the_debt_of_time

and Snatchers while searching for Horcruxes. Being hunted did something physical to a
person; it took years off lives, and Peter Pettigrew suddenly looked poorly aged.
Dumbledore smiled. "Ah, I see escorts have already arrived for you, Mr Pettigrew.
I'll leave you to the care of your Housemates," he said before returning up the spiral
staircase to his office.
"Wormtail, where the hell were you?" Sirius asked loudly, his brows furrowed in
concern.
"Sorry." Peter frowned. "My... My family was... attacked."
Lily gasped, covering her mouth before wrapping Peter into a hug. "Are you okay?"
Peter smiled sadly, patting her on the back a few times, looking as though he did
not want to get too close to her with James hovering, though he appeared gratified to see
his friend looked more concerned for him than Lily at the moment.
"I'm fine. Can we head back to the tower? I really just want to get out of the
hallways." He looked around suspiciously as if someone was hidden in the dark shadows
of the alcoves, listening in on their conversation.
Once the six of them reached Gryffindor Tower, Remus and Lily went into prefect
mode, ushering the younger years to their dorms and out of the common room before
everyone retired to the boys' dorm room to hear Peter's story. Sirius and James sat on
Sirius's bed. They watched as Peter sat on the edge of James's mattress next to Lily, who
continued to try and comfort him. Meanwhile, Mia crawled in beside Remus. He put an
arm around her as Peter informed them that his family's new apothecary in France had
been burnt to the ground, and he and his parents had narrowly escaped with their lives.
"Mum's still at St Mungo's," Peter told them with a frown, looking guilty. "They
said she'll be okay, but the burns were pretty bad."
Mia disliked the look he wore; it strangely reminded her of Harry, which put her on
edge over the comparison. Peter was blaming himself for not being able to protect his
family the same way that Harry had been grief-stricken over not having saved Sirius, or
Cedric, as well as taking on the blame for what Bellatrix had done to her. Mia struggled with
the surge of sympathy coming from within her, trying to shut out her knowledge of the
future.
"Is she in the Spell Damage Ward?"
"Why would she be?" James asked. "It was a fire, right?"