The Rat's Gift |Peter Pettigrew| (Completed) #harrypotterawards2019

8

Peter braced for the impact which never came. As he opened his eyes, he found that he was hovering in mid-air just a few inches above the ground.

"Ah, Mr. Pettigrew!" said a voice.

Peter looked up to see a man who looked exactly like Albus Dumbledore, pointing his wand at him. He wore a cheerful smile on his face as he walked towards Peter.

"Mr. Pettigrew. At last we meet! I almost grew tired waiting for you!" said the man, as he shoved his wand in to his emerald green robes.

With the Hovering charm now lifted, Peter fell with a small thud on to the floor. He immediately got up on his feet and stared in shock at the approaching figure.

"D-D-Dumbledore?" he spluttered.

The man stopped in his tracks looking confused. He looked behind him as if Peter was addressing someone else but as there wasn't anyone besides the both of them, an incredulous look spread on his face.

"Dumbledore? Really?" asked the man before breaking in to a fit of ridiculous laughter. However, he stopped when he saw that, Peter, who was still reeling from shock, looking petrified.

"Well, it doesn't matter who I look like, the important thing is that you can see me," said the man.

"Y-you are not Dumbledore?" asked Peter, finally mustering some courage.

"Humph! As if!" scowled the man. He looked slightly annoyed as if calling him Dumbledore had been an insult but he quickly composed himself and turned cheery again.

"Let's have a seat. Where are we?" he asked.

Peter blinked in bewilderment. What was this man playing at? Not few moments ago, he had been with James. Before that, he had almost drowned and even before that he was sure that he had been strangled to death.

The man was looking at him expectantly and for the first time since he fell, Peter became wary of his surroundings. He immediately recognized the place.

He was in the Shrieking Shack once again.

"Oh, the Shrieking Shack. Wouldn't have been my choice but I guess for each his own," said the man.

Peter was astonished. If this man knew about the Shrieking Shack, then he must've been at Hogwarts at the same time or after he had been there.

"Who are you?" asked Peter.

The man, who had been exploring the room turned back to Peter. "Finally, the right question, eh?" he stated.

"This place doesn't look comfortable at all, but as I said earlier, to each his own."

Now Peter was getting frustrated. The man was getting on his nerves and he, being already jumpy, did not help the situation.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" asked Peter, who was now shaking slightly.

The man raised both his hands as if in surrender. "I just want to talk. By the way, you can call me," he paused for a moment and said "Muerve."

Peter was intrigued. In spite of all the strange things happening around him, he felt as if, all of it had a purpose and he was integral to it.

"Alright," said Peter. "We can talk but please answer one question."

The man who called himself Muerve looked at him with his eyebrows raised.

"Am I dead?" asked Peter.

Muerve gave him as wry smile. "Only if you choose to be," he said.

Peter was dumbfounded. He wondered if the man was indeed Dumbledore and was playing some sort of trick on him, after all he not only looked like Dumbledore but also spoke like him.

"What do you mean?" asked Peter.

"When do we die, Mr. Pettigrew? When do we truly die? Do we die when we no longer physically exist?"

Peter shrugged. He had no idea what the man was talking about.

"Or do we die when no one remembers us?" asked Muerve. Peter looked at him flabbergasted.

Muerve understood Peter's confusion and sighed. "Why don't you ask everything you want to ask? That might be better for the both of us."

Peter nodded, his confused expression clearing. "Who are you?"

"I told you, I am Muerve."

"You are 'called' Muerve. But I want to know who you are. And why do you look like Dumbledore? What are we doing in the Shrieking Shack?" said Peter with a flourish.

Muerve beamed. "I knew you were bright!"

Peter stared at him impassively.

Muerve flushed. "Err- I don't know exactly how to speak about who I am. It'll sound ridiculous,"

"Try me!" said Peter feeling surprised by the authority in his own voice. Ever since the talk with James, Peter felt as if something inside him had changed. It seemed as if a veil had been lifted and he could see the light again. He had lived his entire adult life with this feeling of suffocation and now, it all seemed to have disappeared.

Muerve regarded Peter for a second. "We are not in the Shrieking Shack," he said.

Peter looked at him in astonishment. "What are you say-"

"We are in a place that 'looks' like the Shrieking Shack, however, we are not in there," said Muerve. The humorous nature had subsided and he looked and sounded more business like all of a sudden.

"Why don't we have a seat?" stated Muerve. Peter looked around him but the whole place was empty. He glanced at Muerve nervously. "We could but there are no-"

The words were hardly out of his mouth when a couch capable of holding two people miraculously appeared out of thin air. Peter looked on in astonishment as the old man beamed.

"Excellent choice," said Muerve as he sat down. "Come, sit beside me," he continued tapping the vacant space beside him.

Peter hesitated initially but curiosity won over and he settled down beside Muerve, eagerly anticipating what he had to say.

"Why don't I start off by telling you where we are!" said Muerve.

"Please!" said Peter with a hint of impatience to his voice. This man seemed to be even more of a drama queen than Sirius Black.

Muerve seemed to have noticed this and grinned sheepishly. "We are in The In-Between!" he said.

"In between what?" asked Peter, dumbfounded.

Muerve slapped his palm against his forehead. "The In-Between, you dummy! This place is called 'The In-Between'! I can't believe I called you bright!" huffed Muerve.

Peter went red in the face. Not only was the man chiding him, he was also making ridiculous statements.

"Please explain!" asked Peter in a weak voice. He was suddenly feeling extremely tired and he couldn't take in any more of the suspense.

"Not all people are born brave, Mr. Pettigrew. Such people may be called weak and in some cases called cowards too."

Peter perked up upon hearing this. He felt a knot in his chest begin to tighten.

"They would have made the wrong choices however, they continue to look forward to that one opportunity," said Muerve. "The one opportunity to redeem themselves."

Peter gave a sharp intake of breath. The man was absolutely correct. After betraying his friends, deep down inside his heart, there always had been a part of him that wanted a chance at redemption. Sometimes he felt that he would do anything to get that chance. Now, after meeting and talking with James, he sincerely wished he could turn back time and do things right. He looked at Muerve expectantly.

"The In-Between is a place which offers that opportunity, Mr. Pettigrew. And I-"said Muerve, flashing a wide smile. "Am its Guardian!"