Because You Love Me

83. A Rat Among Them

 Remus didn't know what to do first. He watched Harry on the map to make sure that he went straight back to Gryffindor tower. Once he was sure he was safe, he searched until he found Severus and Alaina. They were heading toward the fifth floor corridors. He pinpointed a secret passage that would help him get closer to his destination and he took it. If Harry was right and Peter Pettigrew was in the castle, there wasn't a moment to lose. Of course Peter was supposed to be dead, but that did not mean that he was. He came out of the passage and ran down the hall, hoping that he would catch the two of them before they left the floor. He spotted them as he turned the corner and called out to them.

Alaina and Severus both whirled around immediately.

"Remus, what is it?" Alaina asked, alarm on her face.

He ran up to them, breathing hard. "I just ran into Harry in the hallway. Quite literally. He's fine. I sent him back to Gryffindor Tower, but not before I confiscated something rather curious from him." He showed her the map.

Severus arched his brow. "Where have I seen that before?"

"James, Sirius, Peter, and I used to use it all the time to avoid getting caught out of bed after hours," Remus explained.

"Of course. I remember. That's how James knew I was coming to the Whomping Willow that night."

"Precisely."

Alaina frowned. "I'm lost."

Remus smiled. "We can explain that later. The point is that this map shows the grounds of Hogwarts. We called ourselves the Marauder's back in the day. We made it. It shows the location of everyone in the castle. It fell out of Harry's hands when we collided. I knew what it was and I picked it up. He seemed a little disappointed when I took it, but he told me that the map showed someone in the castle that wasn't here."

"Who?" she asked, her heart pounding.

He drew a short breath. He was just starting to calm his breathing a little bit. "Peter Pettigrew. But it's not possible, is it? He's dead."

Alaina and Severus exchanged soulful looks. Severus shook his head.

"No he's not, Lupin."

Remus's eyes grew wide. "Of course he is. That's why Sirius was chucked into Azkaban."

"Trust me. I saw him with my own eyes last year when I had an altercation with Voldemort. He's alive and well."

"Then is it possible that Harry saw him inside the castle?"

Alaina gasped. "Of course!"

Remus and Severus both stared at her blankly.

"What?" Severus inquired.

She smiled like a cat who had just swallowed a canary. "That's what the man on the bridge, probably Sirius like we thought, was trying to tell me. He was trying to warn me about Peter. He was working for Voldemort, right?"

"Yes."

"Then that makes sense."

Remus was completely confused. "Peter was working for Voldemort and that's why Sirius supposedly killed him?"

"Yes," Alaina answered.

"I had no idea. I just thought Sirius went off the deep end. I- This is good news. That means he's innocent."

"Looks like it," Severus agreed. "Turns out I was wrong about him."

"So Pettigrew is the one that betrayed Lily and James."