Mischief Managed Y2 Part 2: The Truth of the Tournament

Chapter Eleven: The Thing About Peter Pettigrew

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"This was a dumb idea, Sirius. Just admit it," James pointed out with a great deal of frustration.

"Back off, Potter. I was just trying to help," Black retorted defensively. 

"No, you were being an absolute crazy person. Like you usually are!" James shot back angrily.

"I was not!" Sirius grumbled.

"Guys..." Peter heard Remus pipe up softly, his voice sounding strained. Remus his friend...Remus...Remus the werewolf...Peter struggled not to let out a whimper. Why did this have to happen to him? Why oh why did he have to end up being friends with a werewolf?

"You were too," James kept right on going, ignoring the werewolf which seemed rather foolish. "Remus didn't want to do this. But you didn't think about that at all, now did you?"

"Shut up, James. You were excited about it too!"

"Guys..." Remus tried again, sounding close to tears.

Had they even realized he fainted?

Then Peter realized he was lying on something soft...a bed perhaps? But without opening his eyes he could still feel the mustiness around him and the faint scent that mingled unpleasantly in his nose. He must still be in the shack. Peter didn't dare open his eyes, he needed to think things through...he had to be careful.

Sirius and James were onboard with Remus being a monster, of course they were. Pettigrew doubted there was anything Lupin could do to lose their friendship. Peter on the other hand...

He was terrified about Remus but he wasn't heartless enough to blame his friend for it, he just...he just didn't want to become a werewolf himself. This was dangerous...Remus was dangerous. Peter knew though, if he voiced his concerns that James and Sirius would turn on him quickly. The youngest Maurader also didn't want to get the werewolf into trouble despite him being annoying and exaggerating about his ailments from time to time. Only Peter realized, at last, that Remus probably wasn't stretching the truth at all. That made him feel horribly sad and a bit guilty.

What do I do?

He could refuse to be Remus' friend since that seemed the safest option. But Peter didn't really want to do that and that would also lead to him no longer being friends with James and Sirius. Well, at least the boy with so much hate for dark creatures' reaction made more sense now. A lot seemed to make more sense now.

Peter struggled between revulsion steeped in fear of being in the...lair of a werewolf and sympathy for Remus. It seemed incredibly unfair. The kindest of his friends, and who Peter was certain hadn't done anything to deserve this, was the one bearing such a dreadful truth.

Sirius still wanted to be Remus' friend and the former despised dark creatures. Peter took a shaky breath, trying to decide if he was brave enough to be Remus' friend. He was a Gryffindor after all...

Barely.

But Remus was....well, Remus. Professor Corbyn had done a good job teaching them about werewolves and even though Peter was afraid, he couldn't lose all his friends over this, he just couldn't. In fact, he had the opportunity to be the very best friend there ever was if he could react the right way, react better than Sirius anyway. Then they would be all so very impressed with him and he wouldn't have to see any of them cry or shout. Peter didn't want to hurt his friends, including his one who was a werewolf.

But that didn't change the fact that Remus was dangerous...right? Dumbledore must know and Peter knew that Dumbledore was very powerful. In fact, wasn't Remus powerful too? It would probably be wise not to upset Lupin...Pettigrew fought with himself for a while longer while Potter and Black argued. Remus really must not have been feeling like his usual self since he seemed helpless to stop them.