PROLOGUE

The crisp breeze cradled his skin as Peter made his way out of the all too familiar pathway of his childhood home. He took a deep breath, trying to draw courage for the task he had up ahead of himself. His feet scrunched the dried leaves beneath them, although the sound could hardly be heard over the roaring winds. His limbs ached from the warning he had been given when the Dark Lord had learned of his hesitation to betray his dearest friends in the worst possible way. Even now, days after the incident, he could still hear the dark lord's voice as if he was just standing just behind him and voicing his commands. It would be a funny sight indeed to have his master setting place in such moderate accommodations; especially compared to the lavish riches the Dark lord must have been surrounded by since he was born. Yet in his current situation Peter could not find humor in it, at all. James and Sirius would have, of that he had no doubt. They could turn even the most serious situation into a mockery of dangerous of Peters home

"Do not try to betray me, Peter."

His master's voice boomed in his ears, immediately chasing away the thoughts of his friends for some time. He didn't dare look back, knowing that if he did so he would never be able to go forward again. At the very least no one could blame him for not being self-aware. But they will blame you for worse things, rightfully so, his own voice whispered in his ear. Peter stopped in his tracks and leaned against the wall, wiping sweat from his forehead, he started taking deep breaths but to no avail. His hands still shook and his mind was still as restless as it had been the whole day. There was no way he could apparate in this condition without splinching himself.

This task had to be done, of this now Peter had no choice. It was too late to back out now. If only he would have realized it sooner then maybe; but there was now no time for past regrets. If he couldn't do the task as a man then he shall have to do it as a rat, otherwise the Dark Lord would make him regret ever being born. Peter closed his eyes and concentrated, willing his body in the form of a rat. It always took him more time than Prongs and Padfoot to turn into Wormtail. That despicable werewolf of course had no choice in his form, but Peter would rather not think about that while he was transforming. He couldn't complete his mission in his rat form but hopefully a few minutes in the head of an animal would help him focus more on not guilt but his basic instincts of survival.

Peter scurried down the street trying to clear his head; all the while contemplating the choices that had led him to where he was today. It had all started when he was a boy of eleven, sitting in one of the compartments of Hogwarts express with a boy with sunken cheeks and shabby robes, huddled into the corner. The boy whom Peter would later come to know as Remus Lupin had not even bothered to introduce himself and Peter didn't have the courage to do so either. Then these two handsome boys had come barging in the compartment roaring with laughter about some slimy git. Seeing the empty compartment, they had made themselves comfortable on the seats. There was a sense of entitlement in the air from both the boys and their clothing, though a bit scuffed, was made of expensive material showing their stature as sons of ancient and noble houses. Peter had felt a twinge of envy deep in his gut and his clammy hands and started playing with the edge of his robes. The boys had continued talking and Peter was able to detect the voice of the boy with glasses talking about their to-be houses while the other dark-haired boy was telling his friend about an incident at his home when he had protected his brother by taking the ire of his parent's temper. They talked for quite some time before the boy he now knew was Sirius chastised both of them for being bores on their first day of Hogwarts. While James proclaimed that if they continued to be like this then they would both end up in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, or even worse Slytherin. The way the boy had said it made it sound as if the only house worth being in was Gryffindor. Peter had squeaked nervously in his chair and prayed to the deity his mother worshiped to let him be in Gryffindor.

All four of them had been sorted in Gryffindor, although it took a lot of pleading on Peter's part to get in. Eventually they all had become great friends and christened their friendship by calling themselves, 'Marauders'. Peter's years at Hogwarts had been the best of his life; full of happiness, laughter, midnight adventures, academic success and, all the joys that boyhood can give and much more, so much more. For the first time Peter had been content in his life as a carefree school child, cherishing every moment in those years. Bathing in the sweetness of friendship like a bee would bath in honey. Until all of it was ripped apart from him piece by piece.

Ironically, all of it had originally started at the start of his seventh year; although the seeds had been sown a long time ago. Lily Phoebe Evans had finally said yes to James' proposal to go on a date with her and James, brimming with ecstasy had danced wild in their dorm room looking the happiest Peter had ever seen him. All the other marauders had noticed, with the werewolf's face displaying equal parts amusement and happiness. Sirius had tilted his head to one side and remarked with pity and sadness in his voice that his mate was already whipped, although he couldn't stop the grin that appeared on his face while he played with the Gryffindor scarf that Marlene Evelyn Mckinnon had herself knitted for him. Peter had pasted a nervous smile on his face all the time for which he was able to muster it while his friends kept talking about their plans for tomorrow. Both James and Sirius were going to Hogsmeade with their dates, ditching the marauders tradition to always go together. The same one which they had vowed they would never stop doing in third year. Remus had decided not to go as he had to pay a visit to his mother, who was genuinely ill this time, and was packing his bag for the trip. Never had Peter felt so lonely in Hogwarts before, a place he considered as a safe haven from the difficulties at his own home. Never even in his wildest dreams and deepest fears did he ever think that his merry band of troublemakers would ever change like the world after crossing the wall of Hogwarts. It had felt like a slap on the face.

Foolishly, Peter had dreamed that both of his two cherished friends would snap out of their romantic dalliances and they all would be the group they had always been. Alas, his hopes had been dashed time and time again, taking a little piece of his heart with the crushing waves of disappointment and the ever-growing waves of fear of being left alone to a world which he did not know and one that did not know him either. It was not only that James and Sirius had both ditched their friends group preferring to now hang out with their girlfriends and each other, but they had also left him with that wretched werewolf for company. Peter and Remus had hung around plenty with the other boys but never had they spent time one on one; so most if not all of their interactions were dull and awkward. All of them put Peter on edge; especially when they were hoisted in either the library or their common room doing their homework with Remus helping him out when he got stuck, which was admittedly often. Every move that Remus made during those study sessions made Peter paranoid that the monster inside the kind and studious nerd would pounce on him for being so terribly useless and rip him to shreds. Remus had not been completely unaffected with two of his friends suddenly refusing to spend time with him unless there was a full moon. But he had been genuinely happy that they both had found someone with whom they had fallen in love with and who also loved them in return. So he had forgiven them silently in his head, and allowed them to continue with their romantic affairs in peace. But it had been easier for Remus to forgive them than it would have ever been for Peter. Remus who despite all of his friends assurances, both true and false; had always believed himself to be a monster and someone unworthy of friends(both of the things Peter wholeheartedly agreed on, 'honestly what had Dumbledore even been thinking' Peter had wondered in his angriest moments) had not been as angry or hurt as a friend usually would have. But Peter's displeasure with both James and Sirius had only grown like vines of roses entangling him in their grasps and prickling with their sharp small thorns.

It was then when the metal had already been hot that Avery had approached him with an offer that provided an immediate solution to his fear of being left alone, as a vessel without use. Slowly, but surely after hearing attacks after attacks outside of Britain and anti-muggleborn propaganda in the newspaper, Peter had began to lose his faith in his headmaster, The Albus Dumbledore, the one who defeated Grindelwald and locked him up in his own prison. The outside world raved with war from a cult which called themselves 'The Death Eaters' and the ministry and Dumbledore did nothing to stop these people from wreaking havoc in Great Britain. Sure the ministry started increasing the recruitment of the Aurors and Dumbledore created a secret society called, The Order of Phoenix; but still they had not been able to stop this cult and the attacks had only started to get worse. The leader of this so-called cult was said to be so dangerous that people refused to call him by his name and instead named him 'He-who-must-not-be-named . Sessions had been called in the wizarding parliament but no immediate action except normal precautionary measures had been taken.

The smell of fear hung in the air and people started constantly looking over their heads to make sure that there was no 'Dark Mark' in the sky, a mark made of smoke depicting a snake and a skull that was said to be a symbol of The Dark Lord's power. The travel department of the ministry was overworked as people started asking for Portkeys to assure the safety of their families in the case that an attack happens nearby. Peter truly could not blame them as when the death eaters attacked, death and misery were left in their wake. Many of the students at Hogwarts had lost family members but their parents and guardians had not allowed them to attend the funerals of their loved ones, claiming that they will remain safe enclosed in the walls of Hogwarts under Dumbledore's eyes. Peter however did not feel safe not when the most safest locations in the country were no longer safe. How long till Hogwarts was not safe too? How long till the Dark Lord breached the castle's wall and entered this place killing all the muggle-born and blood traitors? If something like that happened Peter had decided in the safety of his own head that he would not be one of those foolish ones who would oppose the dark lord no matter whatever his friends said or did.

This thought had continued to go uninterrupted in Peter's head for weeks and slowly, but surely had faced minor alterations mostly guided by his secret pure-blood friends of great houses. Slowly but surely the scenario of this lord taking over Hogwarts had evolved where he had found himself dressed in black robes and black masks standing beside The Dark Lord aiding him in his conquest. He had seen himself in those sweet dreams as a man of status and power. A wizard with exceptional skill, the right hand of The Dark Lord, his most trusted servant, someone who people aspired to be, who they looked at with respect and admiration instead of jeering and laughing at him. Peter's imagination had run wild building dreams, beautiful dreams which he could not help but chase after.

It had led Peter to almost consent to Avery that he intended to join the Death Eaters but on his way to the part of library where Avery usually sat with his groups of friends Peter at felt a prickling sense of guilt and had then been unfamiliar with this feeling so he had retraced his steps and gone back to his dorm. As predicted the dorm of the marauders was empty as all the students had been outside enjoying themselves on the sunny day. Many of the students who had just finished their NEWT's ( including Peter) had been roaming the place that they all considered as a second home. Peter had sat on his bed and for a hour just thought about what he was going to do. Then with some reluctance had went to the grounds to approach his friends, hoping against hope that somehow, he may be able to prevent them from joining Dumbledore's order and thus preventing himself from betraying their trust and spying on them, despite the fact that they had abused it first. The incident had not gone in the way Peter had hoped and had been the key point of Peter solidifying his allegiance for the Dark Lord

He remembered it as clearly as if it was yesterday. It was as if his consciousness had jolted back to the past, and he was reliving the moment in his head just the way it happened, like he was back in that exact time relieving the moment through his own eyes.

Flashback

Peter was walking through the Hogwarts grounds, deep in the mundane of confusion and uncertainty. There were not as many people on the grounds as one would expect to see in the days after the final exams. Peter knew the reason, of course; most of them did not even want to walk through the corridors alone those days. Many of them had lost a loved one in the past few years, with the numbers increasing as the days went by. Those with Avery's voice rang in his ears as he made his way through the patches of green grass, his footsteps making dull thuds as he walked. The sun shone brightly above his head, although it made the overall weather cozy; a perfect day to be out and spend some time in peace and serenity. Even from a distance, he could hear the chatter between James, Sirius and their respective partners. Peter hid his annoyance behind his heart as approached the group, who apparently did not seem to notice his presence, as they were already engulfed by the joys of dating. James, handsome as he was, sat against a tree with his arm around Lily, who leaned slightly over his chest. Marlene sat across them in the shade of the tree, with Sirius' head on her lap. All the four of them seemed to be in a conversation that would probably have been an interesting one for a pair of dating couples. Peter however, did not find it interesting at all.

Watching them all laugh and enjoy the day without him was a reminder of his constant loneliness and insecurity. He had seen his worst fear come to life; watching his friends abandon him as if he were just a toy that was played with only when felt the urge to do so. He tried to join their conversation with a small and dull, "Hello." James and Sirius remained completely oblivious to the fact that their former best friend had just joined them in their cozy hangout, just as they had been for the past few weeks. Marlene gave him a small smile and nodded, and he felt a small knife scrape through his heart. It should have been his friends who smiled at him, who noticed him, not a girl that he had only begun to know in the past few weeks.

I should have gotten used to it by now, he thought with dread as he gazed at James go on continuously about how he was confused between going for a career as a Quidditch Player or an Auror, with Sirius making silly remarks on every sentence as the girls laughed. Of course James was confused; he had choices, something that Peter hadn't had most of his life. And the one amongst the rare ones was slowly looming closer to him, the one that would decide the path of his future. James, the brilliant and famous James Potter from the renowned Potter family, an exceptional quidditch player and best at almost everything he did, had choices. Sirius, the handsome and funny boy from one of the noblest pure-blood houses in Great Britain, the one liked by everyone, had choices. Even the nerdy werewolf had choices. But, Peter had never had the taste of the glorious life his friends had been born and brought up in. He had never felt what it was like to be in the spotlight, what it was like to be appreciated by everyone.

"–and I think getting good marks in Defence Against the Dark Arts does count," James was saying. Peter tilted his head to look at him, the small fire of hope inside him steadily growing smaller. James would never accept his offer, he would still want to become an Auror, to become a hero.

"It's dangerous, James," Lily chastised him. "You could get hurt, or maybe worse."

James shrugged. "Come on, Lily. What other dull job would you like to take up? Becoming an Auror is the best one. And if you have the grades, why not?"

Peter's stomach shifted. He didn't have the grades to become an Auror. Even if he reconciled with his friends, he wouldn't get their share of glory. No, he would be stuck in a dull office at the ministry doing the most low-level paperwork, with no one appreciating him any more than they did now.

"I would rather become a healer," Lily remarked, a small tone of pride in her voice. "I believe in saving a life rather than taking one."

James laughed heartily, as Lily looked up at him awkwardly. "Yeah, I think a soft job does suit a girl's soft heart."

"Soft," Lily muttered, taken aback. She leaned slightly away from him, definitely upset from James' latest remark.

James realized this a split second later, as his face showed remorse. The remorse that should have come up on his face for forgetting about the existence of his best friend had instead come up because he had made a remark about the thoughts of the partner of his romantic affairs.

Sirius smirked, twirling his wand in the air as if he was wondering what a curious thing it was.

Meanwhile, James continued his excuses, "Come on Lily, don't you think I'd want my damn revenge on the people who killed my family?"

Lily's face softened. James had loved his parents. Their murders had been something he had been infuriated about the most in his life. Lily, who was quite touchy about the subject, finally seemed to forgive him. And of course, James thought that there was no one else who would be more sympathetic to him other than Lily, because Peter's existence had probably been removed from his life.

Lily relaxed back into his arms. "Yeah, yeah I think you will."

"I can't believe my family supports those good-for-nothing masked idiots," Sirius sighed, rising up from the comfort of Marlene's lap. "Their organisation sounds like a freaking cult. Regulus, the idiot, seems to be worshipping them."

"What's he doing, rubbing the Death Eaters' feet?" James asked, laughing heartily along with the girls. Peter gave a forced chuckle.

"Oh no," Sirius waves his hand, rather carelessly. "Not yet, although I think he's going to start licking their boots soon. The Dark Lord this…the Dark Lord that…same shit over and over. It seems like he's got it all memorized."

"I've seen him hanging out a lot with Avery these days," Marlene commented. "I can hardly believe he's your brother, you know, seeing the group he hangs out with."

Peter shivered on the inside. What would his friends think, when they found out that Peter had not only communicated with Avery, but was actually considering his offer of joining?

James shrugged. "He's a Slytherin," he said as-a-matter-of-factly, as though it explained everything.

"Although I am an atheist," Sirius cleared his throat. "But you can't even imagine the number of times I thank whatever supernatural force might exist out there that I was put in Gryffindor. I might as well have jumped out of the tallest tower had I been sorted in Slytherin."

"What about your parents?" Lily asked. "I don't suppose they were happy when you were sorted?"

"Oh, never mind them. For them, I don't even exist and they're damn well happy to live in that belief. I can't imagine the tears of happiness my poor old mother would've shed when she found out I ran away. Might've even flooded the stupid house."

"So where will you go? Marlene asked, carding a hand through Sirius' messy hair. "After graduating?"

"I don't know, maybe I'll stay with James for a while…," he looked at James, eyebrows raised.

James laughed. "Sirius, my parents practically adopted you into our family. It's your home as much as mine. Besides, it's gonna be lonely, I suppose, without them."

Sirius had a sad glint in his eyes. Peter desperately hoped that it would be something about the marauders, that he would probably say he missed all of them together, that he missed all of their shenanigans and mischief, but instead, it was still revolving around James, Lily and Marlene.

"They were my parents too," he said glumly. "More than my real parents had ever been. We'll avenge them. As soon as I'm out, I'm going to get a good hold of those people's head and–,"

He mimicked a violent action with his hands, and Peter flinched. Soon, probably, he would think about doing the same to Peter.

"I know," James said, determined. "I know we will."

"And we'll be with you," Lily pecked him on the cheek, and Peter felt a strange agony.

"We'll be with you always," Marlene added as well.

"And I swear that I'm gonna kill every single one I can," James said with such anguish that Peter could feel it boring into his skin. Every remark on the Death Eaters or the Dark Lord felt like a personal blow to his self-esteem.

The last shred of hope that had been remaining inside Peter vanished. He was wrong about his friends. It was not that they didn't like the Death Eaters, they hated them. And soon they would probably hate him as well.

Marlene's face was contorted with worry. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she seemed to be too distraught by Sirius' remark to notice Sirius was staring at her. Peter, as he had been in the past few weeks, remained in his position, being completely ignored.

"What happened?" Sirius asked.

Marlene shrugged. "Nothing. It's just – my family's out there, supporting Dumbledore, doing those dangerous things and stuff. And now you two are planning to join him as well, and I'm – I'm just worried about everything that's happening and I'm worried about us. All of us."

"Hey, hey," Sirius said, keeping a firm hand on his shoulder and giving her his most charming smile. "Everything's gonna work out. Don't worry. Soon, those morons will be captured and defeated and their stupid cult leader will be executed or something."

"You'll still be joining Dumbledore, won't you?" Lily asked Marlene.

Marlene gave a small smile. "Of course I will. That is, if Dumbledore's ready to have two healers. To be more precise," she said, smirking at James. "Two girls with 'soft jobs'."

James shrugged embarrassedly, while Lily laughed, her voice echoing through the grounds.

"See?" Marlene said. "My sense of humour has actually improved."

"I guess that's due to the company you spend time with now," Sirius said, spreading his arms as though he had just finished a spectacular performance.

Knowing that if he didn't act now, he'd regret it forever, Peter finally mustered up the courage and spoke, "Maybe they're not so bad after all."

"Sorry Peter," Lily said between breaths as she was still laughing a little. "Didn't catch that?"

The look that he received from the four of them was the one he would never forget. James scrunched his eyebrows as though he was looking at something disgusting, and Sirius seemed to think that Peter had probably gone mad. The girls looked uncomfortable at his remark, and Peter knew that what he had said was probably now a crime to say between them.

"Not so bad? Do you know what you're even saying, Peter? Those idiots are murdering people!" James said with a raised voice that pierced his heart. "They murdered my family!"

"Do you think I don't know that?" Peter said in a small voice. "They were like my own family. Do you honestly think I was happy when it happened? I mourned for them, but the time for mourning is past now. We'll have to choose sides for what's coming for all of us next."

"But it's quite clear, isn't it?" Lily said in her sweet voice, frowning slightly at Peter. "We're with Dumbledore. We've already made our choice."

"Really? Without even trying to know which side is better?"

"The side that doesn't murder people for fun is usually better, in a general sense," Lily said.

"And how long do you think," Peter said, his voice very small now. "Would it take for Dumbledore and the others to become exactly the same?"

James scoffed. "Peter, what're you even talking about? Have you had a shot of firewhiskey or something? Why would Dumbledore or anyone else on our side start murdering people?"

"You swore just a few minutes before that you'd kill every single one you found. Sirius already gave a brief description of what he'd do when he starts fighting them. What else do you think that was? Why is your urge to murder them justified, and theirs is not?"

"Because we have a reason," Sirius said, looking more serious than Peter had probably ever seen him. "They murdered our families. They drew the first blood, and what sort of cowards would be called if we decided to save our life and join them, just for the sake of living?"

"Well, they might have a reason as well," Peter retorted defensively. "Only you are too busy already having made up your mind on which side is good and which is bad that you're not ready to actually try and find that out! Marlene said she was scared for her family, scared of you all joining Dumbledore, have you considered calling that as cowardice?"

Sirius stood up. "Hey, don't you dare have a go at Marlene!"

"It's okay, Sirius," Marlene said, shushing him back and smiling at Peter. He knew she had been offended, but she wanted to be kind to him, which just made him feel more angry. "Peter is just trying to make his point because he wants us all to be with the good in the future. He doesn't mean anything wrong."

"There was no reason to kill my parents, was there?" James asked, obviously angry.

A strange feeling was coursing in his veins. Peter's blood seemed to be slowly heating up. He was done being ignored and avoided. "What if they were wrong? What if your parents were probably in the way of something for the greater good?"

Lily looked at him with a disappointed look. "Peter, what're you saying? How could have Mr. and Mrs. Potter been wrong? You knew them better than I did, and I'm sure you did believe that they were very decent people."

He could feel it, in her way of speaking. He could feel her anger and disappointment, although she phrased the things very carefully not to hurt him. He didn't care though. However much Lily had been a help to him, in his homework and in potions and anything, he didn't care to feel disappointed by her words.

"Peter honestly," James said, his voice nearing the edge of breaking with anger. "Why did you even come here today? To ruin the day?"

"I ruined the day?" Peter asked, shocked. "No, I tried to make you see sense. The sense of what's right, what's wrong, and what's in the way!"

He gave a furtive glance at the girls, but then turned away, staring at the swirling tentacles of the giant squid in the lake a few metres away.

"Oh, right, my parents were in the way! You've lost your mind!" James yelled, his every word rattling Peter's skull.

"James," Lily said warningly. "Peter's your friend –,"

"Well, what sort of friend do you expect will ask a person to appreciate the people who murdered their family, Lily?" Sirius interjected, throwing a dirty look at Peter.

"That's why I said he's lost his mind," James remarked angrily.

"No, you have lost your mind. Both of you, you and Sirius! What happened to us, James? What happened to the Marauders?" Peter retorted back, anger swelling up inside him as though it were a balloon being inflated.

"Come on, Peter, what are you even going on about?"

"Guys," Marlene said carefully. "Maybe we should not fight amongst ourselves. I don't think–,"

"What I'm going on about is something you've been oblivious to the whole damn year!" Peter said, cutting her mid-sentence.

"And whatever you're ranting about justifies the actions of the Death Eaters?" James asked, now positively furious.

"And does anything justify what – WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING ALL YEAR?"

"WILL YOU BE SO KIND AS TO TELL US WHAT THE HELL HAVE WE BEEN DOING THE WHOLE YEAR?"

"I'VE BEEN RUBBING IT IN YOUR FACE AND YOU'RE STILL OBLIVIOUS TO IT, BOTH OF YOU!"

"He's probably actually drunk," Sirius remarked. "Why don't we throw him in the lake and see if it wears out? I mean, he's practically been defending the Death Eaters!"

Peter rounded on him. "I HAVEN'T BEEN DEFENDING THEM. I'VE JUST BEEN PUTTING FORWARD MY POINT THAT WE SHOULDN'T MAKE HURRIED DECISIONS! THEY MIGHT AS WELL BE CORRECT!"

"IF YOU LIKE THOSE MORONS SO MUCH, THEN GO! RUN ALONG AND JOIN THEM!"

Peter's heart broke. He didn't know if James or Sirius had heard it, but the echo of the sound of it breaking resonated inside him.

"Maybe I will," he muttered, panting heavily from the verbal fight that had just happened between them. His friends no longer needed him. Hell, they had never needed him. He had been the one tagging along with the group of perfect students, but now he was done being the sidekick. He turned back and started striding back towards where he came from, ignoring Sirius' contorted face and Lily's uncertainty. Ignoring the fact that Marlene was looking at him as though he was the most pitiful animal in the world.

"Blimey, when did he turn so annoying?" he heard Sirius say as he walked back to the castle. Tears welled up in his eyes. Choking back a sob, he made his way back to the small comfort that was the Gryffindor Common Room, unaware that the incident was about to change his entire cursed life.

Flashback ends

Even now, looking back on that day, Peter was convinced that the day had been instrumental in his ironclad will to finally join the Death Eaters. He had sent Avery his consent by owl as he didn't have enough spine to corner him at Hogwarts. If Avery had received the note, Peter could not have known until a week after in charms class when some girl wearing a yellow scarf around her neck had passed him a note. Lily, who had been sitting beside him, had smiled softly at him while her eyes twinkled mischievously like James did whenever something wicked was going through his head. Lily looked as beautiful as James was handsome. They really do make a adorable couple, Peter would hear some girl whisper that in the corridor later but that would have been much later, and whispered, " Now we just have to find Remus a girl." Peter had given a nervous chuckle and put the note in his pocket. He had meekly whispered back to her to not tell his friends and Lily had simply given a reassuring smile,

Somehow in the back of his mind he had known that this was his answer whatever that blank piece of paper would show, that would be his answer. After the class, which had luckily been the last professional guiding course for selecting volunteers who would like to pursue a mastery in charms, Peter had excused himself from the rest of the student body which had finally decided to start packing their things as The Hogwarts Express would finally leave tomorrow to go to station ' 9 and three-quaters ', and had rushed to the boys washroom in the third floor. It was there when writings had started to appear in black letters in the middle of the note. There was a simple message,

'Meet me at Borgin and Burkes next Sunday. Come alone. Don't bring anyone else. Make sure you're not being followed. They're ready to take you in.'

….

It had been a raining the day Peter had attended his first meeting and for how little Peter could remember the date when it had happened the day had shaped his destiny. He had been delirious with joy albeit nervous that day. He had felt powerful and built childish dreams of power, respect and wealth by standing at the Dark Lord's side. He had been so naive then, only 17, making one of those stupid mistake people make in their youth. Just that this one had chains, magical chains binding him to his own decision. In trying to remove his self- made isolation he had just buried himself in a pit with no escape. But he had come to this realization later, so late, before that he had vowed to devote himself to his master, vowed to rule the world serving at the Dark Lord's feet.

The Dark Lord had been rather skeptical at first for Peter did not have much to offer in the ways of the wand, nor in the art of potion making. For raids he was a passable duelist but again nothing special. With that being said he was not all bad, his power came from two things: his skill at deception and his connections. Not just any connections but the connections to the elite group founded by Dumbledore, whose members had christened themselves ' The Order of Phoenix'. Peter had a relatively simple job: all he had to do was relay information that Dumbledore told the young members of the order and keep his eyes and ears open. His animagus form certainly helped matters, he would sneak into places as a rat, make himself comfortable in a corner and try to hear the members' whispered conversations. Reinhard Lestrange had advised him to not push his luck when it came to spying as he was still just a novice and to avoid suspicion at any cost. Lestrange had also suggested to him to try planting seeds of doubt in his friends about Remus . He had heard again and again how fortunate he was that he had been allowed to service the dark lord. Peter had taken all of their advice and comments to heart and had promised himself that he would work harder to rise in the death eater ranks. He had always regarded Lestrange as his mentor, he was much nicer than all the members of his crazy family combined.

There had been some obvious restrictions in compromising the integrity of the order meetings and Dumbledore had not provided him and his friends the locations in which the meetings took place. So at the start Peter had to contend himself with hearsay alone. Lestrange had not found that satisfactory enough and had encouraged him to be a bit craftier with his methods and start listening to conversations taking place between the known members of the order in rat form. Peter had done as asked and now had much more to tell his master. All of this had led him to receive the great honor of being marked, of finally being expected in a cult in which he had great importance, of finally finding a place where he belonged.

Everything had been going smoothly in Peter's life he had secured himself a place built with his own talents beside the Dark Lord's side and had gained the respect and admiration of his peers. Two years had already passed in which Peter had loyally served the dark lord all the while feeling triumphed over not being suspected by anyone of being the spy in the order. Werewolves, the monstrous creatures exiled by society had joined the dark lord in large numbers to finally take revenge on the people who had looked down upon them from decades. It had been easy to pin the blame on Remus by simply going to Maralene with a squeaky voice about how Remus might feel a certain kinship to his werewolf community. And how he was so very afraid about his good friend being guided by outside influences. Joanna o'Kelly who had lost her son to a direwolf attack years ago had been very vocal in her protest of a treacherous werewolf in the esteemed order and had always scowled at Remus from a distance.

After two years Peter had become somewhat comfortable in the art of deception and betrayal. Sometimes in his most vulnerable state his conscience would peek up and he would feel an annoying pang in the chest reminding him of late night getaways in the forest and secret trips to a village filled with laughter. It was hardest in those times to keep the memories of a cherished childhood at bay and sometimes he would allow himself to get lost in it and hope only for a moment that they would be back in those same bonds of friendship that they have formed years ago and everything would be sweet and cheery and there would be no war threatening to tear apart everything they ever held dear.

But these moments were very few in between the bitterness of the days of betrayal that had curled around Peter's heart and mind and had just refused to let go. Or it had refused to let go, before James and Sirius specializing in their talent to ruin well-thought out plans had come to his house one day and had apologized, fucking apologized about the way they had treated him and that werewolf and how they wanted to penance (a word that was spoken half in jest and half in seriousness) by inviting them to a drinking game with hot girls.

"Just for show, not touch. I have a fiance waiting for me back home." Sirius assured, with James following quickly behind on his words. Peter for the life could not remember what nonsense had come from his mouth, but he had agreed. All the while feeling an emotion he had now become familiar with regret and guilt. But now he was in too deep and nothing could be done, nothing, he amended in his head, you are willing to suffer through. So Peter had shown up and so had Remus, and together the four boys, soon to be men, had a jolly good time. And life had continued. His and others.

Pureblood families of the world considered themselves aristocracy, each of it's members wearing his ancestor's achievement as a cloak of wealth and arrogance. But beneath this cloak they were all choked by the rules they had to follow. Since infancy their world was cluttered with meaningless courtesies and traditions that only they and the others of their station cared about. Like all men in positions of power by their wealth and influence these families were hated by the general people. But their favors could make a king out of a beggar and a beggar out of a king. So wizards and witches groveled in front of their faces and sniggered behind their backs. But if this mockery of respect and admiration affected those of the privileged circles they didn't show. They were quite content in basking in the glory of false complements and looking down on all those they did not deem to have any worth. Regardless, it was plain stupidity to make an enemy out of these families for they made powerful friends and dangerous foes. It was also not as if they could forget insults made about them for a son carried on his back all the friends and enemies and the debts of his father and his grandfather and his other male ancestors.

These families believed in the superiority of their blood and in the consolidation of power in the hands of few. They had forge alliances between them bounded in holy matrimony. Fathers arranged matches for their daughters and sons even before they were ready to go to Hogwarts. This had been the way of life for purebloods for very long and still continued to this date. Most pureblood were content to follow traditions. Most but not all. Sirius and his sister Andromeda were certainly not dutiful sons and daughters. And for their rebellion Sirius had drunkenly told Peter both had been blasted from the family tree. With Andromeda not inheriting even a knut from the family and Sirius only inheriting his childhood home which his father had written in his will was to be passed down to not the heir of the Black family but Sirius specifically. And a large sum that his uncle Alpharad had given him.

Peter could not help but wonder if Sirius being left with much more than Andromeda was because of him being a boy or because of him keeping the bloodline pure by marrying a pureblood and Andromeda having sullied the line by marrying a mudblood. Nonetheless Sirius who had a high salary job in working for the ministry as an auror along with James had not touched his inheritance and he and Maralene had married in a lovely, intimate but lavish ceremony as the McKinnons had heartily consented to their beloved daughters marriage and had given an ample amount to Maralene as dowry which she had deposited in the couples joint vault. Peter supposed that the pureblood were used to lavish displays that anything less than a twelve tier cake was cost cutting by a miser. Andromeda and Teddy's marriage had been one of a beggar in comparison but according to Sirius, the only Black who had been invited she looked happy enough. James and Lily's ceremony had surpassed any Peter had ever seen in his life as the marriage of a Lord Potter could not be a dull affair. And so for a time the marauders had been happy, or happy as one can be in a war torn country.

But every happy moment must come with a price as they would soon realize during the werewolf attack at Maralene's childhood house. It had been a planned attack the logistics of which had been taken care of by Regulus himself. Sirius and James had been out on some business for the Order when the Mckinnon household was attacked by Fenrir Greyback. Sweet, beautiful Maralene had been pregnant at that time and had been watering the plants in the yard. She had gone to spend time with her ailing grandmother. Fenrir and his pack had sweeped and had butchered her siblings, parents and her grandmother. Maralene as per orders was not harmed .

Fenrir had crept silently into the Mckinnon Family residence, jumped Maralene from behind, and knocked her wand off her hand. Peter had, as planned, arrived as the savior, and attacked Fenrir with the Incendio curse and fended him off while maintaining his timid self so as to not attract any doubt. He had comforted a shaken Maralene and contacted Sirius, trying not to feel guilty. After that, he didn't have to do anything to make his plan work by bringing a rift between Sirius, James and the werewolf. Maralene had told Sirius that Fenrir had mentioned Lupin, and Sirius, being impulsive as he was, had summoned Remus immediately and questioned him about the attack, paving the way for one of their worst arguments ever since they had left Hogwarts, and Peter had silently enjoyed being the spectator.

"Did he offer you gold? Or a house? Or a ministry job?" an agitated Sirius asked Remus, who looked utterly shocked and angry.

"Sirius, you think I told Greyback to attack Maralene? Greyback is the reason for my hellish life! Why in the name of Merlin would I ever join hands with someone like him?" Remus shouted across the room.

"It was a good thing it wasn't a full moon," Sirius continued, dismissing Lupin's argument. "Or else today would have been the end of your dear friend Fenrir."

"Sirius, I'm repeating this once again," Remus said in a final voice. "I did not have any werewolf attack Maralene, and neither have I joined hands with them!"

"You've been hanging out with them a lot more recently, though," Sirius remarked, raising an eyebrow. "Have you made some new best friends? Friends better than us?"

Lupin slammed his head on a table in frustration, and James shifted uncomfortably as Peter stayed silently at his position, being ignored by everyone for which he was once in his life, thankful.

"You know I have been doing that on Dumbledore's orders. I DIDN'T ASK TO BE THIS SIRIUS!" Lupin yelled, pointing to himself with his finger. "I DIDN'T ASK TO BE A MONSTER."

"I don't know," Sirius said. "All I know is that my wife and my unborn child were attacked by a werewolf this morning and your name was dropped by the werewolf in question."

"FINE!" Lupin yelled finally. "BELIEVE WHAT YOU WANT!"

"Moony, Padfoot…," James intervened.

"NO!" Sirius and Remus yelled in unison, as the latter pulled on his travelling cloak and left the house angrily, slamming the door shut behind him.

That argument had been a total disaster for both Sirius and Remus, and James as well, who was stuck making amends to each of them for the other for the next few weeks. However, Sirius had started to believe that Remus might have been spying on the Order, and so the tensions were high between people supporting Remus(which included Maralene, who refused to believe Remus would betray them and so the relations between her and Sirius were not the best either) and Sirius.

Bellatrix and Narcissa on the other hand had settled into their own married life with Rodolphus and Lucius. Regulus himself had married Cassana Flint who had come with her beautiful face and ample connections to foreign families. These marriages had tied down the Dark Lords primary supporters; House Malfoy, Lestrange, Flint and Black being tied in holy matrimony. Unlike their sister, Bellatrix and Narcissa had received many properties and galleons to be passed down to their children.

However, the lavish testimonies meant for Bellatrix and Narcissa were just a knut in front of a galleon when it came to what had been written for Regulus in the Black Family will, which was everything that the family ever owned as Regulus was now their heir. The married couples soon enough had children of their own and though Peter's identity in life had not expanded more than a spy and a false friend he had found himself content in his dual life, playing both parts easily and gracefully in his not so humble opinion. He now no longer had to choose between those who could take his life or those that made it worth living.

The threads of guilt had eased down Peter's conscience but that had been before the prophecy, the goddamn prophecy. As Lucius Malfoy would remark years later, about how a few words from a half crazy seer could change the fate of few and screw others. Peter now would be royally screwed.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello everyone! This is the prologue of The Son of the Devil co-written by not wrong just misguided and silverstriker27. Hope you like it. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Please review, like and follow the story.