Begin to Hope

The man looked around precariously with weary eyes, clearing his throat again. "If I'm going to be talking for a while, can I at least be comfortable? That means I get something to drink and I get untied."

Klaus cocked his head, thinking. "We'll untie you as long as you don't try anything. One move and we'll kill you, I swear."

The man nodded swiftly. "I swear on my father's life I won't try to run."

Klaus lazily waved his wand and the man's bonds were released. He sat up straight, rubbing his wrists and ankles as he did so. He stood up shakily, holding on to the nearby wall for support, and looked around sternly.

Klaus nodded to Maverick, and Maverick sauntered up to the man, looking rather cocky. He casually patted the man down, feeling around his pants' pockets and all around his back and chest.

"What are you looking for?" The man asked angrily, trying unsuccessfully to push Maverick away.

"He's looking for any sort of weapon. A wand, a stick, a gun, perhaps? Anything of the sort you might use to harm us."

"I have nothing. What would I hurt you for?"

Without answering, Maverick quickly finished his hunt and, satisfied, sat back down in his original spot next to Tally.

"How about something to drink?" The man looked around eagerly, waiting for someone to spring up to cater to him.

Kimberly sighed heavily. "I'll do it." She muttered under her breath on her way out, making sure to tightly close the door after she left.

While she was gone the rest of us sat in stony silence, glancing back and forth between each other, wondering what we should do. Not quickly enough, Kimberly returned with a pitcher full of cold water and glasses enough for all of us, which we eagerly helped ourselves to.

"Now," the man began, after taking a long drink and resting back against the wall, "Where to start? Well, to introduce myself, my name is Peter Pettigrew."

I don't know if it was for sure or not, but I thought that I heard Klaus breath in sharply behind me.

"What's that, boy?" Peter asked Klaus, looking over my shoulder at him. "Recognize my name, eh? You might. I was a good friend of James Potter... for a while, anyway. Then I turned to the Dark Side." He laughed cruelly, piercing my heart with fear and I wondered if it really was a good idea for him to not be chained up.

Maverick gasped in surprise. "You're the one that delivered the Potters to Voldemort on a silver platter!" He balled his fists tightly and I was sure he would have jumped Peter had it not been for Tally's vise-like grip on the hem of his robes.

"Calm it there." Peter warned him. "You don't know what I'm capable of." He took another long swig from his drink and looked around at us. "It was I who told the Dark Lord where the Potters were hiding out. I was their Secret Keeper, I was who they thought a good and loyal friend. But of course-- who can be trusted in this slippery world? I betrayed them. I told the Dark Lord where they were, and that very same night he stormed their house, killed Lily and James, and turned to their child, the baby -- Harry Potter." He sneered at the name before continuing. "The mystery of why he wasn't killed, to this day, has not been solved. It most likely will never be solved. And what a damned shame that is." He wiped his nose on his sleeve. "After the Dark Lord's 'little setback', as his followers called it, he was lost. He fled, to who knows where. I had to pretend to be killed, or else Sirius blundering Black would have told everyone it was all me. I pretended to be the scummy Weasley's pet rat for so many damned years--worst memories of my life, I have, being under their care--once I escaped from them after a run-in with Harry Potter during his third year at Hogwarts, and I managed to find the Dark Lord and save me. I helped him when he had no one else to take care of him. He should have been grateful. Instead, all I got in return was to sacrifice everything I had in order for the Dark Lord to come back to power--but it was worth it, oh, yes. I was living high and mighty, for a while. Then we attacked Hogwarts, several Ministries--"

"Wait--you not only attacked the Ministry of Magic, but other Ministries as well?" Humphrey asked.

"Yes, of course, you stupid English boy, there are several dozen Ministries all over the world--don't be an egotistical brat and think you are the only ones who know magic in the world. There used to be nearly eighty, back before we ransacked them all. Once the downfall of the Ministries came, there was no order to anything anymore. Pandemonium erupted, everyone fled every which way--and I--I became wrapped up in a girl."

"A girl?" Maverick sneered. "You gave up working for Voldemort for a GIRL?"

Peter growled at him threateningly. "She wasn't just any girl--she was--beautiful--wondrous--amaz--"

"We get the point. Continue with your story." Klaus interrupted.

"Yes. Well--the Dark Lord found out that I was going soft and--he killed her. He killed her with the Cruciatus curse, with no mercy in his heart. If he even has a heart, that is. He was about to kill me too, but--I managed to run. Like a coward. And you'd think he would have tried to have me found and killed, but obviously I'm not worth that much to him." He spoke bitterly. "But I'd go back to him, anyday--if he'd take me back, that is. But while I'm not to be found, I had planned on living out the rest of my days here, in solitude. But you little brats came and disturbed my peace..." He glared at Tally, who was clutching on to Maverick for support. "Of course I'd go back to him, why wouldn't I? My cause isn't lost, not yet, anyway... I've still got some left in me..." He seemed to be rambling now, his eyes had turned a frosty white and weren't focusing on anything. "The Dark Lord will need me again, someday, I'm sure of it... but until then--long live Harry Potter!" He cackled wildly and threw his empty cup
to the floor, shattering glass everywhere around him.

Kimberly sprang at him, her arms outstretched. "You bastard!" she cried, her eyes alight. She attempted to throttle him, shaking furiously, but he kicked out with one boot and caught her in the stomach, throwing her backward. Maverick and Klaus sprang to their feet to defend her if they could, but Peter held his arms up to show he didn't really mean any harm.

"I apologize for my rash behavior. I promise it won't happen again."

Klaus settled back down, not taking his eyes off Peter, but Maverick remained standing, his arms folded in front of his chest.

"Let's get to bed then, shall we?"

"Hold it. What is Voldemort doing now?" Klaus asked suspiciously, fingering his wand.

Peter sneered. "I don't know."

Maverick leaned in toward him. "We know you know. Tell us what Voldemort is planning, and maybe we won't kill you."

Peter looked around deviously. "I might tell you--for a price."

"You have nothing to bargain with. Either you tell us or we beat you to death."

"Alright, alright, you pushy little twits--I'll tell you. The last time I was involved in an active meeting with the Dark Lord, he was planning to raid and destroy the two rebel groups."

"Rebel groups? What rebel groups?" Annabelle asked excitedly, hoping for more people like us.

"One of them lived in Bristol, a group of maybe thirty or forty, the survivors of the Order of the Phoenix and their children. They were headed by McGonagall and Granger. The Dark Lord was planning to attack them soon, but I was already banished by the time it was to be carried out."

Our faces all fell as we realized he was talking about us. He examined our grim expressions.

"Was that you?"

A few of us responded by nodding sadly and I heard Tally sniffle a few times.

"We're the only ones left. All of our relatives and friends were killed that day -- we lost everything." I reflected back on that day. It only happened approximately four months ago, but it felt like it had been a lifetime since I had seen them.

"Who was the other rebel group?" Klaus asked.

"A bunch of students from Beauxbaton, in France. Hogwarts wasn't the only school around, back then. There were quite a few others; Beauxbaton, Durmstrang, a few in the U.S., one in Canada...but those had all been seized and most of them burned to the ground. Hogwarts was the only one that remained standing, maybe because it had been the oldest. Even if the Dark Lord has no respect for human life, he does respect the four founding Houses of this school. Well, maybe just Salazar Slytherin, but still..."

"But there are still people there? That school wasn't destroyed?"

"When I was banished from the Dark Lord's company, they had been planning an attack on the remaining few people living in Beauxbaton. The attack was to be carried out after I had been banished, and I have no idea whether it was carried out or not. If it was, it can safely be said that there is probably nothing living there. However, we had known there were between seventy-five and one hundred citizens still living there in hiding, most of them probably powerful older witches and wizards that had avoided capture."

Klaus and I exchanged glances that said the same thing -- maybe we should try and contact those people, if they were indeed still alive.

"What's Voldemort doing now?" Annabelle asked. "What else is he up to?"

Peter cocked his head and looked at her, almost debating how to answer the question. "He has a school," he said slowly, thinking hard, "A school that he started for those that want to learn about the Dark Arts..."

"A school? Really? Where is it?" Klaus leaned forward in his seat, almost toppling off the chair. "How many people are there? What do they teach?"

"It's in Germany. I had never visited there myself, but I was told there were several thousand students, and more joining everyday. There are not many people on the good side left, you know. Everyone would rather give themselves up to the dark side than be killed."

"And the school itself? What is taught?"

"Everything about the Dark Arts you've ever wanted to know -- there are dozens of teachers. I was told that the Dark Lord himself teaches the three Unforgivable Curses."

My jaw dropped. "He can do that?"

Peter shrugged. "He's the Dark Lord. He can do whatever he wants."

Klaus stood up and stretched. He motioned for the rest of us to do the same. Peter looked around and got up himself.

"Time for bed already? Ah, well, it's been a long day." He headed for the door but a swift look from Klaus made him stop dead in his tracks.

"You aren't going anywhere. You stay right there." Klaus made a big show of dragging Peter by the arm to the far wall and chaining him up to the wall with his wand. After making sure he was fastened securely, he set beside Peter a bowl of water and a plate of dry food.

Peter looked up at him, clearly completely disgusted. "What am I, a dog?"

"You are not going anyway, that's what you are."

The nine of us got up and slowly headed to the door, conveniently heading off in different directions towards our respective rooms. Before Klaus closed and locked the door, he yelled into Peter, "And we will all be hiding in different places, so that way you won't be able to find and kill all of us!" Peter's muffled response was not heard as Klaus immediately slammed the door shut and cackled wildly.

I rolled my eyes and headed off down the hall, desperate to find a room of my own to sleep in, at least for a little while. I was exhausted.

"Kerry! Wait up!"

Obviously that was not happening tonight.

"What, Klaus?" I said, not turning around to face him.

"Why are you walking so fast? Slow down." I stopped and turned.

"Klaus, can't this wait until morning? I'm tired."

"No, Kerry, I have a plan!"

"A plan? For what? I'm tired of plans. It's time for a nap." I put my head in my hands and feigned taking a nap.

"A nap?! There is no time for naps! We have things to do!"

I opened one eye to peer at him. "Fine, Klaus, what is your fabulous plan?"

"We're going to pretend to be Death Eaters and storm Voldemort's school!"