Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Warning: Some language; mild sexual references
Chapter 65 – Friends Return - Enemies Emerge
Wednesday arrived and with it, Peter. The other Marauders, Lily and Kate had hung around the castle for the morning but when Peter did not show, decided to take advantage of the warm weather and wait outside. Sirius and Remus charmed the house elves into creating a veritable feast and the crew headed down to the Black Lake to enjoy a late summer picnic.
An hour after the hamper had been opened and the bounty laid out on a brightly colored cloth, Sirius pushed his finally-empty plate away and backed up to rest against the broad trunk of 'their' tree. "I couldn't eat another bite," he said, contentedly.
Kate shook her head. "Imagine that," she said, pulling a face at Lily, who smiled as she rose to help her friend clear the cloth and repack the now empty containers into the hamper.
"We have wands for that sort of thing, you know," James observed from his reclined position on the grass.
"Yes, but a little physical activity helps to burn off some of those lunch calories," Lily replied, dropping Kate a wink as she turned toward her boyfriend. "But, if you insist, I can use my wand to motivate you to help…."
James struggled to his feet, much to the amusement of Remus who obligingly took the hamper from Kate and placed it in the shadow of a large, flat rock.
"Oi, Moony," Sirius called, watching his friend. "Now that you've finished ingratiating yourself with these females here; what's that you've got?" The young wizard gestured toward the knapsack in Remus' hand. "Wouldn't be squirreling away any of Honeyduke's lovely chocolate in that sack, would you, mate?"
"That from the wizard who couldn't choke down another bite of food," Lily commented, wryly.
"This," Remus held the bag up, "hides no chocolate, Padfoot." The young werewolf dropped down onto the grass next to his friend and quickly slid the zipper open. "It does, however, hold something that should add to our fun this afternoon." And with a flourish, Remus withdrew a camera.
James let out a low, appreciative whistle. "Brilliant, mate!" He held out a hand to take the item from his friend for closer inspection. After a few minutes spent turning the camera over and back, from one side to the other, he looked at Remus a bit sheepishly. "What is it?"
Remus blinked. "'What is it?'"
"Well," James began, "it sort of looks like a camera, but I've never seen a wizard camera with this many buttons and … dials and the like."
Remus laughed and reached for the instrument. "It is a camera, James; a Muggle camera, as a matter of fact!"
"A Muggle camera? Bah, what good are they? I've seen the pictures that come from those things; Moony – they don't even move!" Sirius edged forward to get a better look.
"These will," Remus said, in a voice as close to smug as anyone could ever remember hearing from him. "Dad and I worked on it this summer. We charmed it so it would do everything a wizard camera does; it is brilliant!" He used his sleeve to rub a tiny spot from one side.
"But why go to all that bother when you could just go out and buy a regular wizard camera in the first place?" James, ever impatient with people who took the long road toward anything worthwhile, failed to understand. Sirius, however, caught the faint flush creeping up his friend's neck and got it immediately. Wizard cameras weren't cheap by a long shot; there was no way that Remus would have been able to afford one – nor would his parents.
"Pipe down, Jamie! There's no sport in buying something every other wizard in our world already has, is there? Remus' camera's an original, isn't it? Works in both worlds – and better than anything else out there, I'll wager! Good on you, Moony. Now, just to show you what a great friend I am, I'm going to let you take my picture with it – sort of start its Hogwarts' life off on the right foot, eh?" Sirius patted Remus on the shoulder and stood, striking a comical pose that immediately caught everyone's attention – and deflected it away from Remus, who smiled gratefully at his friend.
"I'm not going to take a picture if you're going to prance about like that," he said, earning another wave of laughter from the group.
Having been quietly clued into his faux pas by Lily, James jumped up from his place and joined his friend in mugging for the camera, ears slightly redder than usual in his embarrassment. Soon, however, the antics of the two young wizards were so amusing that even Lily found it difficult to be stern with them. Indeed, finding herself quite caught up in their enthusiasm, the Muggle-born witch taught her friends the game known as "chicken". Both Lily and Kate soon found themselves perched on the shoulders of James and Sirius, respectively. Shouting with laughter, the two couples "charged" each other, Kate and Lily with wands at the ready to ensure that any tumble either might take would be magically cushioned. Remus, laughing as loudly as the rest of them, moved in and around the sparring friends, snapping photos merrily.
So engrossed in the game were they that none noticed the presence of their long-absent friend.
That changed when Remus stepped back to line up a shot of the jousting quartet and bumped into a very solid obstacle.
"Peter!" Remus clapped his friend on the back. "Good to have you back!"
The other wizard smiled. "Good to be back," he said, and then looked toward the others, his expression reflecting his confusion.
Remus followed his gaze. "We've worked it out, Peter. Things are all right again."
Peter's eyes widened. "How…"
Remus smiled. "It's rather a long story, but we'll fill you in later, if you'd like. I guess we all learned that some friendships are too important to lose."
"But, Sirius – he…," Peter protested.
Remus draped his arm over Peter's shoulders. "He made a mistake, Peter." Remus' voice was kind, but firm. "He made a mistake – and he's paid for it. In full."
"Wormtail!" Sirius' voice rang out as he stood a few feet away from the pair. "We waited in the castle for you this morning, but then the sunshine called to us and we fled…to await you here. Well, we fled to eat vast quantities of picnic food, but waiting for you was still on the agenda! We even saved you some of our bounty; are you hungry?"
Peter's stance was tentative and he watched Sirius' face carefully as he spoke. Relieved that the other wizard didn't appear to have heard any of his conversation with Remus, Peter smiled. "I suppose I could eat," he said, stepping forward to clasp Sirius' extended hand.
"I'm feeling a bit peckish myself, Pete," Sirius replied, looping an arm around the shorter wizard's neck and leading him in the direction of the flat rock – and the picnic hamper. "All that exercise must have burned a lot of those calories! Coming, Moony?"
Remus smiled after them, and then turned to extend his arm toward Kate. To his surprise, her glance was also trained on the two retreating wizards, but her expression was thoughtful. "Kate?"
"Do you think he'll hold a grudge against Sirius?" Kate's voice was quiet, but a bit on the defensive side.
Remus shrugged. "Doubtful. You know Peter, Kate. Being liked and accepted is important to him. He's not apt to do anything to jeopardize it. To be truthful with you, I think that his anger toward Sirius was in large part due to Padfoot's carelessness with our friendship. His actions disrupted Peter's secure world - and his identity as a Marauder. That identity is extremely important to Peter; he must belong to the group. If the group was dissolved because of Sirius' actions, Peter would suffer. Peter isn't made for suffering – and I'm not being unkind."
"I know you're not, Remus," Kate replied. "But he looked almost irritated that everyone was getting on so well. That seems to fly in the face of your theory about acceptance."
Remus smiled. "Perhaps so, but you also have to realize that Peter is a bit sensitive about consequences – and our friend Sirius' ability to charm his way out of most of his. You have to admit, Kate, that Sirius' detention ratio is fairly low given the number of times he's been threatened with it – particularly if the professor is female. Peter, on the other hand, has never successfully charmed his way out of a detention."
"Sirius certainly didn't avoid the consequences of his actions that night with you, did he?"
Remus' face turned sad for a moment. "No, that he didn't. But, he served his 'detention' for those actions, didn't he? And came out very much changed as a result."
"Oi, Moony; she's taken! Stop trying to move in on my witch! Yours will be back on Sunday!" Sirius called over to the pair, grinning widely, eyebrows waggling up and down in his good humor.
Kate smothered a laugh and Remus took her elbow. "That's right, Katie – let's not encourage him. We'll only suffer for it!" With that, the two friends made their way over to where the rest of their group was gathered, picking through the hamper once more.
XXXXXXXX
Much later, as the sun had begun its slow descent from the sky, a weary group of students made its way up the steep hill to the castle. Remus and Peter led the way, carrying the hamper between them while the two couples followed closely behind. There was no conversation; the events leading to the friends' reconciliation had been relayed to Peter over the shared remnants of their picnic feast. Peter took it all in, pausing more than once with sandwich in hand, to listen wide-eyed to the more salient portions of the story. They made it through most of the Paris trip, but seemingly by tacit agreement, did not include anything relative to Thomas O'Hanlon. Given the amount of time spent among them on the topic – not to mention the follow-up meeting with Dumbledore, Alphard and Hal – the students somehow knew that it was a conversation to be had when all were fresher of mind. Peter didn't seem to mind that the story obviously wasn't complete; he had fallen silent more quickly than the others – who assumed that he was processing all that he had heard.
The group reached the entrance hall and could hear the laughter of their professors filtering from the Great Hall. Apparently, a late supper was under way. The group decided that the house elves had provided – and they had consumed – more than enough food to carry them through to breakfast the following morning. James had managed to secret a dozen or so bottles of butter beer in his trunk and so the group agreed to gather in their common room to enjoy the concoction and to welcome Peter "home" as it were.
Remus broke off from the others to return the hamper to the kitchens; the boys and girls retired to their respective dormitories to freshen up before coming together once again before the cozy common room fire.
"I swear, Jamie, I don't know how it happens," Sirius complained, coming into the dormitory room from the shower, towel slung around his hips. "It was hot as anything down by the lake this afternoon but it feels like November inside this school!" Dropping the towel unselfconsciously, he pulled on underwear, a pair of jeans and a light jumper before using a drying spell on his hair.
James chuckled as he sat on his trunk to pull on socks. "I think it's called 'magic', Pads," he said wryly, then ducked to avoid being hit with the trainer that Sirius launched at his head.
Peter snorted. "Magic doesn't have anything to do with it, James. The castle's made of stone and stands in the shadows of several pretty big mountains. The stone retains the cold – and the damp from the lake. And, it's so big that there are drafts all over the place!"
Sirius turned to look at James then the two of them faced Peter. "Blimey, Wormtail – what did you do all summer? Study Muggle science?" James teased, rising to retrieve Sirius' trainer and tossing it back to him.
Peter's expression turned defensive. "No! I went to Wales with my mum; you know that!"
"Are you sure you didn't go to summer school?" Sirius took up the joke. "I mean, for a minute there, I thought I was sitting in Binns' classroom! If you were a bit thinner and just a tiny bit paler, you'd have pulled it off for sure!"
Peter scowled in response. "I didn't study Muggle anything on holiday! I was stuck. In Wales. With my mother. I didn't get to go anywhere or do anything."
James and Sirius looked at him in amazement, but were spared the need to reply as Remus walked into the dormitory and caught the end of Peter's statement.
"But at least you went to London one day," he said, looking 'round at his three friends. Peter's head snapped toward Remus at his comment.
"I don't know where you got that idea," he said, sticking out his chin and folding his arms across his chest.
"Someone saw you," James said, sitting on his trunk once again.
"Yeah," Sirius chimed in. "Michael Delacour."
"Sending people to spy on me, were you?" Peter's attitude grew more defiant, although his face had paled.
Remus moved to sit next to their now angry friend. "Peter, why on earth would we want to spy on you? And, even in the unlikely event that we did, we certainly wouldn't have chosen London, now would we? After all, your owl clearly said that your mother wanted you to remain in Wales, with her, until term started."
"Then what was Michael Delacour doing skulking around London?" Peter wasn't letting it go easily.
"Listen, Peter," Sirius stood and walked toward the other wizard's bed. "Michael wasn't skulking at all. He had a meeting with one of his professors and he stopped into the Leaky beforehand. He was going to speak with you, but said that you were with someone and he didn't want to interrupt you." Sirius glanced over at James, who nodded slightly. "He said it was some older bloke; thought it might have been a relative."
"Or perhaps a friend of your mum's," Remus added, noting the way Peter's back had stiffened at James' words.
The other boy appeared to relax slightly. "My mother is a bit concerned about what I'll do after graduation. She doesn't want me to go into the Auror's program; goes all over in tears and hysterics every time I mention the word. She called some bloke who used to know my dad and asked him to have a chat with me about other jobs."
James peered sharply at Peter but remained silent. Sirius, however, decided to indulge his curiosity. "Other jobs at the Ministry?"
Peter nodded as he idly worked a small hangnail on his thumb. "Yeah; he works there so…"
"Did he work with your dad?" Remus asked.
"I guess they worked together on some project or another," Peter said, his attention focused on his hands.
Remus looked over at James and shrugged before he tried once again. "Your dad worked as a Researcher, didn't he? I always thought that would be an interesting field."
Peter looked up at Remus with a sad smile. "Anytime I asked Dad about his work, he would tell me that his department did the grunt work to make the Ministry officials look smarter than they really were." As if remembering James' own father, Peter glanced hurriedly over at his friend and added, "I'm sure he wasn't talking about your father, James."
James laughed. "Oh, I'm pretty sure Research specifically talks about the Aurors, Pete! Dad told me a story once about how he got into a crowded lift and rode five floors listening to two blokes at the back of the car talking about 'the glory boys' in the MLE. He said he just managed to let the door close behind him at his stop before he burst out laughing."
The other boys chuckled, much to Peter's obvious relief.
"So, do you think that's what you're going to do, Pete?" Sirius asked when the laughter had died down.
Peter's expression lost some of its good humor, although he didn't become quite as antagonistic as he had been earlier. "Probably," he conceded, turning his attention to his thumb once again. "It's nice and safe, which will appeal to my mother."
"With your dad gone, you're all she's got left, Pete," Remus reminded his friend. "It must be hard for her to think of losing you as well."
Peter shook his head. "She treated my dad the same way. She never thinks about what might make us happy; she just thinks that if she's happy, then we're all happy enough. If she only knew what Dad…." He stopped. "Never mind; it doesn't matter."
James walked over and sat on Peter's other side. "No, it probably doesn't; listen – we've all got two years more before we have to think about what comes next, right? A lot can happen; who's to say that you won't change your mind?"
"Change your mind about what?" Four heads whipped around to see Lily and Kate standing in the doorway. The two young witches entered and Lily came to a stop in front of Peter's bed, hands on hips.
"Nothing," Remus said. "We were just…"
"Peter!" Kate's voice reflected her dismay. She knelt down and took Peter's hand in her own, pulling her wand from her jeans' pocket. Gently cradling his thumb, she murmured a healing spell and touched the tip of her wand to the large, raw patch that had begun to bleed. New skin appeared and knit neatly with the jagged edges of the wound. Kate shook her head. "You shouldn't pick at hang nails; you could get a nasty infection." She looked up into Peter's face and was momentarily stunned at the irritation reflected there. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to lecture." She withdrew her hand and made to rise, but Peter put his now healed hand on her arm before she could do so.
"No, Kate; I'm sorry. It's a nervous habit of mine; one my mother has tried to break me of for years." He ruefully held up his thumb. "She hasn't been completely successful - obviously. Thank you."
"I'm glad to help," Kate replied, standing.
Lily snorted from behind her. "The three of you were all disappointed that Peter wasn't with us over the holiday and now that he's back, I swear that you're making him a nervous wreck! Peter, I don't know why you bother with any of them! If I were you, some days I think I'd just throw them all over and find some new friends who treated me better!"
Peter's smile grew wider at Lily's words, although his face turned a very bright shade of pink at being the recipient of her protection. "Well, I suppose I could do," he replied. "But seeing as how they missed me and all…" The rest of whatever he might have intended to say was interrupted by a blow from a feather pillow – wielded by a laughing James.
"Don't say any more, Lily," James said, tossing the pillow back into place at the head of Peter's bed. "He'll be reminding us of this all year long – and at the most inappropriate of times!"
"Come on," Sirius put his arm around Kate's waist. "Let's get downstairs so we can relieve Jamie of all that lovely butter beer he's got stashed."
Remus found himself walking next to Peter as the group exited the dormitory. "Care to give me another chance to beat you at Wizard chess?"
Peter grinned up at the taller wizard. "Aren't you tired of losing, yet?"
Remus looped his arm around Peter's shoulders and guided him down the staircase. "Hope springs eternal, Peter!"
Later that evening, butter beer consumed and Remus good-naturedly accepting defeat at Peter's hands, talk once again turned to the events experienced over the summer holiday.
Peter raised the topic from his spot in one corner of the overstuffed couch. "So, what else did I miss over the holiday?"
The other students looked 'round at each other – a gesture not lost on their friend. "What's wrong?" Peter's voice betrayed both anxiety and irritation.
Kate spoke first. "There's nothing wrong, Peter. We just thought that we'd wait until tomorrow to tell you the rest. You've only just gotten back and we've told you quite a bit already. To tell the truth, it's all a bit exhausting and we thought it might do us all some good to tackle it when we were fresh."
"What do you mean, 'tackle'?" Peter persisted.
"Look, Peter," Sirius began, "things have gotten a little…complicated. There's been some recent activity that suggests some of the pure blooded families are becoming a little more organized in their approach to the old beliefs. There have been meetings and some rather strange disappearances."
"You mean the Rivers family," Peter said.
"Yes," Sirius replied.
"How are we involved in any of that?"
No one said anything for a moment or two then James spoke up. "I'm not sure that we are, Peter. We've just sort of been discussing it – trying to put it all together. It's not like we've become adjunct Aurors; I don't think they do that with students!"
"And with Uncle Alphard teaching DADA this term, it gives us someone to talk to about all of this," Sirius continued.
"Your uncle is the new DADA professor?" Peter's eyes were wide. "What happened to Quirrell?"
"Troll got him," Sirius shrugged. "He'll live, but he's not going to be able to teach this term. Dumbledore asked Uncle Alphard to fill in and he agreed – lucky for us!"
"We're just talking, Peter. You don't have to worry that your mother will be upset with you," Lily said, kindly. "You're in no danger."
Peter looked over at the young witch, seated at James' feet. After a moment, he nodded and smiled tentatively. "Thanks, Lily."
Sirius stood and stretched until his back popped. "Blimey, I'm tired." He extended his hand down to help Kate to her feet. "What about you, Katie-girl?"
"Exhausted," she agreed, smiling softly at him.
Sirius held out his arm to her. "Shall we?"
Shortly after they exited through the portrait hole, James and Lily made their excuses and crossed the room toward the girls' dormitory staircase.
Peter took it all in then turned to Remus. "Not sure my mother would think much of that, either; not that I'd have much of a chance to test her patience on that score."
Remus chuckled quietly.
"Does Dumbledore know?" Peter asked after a time.
Remus shrugged. "I'm not certain; and I don't know that he'd necessarily say anything even if he did." The young man sighed. "The events of the past few months made us all grow up a little quicker than we might have ordinarily done. And besides, we're the only students here; what's the harm, really?"
Peter shook his head. "Isn't it going to be difficult for them to go back to the way things were once the other students arrive?"
"I think they'll manage; couples always have, after all," Remus smiled.
"But you wouldn't take advantage of this situation, would you?" Peter asked. "I mean, if Dorcas was here and all. Or is that - I don't know – maybe that's too personal a question to ask….." his voice trailed off.
Remus' face sobered. "It's different for me. I'll never have what they do; it's just not possible for … well, for people like me."
Peter was silent for a moment. "Do you really believe that?"
"The wolf would always be a danger to anyone I became involved with, Peter. I couldn't bear it if anything … if I caused harm to someone I cared about," Remus' expression and voice betrayed his sadness.
"Remus, could I ask you a question?" Peter's voice was hesitant, but he looked Remus directly in the eye.
"Of course, Peter; ask away."
"Why would you – I mean, how could you forgive Sirius? I know what you said before about friendship, but what he did put you in terrible danger. What he did almost caused Snape to die!" Peter's words tumbled over one another as he struggled to get the question out.
Remus leaned forward in his chair and met Peter's gaze. "When it first happened – and for some time after – I was terribly angry with Sirius for what he had done. I saw it as the greatest betrayal he could ever commit. I was so angry that I couldn't bring myself to speak to him, to accept his apology. You know – you were there." At the other boy's nod, Remus continued, "When I was at home over the holiday, the moons were – well, they were more difficult than they've been for some time. The wolf, I imagine, was feeding off that anger. I had quite a bit of time to mull things over and I did make the connection between the ease of the moons here at school and you lot acting as my 'pack', as it were. I know that Sirius was the ringleader of the Animagus effort – although you and James were certainly most willing to participate. Having you all here with me made the moons more bearable, as you know. The wolf wasn't alone and so it was less self-destructive; it had mates – of a sort – to run with. You all took a terrible risk – continue to take that risk – to help me. Doing so reminded me that only true friends would be so loyal."
Peter nodded. "But…"
Remus smiled. "Ah, yes – but Sirius betrayed that loyalty; yes, I know. And when I came back to Hogwarts to find him waiting for me, I was not ready to let go my anger or my grudge. I was wrong to hang onto it, Peter; I was very wrong. I suppose that I can blame my condition for part of it; there's a certain resentment that goes along with never being able to make friends and then being betrayed by someone I'm lucky enough to finally be able to call a friend. In the end, though, Peter, I guess it was that I finally came to the realization that Sirius never intended to betray me at all. Nothing he did was out of maliciousness; he simply acted with emotion and not with logic. He reacted and, by default, so did I." The young werewolf paused and looked at Peter for a moment. "You were far more insightful about Sirius – and our treatment of him – than I. Do you remember that morning at breakfast when we spoke about shutting him out?"
Peter thought for a bit before nodding. "I do. Not one of us made it easy for Sirius to explain himself, did we? And he reacted the way any of us might have done – he retreated."
"Yes, his behavior was what any of us might have done, as you say. It was not however, typical of Sirius. I think that was the first thing that got my attention," Remus confirmed. "Anyway, it's over now. Sirius and I have mended our fences, as they say."
"Is it the same as before?"
Remus looked off into the distance, lost in his thoughts. Finally, he answered. "The same? No; I would have to say that it's not. Have you ever heard about the sword that breaks in half? The resulting two pieces are obviously weaker than the whole, but when soldered back together, the new sword is stronger than before as it survived the fire that repaired it. I think that Sirius and I are somewhat like that. Our friendship was fractured in two pieces; when we resolved our differences, that process was so difficult – so intense, our friendship became stronger. Does that make sense? Do you understand now?"
"I think so," Peter acknowledged.
"That's good. Peter, how do you feel about Sirius now? Can the four of us take up our friendship again without hard feelings over all that happened?"
Peter didn't hesitate. "Yes. I hated the last weeks before we left for the summer; hated them. I liked what we were before. It seemed like it would last and wouldn't come apart like friendships sometimes do. I liked being a part of something like that. Now that it's back, I don't want it to break again."
Remus smiled. "It means a lot to me, as well. Maybe now that we both understand that fact, we'll work harder to defend it, yes?"
Peter nodded. "So, since our group has deserted us, what would you like to do?"
"How about a couple of bachelors heading down to the kitchens to see if they've got any chocolate cake? It's a long time 'til breakfast. What do you say?" Remus rose.
Peter grinned. "I say that I like how you think. Let's go!"
XXXXXXXX
Kate settled herself under the covers, head resting on Sirius' shoulder and fingers drawing lazy circles on the smooth, pale skin of his chest.
"This is all going to come to a crashing halt in a very few days, love," she said, turning her face to drop a soft kiss on his shoulder.
"Don't remind me," Sirius whispered, pulling her more tightly against him. "Perhaps I'll have to put my mind to the task and find a way that we can be together every now and again."
"Won't be easy," Kate replied.
"Nothing worthwhile ever is; didn't this summer teach us that?"
"Well, at least Peter seems to be ok with everything, although he was a bit difficult about it at first," Kate observed and was surprised to feel Sirius tense beside her. "What? He's fine now."
Sirius shifted gently so that they were both on their sides facing one another. "That's not it. Katie, did you think that Peter was acting strangely today?"
Kate thought back to the afternoon and evening. "Well, I suppose he was a bit irritable when he was talking about his mother and how she seems to be holding him back from doing what he really wants to do with his life. That's to be expected, isn't it? I mean, it has to be rather difficult for him being the only child with his father gone."
Sirius nodded. "Maybe that's all it is, but something's been bothering me about the conversation we were having when you and Lily walked in."
"When I explained that we thought we'd wait until tomorrow to tell him the rest of what had transpired over the holiday? Yes, I do remember thinking it odd that he became so anxious, wondering what might have been wrong. I guess I just put it down to anxiety about all that had happened between us just before term ended and his natural dislike of being out of the loop on anything…."
"That's it!" Sirius interrupted.
"What's 'it'?"
"What you just said. Peter hates to be kept out of the loop on anything. He's been stuck in Wales with his mother and grandmother for most of the holiday. He had no way of knowing anything that we've heard from Jamie's dad, Uncle Alphard or Dumbledore, right?" Sirius sat up sharply, his expression reflecting the whirlwind of thoughts moving through his mind.
"Right," Kate sat up next to him gently grasping his chin and turning his face toward her. "I don't understand where you're going with this, love."
"Katie, how would Wormtail have known that the Rivers family disappeared?" Sirius said, quieter now. "We only found out about it after term ended – and we haven't gotten to that part of the story with him yet."
Kate thought for a moment. "Do you suppose he could have heard from that man he met with in London? Peter said that he worked at the Ministry."
Sirius nodded his head. "It's possible, but I hate to think so."
"What do you mean?"
"Dumbledore told us that he was taking us into his confidence about Anastasia and her family. There is a very small group of people who know that anything has happened to them. The MLE wants to keep it quiet to avoid panicking people before there's a need and to avoid giving whoever is responsible a heads up that anyone's on to them. You know; you were there when we were talking about it all."
"Yes, but if this man works for the Ministry, isn't it conceivable that he would know about the Rivers? Maybe he's part of the MLE, after all," Kate pointed out.
Sirius looked at her in annoyance. "So, following that thought, you don't think it would be unusual for a member of the MLE to tell a 16 year-old Hogwarts' student about a highly confidential case being handled by the highest levels of his department?"
Kate bristled at his tone and struggled to keep the irritation out of her voice. "Fine. Perhaps he doesn't work for the MLE. Perhaps he overheard something in the lift or the cafeteria. Perhaps he knows the family – or someone who lives near them. He was meeting with Peter to discuss career options. Peter wants to be an Auror, but his mum wants him to do something less dangerous. Isn't it also likely that this mystery man might have pulled the Rivers family out in an attempt to convince Peter that his mother had a point?"
"The point isn't why he told Peter, it's that he told him," Sirius replied.
Kate stared at him. "If he told him at all! Really, we're just guessing here; we don't even know who the man is!"
Sirius remained silent.
Kate endured it for awhile, then rolled her eyes and put her hand on his arm to get his attention. "Listen, Sirius; all we know is that Peter somehow discovered that the Rivers family is missing. It doesn't have to have any nefarious connotation – he just … oh, wait; Sirius, you don't actually think that Peter is in any kind of position to know first-hand the details behind that disapp-…"
Sirius looked at her, his expression incredulous. "I can't believe you'd suggest that – even in jest." He shook his head as Kate brought her mirth under control. "Peter Pettigrew is afraid of his own shadow; haven't you spent enough time with us to know that by now? Haven't you seen the way he hares after James all the time? Why do you think he was so undone by the rift in our group last term? Peter defines himself through his friendships with us, his status as a Marauder – and all the protection and popularity that status gives him. I'd be more likely to cozy up to the Dark element than Peter would – and you know how much I love those Dark-obsessed, Pureblood families! No, Katie; Peter's loyalty is not what I'm concerned about."
Kate reached over and tucked an errant wave of dark hair behind Sirius' ear then dropped her hand to rest on his shoulder. "Then what is?"
Sirius huffed in exasperation. "Even though we've no proof, it seems likely that the man Peter met with is the one who informed him of the Rivers' disappearance. He works for the Ministry, that much is certain, as we have it from Peter, himself. My concern is that if this bloke works for the MLE, then he should know that any information he has is confidential. If he works for the MLE as an Auror, that goes double! There really isn't – or doesn't appear to be – any good reason for him to be telling Peter what he knows. Makes me wonder if he's telling others, as well. Even if he isn't, it would seem that perhaps Mr. Potter might have a bit of a problem on his hands."
Kate sat quietly, contemplating all that Sirius had proposed. Finally, she spoke. "I gather that you intend to pursue this?"
"You don't think I should?"
The young witch sighed. "I don't know, Sirius; I suppose so. You just seem so certain of this theory that you have and, to my mind, there are other explanations that are just as plausible."
"Such as?"
"Such as Peter discovering the information from a source outside the Ministry's control. People gossip, Sirius and there could easily have been someone who was in the area of the Rivers' home when they disappeared and who managed to escape the Obliviate performed on the others. They could have told someone…" Kate began, only to be interrupted by Sirius once again.
"…told someone in Wales, Kate? Someone who just happened to run into Peter – or his mother – and thought to share it?"
"All right, then – why don't you consider this one: We know that there were men at that meeting who were discussing the Rivers' disappearance to some degree. Some of those men have children who attend this school. Suppose Peter ran into Lucius Malfoy or one of your other cousins who overheard their fathers talking about the incident at home – or chose to share it with them directly, since they've all embraced the general Pureblood philosophy anyway and would most likely take some amusement from the story. Let's not forget that when he's alone, Peter is particularly vulnerable to them – partly because he's not as strong as the rest of you and partly because he's not as capable of ignoring them – and they know it. Let's say one – or more thanone – decided to taunt him a bit about what happens to wizards and witches who don't know enough to stay away from Muggle-borns. You can't deny that neither your cousins nor their friends are not above making threats at those they don't like; if those threats can gain more credibility from actual events, so much the better!" Kate paused for breath and noted that Sirius was now following her words very intently. "There; I've got you thinking, haven't I?"
Sirius nodded, slowly. "All right, Katie. I'll admit that what you're proposing could – could, mind – have happened, as well."
"I was thinking that it might be the more likely proposition, actually," Kate replied, "given that we can actually tie students in this school to the men who attended that meeting. These students know Peter and have a long history of making his life miserable – or trying to. Contrast that with the fact that you think Peter so timid and incapable of falling in with that crowd and thathe gave us a very plausible explanation of why he met with an old friend of his late father's. I think you'd have to agree that my theory is the one worth pursuing with Mr. Potter. I'm assuming that you planned to go to James so he could get his father involved in the discussion, yes?"
Again, the dark head nodded.
"Alone?"
"No."
His voice carried a note of defiance that suggested he might have originally considered the option.
It was Kate's turn to sigh. "Sirius, I'm going to say something to you that you might not care very much for, but I'd like you to listen without interrupting me, if you wouldn't mind." Waiting until she had Sirius' attention again, Kate continued. "At the moment, something quite disturbing is happening in our world – or starting to happen at any rate. We don't entirely understand it. Those in positions of power to deal with it don't entirely understand it, either. It is sinister and it is destructive and it's moved well beyond name-calling and House loyalties – past and present. Dumbledore has brought the Ministry in – or perhaps it is James' father who went to Dumbledore, it doesn't really matter which; the immutable point is that no single person can act alone in trying to halt its progress. Whoever took Anastasia's family and left those runes and symbols on their home – and whatever motivated them to do so - is a formidable foe. Those markings were meant to intimidate, to frighten. So, you have an idea about things. Perhaps it has merit, perhaps it doesn't. I have a theory I think is plausible. It may or may not be so. Relying on each other, putting our minds together with everyone else to evaluate any and all information that comes our way is the only way we can hope to stop whatever this is. There's a reason that Dumbledore pulled us all into that room. This isn't a game. This isn't the time for you to go off on your own, Sirius. I suspect those days are over and done with now."
"Are you finished?"
"For the moment," Kate replied quietly then sat back and waited for the explosion she felt quite sure would follow. To her surprise, Sirius reached for her hand and, after entwining their fingers, spoke as quietly as she had done.
"I understand what you're saying, Katie and contrary to what you might be thinking, I'd already discarded that idea. I won't deny that I'd thought about it; I guess it will always be my inclination to involve as few people as possible when I think there might be trouble afoot. Call it self-protection, if you want to; maybe that's what it is. The fewer the number who know what I'm thinking, the better off I've always been."
"Not always," Kate said softly, gently squeezing his fingers. "I can recall times when speaking up might have saved you quite a bit of trouble."
Sirius leaned over and placed a brief kiss on her lips. "Shh; my turn to talk now." He kept hold of Kate's hand as he sat back in his original spot. "I just don't want this to get away from us, Kate. I know what these people can do – some of it anyway; I've lived with and around them long enough to be well versed. Maybe I get away from myself with my ideas because I can't do much more than think about things until we're out of here. And 'out of here' seems like such a long ways away. Kate – you all are my family now: you, James, Lily, Remus and Peter. You're the family I chose – who chose me, just as I am and even after I fucked things up so royally. I don't want to risk losing you all over again. Not if there's anything I can do to prevent it."
Kate edged backward toward their abandoned pillows, tugging Sirius with her. Kate scooted down beneath the covers, holding them up so Sirius would do the same. Once they were lying face to face, she spoke again. "I understand what's motivating you – truly, I do. Can you see how all of us together stand a better chance of success than any one person alone?"
Sirius nodded then leaned down and gently kissed her lips.
"Don't you think that I have the same fear of losing you that you have of losing us?"
Another kiss. "But if we all stick together, you haven't got anything to worry about, do you?"
Kate smiled. "Not a thing."
"So we'll talk with Moony and James and Lily and Peter in the morning?"
"Absolutely."
"And we're finished with all of our talking for tonight?" Sirius whispered against her lips.
"Yes, please," came the whispered response.
"Good," Sirius replied. "I'm suddenly feeling very … motivated."
Kate's answering laughter was swiftly silenced.
