A Real Rat

A/N: Written for Round 9 of the Quidditch Fan League

Team: Montrose Magpies

Position: Beater 2. Character: Peter Pettigrew

Prompts used: 8 (setting) Godric's Hollow / 12 (emotion) Lonely / 15 (word) Join.

Thanks to firefly81 for betaing.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Peter nervously pulled on the sleeve of his jacket. He knew that it fully covered his forearm and the horrible mark was not visible, but a part of him feared his friends would still be able to find out somehow. But he had brushed them off too many times already and he couldn't risk them getting suspicious.

Peter apparated to Godric's Hollow and walked through the sleepy little village to the Potter cottage. Light streamed out of the little house's windows and he could hear Sirius' barking laugh as he approached the door. He swallowed and rang the doorbell.

Sirius' laughter stopped, and he heard a chair being moved. A moment later the door opened a little, still held closed by the chain, and he saw James looking through.

"What did we do to Travers in our sixth year?" he asked without preamble.

Peter thought back. Travers was one of the hangers-on in the Slytherin crowd, who had thought it wise to call Lily a Mudblood in James' presence.
"We cast a jelly-legs jinx on him while he was on top of the stairs, getting him into the Hospital Wing with a concussion, right?" Peter answered and waited for James to open the door.

"Come on, Pete! Your question?" James insisted.

"Errrr... what did Amelia Bones say the last time Sirius asked her out?" he asked.

"She said, and I quote, 'Not if you were the last man on Earth, and even then, I'd dyke out first!'" James said loudly, laughing.

From inside, Sirius' loud 'Hey!' was heard in protest, as James opened the door for Peter.

"Good to see you, Pete. How is Enid?" he asked.

Peter scurried inside. "Erm, mum's getting better. The Healers think the new medicine is working," he said. He wasn't really lying: Enid Pettigrew had been sickly for months, and he spent a lot of time caring for her, but that was not where he had been the last time James and Lily had invited him.

Instead, he had been on his hand and knees, trembling before the throne of the Dark Lord, begging not to be killed.

– Flashback –

Peter was lonely. James and Lily were happily married and had a young son, and Sirius had more girlfriends than even he could keep track of, but to his shame, Peter had to rely on the Knockturn Alley brothel for some 'action'. He had even tried to get with some Muggle girls, but they seemed even less interested in a slightly overweight, prematurely balding man with a large overbite than witches were.

The 'ladies' of his favourite establishment were not exactly lookers, but at least they were affordable. So he once again went inside the alley, his cloak up to hide his identity. He had just rounded the first corner of the dark alley when two persons clad in the dark robes of Death Eaters stepped in front of him, and before he could whip out his wand or attempt to flee, a 'stupefy' hit him from behind.

Peter was woken up by a 'rennervate' and took a moment to get his bearings. He was in a dimly lit room in what appeared to be a manor of some kind, lying on his stomach. He crawled to his hands and feet and looked up. Not ten feet in front of him was an ornate throne, and seated in it was none other than the Dark Lord himself. Peter passed out again.

The next time he woke, he was being held up by two Death Eaters, and saw the Dark Lord sneering at him.

"Peter Pettigrew. How nice of you to join us," Voldemort said sarcastically. Some of the Death Eaters laughed at that.

"Please... please let me go... I know nothing," Peter stammered.

"Hear that, everyone? Peter Pettigrew knows nothing," Voldemort sneered. "If he knows nothing, he is useless to me, don't you think?"

"Kill him, master! Send his head to his sweet old mummy!" a female Death Eater called out. Even hid by her mask, Peter knew this had to be Bellatrix Lestrange.

"No... please... let me live! I beg you!" Peter called.

"Get him on his knees, if he wants to beg," Voldemort ordered. Peter was pushed forward, and stumbled on his knees. He grovelled before the Dark Lord, begging for his life again.

"Give me one reason to spare your life," he heard the Dark Lord say.

"I... I can tell you about the Order of the Phoenix!" Peter called out.

"Dumbledore's Order?" Voldemort actually sounded surprised. "You mean to claim a useless wizard like you is part of Dumbledore's pathetic little resistance?"

"Yes! I can give you names! Safe Houses!" Peter begged. "Just... spare me, please?"

Voldemort looked down at him and seemed to think things over. "You are offering to be my spy?" he asked after a long pause.

"Yes, yes my lord!" Peter said, looking up at the Dark Lord for the first time. He fought to keep himself from trembling.

"Speak, then. Give me some names, and I might let you live," the Dark Lord said.

And Peter spoke. He betrayed Edgar Bones, the Wakefields, Caradoc Dearborn, and others, just to save his life. The Dark Lord seemed pleased, and Peter was not murdered straight away. Instead, he was locked in a dungeon.

A few days later, he was manhandled back up to the throne room and once again forced to grovel before the Dark Lord.

"I am pleased, Peter," Lord Voldemort said. "Thanks to you, my dear Bella and her husband were able to have a nice visit with the Wakefields."

Peter trembled. Roger and Silvia Wakefield had been a very friendly couple, and he had been invited to their wedding only a month prior... and now they were dead.
"Merlin, no..." he whimpered.

"I have decided to reward you, Peter," Voldemort spoke, breaking Peter from his thoughts. "Since it was your willingly given information that lead to this, I will allow you to join the Death Eaters. I can use a spy in Dumbledore's little group..."

Peter's breath hesitated. He couldn't betray them even more, could he?

"Of course, you don't have to join me... I can always just kill you and send your remains to the next Order meeting instead," Voldemort continued. His followers started laughing again.

And thus, Peter accepted the Dark Mark. He loved his friends... but he loved being alive, even more. He really was a rat.

– End Flashback –

Peter was roused from his thoughts as Sirius handed him a Butterbeer. "You're being quiet today, Pete," he said.

"Ah, you know how it is... all the disappearances and such..." Peter took a deep sip.

"I know what you mean," Sirius said a little sadly. "At least we are all together still, right?"

Peter looked first at his friend, and then past him to the table where Lily had baby Harry on her lap, and James was feeding him a bottle.

"Yes, at least we have that," Peter agreed.