Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or anything in their magical world. These characters and their world belong to the talented J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.
The Firewhisky burned his throat. After spending nights drinking with his mates, he still never grew accustomed to the taste. Yet, he sat alone drinking the foul liquor, simply because there was nothing else in his life. His mates were rarely ever available just to get together anymore. James was busy with Lily; he saw nothing beyond her captivating eyes. Sirius was sulking. He never recovered when Elysia Malfoy chose Snape over him. And he didn’t have a clue where Remus was. His most reliable mate was more or less missing in action. His friends were gone”too busy for Peter, but he still had the foul Firewhisky.
Briefly, he wondered why he had chosen the Hog’s Head for his evening watering. There were certainly safer bars that served Firewhisky and safety was a major issue at that time. You-Know-Who was gaining strength. His followers were everywhere. There were rumors that Death Eaters frequently congregated at the Hog’s Head. They could be watching him, but yet he didn’t move. He wasn’t sure that he even cared.
Just as he was about to give up and stumble home, the door opened and an angel walked in. Well, it wasn’t an angel, but after a couple of drinks it was easy to mistake Elysia Malfoy for one, even in her clearly disturbed state. All thoughts of leaving the bar quickly left Peter’s mind.
Elysia paid him no heed as she entered. She went directly to the bar and within seconds Aberforth had delivered her a Firewhisky of her own. Briefly, he wondered if she should be drinking. It couldn’t be good for her, so shortly after losing her baby. Of course, she shouldn’t have even been at a bar. But when she had only Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange to care for her, she was lucky to be alive.
He considered approaching her, but quickly dismissed the idea. They had not been close and she was clearly not in the mood for a forced conversation with a stranger. She had always been close to Sirius. If it weren’t for his friendship with Sirius, she wouldn’t even know who he was.
From his table at the back of the bar, he watched her. He wasn’t sure how long they were there or how much she drank; although, he knew it was a lot. Anyone could tell that she was distraught, but of course, no one could blame her. Losing a child must be a traumatic event. And he was certain that it must be a thousand times worse for Elysia than the average person because she was alone. Her family would simply be glad that the baby was gone; after all it wouldn’t have been a pureblood. Had it lived, her child would have never had a place in the Malfoy family. Her best friend was a bitch. He very much doubted Bellatrix had the ability to comfort her friend, or even the ability to understand why she was upset. But he had to admit, she was a very attractive bitch. Then there was the baby’s father”Severus Snape. Peter knew that Elysia would receive no support from him either.
He watched quietly as Elysia began to yell at the barkeep. Apparently, he was refusing to continue serving her. The man looked baffled about how to handle the situation. Peter knew that he generally threw rowdy customers from the bar, but it was unlikely that he would do that to Elysia. It was never wise to upset the Malfoy family.
However, Aberforth was spared having to physically remove Elysia from the bar. Within a few moments, she became exasperated and stormed out on her own. She hardly seemed to have the energy to fight.
Unnoticed, Peter slipped out after her. She was in no shape to be alone. The thought of summoning Sirius occurred to him. It was true that Sirius was angry with Elysia for choosing Severus, but he still loved her. Sirius Black would always love Elysia Malfoy. And she trusted him. Perhaps he could offer her comfort that Peter, a mere stranger, could not. However, he did not leave to seek out his friend. And when he looked back on it, he could not explain why he didn’t. Instead, he simply continued to follow her onto the rocks behind the Hog’s Head.
She was unsteady on her feet and he could hear her sobs from a distance. Even though he had no idea what he was going to say, he hurried to catch up to her. Somehow, he truly believed that he could help her. Maybe he could show her that he was a better man than Sirius and Snape combined. After all, Sirius wasn’t the only one who had a crush on her from the first moment he laid eyes on her.
“Elysia,” he called when he was finally close enough for her to hear him.
Abruptly, she stopped and turned towards him. She was teetering near the edge of a cliff, which made Peter rather nervous due to her intoxicated condition. He hurried to catch up to her.
“What do you want?” she muttered when he reached her.
“I was hoping I could help,” he said lamely. “You looked so upset. I’m really sorry about your loss.”
“How are you going to help me?” she snapped, tears streaming down her cheeks. “My daughter is dead. I can never love or trust my father again. I just returned an engagement ring to the man I love. Do you honestly think that you can fix any of that?”
“No,” he said honestly, “I can’t, but I can offer you a shoulder to cry on and a sympathetic ear.”
“That’s all I have had for days. I left the house because I was sick of Bella and Cissy hovering over me. I don’t need you to take their place. Just leave me alone.”
“But you shouldn’t be out here alone. You’re body is still recovering. You should be resting.”
“I must have missed it, when did you become a Healer?” she snapped.
“I’m just worried about you. You’ve been through a hard time. I don’t think you should be alone.”
“Well, it really doesn’t matter what you think.”
“Please,” Peter said, stepping towards her and holding out his hand. “Let me walk you back to the bar. When I know that you’re safe, I’ll leave you alone. I promise.”
“Get away from,” she cried, stepping back.
Unfortunately, she didn’t look behind her before stepping backwards. The cliff came to an abrupt halt where she was standing. Her hand flayed in the air as she tried to get her balance, but it was futile. Peter reached for his wand, but it was too late. She screamed the entire way down.
Rushing to the edge, Peter attempted to catch her, but it was no good. She was already gone. Tears touched his eyes. There was no way she could survive the fall. The beautiful and much loved Elysia Malfoy was dead.
“Well, well,” came a cold voice from behind him. “It would appear that you just committed murder.”
Whipping around, Peter gasped to see You-Know-Who, glaring down at him with cold eyes. How had that happened? Why was he interested in Peter?
“I-it was an accident,” he stammered. “I was trying to help her.”
“I very much doubt her family will see it that way.”
“Why are you here? What do you want from me?”
“I am certain that you, being a member of the ridiculous Order of the Phoenix, have heard the rumors that my Death Eaters often meet at the Hog’s Head. Well, I’m afraid the rumors are true. When they saw filth like you following Elysia Malfoy, they deemed fit to inform me.”
“I only wanted to help her.”
“I know her family well. They are not the forgiving sort. Would you like to fight Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange and Severus Snape? I’m sure they could think of many interesting things to do with you, before ensuring you spent the remainder of your life in Azkaban, of course.”
“No,” Peter cried, feeling the hot tears on his cheeks.
“There is another option for you,” the cold voice continued. “I am in need of a spy. I need someone within the Order. Spy for me, Peter, take the Mark. Become mine and no one will ever know what happened to Elysia. Her family will believe that it was a drunken mishap.”
Peter stared at the ground, thoughts swarming through his brain. He couldn’t be a Death Eater. He was in the Order. All of his friends were in the Order. To do this would betray everyone who had ever cared about him. But he couldn’t go to Azkaban. Just the thought of Dementors sent him into convulsions. Of course, that was assuming Bellatrix, Lucius and Severus let him live long enough to be sent to Azkaban.
“It is a generous offer. I could find someone much stronger than you. This is your only chance for survival. Tell me now, Peter, will you take it? Will you join me?
He had no choice. There was nothing else left for him. Moving into a kneeling position, he looked into the emotionless red eyes. Fear and disgust surged through his body, but he ignored them both. This was his only choice. This was his future.
“Yes, my lord,” he said in a surprisingly smooth voice. “I will serve you.”