Harry Potter The Long Lost Malfoy

Sirius smirked and reached out behind him, into the interior of the Defense classroom. When he held up a cage with a rat scrabbling in it, it took Harry a long moment to recognize it as Scabbers. Ron had said in a subdued voice several days ago that Scabbers had gone missing, and he thought rats were animals who went off by themselves to die. He hadn't seemed that upset, maybe because Scabbers had been sick so long.

Or not sick. Afraid.

The rat ran back and forth and stood on its hind legs to hit the bars with its front paws before Harry found his voice. "That's Pettigrew?"

"Yeah." Sirius's eyes flared with malicious satisfaction. "He was always pretty good at holding his Animagus form, better than the rest of us. I never thought he would be hiding as someone's pet until I saw that picture in the paper of the Weasleys, and there he was, just sitting there on your friend's shoulder as though he had a right to be there."

Harry shivered a little at the thought of how many years he'd spent sleeping in the bed next to where a Death Eater was sleeping. He cleared his throat. "What are you going to do with him?"

"Take him to the Ministry," said Lupin.

"Kill him," said Sirius, at the same time.

Lupin turned to glare at him. "You know that they'll never have reason to believe that you're innocent without him, Sirius! Even if they do accept that you didn't have a trial, then they'll just rush a trial through and file paperwork that makes it seem as if you're guilty!"

"I don't care." Sirius grinned like a dog about to tear someone's throat out. "I've already been living on the run, and let me tell you, it's been a lot less miserable than it was when I first broke out and before that little elf restored my sanity. Why shouldn't I kill him and go right on living as a dog while they frantically search for me? That way, I get all the benefits of being free and Lily and James are avenged. And maybe someday Harry will let me really be his godfather." He turned around and beamed at Harry as if the matter was all settled.

Harry shook his head at once. "I won't if you kill him."

"Why not?"

Harry stared at him. Did Sirius really see no problem with what he planned to do to Pettigrew? Didn't Lupin, who had gone silent again instead of continuing to argue? Then again, Lupin seemed to have a problem of being quiet when he shouldn't. "Because murder is wrong."

Sirius snorted. "I bet you wouldn't have had a problem with it if I'd managed to kill him thirteen years ago."

"Yes, I would have!" Harry shook his head. "Except then you would have been in prison for something that was justified, and you probably never would have broken out."

"I broke out to protect you, Harry."

"And to get revenge." Harry nodded to the cage with Pettigrew in it. Pettigrew squeaked in despair, as if realizing that Harry wasn't going to help him after all, and threw himself against the bars again. "I have no idea which motivation was stronger."

Sirius smiled. "But you helped me get back my sanity, and you didn't turn me in to the Aurors when you could have. You must like me."

"You also don't deserve to suffer in prison for something you didn't do. But I'll tell them all about your Animagus form if you murder Pettigrew now."

The smile fell away from Sirius's face. "You sound like an actual treacherous Malfoy bastard, Harry. What the hell?"

"I'm not a bastard, even though I sometimes feel like one, thanks to you. But I think that murderers should go to prison. And so should kidnappers."

"I did the right thing when I took you!"

"Harry, you have to understand," Lupin added in a pleading voice. "I know you didn't know them very well, but your parents—they were incredibly distressed when they found out that they couldn't have a child—"

"You didn't go to prison for twelve years," Harry interrupted, making Lupin flinch. "You have no excuse to act as if you think Sirius is justified or act as if the Potters were my parents."

"Parents are people who love you, who take care of you. In every way that matters, they were."

"My parents love me and take care of me now."

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