Lord Voldemort watched the rat as it scuttled into the room and stopping at his feet before changing into the form of a human.
'Well?' Voldemort asked when his servant, Peter Pettigrew, was back to his human state. 'What do you have to tell me?'
'Dumbledore definitely doesn't know any of your plans, Master.' Peter said. 'He went to see Severus, he wanted him to spy on you for him, but he refused. He refused to spy for Dumbledore… that's good news, isn't it Master?'
'Dumbledore won't give up that easily, Wormtail. He will find someone else… but dear old Severus had decided to turn his back on me, you say? Well, well… he will pay, of course. He used to be one of my more loyal servants before that unfortunate incident with the Potters. Did you see Harry?'
'No Master. I left Hogwarts the night before the students arrived. Potter and his lot know my secrets, if they saw me around, even as a rat, they'd know it was me. They'd catch me… I had to leave.'
'You are weak, Wormtail. You could easily have avoided being seen…'
'Please Master, don't punish me!' Peter fell to his knees in front of his Master's chair. 'Don't hurt me… I'll try harder, I promise.'
'Get up.' Voldemort snapped. 'I will not punish you this time, but I do have a job for you.'
'Yes Master, anything Master.'
'Go back to Hogwarts. Find Severus. Kill him.'
'Yes Master, of course, but…'
'But what?'
'Surely you would want to…'
'It is one small murder, Wormtail. I don't want to reveal myself yet. Let me lie low, and come back into the wizarding world in style.'
'Yes Master…'
'Stop grovelling, Wormtail, AND GO!' Voldemort screamed. With a small whimper, Wormtail turned back into his animagus rat form, and scuttled from the room.
***
Lucius Malfoy was half way through writing a letter to Draco when he felt an old, familiar burning pain on his arm. He rolled up the sleeve of his robe to see the Dark Mark that Voldemort had emblazoned on his arm the day he became a Death Eater.
'Narcissa!' Lucius called, walking out of his office, looking for his wife.
'Yes dear?' Narcissa appeared at the top of the grand staircase of the Malfoy mansion.
'I have to go to the Ministry… urgent business. I may be a while.'
'Okay dear.' Narcissa said, not daring to question her husband. She could still remember the last time she had questioned her husbands work… she had lost count of the number of charms she had had to use to hide her black eye.
Without saying goodbye, Lucius grabbed his cloak and headed out of the door, before disapperating and appearing in a small room in the Riddle House. Voldemort was sitting there, obviously waiting for him.
'Master.' Lucius said, dropping to his knees in front of his Master's chair.
'Get up.' Voldemort ordered, and Lucius obeyed.
'Why have you summoned me, Master? Is there something I can do for you?'
'There may very well be in time… but for now we must wait. I feel that my faithful servant Wormtail is not going to be with us much longer…'
***
Pettigrew, back in his human form, crouched down in a back alley of the main street of Hogsmeade. It was a Friday evening, and Peter knew from his research that most of the teachers came down to Hogsmeade every Friday night for a drink at The Three Broomsticks.
His wand was out, and he was ready to attack the second he saw Severus Snape. He had already been hiding in this alley for several hours, but he didn't mind staying there for several weeks, if that was how long it took. He wasn't going to fail his Master this time.
Sooner than he had expected, he heard voices in the distance, coming closer. Risking a peep out from the dark alleyway, Peter spotted a group of Hogwarts teachers walking towards him. Among them he spotted Snape, walking quite near the back of the crowd, and deep in conversation with the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Browning. Also there were Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout and Vector and Rubeus Hagrid.
As they got closer, Peter ducked back into the alley, waiting for the teachers to pass. He listened as the voices got closer, and then watched them all pass by the alley, blissfully unaware that he was hiding in waiting.
As soon as they passed, he jumped out. 'AVADA…' He began to scream. All the teachers turned, and before Peter had finished shouting 'KEDAVRA!' Dumbledore had cast a shield charm.
Peter had finished casting his curse before he realised, and the jet of green light that had come shooting out the end of his wand bounced back, hitting him before he had had a chance to move out of the way. He fell to the ground, dead.
***
Lucius stood at Lord Voldemort's side in silence. Voldemort was obviously waiting for something, but he didn't know what. At the same moment that Peter Pettigrew fell to the ground, dead, in Hogsmeade, Voldemort rose to feet.
'Kneel, Lucius.' Voldemort ordered, taking out his wand and conjuring up a penknife from mid air.
'Master?' Lucius asked, slightly worried by the appearance of the knife.
'Silence, Lucius.' Voldemort snapped. 'I am not going to hurt you.' Voldemort now took the knife, which was hovering in midair, and cut the tip of one of his fingers. When the blood began to flow, he put the finger to Lucius' forehead, so that the blood bled onto Lucius' skin.
Lucius was silent. He had no idea what was going on, but he guessed it was important. 'Rise.' Voldemort said, removing his finger from Lucius' head. Lucius obeyed, and rose to look into Voldemort's snake-like eyes.
'My blood has willingly touched your skin.' Voldemort said. 'From this day you will be my most loyal servant. Wormtail is gone, and now you will take his place. If I need assistance, I will call on you. I will look to you to do whatever I ask without question. You will leave your home, your life, and stay by my side. Do you understand me, Lucius?'
'Y… y… yes, Master.' Lucius stuttered, amazed by what had happened. He had just been made Voldemort's most trusted Death Eater, Voldemort's second-in-command.
'Any problems? Reveal them now or never.'
Lucius thought before speaking. 'I can leave Narcissa, I care little for her, but my son, Draco, I can't just disappear from him.'
'Take him from Hogwarts… yes Lucius, I do know that he goes to Hogwarts, I know much more than you think… take him from Hogwarts and bring him to me. I will find use for him…'