Fate's Manipulation

Chapter 7

Peter Pettigrew looked up uncomfortably at the shapeless form in the shadows. Evil seeped out and blanketed the room, making it hard for Peter to breathe. "My lord? You just laughed..." He had been deep in his thoughts when the cackle from Voldemort had startled him into wakefulness.

"I did." The deep voice was still a shock to Peter.

Peter bit his lip as he worried his lower lip between his teeth. "Can I ask why?" Curiosity finally overrode caution.

There was a heavy sigh before the weary but strengthening voice spoke again. "You are quite tiresome, Wormtail. Someday you may outlive your usefulness."

Peter's nervous gulp could be heard in the sudden oppressive silence of the room. He glanced uneasily at a couple of the snakes that lounged around the room and avoided the gaze of one or two others loyal to the dark lord. They had wisely stayed quiet.

Peter was so tired of this place and the Dark Lord himself. What had compelled him to rejoin a weakened Voldemort, a man who was relentlessly seeping the strength from him and the others? They would be responsible for his ultimate rise to renewed power. They would also be a necessary sacrifice.

He sighed. This was so tiring. They had been trapped within these walls for days, maybe weeks. Peter no longer comprehended the passage of time. He existed on a diet of rats and other small animals. Rats! His lip curled in disgust and he tried to make sure that his face was hidden in the shadows. Voldemort had enjoyed the irony of that. Consume thyself, Peter often heard as hunger drove him to the disgusting but life-sustaining act.

The Dark Lord's voice broke into his thoughts, causing Peter to jump to attention.

"Nevertheless, I will indulge you this one time." Voldemort continued. "I felt a ripple of power from the vicinity of Hogsmeade. Someone is trying to join or reunite their magic with another." The voice let out a huge sigh. "They amuse me with their puny attempts at power." He motioned to Pettigrew. "Make haste. Find out who it is and what they attempt to achieve."

"Y-yes, my lord." Pettigrew whispered before scurrying out of the room. He was far too weak to apparate so he would have to fly to Hogsmeade in the dark, which was something that he never relished. At least he was out of that room. Voldemort's oppressive presence made the very room itself intolerable. The smell of decay lay heavy in the air and evil simmered under the surface in that place. "Perhaps I will never return. I could just disappear tonight." Peter shuddered at the ring of confidence in his voice. He could never be that strong and he well knew it. He was bound to the dark lord until death freed him.

"You have already been marked," he told the unknown person he sought in a sad tone. "You should just submit to him." He grabbed his ragged broom and soared into the air after a weak kick off from the ground.

The winds were with him and Peter flew easily for some time. Even this he could barely manage. His strength was waning every day. Peter's upper lip curled into a snarl as he remembered that the Dark Lord rarely took as much from the others as he did from him. "He wants me to be the weakest." Peter realized in a moment of clarity.

As he neared Hogsmeade, Peter descended so that he barely skimmed the tops of some of the largest trees. He deliberately gave Hogwarts a wide berth, trying not to think of the pieces of his life that were still there. Though he missed his former life, he knew that it and those in it were his past. He would not bring any danger to them and if it took dying to insure their safety, he would go to his grave secure in the knowledge that he had for once done the right thing.

There! That had to be someone involved in the magic! She had a sense of great power around her though she wandered the back streets of Hogsmeade as if she were lost. Had the magic caused her some senseless moments? If so...Peter knew that she was dealing with the powerful and ancient magic that only the purest of purebloods could direct and control.

His broom lurched and bucked as he tried to control final descent. When he was only fifteen feet above her, Peter lost control and sent them both tumbling to the packed earth path that lined the back of some of the shops.

"Terribly sorry." His voice was meek as he stood quickly and brushed off his already filthy clothes.

Claire stared at the man in shock. Where had he come from? She had been walking for ages it seemed. First, she had been in her house in London. Then, se opened the door and the world had swirled around her. She must have been in a fugue state or unconscious, she had told herself.

When Claire had come to herself again, she had been in a medium sized village that was lit by what appeared to be freely floating candles. Claire had moved closer to examine this but hadn't been able to find any evidence of support. As impossible as it seemed, the candles seemed to be floating in midair.

Panic rose deep in her and Claire began walking swiftly toward a lane of shops. She stopped still when she spied their names. The Three Broomsticks? Gladrags Wizardwear? Dervish and Banges? What were these places? She peered into the window of the one called Gladrags Wizardwear, studying robes of all sizes and colors. "Wizardwear?" She shrugged. Her unease was growing. It seemed vital that she get out of sight immediately so she rounded the corner to a small service alleyway behind the shops.

She had heard a whistling sound before something landed full force on her. As she scrambled out from under the moving thing, her terror rose again. "Please don't touch me." She moved back rapidly in a defensive stance.

The man's clothes were torn and wrinkled. His garment may have once been light in color, but age and dirt had turned it a dingy muddy brown. It looked somewhat like the garments she had seen in the window of the shop. He had a nervous way about him that strangely mustered protectiveness in her. That plus his pale and wan appearance had her wondering if he was as lost as she was. Still, here was help, however unexpected. There was a possibility, however slight, that he could help her to find her family and get home.

Something nagged at Claire and she looked around. The alleyway was rather wide but was entirely enclosed by shops on one side and the backs of houses on the other. She glanced at a broken old-fashioned broomstick lying near the man and wrapped her arms around herself. Things were going from strange to bizarre very quickly and she absolutely hated being on the ignorant end of a situation. Though her panic was ever present, she gathered herself to speak firmly to the man. "Where did you come from and who are you?"

~*~

Hagrid was somewhat surprised when he heard the man say his name. He hadn't been watching him carefully; no his eyes had been on the children that the man had brought into the Leaky Cauldron. This wasn't a place for children at night and those children were not clothed for the cold. Still, muggles didn't seem know too much at times so maybe this was the way of their world.

He had given the man a dirty look and shook his head before turning back to the table of old friends playing cards, but when the bartender had started harassing the muggle, he had to step in. He still hadn't looked closely at the intruder, preferring instead to keep his eyes on the bartender. Martin was an old friend but could get a bit crotchety and tonight after he had served a bad batch of Moonbeam Ale and only barely avoided a riot, he was in no mood to be patient.

There had been something familiar and intriguing in the man's voice and in the way he spoke about their money. Though his back was to Hagrid, he had stopped the card game. Good thing too, as he had had to break up what could have been a confrontation between the newcomer and Martin. Hagrid had been glad to pay the money for the young pups to have something to drink.

When the man said his name, Hagrid turned to look at him. As he studied his face for a shocked moment, everything came together. His eyes widened and a big grin began to spread across his face. "I don't believe it. Look at this mates! 'Ere you are, James P---" Hagrid blinked a few times in shock when the man--- could it really be James--- planted a hand over his mouth.

" 'ere you. Let go of Hagrid." The bartender looked at James menacingly.

James turned to look at Hagrid. "I'm going to take my hand away. Maybe you and I can discuss this elsewhere?" His tone was hopeful and he gave the larger man an encouraging look. "I am who I am, Hagrid, and I have a great deal to discuss with you. Perhaps we can do it more privately?"

Hagrid's eyes widened and he mumbled something unintelligible around James' hand. James gave him a sheepish smile and moved his hand away. "Sorry about that," he said quietly. He nearly stumbled to the floor when Hagrid clapped a giant hand across his back.

"No harm done, James. I want to know all about how ye..." he stopped at James; warning look. "Right." His eyes moved across to the bartender. "Martin, I'd like to take one of yer rooms. The wee bairns need their rest." He glanced at James for approval and smiled when the man nodded encouragingly.

The bartender seemed a bit more skeptical. "Hagrid, are you sure?" The large man nodded and held out his hand for the key. "Martin, the wee ones need their rest. Can you bring us up some tea." He ignored the guffaws of some of the rougher customers and turned to James. "I can carry the bairn upstairs for ye?"

James turned his gaze upon his children and motioned to his daughter. "Thank you old friend." He lifted Adam into his arms and followed Hagrid and the bartender to a room. As soon as the door closed, he allowed himself to breathe a huge sigh of relief. He gently lowered Adam onto a bed.

"Daddy?" Adam's eyes fluttered open.

"Right here." James smoothed his son's hair back. "Get some sleep, Adam. Everything is ok. I will be right here."

Adam's sleepy eyes focused on Hagrid and he smiled. "Keep Hagrid here, daddy," he mumbled before his eyes drifted shut and his breathing evened out.

James watched Hagrid place Amanda gently beside Adam and ran a distracted hand through his hair. It was time to face what had happened just now and in the past. He stood silently as the bartender poured the tea then departed and watched Hagrid throw the deadbolt with a small nod of satisfaction. When the older man's eyes met his, James was shocked to see that Hagrid was quietly crying.

"It is you. It really is!" Hagrid gathered James close in a crushing hug. He mussed James' hair. Small hitched in his voice alerted James to the fact that the other man was still quite emotional.

"It is." James said finally. Even though he was a man well grown, the comforting reassurance of familiarity was quite welcomed. He and Hagrid stood together for some moments in silence, each of them absorbing what was a huge shock to each other.

Finally, Hagrid released James and gave him a searching look. "Where 'ave ye been, James. Harry had a terrible time. He thinks that you and Lily are dead. Everyone does." Hagrid gave James a piercing gaze. "Where is Lily?"

James studied the table and shook his head. "Voldemort got her." James said quietly. "I saw her fall, just before he turned his wand on me Hagrid. She's gone."

Hagrid absorbed this news silently and wiped a tear away. "She was good people, James." He began before clapping a hand on the other man's shoulder. James turned into the comfort of the large form and gave Hagrid a huge hug.

"Thank you. She was..." He trailed off, unable to continue. He tried to focus on his children as Hagrid stepped back, but found that he was crying to hard to allow his sight to clear. "She was everything."

Hagrid too turned his eyes to the sleeping children. "Not everything." As James nodded, Hagrid sighed heavily and whistled for one of the Hogwarts owls. James slowly composed himself as an owl came and Hagrid began digging around for some parchment and a quill.

"Who are you contacting, the ministry or Dumbledore?"

"Dumbledore. The ministry ain't what it usedta be James. But I didn't say that." He frowned in concentration. "I better not tell him too much in case someone finds the owl." He scribbled frantically then looked up to James. "Ye feel up to a trip to Hogwarts? Dumbledore will have a lot of questions for ye and the bairns will be safe there."

"Safe." James echoed with a nod, wishing that he had read more of the books that his children brought home. "How bad is it out there? Are we safe here?"

Hagrid shrugged. "Much as I'd like to say Yes, James, nowhere is safe. It's as bad as when ye were in school. If they knew ye were here ye'd be a target."

James had feared this. He nodded grimly and looked around the room. "Hagrid can you manage to get the children some warm cloaks. Forget the owl. If you can take Amanda, I will take Adam. Can we take the Floo to Hogsmeade?"

"We can." Hagrid nodded and rustled in a closet. He rummaged for a few minutes before pulling out a slightly moth-eaten but otherwise sturdy blanket. He handed it to James who studied it for a minute. James found a weak seam and began tearing the blanket into two. Hagrid wanted to speak but waited until James was staring at both halves of the blanket in satisfaction.

"Why didn't ye use a spell?"

James flushed. "I've been without it for so long. I wasn't sure I could do what I needed to do." Hagrid's eyes widened and James nodded. "I wasn't able to use my magic where I was. It's a long story and I'll be glad to tell it, but we need to be away from here, Hagrid. I have a feeling that we need to get to Hogwarts immediately."

The unsettled feeling grew rapidly in James until he was almost panicked. He moved quickly to the bed and gently shook the children awake,

"Dad?" Amanda asked, looking first to the comforting form of her father and then with some wonder to Hagrid. "Is that really Hagrid?"

"It is." James confirmed. "I'll explain everything later. I know that it doesn't make any sense at all, but it is very important that you hang on for me, just a little longer."

Adam held his father's hand. "Daddy is mummy here? I want mummy." The whine that James knew precluded tears was in his son's voice. In response to that, he pulled Adam into a tight hug.

"Mummy isn't here Adam. We have to take a very short trip. Is that ok with you?" James almost lost control when he felt Adam shudder and sob against his chest. He was frantic with worry for Claire. How would she react when she found out that he and the children weren't home anymore?

James sat on the bed and quietly and rocked his son as Hagrid helped Amanda fashion the blanket into a warm cloak. He reached around Adam and tucked the blanket tightly around the little boy. "Adam, we must go now. I will hold you all the while. Hagrid, where is it? Downstairs?"

Hagrid nodded. He wasn't allowed to travel on the Floo under normal circumstances, but these, he reasoned, were far from normal circumstances. "They 'ave a meeting room that is connected to the Floo." He regarded James. "You said yer magic was gone. Can ye manage the Floo?"

James set his jaw and nodded. "I can and will. Shall we go Hagrid? We need to get the children to safety."

"And there are a lot of questions to be answered." Hagrid followed James out of the room, wondering what surprises were yet to come.