The Dark Lord and Wormtail sat alone in a room together. Wormtail occasionally glanced, wide-eyed, at his master, but kept himself in a subservient silence.

"Wormtail," Voldemort said after a moment's pause, "I have a task for you. It is just the menial sort of labor that I feel you may be capable of..."

"Y- yes, my lord."

Lord Voldemort's red eyes narrowed, cat-like, although he did not look at the hunched figure in black robes several feet away. "Locate the woman named Adelia Webb, the half-blood witch. Find where she lives... and discover who she resides with..."

"My lord?"

The red eyes turned to Wormtail. "Do you question me, Wormtail? After these long years, do you doubt me now...?"

"No, my lord!"

"Find her... She may still be of use to us yet..."

"Yes, my lord." Wormtail straightened, and hurriedly escaped the room, silver gleaming in the folds of his robes. The door closed behind him with a jarring bang. Lord Voldemort did not flinch, but merely gazed down at Nagini with a neutral expression. A long-fingered, pale hand stroked the snake's head; then the Dark Lord returned to his own ruminations.

Hours later, Lord Voldemort was interrupted by the door reopening and closing with the same, grating bang. Lord Voldemort, again, did not wince, but stared at Wormtail without blinking for an unnerving period of time.

Finally the Dark Lord spoke. "You are dripping water on the floor."

Wormtail turned ashen. "I- I am very sorry, my lord- very sorry-" and, pulling out a chestnut wand, muttered, "Tergeo."

The water disappeared from his robes.

Lord Voldemort restrained himself from insulting Wormtail further. His curiosity was too piqued by the information he very much hoped Wormtail had. If the fool hadn't even been able to find a near-Squib witch, then he might as well do away with Wormtail altogether.

"And what information have you found, Wormtail? For your sake, I do hope it is accurate..."

Wormtail's watery eyes flickered around the room. He looked everywhere but at Voldemort's eyes and Nagini, as if he were searching for a place to hide if, in fact, his information was false. "Adelia Webb. Number seven, Greenstone Court, in Kent."

Voldemort's red, slit-pupiled eyes still did not blink.

"Ah- she isn't a witch anymore, my lord. She lives as a Muggle, with her daughter."

"A daughter?" Voldemort mused. "Without magic, I suppose, otherwise she would be a Hogwarts student."

Wormtail remained silent. His watery eyes strayed to the gaunt, pale figure, but he still refused to look Lord Voldemort in the face.

"How old is her daughter?"

"Fifteen."

Voldemort's unblinking stare fixed upon Wormtail with a frightening intensity, as if he could see directly into the man's mind. The pale, spidery hand laying as if dead on the armrest of the chair twitched very slightly.

"Her name is Verity," Wormtail added, as if that might fend off the Dark Lord's stare.

"And the woman's husband?" Voldemort asked lightly, his high, cold voice pealing through the room with equally frightening intensity. "The husband of Adelia Webb?"

"I... I think there would only be her, my lord," Wormtail whispered, ducking his head, "She has been alone her entire life, only Adelia Webb and Verity Webb."

"And no husband." Voldemort's voice dropped back down to a quiet, thoughtful tone. "How interesting."

Wormtail squirmed.

"Wormtail," Lord Voldemort continued, "Nagini and I are going to leave for a time."

"Yes, my lord."

"Try not to muddle anything else up, do you understand? I would hate it if you were to permanently lose a hand..."

"O-oh, of course, my lord," Wormtail gulped. "Of course."

Lord Voldemort stood, and left the room. Instead of slamming closed, the door shut very quietly. The huge snake on Voldemort's chair followed, scales rasping against the floor, beady eyes and flicking tongue making Wormtail flinch. It passed through the threshold an instant before the door closed, following Lord Voldemort's steps into the hall.