-1Devil's Atonement

Written by Chibikan

Prologue:

Wormtail raised his glass for the hundredth time that night, "To the Dark Lord," he cried out in delight.

The others followed suit in pride. They'd sit there toasting their lord all night. Their victory was rightly earned. The muggle-lovers had lost, and they, the pure-bloods, had won. All of their efforts had paid off splendidly. And now here they were, in Hogwarts Castle, reveling in their victory. Several of their number were already passed out on the stone floor as they drank toast after toast.

Lucius set down his goblet, "Where he anyway, he should be down here with us?"

"YEAH!" cried out one of the others, "Celebrating. He's the man of the hour!" he said, his words slurring.

But, although he would never say so, Lucius wasn't so sure. Even though they had won the war, he, himself, had lost. In the final battle, Draco had been killed by the light. And Narcissa had killed herself moments after, in grief over the loss of her beloved son. How could he rejoice when they were gone, torn from him in mere minutes, when they were so close to victory? If only there was a way to bring them back. Wait… maybe…no. Not if it meant betraying the Dark Lord. He would never do such a thing.

Bellatrix looked at her brother-in-law, knowing what was on his mind. He wasn't the only one to lose a loved one. Rodolphus had taken a fatal curse to save her life. And her cousin. Yes, she regretted killing him. Why had she done it? Of course, to please her Lord. If only there was a way to change it. Maybe, no. Out of the question. The Dark Lord came first.

Wormtail was the only one with no regrets. The Dark Lord had been his first TRUE friend. The Potters, Sirius, and Remus had been no friends of his. They had used him for the butt of his jokes, their scapegoat when they got in trouble. They'd constantly made fun of his weight, his absentmindedness, and even his animagus form. But the Dark Lord had come to him, at a time when he needed someone the most. Had given him the confidence he needed to leave the Marauders. So no, he felt no regrets. He'd lost no one of any real importance. Alright, Harry didn't deserve to pay for his father's sins, but, he'd been the Dark Lord's foe. If it was a choice between the son of the man who'd betrayed him, and his friend, well, it was no contest.

"I'll go find him. He's been gone a very long time." Wormtail said as he stood from the table and went in search of his master. Knowing him, he probably went to the headmaster's chambers and had shut himself in there. Voldemort hated large crowds, agoraphobic, although one would never know unless he really knew the Dark Lord.

He was surprised to find the gargoyle to the side of the entrance. This would make things easier, as he wouldn't have to fight with finding the password. He climbed the stairs and knocked gently on the door. He didn't want to upset the Dark Lord, as he had quite the temper. There was no answer, which worried Wormtail. Not even an angry "Go away!" had come. Slowly he pushed open the door. "Master?" He looked over to the desk and gasped.

The Dark Lord was sobbing over a stack of papers.

Author's Note: This my friends is the much requested continuation of my one-shot "A Letter From His Father". A look into the hearts of a few of the Death Eaters and a tease at the end. What's going to happen? Is there any way to right his wrongs?