“Come on!” Black called over. “I’ve pulled some memories for Harry to see us in our animagus forms. Let’s go.”

“Marvelous,” Snape grumbled as Remus and he left the couch. “Strolling down Memory Lane with the Marauders. Just how I wanted to spend my afternoon.”

All too quickly for Snape, the four of them were immersed in the memory, watching a big dog and a stag play in a clearing of the Forbidden Forest. Suddenly a howl split the night and Harry grabbed for Snape’s hand. “What was that?” he asked nervously.

“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” Remus said, panicking slightly at the thought of Harry’s reaction. “This can’t be comfortable for Severus -“

Snape was busy fighting not to wet himself in terror, but he was not about to let the idiot Marauders know that. “I’m fine.”

“Is it really just a memory?” Harry whispered, his face white with fear.

“Yes,” Snape assured him, trying to convince himself at the same time. “You cannot be harmed.”

Harry still looked uncertain and edged closer. As usual, Snape found it easier to feign calm when those around him were petrified. “You are in no danger,” he told Harry firmly.

“I – I know,” Harry agreed with an utter lack of conviction in his tone, and then the werewolf entered the clearing.

The dog and stag instantly moved to join it, and to Snape’s surprise, the werewolf bounded playfully forward, rather puppyish in its enthusiasm. “Moony, you’re kinda cute,” Harry said in surprise, venturing forward a bit in order to have a better view.

Remus visibly relaxed. “Never forget that in this form I am very, very dangerous, Harry. If I catch a human scent, I become… obsessed.”

“But isn’t there something that helps?” Harry looked up at his professor. “Didn’t we learn about a potion that does somethin’ for werewolves?”

“Wolfsbane,” Remus nodded. “It allows me to retain my human mind, but even with it, I remain very dangerous and untrustworthy, Harry. Do not ever come near me during the full moon. No matter what. You are to Stun me if you ever see me in this form outside a memory. Do you understand?” For once the gentle wizard looked very stern.

Harry nodded soberly. He glanced up at his professor. “But you make sure he gets his potion, right?”

Snape nodded, still surprised to realize he found the werewolf actually rather cute in this memory. Of course all of his memories of the blasted thing occurred when it was trying to rip out his spleen, not when it was playing tug of war with Black’s canine form over an old stick. “I do. But that does not change what Mr Lupin has just told you. You will obey him in this.”

“Okay,” Harry said, sounding a little exasperated. “You know, it’s not like I’m stupid or anything. Why are you all acting like I don’t know enough to stay away from dangerous things?”

Snape raised an eyebrow. “Was it some other first year who nearly smashed himself against the castle walls? Offered to take on a troll single handed? Threw a bedpan at –“

“Okay, okay,” Harry interrupted, redfaced. “I promise, all right?”

Snape smirked and turned back to the memory. It really was quite astonishing that three students had all mastered the animagus transformation without any faculty help, not to mention assisted in containing a werewolf for seven years.

“Ewww!” Harry yelled, pointing. “Padfoot, you have a rat on your head! He’s gonna wee on you!” Then he looked more closely. There was something about that rat…

“Padfoot! What is wrong with you?” Remus demanded, keeping his voice down to a furious whisper. “Why would you show Harry a memory that has Peter in it?”

“There aren’t that many memories of us in our forms where Peter isn’t present,” Sirius retorted defensively.

“What about that time that he was sick with dragon pox? Or the month he had detention with Filch for –“

“Okay, fine, there were some,” Sirius grumbled.

Snape rolled his eyes as the two bickered. Idiots. “Come back here,” he called to where Harry had moved to get a better view of the cavorting animals. Although he knew it was just a memory, the sight of Harry so close to a werewolf made his skin crawl.

Harry obediently trotted back, his brow creased with puzzlement. He tugged on Sirius’s elbow, interrupting his ongoing argument with Lupin. “How come you had Scabbers with you?”

“Who?” Sirius asked.

“Scabbers. Ron’s rat. He’s sitting on your head.”

“That isn’t Scabbers, Harry. That was another student whose animagus form was a rat. His name was Peter Pettigrew, though we called him Wormtail. He was… a friend of ours at the time,” Remus said carefully.

Harry shook his head. “That’s Scabbers.”

Sirius shook his head. “No, it’s Pettigrew. He’s – “ he glanced at Snape, then continued at the man’s nod “ – he’s the one who betrayed your parents, Harry. He was their Secret Keeper, and he told You Know Who where to find them.”

“No,” Harry insisted. “That’s Scabbers. I mean, he’s still got his toe an’ all, an’ his fur’s not so grey, but that’s Ron’s rat.”

“Harry, one rat looks awfully like another,” Remus argued.

Harry scowled. “I said,” he began, his voice rising dangerously, but before he could launch into a full-scale yell, Snape interrupted.

“What did you say about his toe?”

Sidetracked, Harry looked up at his guardian. “Scabbers is missing a toe. Ron said he’s always been like that, ever since Percy found him all those years ago.”

The men exchanged glances. “It can’t be,” Remus broke the silence first. “Impossible.”

“The Weasleys of all families?” Sirius demanded. “Why them? Peter had to know they were staunch opponents of You Know Who. Why not take refuge with the Malfoys or some other Death Eater family?”

“Because that’s the first place they would have looked for him, if his effort to frame you hadn’t been so successful. Not only would no one have ever considered looking for a Death Eater at the Burrow, but Pettigrew must have also known that the Weasleys’ financial situation would make them highly likely to accept a ‘found’ pet. Another family might have chosen to purchase a familiar; the Weasleys would be all too happy to forego the added expense,” Snape replied.

“So you believe me?” Harry asked.

“I don’t know, Harry,” Sirius said doubtfully. “It’s awfully hard to believe…”

“I agree,” Remus said apologetically. “I think you’ve just made an understandable mistake, Harry.”

Harry’s face fell.

Snape scowled at the sight. “So where do you think Pettigrew is?” he demanded of Black.

“Huh?” Predictably, Black blinked at him stupidly.

“If we are to believe you, Black, you did not murder Pettigrew and all those Muggles. Rather, you were set up by the rat. Ergo, Pettigrew is still alive. Where is he? Where has he been for the past ten years?”

Black shrugged uncertainly. “How would I know? Maybe he’s in Brazil enjoying the bikinis.”

“So Pettigrew was the sort to have an elaborate plan in place, whereby in the completely unexpected defeat of the Dark Lord, he could effortlessly escape from Europe and go into hiding so successfully that not even a hint of his presence has escaped in the past decade?”

Remus rubbed his chin and exchanged looks with Sirius. “No… I wouldn’t have thought Peter would have planned ahead like that. He was always a follower. He needed someone else to tell him what to do, or he’d just panic and flail around.”

“Considering that the Dark Lord’s defeat at Godric’s Hollow caught even Lucius Malfoy by surprise, and he is – you will agree? – a consummate Slytherin and therefore has back up plans for his back up plans, is it so hard to imagine that Pettigew was similarly shocked? And that in the aftermath, he sought refuge in his animagus form and, as you put it, ‘flailed around' until he found sanctuary with an unwitting family with impeccable credentials? Molly Weasley had lost her twin brothers in the War – no one would have imagined for an instant that they could be harboring a Death Eater, even unaware.”

Harry beamed. His professor believed him! And he was convincing the others. Harry could tell from their expressions.

Sirius and Remus proved recalcitrant, but in the end Snape won the day with his caustic query: “So you’d prefer to risk Har- erm, Potter’s – life by ignoring his concerns and doing nothing? He is the only one among us who has seen both Wormtail and Scabbers, but of course you choose to dismiss his opinion. Did it not occur to you that by refusing to act on the boy’s suspicions, you are reinforcing his poor opinion of adults and giving him no reason to trust you? Do you really imagine this is the way to convince him to turn to adults for help, rather than trying to tackle the Dark Lord by himself or with the aid of his little friends? Clearly you do not consider his welfare worth expending a bit of investigative effort.”

That naturally trumped the objections, as both guilt-ridden Marauders apologized profusely to a now-smug Harry. Then the council of war began.

Of course, Sirius was all for going directly to Hogwarts and grabbing the rat, while Remus’ only alteration to the plan was that he was the one who should go, lest Sirius’ exoneration not have reached all ears in Britain. Snape nursed a headache and wondered how Gryffindors managed to survive in the wild.

“You don’t suspect that Pettigrew might possibly be tipped off to your arrival, perhaps by some of the myriad ghosts, portraits, or students? And that, once alerted in that fashion, he might be able to escape in the enormous, magical castle?” Snape finally snarled.

They blinked at him. “But – but – that wouldn’t be fair,” Sirius objected. “He should stay and face us like a Gryffindor!”

Now even Harry was looking disgusted, and Sirius blushed. “Okay. So that was stupid. But I just spent ten years surrounded by Dementors!” he whined. “I’m not at my best!”

“What do you suggest, Severus?” Remus cut in smoothly.

Severus unconsciously slipped into lecture mode, and Remus – with a wink at Harry – conjured quills and parchment for the rest of them. “It will be important that the rat not suspect anything is amiss,” he began, his Slytherin mind busily plotting. “Black will therefore hold a press conference...”

“Brilliant!” Sirius brightened.

“…at which you will make some very disparaging remarks about Britain and Fudge and how despite your exoneration you have no intention of ever setting foot on British soil again.”

“What, never?” Sirius asked in concern.

Severus sighed. Gryffindors. “That is what you will say,” he replied with exaggerated patience. “Are you unfamiliar with the concept of lying? Think of it as pranking the British public.”

“Well, yeah, but think of all the witches back home who’ll go into mourning at the news,” Sirius grinned. “They’ll likely burn Fudge in effigy.”

Harry giggled and Remus groaned, even as Snape massaged his forehead. “To continue,” he ground out. “this statement will reassure Pettigrew that you will not be showing up at Hogwarts to visit Harry and therefore potentially encounter him. It will make it less likely that he will try to flee. In the meantime, we will lay our plans for his capture. First, of course, we must move Potter out of his dorm room.”

“What?” Harry yelped. “Why?”

Snape glared at him. “Do you think I will allow you to continue to sleep in the same room with the creature who betrayed your parents to the Dark Lord? Have you forgotten that the Dark Lord's target that night was not your parents, but you? If Pettigrew, despite our efforts, feels unsafe and decides to flee, he might easily choose to harm or abduct you as he departs. Or you might let something drop that would make him suspicious –“

“I would not!” Harry argued hotly. “An’ me leaving the dorm would make everyone talk an’ that would definitely make him suspicious! We need to catch him, an’ I’m goin’ to stay in the dorm an’ keep an eye on him!”

“Oh, no, you’re not!” Three adult voices rang out in unison, and the men exchanged a somewhat embarrassed look before focusing on the determined-looking boy before them.

“You will move to my quarters immediately upon our return to Hogwarts.”

“No.”

“Harry,” Remus tried, “it’s too dangerous. Peter is too unpredictable.”

“No!”

“C’mon, Pronglet,” Sirius urged. “I’ve got to admit, Snape has a point. Catching that traitor isn’t worth risking you.”

“NO!”

“Potter, disobedience will only result in –“

“I don’t care if you smack me,” Harry growled, his scowl looking remarkably like his guardian’s. “I’m not going to move out of the dorm! I’m going to help catch the rat who betrayed my parents!”

Snape glared at the brat. Such Gryffindor obstinacy. Ah well, it was a good thing that it was no match for Slytherin cleverness. “Very well, Potter,” he said calmly.

Harry blinked, taken aback by the sudden capitulation. “What?”

“I said, very well.” Snape repeated. Now all three Gryffindors were staring at him. “If you refuse to participate in this plan, then we will use another one.”

“Now wait,” Sirius protested. “We can’t risk Harry’s safety –“ he began, ignoring his godson’s grimace.

“I quite agree. So instead of developing a complex yet foolproof plan that would require a great deal of cunning on the boy’s part but virtually guarantee Pettigrew’s capture, we will instead be forced to employ a much cruder plan that will not need Potter’s help.”

Harry looked alternately intrigued and distressed. “Wait. What do you mean your other plan required me to be cunning an’ stuff? I thought you said I was going to have to move out of the dorm.”

“Potter,” Severus rolled his eyes, “you can hardly be plotting Pettigrew’s downfall in front of him, nor can you engage in planning meetings with the three of us from a couch in your Common Room. But since you prefer to stay with your little friends rather than join the adults in devising and implementing the plot, we will have to use a more direct approach. I will merely floo-call the Aurors from here and provide them with your observation. Hopefully, despite their history of ineptitude, they will decide to investigate the accusation of a child, based on the penseived memories of an escaped felon -”

“Oi! I was pardoned!”

“ – and proceed to Hogwarts with sufficient speed and guile to capture the rat unawares. Of course, it is significantly more likely that they will dither about, decide to contact the Weasleys, who will in turn ask Ron about Scabbers, but I’m sure Ron will have no difficulty in concealing this information…”

“Wait, wait!” Harry protested. Ron might be his best mate, but Harry was under no illusions as to the redhead’s ability to dissemble. Nor, to be brutally honest, was Ron all that quick on the uptake. He would surely tip Pettigrew off. “That’s an awful plan,” he argued. “Pettigrew’s sure to get away.”

Snape shrugged. “Since you are not willing to participate in the other –“

“No, no. I’m willing. I just don’t want to move out of the dorm!”

Snape leaned forward until they were nose to nose. “Your safety is not negotiable,” he said with absolute finality.

Harry gulped and glanced at the other two. Remus, his arms folded across his chest, shook his head implacably. Sirius looked more apologetic but he shook his head too. Harry bit his lip. He was obviously not going to win this one… but maybe he could manage at least one or two concessions.

“Okaaay,” he said reluctantly. “But then I get to help, right?”

Snape gave him a long, considering look, while Harry did his best “puppy dog eyes”. In the end, the Potions Master nodded once. “Very well,” he said curtly, much to Harry’s relief. That meant his professor wasn’t really annoyed with him.

“So the question becomes how do we remove Harry from the dorm without that action in itself making Peter suspicious?” Remus asked.

A lively debate ensued, but in the end Remus came up with the best idea: Harry would do something so egregious and so public that all of Hogwarts would understand why he was being confined to his guardian’s rooms as punishment.

Snape was less than pleased with the plan, as he felt it would set a dangerous precedent, but Sirius was predictably delighted at the thought of designing such a great prank. For the rest of the day, Sirius and Harry whispered and giggled at one end of the room, while Remus and Severus plotted at the other.

In the early evening, as Harry and Snape got ready to return to the school, the Slytherin demanded to know what Harry would do to ensure his removal from Gryffindor Tower.

“It’s better if you’re surprised,” Sirius grinned. “Just act natural,” he advised.

Before Snape could protest further, Harry – the little traitor! – activated the portkey, just as Albus had instructed.

“Well, well, did you have a good time?” Albus asked, as they reapeared in his office.

Snape was too busy trying to quell his nausea after the unexpected transportation to reply immediately, so Harry said, “Yes’r. May I please be excused?” and without waiting for an answer, he darted out of the office. By the time Snape was able to speak, the brat was long gone.

“Are you all right, my boy?” Albus' tone was very gentle.

“Fine,” he answered shortly.

Albus felt sad. He could imagine what a trial the day had been for Snape, but it was obvious the intensely private man had no wish to speak of it. “It is nearly time for dinner, won't you accompany me?” he invited.

Snape wanted to get down to his dungeons and start putting the first step of their plan in place, but he recognized the resolute glint in Dumbledore’s eye. The ancient wizard was determined to comfort him, no matter what. With an inaudible sigh, he decided it was better to get it over with quickly, and he nodded his acquiescence.