Fighting Fate // Mattheo Riddle ♣️

Chapter Twenty-Five - Wormtail

Word Count: 2,343.

Warnings: None.

I looked around, seeing Ron and Hermione with both of their wands raised. They had both tried to disarm Snape at the same time. Snape's wand soared in a high arc and landed onto the bed beside them.

"Holy shit. Normally, I would take any chance to insult you," I pointed towards Hermione. "But that was fucking awesome." I looked back to Snape on the bed. Slowly walking up to him.

"You shouldn't have done that," said my father, looking at Harry. "You should have left him to me."

I pushed at the Potion's Professor's shoulder, his head bobbing slightly. He didn't stir. "Yeah. He is out cold." I confirmed, turning back to the centre of the room.

"We attacked a teacher... we attacked a teacher..." Hermione whimpered, staring at the lifeless Snape with frightened eyes. "Oh, we're going to be in so much trouble –"

"I take back my compliment." I joined Sirius, standing on his left.

Lupin was still struggling against his bonds and as Sirius rushed to his side, I followed, pulling the rope from about his legs. Lupin straightened as we pulled him up. I hugged his arm tightly, turning back to the group.

"Thank you, Harry," he said.

"I didn't do it for you. Snape's wand was pointed at Lyra." He explained.

"Then I thank you even more. We both do." He looked back to Sirius for a moment.

"It's time we offered you some proof," Black started. "You boy – give me Peter. Now."

"No need to be so aggressive about it." I whispered, Sirius shrugging. Ron clutched Scabbers close to his chest.

"Come off it," he said weakly. "Are you trying to say you broke out of Azkaban just to get your hands on Scabbers? I mean..." he looked up to Harry and Hermione for support. "Okay, say Pettigrew could turn into a rat – there are millions of rats – how's he supposed to know which one he's after if he was locked up in Azkaban?"

"You know Sirius, that's a fair question," said Lupin. I released his arm. "You explained who it was, but not how you found him."

Black put one of his hands into his robes, taking out a crumpled piece of paper, which he smoothed flat, and held out to show the others.

It was a photograph of Ron and what looked to be his family. It was a simple photo of the red-haired family in Egypt. I couldn't help but look at the rat sitting on Ron's shoulders.

"How did you get this?" Lupin asked Black, thunderstruck.

"Is there someone who does newspaper rounds in Azkaban?" I asked sarcastically.

"Fudge," said Black simply. "When he came to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me this paper. And there was Peter, on the front page... on this boy's shoulders... I knew him at once... how many times had I seen him transform? And the caption said the boy would be going back to Hogwarts... to where Harry was..."

"My God," Lupin spoke softly, staring from Scabbers to the picture in the paper and back again. "His front paw..."

"What about it?" said Ron defiantly.

I looked at the paper my father was holding, examining the rat sat comfortably on the boy's shoulders. "He's missing a toe." I observed, looking back to Ron.

"Of course," Lupin breathed, "so simple... so brilliant..."

"Are you complimenting the man who put my father in Azkaban?" I asked.