I don't own Harry Potter. Nor do I want to, because it's too much bother for me.

I had this idea for a while. Since J.K.R. didn't seem to propose an alternative, I finally decided to post it.

A Ministry guest.

It was a quiet night at the Ministry of Magic. At these times, only rarely did even one guard sit at the Atrium. That was the case today.

Arment Galder was sitting in his chair half asleep. He was bored with these watches. No intruders at those times. No excitement (not that there was much in the rest of the Ministry). Not even a rustle.

Just as he thought that, Arment thought he heard a rustle. Looking at its direction, he thought he saw a small shadow scurrying across the floor.

"Damn it! Mice again. Pesky little creatures, coming back no matter how many spells we use. Wish we had Basilisk venom for them."

He was mistaken about one thing at least. It was a rat, not a mouse.

Slowly, the rat moved to the elevator shaft. It couldn't use the elevator itself, but the shaft would do;

"Lets see. This is the eighth floor. And I need the fifth."

The rat crawled up, slowly but steadily. The seventh floor. Department of Magical Games and Sports. He loved Quidditch once, though he never qualified for a team. His friends though…

He banished the thoughts. The past was gone for him.

Sixth floor. Magical transportation. Six times he tried to pass the apparition test, and only the seventh time, he succeeded, with the help of…

Once again, he forced the past out.

Finally, it was the fifth floor. Department of International Magical Cooperation. All the representatives from foreign countries were coming here. Naturally, it was fitting that there, they could be shown the Main Museum of Magic. And the minister could boast in front of them about British achievements.

The door was locked, but there was a large enough crack beneath the door, that the rat could slip in. Once inside, it turned into a short, balding man.

"The Room of Spells, the Chamber of artifacts, The Manuscript Hall… There it is!"

The door in front of him read "The Memorial of Victory".

This was the door he opened.

Many items of significance were inside. The wristbands of Morgan le Fay, vanquished by Merlin. The ring of Gloomdrain the Dark, vanquished by Godric Gryffindor. The spoils from the Goblin rebellions. The gloves of Grindlewald, fashioned from Manticore hide. And here, finally…

The section in front of him was dedicated to the last victory of light. Pictures of those who died by Voldemort's hand. The Prewetts. The Bones. And here, the pictures of the Potters.

A tear slid out of Peter's eye. For a moment, he wished he could undo all he had done.

But he couldn't.

And here, for everyone to see, was the one trophy the Ministry has managed to salvage from Godric's Hollow. Miraculously intact.

Peter took something out of his pocket;

"Yes, this replica will fool them for awhile."

Carefully, he switched it with the true artifact.

If he wanted to reach his master, it was better to bring along something valuable.

No one noticed the rat leaving the Ministry, taking with him his prize.

Voldemort's wand.