169 Harry’s Mercy

Seeing that everyone was looking at him as if he were a monster, Arth put up his hands defensively.

"Oh come on, Peter Pettigrew being alive is already enough proof that something sketch is going on with the accusation on Sirius Black and we can always torture the prisoners of Azkaban to see if Peter really was a part of the death eaters. Honestly, we don't need to keep him. . . . Awake so I just thought we could act first and ask questions later."

Sirius gave a slow clap before turning to Lupin.

"I like this boy. He is smart and daring. Plus, he made staying Azkaban a tad bit easier."

"I am honored." Replied Arth with a bow. "But I do have one question. For you Mister Black."

"What is it?"

"How did you escape from Azkaban?"

Black was frowning slightly. He seemed to be pondering his answer.

"I don't know how I did it," he said slowly. "I think the only reason I never lost my mind is that I knew I was innocent. That wasn't a happy thought, so the dementors couldn't suck it out of me but it kept me sane and knowing who I am helped me keep my powers. So when it all became too much I could transform in my cell become a dog. Dementors can't see, you know. . . . At least, not the smart ones. They feel their way toward people by feeding off their emotions. . . . They could tell that my feelings were less — less human, less complex when I was a dog . . . but they thought, of course, that I was losing my mind like everyone else in there, so it didn't trouble them. But I was weak, very weak, and I had no hope of driving them away from me without a wand. . . . But then I saw Peter in that picture . . . I realized he was at Hogwarts with Harry . . . perfectly positioned to act and ready to strike at the moment he could be sure of allies . . . and to deliver the last Potter to them. If he gave them Harry, who'd dare say he'd betrayed Lord Voldemort? He'd be welcomed back with honors. . . . So you see, I had to do something. I was the only one who knew Peter was still alive. . . ."

Sirius Black gave a hollow look towards Harry.

"It was as if someone had lit a fire in my head, and the dementors couldn't destroy it. . . . It wasn't a happy feeling . . . it was an obsession . . . but it gave me strength, it cleared my mind. So, one night when they opened my door to bring food, I slipped past them as a dog. . . . It's so much harder for them to sense animal emotions that they were confused. . . . I was thin, very thin . . . thin enough to slip through the bars. . . . I swam as a dog back to the mainland. . . . I journeyed north and slipped into the Hogwarts grounds as a dog. I've been living in the forest ever since, except when I came to watch the Quidditch, of course. You fly as well as your father did, Harry. . . ."

He looked at Harry, who did not look away.

"Believe me," croaked Black. "Believe me, Harry. I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them."

Harry went silent before nodding.

Arth clapped his hands.

"Ok, back to the main topic. Do we kill Peter?"

Sirius immediately bared his teeth at the unconscious Peter.

"Kill him immediately and drag it around the entirety of Azkaban."

"Torture him for betraying James and Lily and then kill."

Harry went silent.

". . . . Don't kill him."

Black and Lupin both looked staggered.

"Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents," Black snarled. "This cringing bit of filth would have seen you die too, without turning a hair. You heard him. His own stinking skin meant more to him than your whole family."

"I know," Harry panted. "We'll take him up to the castle. We'll hand him over to the dementors. . . . He can go to Azkaban . . . but don't kill him."

"You're the only person who has the right to decide, Harry," said Black. "But think . . . think what he did. . . ."

"He can go to Azkaban," Harry repeated. "If anyone deserves that place, he does. . . ."

There was a moment of silence before Arth coughed.

"Well, I have this desire for a change of scenery, anyone else feeling me?"

Everyone let out a wry smile.