Fragments of Us
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Warnings: None for this chapter
Chapter 65 – Exploration of Mysteries
The news of Peter Pettigrew's apparent involvement in the murder of Malodorous Spear came as a shock to the Order members. Despite their knowledge of his contribution to the resurgence of Voldemort the year before, no one was prepared for what appeared to be an expansion of Pettigrew's job description. As far as Severus Snape was concerned, it had long been suspected that he worked on the inside of Voldemort's operation on behalf of the Order. The news he shared about Pettigrew's status within that world only served to confirm those suspicions.
After Albus had presented the facts that Kate and Sirius had already heard, the discussion began, but the key players in recent events were the only contributors; the others merely listened as they digested the news. Remus, in particular, was anxious to work through all the variables and Kate knew he still felt partially responsible for Pettigrew's escape two years before. Sirius, on the other hand, knew exactly where the blame lay for Pettigrew's many transgressions and he was not inclined to let Remus take it away from him. Kate sighed. At times like these, it seemed that Sirius wore that guilt like a cloak.
"Albus, if Peter was responsible for Spear's death, we've established that it would not have been for any conflict that might have happened between them, is that correct?" Remus asked.
Albus turned to Snape. "Severus, please."
Snape nodded. "There was no conflict that occurred between them, as such; Pettigrew and Spear did not move within the same circles. Spear was definitely on the fringes. He served one specific purpose: to remove those who could implicate members of the Dark Lord's inner circle. He thrice served that purpose before he met his own sticky end."
"Let's think about this logically, then. If Spear was the Death Eater designated to keep Voldemort's finest out of prison, his value must have dropped significantly after he gave evidence to the MLE about Malfoy. If so, Voldemort would surely have realized that he needed to find someone to take care of Spear. " Remus reasoned.
"Very good, Lupin," Snape said. "Continue."
Sirius spoke for the first time since joining the meeting. "Voldemort could ill afford to have Spear remain alive. In addition to his potential knowledge of other activities within Voldemort's movement, he definitely knew the whereabouts of the Azkaban escapees. And, of course, Voldemort's ultimate reason for having him killed would have been to set an example for the rest of the entourage: betray me and meet a similar fate!"
"Black's partially correct. Generally, the Dark Lord prefers torturing the offender in front of the others," Snape commented, his voice dark. "However, Spear was not near enough at hand for such a lesson to be taught."
"It must have frustrated Voldemort to no end to have Spear so far away – and out of his control," Remus mused.
"Indeed," Snape confirmed. "It is no coincidence that Potter has continued to have visions of the Dark Lord – or that those visions have been increasingly volatile. The Dark Lord has felt Malfoy's stupidity very keenly these past weeks. While he didn't particularly care that Kate was tortured, he cared very much that Lucius was foolish enough to put his ego ahead of common sense and, as a result, was arrested, tried and convicted for it."
Sirius had looked back at Snape at the mention of Harry's name. "Voldemort is not yet aware of Harry's connection, is he?"
Snape shook his head. "He is not."
Sirius' shoulders relaxed slightly. "And Harry is still making no progress in his lessons with you?"
Snape's eyebrows rose. "On the contrary, Black, Potter has made some progress. He has recommitted himself to his nightly exercises and, while he is not consistent, he managed to block my entry to his mind on two occasions in the past week."
Sirius nodded once. "It is safe to assume he will continue to improve, then?"
"If the boy continues to apply himself, I have no reason to doubt that he will show additional progress," Snape replied.
"Severus, was Peter's position with Voldemort compromised by Spear's addition to the ranks?" Remus asked, bringing the conversation back to the matter at hand. "I know you said that they had no direct conflict with each other, but you did not rule out any perceived slight on Peter's part."
Snape shook his head and exhaled sharply. "The Dark Lord shows great favoritism when it suits him to do so. Typically, however, he restricts that activity to those within his inner circle. I suppose the rank and file has occasion to become aware of it."
Kate smiled at her friend. "So, Peter perceives that his stock value fell a bit when Spear took the Dark Mark and dropped further still when Spear became the "go-to Wizard" for two Ministry murders."
"And as paranoid as Peter has always been, he undoubtedly worked himself into quite a state when Spear orchestrated the mass Death Eater break-out," Remus picked up the thread of Kate's thought again. "Malfoy must have known of Peter's insecurities…"
"…But Malfoy was in Azkaban right up until his trial," Sirius interrupted. "It was likely more a matter of Pettigrew recognizing an opportunity to take out his perceived competition and return Voldemort's right-hand wizard to the fold."
Snape's eyes glittered as he listened to Sirius' response and his voice dripped with sarcasm. "Precisely. And, of course, he would earn Malfoy's undying gratitude in the bargain."
Sirius snorted. "Not bloody likely. Lucius would, however, have owed him a Wizard's Debt; a happy circumstance for the rat, but fucking tragic for Malfoy!"
"Indeed," Albus joined in. "Although Lucius would not be required to die for Pettigrew – necessarily – he would be placed in a position of service to him. Should Pettigrew ask Lucius to procure an item or perform a function for him, Lucius would not be in a position to refuse."
"But, Albus, what on earth could Malfoy do – or obtain – for Pettigrew from Azkaban?" Kate asked. "Acknowledging that Pettigrew is abysmally stupid; isn't a Wizard Debt rather pointless?"
"Not necessarily," Remus replied. "It would depend entirely on the nature of the debt – and the power of the Wizard involved in the repayment of it. It might happen, for example, that Peter might have need of some service that only Malfoy could arrange; a service that could be managed from the confines of Azkaban."
"Something that could further enhance his value to Voldemort," Kate chimed in, thoughtfully. "Severus, how proficient a Legilimens is Malfoy?"
Severus came as close to smiling as anyone present could remember seeing. "Superb. His gifts are second only to those of the Dark Lord, Albus and myself. Very good, Kate."
"The trick now will be figuring out exactly what Pettigrew will ask of Malfoy," Kate continued.
"Not entirely," Albus contradicted. "The more important task will be to establish for whom the task may be requested, the reason for whatever request he ultimately makes – and, if detrimental, to determine how we can prevent it happening."
"Or counteract the result if we can't prevent it," Remus said.
They were all silent for some time and then Kate spoke. "Look, we all know Voldemort's ultimate goal: domination of our world; the destruction of the Light and, to that end, of Harry. I think that Voldemort's proved to us time and again that every move he makes is done with that goal in mind. Therefore, I think we need to ask ourselves how Pettigrew can use Malfoy's Wizard Debt to help Voldemort achieve his goal. Once we've figured that out, we should be fairly well able to work on prevention or containment, whichever seems more likely."
The others quickly agreed. Remus began. "Let's focus on Harry for a moment. The current focus for Harry is the development of his proficiency in Occlumency. It would stand to reason that his most immediate risk would come through Voldemort's discovery of the apparent link he has to Harry's mind. His realization of that link would allow him to more directly influence Harry's thoughts and, as a result, his actions. Peter is obviously aware of Voldemort's goal; the question lies in how he might take advantage of Malfoy to help further that goal."
Sirius shifted in his chair. "Snape, the Pettigrew whom Remus and I knew in school relied heavily on the opinion and assistance of others to achieve his own personal goals. When we became Animagi to help Remus, Pettigrew required both James and me to accomplish the feat and his participation occurred solely because James and I were going to do it – with or without him. When it comes down to going along or being left out, Pettigrew would go along at any price." He paused and glanced at Remus. "I'm guessing that taking the Dark Mark was not something he thought of on his own. Do you know how that came about?"
Tonks piped up. "Blimey, Sirius, that's old news; what good will it do for us to re-hash that bit of history?"
Snape rose and walked to the hearth. He stood silently for a moment or two then turned to address Tonks. "I told you recently that you could not allow your intellect to be overrun by anything; Black's question – more precisely, the answer to it – is an excellent example of why that bit of advice is one which you should take seriously." As Tonks endeavored to hide her red cheeks, Severus turned to Sirius and continued.
"Pettigrew took the Dark Mark at the suggestion of Lucius Malfoy," he stated, and the room was silent as he spoke. "It was our 6th year, Lucius' 7th and Pettigrew had finally realized that he had been the official "tag along" of your group for the whole of your time at Hogwarts. Black, you never hesitated to point out Pettigrew's shortcomings – no matter how steeped in camaraderie you comments might have been. For awhile, Pettigrew simply suffered through it as he believed it was indicative of his role as part of your little group. It was Lupin, however, who pushed him over the edge."
Remus raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Me? Why, I was kind to Peter. I helped him with his assignments –"
Snape nodded. "Yes, Lupin. You were 'kind to him'; you did 'help him' – and he grew to hate it as it contributed to his own sense of failure – of not feeling quite good enough. When – well, when the incident occurred in our 5th year, he didn't know which camp to align himself with. Potter and Lupin had joined together in their anger toward you, Black. Peter had no idea which way to turn. You could be cruel when crossed – he'd experienced that first hand. On the other hand, both Potter and Lupin always took his side and he didn't want to compromise that. He began spending more time alone – first with Hufflepuffs who were impressed with his status as one of the infamous Marauders. As he listened to their praise, he began to believe it and soon became infatuated with himself in a way he'd never been before. When summer holidays came along, he went home and had several weeks to listen to his mother telling him how brilliant he was, how personable – and any other number of platitudes that Pettigrew was only too happy to believe. By the time he found himself back on the Hogwarts Express and discovered that you three were no closer to resolving your issues than you'd been in June, Malfoy needed to do little other than compliment the boy once or twice and the deed was done. Pettigrew was accepted for himself – he thought – and not simply as one of the biggest quartet of mischief makers the school had seen in recent memory."
Kate spoke up. "What possible motive could Lucius Malfoy have had to recruit a boy like Peter Pettigrew for Voldemort? Realistically, Malfoy is a nasty bit of baggage, but he is savvy enough to realize when someone has nothing remarkable to contribute to the cause."
"Ah, but the fact that he wasn't remarkable was precisely what caught Malfoy's attention, Kate. There were many egos at work within the Dark Lord's entourage and it made people difficult to manage. Malfoy knew this and thought that Peter was content to be a 'soldier' – as long as he was treated respectfully and not made to feel that people were obviously cleaning up after him," Snape replied.
"But he was wrong," Sirius interrupted, meeting Snape's eye. "Peter had an ego the size of a Quidditch pitch – probably still does, come to that. His new friends treated him well and didn't make him feel stupid or inferior. Malfoy brought him into the fold. Peter was content to pose as a loyal Ministry employee by day and Death Eater by night."
"And spending less and less time with his friends," Remus contributed, sadly watching Sirius' face change as his recollection of those times came back to him. Not happy memories at all, old friend, he thought. I'm sorry you're being forced to experience them yet again.
"When the Dark Lord heard of the Prophesy concerning young Potter, he became obsessed with locating the Potter family and eliminating the threat to his very existence," Snape continued. "Peter had his first tentative bout of 'cold feet' when the Dark Lord's ranting sessions began. I believe Pettigrew thought the Dark Lord – and his Death Eaters – were all about political power; that he would replace the Minister of Magic and, possibly, take Peter to all new heights once he had done so. I don't honestly believe Pettigrew ever thought he'd have blood on his hands. I think he expected that he'd participate in a bit of bullying, perhaps, but murder – never."
Sirius growled. "The feeling of the Dark Mark being burned into his flesh wasn't a broad enough hint for him?" No one answered, but Snape's face paled. It took him a moment to control his quick flash of anger and, once he had done so, his voice cut through the room once again.
"The Dark Lord knew of Pettigrew's connection to the Potters – advised of such, I'm sure, by the ever sycophantic Lucius. Pettigrew began to feel the discomfort that came with the Dark Lord's constant inquiry about the activities and movements of the Potter family. As you know, James was attacked once; James and Lily were involved in two additional skirmishes together – barely escaping serious injury or worse," Snape paused. "As you may have guessed by now, Pettigrew was responsible for setting them up for all of them."
Sirius now rose and began to pace the length of the room, arms folded across his chest. Kate looked at Remus in concern, but the werewolf shook his head and turned his attention back to the Potions Master.
"When the Fidelius charm was first mentioned, Pettigrew brought the news back to the Dark Lord as a bid to provide information no one else could supply. By then, I was fairly entrenched in the inner circle, as it was called, and the Dark Lord had grown frustrated with Pettigrew's ineptitude in delivering the Potters to him. Pettigrew suffered greatly at his hands once the Fidelius entered the picture. The Dark Lord was beside himself thinking that the charm would be cast before he had the chance to capture the Potters and destroy Harry." Snape paused and looked over at Sirius, who had come to a stop – finally – at the opposite end of the room. "One evening, Pettigrew delivered news that was beyond anything the Dark Lord could have hoped for: the Potters had made Pettigrew their Secret Keeper. Victory was at hand."
A muffled cry from the end of the room cut through the silence. Kate turned, but Sirius' back was to the room, his posture stiff, and his head down. She began to rise, but Remus reached over and put a hand on her arm. "Leave him," he whispered. "Do not call attention to his reaction in front of Snape. While Severus understands – better than Sirius would ever believe – Sirius would not handle the attention well."
Kate nodded and settled back in her chair. Severus continued.
"But then things went horribly wrong. The Potters were dead and Harry spirited away under cloak of darkness. The Dark Lord was so depleted, so nearly destroyed that he could not survive in any type of independent form and Pettigrew's paranoia that he was to be blamed for it all reached all new heights. As you are all aware, Pettigrew staged a convincing performance that convinced both Muggle and Wizard law enforcement that Black was a mad murderer. Pettigrew went to live in Animagus form with the Weasleys, and Black – well, we all know how the story ended there. Malfoy claimed to have been under the effects of the Imperious Curse and rejoined legitimate society – as did many of his fellows. Everyone assumed the Dark Lord was finished and scrambled to make the most of their lives. Now, in addition to eliminating a perceived competitor, Pettigrew undoubtedly sees this as an opportunity for redemption from that night long ago." Snape paused again, this time glancing at Albus before resuming his comments. "Albus and I both believe that Pettigrew approached the Dark Lord with an offer to eliminate Spear, explaining that the Auror possessed too much knowledge to be allowed to live. Further, Spear's death would eliminate his ability to testify against Malfoy before the Wizengamot."
"But Spear's testimony wasn't necessary to achieve Malfoy's conviction," Kate reasoned.
"True, but neither Malfoy nor the Dark Lord could have known that at the time," Snape replied. "Malfoy had previously supplied Acromantula venom to the Dark Lord for use in brewing certain potions. Do not ask me about Malfoy's source as I have never asked nor do I wish to know. I have long suspected that Lucius carries a variety of lethal substances in that cane of his. If I am correct, it would explain the source of the Acromantula venom used in Jarvis' potion."
"But is Jarvis an accomplished brewer?" Remus asked.
Snape shook his head. "No, but Narcissa Malfoy is extremely proficient in potions and often brews various items for her husband. She is the perfect choice as she cannot be compelled to testify against Lucius in any court."
"But Jarvis could do so, and I believe it's high time someone arrested him now that we know the contents of that vial," Kate spoke up, looking hard at Kingsley who was seated on the opposite side of the table.
"It would be interesting to see what he had to say," Albus agreed. "But he could not disclose any confidences about his client. He might be able to tell us that Narcissa brewed the potion, but neither he nor Narcissa could be forced to tie that venom back to Lucius."
"But if Malfoy and Jarvis could be shown to be complicit in a crime, the confidentiality requirement would be forfeit," Kate responded.
"But what would be gained from this?" Shacklebolt queried. "Let's play it out. If Malfoy and Jarvis were working together to poison Kate AND to give Pettigrew a means to kill Spear, we would imprison Jarvis. Malfoy's already in Azkaban, sentenced by Fudge. He's ineligible for parole; increasing his sentence gives us no benefit."
"Could Jarvis be Pettigrew's goal in engaging Malfoy in the Wizard's Debt?" Remus asked Snape. "Does Jarvis provide any type of benefit to him?"
Snape thought for a moment, head bowed. Suddenly, his head snapped up and he looked at Albus. "Jarvis' son has been living with his mother, Jarvis' former wife, in Bulgaria. He's been attending Durmstrang, but the mother is dying and the son is coming to live with his father. Malfoy mentioned that Jarvis might want to move the boy to Hogwarts rather than leaving him in Durmstrang with no family nearby. If Eduard Jarvis does, indeed, come to Hogwarts, he will have unfettered access to Harry. The Dark Lord is unaware of this, but Pettigrew knows because he was present when Lucius spoke with me, asking if I could assist in the transfer process. I told him it was not a matter I would ordinarily handle and, therefore, my involvement would be suspect. Malfoy dropped it; perhaps Pettigrew found the information useful."
Albus frowned. "If this is, indeed, true, and Pettigrew is planning to use young Jarvis to compromise Harry, we must consider all options before agreeing to any such transfer."
Sirius swiftly approached the table, galvanized by the revelations Snape had shared. "There is nothing to consider, Albus," he said firmly. "Harry's safety is paramount and we cannot permit anything to endanger him whilst he is at school. I would suggest that we arrest Jarvis, based on the evidence we have in hand. That should effectively end the senior Jarvis' ability to gain custody of the boy, as there would be no one here to act as his guardian. There is nothing the Order can gain from a 15-year-old boy whose father is incarcerated in Azkaban. I cannot permit Harry to be used as some sort of pawn to see what we can learn about Pettigrew's plan to become the most important Death Eater in Voldemort's circle. The risk is far too great."
Snape took a breath. "As much as it pains me to do so, Albus, I must agree with Black on this. We have nothing to be gained by transferring Jarvis' son here – and everything to lose. In reality, we have no proof that this is what Pettigrew intends. This is merely conjecture on our part."
Albus nodded. "It's true that we do not know for certain that using this child is what Pettigrew has in mind. If it is, denying him this opportunity may force him to consider alternative plans – ideally plans that require him to show himself – even to a limited audience. We may be able to clear your name without capturing him, Sirius, but it would require witnesses to Pettigrew's appearance – preferably those associated with the Ministry – to make our case truly strong. Obviously, luring Pettigrew out into the open would be preferable. Sirius, I agree that it is unnecessary to expose Harry to further danger." Sirius nodded and took his seat once again.
Albus turned again to the Potions Master. "Severus, once I deny the Jarvis boy's application, I will ask that you be alert to any reaction Pettigrew may have. If we were wrong, I would think you would see nothing. If, however, we have thwarted his plan, he should react rather strongly – and, I suspect, swiftly. He may petition you to intercede on his behalf. I will, of course, need to be aware of such a request. We will undoubtedly need to reconvene to determine our next step."
"Of course," Severus said.
That matter concluded, the meeting moved to updating surveillance rotations for the Totland "safe house", Malfoy Manor and, of course, the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry. When the schedules were finalized, Dumbledore called for attention once more.
"Harry, Ron and Hermione have organized a group of students to study practical Defense tactics – separate from Professor Umbridge's classes," he announced, the ghost of a smile playing around his mouth. Looking toward Remus, he added, "It seems that young Mr. Potter is the professor. He had a very solid role model for that position, I believe." Remus blushed at the praise and Tonks reached over and placed her hand over his.
"Is this wise, given the climate at the school?" Kate asked, concern evident in her voice and face.
Albus, too, sobered. "No, it is not. Harry does not know that anyone outside his circle of students is aware of this activity, however. Mr. Filch has seen the students lingering about the area where classes are held, but he has not, as yet, been able to access the actual room. Umbridge has him on guard duty, however, and I suspect that it is only a matter of time before her tolerance reaches its end and she escalates her investigation."
"I assume they are using the Room of Requirement," Remus interjected.
Albus nodded. "Indeed they are. As you know, while the Room of Requirement is difficult to access, it is not impermeable. If Umbridge discovers it, she could access it through somewhat unconventional methods. Once Harry's activities are uncovered, Umbridge will have the excuse she needs to oust me from the Headmaster's office and take over the position, herself. She has sought just such an opportunity almost from the beginning of her assignment at Hogwarts."
"If what you've described should occur, what would happen to …" Kate was interrupted as the Headmaster smiled kindly at her and continued.
"I've made provisions, I assure you, my dear. But, I may not be able to move about as freely as I can at the moment. Should I be required to … relocate myself for a bit, let's say, the Order would require an interim leader to ensure our activities keep moving forward on schedule. Is there any objection to Remus filling that role?" Albus' eyes swept over those assembled. When no one objected, he smiled. "Excellent! Remus, if I need to absent myself, the Order will be in your capable hands. "
"Excellent," Dumbledore said again. "That's settled, then. And now, unless anyone has anything else to discuss, I more to adjourn; I do not wish to be away from the school longer than absolutely necessary."
There was no comment and the group began to rise, gather their things and slowly make their way upstairs to the front door. As Remus closed the door behind the last Order member, he turned to Kate and Sirius and bade them a good night. "I've a good book and a pot of tea waiting for me," he said with a smile as he climbed the staircase to his room.
Kate followed Sirius into the parlor and watched as he walked over to the hearth and magically lit the fire.
"What's wrong?" Kate asked quietly when Sirius did not move from his spot. He remained silent, staring into the flames. "Sirius, please."
At that, he turned. "Do you remember when I asked you to promise me that if the time came that Harry needed me to fight with him; to protect him in battle, that you would stand by me in my decision to do so?"
Kate walked over to him, shaking her head. "No; I do remember a conversation in which I reluctantly said that I wouldn't stand in your way if you found a way to help Harry that didn't endanger yourself or him. Joining a public battle to fight shoulder to shoulder with our Godson doesn't sound like it meets that criteria, Sirius," she reasoned.
Sirius exhaled sharply. "I know, Kate. But when we had that conversation, that bastard rat hadn't shown his ugly head. I've already got James' and Lily's deaths on my conscience; I don't want their son's as well – particularly at the hand of the same wizard!" He paused and looked over at Kate.
"You know that I love you, " he said quietly. "and that I would do everything in my power never to hurt you again. You know this." At her nod, he continued. "I love Harry, as well. You know that, too. I do not want him hurt, but it's more than that, Katie. I'm his Godfather and, by virtue of that role, I am bound to protect him; bound to keep him safe. Things are heating up out there – and that means that Harry may be called upon to fight much sooner than any of us imagined. He is so young, Kate. He hasn't even really lived yet. He deserves the chance to be happy. If I can help him realize that chance, I have to do it, even if…"
"Even if you have to sacrifice yourself in the bargain," Kate finished. "I thought we were beyond this. I thought you finally understood. Nothing will distract Harry more quickly than losing you! Nothing! He will be reactive rather than proactive. He will seek revenge for you rather than focus on the main objective. If you pursue this idea of risking yourself – and something happens to you, there's a very good chance that you'll take Harry down with you. You know as well as I do that he will lose his focus – a moment will be all Voldemort needs – and Harry will be gone. And you will be able to add the burden of Harry's injury or death to your collection of self-inflicted offenses. And, of course, less importantly, you can add Remus – and me to the pile, as well. You think you're so expendable, do you? Well, you're not. Sirius, rest assured that I will do everything I can to make sure that you cannot do this. Come up with a way to protect Harry without this unnecessary risk and I will support you. Otherwise, you will be fighting me, as well as any number of Death Eaters!" Kate stopped, breathing heavily, watching Sirius' expression change from stubborn to surprise as he digested her words. "Think about this very carefully, Sirius. Lives truly do depend upon what you decide, so you'd best decide wisely. I'm going to bed. I've had enough for one evening. Good night."