The door swung open and Sirius gleefully looked upon what he wanted more than anything else right now. “Hello, Peter.”
A short, frightened, mousy-looking man looked up from his drink and suddenly fell backwards. “S”s-ss-s-s-ir-rr-ius……..” he stammered. “Ho-h-h-h-ow are you…….doing?”
“Thought you would be safe in the Hog’s Head, eh? Nice try, but we did spend quite some time in school, Wormtail. You can’t hide from me. Obviously I don’t know you as well as I should. Betraying Lily and James, are we?”
“Wh-wh-wh-what are you talking about, Sirius? B-betrayal, I--” Peter choked out, nervously clutching his glass, glancing around the dirty, smelly bar, seemingly looking for a way out.
“You know perfectly well what I’m talking about, don’t play some childish game with me, you fool. I’m the one who had you installed as the Secret-Keeper. How else could Voldemort have killed them?”
Peter let out a squeak of fear at the wizard’s name. “What do you mean, k-killed?”
“Lily and James are dead. What did you think would happen when you told Voldemort where they were?” Again the frightened wizard cringed at the mention of the name. “What’s the matter, fear your master?”
“What do you mean, Sirius? I have no…no master.”
“Oh really? Let’s just see then!”
Sirius lunged at Pettigrew and knocked his drink away, where it shattered in the corner. “Hey!” yelled the bartender. Sirius ignored him and pulled up Peter’s sleeve. A strange mark was burned into his skin. A white skull, with a snake coming out of its mouth lay as clear as day on the trembling man’s arm. “Death Eater! Traitor! Traitor to the Order!” Sirius yelled.
The barman seemed to be upset again at this outcry. “You two, no fighting in here, take it outside if you must.”
“Shut up, Aberforth!” Sirius snapped. “This is between me and this filth!” he said, drawing out his wand. Peter, though still shaking, did the same.
“Sirius, you don’t understand. He would have killed me. He would have killed all of us. I had no choice.”
“No choice? NO CHOICE?! YOU SENT LILY AND JAMES TO THE GRAVE YOU FILTHY”“
Aberforth apparently had enough. He too, drew out his wand and said above Sirius, “GET OUT, NOW! I DON’T CARE IF YOU’RE IN THE ORDER, I WILL NOT HAVE MY BAR OPEN TO YOU TWO LIKE THIS! BREAKING MY GLASSES, PERSONAL SKIRMISHES, I WILL NOT HAVE IT! GET OUT!”
Sirius glared viciously at Pettigrew and slowly said, “You heard the man, let’s go. We can finish this outside.” Sirius stood by the door, waiting. Pettigrew, shaking more violently now, trudged over the dirty floor and slowly walked out, glancing around nervously, followed by Sirius.
“Have you any idea what you’ve done, Wormtail? Do you even remember them? Lily and James Potter? Our old friends from Hogwarts? You know, the Quidditch player you were always amazed by?” Sirius said calmly.
“Y-yes, of course. My old friends.”
“Really? I’m amazed. You do realize they’re dead, right?”
“Sirius, I-“
“And it’s all your fault, of course. What do you have to say to that?”
“Sirius, you-“
“YOU KILLED THEM YOU COWARD!”
Peter began shaking violently again. “S-s-s-sirius, I”I”I--it was the Dark Lord! Sirius, he would have killed me!”
Sirius was far too mad at this statement to give a retort. Instead of yelling, he calmed down once again.
“I’m going to show you what you’ve done, Wormtail.” Sirius grabbed hold of his former friend and disapparated. Sirius once again found himself in the village of Godric’s Hollow, accompanied by Wormtail. Day began to creep over the horizon. “Look what you’ve done, ‘friend.’”
Peter gazed upon the destroyed house that was once the sanctuary of the Potters. Peter seemed to have a faint trace of remorse in his face, but if he was truly sorry, he did a good job of covering it up. “Sirius, I---I did what I had to. Lily and James died, yes. But haven’t you heard? He’s gone! The Dark Lord is gone!”
“AT THE EXPENSE OF MY FRIENDS! AT THE COST OF THOSE YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN PROTECTING!”
“B-but, Sirius”“
“WHAT IS ALL OF THIS NONSENSE ABOUT HIM BEING GONE ANYWAY?!”
“Well, y-y-you see, um…” Pettigrew once again lost his voice at Sirius’ rage. “H-he, he tried to kill Harry too, b-but, something didn’t work. It b-backfired. So now he’s gone.”
“How did you know that would happen? It was most likely going to be any other case, all three of them dead, and him still out there, killing anyone he fancies!”
“Yes, b-but, he’s gone now! Isn’t it great?”
“NO IT’S NOT GREAT YOU MURDERER! YOU SACRIFICED LILY AND JAMES AND ALMOST HARRY!” Sirius took another moment to settle himself. He glanced around the village as day gradually replaced the night. Sirius then moved his focus towards the house of his once best friend. Sadness welled up inside him like nothing he had ever felt before. To be here, at the site of the death of his once beloved schoolmate, and at the same time to be there with the one man that had caused him to be destroyed was simply too much. Finally, his gaze passed back to Wormtail. Hatred like nothing he had ever felt before rose up inside of him. This one man was the cause of all of his pain. There was nothing left for Sirius now, just one task left to ease his suffering. Sirius gave one long, cold gaze upon the wizard with pure loathing. Finally, breathing heavily, he uttered, “You said you feared Voldemort. You think he’s the most deadly wizard in the world? Well, I’ve got news for you, ‘friend.’ He’s nothing compared to me.”
“Sirius, please, I-“ Pettigrew timidly began. Sirius raised his wand…