The Wizarding Afterlife

Surprise, Surprise

*J.K. Rowling owns all of the characters*

PETER PETTIGREW RAISED HIS hands in surrender, backing towards the door. He gave them a sarcastic wave, disgusting both Sirius and Remus—who aimed their wands directly at his heart. The wizard was shaking, not with anger, but with fear. Fear that he deserved to feel.

So why was he here?

Sirius looked at him again. Wormtail was almost bald—limp, white hair in thinning strands, age spots covering his face. His skin withered to grey, and he looked smaller than before. It was almost sad, seeing him like this.

Almost.

At their disgusted faces, Peter seemed to shrink, and he curled into a tight ball. Sirius rolled his eyes. If he was looking for sympathy, there was none here. Not when even Remus fumed beside him, ready to strike. To his left, Lily was grasping James's arm in an effort to restrain him. He fixed Pettigrew with a murderous glare.

Sirius figured he couldn't hold it any longer.

"J-James..." Peter began, frightened. "I—L-Let's all p-put this in the p-past, shall w-we?"

James snapped. He broke free from Lily's grasp, gripping the front of Peter's robe. Wormtail squeaked. Prongs's eyes were filled with hatred...and disappointment. His left hand curled into a fist, and he raised it, aiming for Peter's face. The traitor closed his eyes in resignation.

But the punch never came. Above him, James heaved a huge breath, putting his hand away. He let go of Peter's robe and strode beside Lily, who squeezed his arm.

"You're not even worth it," James whispered. Lily took one glance at Peter and sighed.

Sirius wasn't done with him, though.

"You got your friends murdered for Dumbledore's sake!" Padfoot growled, pointing the tip of his wand at Peter's nose. "Twelve years in Azkaban for your mistakes, Wormtail! The Dementors would kill you with your own bloody thoughts if not by a death-wished kiss! And you just expect us to put that part of the past behind?" there was disbelief allover his face. "Merlin!"

"We made it clear in the Shrieking Shack," Remus said, failing to keep his voice calm. "We want nothing to do with you. You would've died earlier if Harry did not interfere."

"Oh, Lily..." Peter murmured, grasping the ends of her robe. With disgust, James pulled his hands away from it and dropped them to the ground. "Your son has your eyes," he said.

"What do you want, Peter?" James asked, his voice louder than usual.

"Acceptance," Wormtail replied hungrily. "I hesitated to kill Harry in Malfoy Manor. The boy has survived long enough to escape. You see, James, I still have some mercy left inside me." he smiled, showing yellow teeth. "I think I'm going to be an angel."

James clenched his hands, fuming again. That hesitation wasn't enough. It didn't make up for his mistakes, didn't fix each problem he'd caused. Prongs wanted to scream his answer, to shake Peter and cry, but he kept his mouth shut. He couldn't trust himself to say anything.

"Leave, Peter." Lily whispered instead, locking eyes with him. "I won't forget what you've done to my family, but I still don't want to hurt you."

"And here I thought you would finish the rat off," Sirius sighed, shaking his head. Lily glared at him. "Fine. Get out this instant, Peter. You're lucky I'm in a good mood."

"By 'good mood', old friend, does that mean I am already forgiven?" Peter asked, hope in his voice.

"First of all, I am not your friend," Sirius spat out, emphasizing the last word. "Second, if Lily refuses to jinx you, then I most certainly will. I deserve the opportunity, after all."

"James?" Peter looked at Prongs.

"Look, Wormtail..." James sighed, now gentle as he placed a hand on Peter's shoulder. "You've scarred my family through your actions. You had a choice to make as our Secret Keeper, but you still sold us to the Dark Lord. Voluntarily." James paused, seeing Peter wince. "We trusted you with our lives, yet you betrayed us. No one's going to change that. But," he added, "if you want to make a place in this world, we're not going to stop you. Just—please, leave us alone."

Peter's eyes stung, each word hitting the last remains of his heart. Wiping his tears, he stood up and pulled out his wand. Sirius was about to assume a fighting stance when Peter shook his head.

"No duels," he said, looking at them. "At least not anymore."

Then Wormtail vanished, leaving them behind.

He was gone.

**~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~**

THEY ALL COLLAPSED ON the sofa, drained after the long confrontation. The furniture returned to the lounge, still spotless and clean. Nobody was in the mood to eat, so the jars were returned to the pantry. For the meantime, Sirius and the others remained quiet, wondering what Peter might make of himself.

He had that effect on everyone. To the group, Wormtail was the most unsure, the Marauder who was afraid to try new things, who only remained in the shadows. Betraying them, though—that was more than enough.

Finally, Sirius sighed and clapped his hands, calling their attention. He couldn't bear ten minutes of silence.

"Mate, I've got to say the speech was brilliant," Sirius began, grinning at an annoyed James. "So, I was thinking, the Marauders aren't complete without someone to replace...Wormtail."

"You mean, 'to fill his place in'." Remus corrected. Sirius was about to object when he said, "Well, what do you suggest we do?"

"It's not like we can even find a fourth man, Padfoot," James argued, shaking his head. "Who can possibly be as brilliant in pranking as us?"

"I happen to know a chap," Sirius grinned, "by the name of Fred Weasley."

(Art credit goes to wizardingworld.com)