Chapter 1

Beginnings

On the 31st of July 1980, Lily and James Potter were blessed with twins, both boys. Miles Sirius Potter was their firstborn. His eyes were hazel, much like James's, though his hair was a light brown, making him an almost replica of his father, to such a point that James had even suggested naming the child James Fleamont Potter Jr., after him, though Lily objected against this, wanting Miles to be able to be his own person.

Their second child, Harry Regulus Potter, who upon first opening his eyes, startling green, much like his mother's, though Harry's appeared slightly brighter, simply stared around the room, at his parent's faces, and at his brother, who had begun to cry upon seeing the face of Albus Dumbledore, who had come to visit the Potters and their children. He had a similar facial structure to his father and brother, though the twins were fraternal.

However, Harry was a metamorphmagus, meaning that while for the most part, he resembled his father and brother, he didn't in a way. He was born with jet-black hair, this suggesting it to be his natural hair color until it promptly turned blond, and by early morning the next day, it was Slytherin green, this immensely troubling James, until the boy saw his father's face, laughed, and turned it back to black.

As the boys grew older, they instantly hit it off, playing with each other all the time. Lily and James were beyond proud of both of their sons, loving them equally. But when the news came that a certain dark wizard, by the name of Lord Voldemort was after one of the twins, they went into hiding. 

That left the Potters sitting at their dining table on Halloween of 1981, finishing off dinner when they got a message from Dumbledore asking them to meet. Lily and James agreed, assigning Peter, a close family friend as they knew him to be, to watch the children. He wasn't all too high on the scale bravery-wise, yet they believed that he was trustworthy under his cowardly manner. Besides, Sirius and Remus were on a mission for the Order anyway.

Peter was torn. In the beginning, he'd been on board with the idea when the Dark Lord had proposed it to him. He'd valued his life quite dearly, and besides, the Marauders had never been all too kind to him. In his mind, it seemed foolish to risk so much for them when he doubted they would for him. But on the other hand, he would have no one if he went along with this. Only the Death Eaters and they weren't exactly the friendly type. In the end, the burning of the Dark Mark on his arm decided it for him. The Dark Lord knew.

He shakily raised his hand and pressed his finger against the Mark. Almost instantly, he was staring back at the face of Voldemort. "Do you have what I require Wormtail?" he asked. 

"Y-yes sir, they're upstairs... in their cribs." 

With an impressive swish of his robes, he went towards the stairs and went up them, not bothering to care that he'd knocked Peter back in the process. Ruffled, Peter got up and hurriedly followed. Voldemort was already in the room when he arrived, inspecting the cribs of both children. At the sight of Peter, he promptly stunned him, sending the shorter man to the floor once more. 

Voldemort looked down at the first crib. In it was a boy with a shock of messy black hair, sleeping peacefully. Suddenly, his eyes opened, and stared at him. He peered back into the child's hazel eyes. This boy was moderately powerful in his own right. Voldemort knew that this boy may not be enough to rival him, but he could likely take on Albus Dumbledore any day. The boy began to cry at the sight of him. He rolled his eyes. 

Then came the next crib. This child was awake, likely awoken by the crying. He was a carbon copy of his brother, the only difference being his emerald green eyes, a very nice shade of green if Voldemort said so himself. The magic coming off this boy wasn't all too different from his brother's, though there was a difference that he just couldn't put his finger on. All he knew was, that this was the child he had to get rid of. But it seemed a shame to end this boy's life, he could be a valuable asset, maybe even his right hand one day.

But he shook the thought off. He couldn't raise a child, and his death eaters weren't exactly the most qualified people. Maybe Narcissa or Bella, but... no, they needed to focus on other tasks. He raised his wand, bracing himself for what he was about to do, and spoke the incantation before he could second-guess himself any further.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

☆

"Professor!" 

"Professor Dumbledore!"

The Potters burst into Dumbledore's office, Peter Pettigrew stumbling along in their wake. James held Harry while Lily held Miles close to her chest. 

"Professor-"

James cut Lily off. "Professor last night Voldemort broke into our house and stunned Wormtail we found him like that on the first floor we just got back and then we heard him scream the killing curse but when we ran upstairs he wasn't there and both Harry and Miles were okay and-" he was cut off by Dumbledore, which might have been a good thing, given that he appeared to be out of breath. 

"James my boy, kindly slow down," he asked calmly. 

James nodded. 

"And he must have used the killing curse... and the prophecy did hint that this would happen..." Dumbledore trailed off, lost in thought before he spoke again. "One of these two stopped him." He looked up. "Sit down you two."

James all but collapsed into one of the chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk, still clutching Harry close to him. Lily sat down a little more gracefully than he did, though it was clear she was still shaken and did the same for Miles. It took a moment for the two of them to process what Dumbledore had said. Once they had, the two of them stared at Dumbledore with their eyebrows raised, pictures of incredulity. 

It was Peter who broke the silence by awkwardly chuckling. "It- that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" 

Dumbledore's expression was grave. "Is it though Mr. Pettigrew? I have good reason to believe that one of these two has performed a miracle, and that boy should be credited because of it."

Lily was taken aback. "Sir, if what you say is true, I'll agree that something amazing happened because of it. But I don't want either of my sons to become famous for something they didn't consciously do!"

James chimed in. "And think about it, if either becomes famous, the Death Eaters will know who to look for! I know for a fact that even though his precious Voldy is gone... Lucius Malfoy will still want to avenge him!"

"Mr. Potter, it is your sons we are talking about, not Mr. Malfoy." 

"With all due respect, I bloody know we're talking about my son's professor. And that's why I refuse to put them in a situation where they could be in danger!"

Dumbledore sighed. "Then Mr. Potter, I'm afraid I have no choice." He raised his wand. 

"Professor!" Lily's cry was too late, however. 

"Imperio."

James' eyes glazed over, and he stared blankly at Dumbledore.

Lily prepared to raise her wand as well when Dumbledore silently commanded James to stun her. 

"Stupefy!" He shouted, and Lily crumpled to the floor. 

Peter was watching this whole scene with wide eyes. He didn't know what to do. Dumbledore looked up at him, and Peter had an uncomfortable feeling wash over him. He'd felt like this before. His master had done a similar thing, it felt like a prodding of sorts in his mind... "Mr. Pettigrew."

The feeling vanished. "I- what?"

Dumbledore's voice turned soft, the words smoothly coming off his tongue. "Peter, we both know you're not going to do anything about this."

Peter was indignant. "What if I am?"

"I know you will not, for your master's sake."

He froze. "How do you know that?"

"That's beside the point. I have a little offer for you. You forget what you've seen, and I will spare your life."

The words sounded so eerily familiar that Peter blinked at the bearded man before him, making sure that it was indeed Albus Dumbledore speaking them to him. He hadn't wanted to do this in the first place, and now his life was being threatened again. But was his life of that much value? The life of someone who had betrayed his friends, put on a false facade so they would trust him beforehand?

It was time to stop this whole mess, and Peter was ready, even if he died trying. The hat had put him in Gryffindor for a reason, and he was about to prove that once and for all, even if he'd made the decision far too late. "No." 

"No?" 

"Yes old man, you heard me, I'm not going through with this."

Dumbledore eyed him curiously. "I would never have expected such a confident refusal from you, Mr. Pettigrew." He stroked his beard. "I'm afraid you've left me no choice but to do this." He silently commanded James to raise his wand. "Obliviate."