Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
After Hermione had fetched Crookshanks from her dormitory, she, Ron and Harry, followed Snape to Professor Dumbledore's office. A large group of people including Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall, Madam Bones, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Bill, Charlie, Wormtail and some others Harry didn't know were already there.
"Don't let that monster near me!" shrieked Wormtail as Crookshanks arched his back and hissed. "It's not my fault! I thought I was just a normal rat. I didn't know I was er well me. Rowling caught me by surprise"
"The potion please, Severus" said Dumbledore
Snape stepped forwards and handed Dumbledore a bottle of Veritaserum. Dumbledore tipped three drops down Wormtail's throat.
"What is your name?" he asked.
"Peter Pettigrew" replied Wormtail.
"Are you also known by the name Wormtail?" asked Dumbledore
"Yes"
"Why"
"It started when I became an Animagus…" began Wormtail.
"For how long have you been an Animagus?" asked a woman.
"Since chapter 17 of the third book" said Wormtail.
"No I meant in your life, not in the books"
"Surely anyone who has read these books knows that" said Professor McGonagall crossly.
"Yes, yes of course, Minerva" said Dumbledore a little absently. "I trust that you are all familiar with Mr Pettigrew's background?"
There was a general murmur of assent.
"Are there any further questions for Mr Pettigrew?" asked Dumbledore.
No one had any questions so Dumbledore continued to speak. "Well if that is the case I think we can safely proceed to…"
"One moment, Headmaster" interrupted Snape. "Perhaps there ought to be a bit more to this part of the story. Especially when you consider that this chapter is titled "Wormtail's Confession"
"Yes of course, Severus?" said Dumbledore.
Harry listened as Dumbledore, Madam Bones and Kingsley questioned Wormtail about becoming a spy for Voldemort. When Wormtail spoke about telling Voldemort where the Potters were hiding, Harry's fingers closed around his wand. Not for the first time in his life, Harry wished that he could perform the Cruciatus curse, or better still Avada Kedavra. He remembered what Wormtail's fellow Death Eater, Bellatrix Lestrange, had told him about the Unforgiveable curses. You have to really mean them. Well he meant it. What would happen if he pulled out his wand and said the words? Harry was seriously considering this when Madam Bones gave the order for Wormtail to be taken to the ministry.
"Do you realise what this means, Harry?" asked Dumbledore after Wormtail had been led away.
"It proves Sirius is – was innocent" said Harry.
"Yes I am sorry that it had to happen after his death" said Dumbledore "But in time you will see that Ms Rowling had her reasons behind it. You may go, Harry"
Harry, Ron and Hermione went down to the Great Hall discussing how far Fred and George had managed to fly their father's old car. When they reached the entrance hall, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were walking across it.
"I hear you've done your hero thing again this year, Potter" drawled Malfoy. "You won't always be so lucky. The Dark Lord will finish you off one day"
As Malfoy walked off Harry was tempted to aim a curse at the back of his head. He reached into his pocket for his wand but Malfoy had already disappeared through the door that led to the dungeons.
"This isn't mine" said Harry looking at the wand in his hand. "Must be Katie's. I'd better go and give it back"
Harry turned to go upstairs when a voice called out
"Potter"
"Shove off" snarled Harry he turned around and found himself face to face not with Malfoy, but with Theodore Nott. Harry started to apologise then he remembered that Nott's father was a Death Eater too. Instead he said, rather aggressively "What do you want?"
"Was my father there, in the forest?" asked Nott.
This was not what Harry had been expecting.
"I don't know" he said truthfully.
"Well I just wanted to know" said Nott starting to walk away.
"Wait a minute" called Harry "Why ask me. Why not Malfoy?"
"You were there he wasn't" said Nott reasonably. "And he'd probably just boast about how his father is a more devoted follower of He Who Must Not Be Named than mine"
Two things struck Harry about this statement. The first was that Nott had just admitted that his father was a Death Eater. The second was that Nott had referred to Voldemort as "He Who Must Not Be Named" not "The Dark Lord".
"How come you don't call Voldemort the Dark Lord?" asked Harry "It's what his Death Eaters call him"
"I'm not a Death Eater" said Nott firmly "I'm not my father"
Nott walked off in the direction of the Slytherin common room.
"What was that about?" asked Ron.
"That was just thrown in to create confusion" said Hermione.
Harry was certainly confused. Nott had just said he was not a Death Eater. Did that mean he was not a Death Eater yet? Or that he would never be one?
"Harry" said Hermione
"What?" he asked distractedly.
"Weren't you going to give Katie her wand?"
"Oh yeah" said Harry.
Harry, Ron and Hermione went up to the hospital wing. Harry was pleased to see that Katie was awake. She and Angelina were talking about Quidditch.
"How are you feeling, Katie?" asked Harry handing over her wand.
"Fine. But I'm bored. I don't know why Madam Pomfrey's making me stay here" said Katie.
"She might get a bit more time in the book" said Hermione "What about you, Angelina?"
"I'm fine" said Angelina "But I think I liked it better just being in the books for Quidditch or if Rowling needed a random person to say something. I don't think I'll be in the next one"
"I wouldn't bet on it" said Hermione.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Angelina suspiciously.
"Don't you know that heaps of Muggles are saying you and Fred will be going out by the end of the last book?" said Hermione.
"No. Why?"
"Well because you two went to the Yule Ball" said Hermione "And Fred threw his beaters club at Flint that time he tried to knock you off your broom"
"So what?" said Angelina "George elbowed Bole in the face when he hit Alicia. No one's saying that those two will end up together are they?"
"Actually they are" said Hermione. "Quite a few people have noticed that Fred and George retaliated when you and Alicia were attacked, but they didn't do anything when Montague attacked Katie"
"Malfoy's right" said Angelina shaking her head "Muggles are analysing the books too much"
There was a slight pause then Ron's stomach rumbled loudly, then Madam Pomfrey came over to insist that Katie needed to rest.
"I'm starving" said Ron leading the way downstairs to the Great Hall. As they reached the hall, Bill, Charlie, Ginny, Wood and Roger Davies were walking out of it.
"There you are, Ron" said Ginny "Charlie's about to go home. We're going to walk down to the gates with him"
"We'll come too" said Ron speaking for Harry and Hermione as well as himself.
Angelina decided to go home as well. They walked across the grounds discussing the match.
"I told you you'd turn out better than Charlie Weasley, didn't I, Harry" said Wood "So what's this about you wanting to be an Auror?"
Wood didn't give Harry a chance to answer. "Rowling's out of her mind" he said walking through the front gates.