A/N. Glad you all liked the bit of fluff last chapter! This chapter we're going to be getting a little dark again.

I tried changing my profile picture to a photo of my baby boy where a turkey hat I crocheted for him for Thanksgiving, but so far it hasn't worked. Hopefully by the time this is posted it will have been fixed.

…~oOo~…

Chapter Twelve: In Which the Rat Returns Home

It was a Saturday and like most Saturdays it was spent by bringing the students to the Burrow to enjoy some fresh air and help Molly around the house and in the garden. It also meant that Hermione got the chance to steal some time with Teddy. His fourth birthday was fast approaching and he was a bit of a menace – and Hermione was sure it had something to do with spending so much time with the twins.

Andromeda had gone back into hiding six months before. She wasn't blacklisted like the rest, but afraid of the rumors of Bellatrix still being alive and her little sister Narcissa's influence. She had good reason to be afraid. But once she started going out in public again, she felt the same eyes watching her as in France. Hermione wasn't sure whether to believe Andromeda, but that largely had to do with he just leaving Teddy behind whenever it suited her.

Out on the very edges of the Weasley's property, a few yards away from the limits of the Fidelius Charm, Hermione walked with Teddy alongside the creak. He was getting so heavy, but after he complained of being tired she hefted him up into her arms and felt a maternal pang in her chest as he started playing with her hair just as he always did.

"Have you been having fun with Molly?"

"Mhmm," he murmured. Then he took a deep breath and started, "'Red and George come to play and they give me toys and they make Molly mad and…" and he rambled off into that breathy little boy language that didn't always make any sense.

"'Mione?" he eventually said sleepily.

"Yes, darling?" Hermione said, rubbing his back, knowing it was heading towards his naptime.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Teddy," Hermione said, giving him a squeeze.

"'Mione?"

"Yes, love?"

"Ever'one's running, over there…" he said, not quite pronouncing his r's. But she turned to where he was pointing and saw that everyone closer to the house was running around frantically. There was definite panic and she heard the muted sounds of them calling out.

"Hold on tight, Teddy," she said as she ran across the property, through the bushes and around the haystacks to the yard. It wasn't easy with a little boy, but when Fred saw her and looked relieved she knew they'd been looking for her.

"What's wrong?" she asked urgently.

"Someone's crossed the Fidelius's limits," Fred reported, looking grave. "Someone without the clearance. We're getting everyone in the cellar."

…

"Come along, hurry now, quick like bunnies, loves," Molly was rambling, pushing everyone towards the emergency cellar. They'd dug it before they rebuilt the Burrow and hidden the hatch under a cupboard and a Disillusionment charm on top of it. All of the kids were being pushed down below it.

"Where's the Professor?" Chelsea whispered to Adam, pressed to a dusty corner of the unfinished cellar. The floor was dirt and it was chilly beneath the earth. There were almost twenty of them down there, all of them whispering. Neville was hushing them all while Luna held one of the scared first years who was crying.

Chelsea waded through the people to tug on Mr. Neville's sweater sleeve and whispered, "Where's the Professor?"

"Hermione will be down here soon, I'm sure," he replied, but his voice was shaky even to her ears.

She looked up at their flying instructor Krum sealed the hatch and said, "But… she can't be found."

"I know," Neville whispered, his face pale even in the dim light of glowing wands. "She's blacklisted."

"She'll be alright," Mr. Potter added, appearing behind Chelsea and resting a hand on her shoulder. "She always is."

…

Fred was shoving Hermione towards a closet in the upstairs. Teddy had already fallen asleep in her arms, the need for a nap winning over all the excitement. "The hatch has already been sealed," Fred said, "we wouldn't be able to open it then close it in time. Whoever's on the property is getting close."

"But I was close to the edge of the Charm," Hermione whispered. "I didn't see anyone."

"The circumference is huge," Fred told her. "They could have entered from another side. Now, just don't make a peep and ward the door the best you can." He nudged her gently into the small, dark space and closed it behind him.

In the darkness, Hermione felt around for the doorknob and the pointed her wand at it, casting every locking charm she knew. "Salvio Hexia," she whispered shakily, strengthening the wards she cast.

Leaning back against the wall, she closed her eyes and forced her breathing to steady itself, holding Teddy even tighter. She kissed his head and prayed that whoever had shown up wasn't dangerous. That this all was for nothing. She prayed that it was a misunderstanding and a rabbit had burrowed under the barrier and accidentally set it off.

But something told her that wasn't the case. She had a terrible sinking feeling that whoever had stepped through the Homenum Revelio was not their friends and not a rabbit.

…

"…business with the Senior Undersecretary, so if you don't mind –"

"No, you can't go in there!" Draco's secretary exclaimed indignantly, but his office door was already swinging open and in walked a weary-looking Weasley twin.

"I'll call security, sir," Draco's secretary told him.

"Don't worry about it, Rebecca," Draco said dismissively. "Give Mr. Weasley and I some privacy. Close the door on your way out."

With a sniff, Rebecca walked out, stamping her heels a bit and slammed the door behind her.

"What's going on?" Draco demanded, seeing the G stitched into the pocket of his polo.

"The Burrow," George said, his breathing heavy as if he'd been running. "Someone's broken the barrier. Someone without authorization. Is there a raid scheduled for today? Any Aurors sent out last minute?"

"No," Draco said, his heart pounding. "No one in the Ministry was sent to the Burrow, I would have sent word myself."

"Are you sure?" George stressed.

"Positive," Draco said shortly. "Every authorized raid is approved by me and then Snow. Nothing has come through for the Burrow."

"Authorized, you say," George said. "Could an Auror go rogue?"

"Even so, he wouldn't know how to get through the barrier, let alone the Fidelius," Draco told him. "It's someone we know or someone who knows the Burrow and its soft spots. In other words, no friend of ours. But it's only your mother and father there, right?"

"No," George said, his eyes wide with worry. "All the kids from the Academy were over for the afternoon. Teddy, too, since my Mum's been taking care of him." He paused. "How about the Death Eaters?"

"No raids," Draco said. "Unless someone's taken matters into their own hands, but the Dark Lord had a tight leash on all of us. He would know if anyone was acting outside his orders. But still… Follow me." Without grabbing his coat he marched out of his office, not even stopping as he said in passing to Rebecca, "Cancel my afternoon."

"But, sir –"

"Just do it, Rebecca!" he called over his shoulder as he stepped out of his personal offices and into the buzzing Ministry. George followed close by his side as they hastened towards the Floos. "We'll flew to my flat and then to the Burrow. The Floo network is monitored too closely these days," he murmured quietly to George.

And then it hit him, hard. Draco knew exactly who had gotten onto the Burrow property and it was someone he had hoped was dead.

…

It felt as if hours had passed with Hermione pressing her ear to the wall, listening for any kind of commotion. She had prevented anyone from hearing in the closet, but left her ability to hear out. So far there were only footsteps, running water from the kitchen sink, and not much else. No one had come to tell her anything, though, which left a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

When Teddy started waking up, she had hushed him gently.

"Why are we in here, 'Mione? It's dark," Teddy said quietly, obviously afraid.

"Don't worry, baby, we're just… playing hide and seek with Freddy and Georgie," she said. "But you must stay very silent, alright, love?" As brilliant as a Muffliato was, if the noise got too loud it only muffled the noise to a certain point.

"Okay, 'Mione," he said, resting his cheek on her collarbone.

"Go back to sleep, Teddy."

"Sing?" he said.

"Okay," she complied and began humming, hoping there would be news soon.

The silence was almost too much once Teddy fell asleep so she continued humming for her own sanity. Until, of course, through the wall, she heard Molly's scream and Arthur's shout. Hermione's entire body tensed. But then she heard the voices talking, not yelling, but Molly's voice was higher pitched than usual. She couldn't make out the words and couldn't identify the new voice, but needed to know if she had to get Teddy out of the house immediately or if it was all clear.

With a deep breath and with her wand ready, a hex already on her lips just in case, she opened the closet. The sounds downstairs became clearer. She now knew the visitor's voice was raspy and low and stammering, but his words were garbled and slurred as if he were drunk or new to the English language.

"…I told you, he is not here!" Molly said, her voice pitched so high Hermione thought only dogs should be able to hear her. "So leave now, before we bring you to the Ministry!"

So it wasn't a Ministry official, but instead someone the Ministry was looking for. Hermione crept slowly, careful of the floorboards she knew were lose, to the top of the stairs, stretching her neck to see down into the kitchen area.

Hermione could only see the back of the short, hunched over man. But his hair was long and greasy, a dull blonde matted with dirt. His robes were in pieces, patched poorly with different scraps of handkerchiefs and flannels. What gave Hermione pause was that his left arm was missing and the other…

His other hand, clutching a wand Hermione thought was familiar, was made of silver.

Stifling a gasp, Hermione's heart ricocheted.

Peter Pettigrew.

And Hermione almost screamed when a hand came from nowhere and covered her mouth. Her head whipped to see who it was and sighed in relief to see Draco, holding a finger to his mouth and motion for her to remain silent. George was right behind him, his wand drawn and ready.

"I know he's h-here!" Pettigrew snarled before letting loose a dry, wheezing cough. "I saw it in –" more coughing, "– the bitch in New Zealand's mind!"

New Zealand. That was where Andromeda was hiding.

"We haven't got a clue what you're on about," Fred said with conviction. "We mean it. Leave, Wormtail."

"Now, now, Fred," Arthur said, ever the calm one. "Peter, if maybe you told us who you were looking for, we could…help."

"The b-b-boy!" Pettigrew stuttered fiercely. "Lupin's boy!"

"I wasn't aware Lupin had a son," Arthur said calmly.

"Of course you know he had a son, he's been living under your roof!"

Draco pointed for Hermione to return to the closet, but she shook his head. He rolled his eyes and then leaned down to her ear and said quietly, "Then get Teddy out, now. There's an emergency Floo in the attic."

"He's one man, we can take him," George weighed in, his voice low.

"He is one man unhinged who murdered a dozen Muggles with a single curse," Draco hissed to George. "He is more dangerous than ever before. I will take care of him. Hermione, go. Take Teddy away."

"All of the children are in the cellar," Hermione said.

Behind their voices, downstairs in the kitchen, Pettigrew was rasping, "Don't lie to me, woman! The blood-traitor bitch had it in her head – this is where she left him! You tell me or I'll cut it out of your head too!"

"You have three wands on you, Pettigrew," Fred said strongly. "You wouldn't get the words out of your mouth before we blew you to bits."

Pettigrew's laugh was enough to make Hermione's bones shake. "I've done it before and I can do it again, taking care of all you… it would be easy." He hacked some more, seeming to choke on his own words.

Draco went past Hermione carefully, very light on his feet, and gave her a pointed look, gesturing for her to start towards the attic. George went behind him, knowing which steps to skip and not to hold the rickety railing.

But Draco didn't know not to rest his foot too heavily on the last step. It let out a loud creak and Hermione instinctively moved back, but she saw Pettigrew whip around to see Draco creeping towards the kitchen.

"You!" Pettigrew yelped.

"Expelliarmus!" Draco roared, Pettigrew's wand flying from his silver hand. Draco swept towards him, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and slamming him into the wall. He dug his wand into Pettigrew's throbbing throat.

Hermione ran to set Teddy down in Percy's old bedroom, putting the blanket around him. She warded his door but then ran down the stairs to see what was happening, ready to defend the staircase if need be.

"…want with him?" Draco growled, slamming Pettigrew into the wall once more, jarring him.

"The boy…" Pettigrew whimpered, giving a cough in Draco's face that Draco swiped away with the back of his hand disgustedly. "He's the key. The Prophecy…"

"The Prophecy was about Potter," Draco said, sounding furious but bored with the topic.

"Perhaps not…" Pettigrew wheezed. "His parents… Remus and… the Tonks girl… thrice defied the Dark Lord, did they not?"

Draco had nothing to say to that.

"Harry… Harry Potter did not vanquish him…" Pettigrew answered. "Perhaps… we were wrong all along…"

"That is because Potter lost," Draco spat. "The Prophecy could have ended one of two ways. And it did. With the Dark Lord's victory and Good's defeat. Your chasing shadows, Wormtail, and making a right fool of yourself by doing so. If you think kidnapping a boy who has nothing to do with him after years of running – even removing your arm to prevent being found through your Mark – will make our lord accept you into his good graces again, you are even more delusional than I could have imagined."

"Maybe," Pettigrew sniveled and sneered, "but I'm sure he'd be more forgiving if I delivered him a traitor." He spat on Draco and Draco barely winced, seeming to have expected it.

"I don't see how that will happen since you're unarmed and we've got you cornered," Draco seethed. "You aren't leaving this house alive, Pettigrew."

Shaking his head vehemently, Pettigrew stammered, "N-no, the Weasleys are good people! They wouldn't kill an unarmed man!"

"We can wipe his memory," Arthur said. "We can even bring him to the Ministry."

"No," Draco growled. "This rat lived under your roof for twelve years as your family pet and he was the one following Andromeda since the war's end. As long as he is alive, he will never give up." Pettigrew was wriggling, so Draco wrapped a hand around his neck and pinned him harder against the wall. Pettigrew's eyes bugged at being choked. "I will give you a quicker death than the Dark Lord would have, I can promise you that, at least."

"Death at my m-master's hands would be an honor," Pettigrew said, swallowing between words. He was shaking, twitching under Draco's hold and glare.

"Draco…" Hermione said slowly, tentatively.

"Hermione, stay out of this," Draco said coldly, his eyes never leaving Pettigrew's.

"Draco, he's obviously deranged and malnourished," Hermione reasoned. "I hate him as much as you, I'd love to see him dead, Merlin forgive me, but he isn't armed and it wouldn't be right. Mr. Weasley is right, we should erase his memories –"

"I said stay out of this!" Draco bellowed, tearing his eyes away from Pettigrew to look at Hermione.

Ever the opportunist, Pettigrew snatched Draco's wand hand with his silver one and attempted to rip the wand away. The struggle began, each having a grip on the wand, fighting against one another, Pettigrew throwing out curses that flung from the tip of the wand haphazardly and flew at the kitchen. With a clamber, pots fell from their rack and George ducked, narrowly missing a nasty one. Molly hit the floor and Arthur used a stool as a barrier, which promptly exploded into pieces when a hex hit it. He then threw a silvery shield to protect both him and his wife as the curses soared.

Pettigrew and Draco shoved each other around the room in their struggle, but when Draco saw the chance, he grabbed a large knife lying on a cutting board to thrust into Pettigrew's side. With a howl of pain, Pettigrew released the wand before being promptly forced to his knees by Draco.

"Any last words?" Draco said, grabbing him by the hair and holding his wand to the back of his skull.

"You won't be able to hide forever," Pettigrew said loudly, his voice shaking and his eyes blinking as tears welled up and spilt over. "The Dark Lord will find you all and when he does –"

And Pettigrew's threats died with him. The demented, tortured light in his eyes faded instantly as the green curse made contact with his skull. Draco had barely muttered the words, but it did the job. Peter Pettigrew slumped to the floor in a heavy heap.

The room was silent. They all stared at the corpse, none of them knowing what to say.

Until Draco finally spoke. "I'll take care of the body," was all he said, his voice and eyes oddly detached.

Hermione swallowed and said, "Draco –"

"Don't say it, Hermione. He needed to die. He would have chased us to the ends of the earth if he wasn't stopped." Draco dragged his forearm across his cheek where Pettigrew had spat on him. "I only did what the Dark Lord would have done much more cruelly. It was a mercy killing."

"That doesn't make executing him –"

"Right? Is that what you were going to say, that it doesn't make it right?" he filled in cuttingly, glaring at Hermione in a way that sliced through her. "Noble? Honorable? All of you Gryffindors may be above killing an unarmed man, but I'm not. I am no Gryffindor and I am not above anything if it means protecting you." His nostrils flaring as he shook with what was either crashing adrenaline or rage, Draco levitated Pettigrew's body towards the back door.

Moments later they all saw the fire through the window and smelt the meaty, acrid scent of burning flesh.

Rubbing away the moisture in her eyes, Hermione looked up at all the stunned faces around her. Fred, George, Molly, and Arthur all stared at her, aghast. They were shaken and unsure of how to proceed.

"Everything is safe now," Hermione said, forcing back sobs. "I'll go check on Teddy. We'll… let the children know everything and everyone is okay."

As Hermione dragged herself up the stairs and to Percy's room, she didn't know why she was crying. But she did fall down onto the mattress beside Teddy and hold him tightly while she let every single last tear run out.

…~oOo~…

~ So Long And Thanks For All The Fish ~