Chapter 4: So Long, Peter
My muse is in a darker place than normal with this story.
Thanks for the reviews.
Hphphp
"My lord," Severus said the next night as he visited Voldemort, "I have news." He stood strong as he was told not to kneel anymore.
"Severus," Tom said, waving him to the table which had some firewhiskey canted on it. "Join me. It has been a long day," he said with a sigh. He had been doing his studying of spell work most of the night. He was close to getting the spell he wanted. One that didn't require Harry Potter to be in the room. He might not even need the necklace, but he preferred to have it here with him since it didn't have a mind of its own to cast out the foreign soul. Harry did.
"Yes, my lord," Snape said, more than willing to have a drink after a day of dealing with dunderheads. "My news is good," he offered, hoping to put the man in a better mood. Not that the Dark Lord seemed in a bad mood, simply tired.
"Tell me," Voldemort said, pouring them each a whiskey glass of drink. "I could use some good news." He had had to tell the widow Malfoy the demise of her husband. He had played it off as an accident, but she was now wary of him.
"Are we alone?" Snape asked, not wanting Wormtail to hear of his downfall too early.
"Yes, I have Peter on a mission," Voldemort said, wondering what was taking the rat so long. He should have been back by now. He should have been back last night, come to think of it.
Severus was wondering the same, so he threw up a privacy shield. He didn't want there to be any eavesdroppers. "I know how we can get into Potter's good graces," he said, lowering his voice despite the shield.
"Oh?" was the reply.
"He was chasing Peter Pettigrew through the castle yesterday," Snape said, taking a sip of the firewhiskey. "He was very determined to catch him. From what Potter indicated last year, I believe it would be beneficial to help him in freeing his godfather," he said in a conspirative manner. "We did not believe him, but the child said that Pettigrew was the one to frame Black."
"That would be beneficial to me as well. I need something that I believe Black holds, though I'm sure he doesn't know he holds it," Voldemort said, rubbing his chin in thought. This would be good. Harry would get the father figure he needs, and he would get an in into the Black household. It would work out to get his necklace. He hoped.
"What do you need from Black, if I may be so bold?" Snape asked in a mostly daring voice. There was a bit of timidness in there. He hated that bit of him that was still scared of the man before him. He was hoping that with time he would get over it.
"Never you mind. Though I was wondering if I should just kill the coward and feed him to Nagini," Voldy said, sipping his own glass. "He had outgrown his usefulness."
"I do wonder where he is," Snape said, looking around the room like the man would appear any second. "He should have been here before me," he added, knowing Peter had left the castle yesterday. He had the whole day to get here.
"I will send Nagini to look for him. Or rather, give me your arm," he said, changing his mind. This would be quicker, and that weakling would not deny a calling of the mark. As much as he disliked the sniveling man, he knew he would come as soon as he felt the mark, not daring to upset his lord anymore than he already had.
Snape bared his arm and showed the Dark Mark. Voldemort pressed his wand to it and called Wormtail and they waited for the ratman to appear. It took a few minutes, but he did come through the doors, wearing the diadem.
He was standing tall, and not cowering like he usually did. He was also wearing new clothes, that were rich in material. He was walking like he was king of the world and that he knew things no one else did.
"Fool," Voldemort said, standing with wand in hand. He didn't think the man would be stupid enough to put the crown on. He knew the power of the diadem and even he was not power hungry enough to put the damn thing on his head. That kind of power came with a price Voldemort was not willing to pay.
"I am strong enough to stand up to you now," Peter said, his own wand in hand. "You will never dominate me again," he stated, throwing the first curse, which was the blood boiling curse. He was on the move before the spell hit.
Tom swatted it away with ease. "You idiot, just because you have the knowledge, it doesn't make you a better wizard. Severus, we need him alive," he said to Snape as they started circling the now empowered man. "Peter, you are a coward, and you will always be a coward."
Spells were tossed about as the two more powerful men circled the lesser man, who was not making out so well. Even though the crown gave Pettigrew knowledge, it didn't tell him how to fight. It was a done deal within minutes. They had Peter tied up and in pain with little effort.
Voldemort quickly went and snatched the diadem off the man's head. He threw it across the room to where all his other treasures were sitting, right next to his throne. Nagini was standing guard. She would make sure nothing happened to them. Not that anyone knew what they were.
"If I didn't have use for you, I'd kill you where you stand," Voldy snarled at the now sniveling man. His wand was trained on the coward, and he was a second away from turning him into the rat he was, forever. He threw the Cruciatus curse at him instead and kept it on him for a full minute, relishing in the man's screams. He let it go, and then cast it again. If he didn't need the man to answer questions, he'd take his mind. He dropped it again.
"Forgive me, my lord. I don't know what came over me," Wormtail said, trying to grovel in his ropes. He kept trying to turn into a rat, but he was failing. Either he was too scared, or one of the other men had hit him with a curse. The latter was probably the truth.
"Severus, take this worm to the authorities. Confession is good for the soul, I hear," Tom said with a sneer. He was glad to be rid of the fool.
"Yes, my lord," Snape said, taking Peter by the ropes and dragging him out to the edge of the wards. He then disapparated to the ministry. There he made his way to the phone booth, ignoring the looks he was getting from the few muggles that were about. He did make quite a sight, dragging a roped-up man down the street from a dark alley.
He dialed the number and rode the booth down. He was now floating the very alive Death Eater through the ministry, still ignoring the looks he was getting from the magicals this time. When he got to the DMLE, after checking in at the check-in point, he demanded to speak to Bones.
"Why do you need to speak with the Head of the Department?" the desk clerk asked, not looking up from his paperwork. He knew she wasn't in the office right now. She was in a meeting with the Minister about Black. They were still debating the ramifications of exonerating the man.
"I have a prisoner that she needs to see," Snape sneered at the man. "He's a dead man," he added, slamming his hand down on the man's parchments, making the man jump and look at him.
"A dead person?" the Auror asked, finally looking up and staring at the most hated teacher at Hogwarts.
"No, an alive dead man," Snape reiterated, lifting Peter for the man to see. "Peter Pettigrew," he said with a lifted eyebrow as if daring the man to question him.
"That's impossible," the Auror said, though he looked closely at the bound man and squinted his eyes. He did look like the picture in the Order of Merlin Hall of Fame. Only more rat like.
"Just get me Bones," Snape sneered again. He tired of speaking to this lackey.
"I'm here," Amelia said, coming around the corner. "Are you sure this is Pettigrew?" she asked, having heard the last of the conversation from down the hall. She lifted her wand at the tied-up man. Like the clerk she recognized him from his picture.
"Yes, I captured him myself. He was at Hogwarts yesterday. Potter can vouch for that," he stated, giving Wormtail a shake, making the man groan.
"Please, I didn't do anything," Peter pleaded, looking like a crazed man. "I'm innocent. Black made me do it," he tried, he would say anything not to be put in Azkaban. He knew it was probably futile, but he had to try. He was not made for prison.
"If you can say that under Veritaserum than I will believe you," Bones stated, not believing him for one second. She already knew Black was innocent. This just went a long way in proving it. Maybe she could finally get Fudge to see that as well. That and innocent men didn't fake their deaths for fourteen years, unless they had something to hide. "Bring him," she said to Snape and walked down the hallway.
Snape complied and floated the bound man with him to an interrogation room. There he threw Peter into a chair and magically adjusted the ropes to encompass the chair. That way he couldn't slide out. He then stood at the wall looking intimidating.
"You have to leave. You can observe from the mirror," Bones said, pointing to the door. She took out a vial of Veritaserum and a pen and notebook. She then set it all up to begin her questioning. She had to make sure this was by the books. A man's freedom depended on it. Maybe even his life.
"I will watch," Snape said, going to the door and going to the mirror. He could see everything just fine. He would have fun reporting this to Voldemort later.
Bones did all the legal jargon and then started questioning. She gave Peter the potion and asked the standard questions. "What is your name?"
"Peter Pettigrew."
"Are you a Death Eater?"
"Yes."
"Why did you fake your death?"
"I was scared."
"Of what?"
"Azkaban."
"Why?"
"I had just seen the Dark Lord vanquished and he could no longer protect me. I was the one to give him the Potters' location. I knew my friends would kill me or turn me in. I was scared."
"Did you frame Sirius Black?"
"Yes."
"Where have you been these last fourteen years?"
"I was hiding most of that time as a pet rat of the Weasleys. Then I went to find my lord and bring him back to life."
"That is all I have at this time," Amelia said, making the pen stop writing and putting the notebook away. "Peter Pettigrew you are hereby under arrest for the deaths of James and Lily Potter and the framing of Sirius Black. You will be held under our custody until your trial can be held," she said to Peter.
The cowardly man started crying.
"Take him away, make sure he knows his rights. Not that dead men have rights, but read them to him anyway," Bones said to the Auror at the door. "Make sure you use magic inhibiting cuffs. He's an animagus," she added, getting that from his questioning. The last thing she needed was for him to escape.
She then got up and went to Snape.
"Will that be enough to convict him?" Snape asked, worried that what she had wouldn't hold up in court.
"Yes, it was under the truth serum," she said, patting her pocket where the notebook was. "And it was witnessed," she added, pointing to him.
"I see," Severus said, not sure they'd take the word of a Death Eater. Reformed though he might be. However, he had been a productive member of society for years, so he had that going for him.
"I'll not keep you any longer. Thank you for not taking the law into your own hands," she said, holding out her hand to shake. "Too many people would have killed him on sight," she said, shaking her head at the thought of what Black would have done. That would have been quite the mess to clean up.
"The thought did cross my mind," Snape said, then added, "We were in school together. He was a member of a group of bullies that tormented me." He was still bitter about that, and it showed in his tone.
"Ah," was all she said to that. She then turned and went back to work. She wasn't going to get involved in old schoolhouse rivals. She knew that Black and his group were all part of that mess.
Snape returned to the Dark Lord who was waiting for word on what happened. They shared more firewhiskey as Snape regaled him with what happened that night. It was a sight to see, the two grown drunk men laughing at the plight of Wormtail.
Harry Potter was going home soon, and both men hoped they had caught the man in time for the boy to go to a better place. Even if it was Black's place.
Hphphp
Harry Potter was sitting on the train reading the newspaper for the hundredth time that day. It had come out that morning with the news that Sirius was free. Huge headlines that literally screamed the news.
Sirius Black Free At Last.
It followed with an article that said that they had captured Peter Pettigrew. Well, Snape, of all people, had. That he'd be tried soon and that he was responsible for everything that Sirius had been accused of. His Order of Merlin had been revoked, and he was now dishonored. It even mentioned that he was a rat animagus, so perhaps he would not be able to escape like Sirius had.
It was right there in black and white, even that Black was his godfather, and Harry was eating it up over and over again. Harry was happy, but he wondered how this affected him. Would Sirius take him in now? Would Dumbledore let him? Would Sirius care what the headmaster wanted? He sure hoped not.
He was surrounded by his friends. Ron, who was still being a git. Hermione, who had become reflective these last few days. Neville, who was shy as always. There was Ginny, who kept glancing at Harry like she was expecting something from him. And a little blonde girl named Luna, who was reading a magazine upside-down.
"I'm bored," Ron said, like he was expecting them to relieve his boredom.
"Go find someone to talk to then," Harry said, reading the paper some more, like the story might change if he didn't continue to read it. "I've got some thinking to do," he added, going over his plans for the summer. He wasn't going to stay with the Dursleys if Sirius was free, he just had to figure out how to get out of doing that.
"Why? It's not like Dumbledore is going to let you go anywhere," Ron said as if reading his mind, almost snidely.
"Why would the headmaster have any say where Harry stays?" Neville asked, not liking the implications of that sentence.
"Dumbledore is his magical guardian," Ron and Ginny said together like it was rehearsed.
"No, he's not. Black is," Luna said, not looking up from the Quibbler she was reading.
"How do you know that, Luna?" Hermione asked, not really liking the airy girl, but wanting to know the answer if it helped her friend, since she couldn't.
"It's in the paper," the blonde girl said, pointing to the Prophet that Harry was holding. "While they don't always tell the truth, in this they are correct." She turned the page of the magazine she was reading.
"Oh," Harry and Hermione said, hope in both their tones. Ron and Ginny shared a look and they both got up and left the compartment. Everyone sighed in relief.
"There is a lot of tension between you guys," Neville pointed out. "It wasn't there before," he added, looking at the other two of the former Golden Trio.
"I think I've been potioned," Hermione said, her brow scrunched in distaste. For her it was the only excuse of why she had been acting the way she had been. She had been extra careful in what she ate and drank these last few weeks, and she was feeling much different. She wasn't as inclined to argue with anyone.
"Me too," Harry said, his brow furrowed in anger. He too had been vigilant in what he ate. He made sure that others ate or drank before he did and that he didn't accept food from anyone's hand.
"Really?" Neville said, looking at them both. "I didn't notice anything strange," he said, looking at them again.
"It started from the beginning," Luna said, still reading her magazine. "That way no one would notice," she added, taking her wand from behind her ear and pointing it at the page she was reading and tapping it on a word there. "Oh phooey," she said, and put her wand back.
They didn't bother to ask what she had just done or why.
"That makes sense," Hermione said, tapping her chin in thought. "If it was from the start then everyone would just accept us as we were," she added, looking at the blonde in a new light.
"I think the Dark Lord got my potions," Harry said in a low tone. He waved them all to get closer, and they all did, bar Luna. "When he was reborn, he acted weird. He was almost nice. Well, to me. He was still mean to his minions," he said in a whisper.
"You mean You-Know-Who is back?" Neville asked, fear lacing his voice. He was not a brave boy in any way. At least in his own mind.
"Yeah, but he's acting all weird and stuff, so I didn't say anything. Well, I told Bones, but she said not to say anything. So, you two, and Luna, are the only ones to know," Harry said, looking at them in a manner that said it must be kept a secret.
"Why?" Hermione said, wanting to tell the headmaster right away. While she felt she had been potioned, the thought never crossed her mind that Dumbledore had done it. He was the highest figure of authority in her mind.
"She still investigating it," Harry said, looking hard at her. "If you tell Dumbledore, he could mess it all up," he stated, making sure she understood.
"Fine," she huffed, folding her arms, and sitting back in her seat. "I don't like it though," she added for good measure.
"Take it up with Bones. But if you tell anyone, I'll never trust you with a secret again," Harry swore, his eyes narrowing.
"I won't tell anyone," Neville said, putting his hand on Harry's shoulder, hoping to defuse the boy's anger.
Just then Ron and Ginny came back in, carrying some food from the food cart. They put it down on the table that was attached to the wall.
"Here, Harry, I saved this just for you," Ginny said, handing Harry a Chocolate Frog.
"I don't like Chocolate Frogs," Harry said, handing it to Neville. Who took it and started opening it, only for it to be snatched from his hand.
"If you don't want it, then we'll just save it for later," Ginny said lamely. She tucked it in her pocket and then grabbed some candy from the pile.
Harry took some as well since they couldn't have potioned them all. Hermione declined to eat anything. She didn't like candy. Her folks were dentist after all.
Even though the tension was back in the air, they tried to make the best of it, and talked about mundane things until the train pulled up into the station. They all grabbed their trunks and waited for the crowd to thin. They made their way off the train, Harry last. He wasn't in a hurry. That was until he saw who was waiting for him.