Also, it's not beta'd so be nice ^-^
This is for everyone who reviewed or emailed me and told me to get my backside into gear. Love you loads, and keep the reviews coming!!!
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"spoken"
//thoughts//
//:conversation between Harry and Draco ://
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…:: Chapter Nine ::…
"And just whose hands, exactly, are we placing our
lives in?" Severus asked.
Harry sighed, knowing the uproar that next two words would cause. "Peter
Pettigrew."
"Peter." Remus breathed.
Albus took a sip from his tea and stared at the blazing fire.
"Peter Pettigrew." Severus said. He turned to look at Harry, "Have you seriously lost your mind this time, Potter? It ranks in the top three biggest blunders you have ever done!"
Harry sighed and said, "When you're quite finished Severus, I can explain."
"By all means, try and explain away your insanity," Severus remarked.
Harry sighed once more and pointed his wand at the fire. Muttering an incantation at the fire, Harry called forth his memories of Wormtail.
The fire blazed and pulsed in time with Harry's heartbeat. It turned dark blue and an image became to form.
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In the depth of the darkened forest a figure stood over a prone body.
"Give me a reason as to why I should kill you Wormtail," Harry said pointing his wand at Wormtail. "Please?"
"If you're going to kill me" he said, coughing, "Just do it. I deserve it."
"At least you admit it," Harry said bitterly. "It's not like many people would care. Probably only Voldemort would care if you never return; he took what he wanted from you in that cemetery."
"That's true," Wormtail said, coughing again. "I sold my soul to the devil incarnate and lost my friends in the process."
Silence passed between the two men. Harry robes swirled as he walked away and sat on a log.
"Why?" He asked.
"Why what? You might what to be more specific?"
"Why'd you betray them? Why did you condemn them to die?" Harry asked softly.
"The truth?"
"Of course."
Wormtail sighed and then said, "You won't believe me but I joined to originally to try and get some more information on Voldemort's plans for them. I thought I could spin some lie about me wanting revenge for some stupid thing like James stole Lily from me. Snape was our spy back then and James and Sirius had their doubts about him. One night, the four of us, went out and got drunk. James said, 'Maybe we need a new spy, I mean it is Snivellus that we're expected to place our trust in. He could be leading us into a trap."
"I was always the one who would royally screw something up and so when I decided to go to Voldemort, I didn't tell them, in case I did screw up royally. I wanted to try and help. But then Sirius and James did something I could never forgive, or thought I couldn't. They thought it would be funny to go to a strip club." Wormtail stopped and coughed again, this time tasting blood in his mouth.
Harry exhaled heavily and conjured a handkerchief and floated it in front of Wormtail.
"Thank you. My girlfriend was working there, we'd only been going out for a few weeks but I'd only told Remus about her. I didn't know she worked there. Padfoot and Prongs thought it would be funny to have some – fun – with Lisa. Even Moony found it disgusting and he rarely ever spoke out against them. It was then that I decided that maybe the Dark Lord had the right idea. But even when I told Voldemort I was to be there secret keeper I knew that it was wrong."
Harry asked softly, "So why did you do it? Why not tell them everything so they could move or something?"
Wormtail laughed harshly, "Yeah, because they wouldn't have killed me then would they?"
"Maybe not," Harry replied.
"I don't think so Harry. You surely have heard about the so-called pranks that hey used to play on Snape. Yeah some were funny, but some were downright evil. I had to join the Death Eater ranks to find that out," Wormtail laughed mirthlessly again. "Some of the things I did there weren't even as half as bad as some of they things they did to Snape."
Both men were silent again for a long time.
"So what happens now Peter?" Harry asked. "Do I kill you?"
"I don't deny that I deserve it, but" he sighed, "I'm married now, and she, my wife, is pregnant with our first child. And – I don't want to die without trying to make peace with Remus."
"And not the ones who died?"
"How can I? If I could, I would go back in time and kill myself so I couldn't do something so stupid!" Wormtail said passionately. Harry thought to himself and then started to snigger lightly. "I'm sorry, you find something amusing about this?" Peter said angrily.
"Oh yes, you said you didn't want to royally screw up, but guess what? You did." Harry replied.
Wormtail barked out a laugh, "Yes, it is rather ironic, don't you think?"
"Entirely."
Wormtail paused and looked up into the sky, the full moon shining brightly. "I'd love to be able to make it up to my friends. They once trusted me and I betrayed them because of a girl and because I was afraid. They deserve to know that their trust in me was not completely misplaced." Wormtail turned to look into Harry's vivid green eyes. "I can help you defeat him, and maybe save a few innocent lives."
"You would do this, despite the torture that the last two spies went through?" Harry asked.
"Yes, I deserve that pain. Even when Snape and Spurler were screaming in agony, I knew I should be the one who was suffering. I've done far worse than they ever could do."
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"Peter doesn't want to come out smelling of roses. Erin, his wife, and Mandy, his daughter, having immunity granted by the Minister himself. Percy hasn't a clue as to who Peter is, but he does know that he wants his wife and daughter safe." Harry said softly.
"He does not wish it for himself?" Dumbledore asked.
"No, Peter knows that he's done wrong. It's his way of saving his soul, his salvation," Harry explained.
"Damn bastard has a lot of saving to do then," Severus commented dryly. Harry silenced him with a look.
"You have a choice now. To take Peter's word and go to Voldemort or to keep trying to counter-act his movements, losing valuable lives each time." Harry said.
Albus stared at the fire intently. Finally he said, "I take it you have a plan."
"Of course," Harry replied.
"Then we'll take an offensive stance and attack Voldemort." Albus said wearily, "Harry, it's your plan but I want to be involved at every stage, as I'm sure Percy will."
"Of course Albus," Harry said.
"You said you had an idea which involved Remus and Severus," Albus queried.
Harry nodded, "What d'you reckon, can you trust me?" He asked Remus and Severus.
They both nodded.
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Laterz!
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