"There were witnesses who claimed they saw you die, Peter…" Lupin said, not knowing what to feel. "A whole street full of them…"
His emotions were in complete turmoil. Yes, Sirius had told him a completely different story from the one that everybody knew about that day. And even though it sounded much more believable, and logical in every sense, he still hadn't been able to fully accept it.
After all, they had been brothers once—James, Sirius, Peter, and him. He needed to hear it from both of them. Of course, thinking rationally, it was clear enough who the real traitor was. But when it came to family—or friends as close as family—who could possibly think rationally?
The iron door clanked open with a groan, and Jameson stepped aside wordlessly. Inside the dimly lit cell stood a second cage, and Peter Pettigrew sat curled at the center, chained with heavy enchanted manacles.
He wasn't going anywhere.
Sirius brushed past Lupin, entering first, his boots echoing across the stone floor. His fists were clenched, and his wand was already in hand, trembling slightly.
Jameson moved to the back to stand near Maverick, who leaned silently against the wall just outside. They were only here to observe while the two men confronted their past.
"They didn't see what they thought they saw!" Sirius snapped, voice raw with years of bottled-up rage, responding to Lupin's earlier remark. He looked ready to pounce, barely restraining himself from hexing the rat into mincemeat.
"S-Sirius… R-Remus…" Pettigrew finally managed to find his voice after the shock of seeing the last people he ever wanted to meet. His eyes darted toward the now-open cell door, but that was all he could do—look.
To escape, he would have to get free from the enchanted chains first, then unlock the smaller cage, and only then could he make a move. And even if by some miracle he managed that—how, in Merlin's name, was he supposed to get past his so-called old friends?
Back in their school days, James, Sirius, and Lupin had always been better than him with a wand, and there was no reason to believe that had changed.
"My friends… my old friends…" he choked out, eyes darting wildly, mouth twitching with panic. Should he plead? Apologize? Try to lie his way out, maybe fool one of them? He didn't know what might work—only that he had to say something.
Sirius's wand arm rose at once, but Lupin seized his wrist and gave him a warning look.
Not yet.
Sirius growled low in his throat, then held back the urge.
Lupin then turned his gaze back to the caged man again. When he spoke to Pettigrew this time, his tone was unnervingly calm.
"We've been talking, Peter. About the night Lily and James died." He took another step closer, eyes narrowing slightly. "I might've missed some details back then… so why don't you fill me in on what really happened?"
Pettigrew's mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air.
"Remus," he squeaked out finally, sweat beading across his already pasty face, "you don't believe him, do you? He tried to kill me, Remus… You have to believe me!"
His voice dropped to a cold whisper.
"If they ever got wind that you were still alive, Peter—"
"Don't know... what you're talking about..." said Pettigrew again, more shrilly than ever. He wiped his face on his sleeve and looked up at Lupin. "You don't believe this—this madness, Remus—"
"I must admit, Peter, I have difficulty in understanding why an innocent man would want to spend twelve years as a rat," said Lupin evenly.
"Innocent, but scared!" squealed Pettigrew. "If Voldemort's supporters were after me, it was because I put one of their best men in Azkaban—the spy..." He jerked his head toward Sirius. "Sirius Black!"
Black's face contorted in fury as he rose to his feet in one swift, jerking motion.
"How dare you..." he growled. "Me, a spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than me?
"But you, Peter—I'll never understand why I didn't see you were the spy from the start. You always liked big friends who'd protect you, didn't you?
"It used to be us... me and Remus... and James..."
Pettigrew wiped his face again; he was almost panting now.
"Me, a spy... must be out of your mind... never... don't know how you can say such a—"
"Lily and James only made you Secret-Keeper because I suggested it," Black hissed so venomously that Pettigrew flinched, expecting a hex at any second. "I thought it was the perfect plan... a bluff... Voldemort would be sure to come after me, would never dream they'd use a weak, talentless thing like you... It must have been the finest moment of your miserable life, telling Voldemort you could hand him the Potters."
Pettigrew was sweating buckets now, frantically thinking of a retort, a convincing lie... something, anything.
Lupin was now nearly convinced himself, and it was only the final confession that kept him from pouncing too. But there was one more thing he needed to clarify.
"I have a question," Lupin said, voice tight. "Since you, Peter—as the rat—have been sleeping in Harry's dormitory for three years... if you're working for You-Know-Who, how come you never tried to kill Harry?"
"Yes. Yes! That's it!" Pettigrew said shrilly, like he'd found the perfect excuse. "Why should I, Remus? Because I'm not a spy! Like you said, I've slept in their dorms for years and never done anything. I've never hurt a hair on Harry's head!"
"I'll tell you why," said Black. "Because you never did anything for anyone unless you could see what was in it for you. Voldemort's been in hiding for twelve years—people say he's half dead. You weren't about to commit murder right under Albus Dumbledore's nose for a wreck of a wizard who'd lost all his power, were you? You'd want to be quite sure he was the biggest bully in the playground before you went back to him, wouldn't you? Why else did you find a wizarding family to take you in? Keeping an ear out for news, weren't you, Peter? Just in case your old protector regained strength and it was safe to rejoin him..."
Pettigrew opened and closed his mouth several times. He seemed to have lost the ability to speak. All he could do was pray—pray to anyone—that Remus would believe him.
"Remus, please—it's me... it's Peter... your friend... you have to believe me..."
Lupin waited. The confession still hadn't come. He needed to hear it—needed Peter to say it.
"Master... noble master... clever master... you—you won't let them kill me, will you? Help me..." Peter, finally giving up on his lies, turned toward Jameson outside the cell and began to plead.
The Greengrass lord paid him no mind and ignored him completely.
"Remus," whispered Pettigrew, finally losing all hope. The lies had failed. What was left? Begging. Begging like the pathetic rat he was, no matter how pathetic he looked. "Remus, my friend... show me mercy..."
And there it was. Instantly, both Black and Lupin strode forward, wands raised in perfect sync.
"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort," said Black, who was shaking now. "Do you deny it?"
Pettigrew burst into tears.
"Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord... you have no idea... you can't imagine... I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen... He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me—"
"DON'T LIE!" bellowed Black. "YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!"
"He—he was taking over everywhere!" gasped Pettigrew. "W-What was there to be gained by refusing him?"
"What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed?" said Black, his face a mask of terrible fury. "Only innocent lives, Peter!"
"You don't understand!" whined Pettigrew. "He would have killed me, Sirius!"
"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" roared Black. "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"
Black and Lupin stood shoulder to shoulder, wands raised.
"You should have realized," said Lupin quietly, "if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would."
They both looked ready to cast the Killing Curse. The green light humming at the tips of their wands was restless—itching for release.
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