Alteration (Book 3 of The Corruption Sequence)

Chapter 17. Last Stand

The court was silent as Fudge's dark pronouncement. At that moment Harry knew Fudge was playing his last card and he knew that it had to be an ace. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to fly at the wizard and destroy his enemy, and he felt his fingers actually dig into the surface of the chair as he held on desperately for more than his own life.

"To what are you referring, Cornelius?" Dumbledore asked in a reasonable tone, but as the headmaster touched Harry's shoulder in support, he could feel the tension running through his mentor.

"Bring him in," Fudge said shortly without looking at the door towards the back of the court.

The other two members of the bench appeared as in the dark as Dumbledore and, when Harry saw who was led through the second entrance, he almost stopped breathing. There stood Wormtail and nothing could have stopped Harry as he surged to his feet, a snarl on his lips.

"Harry!" it was only Dumbledore's commanding tone that stopped him from tearing the traitor to pieces.

He managed to come to a halt a few feet from Wormtail, fangs bared and claws ready to strike. Reason was only a very tiny voice in his brain, and it was Dumbledore's will holding him in place not his own. He could feel the headmaster demanding of him control, and only that unwavering resolution held the monster inside at bay.

"We were led to believe that Peter Pettigrew had escaped," Dumbledore said.

"He was found wandering the grounds of Malfoy Manor and brought to the Ministry," Fudge said firmly. "A wizard may kill in self-defence, but what he may not do is devour a man's soul."

That shattered Harry's rage as he finally looked at the wizard in front of him. Wormtail looked at the world with cold, empty eyes and suddenly a crystal clear memory jumped into Harry's mind:

He was covered in blood and he was revelling in the kill, but his revenge was not complete; there was one more left to go. The slaughter had been efficient and bare minutes had passed since he had killed the Dark Lord, and now only one remained, and he had Wormtail's scent as he ran up the stairs. As he ran through the house and into the open air, nothing could have kept him from his prey and he hunted the traitor with glee.

Wormtail was running along the drive heading for the front gate when he finally caught him. The wizard gibbered in terror as Harry loomed over him.

"You'll pay for everything you have done," he said with a deep growl in his voice, "you will know true suffering."

Wormtail had not even had the power to speak as Harry took him by both arms and pulled him closer. There was only one fate good enough for Peter Pettigrew; one revenge, and he let the coldness of the Dementor take over his body. As he leaned forward and opened his mouth, Wormtail was helpless and it took less than a minute as he dragged the wretched wizard's soul from his body. When all that remained was a husk, he pushed the shell away and turned back to the house; his job was done.

Snapping back to the present Harry could do little more than stare at the empty eyes of the man who had betrayed his family and his godfather. The coldness in his bones and the chill of the air around him let him know that the Dementor was in control, but he could not put it away.

Looking into the shell standing before him he realised that his revenge meant nothing to anyone but him; Wormtail was as good as dead and all his actions would do was bring him down for a crime he had not remembered committing. In that moment he wanted to take back those few seconds, he wanted Pettigrew to know the torment Sirius had felt and the pain he knew every time he was reminded of his parents.

He was virtually unaware of the rest of the room, all he could see and hear was Wormtail, and he found himself moving towards his victim. Someone seemed to be trying to stop him, but it was irrelevant and he more glided than walked up to Pettigrew. Reaching out he took those empty features in both hands, pushing Wormtail's mouth open with his thumbs on the wizard's lower jaw.

Caught in his own power and desire he leant forward, and with his lips only millimetres from Pettigrew's, he pushed instead of pulled and something he had not known he was holding deep inside of him moved up and out of his throat. It hurt as he let the captive soul go and he lurched back the moment it was gone, breathing hard and collapsing to the floor in pain, but it was a strangely liberating experience.

His vision was swimming and his ears were ringing, and yet part of him felt as if a huge weight had been lifted. He heard Pettigrew whimpering in terror and another part of him revelled in it, and he lurched to his feet, the Dementor gone for now, but hot anger replacing the cold creature.

"I told you Pettigrew was alive," he snarled at Fudge, "you said I lied, and you tried everything not to bring him in here today because you knew it would show everyone the truth. He betrayed my parents; he framed Sirius Black for his murder; he restored Voldemort to full life. I may have dark creatures inside me, but you, Cornelius Fudge, are the monster.

"You have hated me since the day I told you Voldemort was back, simply because you were afraid. I saved my cousin from Dementors and you tried to have my wand broken; you put Umbridge in charge of Hogwarts and allowed her to try and ruin any chance the pupils had of learning to defend themselves, and you allowed her to victimise me for lying when I was telling the truth. You took away every adult who could help me because you feared the truth, and so Voldemort had another chance at the Department of Mysteries. You even tried to have me expelled last year when you knew the truth, when you had seen it with your own eyes. You're not fit to be a Minister, you pathetic, frightened, little man."

He all but screamed the last part and only a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him from doing anything further. He didn't care about the court anymore, it didn't matter, and all he wanted to do was go home. Turning he met Remus' eyes and the werewolf nodded at him in understanding and agreement.

"Well done, Harry," Remus whispered quietly and opened his arms.

In need of support and comfort more than he could express, Harry fell into the embrace, unheeding of whatever else was going on. Strong arms surrounded him and for a while all strength flowed out of him, Remus' comforting hold being the only thing keeping him on his feet.

"I request an adjournment," Dumbledore calm voice rose above the chatter in the room.

"Request denied," it was Agito who replied, and Harry felt as if the world was falling away beneath him, "case dismissed. Harry Potter is released into the charge of Albus Dumbledore until such time as they both agree he is ready to once more take his place in the Wizarding world."

Without hesitation Madam Bones smashed her stone onto the desk in agreement and suddenly it was all over. What had happened to Fudge's vote, or Pettigrew for that matter was lost on Harry as he found himself being led towards the doors.

It was only as the outer doors opened that he remembered why they had originally come in the side entrance to the chambers. It felt like a thousand flash bulbs went off at once. The chattering of the reporters went eerily silent when they finally saw him for the first time and Harry really couldn't take it. There was a simple choice; let his darker nature have free reign and sort out his metabolism or take the simply human way out. It really wasn't a matter of options at all and, grabbing weakly at Remus, he fainted.