Secrets Kept: From the Eyes of a Rat

Chapter 2

Changing of Hands

For ten years, the Wizarding World had acquired a semblance of peace and order, a far cry from the atmosphere of the previous decade. At first, a few disturbances broke out when random Death Eaters, still in denial over their lord's disappearance, wreaked havoc in the countryside. The worst incident was the Longbottoms' torture at the hands of four fanatical Death Eaters, who were quickly captured and sent to Azkaban. But not all Death Eaters were apprehended. More than a few had managed to obtain deals with the Ministry of Magic, bargaining vital information about the Dark Lord and his followers for their freedom. Some of the more affluent used less conspicuous methods of securing their freedom, like giving massive donations to various Ministry departments and officials. Others vehemently denied any role they may have had, either insisting that they have been victims of the Imperius Curse or maintaining that they were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time.

As the months passed, the furore slowly died down. People were soon caught up in trying to rebuild their lives, re-establishing old routines and habits. The public has a short attention span, and the Wizarding Community showed that they were much eager to move on and forget about the Days of Terror. Soon politics and turnovers held precedence in the Ministry, and citizens once again became obsessed with Quidditch.

The legend of Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, grew over time. Nobody knew where he was, and those who did said nothing. But rumours abound, spreading from one Wizarding home to another. Most believed that Muggle relatives took him in, but all attempts to find him ended in failure. A few had bragged about meeting him in the street or in Muggle shops, but all of these claims were unfounded. As a result, the mystery of the Boy Who Lived, which grew out of his defeat of You-Know-You, was amplified. Children everywhere regarded him as their role model, while adults viewed him as their saviour. Everyone anxiously awaited his return to the Wizarding World, expecting great things from him.

But underneath the secure and peaceful façade laid an unnamed terror, a secret fear that perhaps He isn't really gone. Though they desperately wanted to believe that You-Know-You has truly been vanquished, the nagging doubt that He might possibly be just waiting for the right time to strike again cannot be ignored. Thus witches and wizards everywhere shunned His name, refusing to utter it for fear that doing so might bring Him back. And they waited, wary for any sign of His return. Every news and rumour of terrorism and violence were regarded as proof of His immortality. But gradually, inevitably, people became complacent and dropped their guard and He eventually became nothing more than a myth, a frightening entity parents used to scare their children into obedience.

***

The rays of the early morning sun sifted through the window. Frayed blue curtains swayed in the gentle breeze and the aroma of sizzling sausages and fried eggs seeped through the open panes. He slowly inhaled and enjoyed the silence, for he knew that it wouldn't last long.

Life in the Burrow, the Weasley residence, was anything but silent and predictable; rather, its inhabitants observed a strict routine of chaos. Well, all but one.

Percy was certainly the oddball of the family. Unlike his fun-loving brothers and sister, he took his studies a bit too seriously. If Bill, the eldest Weasley, achieved his top marks from his innate intelligence, Percy achieved his from intense and constant studying. In contrast to the rest of the house, whose main theme was disorderly charm, Percy's room was immaculate. He had even organized his books alphabetically and kept his clothes colour-coordinated.

Percy usually lived life by the book, and Peter knew of only one instance when the boy deliberately ignored the rules. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry clearly specified that the only pets allowed were cats, toads and owls, yet Percy disregarded this and brought Scabbers with him. They were eventually found out by no less than Minerva McGonagall, but Percy somehow managed to persuade both her and the Headmaster to allow Scabbers to stay, provided that Percy took full responsibility for the rat.

Scabbers. Why couldn't the boy have thought of a better name? To be fair, he did look a bit worse for wear when the boy met him at Diagon Alley. His bones jutted out from under his coat, and his grey coat, far from the sleek black covering of other rats, made him appear old and sickly. His paw had an unsightly scab on it, on the space where his finger used to be. When the twins saw the wound, they immediately dubbed him "Scabby ratty." Unfortunately for him, the nickname stuck, and eventually evolved into "Scabbers."

Peter hated to admit it, but he had grown rather fond of Percy. Truth be told, the teenager could be a bit boring and prudish at times, but Percy had a kind heart and a determined spirit. He often gave Peter, rather Scabbers, table food whenever Molly Weasley wasn't looking, and even let him eat a few sweets now and then. The boy has also taken to confiding into Scabbers, telling him his desire to be the youngest Minister for Magic, and oftentimes bemoaning the twins' pranks (which were, more often than not, directed at him). Percy vented out his frustrations to his pet, about how his wealthier classmates mocked his threadbare robes and second-hand books, and how the pureblood students called his family a disgrace to the Wizarding world.

BOOM!

A loud explosion rocked the house, shaking its very foundations. A disgruntled Percy shot up in his bed, woken by the blast. Snow-like debris fell from the ceiling onto his hair, making him look like he suffered from a bad case of dandruff. Peter's whiskers twitched as he fought to suppress his squeaky laughter.

"Sometimes I wonder if I really am related to those insufferable, inconsiderate gits," Percy muttered to himself as he gingerly got up. The teen glanced towards the rat, and gave it a small smile. "Good morning, Scabbers. Did the twins wake you? Come on, let's see what on for breakfast."

Percy took Scabbers into his hand, and they made their way downstairs. Almost every member of the family was already in the kitchen. Molly Weasley bustled about in her pink apron, serving plates piled with sausages, eggs and toast. A sleeping Ron sat with his head on the table, and beside him sat a chipper Ginny. Percy hurriedly sat next to his brother, placing Scabbers on top of his lap and away from his mother's eyes. Scabbers settled down, listening to the family's early morning chatter.

"Morning, Percy!" greeted the youngest Weasley.

"Good morning mum, Ginny. Where's dad?" Percy asked as he took his plate from his mother.

"He had to go down to work early. Something about talking brooms down in Devon," Molly answered. "And Ginny, do wake your brother up. He's getting eggs all over his head."

Just then, the twins came bounding down the stairs. Fred and George were covered with what appeared to be pink slime. Ginny snorted into her milk and Peter felt Percy shake with suppressed laughter. The rat sat up straighter. This should be good, he thought as he watched Molly turn around and face the twins. Pink and red definitely don't match.

"Just what, exactly, have you two been up to?" screamed an incensed Molly. Peter watched as Ron woke up with a jolt, suddenly sitting straight with eggs clinging to one side of his face.

"Mum -," one twin began, though Peter had no idea which one. He never could tell those two apart, even after living almost ten years with them.

"Explosions at the ungodly hour of seven in the morning!"

"Mum -,"

"Almost knocked the house down! If it weren't for those extra wards your father put up, I can't imagine what would have happened!"

"Mum, we -,"

"Waking up everyone within a five-mile radius, what would the neighbours think?"

"But we don't have any!" one twin finally managed to blurt out.

"Mum, we can't get this muck out!" the other twin loudly wailed.

Peter, or Scabbers, gave out a squeaky laughed which was thankfully drowned out by Ginny's laughter. Even Molly could not resist a small smile at her sons' display. The two teenagers were however spared from their mother's retort by the sound of a loud rapping against their window. Peter strained up to see the cause of the disturbance, and saw two owls perched against the sill

"Owl post!" Percy exclaimed, a bit excitedly. The teenager cleared his throat, amidst his sister's snickers, and muttered, "My throat's a bit itchy today."

Molly hurried to open the window and let in the birds. Peter hid himself inside the folds of Percy's pyjamas, away from the view of the wily owls. For some reason, Errol had never warmed up to the Animagus, and had even tried to eat Scabbers on several occasions. The owl may be older now, but its ears were sharp as ever. Peter could almost see the owl twitch, something it did every time the rat was someone in its vicinity.

Molly freed the owls of their packages, and the younger barn owl quickly flew away as the family owl settled on his perch. "Your letters from school are here," she announced to the room. "And there's a letter for Percy here."

Peter fell unceremoniously to the floor when Percy abruptly stood to get his letter from his mother before the twins did. The rat was however saved from becoming an owl's meal by Ron, who immediately scooped Scabbers up into his lap.

"Ooh, Percy's got himself a pen pal," teased Fred, or maybe George.

"Oh hush, you. Here, get your letters," admonished their mother as she handed them their book lists and school notices. "Your letter's a bit thick, Percy dear. Must be a longer book list because of the OWLs," Molly murmured as she handed Ron and Percy their respective envelopes.

Percy hurriedly ripped the thick parchment and scanned through the various contents, until he reached one. "Mum," he excitedly called out. "I've been made a prefect!"

Peter cringed at Molly's loud and very painful shriek. That woman could out scream a banshee, and her shrieks were as dangerous as a siren's call. "Oh how wonderful, dear! A prefect! Another prefect in the family, just like Bill and Charlie! Oh, Percy, I'm so proud of you, dear! And with your marks, you could be Head Boy in two years!"

The other children laughed hysterically in the background, the twins making gagging noises as Molly covered her son's face with kisses. Percy seemed oblivious to his mother's actions; his eyes were trained on the scarlet badge and he had a dreamy smile on his face.

Molly suddenly broke off. "Oh, your reward, dear! What will it be? Bill opted for new robes, and Charlie for a broom-servicing kit. How about you?"

Percy suddenly looked serious. "Mum, I can't really ask for anything. We don't have much..."

"Hush, you," she cut in. "Don't be ridiculous. We'll manage. Now, what do you want? How about some new robes, hmm? I noticed that a couple of yours are a bit frayed."

"I'd like that." Percy glanced at the wheezing owl. "But an owl also sounds good. I mean," he glanced at his mother. "Errol's getting a bit old, he can't handle longer trips anymore, and I have my own correspondences now..."

"An owl's fine," Molly told him.

Percy hesitated. "No, mum, robes are fine. Besides, I really need new clothes."

"Tell you what, we'll buy you a new owl. If there's any money left, then we'll see about those new robes," Molly said.

The twins and Ron burst into loud complaints. "Unfair! How come Percy gets new robes and a new owl?" one twin protested.

"How come Percy gets to keep two pets while you won't even let me have a toad?" Ron grumbled.

"Percy gets to have an owl and possibly new robes on account of his becoming a prefect and his exceptional marks last term," Molly told the twins. She turned to Ron, "You, on the other hand, get to keep Scabbers."

"Mum! Scabbers has been with me for ten years. I can't just give him to Ron," Percy said.

Molly looked warningly at Percy, and the teenager turned beet red. "Alright. In the spirit of equality, I hereby give my pet, Scabbers, to Ron," declared Percy.

Don't I have any say on this matter? Peter wondered as he looked up the despondent face of Ronald Weasley.

"Go on, eat your breakfasts. We'll need to go to Diagon Alley later to get your things."

***

Peter fought the urge to bite Ron's sweaty hand. The boy held the rat a bit too tightly, his fist clenched around the rodent and making it difficult for the rat to breathe. Peter tried to squirm his way out of the boy's grasp, and Ron, noticing that his pet was about to fall face-first into a roaring fire, decided to put it into his pocket. Thank Merlin, Peter thought as he munched on a piece of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean. Oh, chocolate fudge! Haven't had this one for years.

"All set? You go first, Percy," Peter heard Molly urge her son. He snuck his head outside the pocket, and saw a prim Percy, complete with prefect's badge, step into the green fire.

"Diagon Alley!"

"Go on," Molly prompted the twins. Soon enough, it was Ron's turn to Floo. Peter hurriedly hid himself again.

"Diagon Alley!"

Peter felt the familiar disorienting effect of Flooing. His oversized world swam around him, and he fought the urge to gag. If Flooing was bad enough for a person, then it was definitely worse for a rat, for its effects seemed to be increased tenfold. After a few seconds, he felt the boy move forward and land gracelessly on the floor, nearly crushing him in the process. When he felt the world right itself again, he poked his head outside the pocket. The Leaky Cauldron looked as drab as usual. Since there were still three hours to go before lunchtime, there was hardly anyone in the pub.

Molly quickly ushered them out of the pub and into Diagon Alley. The group first went into Gringotts. Peter again fought the urge to throw up his meal during the cart ride to and fro the Weasleys' vault. He peeked out of the pocket to look into the vault and its meagre contents. It contained only three piles of Sickles, a pile of Knuts, and three Galleons. He watched as Molly took all the Knuts, almost all the Sickles, and two of the Galleons into her sack, and felt a small twinge of pity for the family.

"You two are not, under any circumstances, to go into Knockturn Alley," Molly sternly told the twins once they were back outside as she gave them their money. "Ron, Ginny, you two are coming with me. And Percy," Molly turned to give her son the Galleons and a few Sickles. "These are for you, and should be enough to cover for your owl, books and new robes. Meet us back at the Leaky Cauldron at lunchtime."

The three Weasleys, plus Peter, set off to buy Ron's books and other requirements. Ron and Ginny were in an animated discussion, debating whether the Chudley Cannons had a shot at placing in the current season. As they made their way down Diagon Alley, Peter noticed that they passed by Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

"Mum! We just passed by Madam Malkin's!" Ron called out.

Molly sighed. "I know, dear."

"But I need new robes! It says so in the letter, see?" Ron pointed to his Hogwarts letter.

"I'm sorry dear, but Bill's old robes would fit you nicely. I'll wash them tomorrow, and they'll be good as new, you'll see."

Ron said nothing as they stopped to buy him some parchment, quills and ink. He remained pensive as they went straight to the second-hand section of Flourish & Blotts for his books. His mother and sister have both wisely opted to remain silent. It wasn't until they were about to leave Slug & Jiggers Apothecary that he spoke up.

"Mum? What about my cauldron?"

Molly answered in a tired voice. "Charlie's old one is still in working condition, dear. Perhaps you can make do with that one?"

Ron sighed and slumped his shoulders. "Okay," he muttered.

Molly took out an old timepiece and glanced at it. "We still have another hour to go, do you two want to go somewhere?"

Ginny and Ron spoke at the same time.

"Quality Quidditch Supplies!"

"But what about my wand? I can't go to school without one."

Peter suddenly noticed all the lines etched on Molly's forehead and around her mouth. She looked old all of a sudden, as if she aged overnight.

"You can use Charlie's old wand, Ron."

"Uncle John's old wand? That hardly works anymore, mum!" Ron whined.

"That's enough complaining from you, young man," Molly snapped. At Ron's stricken expression, she softened a bit. "I'm sorry, Ron, but we'd just have to make do with what we have. I promise that I'll buy you a new wand as soon as we can."

Despite his mother's attempts at placating him, Ron's mood did not improve. Nor did Percy's new owl, Hermes, and new robes help to brighten him up. He remained sombre all the way home, and Peter was thankful that Ron opted to let Scabbers stay in his pocket.

Ron went straight to his room when they arrived back home. He flopped heavily down his bed, and Peter scrambled out of the pocket to avoid being crushed by the boy. Peter watched as Ron cried, his tears running unhampered through his cheeks.

"Second-hand books, hand-me-down robes, used cauldron, and useless old rat. Why do I always get the hand-me-downs? It's so unfair! I wish I was born first." Ron finally noticed the rat that was looking up at him. "It's not your fault though, Scabbers."

Peter stood up on his hind legs and cocked his head to the side, one of Percy's favourite tricks.

"You're not too bad, though." Ron wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "Come on, let's eat some Every Flavour Beans, I know I've got some left in my pocket."