"I just wanted to make sure." Amarissa said, almost as if trying to justify what she had done to him. But then, she figured if anything like this had ever arisen, there could be no question of it. She knew that she had to be able to give them a concrete answer, or who knew what they would give up to? She also knew that if Peter Pettigrew ever came back from the dead, she needed to know before any of them found out. Undoubtedly, it would be the heaviest piece of information she would ever have to bear. But if she wanted to make a clear and concise decision about what was to be done, she had to do it without Sirius, or James, or Remus knowing. It wasn't something she was about to admit to him right now, however. It would be something she would contend with if he ever returned; which, she prayed, would never be the case.
The sudden onslaught of emotion was somewhat surprising. It was completely appropriate, she wouldn't deny that. It was just that James had always limited how much he told her outside of things to do with Remus and Sirius. And even those stories were censored; they didn't exist in the realm of the first war. What history pondered over and wrote volumes of books about was never what James discussed. Amarissa had never felt the need to press him for information about those events either. Even as he started talking about Peter, about the betrayal that they had gone through, about Remus and Sirius suspecting each other, she could see the pain it still evoked; it was in the way he wasn't meeting her gaze, and the how his was growing. And then how it abruptly stopped.
"Listen," she said; the volume of her voice was still soft, but the tone was strong. "If he ever comes back, we'll deal with it. Understand?"
Amarissa knew in that very moment that if Peter Pettigrew ever came back, she would, inevitably, break the law for them again. Perhaps in the largest way possible. The realization scared her, but she knew she would be able to act differently. She wouldn't be able to treat the same as any other. Simply put, it wasn't the same as any other.
Then, he artfully changed the topic, and Amarissa was rather glad for it. For a moment, she nearly asked if he was allowed to have alcohol, and if that was really the best for his system. And, really, he probably should eat something, but with the flashbacks he was having, it seemed as though he needed a drink more than ever. It wasn't in her to argue with him over it right now.
"What are you in the mood for?" she asked, the smallest of smiles curving over her mouth as she smoothed her hand the rest of the way down his cheek. Pulling careful away, she headed over to the side cabinets, and took down two glasses, and then peered in one of the bottom cupboards to see what she still had.