Bella and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Chapter Fifty

"S-Sirius...R-Remus..." Even Pettigrew's voice was squeaky. Again, his eyes darted towards the door. "My friends...my old friends..."

Black's wand arm rose, but Lupin seized him around the wrist, gave him a warning look, then turned again to Pettigrew, hos voice light and casual. 

"We've been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night Lily, James and Bella's mother died. You might have missed the finer points while you were squeaking around down there on the bed -"

"Remus," Pettigrew gasped, and I could see beads of sweat breaking out over his pasty face, "you don't believe him, do you...he tried to kill me, Remus..."

"So we've heard," Lupin said, more coldly. "I'd like to clear up one or two little matters with you Peter, if you'd be so -"

"He's come to try and kill me again!" Pettigrew shrieked suddenly, pointing at Black, and I saw that he used his middle finger, because his index was missing. "He killed Lily, James and Bella's mother and now he's going to kill me, too...you've got to help me, Remus..."

Black's face looked more skull-like than ever as he stared at Pettigrew with his fathomless eyes.

"No one's going to try and kill you until we've sorted a few things out," Lupin explained. 

"Sorted things out?" Pettigrew squealed, looking wildly about him once more, eyes taking in the boared windows and, again, the only door. "I knew he'd come after me! I knew he'd be back for me! I've been waiting for this for twelve years!"

"You knew Sirius was going to break out of Azkaban?" Lupin asked, his brow furrowed. "When nobody has ever done it before?"

"He's got Dark powers the rest of us can only dream of!" Pettigrew shouted shrilly. "How else did he get out of there? I suppose He Who Must Not Be Named taught him a few tricks!"

Black started to laugh, a horrible, mirthless laugh that filled the whole room.

"Voldemort, teach me tricks?" he asked.

Pettigrew flinched as though Black had brandished a whip at him. 

"What, scared to hear your old master's name?" Black asked. "I don't blame you, Peter. His lot aren't very happy with you, are they?"

"Don't know - what you mean, Sirius -" Pettigrew muttered, his breathing faster than ever. His whole face was shining with sweat now. 

"You haven't been hiding from me for twelve years," Black said. "You've been hiding from Voldemort's old supporters. I heard things in Azkaban, Peter...they all think you're dead, or you'd have to answer to them...I've heard them screaming all sorts of things in their sleep. Sounds like they think the double-crosser doubled-crossed them. Voldemort went to the houses on your information...and Voldemort met his downfall there. And not all Voldemort's supporters ended up in Azkaban, did they? There are still plenty out here, biding their time, pretending they've seen the error of their ways...If they ever got wind that you were still alive, Peter -"

"Don't know...what you're talking about..." Pettigrew said again, more shrilly than ever. He wiped his face on his sleeve and looked up at Lupin. "You don't believe this - this madness, Remus -"

"I must admit, Peter, I have difficulty in understanding why an innocent man would want to spend twelve years as a rat," Lupin said evenly. 

"Innocent, but scared!" Pettigrew squealed. "If Voldemort's supporters were after me, it was because I put one of their best men in Azkaban - the spy, Sirius Black!"

Black's face contorted. 

"How dare you," he growled, sounding suddenly like the bear-sized dog he had been. "I, a spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than myself? But you, Peter - I'll never understand why I didn't see you were the spy from the start. You always liked big friends who'd look after you, didn't you? It used to be us...me and Remus...and James..."