MTLNOVEL Chapter 17: Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Harry didn't want to manipulate Neville's social life too much, but he was beginning to believe the Golden Trio needed to be reformed. Only this time, with Neville at its center instead of himself. Ron and Hermione had been an invaluable resource for him last time – a balanced friend group he could always rely on. Sure, they might not have been able to dissuade him from some of his more stupid ideas, but this time Harry would be able to watch from afar and hopefully prevent such mishaps himself.
Harry had an idea for how to reform the trio, but wasn't sure if it would work – or if it was even wise. Halloween was right around the corner, and if things progressed as they had before, a troll would be let into the castle. Harry could sit back and let things play out naturally. Would Hermione once again be threatened in the bathroom? Would Neville and Ron rush to her rescue, and would they succeed?
But what if something went wrong? What if he miscalculated and Hermione got badly injured, if not worse? Could he live with that on his conscience? That was the question he had to answer for himself within the next couple weeks.
He attempted to assuage his guilt on the matter during one of his meetings with Peter Pettigrew in his office. He'd taken to visiting the caretaker on Fridays after lessons, at first reluctantly, but soon looked forward to the sessions. Peter was quiet and skittish at first blush, but had a good sense of humor and a kind heart. Once Harry got over his irrational hatred of the man's betrayal that had never happened in this timeline, he came to trust Peter and seek his guidance on important matters.
"I've been worried about something," Harry admitted one Friday as he and Peter shared a pumpkin pie that Harry had lifted from the kitchens. "I wonder if you could help me through it."
"Certainly, Harry," said Peter, giving the boy his full attention. "What's on your mind?"
"Well…" Harry sighed, trying to find a way to express his dilemma without giving away his secret. "I'm worried about something that could happen to some friends of mine. They're getting into something dangerous, and I don't want to see them get hurt."
"Harry, I promise they won't get in trouble if you tell me now," Peter said warningly. "I can't be seen to allow such a thing to happen—"
"As if you never got into dangerous situations in school," Harry scoffed. "Right, 'Wormtail'?"
Peter reddened a bit at this; clearly he hadn't known that Harry knew his Animagus status. "That's...besides the point!" Peter spluttered. "If you truly fear for their well-being—"
"It's nothing against school rules, if that's what you're on about," said Harry.
"Fine," Peter grumbled. "What's your question, then?"
"Part of me wants to intervene and stop it from happening," said Harry. "But I think it could be beneficial in the long run, if it all goes smoothly. Do you see what I mean?"
"Not really," Peter frowned.
"Ugh," Harry sighed. "I guess what I'm getting at is: how much am I willing to risk to see my friends happy? If I interfered and ruined a friendship, does that make me a worse person than if I let them deal with it by themselves?"
Peter contemplated this vague statement for a bit. "You know, in my sixth year, I nearly ratted out your father and Sirius during one of their late-night excursions," he admitted. "Professor McGonagall needed proof of them sneaking out, and she offered me prefect status if I turned them in. I strongly considered it...boy, it would have made my father so proud…"
"Why didn't you?" Harry asked, surprised. He'd long been curious about the seemingly frayed relationship between Peter and the other Marauders.
"Because I wanted to be included," Peter sighed. "I never felt like your father considered me a close friend. He and Sirius were extremely tight, and they kept Remus close to help them with schoolwork, but I was always the odd one out. They invited me along to things, but I think it was mostly out of convenience than anything. I thought maybe they would see my loyalty and reward me for it."
Harry thought about this for a long while. "And do you regret it?" he asked. "Not saying anything?"
"Sometimes," Peter shrugged. "We had good times at Hogwarts, but we drifted apart after graduation. I suppose that happens when you get older, though – people don't always stay in touch. I wonder at times if it would be better that they hated me for betraying them, versus pretending that I no longer exist."
A dark demeanor had come over Peter, and Harry couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for the man. Peter struck him as a lonely individual, one who just wanted to be accepted and loved. Harry didn't know why the other Marauders kept him at arm's length, but it was clear they saw him as the least important of the four. It was suddenly no surprise to Harry why Peter had chosen to do what he did in the prior timeline…
"Oh, what am I saying?" Peter said, shaking his head and looking surprised at himself. "Harry, I hope you don't think less of your father for this; that wasn't my intention. My point was that I chose not to interfere, and I stand by that decision."
"So you think I should let the dangerous thing happen, then?" Harry asked.
"I didn't say that," Peter added hastily. "But you have to ask yourself if you're willing to face the consequences of your inaction. I can only imagine how I would have felt if someone had been injured, or worse, during one of our full-moon romps. That's something you must answer for yourself."
"I see," Harry said contemplatively. "Thanks, Uncle Peter." He stood to gather his things, then impulsively decided to wrap his arms around the man in a hug. Peter flinched instinctively at this, but awkwardly accepted the gesture, patting Harry gently on the back.
"Harry?" asked Peter tentatively as Harry turned to go. "This doesn't have anything to do with the third floor corridor, does it?"
"No, nothing like that," Harry said quickly. Though in a way, it did, since the troll was Quirrell's diversion to grant him access to the Stone. But he needn't reveal that information. "What d'you know about that corridor, anyway?" Harry added as an afterthought.
"Not nearly enough," Peter said glumly. "Dumbledore's being very tight-lipped about it. Says I'm to keep all students away from the area, but not why."
"How odd," Harry shrugged. And he took his leave of the office before he could say anything that gave away what he knew.
*******
If you enjoyed this chapter and wanted to read more you can go and support my PAT_REON you can read around 15 or 30 and even 50 advance chapters there depending on the tier.
Here's the link: https://patreon.com/August_Writing?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
Or just type August_Writing, it will just pop out there