Chapter 4
He could see flashes of light and colour- red, blue, green, yellow, a multitude of hues- whirling around him, coming tantalizingly close but escaping just as he tried to grasp them. Where am I? He wondered for a split second, before he felt himself floating. The scene before him solidified- quite surprisingly it was the Potters' cottage at Godric's Hollow. He had a nagging feeling that something very important had happened there, not so long ago. As he stood there pondering, the door to the cottage seemed to open of its own accord. He moved closer and stood shell shocked at the bewildering sight that greeted him. James and Lily were standing in the living room, baby Harry fast asleep in his mother's arms and talking to them, urgency clear in his tone, was—
Peter Pettigrew. Wormtail. He himself.
'This is officially one of the weirdest dreams I've ever had, including the one in which Prongs was Minister of Magic and Padfoot was coaching the Holyhead Harpies.', a chuckle escaped Peter despite the seriousness of the situation. His amusement evaporated the instant he heard his dream self mention Him. It seemed that he had finally chosen a side, for better or for worse. As he stood there, bits and pieces of his plan came back to him- a conversation with Dumbledore in his office, shortly after his seventh year, and a more recent meeting in which James and Lily were also present. His stomach sinking with dread, he watched as the Dark Lord appeared on the sidewalk outside the house, an expression of calm on his snake like face and even a hint of a smile as he contemplated what he was about to do. His dream self too had spotted Voldemort, and his expression was panicky as he realised that He was there ahead of time.
"James, Lily, take Harry and go-use the phoenix- He's here!" Peter shouted, thrusting a phoenix shaped pendant into James' hands. "But Wormtail..." His best friend looked torn between protecting his family and supporting his friend. "Just go, I'll distract him!"
With a last painful glance, they grabbed the portkey and vanished just as Voldemort shot a jet of Purple light towards them, uttering a spell in Parseltongue.
"Please let them be all right", Wormtail and his dream version were praying, even as Voldemort advanced, a menacing look on his face.
"So, you, pathetic little rat, you thought you could deceive Lord Voldemort and live to tell the tale? Be prepared now. If you are a good little boy and tell me where your foolish friends are, I might just spare you." hissed Voldemort.
"Never", spat Peter, looking scared but defiant.
"As you wish- Crucio Maxima!"
The last thing Peter remembered was that there seemed to be more than one person screaming in pain. Then all was black.
