Hey everyone,
So this chapter is – I will admit – not one I am actually looking forward to. To be honest, ever since I first read OotP, I have been pretty much Anti-Ministry ever since, bar Amelia Bones, Tonks, Kingsley and Arthur Weasley. I'm sure there are also others in there that are okay, I just don't know them.
Also, don't expect a lot of action in the whole Pettigrew thing as I have plans for the bastard and they mean that he will have to throw off his hunters, which he will definitely do. And finally, the Fudge thing – heh, I will be honest and think I will just skip that part and keep it to Pettigrew, Skeeter and Xeno, though maybe not.
Happy new year,

Venquine1990


Chapter 23
The Ministry, A Busier Night

2nd of November 1993
Blackpool, England
Pettigrew's POV

"I finally got that blasted brat to drop his freak powers over me and yet I still have those blasted traitors to magic chasing me. I just – I need to get to the harbor. If I can get to the harbor I will be safe. I still – I – those brats are dead. Kidnapped or not, present versions or future, they are just dead, plain and simple."
Goes through my mind, my magic making sure I can keep going even with those bastards following me and while I have tried losing them several times now by either transforming into my rat form, going into thick crowds or doing both, do the four bastards keep getting a step ahead of me, following me just nonstop.
They silently apparate to the other side of busy crowds, use fake ID's to get crowds they can't apparate through and constantly cast stinging charms my way whenever I tried transforming, breaking my focus and keeping me from taking the form I felt would help me keep away from them much easier.

Yet it seems that by now the hard-headed, prideful idiot is in charge of the rest and if there is one kind of fool I can easily handle it's the kind that thinks themselves above others for whatever reason and so I had simply smirked victorious at the bastard and had then made a running dash for the harbor of Blackpool.
"Don't worry, chief. I'll catch that bastard before he tries to drown himself. Just watch me." The man shouts and I snicker under my breath as I think: "If only you knew, you simple-minded fool." And while using skills I often hid from my so-called friends during our years as a teen, do I manage to keep evading him.

Then the harbor gets in sight and the bastard behind me shouts: "You won't go out easily like that, Pettigrew! You will get your rightful justice like every other citizen of our country! Now hold still!" But I only ignore his stupid rambling and make a running jump straight off of one of the largest marble dock stations.
This actually makes the Hit-Wizards behind me gasp and I smirk at this as that is exactly what I had hoped for and while they seem shocked that I did indeed try to take my own life do I use this chance to finally transform into my rat form and as I do this, does my trajectory change ever so slightly, which is according to plan.
And with that, without any of the idiots that have been annoying me for the last four hours knowing it, do I dive my rat form into a very small sewage pipe that is filled with dirt and grime that a Black Market company secretly dumbs into the port waters, the pipe even dirtier than the last time I hid here.

Yet I ignore the grime and dirt – as well as my rat's instincts to actually sample the disgusting stuff – and think: "They'll be breaking my MMB soon enough. Just a shame that they don't know how badly that will hurt them as well. Oh well, best get myself a few new recruits and allies before I join that Half-blood idiot."
And with that do I scurry down the sewage pipe, sticking my nose down other pipes that connect to it from time to time and feeling very, very happy that I enchanted myself years ago to detect large amounts of magic through my sensitive nose buds and whiskers and this allows me to travel far, far away from Blackpool.

"And of course those idiots will think I actually died this time, so the chance that they will continue their hunt for me is as little as last time. Still, it probably wouldn't do to try and gather some Pureblood lackeys. But where else can I find someone as opinionated and selfish as –." And instantly the answer hits me.
I start squeaking in laughter and think: "Those idiots that kept those brats will naturally be arrested for conspiring with me. But while those magical fools focus on their little targets – mine will probably be at home, hating her former sister. I guess it's time I bring her some good news." And with that I scurry on.

The Ministry for Magic
Ministerial Holding Cell
Rita Skeeter's POV

"This cannot be happening. I am Rita Skeeter. There is no way any of these selfish fools will keep me for long if they know what's good for their reputations." Goes through my head as my hands play with the slightly loose hanging cuffs that that bleeding woman Bones put around my wrists upon my arrest earlier.
"That Bones woman. No matter how badly I ruin her reputation, she just won't leave me alone. Can't she see I am only doing the wizarding community a favor? That I am the voice that our British community wants to hear? Why is she so against me doing what every citizen in our country wants me to do?
I managed to make sure that people forgot about manners, limits and protocol when it came to the Potter brat and his stupid fame, got my name thanks to him and now he thinks he can stop me? When I have held the title of Finest Reporter on English Soil for the last half a decade? He will have to learn his place."

Yet then I get distracted by the sound of my shackles ringing, which is something they have been doing several times now even when they are not loose enough for me not to lose my hand in my effort to get them loose or for their Animagus Blocking efforts to be any less than if they were tightly wrapped around my wrists.
This makes me, again, glare at the offending things only for that blasted voice to sound and ask: "Finally trying to glare at your own reflection, are you? Good to know." And I instantly turn my glare at the offending woman as I say: "You know exactly who I am and what I can do, Amelia Bones, so –."
But the woman keeps her stern, uncaring gaze at me and I stop threatening to put my power behind my glare, yet the woman retorts: "Even Fudge can't threaten me out of my job and even Crabbe Senior has a better I'm angry glare, so quit trying, Skeeter. It never fazed me before and it still doesn't now."

"I can make you lose everything you ever loved!" I snarl at her, but she rolls her eyes as she says: "No, you can't, cause then I would be able to arrest you for murder. The most you can do is make my job a little harder and I get that plenty of times from people – with much higher positions in power than you'll ever have."
And this absolutely infuriates me as the woman – like she has done several times before during our talk – turns back to the file in her hand, yet I already know what is in there as I use my Animagus form plenty of times to keep incriminating stuff out of it and so I confidently snarl: "You've got nothing on me!"
"You're an Illegal Animagus caught in the act in front of the Minister for Magic – and the one woman even you can't break." This makes me glare at her and then she says: "I will be honest and admit that your little contribution to Potter's fame has made my life a bit hard these last few years and that I tried reversing that –."
"And you always failed!" I spat at her and she smirks as she says: "Because I always had the wrong alliances backing me up. But this time, Rita, I have something that you tried – tried, but failed – to break." And simply because I don't believe that there is anything that I didn't manage to break, do I smirk and ask:

"And what would that be, Amelia?" And I add Dolores Umbridge's levels of sweetness to my voice to prove her how low I think of her, but the woman keeps up her self-assured smirk and then says: "The Potter alliance." And instantly I feel as I am in my bug form and get caught by a tarantula or something.
The woman then turns away and says: "The fame their alliance has may also be a figment created by the MMB, but whether or not this is true – I doubt either James Potter or Sirius Black will appreciate your – contributions – to the fame of one of their kids. Have fun intimidating that, little Scuttle bug."
And while the woman leaves the holding cell and me behind and while I know I should be shouting profanities at the blasted woman for actually pulling the rug from underneath my feet, so to speak, do I just feel like the tarantula has me in its web and is just waiting for me to completely cover myself in its web.
Yet then I think back to all the ways I manipulated the Boy-Who-Lived fame and turned the love for this title into an utter madness and whiten even more as I can only think: "Oh no, I already did it. I already completely encased myself. My biggest achievement will lead the spider right to me." And this makes me feel like crying.

Amelia's POV

"How are things here, Cornelius?" I ask as I return from my quick little trip to Skeeter, just wanting to see if she is ready to fess up on her crimes and the man says: "I got the contract between Hagrid and Hogwarts set up, I got the committee informed that the case is off and I got a meeting with Barty for tomorrow."
This makes me smile brightly and then the man sighs and says: "And yet, I just heard something that makes me feel very conflicted." This worries me and the man says: "The Hit-wizards came here just when you left for Skeeter. They brought news on the Pettigrew case, but – I'm not sure I should believe it."

"Because of the MMB?" I ask, but the man shakes his head and says: "Apparently he tried killing himself and your Wizards think he actually did it this time. But seeing what we know of all those years ago and seeing what we discovered about Pettigrew trying – or planning to try – during that one Quidditch match –."
Here I nod and the man sighs as he says: "I know they're your responsibility, Amelia, but I ordered them to gather a small team that can work round the clock and switch places with each other at a moment's notice and to just scour and scan the entire country on – if nothing else – a daily basis. Hope you agree?"
At this I nod and say: "This is a man that changed all of our memories, that kidnapped several in a way we thought them dead, that separated several families and that made us all believe he was dead for over a decade. I don't want just a small team, Cornelius, I will be giving special new Orders to all my teams.
Each of them will, starting tonight and lasting until he has been caught, sacrificing one of their free hours a day to search this bastard and will go over this task whenever they have recovered from their last bout. We can not let this monster run free, Cornelius." The man nods at me and then it happens.

"Minister, something amazing has happened. A new prophesy has been made and apparently it was made by a Sensation Seer and then repeated by an Elemental Seer." An Unspeakable tells us as he barges into the office and instantly Cornelius and I share a shocked glance as we share a single thought: "That's Irma."
And while Cornelius had looked as if he would be better off going to bed when I came in, does he now look as if he just woke from a power nap as he stands up and firmly says: "Lead us to it." And probably because I too showed signs of knowing who he means, does the Unspeakable not object but nod in acceptance.
We then start walking from the office to the Department of Mysteries and the Unspeakable says: "We know for a fact that the whole thing will be widely known quite soon as we have already deduced that all of the Hogwarts staff have heard it along with a couple of girls that are apparently nearing their off age status."

I nod in gratitude for this information freely given and then we enter the Department itself, the Unspeakable guiding us from the huge circular room into a huge room with archway fashion of style and furniture with incredible ease and a whispered set of words that the Department's magic makes me deaf to hearing.
Yet I care nothing for this as I think: "Sybill Trelawney creating a prophesy on a day that leads to the same kind of scenario as what took place so long ago and almost ensured us all apparently several years of suffering and I whisper: "This is not a coincidence." And Cornelius nods his head in agreement as we reach the aisle.
"Here it is, Madam Bones, Minister. I could try and take it out of the shelf, but even our spells only work against the intricate magic of the bolls. The most I can do is allow you to hear it, though I would suggest you listen to the repeat of the girl; it's easier on the ears." At which we both nod as he enchants the ball to speak:

Years of Darkness, Years of Light
With Friends Returned, the Future of kids will be Bright
Scarred by Death, weighted down by Fame
Many of them suffer under the wrong Family Name

Yet while Power and Mind Fight for the Title of Dark One
The title Dark Lord belongs to the Mind alone
And while the Shadows Evolve to Death
Mind will be the first to draw his last breath

With friends by his side, Death will bring Light
With family behind him, he will show his true Might
And once Power has come and gone
All levels of the child's life will truly be One.

And this is enough to make shivers run down my spine and Cornelius whispers: "All levels of a child's life? Sounds more like all levels of fear and terror." And while I normally wish that the man would grow a backbone, do I now just lie a hand in comfort on his shoulder and say: "The stronger the child, the better our chances.
And with two versions of his former gang as well as his growing group of friends and his new family, he will definitely grow strong enough to make the light ending of this prophesy come true." And Cornelius nod before he says: "We have much to do. Please see if you can send a written version of that prophesy to my office."
The Unspeakable nods and we both turn around, Cornelius' entire stance proving that he wants to do what is right, but is also scared of what he just heard and while I won't deny that the Prophesy scares me as well, do I say: "Shadow isn't the only one with a large group of Support, Minister." And the man smiles at me in relief.


Hey everyone,
And that is the end of that chapter. Yes, Cornelius will be making a few mistakes from here on out as his fear for the prophesy and its darker parts will get the better of him, but because most of those acts will take place in the Great Hall, he will have plenty of people who will also make sure he fixes the mistakes he wants to make.
Also, I think we can all guess who Pettigrew is going after. My question to you; what do you think of this person becoming a main antagonist? I know she more or less tried to redeem herself in a deleted scene in Deathly Hallow's Part 01, yet I never felt as if that "apology" was worth anymore than Pettigrew's whiskers.
Happy new year,

Venquine1990