The Marauders: Year Seven Part One

Speaking of Badge--rs

"FIND ME THE TRICKSTERS, FIND ME GARM AND FREK, AND I'LL KILL THEM!" Voldemort screamed the words, waving his wand with violent sparks flying in his anger, the jets of light breaking apart shelves and cutting long gashes through peeling wallpaper, shattering windows, and sending the stuffing from a couch flying through the air. Fenrir Greyback cringed as things broke and the pieces flew about the air, covering his head and cowering down. The gorgon woman, Medusa, covered her writhing hair and one by one nearly every death eater disapparated out of the little shack.  

When the air finally cleared of curses and debris, Voldemort stood in the center of the room, catching his breath, looming over the quaking form of Peter Pettigrew, his fist still wrapped tightly around the Mickey Mouse watch. He glowered down at Peter, then looked at the watch and with a flick of his wand, Peter was dragged upward to standing position, hanging as though from invisible arms, his knees to weak in his fear to support himself.

"Wormtail, Wormtail, Wormtail," Voldemort breathed, a strange calmness about him that was nearly as unnerving as the screaming version he'd just reverted from. He dragged his cold, long fingers over Peter's plump cheeks. "Stop your crying. For Voldemort is a lord who understands... is a lord who gives second chances."

Fenrir Greyback looked up, his mouth slightly gaping in shock and possibly disappointment.

Peter's tears poured freely, he looked up at Voldemort.

"Yes, that's right, Wormtail," Voldemort hissed, "I'm going to give you another chance."

"B-but, but s-sir, I brought you the w-watch you w-w-wanted already," he stammered, "That's the one James Potter had, that's the one you asked for. With the cartoon m-m-mouse."

Voldemort nodded, "Yes, and you've done well for even this watch is not entirely worthless to me."

"It's - it's not?"

"No," Voldemort smiled, "It's not." He drew a deep breath and his hand fell away from Peter's face. "It seems that I have been played a fool and given information that is inaccurate. I was told, you see, that Kostos Mopsus - who is a Time Keeper, or a Time Thief, as ancient as days themselves - had stored the remainder of his soul into a particular timepiece, and I was told, by one who claimed to have a knowledge on the fact from an even closer source than I could ever wish to obtain word from, that the soul of Mopsus would reside in the watch that would be handed down through the the Potter family. I was told by this source that the watch was the one with the cartoon mouse, that it held the precious seconds key to my quest to defeat Mopsus, whose aims are to defeat me."

Peter asked, "But Mopsus worked for you, didn't he? He was a Death Eater."

Voldemort's smile was thin and wickedly amused, "A good deal of people work for me who are not truly Death Eaters. You above all people should know that, Wormtail." 

Peter swallowed the nervousness that had risen up in his throat at the words. Then, "But - but I did what you asked," he said, mustering all of the bravery he could, "I fulfilled the vow you tricked me into taking! I - I'm free, aren't I? I am. I must be. And you - you can't make me do anything else!" He heard the words coming from his mouth and it surprised even him how much he sounded like James, and in his mind, he heard James Potter's voice saying Good one, Wormtail, and it bolstered him, made him stronger, and he wiped away the tears from his eyes, staring up at Voldemort defiantly.

Voldemort's smile did not falter. He smiled all the more, rather, and he looked at the watch in his hand and he breathed, "I think, Wormtail, that it has not yet occurred to you exactly why this watch is still of value to me."

Peter looked from the watch to Voldemort's face, his confidence melting from him as he withered before the Dark Lord.

"You'll go, Wormtail, and you will not speak a word of this to your friends - or any other - and if you do and I find out about it, there will be... consequences... as severe as any that the binding of the Vow could have provided." Voldemort held the watch in his palm, "You see, Wormtail, that if you displease me, I need only stop the hands from turning..." And he deliberately brought his finger down upon the second hand on the watch, and Peter buckled against the invisible clutches holding him up, his heart clenching in his chest once more until Voldemort released the second hand again. The corner of Voldemort's mouth twitched in amusement. "More effective than the cruciatus, and much less messy."