Late at night, a stranger in a black cloak appeared out of thin air outside Little Hangleton.
By the faint moonlight overhead, the familiar face beneath the hood could just barely be made out. Peter Pettigrew, once an Order of Merlin recipient and now a fugitive wanted by the entire Ministry of Magic, cautiously surveyed his surroundings. After confirming that no one had followed him, he quietly slipped into Riddle House.
About half a year ago, Frank, the gardener of Riddle House, had vanished here without explanation, leaving no trace behind. It was as strange as the Riddle family's natural deaths in their home half a century earlier.
After Frank the gardener disappeared, no one was willing to set foot inside the "cursed" Riddle House.
"Master?"
Peter Pettigrew used his wand to open the doors of Riddle House. Amid a creak, he slipped into the darkened rooms and softly called for the Dark Lord.
This was the only place Peter could think of where Voldemort might come. As for returning to the Albanian Forest, he considered that unlikely. After all, the Dark Lord's most loyal servants were still around, and he could make a comeback.
Peter Pettigrew made a round of the house but still found no sign of the Dark Lord. Just as he was considering whether to keep waiting or flee Britain to seek refuge, a cold, hoarse, utterly emotionless voice suddenly sounded behind him. "Wormtail, I thought you had already run away."
"Master, I have always been utterly loyal to you," Peter Pettigrew said, lowering his head submissively.
"What loyalty? You are merely a coward."
In truth, Voldemort had been quite excited when he saw Peter Pettigrew. He had thought Dumbledore had destroyed everything he had painstakingly prepared.
Once he lost all his helpers, he would likely