Bright moonlight crept through the windows into the Gryffindor Tower common room.
In a place out of the moonlight, a short figure was hiding under the chair and shivering.
Pettigrew wrung his hands in a wince, breathing almost out of breath.
For twelve years, what he had been dreading had finally happened. His former best friend, Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban, he broke into Hogwarts, just now, there was even a wall between them.
Peter understood that he had betrayed the Potters to Voldemort back then, and that Black had come to seek revenge on himself, and he wanted to kill himself.
He instinctively wanted to run away, but he didn't know where to hide. He knew Blake too well. Since the other party knew that he was still alive, he would never let it go.
Even if there are hundreds of dementors here, even if the entire Hogwarts is turned upside down, Black will not back down, and he will not stop until he catches himself. This is Sirius Black, a true Gryffindor, a monster who never knew what fear and cowardice were.
Maybe it's possible to have another suspended animation like twelve years ago.
As soon as this idea came to Peter's mind, he was rejected.
This was not the Muggle street twelve years ago, and he was not only facing Black alone this time.
This is Hogwarts, and there are Dumbledore, Snape, Lupine, Professor McGonagall, James and Lily's son Harry, and the boy named Evan Mason in the castle. They are smarter, stronger than themselves, and more courageous than themselves.
It is too difficult, too difficult to fool these people like you fooled Sirius Black!
Besides, after escaping, where can I go
Those Death Eaters who are still alive will not let him go after they get wind of it. The Dark Lord only failed after hearing his whistleblower back then.
Up until now, Peter still didn't understand why the person who was so powerful that he couldn't even mention his name was defeated by a baby? He didn't understand why he had come to this point when he clearly chose the strong side at the beginning
Everything seems to have returned to the dot, back to the time when I first entered school twenty years ago.
Peter Pettigrew still remembers the sorting ceremony when he entered the school. He was thin and short and walked towards the sorting hat tremblingly. He put on that hat. The sorting hat was so big that it covered his eyes, and he couldn't see the audience at all. .
He is too scared, it has been like this since he was a child, he can't do anything, he is cowardly, not smart enough, and has no extraordinary magical talent, he is afraid that he will be driven back by the hat, he is afraid to see his mother disappointed again eyes.
"Difficult, very difficult!" The Sorting Hat began to speak in his ear, "You are not a brave child, you don't have enough wisdom, your determination is not firm, and you refuse to work hard. It is difficult to live in Slytherin, without the qualities required by Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, even mediocre but unwilling to stay in the down-to-earth Hufflepuff, let me think about it, you should go Where is it?"
Yes, where should I go
Having lost her father since she was a child, she and her mother depended on each other. Although the family was poor, her mother still tried her best to buy all the magic tools for herself. She had high hopes for herself. Every night before going to bed, she would tell herself the story of her father.
Peter still remembers his mother's story. In her story, his father was a brave Gryffindor. Even if he was not the strongest, he was fearless. Never been afraid.
Peter could hear from his own mother's tone that she was proud and proud of her father.
"Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor, I want to go to Gryffindor, I want to have courage, I am a brave man!" Peter shouted loudly at the sorting hat in his heart, " I want to change my timid and cowardly self, I want to be a warrior like my father, I want to be admired, and I can't let my mother down!"
"Gryffindor?!" The voice of the Sorting Hat was a little surprised, "You said you were going to Gryffindor, well, this may not be the best choice, but I hope you can go to Gryffindor in the future. On the road, find the courage buried deep in my heart."
"Gryffindor!"
Pettigrew Peter under the chair smiled happily. That was the most glorious moment in his life. He seemed to hear the moment when the Sorting Hat shouted out his choice to everyone with a loud voice. I saw my mother looking at me with satisfaction.
But his smile froze quickly. The Sorting Hat was right, he was not suitable for Gryffindor, and all he got in this house was ridicule.
Everyone laughed at him for not being brave enough. Hogwarts studies made him feel pressured. He found that there was no subject he was good at. The professors looked at him with no other emotions except disappointment. requirements are getting further and further away.
He did not find courage in this academy, and he found himself becoming more and more ordinary and inferior.
He couldn't go on like this, he needed someone to help him.
Peter quickly discovered the target. James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupine are the three best people in his class. The small group of the three of them always shines. Maybe they need a attendant.
That's right, I can perfectly play this role.
Fortunately, they accepted him. Pettigrew Peter once felt expectation and happiness for this. He thought he could be as good as them, no, at least he could become a sense of existence and make his mother proud, right? !
For this sense of existence and pride, Peter is willing to endure everything.
To outsiders, he was part of the small group, a friend of James, Sirius, and Lupine.
But only Peter Pettigrew knows that he is just a follower, nothing more.
James regards him as someone who can show off his Quidditch talent at any time, and his existence is only to better set off the courage and fearlessness of Sirius. Even Lupine the werewolf, he looks down on himself.
That's right, the three of them never regarded themselves as friends, at best they were just companions, but most of the time, he was still a follower who could be called at will.
Cowardly enough to be humble, humble enough to be ignored, I'm afraid this is what everyone thinks.
But Peter was satisfied with this for a time. He didn't want to stand in the center of the stage and be watched by everyone.
As long as an inconspicuous position in the corner is enough for him to be satisfied.
He may not have found the courage he had been looking forward to in this ancient academy, but he relied on other means to gain the strength and honor he needed. Although it was not much, at least he would not let his mother feel disappointed in him.
I hope to have the courage and the power to pursue, and there is no exclusion.
After seven years of Hogwarts career, Peter finally understood that what he needed was not some heroic and fearless courage, but incomparable strength.
If his father had had that kind of power, he would have died like that, and the lives of himself and his mother would not have been so miserable.
Strong power, this is what he has been pursuing.
After graduation, his three companions wanted to join the Order of the Phoenix against Voldemort, but Peter wanted to refuse because he was well aware of the balance of power between the two sides. But he dared not, he was used to obeying the orders of the other three in the small group.
He didn't dare to say no to his companions, which also required a lot of courage, something he never had. Besides, he was also afraid of disappointing his mother, he knew that her mother wanted him to join the Order of the Phoenix.
His mother's expectations of him had always made Peter feel pressured, but until that moment, he realized that this pressure had become a heavy burden, making him breathless.
Peter Pettigrew remembered those days, when James, Sirius, and Lupine were happy that the four of them had thwarted Voldemort's plot again, he felt a little more fearful about it.
He could feel the anger of the Dark Lord, he could feel the hatred of the four of them from the man who didn't even mention his name, it was like a never-ending nightmare.
It couldn't go on like this anymore, Peter Pettigrew couldn't see any benefit in continuing to fight Voldemort himself, even if he risked his life to do these things, but the only ones who would ever get the honor were James, Sirius and Lupine.
What's more, Dumbledore is gradually aging and his strength is declining; while Voldemort is in full swing, his strength and influence are getting stronger day by day.
It's time to choose the camp you are loyal to. For a weak person, the most important thing is not to do something earth-shattering, but to make a wise choice.
He couldn't stupidly serve Dumbledore and die in obscurity like his father. This stupid courage has no meaning except to leave a heavy burden and sad memory for his wife and children.
He wants to choose his own destiny, and he wants to gain great power.
The Dark Lord has promised him that as long as the wizarding world is unified, he will gain power, power and status unimaginable before.
Although the methods are different, as long as there are these, the mother will definitely be proud of herself again.
As for the guilt and self-blame of betraying his companions, Peter has never felt this way.
Anyway, in their eyes, he is just a follower, and he has always been.