{A} black rage bubbled in my stomach, blinding my vision.
"You're despicable," Hermione said, her nose shriveling in disgust. Ron was slack-jawed and looked as if he was reconsidering his life choices.
"So... you're telling me I shared a bed for 13 bloody years with a... murderer?" His left eye started twitching as horror took over his features.
Pettigrew looked around desperately, trying to convince each person in the room. Hermione looked horrified and backed away to the wall, while Ron wrenched away from Pettigrew's grasp.
He finally approached Draco, cowering on his knees, "Please... I served him well along with your father... he wouldn't want me dead..."
I pushed him off of Draco, who looked petrified at the mention of his father working with Pettigrew. "Oh, pack it up, you rat man-baby."
"Harry and Lexi... you both look so much like James..." Pettigrew said, raising a hand to my face as he trembled uncontrollably.
I smacked it away in disgust.
"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO THEM? HOW DARE YOU MENTION JAMES IN FRONT OF THEM?" Sirius roared, having to be held back by Remus.
As Remus and Sirius raised their wands to finish Pettigrew off, I felt my rage settle into an uncomfortable uneasiness. Was this right? It didn't feel right.
Harry distracted me by stepping in their way, creating a wall between them and Pettigrew. "Wait!"
They looked befuddled, "Harry, he's the reason why you have no parents! His own stinking skin meant more to him than your entire family."
"We can send him to Azkaban... to the dementors. But don't kill him. It's not what our parents would have wanted us to do!" Harry argued, making me frown.
"How would you even know that? We were literally infants when he sold Mum and Dad off to Voldemort." My voice raised a pitch as I adopted a mockingly annoying voice, "Hey Mum and Dad... after your alleged best friend betrays you by joining a noseless dark wizard and then commits a small-town massacre to frame your other best friend can we kill him? Aw, no? Well, that bloody sucks, huh?"
Pettigrew visibly flinched when hearing Voldemort's name. Harry and I both glared daggers at him, making him shrink into himself further if that were even possible.
"You were so ready to kill Sirius, just channel that energy to the actual rat!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air, "Sirius spent 13 years in prison, our literal entire lifespan! Why are we getting so high and mighty with the murderer of our parents?"
Remus looked at both Harry and me like he was struggling to come to a decision. "I'm sorry Lexi, but Harry's right. This isn't what James wouldn't have wanted."
"James and Lily are dead," Sirius argued, resting a hand on my shoulder.
"Harry! Oh, Harry... I knew you would understand..." Pettigrew whimpered, throwing his arms around Harry's knees.
"Oh, get off of me." Harry pushed him away angrily.
"What was I supposed to do?" Pettigrew interrupted our debate, trying to draw sympathy. "The Dark Lord threatened me! He said he would kill me! What would you have done?"
"I WOULD HAVE DIED! I WOULD HAVE DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY MY FRIENDS!" Sirius roared, his voice almost breaking at the end.
"Do you really trust the law to take care of him?" I asked quietly, "They sentenced an innocent man to a life sentence without even much as a trial. If he doesn't die here, then we have to find a solution where we're sure he's going to be held accountable for his actions."
Remus nodded, rubbing my back comfortingly. "Of course. We don't get to choose who dies."
"No, I know you're right." I whispered, "But it just isn't fair. Why does he get to live after everything that's happened?"
"I know you are going to get tired of hearing this, but the world isn't fair, Lexi. I'm just glad that Pettigrew is finally going to get to pay for his crimes, and I'm sorry you had to witness something like this." Remus said as he pulled something that looked like parchment out of his pocket and handed it to Harry. "I feel like you lot would find a better use for this than I would."
He cast a spell, glowing bonds streaking out of his wands and binding Pettigrew. "One transformation, Peter, and we will kill you," Remus warned.
Pettigrew nodded furiously.
"What about Snape?" Draco asked, eyeing the professor knocked cold in the corner cautiously.
Remus cast the same spell on Snape and the group decided to move out. Draco was drawing something on Snape's face as Hermione scolded him. Everyone looked heavily shaken, but I was glad that they looked unhurt... well all except Snape. His head was scraping across the ceiling of the tunnel, and I doubted Sirius was going to do much about it.
Harry and I stayed at the back of the group, carefully sneaking glances at Sirius.
"Um. So can we call you Sirius? Or..." I asked, wringing my hands.
"Well... yes, of course." He replied, then said, "I'm not sure anyone's told you this Harry... but James and Lily appointed me as your godfather..."
Harry nodded, "I know."
"And of course, if anything happened to your parents..." Sirius paused, "Well, I understand, of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle..."
I was watching the fireworks go off in Harry's head.
"What? You mean leave the Durselys?" Harry asked.
"I understand if you don't want to, I just thought-"
"Are you insane?" Harry and I blurted at the same time.
"Of course he'd move in with you!" I said.
"Have you got a house? When can I move in?" Harry said excitedly.
"You want to?" Sirius turned to face Harry, his face ecstatic, "You mean it?"
"Oh my god, the playdates we could have!" I gasped at the possibilities.
"Playdates? Are you five?" Harry said through his smile.
"Oh, shut up. You'd rather I say 'formal meetings'?"
Sirius let out a hearty laugh, making him look ten times younger. The difference was astounding, and for a moment, I could see a glimmer of the man who had explored the grounds with our parents.
At last, everyone crawled through the tunnel and were outside. The clouds cleared, leaving moonlight to wash over us.
Sirius suddenly raised an arm to stop us. Remus had gone rigid, his form starting to tremble.
"No." Hermione gasped, "He didn't take his potion."
"Run." Sirius said deathly pale, "Run. Now."
YOU ARE READING
𝐀 𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐍 𝐒𝐋𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍 ↬ 𝔡.𝔪𝔞𝔩𝔣𝔬𝔶
Fanfiction「 She is scared, but rises above it. He is scared, and hides behind it. She is a cunning mastermind. He finds that out sooner than later. She calls him Jerk. He calls her Moss. She is Alexandra Potter. And he is Draco Malfoy. 」 Both are drow...
