Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to those with far great intelligence and attention spans then I. Harry Potter and all related material belongs to JK Rowling and Warner Brothers, etc. Only the original ideas or plot belong to me, and they're so enormously lackluster I'd probably be forced to pay someone to steal them.
Author's Notes: Finally! This chapter was slightly...hmmm...the beginning scene didn't want to come out right, and the end practically wrote itself...anyway, tell me what you think. I hope it's alright...please read and review, I love reading them!
Note: There is some very mild language and violence in this chapter, however, nothing above and beyond the extent of that which might be seen in the canon.
The Flight From Death
Chapter XII: Confusion
"P-please...I don't know where he is..."
"Crucio!"
Peter Pettigrew collapsed in pain once more, screaming as loudly as his lungs would permit without bursting from his chest as tears streamed down his face. It was a full minute before the curse was let up, and by this time Wormtail had abandoned any hope of rising to his feet—he began to wish for the first time in his life that he would die; anything would have been easier then this.
Don't tell him, you can't tell him. You can't betray James again! Stay quiet, don't look at him, don't tell him...
"Imperio."
Tell him, go on. Tell him where Harry is.
But James...
Tell him.
I can't...please, no...
TELL HIM!
"Canid Cottage."
No...
Peter blanched, horror flowing through his entire body. He had told Voldemort, he had sold out his best friend's son just as he had done to his best friend. This couldn't be happening, he had to do something!
"I have dealt with your insolence and sniveling weakness for long enough, Wormtail. Avada—!"
But with a small pop, Peter Pettigrew was gone, and Wormtail scuttled from the scene, squeaking incessantly as he darted away into the darkness, and was gone.
"FOOL! ACCIO RAT!"
Seconds later, a panic-stricken gray rat zoomed into the long, outstretched fingers of Voldemort.
"Avada Kedavra!"
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"Headmaster, the magical detectors are reporting high activity in a very strange place. It's labeled on the map as 'Canid Cottage', but I've never heard of—"
Emmeline Vance was pushed rudely out of the way as Alastor Moody commandeered her position in front of the magical detector, which was illuminated by thousands of tiny, glowing lights in an array of colors, the majority of which were green. Moody, however, did not spare a glance at the flickering green areas, his attention locked upon one of the few red areas upon the map. Written neatly above the light were two, miniscule red words which currently read: "Canid Cottage".
Moody swore violently.
"Vance! VANCE! Oh—for Merlin's sake, woman, what are you wasting time down there for? Never mind. Apparate to Canid Cottage immediately, he'll need back up!"
Thankfully, Vance did not bother commenting on Mad-Eye's lack of manners. Rising swiftly to her feet, she flew from the room.
Moody hobbled as quickly as his old legs (or what was left of them) would carry him for the fireplace. So jerky were his movements that as he reached for the small jar of Floo Powder beside the hearth, the container nearly bit his hand off in indignation. Ignoring this, he threw the handful into the fireplace and stepped into the flickering blue flames.
"Albus Dumbledore's office, Hogwarts!"
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"—And I hate rats, and if you come with me I promise I'll find you a nice big fat one to eat. He's got a bit of a deformation, though. I hope you don't mind silver paws. Are you a boy, then? Only, I've got a wonderful snowy white friend for you at Hogwarts. She can be a bit temperamental sometimes, but I'm sure you'll get on fine."
A large eagle owl hooted derisively down from the large branch he was seated on, before taking wing into the bleak night sky.
"I hate owls."
As though in response to his statement, there was a loud rustling in the distance as a large group of birds took off wildly into the air.
Harry had been conversing with the owl for the last quarter of an hour, and was not at all gratified by it's sudden decision to abandon him. A part of him did not really expect the undomesticated creature to submit willingly to his request, however even the company had been appreciated. But now, he was alone once more.
Night was beginning to fall—the appearance of owls was the only indication, for the thick range of trees would not allow Harry to see any further then the sky directly above him, aside from patches of light streaming down between overhanging branches. What was more, his stomach was beginning to protest the general lack of food, and nearly every other part of him had yet another complaint to voice. Prime on the list was thirst; it had been a very long time indeed since Harry had gone so long without water, and the heat of the Riddle inferno had only added to his discomfort.
At last, he had to sit down, panting and exhausted. He was no closer to finding his way to civilization then he had been three hours ago, and the situation was beginning to seem hopeless. If only he had magic....
It might have been dehydration. It could also have been fatigue, but the idea struck Harry as pure brilliance. After all, his wand was made of wood from a tree, wasn't it? Grasping one of the lower branches from his seated position, Harry pulled with all his might. In the end, it was not really necessary, for the branch was half-dead, and he nearly fell over backwards when it snapped readily off from the bark.
With a laugh of triumph, Harry raised the wand, thought of the look on old Voldie's face when he Harry once again survived his clutches, and shouted, "Expecto Patronum!"
Nothing.
The thought of the pearly white stag leading him out of the darkness began to fade in Harry's mind. Perhaps the spell was simply too advanced, perhaps he wasn't performing it correctly. Yes, that must be it.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The chipmunk refused to levitate, staring insolently at him.
"Sonorous! GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Harry bellowed, yet his voice was no louder then it normally was when he was venting off a bit of anger at an innocent bystander, though it did manage to frighten away the chipmunk.
"Sonorous! Sonorous, sonorous, sonorous! OW!"
After managing to poke himself in the eye with the stick, Harry gave up, and let sleep pull him down.
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"You!"
Peter let out a squeak of terror not unalike that of his Animagus form. One hand flew for his wand, but by the time he had turned around to face the enemy, Remus' wand was already pointed directly at his heart.
"Moony!" To say the least, Lupin was surprised to note that rather then the blind fear and cowardice he had expected, there was a definite tone of relief in Pettigrew's voice. But not for long.
"Moony, you've got to help me, I've—"
"Don't you remember, Peter? Moony isn't here. Moony doesn't like the sun." Remus' tone of voice was just as pleasant as always, yet there was a dangerous note to it that Peter had only heard once before, and on that occasion it had been directed at Sirius rather then himself.
"P-Please, we've got to—"
"But you're in luck, Peter! You'll get to see Moony after all! Won't that be wonderful? I'm sure he's dying to see the rat who framed his pack mate. Come now, haven't you been keeping track? Tonight's the full moon!"
Peter blanched.
"Remus...Remus no..." There was a desperate fear behind Wormtail's words now, however, Remus discarded it as simple cowardliness.
"Terribly sorry, Peter, but you'll have to take it up with Moony. There's only twenty seven minutes left until full moon...you're not in any hurry, surely?"
"Remus, listen to me! It's about Harry!"
Remus' expression of calm hatred changed instantly into blind fury, his features contorted into a wolf-like snarl that Pettigrew had never seen before on the face of his friend. Then again, it was a rare occasion that one found Remus Lupin so angry.
"About how you murdered Harry, you mean? Just like James! Isn't that right, old friend?"
"Please...this is all my fault..."
"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT!"
Peter's arms rose up to cover his face, cowering before the form of his ex-best friend. When he dared to glance up, he thought he could see a red gleam behind Remus' usually calm eyes. There wasn't much time.
"YOU KILLED THEM! ALL OF THEM, PETER! James, Lily, now Sirius! None of them would be dead if it weren't for you! We'd all still be here! WHAT HAPPENED TO LOYALTY? WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MARAUDERS?"
Remus' wand was now emitting a faint siren-like noise, and it did nothing to improve the werewolf's temper. With a strangled noise, Lupin began to pace across the floor of the cottage, fuming.
All desperation left Peter at that instant, and for the first time in over sixteen years the rat looked at his friend.
There was far too much gray in the man's hair to be ordinary, yet stress and lycanthropy could do that to a person, as Pettigrew had learned. Shadows under the werewolf's eyes had grown so noticeable that Peter took serious doubt as to whether or not Remus had slept properly since the summer began, and what had once been second-hand Hogwarts robes when they had been in school, were now tattered and patched work robes, slightly frayed at the sleeves, and looking as though they should have been discarded years ago.
An overwhelming sense of guilt filled the pit of the Animagus' stomach like ice, and he knew in the back of his mind that he was to blame for this, Remus would not have had to live like this if only the Marauders had remained together....
Before he knew what he was doing, Peter was on his feet and moving toward the raging figure of Remus Lupin, almost as though the previous fifteen years had never happened.
"I...I heard about Sirius, Remus. I'm sorry..."
WHAM!
Pettigrew was thrown from his feet, slamming against the far wall of the cottage with a force that caused the entire building to shake on its foundations, and Remus rubbed the knuckles on his right hand, a thoroughly satisfied expression upon his face as he looked down at the rat of a man staring back at him in shock, a clearly broken nose spouting with blood.
Kill him....abandoned pack mate...make him suffer...make him bleed....
Instinctively, Remus threw a frantic glance through the open door, examining the positions of the shadows on the ground.
Not yet....go away....not yet....
"P-Please...H-Harry's out...out there...."
Pettigrew's words completely interrupted Lupin's chain of thought, and an almost desperate hope rose up in him.
"What are you talking about, Peter? Harry's...he's dead, you killed him."
"Didn't...alive...Voldemort...."
Pettigrew's eyelids began to droop, and Remus cursed his temper. Now was not the time for the rat to pass out on him!
"Get up, Peter! Peter—get up! Ennervate!"
Wormtail's eyes shot open, and with a loud yelp he began to speak in a frenzy.
"Don't kill me! Please! Wait!"
Remus did not lower his wand, his voice escaping in a threatening growl.
"What have you done to him, Peter?"
"He was going to kill him! Saved him! Voldemort knows we're here! We've got to—"
And time stood still as three things happened at once. Four simultaneous cracks split through the air outside the open door of the cabin, and Remus' entire body quaked as a very loud groan split through the air on the inside, and a full moon broke through the tree cover to illuminate the scene playing out below.
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Author's Notes: I'm going to get flamed for ending on that note, I can see it now. Next chapter will be up very soon, as it's already half-way through. Thanks so much for the supportive reviews, I really appreciate it!