Hi all! Thank you to all my reviewers; replies to them are listed after the story! I'm sorry that this chappie isn't as long as my previous ones but it is minor comparison to the ones coming! This chapter begins the excitement (evil laugh as I flex my fingers, preparing to type). Since this chapter wasn't delayed, my next one gets the possibility of being so, since finals are in a week and looming nearer and nearer (I flee, screaming my brains out). Yes, I know you all are gonna kill me for that comment once you finish this chapter. Anyhoo, enough chatting, more reading, peoples! And please review when finished!
Disclaimer: I…I…I don't own Harry Potter! And if I said otherwise, these people would clobber me! (gestures to policemen gazing menacingly at her from in the distance) So don't sue!
It Ends Now
Part 17: "Wormtail"
One month passed by uneventfully, aside from the snow's arrival, marking the official beginning of winter. Harry's prediction had come true; it was a frigid winter. The windows of the castle frosted over and to see through the ice fog, one had to breath warm air on it first, then rub. Teachers had allowed people to wear their cloaks in the hallways and classrooms, as the chill was unbearable if one wasn't bundled up to the maximum. Care of Magical Creatures had been postponed, as was Quidditch and Herbology (much to Neville's horror), leaving only indoor classes. Any outdoor activity or class was simply undoable. It was a near-blizzard outside and children would have gotten lost along the way, or frozen to death if venturing out.
Harry sighed, staring wistfully out the window during Charms. It wasn't that Professor Flitwick was boring- he had enough gusto alright- but that Harry had already learned their current lesson, an advanced Accio charm where the caster summoned much larger objects. Ron and even Hermione had the same glazed look in their eyes- this was old tricks for them too. Harry vaguely wondered how much more of this sheer boredom he could take before he cracked, but gratiously God had mercy on them for the bell rang not a minute later. Now to survive a double Potions... Hell on earth...
oOo
Voldemort strummed his fingers impatiently, and his followers surrounding him were almost cowering in fear. Tom Riddle was pissed, and everyone knew not to get in the way of the man at this moment in time. Doing so meant death by slow torture.
"Where is the rat!" he barked to Bellatrix Lestrange, who stood on his right side beside his serpent encrusted throne. The jewels and ancient, Dark Magic writings scrowled in a lost language glittered off it.
"He said he was coming, Master, but knowing him the rodent has dawdled along the way or is too fearful to show his ugly face in cowardess," Bellatrix sneered, yet she said this in a slightly sing-song voice that someone would question her sanity with. There was a mad gleam in her eyes; an excited one. She knew Wormtail would face punishment for being tardy. It was delightfully pleasureful to watch someone at the end of Voldemort's wrath. She licked her lips in anticipation and Voldemort said icily,
"He is testing his lord's patience. It is wearing thin. The rat said he had a plan and then fails to show? What is this impudence?"
The Dark Lord dug his sharp fingers into the armrests on the throne, thinking up deliciously evil ways of torture for this insolence.
But before any prominent ideas came to mind, the twin doors banged open and Wormtail rushed in, panting. He threw himself at Voldemort's feet and began kissing the hem of the man's robes.
"My lord, forgive my untimeliness; I was merely going over my plan!" Wormtail whined with an edge of begging in his voice. Inwardly, Bellatrix scoffed. Right, Wormtail. I'll bet you were sweating your little arse off outside this room, too nervous to come face our honorable lord...
"I have found a way to get into Hogwarts!"
This comment froze all Death Eaters. Murmurs broke out until Voldemort called out for silence, visibly intrigued. All thought of punishment was momentarily pushed out of his mind as he sat up higher.
"Explain yourself. What is this 'way'? Is it fool-proof? Will the muggle-loving old coot find out?"
So many questions from Voldemort was always a good sign when it came to new plans. Not many meant the Dark Lord thought it impossible or stupid.
"There is a passage, my lord, a passage into Hogwarts from Honeydukes..."
As Wormtail explained, a sick smile lit up Voldemort's features.
'At last you shall be mine, Harry Potter.'
oOo
An hour later, a plan was devised and Wormtail was in his Animagus rat form, scuttling unnoticed through the halls and corridors of familar old Hogwarts, making no noise as his paws lightly touched the ground. How easy it had been getting into the passageway; the fool Dumbledore didn't even know of its existence for the old man hadn't even sealed it off like the others! Undoubtedly, Harry and his friends hadn't told either, for fear they would never be able to sneak off into Hogsmeade again. That blunder would soon be their downfall.
'Like father, like son', Wormtail thought, and even as he did a pang of guilt rushed through him. James had always been nothing but good to him, and what had Wormtail done to repay that friendship? Get him killed! Betray him, his wife, and son to the enemy and seal their fate with that one act. And even despite this, Harry had saved him from being killed by his two 'best' friends in replacement for Azkaban, which was more than he deserved. And now look what he was about to do!
But it wasn't as if he had had a choice, Wormtail tried to tell himself earnestly. After all, if he hadn't joined Voldemort when he did, the Dark Lord would have found a way to recruit him anyways. Voldemort was very manipulative and decieving; he cut right to the heart and before Wormtail even acknowledged it, he was a Death Eater. It had all happened so fast, and a little voice inside Wormtail told himself that he wished he could go back and change this mistake.
The rat sighed. Was he really doing the right thing? 'No,' the little voice replied. But Voldemort would kill him if he didn't, and somehow, the Dark Lord made everything he did acceptable with an excuse that always seemed plausible; that somehow made the situation right. Even if something told Wormtail it wasn't. Like this thing he was about to do now.
Wormtail pushed aside these disconscerting and rebellious thoughts to the back of his mind, trying to focus only on the fact that if he screwed this up, his life would surely be over within a fortnight. And with that thought and ignoring the good side of his conscience, Wormtail squeezed through the Portrait hole opening unseen as an ignorant and unknowing first year girl entered.
Stage 1, accomplished.
oOo
Harry groaned, quill in hand as he rubbed his eyes. The parchment laid out in front of him was completely blank but for one line: 'The properties of bezoar and wormroot are crucial in saving a person on the brink of death because-' And that was where it stopped. Harry, for the life of him, couldn't recall what bezoar and wormroot did when put together. He was a lousy Potions student, plain and simple. He tapped his pen impatiently on the desk as he tried to remember, only stopping when Hermione threw him a dirty look. A small noise caught his attention and he looked around from whence it came, but saw nothing in the direction he had heard it. Odd.
Harry turned back around to face his paper and sighed as still no information came to him regarding the two Potions ingredients. Darn Snape and his stupid, pointless essays! Sneaking a look on either side of him, Harry saw that Ron was having the same dismal luck as him, but maybe even worse so. He hadn't written one single word and was staring blissfully into space. Harry doubted even one formulated thought drifted within his mind at the moment.
Hermione, on the other hand, had written over 2 feet within the space of only about five minutes, a miraculous feat, and she was still scribbling feverishly as the ideas came faster and faster. Her tongue stuck slightly out of the brainy girl's mouth, once in a while giving it a slight chew as she paused momentarily for thought.
Harry stood up and pushed back his chair, which made a scraping noise as it did so. Ron and Hermione looked up at him questioningly.
"I'm going to go get my Potions book. I left it in the dorm. I'll be right back," he explained, turning and making his way to the boys' staircase.
"Mm-kay," Ron noncommitally responded, returning to LaLa Land with a silly look on his face. Harry heard Hermione click her tongue as if she thought it sinful he didn't have it in the first place.
Harry pushed open the doorway to the dorm and entered the deserted room, closing the door behind him. It shut with a menacing, foreboding click. An odd feeling hung over Harry, as if he were being watched, but the boy dismissed it as paranoia.
Harry walked over to his trunk and lurched it open, rummaging through all his possessions in search of the Potions book. Its location evaded him at the moment. Had he left it in the dungeons? God, he hoped not! Snape would be in a foul mood probably and he sure as hell wouldn't let Harry scower the dungeons. In fact, the man would probably not let the boy in just to spite him!
"C'mon...where's...stupid book..."
"Looking for this, Harry?" a raspy, squeaking, familar voice spoke from behind Harry, setting the boy's hairs on end. Harry stiffened. He knew that dreaded voice. Pivoting slowly on the spot, Harry came face-to-face with his parent's betrayer. The rodent face was twisted into a sallow smile as he held up Harry's lost Potions book.
"Wormtail," Harry spat. "How'd you-"
But Harry was cut off by the rat lunging at him, fat fingers closing in on the boy's neck and squeezing away his respiratory usage. The impact knocked the two back and into the nightstand, and Harry's head connected with the corner. The lamp on the stand rocked on the spot from the hit, swaying till with a crash fell to the floor beside Harry. He felt some sharp pieces embed themselves into his bare hand. Harry cried out in pain, making gurgling noises as red spots erupted in front of his eyes and Wormtail choked him harder. The back of his head felt suspiciously warm and his hand hurt like hell.
"Let-me-go!" Harry gasped, fingering for his fallen wand which he had dropped in the heat of the battle between the two, ignoring the pain shooting up from his hand.
"Oh, you're not going anywhere," Wormtail ground out. With a free hand he grasped around in his pocket, pulling out a piece of paper. He shoved it into Harry's hand and forcefully scrunched his and Harry's free hands over it- the ones that were not fighting over ownership of Harry's neck. Harry began hyperventilating, and one reason was of fear of the unknown.
"One... two...three..."
Where were they going? What horror lay ahead, at the end of this portkey?
They shot foward and Harry's vision went black from lack of air, Wormtail's silver hand never moving as the portkey pulled them on, only tightening his grip on Harry's neck painfully.
A/N: Forgive me for the cliffie! I'm so evil! Please don't hunt me down! If you do, you won't get the next chapter! (And wouldn't that be a terror!). Part 18 is called "Riddle House". Ooooooohh... sounds cool, don't it? Well, you'll have to wait and find out, won't cha? (evil giggle).
REVIEW REPLIES (passes out cookies to all her fabulous reviewers):
Big E 3 I LOVE NASCAR: Thank you. Unfortunately, I am not doing a Remus/Harry pairing, but maybe one day, I dunno, maybe. Unfortunately, Remus isn't prominent in this story as he has a lot of Order work to do but we will still see him at times. Harry and him will have a special relationship though, as Remus is Harry's last connection to his parents and Sirius, and both share the same pain over Sirius' loss.
darkmarkgirl: Thanks! I hope this chapter was for you too, although for once, not much of a wait! Tee hee, yah, I loved that description of Snape too. I actually started laughing from the mental image of it! I agree; Harry needs a parental figure like Dumbledore. We will definitely see Voldy next chapter. Oh yes, much Voldyness! Thank you for the sweet compliments as well. ;-)
BiggestDumbledoreFan: Wow, thank you so much for all the tips. I never knew any of that, and I promise from now on it will be 'Pomfrey' and 'McGonagall'. And thanks for all the PMs too! Things with the 'graduation' are all cleared up now, thank you so very much! Glad you're liking my story and hope you liked this chapter! Oh, and I hate Harry/Dumbledore slash too. Very gross. I mean, Dumbledore is old and wrinkly and in his hundreds, for goodness sakes :o)
twilightscalling: Aw, thank you! It was pretty sad (sniffsniff). Poor Harry! He has to go through so much! Hope you liked this chapter as well and next one will be even better! Have fun with your brothers... :oP
Aisha-ladimoon: Nope, you weren't late! I hate when I'm offline. No FF reading (sniff sniff -tear-)! Unfortunately, much Voldy ahead and he only gets worse... poor Harry! Sometimes I think we all wanna kill Voldy... grr... :oD But anyways, hope you like this chappy and review for the next! Tee hee- I also loved your description of Voldy in his lair... made me laugh...
Haunted: Thanks for your PM! Sorry for the wait. At least this chappy wasn't! Your PM motivated me to update faster... and I did :-) Thanks! Hope to hear from you!
Anyways, dear fans and readers, I am off to study for my exams. I'd much rather be writing though... Thanks for sticking with me and if you'll kindly click the 'Submit Review' button down there I'll be on my way...
AngelMoon Girl,
Goddess of the Pen :-D