Wormtail scurried through the doorway just as the Occisor was exiting. Shivers went down his back as the creature passed.

‘I wish that vile thing would go back where it came from. It’s not doing any good and it scares me half to death.’

He crossed the room to where Voldemort was sitting and transformed into his normal self. He was having a hard time standing because he was shaking so hard. Wormtail could tell that his master was not in a good mood and that meant a lot of pain for him.

“Good evening Peter. Did you get the potion? Or will I get to practice my curses tonight?”

“N-no need for that…m-m-my lord. I have the potion.”

“Wonderful. I trust you managed to get it without the ministry noticing.”

“No problem at all. They don’t notice rats.”

“I would expect not. After all, Fudge is the Minister of Magic and he’s a complete idiot.”

Wormtail stood listening, hoping that he would get away unharmed. He doubted this very much though. Whenever Voldemort talked with a note of patience in his voice, you knew something was coming and that it was going to hurt.

“Well…the potion?”

“Oh! R-r-right.”

Wormtail fumbled around in his coat pocket and pulled out a small vial. There was only about two drops of liquid inside.

Voldemort carefully took the bottle from Wormtail and held it very close to examine.

“Ah, the perfect tool for Mr. Harry Potter. I’m sure he’ll enjoy this tremendously.”

He continued to marvel at the small vial of potion. Wormtail took his chance and started backing away towards the door.

“Er…I guess I’ll be going now my lord. Awfully tired and I need my rest. Enjoy your evening.”

He had almost made it out the door when Voldemort spoke.

“Wait one minute. I’m calling a meeting tomorrow and I expect you to be there.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Bye.”

“Wait, I need to thank you.”

“Oh no need for that my lord. It was nothing. Really.”

Voldemort smiled. “Oh no. I insist.”

Wormtail braced himself.

“Crucio.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Arthur Weasley was walking down the hall to see the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. He needed to convince Fudge to search the Malfoy Manor. He knew that there was more illegal objects in there then had been found in the past ten years. He also hoped that something would be found to prove once and for all to Fudge that You-Know-Who was really back.

Arthur reached the door to the Minister’s office and reached for the knob. Before he could turn the handle, the door swung open and a disgruntled Cornelius Fudge appeared in the doorway.

“Arthur! What a surprise. You’re just the person I need. We have a situation.”

“A situation?”

“Yes, a very big situation actually. It seems our security isn’t as dependable as we had thought.”

“What do you mean Cornelius?”

“The potion’s been taken.”

Arthur was silent. Of course Fudge didn’t mean the potion. He must be talking about some other potion. Right?

“The guards were standing outside the door the whole time. No one entered the room at all or even passed by them.”

“Aren’t there security charms on the room?”

“Apparently they were down temporarily. They had to be strengthened. It’s been at least four years since they were recast.”

“Are the guards sure they didn’t see anyone?”

“No one. All they saw was a rat, which isn’t at all surprising. That room is down pretty deep.”

Arthur thought about it. That potion shouldn’t be used. In fact, it shouldn’t have even been made in the first place. He was snapped out of his thoughts by the Minister’s voice.

“I want you to start investigating this matter right away. I know it’s not exactly your area of expertise, but I trust you on this Arthur.”

“Sure thing. I’ll get right on it.”

Arthur turned and walked back down the hall. So much for busting Malfoy, but this was too important to ignore. He turned into his office and grabbed some parchment. He would need to inform Albus about this because he knew Fudge wouldn’t have.

He finished writing the letter and was about to seal it when he decided to add one more thing. It seemed pretty insignificant, but Albus was usually interested most in the small details, even if it was only just a rat.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A group of teachers, Lupin, and Sirius were all seated around a table in Dumbledore’s private study. They had just filled everyone in of the situation and were currently trying to think of a plan to get Harry and Snape back.

Sirius couldn’t take he silence and jumped up.

“We have to do something soon! Who knows what has happened. They could be-”

“Sirius, shouting isn’t going to do them any good.”

Sirius looked at Dumbledore and sat back down, but he couldn’t help but asking another question.

“How do we know they’re not standing in this room with us right now?”

Remus turned to Sirius to answer.

“Well, we have a pretty good guess that they got away and that Harry’s visible again. If we were able to see his blood on the floor, that means he touched the Occisor. And you know Severus; he’s always carrying portkeys in his pockets. He’s smart enough to grab one and grab Harry.”

Sirius looked somewhat comforted, but was now worrying about Harry being all alone who knows where with a slimy git.

Dumbledore stood up. “All we can do now is wait. I know Severus well enough to know that he’ll get Harry back here safely.”

Sirius looked doubtful, but didn’t protest. It’s not as if he could do anything anyway.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry was actually having a nice dream about Hogwarts and all his friends when he was jerked awake. He tried to cry out as his arms were twisted painfully behind his back, but someone had put their hand over his mouth. He struggled frantically, but had to stop because his shoulders couldn’t take it.

“Well, what a surprise. Mr. Potter all alone in the woods. Didn’t your mother teach you to never go into the woods without someone else? Oh, that’s right, she wasn’t alive to tell you.”

Harry turned his head to try and see who was talking to him. The pain from his shoulders was bringing tears to his eyes, so it was hard to focus on anything. His stomach jolted as he saw his situation. There were five Death Eaters surrounding him, not counting the one holding him.

“I’m sure Lord Voldemort will be very pleased with us, bringing him the Boy-Who-Lived.”

The voice sounded familiar and then it hit Harry. Lucius Malfoy. There was no doubt about it. That was one voice that wasn’t easily forgotten. Then he realized what Malfoy had said. He was alone. Where was Snape?

Harry turned his head to where Snape had been. It was deserted.

“Well, let’s get going. The sooner we get Mr. Potter here to Voldemort, the sooner I get my reward. Goyle, carry Potter.”

The man holding Harry, whom he knew now was Goyle Sr., picked Harry up and threw him onto his shoulder.

“Let’s go!”

Harry’s shoulders were aching badly. As Goyle started walking Harry looked back again to where Snape had been. His eyes searched the area until they met a pair of familiar black ones, right before the pain caused him to pass out.