Realization

Disclaimer: I don\'t own it, obviously, but they\'re too much fun not to play with.
Warning: Character death. Violence.
A/N: Please review. I love to hear from you. Thanks to all who have so far, I\'m just too tired to look up your names. Let me know what you think of the latest developments. The good stuff is coming in about five chapters, I promise. Enjoy. Don\'t forget, review, please. Don\'t be shy if you hate it. Oh, by the way, leave a review with your email address if you would like me to beta your stuff. I\'ll do HP and original stuff. Let me know. Enjoy.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With one very loud popping noise, the three best friends appeared at the head of a street named Spinner’s End. The chimney, relic of the old abandoned mill behind the street, towered over them.
“He lives here?” asked Ron.
“I know,” said Harry. “It was his father’s house. Of course, he’s made plenty of magical modifications. This whole village is abandoned except his house.”
“Figures,” muttered Ron.
Harry led the other two down the street to their former Potions Master’s home. He stopped at the gate and turned to face the cottage. The other two flanked him. He hesitated with his hand inches from the gate.
“What’s wrong?” said Ron.
“Too easy,” answered Hermione.
She had been looking warily at the house. Harry remained silent. He pulled his hand back and drew his wand. Hermione and Ron did the same.
Harry didn’t expect to find Snape or Ginny in the house, but he could tell that at least one person was in there.
“Wormtail,” he whispered.
Hermione let out a hiss.
Harry slowly opened the gate and walked through, Hermione hot on his heels. He could feel the anger coming off her in waves. Ron followed warily and shut the gate. The pair flanked Harry again as they crept toward the house.
When he reached the door, he hit it once with his free hand.
It flew open to reveal a man who resembled a rodent. He let out a squeak and tried to slam the door.
Harry shoved it and it bounced off the wall, shoving Peter Pettigrew to the ground.
“My dear Harry,” he simpered. He flinched at the anger in Harry’s eyes and turned his attention to the other two. “Ron, Hermione,” flinching again at the anger in her eyes, “how delightful to see you.”
“Wormtail,” said Harry silkily. “Serving Snape now?”
Harry pulled him up by the shoulders of his robes and shove him into the nearest wall. His face was inches from Peter’s and Hermione was looking over his shoulder, almost as close to Peter as Harry. Ron was standing in the doorway with a disgusted smirk on his face.
“I don’t know where she is,” he whimpered.
Harry shoved him into the wall again in answer. “Liar,” he spat.
“I swear, he left a week ago without a word and I haven’t seen him since.”
“Then how do you know why we’re here?” Hermione spat venomously. She shoved her wand into his stomach beneath Harry’s arm.
“All the First Circle Death Eaters know,” he answered.
“So, you’re still First Circle, are you?” asked Harry, sounding as though he didn’t believe it. “Haven’t you outlived your usefulness yet? I thought you would have been a rotting pile of nothing by now.
“I am of more use than you will ever be,” Wormtail spat at him.
Hermione shoved her wand harder into his stomach. “Harry,” she said, “I think he has one more use. Actually three.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” she said. “One is to Voldemort. However, I don’t think Voldemort will get to use him. Two to us. First, he owes you a life debt.”
“I almost forgot,” said Harry in that frightening silky voice. “So, I’ll go ahead and call that in. Spill it.”
“What?” asked Wormtail in a scared voice.
“Everything,” said Ron. “You’re still First Circle. You must know loads of juicy things. Spill it.”
Hermione smiled at him evilly.]
“All I know is that the plan is to raise the new Potter child as the Dark Lord’s.”
Harry shook with anger, causing the whole house to shake as though caught in an earthquake.
“Harry,” said Hermione warningly.
Wormtail shook with fear at his display. “So he is right to think you almost an equal,” he mumbled.
“Almost an equal?” laughed Ron.
“What else do you know?” snarled Hermione, pushing Harry out of the way and shoving her wand into Wormtail’s face.
“Okay,” Wormtail trembled. “The young Malfoy is displeasing the Dark Lord a great deal. He claims to be loyal, but he disappears constantly and sometimes ignores the Mark. Snape and the Dark Lord are considered equals. Snape has replace the senior Malfoy as his left hand. We are planning to split Azkaban open and return all of the Death Eaters inside to the Dark Lord’s side in two weeks. We are calling down the rest of the giants. Some of the goblins are loyal and planning to show that with the return of the giants. The centaurs are next under attack after Azkaban. He plans to let the giants and goblins loose on the centaurs. Inferi are being amassed for an attack on Hogwarts around Christmas. The Death Eaters are in training camps right now, a majority of the lower circles at least, for our attack on the Ministry in September. Once the Ministry falls, the Aurors will fall in October. In November, he plans on destroying St. Mungo’s. And that brings us up to Hogwarts at Christmas. Once that falls, the First Circle is moving to Ireland and France to destroy opposition while the lower circles remain to destroy families here that are not loyal. Then he plans to sweep through Europe and Asia. Then the Americas. Then the rest of the world. He plans on destroying all who do not fall at his feet.”
“When does he plan on killing me?” Harry asked.
“In seven months. For the child. And the girl.”
“That was most illuminating,” said Hermione. “Crucio.”
Wormtail fell to his knees and screamed and writhed in pain. Ron looked shocked. Harry looked amused.
She removed the spell and continued as though nothing had happened. “Now, on to your second use.”
“What is that?” asked Ron, looking as though she had just declared her loyalty to Voldemort.
“A message. I have a message for you to send back to that ugly snake.”
“What?” quaked Wormtail from the floor.
“We are not as weak as he thinks,” she said simply. “Avada Kedavra.” She let it slip from her tongue as though it belonged there all along.
Harry let out an evil laugh. Ron looked as though his whole world had turned upside down.
Harry stepped out of the door and whispered an incantation. A scarlet lion rose into the air and hovered over the house.
Suddenly a loud popping noise alerted him to an approaching person.
“Let’s go.”
He turned to apparate and found himself unable to.
He turned to face the other two and saw looks of confusion on their faces. They had obviously just attempted the same thing and were unsuccessful as well.
“How quaint,” said a harsh female voice. “Quite a nice change from that hideous purple bird.”
“Bella,” said Harry. “What brings you here?”
“Ah, young Potter. I thought it would have been obvious. The mudblood. She has caused enough trouble to be going on with.”
He felt Ron step in front of Hermione and her sidestep him and Harry.
Bella had by now entered the small front yard. She stepped up to Hermione and looked her in the eye.
“Nice to see you out of hiding, girl.”
“Nice to see you drawn away from Tom.”
“Cheeky,” Bella laughed.
“And evil,” Hermione spat.
Bella made to raise her wand, but Hermione beat her to the punch.
“Crucio,” she said lazily.
Bella hit the ground but did not scream. Harry stepped forward and took her wand.
“Let her go. She belongs to Neville,” he said to Hermione.
“I belong to Longbottom? Who are you kidding?”
“No one,” spat Ron.
“Ah, Weasley. The Dark Lord enjoys your brothers’ jokes.”
Harry grabbed him and held him back as he made to strangle her.
“Ah, you didn’t know? Well, those unnatural twins are quite amusing.”
“They would never be Death Eaters, you liar!” Ron shouted.
“There, young Weasley, you are correct. But only because the Dark Lord would never let Weasley scum into his ranks.”
“Crucio,” Hermione said again.
Again, Bella fell to her knees but did not scream or writhe in pain.
“Let’s go,” said Harry, pocketing her wand.
Hermione lifted the curse and Bella lunged at Harry, bowling him over and drawing her wand from his pocket. She leapt up and pointed it at Hermione, making a slashing movement and crying, “Sectumsempra!”
“Learned that from Snape, did you? Tell the greasy git I said he’ll be dead sooner than Tom!” Harry shouted as she swept from the yard.
Harry turned and helped Ron hoist her limp, bleeding form from the ground and carry her beyond the yard. Harry pulled Hermione close to him and saw the fear in Ron’s eyes. He turned, apparating with her straight to St. Mungo’s. Ron followed him in a swish of his cloak, fear consuming him.