So the year had passed with lightening speed. There had been bumps in the road that was Harry's life, but Remus and Sirius, along with Hermione and Ron had been there to help him along the way. That was, until one night, in late May when the full moon had fallen on a most inopportune time. Ron's rat, Scabbers had been lost more and more frequently lately, suspiciously, every time Sirius had gone up to the school to visit on the weekends. Sirius had never seen the rat until that night.

When the three had been coming up to the castle, Ron was clutching the rat. Sirius and Remus had been sitting a ways from the Whomping Willow making preparations for the full moon. Scabbers had bitten Ron's finger and ran towards the tree when Sirius had noticed that the rat had hit the button at the base of the trunk. A button no one but only two living people knew about. Himself and Remus. How had the rat, curiously smart, known about the button? Something was off and Sirius intended to find out.

"Watch them! Do not allow them out of your sight. " Sirius said to Remus and shot off towards the tree, shifting into his animagus form as he went. Harry and his friends exchanged looks with one another and then looked to Remus who had gone pale.

"Have you taken your potion tonight?" Harry asked as he crouched down to Remus' level.

The color was draining from Remus' face as the realization hit. That rat had looked awfully familiar. How could he have never noticed it, never even considered it? The mousy brown color and the missing tufts of fur. He could smack himself for being so stupid. They had all presumed him dead, assumed Voldemort's followers had killed him after the failed attempt on Harry's life, after the murder of their best friends. A snapping sound brought him out of his thoughts as he realized Harry was trying to get his attention.

"Earth to Remus, have you taken your potion today?" he asked again, this time with more urgency.

"Yes, Harry. Sirius brought it up to me when he came. Listen, can I trust you children to stay here?" he knew it was a stupid question but he had to go, he had to find them before Sirius did something he could never come back from. Remus had already stood up, was already making his way towards the stilled tree. He only hoped the kids had stayed behind. Somehow though. He knew they were right there following behind him.

They had climbed down into the opening at the roots, through the cramped passageway and then up into what looked like a dilapidated house. Sirius voice rang through the air.

"Did you think I wouldn't know it was you? Did you think you could keep hiding away right under our noses? How dare you, how dare you show your rat face here. You should have known. If Voldemort's minions didn't kill you, that I would." he was snarling, the anger was clear in his voice. Sirius was having trouble keeping his animagus form at bay.

Remus pulled his wand out and the children followed suit. All four wands moved through the shrieking shack towards the sound of Sirius' voice. They found him in a bedroom standing over a pudgy looking man with balding hair and watery blue eyes. He was sniveling and moaning.

"Peter Pettigrew." Remus breathed. The man twitched and looked over at the doorway.

"Remus! My old friend! It's been so long, please tell him, tell him I mean no harm." the man was on his knees now clutching at Remus' robes. Sirius roared in outrage and grabbed the back Peter's shirt flinging him off of Remus and onto the floor.

"Mean no harm?! Ha! Did you mean no harm when you sold your friends to Voldemort? Did you mean no harm when you left their infant son an orphan? Did you mean no harm when you betrayed us all?" Sirius was rabid now, almost foaming at the mouth in his eyes had shifted to amber now. Remus moved to stand behind Sirius, leaving the children in the doorway.

Hermione was looking between the three men as if she was working out a math problem when her eyes widened with recognition. She reached down and grabbed hold of Harry's hand. Ron, on the other hand had his wand trained on the groveling man, ready to curse the betrayer at the first command. Harry watched the scene unfold as if he wasn't there. As if he was a third party, not part of the drama unfolding before his eyes.

"He would have killed me, Padfoot. I had no choice! What would you have done?" Peter wailed. What was left of Sirius' calm shattered in that moment.

"What would I have done? I WOULD HAVE DIED! I would have died rather than betray my friends! I would have died rather than have them murdered, you sniveling little coward!" Sirius raised his wand, the unforgivable on the tip of his tongue but Remus was there, talking him down, convincing him that it'd be better to turn him in.

"Harry? Harry is that you, m'boy" Peter asked as he crawled towards the children. Hermione had gripped his hand still harder and Ron had stood in front of Harry and pushed the tip of his wand into the man's face. Sirius was reaching out to stop him from getting to Harry when Ron spoke.

"How dare you speak to Harry? How dare you act as if you're not the reason for his parents deaths. You want to get to him? You'll have to go through us. There's nothing I'd like more than to repay that deed." by this point Ron was so red that the rest of them were surprised that there wasn't steam erupting from his ears. His wand was digging into Peter's neck burning him with barely controlled magic. Remus and Sirius exchanged a look filled with meaning.

"Send your patronus to Dumbledore, Harry. Let him know to get here at once, the moon is rising and I can't hold off the change for much longer." Remus said as he broke out in a sweat. The force of keeping the wolf at bay was steadily becoming harder. The silver stag burst forth from Harry's wand, centered around the room and then shot off to the castle.

"Incarcerous!" Harry yelled as silver ropes slid gracefully from his wand and wrapped themselves around the crying man.

"Give the Dementors a kiss from me when you see them, wormtail." Sirius snarled. He then turned to Remus who was leaning against the wall clutching at his head.

"Go, love. Get to the forest and change. I'll take care of everything. He ran his fingers through Remus' hair and kissed him.

"We'll wait for Dumbledore here." Remus nodded his head and made his way through the door.

"You two are great friends, Harry is lucky to have you." he clasped Harry's shoulder and walked out, disappearing into the night.

They sat in Dumbledore's office later that night discussing what had happened. Minister Fudge had shown up with a few aurors and together they had arrested Peter Pettigrew and taken him to Azkaban. Harry had been abnormally quiet after the confrontation and Sirius had noticed. He had asked Ron and Hermione to take Harry for a walk, to talk to him while he stayed with Albus and waited for Remus to change back. The kids had found themselves in the astronomy tower.

"I feel guilty. For not feeling anything? For feeling like I still got lucky in the parent department? For being thankful for Sirius and Remus? I don't even know. Like maybe I should have been angry, or sad, or heartbroken, you know? And there I was feeling numb. They were still my parents and I'm sure they loved me but I don't feel anything. Is that wrong?" Harry spoke with his shoulders slumped and his hands fisted in his hair. Hermione was rubbing his back while her head rested on his shoulder.

"That's perfectly normal. You were raised by two of the best men I've ever known, men who love you and would do anything for you. You hardly remember your parents, you have nothing to feel guilty for." she promised.

Ron was pacing in front of them, his Gryffindor loyalty was warring with the warning looks Hermione was shooting him.

"I should have killed that coward, that bloody fool. To think you could betray your best friends like that and get away with it? To hurt my best friend and think there wouldn't be any consequences? If I ever see him again I'll Avada him on the spot." he was seething, his hand were shaking.

Harry felt a lump form in his throat. Never in his life had he been more confident in his friends. They had his back, they were willing to kill and be killed for him. Harry stood up abruptly taking Hermione's hand and pulling her up with him, he approached Ron and hugged him with all of his strength. They both pulled Hermione into the group hug and as they stood there together, Harry poured everything he couldn't say into their embrace. He knew in that moment that he'd never been luckier than he was right then..