"FIND ME THE TRICKSTERS, FIND ME GARM AND FREK, AND I'LL KILL THEM!" Voldemort screamed the words, waving his wand with violent sparks flying in his anger, the jets of light breaking apart shelves and cutting long gashes through peeling wallpaper, shattering windows, and sending the stuffing from a couch flying through the air. Fenrir Greyback cringed as things broke and the pieces flew about the air, covering his head and cowering down. The gorgon woman, Medusa, covered her writhing hair and one by one nearly every death eater disapparated out of the little shack.  

When the air finally cleared of curses and debris, Voldemort stood in the center of the room, catching his breath, looming over the quaking form of Peter Pettigrew, his fist still wrapped tightly around the Mickey Mouse watch. He glowered down at Peter, then looked at the watch and with a flick of his wand, Peter was dragged upward to standing position, hanging as though from invisible arms, his knees to weak in his fear to support himself.

"Wormtail, Wormtail, Wormtail," Voldemort breathed, a strange calmness about him that was nearly as unnerving as the screaming version he'd just reverted from. He dragged his cold, long fingers over Peter's plump cheeks. "Stop your crying. For Voldemort is a lord who understands... is a lord who gives second chances."

Fenrir Greyback looked up, his mouth slightly gaping in shock and possibly disappointment.

Peter's tears poured freely, he looked up at Voldemort.

"Yes, that's right, Wormtail," Voldemort hissed, "I'm going to give you another chance."

"B-but, but s-sir, I brought you the w-watch you w-w-wanted already," he stammered, "That's the one James Potter had, that's the one you asked for. With the cartoon m-m-mouse."

Voldemort nodded, "Yes, and you've done well for even this watch is not entirely worthless to me."

"It's - it's not?"

"No," Voldemort smiled, "It's not." He drew a deep breath and his hand fell away from Peter's face. "It seems that I have been played a fool and given information that is inaccurate. I was told, you see, that Kostos Mopsus - who is a Time Keeper, or a Time Thief, as ancient as days themselves - had stored the remainder of his soul into a particular timepiece, and I was told, by one who claimed to have a knowledge on the fact from an even closer source than I could ever wish to obtain word from, that the soul of Mopsus would reside in the watch that would be handed down through the the Potter family. I was told by this source that the watch was the one with the cartoon mouse, that it held the precious seconds key to my quest to defeat Mopsus, whose aims are to defeat me."

Peter asked, "But Mopsus worked for you, didn't he? He was a Death Eater."

Voldemort's smile was thin and wickedly amused, "A good deal of people work for me who are not truly Death Eaters. You above all people should know that, Wormtail." 

Peter swallowed the nervousness that had risen up in his throat at the words. Then, "But - but I did what you asked," he said, mustering all of the bravery he could, "I fulfilled the vow you tricked me into taking! I - I'm free, aren't I? I am. I must be. And you - you can't make me do anything else!" He heard the words coming from his mouth and it surprised even him how much he sounded like James, and in his mind, he heard James Potter's voice saying Good one, Wormtail, and it bolstered him, made him stronger, and he wiped away the tears from his eyes, staring up at Voldemort defiantly.

Voldemort's smile did not falter. He smiled all the more, rather, and he looked at the watch in his hand and he breathed, "I think, Wormtail, that it has not yet occurred to you exactly why this watch is still of value to me."

Peter looked from the watch to Voldemort's face, his confidence melting from him as he withered before the Dark Lord.

"You'll go, Wormtail, and you will not speak a word of this to your friends - or any other - and if you do and I find out about it, there will be... consequences... as severe as any that the binding of the Vow could have provided." Voldemort held the watch in his palm, "You see, Wormtail, that if you displease me, I need only stop the hands from turning..." And he deliberately brought his finger down upon the second hand on the watch, and Peter buckled against the invisible clutches holding him up, his heart clenching in his chest once more until Voldemort released the second hand again. The corner of Voldemort's mouth twitched in amusement. "More effective than the cruciatus, and much less messy."

Peter gasped for breath.

"Now go, Wormtail, and find me the true timepiece that ought to be handed down through the Potter line," Voldemort breathed, "Like a good little boy...like the true and faithful servant that you've now become."

CRACK!

Peter fell onto the pavement outside the playground, his knees and palms skinning, and his chest still recovering from the stopping of his heart.

Over the next weeks, the search for another Mickey Mouse watch was proving to be quite impossible. Despite the fact that Remus, Sirius, and James scoured every muggle shop they could find in London, they couldn't locate another watch that had the mouse on it at all, not to mention one that looked precisely like the one James Potter had been presented for his seventeenth. 

To make matters worse, the watch was not the only thing missing.

"Have you lot seen Peter?" Lily asked, standing in the Auror Centre for Training, holding her silver and red hoops. "It's just that we're about to start and he isn't here yet."

James shook his head, "He hasn't spoken to any of us since Diagon Alley last week."

"I hope he's alright," Lily frowned. "He was acting so odd that day."

It was several minutes into the lesson, McGonagall having already done a second demonstration of disapparation, while she and Urquart were walking through the students, giving pointers and assisting with form, when the doors banged opened and Peter came running into the room, breathless.

He hurried to join James, Lily, and Remus's row with his hoops.

"Hey look who decided to join us," James chided him, smirking.

"Sorry," Peter gasped.

"Thought you might've decided you were too good at disapparation to bother with the class anymore," Remus said, "Sirius thought you'd have just taken the test to get out of all this."

Peter shook his head, "No, no, I like this class." He hurriedly straightened his hoops, keeping his eyes adverted from the others carefully.

"Oi Peter," James said, "Last week, in Diagon Alley, do you remember seeing my watch?"

Peter resolutely stayed bent over and adjusting his hoop for longer than he needed to. "The one you're always wearing?"

"Yeah," James said, rolling his eyes.

Peter shrugged, "I don't - I don't remember. Sorry."

James sighed, "Well, I've lost it."

"That's rubbish," Peter answered. "I'm sorry about that Prongs."

"Yeah, well my parents are going to have a right fit," James answered. "Hey, you ever seen a watch like it for sale anywhere? Sirius is searching all over the queen's country for one right now. We've been to so many shops this week. Haven't found one yet. I'm hoping I can just get a new one and mum and dad won't know I lost the original."

"You hated that watch anyways," Peter pointed out.

"Yes, but -- dunno," James shrugged. "There was something about it that... even though it wasn't the greatest watch in all of the world, I still loved it anyway."

Peter looked up, his eyes meeting James's for the first time. "R - really?" he stammered.

James looked confused, "I mean... yeah. It was cool in it's own ways, I s'pose."

Peter ran over and hugged James about the middle suddenly.

James laughed, "I - what're you doing, Wormtail?"

"I'm just very glad you loved the watch," Peter replied, "Even if it wasn't as good as the other watches."

"Alright," James chuckled, confused, then patted Peter's head. "I'm glad I loved it too. Though I'd be a lot happier if it came back."

Peter let go. "I would, too," he replied.

"There's no hope for it, mate," Sirius said, sitting on a bench on the embankment, holding a to-go cup of hot tea and eating a sandwich he'd gotten from a shop down the street. He'd been waiting outside for the others to come out of their disapparation lesson. "I searched all the shops along here all the way out to the Circus -- bloody don't have a clue why the muggles call it a circus, it's not a thing like it, not a single clown anywhere in sight." He shook his head.

Remus said, "You're going to have to tell your mum and dad you've lost it."

James sighed heavily.

"You should've told them already," Lily said, "Honesty's always the best policy when it comes to this sort of thing."

"Yeah, I s'pose."

"Or," Sirius said, "Alternatively. We leave for Hogwarts in three days."

"What? Keep it a secret until then?"

"Yeah. I mean, you've got Odair on the job," Sirius said, "Once a Hufflepuff, always a Hufflepuff, you know he'll find the ruddy thing."

Lily said, "Are you ever going to stop with that joke?"

Sirius grinned, "I just hope when he sees it he says --"

"Don't you dare."

"Odaaaaaaair it is!"

"He dared," Remus said, smirking.

James sighed, "I'm glad my suffering's at least making you happy," he said pointedly.

Sirius shrugged.

Peter had stood by, silently, as they talked, and now Lily turned to him and put her arm about him. "Are you alright?" she asked, concerned.

Peter nodded.

"Are you sure?" she pressed, "It's just that you're usually more talkative than this and I'm worried about you."

Peter said, "You don't have to be worried about me, Lily, I'm alright."

She sighed, still certain that Peter wasn't telling the whole truth, but unsure how to make him come out with it. 

"Bloody hell, three days! This summer's been slow and fast at exactly the same time," Sirius commented.

Remus said, "Wouldn't that mean it moved at just the right pace?"

"What? Why would it mean that?" Sirius asked.

"Because if it moved faster and slower than you expected, then it means it moved exactly how you expected it would."

Sirius stared at Remus, trying to piece the logic together.

"Behold," Remus muttered, "The reason Sirius Black isn't a Ravenclaw."

"Neither are you, you smart git! What's your excuse?" Sirius asked.

"Because he's brave enough to put up with your rubbish and deserves a badge of honor for it," Lily intoned.

James snickered and high-fived her. "My girlfriend, everybody," he said, grinning.

Sirius rolled his eyes. Then, "Speaking of badges..."

James promptly and discreetly stepped on Sirius's foot, shutting him up.

"Speaking of badges?" Lily pressed.

Sirius said, "Badges? Who said badges, I said... bad...gers. Badgers. Yeah."

"Well what badgers, then?" Lily was confused.

"There's no badgers," James replied. "Sirius is being an idiot."

"Yeah, no badgers," Sirius said, "Never any badgers. Anywhere."

Lily raised an eyebrow as Sirius and James both grinned in mock innocence. "Not sure what you two are up to, but I will find out eventually," she pointed at them each in turn and started off down the embankment.

"Will ever ever," Sirius muttered, elbowing James and winking.

"Shut it," James hissed and he jogged off after Lily.

Peter grabbed Sirius's arm. "What about badgers?"

Sirius said, "James got Headboy and he hasn't told Lily yet."

Peter looked elated, "Really? Headboy?! James? Wow!" Then, confused, "But what's that got to do with badgers? Is it because James thought it would be the Hufflepuff prefect?"

Sirius rolled his eyes, "Forget it, Pete." Remus smirked down at his toes at the lilt of confusion in Peter's voice and they started walking along together in a cluster along the embankment, trailing behind Lily, but far enough back to give the couple their privacy for a time.

Peter hesitated.

"Oi." Sirius stopped walking and turned back. Remus paused, too. "You coming, or what, Wormtail?"

Peter felt like crying again, and he glanced at his wrist. The burning pain of the rope like scars was gone. The vow was ended. He could hang out with his friends again. So he ran, eagerly, after them, thankful that he hadn't lost them in the weeks since Voldemort had first approached him about the watch. Sure, there was still the problem of finding out what other watch Voldemort could need, and what to do about the predicament with the Mickey Mouse watch and the effect it had on Peter. But for right now, for at least a little bit longer, he didn't have to be a servant to the Dark Lord. For at least a little bit longer, Peter Pettigrew could just be a boy, hanging out with his mates.