Disclaimer: Most of this is mine. The rest is pilfered. Why pilfered? It's a funny word. That's why.

Betaread by Snuggle the muggle.

"I want to commit the murder I was accused of!" Sirius screamed, pointing a shaking wand toward Peter Pettigrew.

"Sirius, stop," begged Harry. "My parents wouldn't have wanted you to become a murderer." Different thoughts and memories swirled through his mind. His conflicting emotions regarding Sirius, and now Remus Lupin, who he had thought trustworthy, were causing him to doubt every move he made.

Pettigrew crawled over to Harry on his knees and grabbed at the hem of his robes. "Sweet, merciful boy. Thank you. You have no idea what you've done! Oh, Harry! I'm so sorry. So, so sorry."

Harry pushed him back with his foot as the rat animagus fell onto his side, still sniveling his thanks. With Snape stunned in the corner of the Shrieking Shack, there were four wands trained directly on the traitor. Ron was whimpering on the old, dust covered bed. His leg was bleeding as a small piece of bone pushed through the torn fabric of his pants leg. Sirius was gaunt and filthy, his eyes crazed as he stared down at his former friend.

Harry glared down at the man responsible for the deaths of his parents, the man who was responsible for his life with the Dursleys. He had spent three years in the company of the rat, and all this time he could have had his revenge. Suddenly, Harry didn't feel the urge to protect the filthy, shaking man, but he knew that the only way for Sirius' name to be cleared would be to present Pettigrew to the Ministry. If they chose to give him the Dementor's Kiss, then so be it. At least Harry would finally have a home with someone who cared about him, a home with someone who didn't think he was a freak, only good enough for slave labor. Only good enough to be abused when things weren't going right in the Dursley's habitually monotonous existence.

When Harry emerged from his thoughts, he heard Sirius shouting at Pettigrew.

"How could you betray James and Lily?!" he screamed. Spittle flew from his lips and landed on the flinching man who was cowering on the ground. "And Harry! He lost his parents because of you!"

Pettigrew was mumbling. "No, never... You don't understand how powerful he is. He would have killed me."

"Then you should have died!" Sirius roared. "As we would have for you!"

Remus, Harry and Hermione stood by motionless as Sirius stalked toward Pettigrew with his wand held in front, pointing directly in the man's face, less than an inch from the bridge of his nose. What happened next shocked even Sirius into silence.

"I would have died for any of you without a second thought!" screamed Pettigrew, right into Sirius' face. For a moment in time, everything seemed frozen as if a high-powered Petrificus Totalus had been cast on everything in the room. They all held their breath, even Ron, who was shaking involuntarily from the pain in his leg. Hermione stared at the small space between the tip of Sirius' wand and Pettigrew's face.

The traitor continued. "You were my family. I would have done anything for you. I would have died for you. I would have killed for you! I did not betray James and Lily to V-Voldemort. I'd swear it on my magic and my life! I promise you Sirius, I loved them just as much as you did. And I've been watching over Harry since the day he started Hogwarts, I swear it. I couldn't let anyone know, or he would have killed me!"

Harry sputtered, breaking the stillness of the moment. "Why the hell would I kill you? I just stopped Sirius from cursing you!"

Pettigrew looked up at him with sad eyes, one of which was still twitching in a familiar rat-like manner. "Not you, Harry. I trust you with my life."

"Peter, what the fuck are you talking about?" spat Remus. The nearness of the full moon had turned the normally mild-mannered professor into a fuming lycanthrope, moments away from a transformation.

As Pettigrew and Sirius heard the underlying growl in the Defense professor's voice, both paled. It was that much more impressive as one had spent the past twelve years incarcerated in Azkaban, and the other as a pet rat. Neither had much color left to lose. Sirius looked out the window and gasped. Pettigrew heard him and followed his gaze. The edge of the moon was beginning to peek over the clouds.

"Moony," whispered Pettigrew. "Did you take your potion?"

The only response he got was a growl as Remus' pupils began to dilate.

"What potion?" asked Sirius.

Between clenched teeth, Remus hissed. "Wolfsbane. Snape has been brewing it for me all year. You all need to get out." None of them made any move to do so. "Now!"

"Harry!" directed Sirius. "Levitate Snape to the tunnel. Hermione, you do the same for Ron. Move! Let's go!"

Hermione's hands were shaking so badly that she could barely hold her wand, let alone keep it steady enough to cast a spell. Pettigrew stood up and moved to help her before Harry's wand and Ron's wand, held by Sirius, were both pointed directly at his heart. Snape fell to the ground with a thud as Harry stopped levitating him to protect his friend.

Pettigrew raised his hands. "Sirius. Padfoot. You have to trust me. We need to get out of here." As he finished, a groaning, animal-like noise floated toward them from across the room. Harry glanced back and saw his professor fighting the transformation. A look of desperation clouded the face of the half-transformed werewolf as he fought the curse.

"Fine," said Harry, lowering his wand.

Sirius gaped for a moment. "Harry, you can't-"

"Padfoot," said Pettigrew shakily, glancing over to Remus. "You need to trust me. You aren't the only one who's been manipulated. I didn't betray them, I swear it!"

The escaped convict seemed to wrestle with himself for a moment, but the whimpering from the other side of the room appeared to make his decision for him as he nodded jerkily before motioning for Harry to levitate Snape to the tunnel. Once the potions professor was airborne, Sirius grabbed the man around the legs and forcibly dragged him through the air before throwing him through the trap door. Harry canceled the charm and turned to watch as Pettigrew levitated Ron toward the same exit as gently as possible, while guiding Hermione with a gentle shove to the back every few steps. She kept glancing to Remus, her curiosity not distracted by the distinct possibility of being ripped to shreds or being turned into a werewolf herself.

Within seconds, the six of them were in the tunnel. A sickening growl and the sound of claws clicking across the wooden floor caused Harry to turn and watch a fully transformed werewolf heading straight for them. The beginning of a spell being spoken from behind caused Harry to turn and stare into the face of Peter Pettigrew, who was aiming Hermione's wand directly at him. Before he could even think to dodge or attempt to block the spell, Pettigrew finished the incantation and Harry closed his eyes, expecting the worst. Instead, the sound of the trapdoor snapping shut, and a thud from the heavy impact of Remus crashing into it, was all he heard. It was quickly followed by a high-pitched howl that caused a chill to race up and down his spine, making him shake his head involuntarily with a shudder.

They arrived at the base of the Whomping Willow several minutes later, having had no conversation beyond suggestions to help Ron travel down the tunnel without further injuring his leg and Sirius apologizing for hurting him. As they all lay on the grass out of the reach of the homicidal tree, Hermione took her wand back from Peter with a look of relief mixed with confusion and then cast a pain relieving spell on Ron's leg and covered it with a splint. He grunted in pain as she worked.

Sirius sat silently staring into the eyes of Peter, his wand trained on the bedraggled man. He could see nothing but sincerity, but he'd been tricked before and wasn't going to let the rat escape in the confusion.

"Peter," said Sirius, using his friend's name for the first time in over a decade. "Swear on your magic right now that you didn't betray James and Lily. Or Harry."

"I, Peter Samuel Pettigrew, swear on my life and my magic that I never betrayed James, Lily, or Harry Potter. I would never. I never betrayed you either, Sirius. I have no idea what happened that day in the street, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The squat, balding man began whimpering as a few tears streaked down his cheeks. "I swear on my magic that I was never a Death Eater, and that I never worked with or for them, or You-Know-Who. I would never do anything to hurt any of you, Sirius. You are my family. You, Remus, and Harry."

Hermione, Harry, and Sirius stared at him slack-jawed. Ron was moaning quietly from the pain in his leg, but managed to speak. "Why did you pretend to be a rat? You've lived with my family for years." The redhead shuddered in disgust.

"I'm sorry, Ron. So many people thought I'd betrayed Harry's parents. If the Ministry had found out I was alive, I would have been killed."

"What are you talking about?" asked Hermione. "The Ministry awarded you the Order of Merlin."

"I never said the Ministry would have killed me," responded Peter.

"Peter," said Sirius. "Who would have killed you?"

Peter took a deep breath and looked his friend in the eyes. "Dumbledore."