Chapter Five
The Riddle House
Where was she?
Darkness surrounded her and she could barely see a thing.
A chill passed through her but it was a weird chill.
Not the kind your body feels and reacts to, the kind that clenches your heart and colors everything around you gray.
The kind that just tells you this isn't a good place to be.
Where was she?
Suddenly all the gray around her became cleared, she slowly started to see shapes and surroundings, like her vision had just adjusted itself to the darkness around her.
What she saw made even more confused than she had been before.
She was in a corridor of a house. A very old house from the looks of the degraded wallpaper and the scratched damaged floors.
The shrieking shack briefly came to mind but it felt different, tragically different. Like loss, blood, horror, and fear had seeped deep into these walls.
No she was quite sure she wasn't in the shrieking shack.
Before her eyes stood an old man. He was leaning heavily on his cane and looked like he had seen a ghost.
The older man was huddled behind a door that was slightly ajar, a stripe of goldish light across his face. Very interested in what was happening in the next room.
The more she observed him the clearer it became he was a Muggle.
And suddenly, like someone had flipped a switch, sounds came through as well. The pleasant crackle of a fire first.
The fire was alit in the room where the goldish light came from. The moaning of the house came next, adding to the sounds. This was a very old and uncared for house, the joints were almost screaming in pain.
And finally, voices came through. The voices the old man was listening so carefully to.
"My Lord, if you are still hungry, the bottle isn't empty yet."
The voice sounded high and fear tinged through, as if saying the wrong words would have horrible consequences.
Something in her stirred, the voice sounded familiar.
"Later." A second voice sounded. This voice however chilled her to the bone. "Wormtail, I need you to put me closer to the fire."
Wormtail! So that means the second voice is…
The old man stirred. She could see he was leaning in closer to hear better, while the sound of a chair being dragged sounded.
"Where is Nagini?" The chilling voice asked.
"I… I don't know, My Lord. She… She's exploring the house, I think…" The first voice answered nervously.
"You milk her before we rest. The travel has tired me greatly, I'll need to feed through the night." The cold voice continued.
This confused her, not only her, the old man leaned even closer to the door, brows furrowed.
"My Lord, how long are we planning to stay here?"
"A week. Maybe longer. It's quite comfortable and we can't proceed with the plan until the Quidditch World Cup is over."
The words seemed to confuse the Muggle as he stuck a finger in his ear and turned. Clearly confused about the words used.
"The… the Quidditch World Cup, My Lord?" ask Wormtail. "Forgive me My Lord, but I do not follow. Why do we wait?"
"Because, you fool, this event has the whole Ministry of Magic is on high alert, obsessed with security, trying to keep the Muggles safe and clueless. We can't risk it."
She could see the Muggles knuckles turn white from holding on to his cane so tightly. This conversation must sound ludicrous to him.
"So, My Lord you are still set on the original plan." Wormtail said.
"Of course." A sliver of menace lined the cold voice this time and she realized he was losing his patience.
"It could be done without her My Lord, without Rose Potter." Wormtail said with a shivering voice.
If she hadn't known this was a very dangerous situation before, she definitively knew it now.
"Without Rose Potter?" the second voice now muttered. "I see…"
"My Lord, I'm not suggesting this for the wellbeing of the girl. It's just that it would be much quicker and safer to do. If I leave today I could find you someone suitable in less than two days."
"We could use someone else… that's true…"
"Yes." The first voice sounded relieved. "It would so much safer, the girl is too well protected."
"And you are suggesting you would get me a substitute? I wonder Wormtail, are you planning on abandoning me? Have I grown so tiresome to take care of?"
"My Lord! Of course not, I feel no desire to leave your side."
"Do not lie to me!" The sharpness in his voice cut through bones and she realized Wormtail will have to be careful for the rest of this conversation, or his life will be taken.
"I am no fool Wormtail. You are regretting the decision of returning to me. I revolt you, I can see it in your eyes each time you look at me."
"No! My devotion…"
"Your devotion is a joke, a last resort. You have nowhere to turn to and sought out me. How am I to survive without you, how will I feed, who'll milk Nagini?" Disgust dripped from the cold voice, who clearly wasn't happy with the whole situation either.
"But you seem so much stronger My Lord…"
"Liar! You know very well I wouldn't survive a few days alone. Silence!" The voice snapped when Wormtail was sputtering, and he fell silent.
When the second voice spoke up again it sounded more as a hiss than a whisper.
"I have my reasons to use the girl as I have explained multiple times and I will not discuss this again. I've waited thirteen years, a couple of months less or more will not make any difference."
The voice left no room for discussion and Wormtail could only stay silent and listen.
"My plan will be effective, even with all the protection around her. All I need is a little courage from you, or you will feel Lord Voldemorts wrath!"
"But My Lord, Bertha Jorkins's disappearance will not go unnoticed for much longer and if I kill…"
"If?" the second voice interrupted "IF? If you do as I command no one will be the wiser about one more death. One more and the way to Rose Potter is free. You will not have to do it alone, by that time my faithful servant will have joined our cause…"
"I am a faithful servant…" Wormtail whispered defeated.
The second voice scoffed.
"I need someone who's intelligent, someone who's loyalty has never wavered. And you don't fulfill either demand."
"I found you… I brought you Bertha Jorkins…" Wormtail said as if he was just called a bad boy and wanted to prove different.
"While that is true… it is also true you didn't know how useful she would be…" The second voice said amused.
"I did think she would be useful…"
"Liar!" The second voice said again this time the cruel amusement was that much clearer. "However, I can't deny that she was vital. Without her I couldn't have come up with our plan. That's why you will have a reward, Wormtail. I will give you an honor that any of my followers would kill for."
"R-really? What…?" Wormtail sounded fearful again.
"Ah, I won't spoil the surprise but you will be just as useful as Bertha Jorkins."
"Are… Are y-you going to k-kill me?" Wormtail asked with a very shaky voice.
"Now Wormtail why would I do that? I had to kill Bertha because she would have blabbed her mouth about us and that's something we want to avoid."
Her attention was drawn to the Muggle again. He had started shaking and sweating. She knew he couldn't understand half what was said, but what he could understand was about murders that had taken place and will come to pass.
His eyes seemed to be flitting between the door and the escape of the corridor, he looked indecisive about what he should do.
"One more murder… and my faithful servant will be at Hogwarts and Rose Potter will me mine."
"W-what will you do after…"
"We've gone over this Wormtail…"
"I mean the girl…"
"Concerned…?" the cold voice hissed in disgust.
"N-no My Lord.. just…"
"I haven't decided yet. Killing her would be the cleanest solution."
The old man shuddered. And to her, the room just got a lot colder.
"You have seen her Wormtail, could she be persuaded to join our cause?"
Wormtail seemed to have difficulty finding his voice again.
"I-I… I don't know."
Silence filled the room again. Suddenly a gasp erupted from Wormtail and a pained groan.
"Interesting…" The second voice muttered. "She is a lot like her lovely mother. I can see how she could be desired by men. Maybe I could keep her as a prize, or a way to create more loyalties."
Wormtail squirmed again.
"Thank you for lending me your mind, I will ponder this. After all we have time. Now be quiet! I can hear Nagini…"
Suddenly the corridor seemed to shift and she realized her angle was changing. She got lower to the ground and saw the old man's back now, slowly crawling closer.
She could see how the Muggle froze at the sound of her getting closer. He turned and his eyes widened in fear.
She passed him and entered the room engulfed with the goldish light from the fire. She saw Wormtail looking down at her with unease on his face.
"Nagini has interesting news, Wormtail."
"She does, My Lord?" Wormtail answered warily.
"Yes, she tells me there's a Muggle standing right at the door, listening in on our whole conversation."
She could see how Wormtail threw himself at the door and flung it wide open. The Muggle stood there with complete shock written over his face.
"Where are our manners, Wormtail, invite him inside."
Wormtail signaled the Muggle to come inside and she wanted to scream, yell at him to run but all she could do was watch as the Muggle limped into the room.
"So, you heard everything…?"
"I've heard enough to call the police. You've killed people and are planning killing more. I warn you, my wife knows I'm here and if I don't come back…"
"You have no wife. And you told nobody you were coming over. Do not lie! I see through all lies!"
The Muggle stuck out his chin in defiance.
"If you're going to kill me than at least face me as a man." The Muggle said.
The second voice made a pensive sound.
"Wormtail! Turn this chair around at once."
Wormtail whimpered.
"At once!"
Wormtail approached the chair and slowly turned it, scraping sounds filling the room.
Her view was solely on the muggle, she couldn't see the chair, but when Wormtail stopped turning the chair she knew it must be something horrible.
The Muggle turned completely white and let our a horrible, earsplitting, bone chilling scream.
A green light filled the room and he fell to the ground, unmistakably dead.
It filled her with horror and suddenly she got yanked away from the scene.
Miles away, in the burrow, Rose Potter woke with a shock.
So this is a new take on the original dream.
I hope you guy's liked it, let me know what you think :D
XXX D.
