The Error of My Ways

The rather diminutive man was pacing the room nervously. Every creak of the house and every sigh of the wind made him jump and look around in a panic. He was obviously ill at ease in his surroundings and looked as if he wished to scurry under some furniture and hide, trembling. He stopped to peer through a rather decrepit window that was cracked near the bottom and had a whole piece missing. A chill breeze came through, driving the warmth away from his hands. It was past midnight and it was pitch black outside, the moon had hidden her face behind the clouds. He was glad of that...the moon made him nervous...made him think back to another person, another time, another place.

 He tiredly ran a hand through his thinning hair and just stared out the window. It was not often when he had a few moments to himself. In fact, it was quite rare to the extent that he did not quite know what to do with himself while waiting. Thoughts spinning madly, he focussed on one memory...a young woman with lustrous red hair and sparkling green eyes.

 "Lily," he whispered.

 Lily Potter...no, not Lily Potter...just Lily. Better not to associate her with that surname. Lily, the girl he loved.

 Yes, he had killed her, had betrayed her trust but it was not supposed to have happened like that. Only James and Harry were supposed to have been killed. Lily was to have been spared. Spared for him. It was what he had wanted in return for revealing the location of their hiding place...

 ***FLASHBACK***

"They are using the Fidelius Charm? And you are the Secret Keeper? I find that most unusual. Given the nature of such a complex spell, I would have thought Sirius Black or, at the very least, Remus Lupin, would have been chosen for the task...not some spineless whelp such as yourself."

 "Sirius asked that it not be him...a last minute switch...he felt that he was too obvious a choice and would be the first person you would go after."

 "Sirius Black has the right sort of mind but it is wasted on those fools. Pity he did not want to join forces for us. He will be the next to go once I am done with the Potters."

"And about the Potters?"

 "Let me understand this correctly. You are willing to give me the location where the Potters are hiding if I..."

 "Spare Lily...you don't need her...you said so yourself. You only want James and the child."

 "This is true. And what will you do with Lily?"

 "I love her. I...I have always loved her, my Lord."

 "And do you think that she will want you after she learns that you betrayed her husband and her infant son? I hardly think that is realistic."

 "I thought...perhaps...a memory charm?"

 "Well, that is an interesting idea. Understand this, however. If she refuses to stand aside and insists on protecting them, I will have no choice but to destroy her as well."

 "She won't...she can't..." beads of sweat were now appearing on his brow as he became very nervous. How could he be sure that she would be allowed to live? It was a slim chance but was it a reasonable chance?

 "I agree to your offer and I will not kill your precious Lily...as long as she does not do anything...imprudent."

 "Thank you, my Lord. You are very generous and compassionate to your lowly servant."

 "I am neither generous nor compassionate...your proposal suits a purpose and that is all. If it did not, we would not be wasting my time talking about it."

 "Of course, my Lord."

 "The location. Give me the location now."

 He took a deep breath. He pictured James and Lily together with their precious Harry and the hatred boiled up inside of him. He would have revenge and he would have Lily as well.

 "They are in Godric's Hollow...you will find them there."

 ***END FLASHBACK***

 Yes, sixteen years ago she had died. He had misjudged her and her love for her child and for her husband. A love that was not destined to be his. So much had happened since then...his encounter with Sirius...his years with Ron Weasley...the terrifying news of Sirius' escape and the consequent near brush with death when Remus and Sirius had him trapped at the Shrieking Shack. The rebirth of his master. The renewal of the killings and the torturings in which he had taken part...thanks to his new hand which was a lethal weapon, particularly well suited for that sort of thing. Everything was proceeding according to plan.

 A frown crossed his face.

 "Staring at the moon are we, Wormtail?" an icy cold voice suddenly hissed.

 Turning around quickly, Wormtail was surprised to see that Voldemort had already apparated. He quickly bowed down.

 "I trust your meeting with the Trolls went well, Master," he said in a sniveling voice.

 "It was...productive. They will be powerful allies when the time comes. And it will come soon."

 Voldemort's snakelike eyes flashed with an evil fire as he sat down on an adjacent chair.

 "Our time is coming soon, Wormtail. The date approaches when we will acquire our target," he said with a thin smile, entirely bereft of any warmth.

 "Why do we pursue the Mudblood, Master? Why do we not pursue the Potter boy?"

 "For many reasons, Wormtail. Potter is too well protected by that fool, Dumbledore, and a host of other such imbeciles. It would take too many resources for me to get to Potter directly. The Mudblood, on the other hand, is not protected nearly as much and, despite her rather...tainted birth, she is a gifted witch of a talent I have not seen in many years...most unusual for someone who did not come from a pureblood wizarding family. She would make a powerful ally...an ally who could break Potter's spirit and destroy him completely."

 "How..."

"Wormtail, it is better for you to say nothing and at least give others the impression that you know something. Once you open your mouth, one realizes that there is precious little of importance or relevance in that tiny head of yours. Have you not been paying attention at our recent meetings? The Mudblood can be turned because I know what her greatest weakness is and I know well how to play that to my advantage. She will turn against Potter. She will become my most loyal and faithful follower."

 "But, Master, I am your most..."

 "Crucio!"

 That one word, spoken with indifference, resonated in the room as Wormtail fell to the ground writhing in agony, screaming at the top of his lungs for forgiveness. Voldemort watched, somewhat amused by the smaller man's suffering.

 Without releasing him from the spell, he continued...

 "She will become my most loyal and faithful follower and she will be the one to lead the final attack on Hogwarts. I might even let her kill that idiotic headmaster. The irony would be exquisite...his prized student...one of the most gifted to ever study there...turning against them all and becoming the agent of their destruction."

 The sound of insane laughter echoed eerily around the room as he released Wormtail from the spell.

 Wormtail stopped moving, except for the rapid rise and fall of his chest and his convulsive shaking. He struggled to get up.

 "A thousand apologies, Master. I did not mean to presume..."

 "Are the preparations on schedule?"

 "Yes. There will not be much time available to you but we will be able to manage it. I must remind you, Master, that this is a particularly difficult spell and we will only be able to do this once."

 "Once is all I will need," Voldemort hissed at him. Wormtail flinched, afraid to be subjected to the Cruciatus curse again.

 "Of course, Master."

 "You will need an image in order for the preliminary locating spell to work properly and the last time you saw her was just over three years ago. She has changed somewhat. Here is what the Mudblood looks like now. Memorize her face...I don't want any other mistakes such as the one at the Triwizard Tournament when Potter arrived with...unnecessary company."

 Voldemort conjured a wispy figure of a seventeen-year-old girl. The face was blurry at first but slowly came into focus. She had long brown hair, somewhat bushy, cinnamon brown eyes and a friendly smile.

 Wormtail stared at the image in disbelief.

 Voldemort noticed this and laughed...a very disturbing laugh.

 "Do you see something you like, Wormtail?" he mocked the other man's obvious interest.

 "Master, I..."

 "Do your job well, Wormtail and you just might get the reward denied you so many years ago. Fail...well, let's just say that you had best not fail this time."

 "I understand, Master. I will not fail. I will give you the means to get the Mudblood out of Hogwarts at the predetermined time."

 "Go to the others and ensure that all will be in readiness. Be sure to keep me updated or I will make you pay dearly."

 "Yes, Master. I will go immediately," and with that, Wormtail disapparated.

 Voldemort rose out of the chair and walked over to the fireplace. Uttering a spell, a bright fire suddenly blazed, casting orange, yellow and red reflections around the room. He looked deep into the heart of the fire as it crackled noisily, shooting sparks.

 "Soon I will have you, Mudblood and you will not be able to resist me because I am the means of achieving the thing you crave most."

 His laughter echoed eerily around the house. It effectively drowned out the quiet sounds of a horror-struck individual who had been listening to the conversation from beneath the cracked window and was now zooming away at top speed on a broom...