This is a shorty but I want the next chapter all in one chunk

Chapter 30: Preparations

Peter Pettigrew gazed at the collected Kindred, saw Sirius Black and squealed in abject terror, trying to scramble even further back on the comfortable bunk that had been quickly installed for his comfort. They had placed him in a room walled off in the chamber of secrets that Krait and Severus had prepared with the Fidelius Charm as a hiding place against time of need as a supplement to the Room of Requirement; and with a secret gate to the storeroom of a Sainsbury's store in Glasgow for emergency food supplies. Peter was fed here by house elves and had no knowledge of the gate in his private bathroom.

"Don't be an idiot" said Sirius irritably "Would I be a party to rescuing you if I meant to kill you? I wanted to, I confess – but I got over it. You've had a few months in that place – I had thirteen years. I'm sure you can understand that I was feeling a little…intense about it. Unlike Harry I don't forgive you; but I'm prepared to put the past aside for him and give you the chance to start again."

"Oh wonderful and benevolent member of the mighty Black family! How generous!" Pettigrew tried to sneer.

"Don't do that!" said Harry, sharply "He may not have been Mister Tact in your childhood either but you didn't have to run with the Marauders you know."

"We used to have fun together" said Sirius softly.

"No Sirius! YOU used to have fun, you and James! Moonie and me, we went along with stuff because we didn't want to be left out, but I remember often being scared of getting into trouble and you or James would just laugh and say that was half the fun. Fun? Do you think I enjoyed the detentions? The lines? The cleaning of flobberworms? I didn't I can tell you!"

"Well, no, but you pay for your fun… you never had to join in."

"And if I didn't, you and Prongs would look pityingly at me like you despised me…which you always did!" Pettigrew was sobbing.

"They were a pair of insensitive gits, Peter, but I recall you being quite gleeful if they were picking on someone else – like me" said Severus "But Sirius has grown up since; and doubtless also remembers, as many do, his schooldays through the roseate hue of many years, his brain, such as any Gryffindor has one, conveniently forgetting the unpleasant consequences of the fertile, puerile and nefarious imagination of Prongs Potter."

"Steady on Scales" said Sirius "You have Gryffindor wards!"

"All parents have their crosses to bear" said Severus, smiling warmly at David.

"Huh" said Abrax "It took us New Marauders to cross House boundaries" the New Marauders draped arms round each others' shoulders.

"A GOBLIN?" queried Pettigrew.

"Yup" said Kinat "Severus sponsored me; my parents can pay though. I'm a Gryff, so's Abraxus; Hawke, Rom and Bil are Slythers."

"A Malfoy? In GRYFFINDOR?" Pettigrew was even more bemused.

"Things have changed since your day – and mostly for the better" said Harry tensely "More tolerance among lots of people. But we keep the tradition of the Marauders; Ron, Hermione and me are the YOUNG Marauders, this bunch of reprobates are the NEW Marauders. But whatever else you've been, you're still a FOUNDER Marauder and if that means anything to you Sirius is ready to hold out a hand to help you up. He's come a long way and learned the compassion a teenage boy who has known nothing but an easy life finds hard to find."

"What is to happen to me?" asked Pettigrew.

"We're keeping you here under Fidelius Charm until we've killed Voldemort" said Sirius "Not because we think you might run to him and bleat; but because he has a nasty habit of finding those he considers unfaithful and finding entertaining – from his point of view – means of demise for them. And he IS a rather good legilimens. It's for our safety and yours both."

"Look" said Ron, scarlet to the ears "I – I really loved you as Scabbers… I know I said rotten things about only having a rat; I was disappointed not to have an owl to write home…but I really worried when you were going missing in case Crookshanks ate you!"

"So did I" said Pettigrew.

"Well, anyway" said Ron "I think Wormtail was a rotten nickname… Scabbers isn't much better, it was Charlie's idea anyway; so you ought to have a new Marauder nickname to – to signify your new life of free will."

"Well said young Ron" said Sirius softly "It was damnably insensitive…you should have protested. But I guess….James did always rather carry people along, didn't he?"

"Protest and anger the only person who had shown me any kind of friendship even though it was patronising? I do not think so!" said Pettigrew.

Sirius nodded.

"Yes… I suppose so. Have you any ideas for yourself?"

Pettigrew shook his head.

"If I'd had any ideas then to advance I might have suggested something better I guess… but I'm not clever like that. I – I was well treated by the young Weasleys" he admitted.

"You picked names that reflected something of the physical nature of your forms" said Krait "What I think of first about a rat is little beady, sharp, intelligent eyes…. And quivering whiskers. As with Padfoot, I could suggest 'Sharpeyes', or maybe just 'Whiskers'" she added tactfully, since Peter's own eyes were more rheumy than sharp.

"Scitterclaws" suggested David

"Nibbles" said Ellie.

"Wallrunner" suggested Abrax.

"Scrabbles" put in Ron "Which is what I MEANT to call you."

"Sniffer" suggested Bil "Rats have a good sense of smell."

Krait at this juncture boxed both Kinat and Romulus on the ears on overhearing Kinat murmuring to Rom that in light of Crookshanks' ambitions for the rat, and bearing in mind another rodent feature, 'Aperitif' would be a good name as in 'A Pair o' Teef'. She chastised Kinat for the comment and Rom for laughing too much at it.

"Whiskers" said Peter Pettigrew "I like 'Whiskers' best of those."

"Whiskers then you shall be" said Sirius "And let's toast the new name in Pumpkin Juice; the little ones aren't allowed wine and I don't trust them not to skank some if there was any here."

It was a little thing perhaps; but there is power in names, and not just in the way Voldemort could home in on his, reflected Krait. Being Krait not Augusta meant a lot to her; names made a difference to the perceptions of others. And that this disparate group of children should take an interest in changing his nickname might also mean something to Pettigrew and give him a first glimpse of self confidence.

Certainly he seemed a little more relaxed and less miserable!

-/-

Krait contacted her father shortly after this.

"Draco has a plan" she said "Dumbledore knows he's been worrying about something; but you know what that interfering old man is like – thinks he can fix everything and even bring Draco over to his own side."

"Can he?" the high thin voice asked.

Krait grinned.

"What do you think?" she said "Even laying aside Draco's own feelings, don't you think his first concern would be for his family and what betrayal would mean to them?"

"It is good…though I do not like the way the Malfoys seem often to put their own family first, even before me. You will use your relationship with them to wean them away from this undesirable clannishness."

Krait bowed her head as in acquiescence.

"I can try. With Lucius there's some chance of success; Narcissa loathes me however. I have precious little influence there. And I have to say she's not my favourite person either."

"Very well… tell me more of Draco's plan" said Voldemort.

"He plans to sob out your orders to Dumbledore and tell him that you have plans to send him support. He will tell him that you have managed to find a way to slip Deatheaters into the castle and that he is to meet them on the North Tower to have them attack the castle and distract the other staff so that Draco can himself kill his target. Naturally, Dumbledore will rush to the North Tower – probably calling upon Severus to aid him – whereupon Draco, helped if need be by Severus, will disarm him unawares and force him off. A tragic accident. Unless you want it claimed and to have the Dark Mark sent up."

Voldemort considered this.

"With Dumbledore out of the way we can move more openly; send up Morsmorde. Will you too help Draco?"

"I thought to let him blood himself if he could; you recall I deemed him too young to help punish Von Strang" she said calmly. "I shall be on hand of course; and as a rearguard in case any of Dumbledore's closest minions decide to interfere. I shouldn't think anyone ought to find out; but you never know. Especially Harry Potter, who has a decided tendency to materialise in the most unlikely places, and where he can cause most trouble."

"Quite" said Voldemort. "It seems a well thought out plan; and I fancy I detect much of my daughter's hand in it. I do not believe Draco Malfoy is subtle enough to use the old fool's pride and weaknesses against him."

"Oh Draco's no idiot; I didn't have to hint very hard for him to start coming up with details" said Krait. "He's more subtle than Lucius, and will make an excellent lieutenant I think when he is fully mature."

It implied that it had been her plan, letting Voldemort think that he had seen through an inability in Draco to plan for himself without aid. In fact the plan had been thrashed out by Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco and Krait with input from Severus. Harry was more alive to the concept of using the personality of the one you wish to manipulate since the affair of the Department of Mysteries; though Ron said the whole business of who was saying what to whom and what they would think made his head ache and it sounded like a story in Witch Weekly.

This earned him a pummelling from Hermione and a poke from Draco.

Ron enjoyed best making up with Hermione.