✧WORMTAIL✧

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After another incident involving Black managing his way, yet again, into the Gryffindor common room and standing over Weasley's bed with a knife, Romulus hadn't been able to sleep.

Honestly, the only real reason they had stayed in Hogwarts now was because of his and Imara's impending OWLS, leaving now would set them behind. And if their parents cared about anything, it was their education.

If it had happened before Christmas break, this might have been a completely different story.

As of now, Romulus would usually join Imara in patrolling the halls, but they decided to split up to cover more ground. Which would usually take less time—But even then it still took multiple prefects to manage the castle during the night.

However in that instance, the aggravation of the portraits had caught his attention outright, especially the voices around the corner.

"Potter! What're you doing wandering the corridors at night?" To see the back of Potter's head and Professor Snape's glare, Romulus had held back but still held his lit wand.

"I was...I was...Sleepwalking..." The eldest Lestrange had rolled his eyes, which certainly was caught by Snape himself. How was it that Cara fancied this lad—He was fulfilling the title 'dunderhead' completely.

"How extraordinarily like your father you are, Potter. He, too, was exceedingly arrogant. Strutting about the castle—"

"My dad didn't strut. Nor do I. Now, if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you could your wand." Snape's eyed Harry, cold as ever. But he had managed to contain himself and follow the request.

"Turn out your pockets...I said, turn out your pockets!" Harry obliges the second time and the sharing of the blank map had caused Romulus to suck in a breath and move forward.

It would be detrimental if Harry lost the map, especially to someone like Snape.

"And this...What might it be?" Professor spat, motioning for Romulus to come over and take a gander at it. And he pretended to be just as confused if not more at the sight of nothing.

"Spare bit of parchment...Really?" He deemed, all before pointing his wand down to the thing.

"Reveal your secrets!" To both Harry and Romulus' horror, words actually began to appear. And in a sense of triumph, Snape had ordered Harry to read it—All with a very sinister grin forming on his lips.

"'Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs offer their compliments to—Professor Snape and..." The panic was clear, Romulus knew quite well that the map was enchanted to embody the marauders and their personalities.

"Go on..."
"'...And request that he keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business.'" Perhaps it was spiteful for Harry to say it with such pleasure, and Romulus couldn't do much when it was asked for.

Yet thankfully, a voice of reason had caught the three's attention—And it was Professor Lupin coming in from the shadows.

"Well, well...Lupin. Out for a little walk in the moonlight, are we?" Romulus rose his eyes at the taunt, it was rather cruel. Especially when Snape had informed him it was sensitive information not to be disclosed.

"Harry? You all right?"

"That remains to be seen. I've just now confiscated a rather curious artifact from Mr.Potter. Take a look, Lupin. This is supposed to be your area of expertise—" Lupin had taken the parchment in question, which still displays the unflattering comment from the marauders. "—Clearly, it's full of Dark Magic." It was from the furthest thing considering Romulus knew it was his mum's magic coursing through the parchment now.

It was truly sentimental for the lot of them, and it would be awful for it to be lost.

"I seriously doubt that, Severus. It looks to me as if it merely insults anyone who tries to read it. I suspect it's a Zonko product. Nevertheless, I shall pursue any hidden qualities it may possess. As you say, it's my area of expertise. Come, Harry." The young Gryffindor had hurried forward to escape Snape's clutches, and Romulus rolled his eyes as it earned him a smirk from his potion's professor.

"...Lestrange, I'll need you to escort Harry when we're finished. Come along." Romulus had caught how furious Lupin was under his order, but he ducked forward after a parting goodnight to Snape.

The two students had followed Lupin to his classroom, and Romulus nudged the Gryffindor. "What were you thinking wandering the corridors?"
"I could say the same—"
"I'm a prefect you dunderhead, gods." How could Harry simply forget something in that nature?

If anything, the reason he was out patrolling is for situations like this!

"I don't know how this map came to be in your possession, Harry, but I'm astounded that you didn't turn it in. Did you ever stop to think that this—In the hands of Sirius Black—is a map to you?" Harry had walked in cautiously, but Lupin could barely contain his anger now that they were alone.

"Your father didn't set much store by rules either. But he and your mother did give their lives to save yours. Gambling their sacrifice by walking about the castle unprotected, with a killer on the loose, strikes me as a poor way to repay them."

"Professor!" Romulus hissed, as it was undoubtedly wrong to mention one's deceased parents so carelessly. No matter it was in a sense of a lecture, it was downright awful.

So much so that Romulus' fist curled tight and his hair shifted to grey on the spot.

With a following huff of aggravation, Lupin managed to pull his act together and nod. "I won't cover up for you again, Harry. Do you understand me? I'd like you to return to your dormitory now. Oh, and Harry? Don't take any detours. Romulus will take you in a moment, and I'll see you." Harry had ducked his head for a moment and just as Lestrange was about to speak out—Harry turned back.

"Professor. Just so you know, I don't think the map always works. Earlier, it showed someone in the castle. Someone I know to be dead."

"And who might that be?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

Harry didn't piece together the absolute horror on either Romulus or Remus' face, and the small 'that's not possible' had been all that remains between a final goodnight.

Romulus waved him off and he would catch up with him, and either of the two was left calculating the possibilities. "Tell me, Romulus. Do you know what this is?" Lupin said, holding up the parchment.

"I'm not sure, Professor. I have a different one in my possession. How do you think I've managed to keep my siblings in check?" It had taken Remus a second to render what the lad had said, but it made the most sense. Aurora wouldn't have simply allowed for one to be made in that time.

"Are you saying that another one exists?"

"Depends, sir, do you plan on taking it? Let's not forget what mysteriously showed up on it."

"Peter's dead."

"And Sirius is innocent...One of them is a lie, sir." The two remained silent in waiting for the realization that there was given proof on the matter.

"It's a matter of time the truth is coming out into the open. I heard what you said to Cara, that you spoke highly of the time in the album. You've disconnected yourself from my mother for the same reason the rest of the world wants her in Azkaban. So excuse me, professor, if I don't take kindly to someone bad-mouthing my family." He claimed, nodding his head and bidding Remus goodnight before joining Harry in the hall.

"You have an absolute knack in getting into trouble, don't you?" Romulus said, grabbing the back of the boy's jumper and pulling him further into the hallway—Away from Lupin.

"I wasn't trying to—I just recognized the name."

"Yes. And what do you plan on accomplishing following a dead name? Alone at that. Was Black in your dorm room twice not enough to tell you he can be lurking?"

"I have the map—Had the map, I was perfectly fine!"

"And yet you weren't prepared for Professor Snape?... It's an absolute sin to have Snape hold such an object, I can feel it now...Your father rolling around in his grave."
"What? Why?" Romulus stopped mid-step and looked at the young Gryffindor in pure and utter confusion.

"Your lack of a timeline of anything is awfully damning, but I am not the person to ask these questions. At least Lupin has it, it'll be safe there...You need to start asking the right questions Harry, and find answers instead of waiting for them to come to you." Harry was about to question what the Ravenclaw had meant, but the elder Lestrange had spoken the universal dorm password and nudged him in.

"You're lucky to have escaped without detention, Snape usually gives a month to the unlucky souls he finds wandering the corridor at night." With a final goodnight, Romulus ducked away from the Gryffindor portrait and Harry backtracked.

"Hang on, how did you know about the map?" The lad questioned, and Romulus had turned around with a bright smile.
"I'm the son of the inventor, best get it back safe and sound, Potter." The playful smile had caused a bit of a lesser worry, but the second Romulus was set by himself—He didn't know what the bloody hell to do.

Upon entering his own common room, he didn't hesitate before rushing to his dorm room and snatching the mirror before returning back downstairs. It was more than late now, but the panic in his blood was giving him the proper burst of energy he needed to regain a proper understanding as to what is happening.

With it being near midnight, it was the perfect time to ring his Uncle—Though it took a few times before it had caught the attention of anyone.

"Rommy! Are you coming to play?" Pandora had said with a happy squeal, and it appears that both the twins were there for the viewing.
"It's good to see you Dora, is your papa there? It's important, I need to speak with him." The girl's eyes had widened, the twins were now six, and dear goddess they were reckless and energetic.

Even now he could see how rambunctious they were.

"Papa! Papa! Rommy's on this!" Asteria had called out, and the impending steps and urgent voice had caused Romulus to sigh in relief.
"Thank you darlings, go and help mummy with setting the table, alright?" It was an unflattering angle to see his uncle, but Romulus hadn't a single care.

But in that time, he was searching for the one and only Peter Pettigrew, but with no luck so far, he was wondering if Harry was talking out of his arse now.

"Sorry about that Romulus, I left the mirror on my desk. Good I took it home this time aye? It was at my office—"
"Uncle I'm sorry for interrupting, but this is urgent. Harry saw Peter Pettigrew on the map." It seemed that every time he received a call, the tension had escalated to high heaven.

"Romulus, you have to be absolutely sure—"
"I can't find it now, goddess—Fuck. What am I suppose to do? It doesn't make sense!" He groaned into his hand, the frustration evident to piece it together.

"Doesn't it? Sirius had gone after Peter, the entire thing sounds as though it was a misunderstanding. I wish I could be more helpful but I was already in America by then. Any Death Eater secrets remain in the mind of your father and his mates. But it's pointless, if he told your mother—She would inform you or myself...You must be careful, Romulus. I'll try and share this with her under the table but you must pass this to your siblings."

"Pass what?"
"You must not engage Sirius Black, even if he is innocent. That might not make him the best in terms of sanity wise." Romulus nodded outright, she had recalled the early days of meeting his father on how differently he was to now.

And that was with mother's aid.

The following days were difficult to rally up all his siblings. Especially considering Black's locations were starting to return closer to Hogwarts—And upon catching sight of Cara, the girl seemed shortly out of breath and in a struggle to be anywhere else. "Are you alright?"

"Oh...I'm fine thank you—Where are you headed?" She said, turning off this way and that.
"Looking for Imara, though I'm happy I ran into you. There's an issue of—"
"Peter Pettigrew?" Romulus' eyes had gone wide, how could she have known?!

"Look, I haven't enough time to explain all this. Do not go looking for Black, Romulus. I've got it handled."
"Handled—Handled?! What the devils are you talking about?!" It was damning to see that Cara was so frantic and darting her attention everywhere but him.

"Cara, look at me, what are you doing?"

"Making sure all is well." She said, leaning upwards to kiss his cheek and darting the other way—Directly into the crowded pathway and it caused him to gawk. Why was it that Cara was starting to be the trouble maker now that Imara was settling down with being influenced by the Weasley twins?

However, he had walked towards Hagrid's hut in a daze. Catching Imara walking away from the scene with a sense of dread. "Hey...You've done all you could," Romulus said with his arm reached out to her.

"I know. But it's awful knowing it wasn't enough, Cara's on her way there now to say her last goodbyes."
"Is that why she was in a panic?" Imara nodded and then sniffled.
"I think I'm going to take Newt's offer and volunteering at the shelter. They did a lot for Buckbeak." Romulus offered a hug right then and there, and Imara had taken it outright—Starting to let the tears fall onto his shoulder.

"He was so kind! Why does he have to go?" She sobbed, and Romulus didn't have an answer. But what he did have, was the looming question of how Cara had managed to change her attire so quickly in the timespan of five minutes from the last he spoke with her...

Just what in goddess name was she up to?

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Date Posted: 07-25-2021

Time: 8:32

Words: 2489

Author's Note:

So sorry this is late! I received my second covid shot the other day and had a small operation on toe on Friday. The last few days have been pretty terrible😭

Anywho...

Things are starting to pick up, only a few more chapters for Prisoner of Azkaban until we head to Goblet of Fire! 
What do you think of this chapter/What do you want to see happen that hasn't already?
I would love to know your thoughts!

✨Until next time✨