Chapter 29: Wormtail
Draco took the opportunity to talk to Martin Umbridge, sending for the boy in his capacity as head of the school. Young Umbridge stood sulkily.
"You're a bully" said Draco.
Umbridge shrugged.
"I and my friends get our retaliation in first" he said.
"Mostly to kids smaller than you" said Draco scathingly.
"Like Malfoys tend to do" said Umbridge.
"Like Malfoys in recent generations have been inclined to do" said Draco. "And do you know why?"
"Because the Malfoys are the top of the heap and don't have to be bound by lesser beings and their rules I suppose."
"Wrong. Because the Malfoys have been tricked into a slavery so profound it would make you sick. I notice you didn't have the balls to come on the Azkaban trip."
"Why should I? If it's a salutary lesson I wasn't planning on ending up in there."
"It was a trip to show the DADA class what true nastiness is like…there are still Dementors there under some Ministry control and it was to give people an idea of the negative emotions they can invoke in a controlled environment so they'd have some idea of how to fight them if they found themselves pitted against He who must not be named."
"Now I rather thought you were on his side" drawled Martin Umbridge.
"Well you thought wrong; and there are good reasons for all my family's actions and my own" said Draco. "The point is, that any bullying stems from a view that you have some kind of right to push people around because you are in some way inherently better. Now from that point of view, that might makes right, you should agree that Lord Voldemort – I fear not to name him" Draco taking advantage of the time and knowing that the eleven seventeen to Glasgow was passing not so far away singing away with its wheels "- that he has every right to impose his will on those people who have not delved so deep into the Dark Arts as he had."
Martin shrugged.
"It has a certain logic to it."
"Well, maybe you will alter your view about what people have a right to do" said Draco, who had been staring at the boy. ssssHear me – obey me ssss he said "Touch your nose and stand on one leg."
Umbridge instantly obeyed.
"THAT is what he does to his followers" said Draco "A compulsion tied to Parseltongue; a compulsion so deep, so profound, that if I ordered you even to kill your kid sister or your parents you would. And I could make you forget straight afterwards. And you didn't even feel me put it in."
Umbridge stared in shock.
"Come here and I'll remove it" said Draco. The boy started to hop, still holding his nose. "Damn, walk normally" said Draco. "I'm not good at doing anything like that with the subtlety HE can manage.. it's not something I'd see myself doing as a general thing. I DON'T need to control the way people act and think; I'm not an inadequate with delusions of adequacy. There." He touched the boy's forehead and removed the compulsion, leaving a memory of its existence and how it had worked.
"Merlin's beard!" Umbridge was white faced and shaking "I had no idea you were so powerful!"
"Power should be used responsibly – not for personal gain" said Draco, coldly "I wanted to make a demonstration; because deep down I don't think you really are a bully, you are clever and beyond that. Surely you did not like what your aunt did when she was here?"
"She's a very scary person" admitted Martin "But I never thought she would turn out to be a Deatheater… I just thought she hated those who were not near pureblood."
"Then she certainly shared the ideals of the Deatheaters and their master" said Draco "And the irony is that HE is a half breed…his mother was a witch of one of the most pure lines; but his father was a muggle. And indeed his mother's line was so pure it got inbred and was full of loonies and morons as tends to happen with too much consanguinity. Now, I have borrowed a magical device from the Headmaster to permit you to see some memories of others. Come with me to the Pensieve."
Draco had borrowed some memories from his father; and he also showed the boy Bellatrix Black's 'training' by Voldemort. He also showed memories from Severus and Sirius and Krait about Peter Pettigrew
Umbridge emerged from that experience somewhat chastened too.
"Now for the final proof have you the balls to come to Azkaban with me and see the most pathetic of his disciples?" asked Draco "The man bullied unwittingly by his well-meaning but bone-headedly hearty friend until he turned to the flatteries of a darker master and exchanged a humiliating but affectionate overlordship for a slavery so profound he cannot escape from it because he dares not and is not even sure how he feels any more? He has been tortured subtly until he loves his torturer – it is a well known phenomenon written about in the muggle world, but passed over in ours as unpleasant things so often are because the ministry itself in the persons of those like your aunt reserve the right to use unpleasantness. They are no better in some ways than Voldemort himself; and I do not doubt that he has infiltrated the ministry to a higher level than your bitch of an aunt!"
"How can anyone love their torturer?"
"It's a very personal relationship – you saw it with my aunt Bella" said Draco "The prisoner is isolated, his persecutor is the only form of human contact he has; and skilful use of giving concessions can lead to a sick but close relationship. I tell you this in the hopes you never use that knowledge adversely; because I don't think you've a sick mind that would. Will you come?"
"I – yes" said Umbridge.
"Good. I need to borrow a guide."
The guide was David.
"That kid?" Martin Umbridge was both taken aback and wary; David, sometimes known as Mad-dog Fraser had never let him bully either himself or his friends.
"This kid is the second most talented geomancer in the school" said Draco "And I didn't think we needed to involve a teacher."
-/-
Draco did not bother with formal permission to enter Azkaban.
He laid in a temporary compulsion on the guard.
"The Force has a profound effect upon the weak minded" said David, dryly. Draco grinned appreciation.
"We are NOT the droids they are looking for" he said. "Feel the despair of the Dementors Martin?"
Martin shivered and nodded.
"What happens if they come for us?" he asked.
"Fraser and I kill them" said Draco coolly "We can protect you; we've trained in how to."
That perhaps was as frightening as anything to the boy.
-/-
Pettigrew was pathetically pleased to have a visitor.
"Lucius' boy!" he said "Did Lucius send you? Or – or Miss Krait?"
"Krait knows I'm here" said Draco "She bade me tell you that she is thinking of you… but she dares not release you. She sent you a gift."
"A gift?"
Draco reached through the bars to touch the pathetic rat animagus, trying not to shudder.
"She showed me how to do this" he said and searched for the compulsion, revealing it to Pettigrew as well as removing it. "Now you can make your own decisions; and I advise you to choose wisely. You made one choice already you have regretted time and again. What will you choose now?"
"I will follow Mistress Krait if she asks it of me" said Pettigrew "She loathes me but she has always been kind in an offhand way….she really showed you how to do this? So Severus is not….not controlled? Or Lucius?"
Draco shrugged.
"I can tell you that I suppose since I am going to make you forget this entire conversation….until the right time. When the time comes to choose, if you choose for her, you will remember everything. If not….you will be fighting against her anyway. You can choose her and atone your crime to James by choosing also for his son, whom she supports."
"Ah!" Wormtail gasped. "She goes so far against – HIM?"
"You know how powerful she is" said Draco "You must know she would not support a cause she thought doomed to failure. Will you atone and turn your coat again? You have seen how he uses you."
Wormtail choked and gasped in horror as his silver replacement hand started to move up to grasp his throat.
"Hell!" said Draco "THAT I didn't anticipate. Hang in there Pettigrew…." He synchronised his blood, felt the heady surge of power from the rest of the blood group, not just Krait and Severus who had been supporting him hitherto. "Viva Manus!" he cried, pointing at the silvery hand, changing it, transforming it into a hand of flesh, draining the magic from within it to power the spell, using instructions from the cool mind-voice of Severus to sing the required chants to nullify curses. Slowly, so slowly, the hand started to open, to remove itself from the throat of the now blue Pettigrew; and gasping, crepitant breaths started to fill the lungs of the half throttled man.
"I – it's FLESH!" said Pettigrew looking at it "MASTER! You are more powerful…."
"I had help" said Draco "MY leader – Harry Potter – and my friends, like Krait, do not leave any of us to operate without support. I am not given tasks outside my capabilities with no backup when things go wrong. James, for all his bullish idiocy was always ready to turn aside to help a friend. I ask again, how will you choose?"
"I – I choose Miss Krait" said Pettigrew "And…and James' son. You can win if you are so powerful…. I was afraid…. I did not want to be on the losing side."
Draco nodded.
"And now, of course, the option to leave you here is impossible….when he engineers a general breakout again your hand will be obvious…. Ah, excellent" as Krait turned up with Beloc and Sirri.
"Meh, shit happens and complications too" said Krait "Come on you pathetic creature; we'll look after you."
She apparated neatly into the cell with the elves and they all dissapparated with Pettigrew.
"Was I just an excuse or was that all unscheduled?" asked Martin.
"Entirely unscheduled" said Draco "Krait asked me to remove his compulsion so he made his final choice as a free man; but I never counted on the hand being cursed. You just witnessed stuff I'd not have shown you willingly."
"I shan't talk about it" said Umbridge "I – I'd like to learn more though. If you can fight against the Dark Arts with such fluid smoothness it does look as though Harry has a real chance against – against You-Know-Who. And I'm taking in your lessons about what bullying can lead to you know. Will you teach me more?"
"You will split from your gang and join the muggle studies hobby group; and you'll apologise to your sister for pushing her around and support her against your family's wish to make an advantageous marriage for her to some old git as soon as she's of age which is one thing she's scared of" said Draco, Peta Umbridge having confessed this to Hayley and Emerald.
Martin nodded; and Draco felt it a more profound agreement than had he made protestations of compliance.
-/-
"Where am I?" Asked Pettigrew, weakly.
"That, I am afraid, I prefer not to reveal to you just yet" said Krait. "Peter, you just made the best choice of your life; and I promise I will protect you."
Wormtail's eyes filled with tears.
"You – I believe you really mean that!"
"I do. I may not like you; but I keep my promises. And I promised to myself that I would try to rescue you from HIM one day even if you died for it; because at least you would die free" said Krait. "I feel sorry for you; and I cannot imagine how terrible it must have been to spend years as a rat, the familiar of a juvenile wizard and subjected to the indignities that are enacted in Transfigurations Classes. I also can appreciate how unpleasant it must have been being pushed around by the great James Potter who expected admiration and loyalty without thinking how damaging his affectionately unkind nickname could be. As you have seen when Harry saved your life, he is more compassionate than his beef-brained father. And Sirius has learned more compassion; and Moonie Lupin was always a gentle kind man. You will remain in a degree of isolation until all this is over, covered by a Fidelius Charm so HE can't find you. I'll fix a body in the cell; they'll give out that you died in there, I can arrange that easily."
"With – with Polyjuice potion like Barty Crouch?"
"Something like that" said Krait.
"Can – can I see Harry Potter?" whispered Peter Pettigrew. "I – I should like to thank him for saving my life and – and pledge my support."
"That can be arranged" said Krait. "He'll be suspicious of you; naturally. But Draco is a legilimens of no mean ability and he will talk to him first about what he found. I'll have food sent to you now."
-/-
Draco told the Kindred what he had found in Pettigrew's head.
"He's a poor confused little rat" he said "And I choose the word with care; his time spent as a rat and the attendant fears and uncertainties, belonging to a kid and having no control over his life, that has left his mark as surely as the rending to his soul over the betrayal of James Potter….. Fishface did a grand job on him, I found a conversation where he was praising rats as nice clean animals, not like dogs that will happily roll in unnameable filth – which is true enough of course and therefore had more impact. Also that stags are really stupid. Another indisputably true fact; and I do wonder if James wasn't influenced by his choice of animagus, a magnificent looking form I grant you, but best, when all is said and done, at posturing his horns. If they knew the forms, they should have worked out which one was the traitor; dog, for all its other faults is FAITHFUL. Rat has an eye to the main chance. He almost managed to go against nature, though the knowledge of how powerful we are helped…thanks, Sev, I couldn't have managed that if you hadn't pushed me aside and taken over, your knowledge is formidable; why don't we do chanting classes?"
"I want to teach it as part of DADA in the upper sixth" said Severus "Only the number of students ready for it is limited…perhaps we should have chanting as a class lower down the school, practising minor charms and counter charms, to get into the way of it. I learned how by reading in the library about it when I was hiding from James and co one time…. I suppose every thing that seems bad at the time can one day become an advantage if you look for advantages within it" he added. "His conversion is true then?"
Draco shrugged.
"What is true is that he loathes Fishface wholeheartedly and has compassion deep down for Harry; and a strong dose of remorse for what he did to James and Lily. He had not realised the true difference between his two masters; that James' rule was light and based on bonds of affection and loyalty. James would never have betrayed a friend; it never occurred to him that he would so alienate one he liked that he would himself be betrayed. He never knew he hurt Peter by calling him Wormtail: and therein lies a big difference. Fishface uses the name for deliberate cruelty. And, paradoxically, his years as a rat were some of the happiest of his poor little life; because Charlie and Ron were both kind to him. By Merlin, Sirs, it's hard to see that he's the same age as you two; even after all you've been through he looks a million years older! Like Lupin did" he added softly "Until Krait forced him to be happy."
"Oy!" said Krait "I never FORCED him to be happy I just forcibly pointed out that he was being a blockhead and an unkind blockhead at that."
"Association with the Dark Lord places an intolerable strain upon the nerves at the best of times" said Severus "Being his constant companion through times that must have held a high level of waspishness – I employ litotes there of course – must have been terrible. He must have lived in constant terror; but the terror of leaving was greater. Harry, will you be able to forgive him?"
"I – I don't know" said Harry "But I'll certainly talk to him and tell him that I will forget it if he supports me. That's as far as I can go."
"And still generous" said Severus "But then you are. It's one of your more endearing features. Try not to be too disgusted if he fawns on you like an unfree house elf; it's what he's been trained into."
Harry shuddered; but nodded.
In the event he found his heart so filled with pity for the pathetic creature that was Peter Pettigrew that he forgave him fully – to Hermione's disapproval and Ron's doubts if it were wise – and found it hard to escape the protestations of loyalty as the rat animagus did in fact fawn upon him.
It was more than one enemy down, as Krait said; for it was one friend up, even if the friend involved was of rather a dubious status!
A/N I find Peter a moderately disgusting creature; it's hard work writing him in any wise sympathetically. I try to be dispassionate about the poor little rat because he really is pathetic; and though most of it is his own fault a lot of the blame does lay squarely on the shoulders of the other Marauders. But then teenage boys are rarely the most sensitive of animals in the world. One can only assume that Peter had a pretty ghastly childhood to start him on the path of cringing and fawning and laughing at the underdog to make himself feel better. Canon mentions a mother but no father; perhaps he was illegitimate which seems to carry a greater stigma in the wizarding world than for a muggle, though when Peter was born the custom in the muggle world of printing ILLEGITIMATE in big red letters on the birth certificate had only been gone for a few years and it was not comfortable for a muggle without a father so in the more old fashioned wizarding world one may conjecture that it was more so.
Any thoughts?