Hunted AIAOY 3

Chapter 23

"Remus?  Sirius?  My old friends?"  The rat-like man had his hands up, a phony smile growing.  In an instant, he tried to dart forward out of the room but Remus and Sirius threw him back.  Peter's attention was pushed elsewhere, noticing at last the differences of the Potter twins in human form than in rat form.  "Harry?  Rebecca?  Look at you!  You look so much like your father, James!  We were the best of friends-"

Sirius charged forward, the most alive he had looked in all the time they had been in the Shrieking Shack.  "How dare you speak to them!"  Peter ran backwards, afraid at how animalistic Sirius looked.  "How dare you talk about James in front of them!"

Remus took the other side of the old piano Peter had put himself behind, Sirius on the other.  Peter was trapped.  "You sold Lily and James to Voldemort, didn't you?"  Remus demanded, holding his wand higher in case Peter thought he could get away with anything.

"I didn't mean to!"  Peter cried, the name contorting his face in fear.  "The Dark Lord-"  He grew serious, somber.  "You have no ideas the weapons he possesses.  Ask yourself, Sirius!  What would you have done?"  

Sirius' hand was shaking in anger, though he didn't lower Snape's wand in the slightest.  "I would have died!"  He shouted.  "I would have died rather than betray my friends!"  

Peter dropped to the floor and scrambled out from under the middle of the piano, seeing an open path to escape through the door.

Rebecca saw this and moved without thinking, putting herself in the doorway.  Peter grabbed her by the shoulders roughly, putting his mouth near her ear to whisper more lies.  "Rebecca, your father wouldn't have wanted me killed.  Your mother wouldn't have, either!  Your mother...she would have spared me!"

Harry tore Peter's jacket at the shoulder with how ferociously he pulled him off her.  "Are you alright?"

"You should have realised Peter, that if Voldemort didn't kill you, that we would have together!"  Sirius' shouting wasn't reaching Rebecca's ears right, Harry repeating himself and asking if she was alright.

"No!"  Rebecca shrugged Harry's hand off her shoulder.

"Rebecca," Remus started slowly.  "This man is-"

"I know what he is."  Rebecca said, stepping forward.  

"Reb-"

"No, Harry."  Rebecca stared at Peter.  "We'll take him to the castle."

Peter dropped to his knees, crawling forward so that he was at Rebecca's feet.  "Bless you, bless you girl!"

"Get off!"  Rebecca pulled her foot away and stared down at him.  "I said we'd take you back to the castle."  Her hand tightened on her wand.  "After that, the dementors can have you."

Harry didn't know if he'd ever loved his sister more.

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The walk back to the castle, back through the dark tunnel, was a long one.  Peter alternated between crying and pleading for mercy until Sirius threatened to charm away his tongue.  Then, they were in silence for only a minute before Sirius realised an apology was in order.

"I'm sorry about the bite, by the way."  Sirius glanced down at the makeshift bandage on Ron's leg as he was supported on one side by Harry and the other by Rebecca.  "I reckon that twinges a bit."

"A bit?"  Ron asked in shock.

"He's got my bloody belt on to stop the bleeding!"  Rebecca snipped.  As soon as she'd been able to ignore the throb from where the Whomping Willow had clipped her, they had been moving again and Ron needed to be helped--only exacerbating her ache.  Harry was just as miserable, his body hurt from being stuck in an awkward semi-crouch to keep Ron's shoulders even with Rebecca's.