seemingly the only one with common sense in Gryffindor."

The look of utter betrayal on Mary's face was enough to make Peter look in shame.

Mulciber got up and started circling her like a predator would his prey, "You said you would rather die than be like me. Let's see how close we can get you there."

He pulled out his wand and muted her silently before looking at Peter. "You brought her to us. You can have first blow. I would suggest Dolohov's little trick that I showed you. But in all honesty, you need a little work on that one to be effective. Perhaps start with something a little more…unforgivable?"

Mary's eyes widened so wide that Peter was sure that they were nearly half out of her head. She silently begged, silently sobbing, for mercy.

Peter would give her none.

With a rush of power that made him feel invincible, he uttered, "Crucio."

Back in McGonagall's office

"So Mary went off to the bathroom by herself?" McGonagall clarified. "You stayed to tell Moira and then Moira followed. That was the last you saw of them?"

Peter nodded solemnly.

McGonagall sighed and stood up. She motioned for Peter to do that same. "Thank you for retelling your side of the story. I assure you that those who are responsible are going to be punished to the fullest extent of the law: Hogswarts and Ministry."

"Where is Ursula?" Peter questioned. It had been a question nagging at him for the past hour since they had been brought it. He was just about to go outside with his friends to run with Moony when McGonagall pulled him out of the Common Room to tell him that Ursula had found the bodies of Mary and Moira in an alley, fought with some Slytherin students, and told the professors that Peter had been with them earlier that day.

She responded, "She went to tell Professor Dumbledore her side of the story. If she has finished then she is back in the dorms."

"And Mary and Moira?"

The heartbroken expression on McGonagall's face nearly made Peter's guilt swallow him up.

"Mary has been transferred to St. Mungo's. Moira was inconsolable once she came to so she was given a sleeping draught in the Hospital wing."

"I hope she gets better soon," Peter said with false sincerity.

McGonagall shook her head as she opened her office door, "This is not something that one gets better from. I fear that the niece and student I once knew are gone forever."

"Still…" Peter trailed off, not sure what to say to comfort someone when you were the reason they needed comforting. "Goodnight, Professor."

"Good night, Peter," she said before she closed the door.

And with a quick look up and down the hallway, Peter changed into Wormtail and quickly scurried off to the Slytherin Common Room.

There were some loose ends that needed to be resolved and resolved fast.

Hi guys. Once again (I feel like a broken record) sorry about the wait. I lost direction with this story for a while but now I think I have an end game for the rest of this year. Thank you everyone who has either reviewed/messaged me/favorited/alerted my story. I love hearing back from you guys!

So for this chapter, it was going to turn out completely differently but then Peter kind of took over the chapter and I couldn't deny that I liked where it went. In the actual series, Peter had to have been incredibly smart, cunning, and manipulative to pull off what he did to the Potters and Sirius. It just felt like something that he would do and it fit perfectly in with cannon. Also fitting in with canon is that a character named Mary MacDonald was attacked with some major dark magic by Mulciber her fifth year.

Oh, I want to apologize to anyone who took offense to anything written. I think I have made my personal opinion clear in previous chapters but in this one, I had to show the ignorant side to it. Random fact: part of the inspiration (including Mary and Moira in this in this way) came from a few weeks ago when I got the opportunity to march in the Pride Parade in Chicago. It was an incredible experience and I just wanted to include a little bit of it. I also have been listening to the some Girls/Girls/Boys by Panic! at the Disco and one of the lines is "Love is not a choice" and that just spoke to me so that is where the chapter title comes from.

In the next chapter, we will be getting the rest of the gang back together and also a it from Ursula's perspective of everything that happened from her end of things. I hope to have that one written in about a week so keep on the look out.