Infinite Chimera Creation

“Oh, darling, don’t even mention Peter, you reacted even more strongly than him when you first found out.”

Lily poked her head out of the kitchen, mercilessly exposing her husband's true colors, then gave Peter a maternal smile.

"I'm cooking, Peter, just wait a moment."

"James, Lily has changed so much."

Peter rubbed his eyes, unable to believe that the gentle and elegant woman he had just seen was the fiery Lily. Hearing Peter's words, James gave a proud smile.

"Lily has become like this, but it's all the result of my hard work."

"Honey, you're cutting your dinner in half tonight."

The gentle voice coming from the kitchen made James's expression turn into a wry smile. He pulled Peter to sit down on the sofa and handed him a cookie.

"Peter, what brings you here so late?"

Peter took the biscuit but did not answer James' question.

"James, where are Sirius and the others? Lily's pregnancy is such a wonderful thing, aren't they coming to celebrate?"

"Lily's pregnancy was only discovered today, but I haven't figured out how to tell Sirius and the others yet. You're the first one to know. You know, I'm usually very talkative, but when it comes to Lily, I become tongue-tied. Just now, I didn't know how to express my joy, so I could only stammer, 'I'm going to be a dad.'"

"That's enough! Just those words contain all the joy!"

Peter stared at James, not understanding why his friend would turn into a fool whenever Lily was involved.

"Wait, don't get excited, don't stand up. Are you planning to notify Sirius and the others? Wait a minute, I need to talk to you about something today."

Seeing the serious expression on Peter's face, James sat down again, his smile fading, waiting for Peter to speak.

"James, do you think I'm a qualified Gryffindor? Do I have the courage of a lion?"

Upon hearing this question, James initially wanted to laugh at Peter for making a mountain out of a molehill, but seeing the serious expression on the other's face, he chose the most solemn answer.

“Peter, you are certainly a qualified Gryffindor. Ever since you openly challenged that senior who dared to call you Little Pettigrew in your second year, I have believed that you are a true Gryffindor. The courage of the lion is embodied in you.”

“I’m glad you think that way, James. I know many people think I only dared to cause trouble for my senior because you guys were backing me up, but I don’t care what they think, I only care what you think. As long as my friends are willing to believe in me, I have nothing to fear.”

"So, James, this is the last question, and please answer me seriously. Are we... friends? Friends who will never betray each other."

This question made James realize something was wrong. He stood up anxiously, put his hand on Peter's shoulder, and looked him straight in the eye.

“Peter, tell me, has something happened? Tell me, let’s figure it out together…”

Answer me, James!

James's voice was interrupted by Peter's roar, the first time the small man had ever spoken so angrily to his friend. Staring into his friend's eyes, Peter uttered a pleading sound.

“Answer me, James, please.”

Sensing the sorrow in Peter's voice, James opened his mouth, but could no longer utter words of advice, only managing to launch into a single, resolute statement.

“Peter Pediru, it is I, James Potter, your friend forever, I will never betray you, not even in death.”

Hearing that sincere voice, Peter's face lit up with a smile as bright as sunshine. He pulled away from James's hand and walked towards the door.

"Hearing this makes my trip worthwhile. Also, Lily is pregnant. For her and her unborn child's safety, please use the 'Loyalty Charm' to hide your address. I can vouch for you. My parents are dead; I have no family, no weaknesses, and no one can threaten me. Your address will never be revealed."

Now, I should go see Professor Dumbledore. Goodbye, James and Lily.

PS1, a different Peter Pettigrew. The author has always believed that since the Sorting Hat sorts someone into Gryffindor, it proves that they must have courage; Neville is a good example. Peter simply hasn't found his courage yet. With the protagonist's guidance (and teasing), Peter, having rediscovered his courage, will definitely be a qualified Gryffindor lion.

PS2, please add to your favorites, recommend, tip, and vote!

Chapter 43 Say something!

"Legs stiffen and the person dies."

Peter, who hadn't expected to be attacked at his friend's house, was completely caught off guard and frozen in place at James's front door. James, equally surprised, stared blankly as Peter froze at the doorway. The two men exchanged a glance, then turned their astonished gazes to Lily, who had appeared in the kitchen doorway.

As if she hadn't seen their expressions, Lily, wand in one hand and spoon in the other, looked at James with exasperation and tapped his head with her wand.

“You always refuse to watch TV with me, saying I’m wasting my time. But look, now you’re putting your skills to good use. Peter’s behavior just now, when it appears in TV dramas, usually means he’s ready to die, and he really is going to die. If I weren’t smart, the next time you see Peter, you might only see a stiff corpse. No, no, you might not even see a corpse.”

James recalled the Muggle TV shows Lily had forced him to watch in the past, and suddenly realized that Peter's behavior just now was exactly like what was shown on screen. He gave a stiff smile.

“Lily, those things are all made up by Muggles, don’t take them seriously. Let Peter go right now, it’s not right to treat a friend like that.”

Peter nodded frantically to the side; he had never hated Muggles as much as he did now. "Why did they have to make that stupid TV show? It exposed me."

"Oh? So you don't believe me?"

Lily narrowed her eyes, leaned forward, and scanned the two men back and forth. A glint of predatory glint flashed in her long, narrow eyes.

The spineless henpecked husband immediately shook his head and raised both hands, indicating his absolute support for his wife. Peter, on the other hand, smiled wryly, his lips moving but unsure what to say. Even James noticed something was wrong with him; the usual Peter would never oppose Lily under these circumstances.

Could it be that Peter really was suicidal, just as Lily said? Was his own front door a door to life and death for him, a single step across which would lead to his demise? The thought of his best friend possibly facing death before his very eyes sent chills down James's spine, and the intense fear soaked his clothes with cold sweat.

Following the fear came intense rage. He wanted to grab Peter by the collar and demand, "Aren't we friends?! Why didn't you talk to me about this?!" He wanted to know, "What do you take me for?! You just made me say we were friends forever, and then you expect me to watch my friend die?!"

Lily clearly saw his anger, and she used a binding spell to freeze him in place, silencing all the words he was about to say. This woman, who had just become a mother, abandoned her husband, who was clearly blinded by anger and fear and wouldn't listen to anyone, and began circling around Peter.

“Oh, Peter, you just said you were going to see Professor Dumbledore. I wanted to know if that was true or not. Oh, no need to answer, I saw the answer in your eyes—it was true. I must say, Peter, even if you close your eyes, your expression will betray you. You're too excited today, so excited that you've forgotten the basic skill of feigning emotions that everyone who goes to war should master.”

Now, the second question. Judging from your behavior just now, something clearly endangered James, and for his safety—oh, and perhaps for some other reason—you decided to do something very dangerous, something so dangerous that you felt you had no hope of survival. Oh well, poor Peter, your eyelids are twitching; clearly, I was right again.”

Peter opened his eyes in despair; he had never realized Lily was so intelligent. Lily smiled gently and ruffled Peter's hair.

“Peter, I’m truly happy that you’ve made such a great sacrifice for James, and I’m glad James has such a good friend like you. But!”

Lily's voice suddenly rose, and the hand that had been ruffling Peter's hair clenched into a fist, slamming it hard onto his head.

“I’m angry too. You’re a Gryffindor, and it’s true you have the courage to sacrifice everything for your friends, but! James is a Gryffindor, and so am I. What kind of Gryffindor is it to rely on the sacrifice of friends to avoid danger and live a life of ignominy!”

"Lily, I apologize, I apologize, don't be angry. Don't forget you're pregnant. If anything happens to James's child because of me, I'll regret it so much I'll want to die."

Lily chuckled, her anger instantly vanishing. She patted Peter's head helplessly, her smile as sweet as it had been back in school. That smile gave Peter, who had lost his family at a young age, a feeling of having an older sister.

“Peter, you rascal, we’re discussing your problem right now, not mine, and not the baby’s. If you’re really worried about the baby, explain yourself clearly. I don’t want the baby to be born without an uncle or any gifts. Peter, you’ll definitely give the baby a gift, right?”

Peter opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word. He wanted to say, "I will definitely give the baby the best gift, outshining Sirius and the others," and "I will definitely be the best uncle; I want to be his godfather." However, the thought of that man's terror made Peter swallow all those words.

He didn't want anything to happen to James and Lily.

"Fine, so it seems you still don't want to talk, huh? You wait here, I'll find someone who can get you to talk. Don't get all excited, I'm not going to find Dumbledore as you wish, I'm going to find Stuart."

Lily glared at Peter with annoyance, walked to the fireplace, grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and threw it inside. After shouting the name of Stuart Labs, she plunged in and a moment later pulled the cold-faced man out of the fireplace.

“Lily has already told me the gist of what happened. Now, Peter Pediru, don’t you have anything to say?”

Pushing up his glasses, Stuart asked in a cold voice. Whether it was their imagination or not, Peter and James both felt that Stuart's expression had become even colder than usual.

Looking at Stuart's cold face, Peter couldn't help but shudder. He looked at Stuart tremblingly, as if trying to convince himself, his voice trembling as he uttered words he himself couldn't believe.

“We’re friends, right? Even if I don’t say anything, Stuart, you won’t do anything to me, right? Ha, ha, Stuart, don’t stay silent.”

By the end, the man, who was extremely timid in front of certain people, had a sob in his voice.

P.S., please add to your favorites, recommend, tip, and vote with monthly tickets.

Chapter Forty-Four: Madness?

"Do you want me to say something? Well then, Peter Pediru, what kind of animal do you like?"

Stuart pushed up his glasses and looked coldly at the man who had begun to tremble.

"Stuart, why does your talk of 'liking' scare me so much? Could you explain in detail?"

Peter's lips trembled as he mustered all his courage and weakly expressed his protest.

"Why be afraid? I just want to know which animal you would like to mate with. After all, we are friends, and I can't go against your wishes and force you to mate with an animal you don't like."

"But I don't like mating with animals. I prefer humans." Although Peter didn't say anything, James and Lily could still read the meaning in his expression.

"What, you don't want to? If you don't want to, then tell me why you suddenly look like you're about to die. Be proactive. If I have to force you to tell me, I won't use gentle and humane methods like truth serum."

Truth serum is forbidden; it's not gentle or humane at all. Peter roared inwardly—of course, he only dared to roar inwardly—and looked helplessly at Stuart.

"Then, Stuart, may I speak to you alone?"

"Of course, as long as you don't mind James locking you in the basement afterward and doing all sorts of things to you because of his excessive curiosity. I think Sirius and the others won't object to James's decision once they know what happened. If they do object, let them come to me; my basement is currently empty."

Peter's lips twitched, as if he wanted to continue speaking, but seeing the worry and anxiety hidden beneath the anger in James's eyes, he sighed helplessly and waved his hand dismissively.

"Okay, I've said it. Stop staring at me like that."

Stuart nodded in satisfaction, released the spells from Peter and James, dragged a chair over and sat down, then gestured for Peter to begin speaking.

Peter gave a bitter smile and sat down in a chair.

"Today, the Dark Lord found me."

His first words made James and Lily gasp. Although they had guessed Peter was in trouble based on his earlier behavior, they hadn't expected it to be such a big problem.

Only Stuart subtly adjusted his glasses, a strange glint flashing in his eyes. He remained seated, his voice still steady.

“Go on.”

Peter took a deep breath, suppressing the fear that surged in his chest again, and forced himself to speak.

“That horrible guy, for some reason, he wants to capture James. He wants me to bring James to him.”

Ignoring Lily's terrified expression, Peter spoke rapidly, knowing that if he stopped here, he might not have the courage to say it again.

“That Dark Lord, you have no idea, his weapons are beyond your imagination. I was terrified. James, I was certain you were no match for him. Only Dumbledore could defeat him and kill him. So I promised him, I promised to bring you before him. Yes, I promised.”

James covered Lily's mouth, silencing the hurtful words she was about to utter. He trusted his friend wouldn't let him down.

“James, remember I said I was looking for Dumbledore? That’s right, I will find Dumbledore. He can drink Polyjuice Potion and become like you. Then I can take him to see that Dark Lord. Dumbledore is so powerful, he can definitely kill Voldemort. Then you will be safe. You and Lily will be safe, your children will be safe, and Sirius, who is still fighting the Death Eaters, will be safe too. I don’t care about other people’s lives, I only want you to be safe, because you are my only friends.”

Peter could no longer hold back his tears and let them stream down his cheeks.

"But as it turns out, I am just a clown, and I can never be a hero, not even a hero to a few people. I know the Dark Lord will not tolerate a traitor, and he will definitely kill me before he goes to war with Dumbledore. He and Dumbledore are about the same strength, and in order to ensure that Professor Dumbledore can successfully kill him, the only way is to make the professor give up protecting me."

Even though I knew I was going to die, even though I was determined to make that guy pay with his life, even though I knew that not coming to see you was the best way to avoid giving myself away, I still chickened out. I wanted to see you all.

“Peter, this is not your fault.”

"Foolish fellow."

Two distinct voices rang out simultaneously. One was excited, the other cold. And that cold voice, in this situation, was undoubtedly stirring up trouble. Lily and James both cast disapproving glances at Stuart. If he couldn't provide a reasonable explanation, even if he were Stuart, they would certainly argue with him.

"Since Dumbledore can't protect you, then just come to me."