Interrogating the Rat and the Stag
Crack! Bellatrix's spell crashed into the left side of James's face, leaving behind a bloody gash. James hissed as the adrenaline wore off, and he felt the damage. He jerked in the chair he was chained to, trying to loosen the chains in any way possible. He looked up at his captor, his hazel eyes glistening with defiance behind his askew glasses. The Death Eaters had to restrain James because he put up a fight. Peter, on the other hand, was quietly sitting on the floor in the back corner, trying to avoid Bellatrix's line of sight.
The curly-haired witch glared sinisterly at the pair of blood traitors before her. "Where are the others? I know there were more than you two at the ball this evening! Where are they?!" She hissed.
James stared down Bellatrix. "You won't get anything from me! I'd rather die than help you!" he shouted with fierce conviction.
Bellatrix smirked at James. "So eager to throw your life away?" She turned to look at Peter, who was cowering in a damp corner of the cellar. She pointed her wand at the mousy young man. "What about his?" She taunted. "Crucio!"
Peter squealed as his body twitched in the corner when Bellatrix's curse hit him. The feeling of searing hot knives piercing Peter's skin was unbearable. When she didn't lift it, panic and fear filled James's once defiant eyes as his friend's screams grew louder. "Stop! Stop! Leave him alone! Please!" He begged, and he hated that he was forced to resort to that, but he didn't want Peter to suffer because of him.
Satisfied with his reaction, Bellatrix lifted the torture curse. Peter gasped, sputtered, and panted in an attempt to catch his breath. She turned back towards the young man in chains. "Ready to talk?" she asked. James nodded slowly. A smile curled on Bellatrix's face. "Good."
Peter gave James a terrified look. "Prongs," Peter whimpered, "don't-"
Bellatrix whirled back to face Peter. "SILENCE!" She hollered. Peter cowered in his corner again. She strode back over to James. She curled her bony fingers tightly around James's hair and forced his head upward to look at her. A pained groan escaped James's lips. "Where are your accomplices? Who else has defied the Dark Lord?" Bellatrix growled.
James smiled, not noticing the blood still running down his cheek. "Well, Albus Dumbledore has defied him. But I doubt you'll be able to reach him at Hogwarts." Everyone knew Dumbledore was against Voldemort and where he could be found, so saying this meant nothing to the Death Eaters. James felt proud of his clever quip, but Bellatrix was not amused. Crack! Bellatrix's spell crashed into James's arm at closer range, leaving behind a deeper gash. James groaned. "What? I answered your questions, right?" he whispered. An arrogant grin formed on his battered face.
"Oh, I see. A smart one." Bellatrix mocked. "The Dark Lord enjoys smart ones. He will deal with you when he arrives, blood traitor." She gave a triumphant smile as she released James from her grasp. She looked deeply into his eyes. "Oh, did that frighten you? Good." She left the room, slamming the door shut behind her.
The pair of friends heard a quiet click. Locked door, James noted. He looked over at his friend hiding in the corner. "Are you all right, Wormtail?" he asked.
Peter, still gasping for air, nodded rapidly. "A-are you okay, Prongs?" Wormtail's eyes traveled to James's wounded arm.
James glanced down at his bleeding arm. He snorted. "Maybe I'll bleed out before Voldemort gets here," he joked. Peter's gasp made James realize his joke had gone too far. "I'm sorry, Peter. I didn't mean it," he apologized. "It's not as bad as it looks. I'll be fine," he reassured his friend. Yet, James noticed the room had started to spin. He needed to come up with an escape plan. Fast.
James searched the cellar to find anything that would help them escape. Then, his eyes fell on a small hole in the bottom of the cellar wall. It was far too small for any wizard to fit through, but it was the perfect size for a rat. He looked back over at his Animagus friend. "Peter." James tried to get his friend's attention. "Peter, listen to me very carefully." Peter raised his head and met his friend's gaze. "I need you to transform into a rat and get out through there." He motioned towards the rat hole he found.
Peter looked at the escape route, then back at James nervously. "What about you? You can't fit through there!"
"I know I can't," James agreed. "Go and get help. I'll keep them busy here."
"I-I can't leave you!" Peter squeaked.
"Yes, you can!" James heard footsteps above them. "We're running out of time. Go before they come back!" The footsteps grew louder. "Peter, go now!" James whispered desperately.
Peter took a deep breath and reluctantly transformed into a rat. The rat scampered over to the hole in the wall and vanished from sight.
James sighed in relief. His friend was safe. He heard the footsteps travel down the stairs and closer to the cellar. He heard a familiar click, and the iron door opened with a squeal. Three shadows stood in the doorway. The middle one had piercing red eyes.
Peter raced through the rat hole, wondering how they could all help James. When he heard James's agonized scream echo through the tunnel, his heart dropped.
The safe house felt less secure when Remus, Sirius, and Lily walked through its creaky door. Edgar Bones bought the abandoned house for the Order to use. The house was an average-looking Muggle home. It had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a fenced-in yard.
The three friends changed out of their evening wear and into their casual clothes but stayed together in the living room. It was painted blue and had an oak wood floor. There was one gray sofa and a dark wood coffee table. One of the matching side tables had a lamp that flickered every few minutes. Lily sat on the sofa, silently watching the front door.
Sirius paced back and forth. More than an hour had passed since they escaped Malfoy Manor. "How could we just leave them like that? What kind of friends are we?"
"The kind of friends who respected what James wanted," Remus answered, choosing to sit on the hardwood floor. "He said our priority was Lily. She's safe."
Sirius stopped and looked down at Remus, his panicked gray eyes locking onto Remus's exhausted green. "I'm grateful for that. I'm grateful you're all right too, Remus. But what about James? What about Peter?"
"They knew the risks, Sirius. We all did." Remus looked up at Lily, her eyes still locked on the door. "He's all right, Lily. I'm sure he and Peter will turn up soon." He tried his best to comfort her, but he could see that she wasn't hearing his voice.
All three friends jumped when they heard a pounding knock on the door. Sirius drew his wand and crept over towards it. "Stay back," he ordered. Lily snapped her eyes from the door and stood up from the sofa. Remus sprung up from the floor, drawing his wand as well. Sirius reached for the olive green curtains and gently peeked through them. He sighed in relief at the form outside. "Thank Merlin, it's Peter."
Peter stood at the entrance. His white suit was stained with dirt and soot. His face was dripping with sweat and, from what Remus could guess from Peter's reddened eyes, tears. His nose was runny, and his entire body was shaking. "Let's get him inside and get him settled," Remus said as he ushered his friend into the house. "Have a seat, mate. I'll get you some tea," he told Peter as he turned and headed for the kitchen.
Sirius helped his friend sit down on the sofa. Lily wrapped a red knit blanket around Peter's shaking form. Remus returned to the living room with a cup of warm tea. Remus gingerly handed it to Peter. The smaller, sweat-drenched young man graciously took the cup, blew on the liquid slightly, then slowly sipped the tea. The more tea Peter drank, the more he relaxed. After one more sip, Peter set the cup down on the table beside the couch. "Th-th-thank you, Remus." Peter stammered.
Remus smiled. "Of course, Peter. If you need anything else, just let me know."
Sirius knelt at Peter's eye level. "Can you tell us anything about where you were or what happened?" Sirius asked quietly but firmly.
"Peter, was James with you? Do you know where he is?" Lily spoke the first words she had since they got back to the house.
Peter's fearful blue eyes darted from looking at the ceiling to the floor, then back to his friends. He fidgeted in his seat as he spoke in a shaky voice. "W-we all got separated after the ball. I got c-caught by some of h-his followers. James tried to save me!" Peter squeaked.
Lily gasped as she pictured the scene. "What happened after that? What happened to James?" she asked.
Peter reached for the cup again, took another sip of tea, and set it back down again. "T-they caught both of us. Took us down to the cellar, under Malfoy Manor. They hurt James. A lot." Peter reluctantly continued. "H-he told me to run, to get help, but…I didn't want to!" His eyes widened in fear as if he were in that cellar again. Tears began to leak from them. "He told me again to run. I transformed into a rat and got out of there! God, I heard him! Prongs was screaming so loud!" He sobbed, burying his face in his hands.
Lily covered her mouth and turned away. Sirius, trying to suppress his own emotions, placed a calming hand on Pettigrew's shoulder while Remus patted Lily's back. "It's okay, Wormtail. You did the right thing, getting out of there." Sirius comforted his friend. "Now we know where they're keeping Prongs, and I can go get him." Sirius rose and grabbed his leather jacket and his goggles.
Remus trailed behind Sirius. "I'm going too." The taller young man told his friend.
Sirius shook his head. "No, you're not, Moony." He said sharply. "You need to stay here and keep an eye on Wormtail and Lily."
"They'll be fine! The Death Eaters don't know where we are! You'd be foolish to go alone, Padfoot!" Remus protested.
"I'm not going to risk losing anyone else!" Sirius argued.
Remus now stood inches away from Sirius. The werewolf grabbed his friend's shoulder and turned Sirius to face him. "Neither am I."
James awoke on a black armchair in front of a grand fireplace. The embers gave some light to the dark room. Bellatrix Lestrange stood before him, tilting her head at him. "You gave us a fright, Potter," she whispered.
He rubbed his eyes and focused on the woman in front of him. "What happened?" he asked groggily. The woman handed him his glasses. He slowly put them on to get a better look at her.
Bellatrix answered, ice hardening her words. "You were attacked by the blood traitor, Sirius Black."