the_debt_of_time

"Together?" Remus asked Sirius quietly, holding Scabbers tightly in one hand and
his wand in the other. Sirius nodded. "On the count of three. One, two, three!"
A flash of blue-white light erupted from both wands; for a moment, Scabbers was
frozen in mid-air—his small grey form twisting madly. Ron yelped, and the rat fell and hit
the floor. There was another blinding flash of light and then...
"Well, hello, Peter," Remus said pleasantly, as though rats frequently erupted into
old school friends around him. "Long time, no see."
Peter stared up into the angry face of Sirius. He turned and looked at Remus, who
appeared to be the lesser of two evils. "R-Remus... He's come to try and kill me again!
Sirius killed Lily and James, and now he's going to kill me too. You've got to help me,
Remus!"
"No one's going to try and kill you until we've... worked out a few details," Remus
threatened.
Sirius grinned darkly.
"Worked out a few details?" Peter squeaked, frightened, before he fell to his knees
and cried, "I didn't mean to! The Dark Lord, you have no idea the weapons he possesses!
He would have killed me, Sirius!"
"Then you should have died!" Sirius roared. "Died rather than betray your friends,
as we would have done for you!"
"Ron.. ." Peter crept across the floor and fell at the boy's feet. "Haven't I been a
good friend—a good pet? You won't let them kill me, Ron, will you? You're on my side,
aren't you?"
But Ron was staring at Peter with the utmost revulsion. "I let you sleep in my bed!"
"No, no, no. Kind boy, kind master.. ." Peter crawled again toward Ron. "You
won't let them do it. I was your rat; I was a good pet."
"If you made a better rat than human, it's not much to boast about, Peter," Sirius
said harshly.
Ron, going still paler with pain, wrenched his broken leg out of Peter's reach.
Peter turned on his knees, staggered forward toward Hermione.
"Sweet girl, clever girl, you―" Peter paused and stared up into her face as though
there was some recognition there. After a long moment, whatever held his attention broke,
and he reached forward, taking hold of her robes.