Harry Potter & The Black Sacrifice
Post 10 : The Blood Of Slytherin
Chapter 8
The Blood Of Slytherin
Excerpt – THE DAILY PROPHET
September 13th, 1997 – Front Page Exclusive
PETER PETTIGREW CAPTURED IN IRELAND
By Wagner Jinnloo
Peter Pettigrew, alleged Death Eater and illegal Animagus, was captured and arrested last night in the village of Ravenwood, Ireland.
Acting on an anonymous tip, Ministry Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, accompanied by two members of the elusive vigilante group known only to the public as The Order, apprehended Pettigrew under the impression that he was Severus Snape. On the way back to the ministry though, the polyjuice potion that Pettigrew had taken began to wear off, revealing his true identity. Shacklebolt was disappointed upon learning this, but was still relatively upbeat.
"While the capture of Snape would have been a marvelous victory for the ministry," Shacklebolt said, "capturing Pettigrew is a victory as well. It's just a smaller one. This man is indirectly responsible for the deaths of Lily & James Potter, several Muggles, and who knows who else over the years. Not to mention the framing of Sirius Black for his own death, which led to Black's imprisonment in Azkaban for nearly 12 years. Having Pettigrew in custody is nothing to be disappointed about."
Rufus Scrimgeour, minister of magic, made a brief statement this morning in the lobby of the Ministry. "The arrest of Peter Pettigrew is a severe blow to the dark forces currently at large in our world. Hopefully, he will be able to reveal to us the location of other dark wizards, and we can finally put an end to this conflict. I will be interrogating Pettigrew personally this afternoon, with the assistance of Mr. Shacklebolt. We are obviously hoping that he will cooperate freely, but we anticipate that there will be a need to use Veritaserum on the accused. I have already received authorization from the Wizengamot to do so if necessary. We will hopefully have more to report on later this afternoon. Thank you."
This reporter received an tip that suggested Pettigrew had had his memory modified or erased before he was arrested, something that Scrimgeour neglected to mention. Interrogating Pettigrew will not be an easy task.
In related news, Ministry officials are now searching the village of Ravenwood and the surrounding areas for any sign of Pettigrew's associates. It is unknown at this time what exactly they hope to find. Ireland's own Ministry had pledged full cooperation and has offered their assistance in the search.
....…
"Wormtail performed admirably, my Lord. More admirably than I would have expected possible."
"Yes. Imperius can have that effect on people."
Lord Voldemort chuckled softly. "It's curious where people will place their priorities, Severus. The ministry now has in their hands the wizard solely responsible for my return to power, and thus the deaths of thousands. Yet rather than celebrate, they instead mourn the fact that they have not captured you, merely because you killed a single old Mudblood loving fool. It's almost insulting."
Snape smiled and nodded in agreement. "I must say though.. I still think I could have handled the Auror and his friends, had it truly been me who had been attacked."
Voldemort looked down to where Snape was kneeling at his feet. "We've been over this Severus. The whole point was to gauge whether or not you could gain the Order's trust once again. I couldn't risk actually sending you; you are much too valuable."
"Thank you, my Lord, you are too kind."
Voldemort nodded. "Now that we have our answer, we can start utilizing you in other ways. Rise, my friend and take a seat on the couch. I wish to hear your opinion on a matter I have been pondering since before the Potter brat was even born."
"And what of Pettigrew, my Lord? Will there be any attempt to free him?"
"I chose Pettigrew solely for his expendability. I will not waste my time, and you shall not waste yours, worrying about his well being in Azkaban. He is on his own. Sit, Severus."
Severus stood and walked over to the couch.
The couch and the man sitting on it were in a moderately sized mansion in the far north of England. The former Muggle residents, not coincidentally, were quite recently deceased. Voldemort & Severus, along with several others, had been hiding here for nearly 2 weeks.
"As you know Severus, I am the last in the line of Slytherin. Had I known this at the time, I might have thought differently about framing my Uncle Morfin for the murder of Thomas Riddle. The blood of Slytherin could have been passed on by him as well.
"While the blood of Slytherin will indeed endure eternally in this immortal body I have created, I decided a long time ago that that was not enough. Slytherin's bloodline should continue. Do you agree?"
Snape nodded slowly.
Voldemort continued. "I don't mind telling you that your intelligence surpasses my own Severus. So I wonder if you have deduced yet the reason for sending Lucius Malfoy and his son on missions in which they had no hope of success."
"The thought had crossed my mind, my Lord. It always seemed to me that you would have had no problem retrieving the prophecy yourself. If you'll forgive me my Lord, I had questioned your judgement for appointing Lucius as the leader of that mission."
"As you should have. He was a loyal fool, but a fool all the same. His son was no better."
"So why send them to fail? Why not just kill them yourself and be done with it?"
Voldemort paused for a moment, wondering how he should continue.
"Severus… I have many followers. But you are the only one I can truly call a friend."
"Thank you, my Lord."
"As such, I can trust you with one of my most closely guarded secrets. I can, can't I?
"Most assuredly, my Lord."
"I knew I could. As I said a moment ago, I know now that the bloodline of Slytherin, my bloodline, must continue. I desire a son, Severus."
Snape held his breath. He'd known what Voldemort was about to say for some time now, but he was anxious to hear it from his lips.
"But only the worthiest of followers would suffice to act as the mother of this child. I had Narcissa Malfoy in mind years ago, but only now has she proven herself worthy. Her loyalty is second only to your own."
"I agree my Lord."
"So why not just kill Lucius and Draco, you ask me. Because although Narcissa is loyal, she is also proud, and she truly loved her husband and son. She would never come to me willingly if I had killed them for no evident reason. No, she would have to know that they deserved to die for failing me. Only then would she welcome me without question. Loyalty would not be enough in this case."
"It was a brilliant plan, my Lord."
"Now, I am poised to give her a new son, to replace the one she lost. What greater gift could I possibly give to such an obedient servant?"
Voldemort began to laugh. It chilled Snape's blood to hear it, but he forced himself to laugh along just the same.
......…
The sun was just over the horizon in Godric's Hollow, and Harry Potter once again awoke to the prickling of his scar.
"Need to tell Remus or Moody…" he muttered to himself. "First thing… when.. I.." Harry was asleep again before he could finish.
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