DISCLAIMER: I do not own nor do I make money off of Harry Potter, that is all J. K. Rowlings.

Note: Thank you's go out to the hosts of snape_potter and their help with edits to this work of fiction.

TWO ROADS DIVERGED IN A WOOD, AND I—

Biting his lip when his feet hit the ground, he tasted something metallic, like copper – blood. His own.

He glanced up at Cedric and had been about to ask where they were, when some sound had him whipping his wand out and pointing it in the direction of the intruder.

"Don't move, Cedric." The rate at which his heart beat was quicker than moments before, during the last moment of triumph of the Triwizard tournament.

Cedric had been about to get up, from what Harry could make out in the cover of darkness. But it was a time for caution.

Cedric asked him in a hushed whisper whilst he gazed down at the Triwizard Cup, "Did you know the cup was a Portkey?"

Harry shook his head. "No. But we need to get out of here."

Cedric nodded in agreement.

The rustling in the grass caused Harry to jump to his feet. He groaned upon the sensation of pain which shot up his injured leg.

Still, his wand hand did not waver.

He found it difficult to see through the darkness, but he stood in front of Cedric, the cup on the ground behind him: between them.

Noticing where they were, he recalled a dream he'd had. A nightmare. They were far from safe.

"Cedric, use the Portkey and get help."

Cedric's lips parted to protest, but Harry stomped his foot. "Do it now, Cedric!"

Cedric appeared about to protest but Harry waved his wand, calling the Triwizard cup and sending it straight at Cedric, who had no choice but to grab it.

And then he heard a pop behind him and knew that the older boy of Hufflepuff had gone. Surely Cedric would get help.

But in that moment, without warning, the agony his scar caused exploded tenfold.

So much pain that he lifted a hand to his head and nearly fell to his knees once more.

But he had heard, at the instant Cedric disappeared with the Triwizard Cup, a deadly voice all but hiss a command, "Kill the spare."

"Yes, Master."

It was fortunate that the spare was gone. Cedric Diggory was no spare. But Harry had to find a way out of here.

The voice was familiar, both of them. Voldemort. And Wormtail. The monster who had killed his parents and the friend who had betrayed them. Wormtail was just as much responsible for his parents' death as Voldemort himself.

Yet there was only one body.

Wormtail grunted, "Master, the spare..."

"We'll just have to do this quickly."

Wormtail nodded and set his bundle down. He could make out the name on that bundle as the betrayer lit his wand.

TOM RIDDLE

Harry gulped, sweat beading on his brow. He lifted his wand just as Wormtail called out, "Incarcerous." Harry was just a moment quicker with his own spell.

"Protego!"

Magic sparks like lightning jumped from his wand and rose up like a shield, a mirror. What was to hit Harry, bounced off of it and hit Wormtail.

The ropes weaved quickly around the rat.

His heart continued to pound, his body trembling. Voldemort was there. But he was vulnerable.

He didn't know what to do, but he could feel pain growing more intense in his head, knowing the hatred and intense rage that Voldemort felt.

It brought him to his knees, but whatever had been planned that night had been prevented.

Soon the sound of others appearing there had him turning his body to point his wand at the intruders.

Seeing who it was, he proceeded to faint, unable to take the pain much longer.

Dumbledore and McGonagall would surely know what to do with Peter Pettigrew, Wormtail, the blasted rat.

The last he heard before passing out completely was Dumbledore's words.

"Sirius Black will be exonerated with the evidence that Peter Pettigrew is indeed alive. And caught. We'll need to keep this part of Tom locked away somewhere."

The thought of his godfather being cleared of all charges left a sweet, yet bitter, smile on the passed-out youth's countenance.