The four Interrogators and Scrimgeour stepped into the hallway, and Snape put a silencing spell on the door so no one could hear their deliberations.
Scrimgeour eyed each one inquisitively before finally asking, "Well, what do you think is to be done with him?"
There was a brief moment of silence while each individual thought it over. No one wanted to break the silence.
"Shall I decide, since no one else seems to be willing to?" Scrimgeour asked, a faint smile flickering across his lips.
"I don't think that would be wise, Sir," Lupin suddenly said. "Enough traditions have been broken already; we don't need to add to the list."
"What's the matter, Lupin?" Snape asked sarcastically. "Don't like to see an old friend be mistreated?"
Lupin glared at the dark-haired man before replying, "Peter and I have not been friends for years, Severus, as you well know, but that doesn't mean he deserves this."
"Deserves what exactly?" Scrimgeour asked, his voice hardening. "He's responsible for the deaths of countless wizards and Muggles, including your dear old friend Sirius Black. He brought Voldemort back, for Merlin's sake! How would you have me treat him, Remus?"
Lupin stared defiantly at Scrimgeour for a moment before replying, "Like a human."
The other man just snorted with contempt. "I will when you prove he's acted like one."
Lupin was about to reply when Snape intervened, "This is getting us nowhere. Let's make a decision. I say death."
One of the two witch Interrogators, a hard woman with grey hair streaked with black, gave her agreement.
Lupin gave Scrimgeour another dirty look before saying, "I say life in Azkaban."
"As do I," added the other witch.
All eyes turned to Scrimgeour, who had been silent while they each announced their opinion. He was silent for only a moment before saying, "Death it is."
Lupin's shoulders sagged as he heard the words and said, in a quiet voice, "How?"
"By a wizard's hand," Scrimgeour said, his voice hard as iron.
Lupin's head shot up. "What?! By a wizard's hand? Are you mad? That hasn't been done for centuries, and for good reason! We can't bring that back!"
Scrimgeour stepped towards Lupin and said, "We need to send a message to all the former supporters of Voldemort that their crimes will not be forgotten, nor forgiven. They need to understand. I can't think of a better way to make sure they do."
Lupin struggled for words as the first witch asked, "Who shall do it?"
The hallway was again enveloped in silence while everyone mulled over who would be forced to do this horrendous task when Snape said, "What about Potter?"
"Harry!" Lupin yelled, not even attempting to mask his shock. "You want Harry to kill him in cold blood?! That's ridiculous! He's been through enough, more than many of us can claim to have been though. He rid the world of Voldemort! Give him some peace for pity's sake!" He looked pleadingly at the others around him, but found Scrimgeour looking at Snape with a thoughtful expression.
"Potter eh? That's not bad Severus. After all, who has Pettigrew harmed more than him? He took the boy's parents away, killed that Diggory in front of him, plus you know how connected to Black and especially Dumbledore the boy was. Maybe this will ease his mind."
Lupin stared at him like he had lost his mind, which from the menacing glare in Scrimgeour's eyes, seemed likely. "Ease his mind? This could destroy him! I'm begging you, please, consider someone else. I'll do it! Just don't make Harry."
Scrimgeour looked at Lupin for a moment before announcing, "Potter it is. That is my final ruling. Let us return and announce our decision."
The four turned and headed towards the door, Lupin feeling like the air had been sucked out of his lungs. Just as they entered the door, he heard Scrimgeour say to Snape, "Did you say they used to call him `Wormtail?' How fitting. Maybe we should put that on his headstone."
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As he heard his name announced, Harry was hit by a wave of déjà vu. Fourth year all over again, he thought desperately to himself. Why can't they bloody leave me out of things for once?
As soon as Snape had finished speaking, the courtroom erupted in chaos, people standing and shouting at the five in the plum-coloured robes, but everything quieted in Harry's mind. Everyone's yells sounded far away, like he was in another room listening in. He couldn't bring himself to look at Hermione, so he looked up to see Snape watching him curiously. Harry was suddenly struck with the feeling that it was Snape's suggestion that Harry be the one to do this. Hate rose up in him as the two stared at each other, but Harry's thoughts were broken by the sound of Mrs. Weasley's voice rising above the others.
"Have you all gone mad?!" she yelled at the judges. "Harry's just a boy! He can't just be asked to kill someone on command like this! Leave him alone!"
Harry noticed that all the Order members seemed to be shouting the loudest, their voices mixing together so that he only heard snippets of what they were saying.
"…have you already forgotten he defeated Voldemort? Isn't that enough?" he heard McGonagall say, her voice dripping with indignation.
"It's barbaric to bring this penalty back in the first place, and now you want to make a boy be the first one to murder another wizard?" Tonks shouted at McGonogall's side.
Murder. The word hit Harry like a punch in the stomach. Was that what it was? Murder? Didn't Pettigrew deserve it? Didn't he?
Harry suddenly felt completely lost, and looked around desperately for something to steady him. His eyes landed first on Ron, who was looking at his best friend like he had never seen him before. Harry recoiled from the look in his eyes, screaming inside, I'm not a murder! He deserves to die!
Scrimgeour's voice could suddenly be heard amidst all the shouting, saying "He's not a boy anymore, madam. He's an adult now, and has proven himself more than capable of handling a task like this. Besides, I ask you, who has Mr. Pettigrew harmed more than Mr. Potter? Isn't he responsible for the betrayal of his parents and their deaths? Didn't he help to kidnap Mr. Potter during the Tri-Wizard Tournament so he could bring back Voldemort? I ask you, who deserves this chance more than him?"
More shouts came from the crowd in answer to this. Harry heard Mr. Weasley shouting something about this not being about revenge for past deeds, but justice, and even Moody had stood up and was arguing along with everyone else. Lupin looked miserable sitting there with the other judges, but Snape seemed oblivious to everything that was going on, and just kept glancing inquisitively in Harry's direction.
Harry felt himself fall deeper into a panic, as the faces in the room started to lose focus. He was breathing heavily as his mind raced over the thought of actually killing Pettigrew. He couldn't do it, could he? But Scrimgeour was right -- did anyone else have the right but him? Who else had Pettigrew done so much damage to?
Harry felt the room closing in on him, and he had to get of there as fast as he could.
Then out of nowhere he felt a warm hand on his, and looked over at Hermione, who was looking at him not with surprise, but compassion. He felt himself calm at her touch, and his breathing slowed and the room became more defined. She said softly, "Harry, you don't have to do this. Do you hear me? You don't have to."
He looked into her brown eyes and said, without thinking about it, "He deserves it."
Hermione yanked her hand away like she had been burned. "What?"
Harry was talking now without restraint, his thoughts just spilling out. "Doesn't he, Hermione? Can you honestly tell me that he doesn't deserve to die? Look at all he's done to me! Don't I deserve this chance to finish this, for my parents who he helped kill? For Cedric? For everyone else who died in the War?"
Hermione was shaking her head in disbelief, "Harry, you don't mean that. I know he's put you through a lot, but you don't want to do this Harry. You don't have to. You've done enough for everyone; you don't have to do everything! Let this go! Move on!"
Harry shook his head, his words becoming stronger as he spoke. "How can I just move on Hermione? Maybe I need to do this."
Hermione stared at him intently, her eyes pleading. "Harry, don't, please. You don't need to."
Suddenly Scrimgeour's voice boomed through the courtroom, shouting "Silence!" The room quieted and Harry saw Scrimgeour standing up, his want to his throat. "Everyone will be silent, and sit down, or you will all be forced to leave."
The people who were standing sat down, muttering as they did, until the room was quiet.
Scrimgeour looked around and said. "Mr. Potter is old enough to make his own choices. He was selected, as I said, due to the fact that the Interrogators and I believe that Mr. Pettigrew has done the most personal harm to Mr. Potter, and so he has the right to do this."
Mrs. Weasley looked like she was about to say something else, but Scrimgeour continued speaking. "However, he will not be forced to do this task. If he does not want to, we will select another to take his place, but is for him to decide, not anyone else," he said, looking challengingly at Mrs. Weasley, who sat quivering with rage.
All the eyes in the courtroom turned to Harry, and he could feel the weight of all of them pushing down on him. Why does it always come down to me? he wondered.
"Mr. Potter," Scrimgeour said in a formal voice, "The Wizengamot had selected you to execute Mr. Pettigrew as punishment for his crimes. If you are willing to accept this, the execution will be held exactly three days from now. If you decline, we will select another to complete the task, and you will free of any obligation. The choice is yours. Do you accept or decline?"
Harry could hear the challenge in his voice, but didn't know how to respond. A large part of him wanted to do it, to be the one to kill the man who had done so much wrong to the world, but another part resisted, sounding a warning that if he did, there would be no turning back.
He searched the eyes of the courtroom, looking for some kind of clue as to what to do. The Weasley's were all looking at him with desperation on their faces; he knew they didn't want him to do this thing, but they couldn't understand what he had been through because of Pettigrew. Lupin looked at him with misery in his eyes, and Harry knew with an unexplained certainty that Lupin had fought this decision outside, but had lost the battle. The faint amused smile that Snape wore was enough to send bolts of rage through Harry, and he angrily clenched his fists.
Suddenly Harry could hear the word "no" being repeated over and over and looked over to see Hermione, her head down so that her curly brown hair almost completely veiled her face, murmuring to herself. Is she telling me what to do, or praying that I don't he wondered. She looked so fragile that Harry had this sudden pain in his stomach just seeing her like that and his hand moved slightly, as if to comfort her.
Because of the extreme quiet of the room, the jingling sounds of the chains moving as Peter Pettigrew turned to look at Harry sounded as loud as bells. Harry looked up at the sound and for the first time in the trial, his eyes me those of the accused.
Harry looked at the small, crumpled man who had brought Voldemort back to the world; who had sold-out his parents, and had killed Cedric Diggory without hesitation on Voldemort's order. He looked at him and thought of all the horrible things that had happened because of him. The anger he'd been fighting so hard against started to leak out, and he felt a white-hot hate take over him.
In a voice so hard, he barely recognized it as his own, he said, "I accept."
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