"Master," Wormtail said with a start at Voldemort's words, "just... the two of us?"
"What, are you afraid?" Voldemort's narrow eyes swept over Wormtail, his voice cold. "Afraid of dying?"
"N-no, Master." Of course Wormtail did not dare admit he was afraid at a time like this. He had no doubt that if he said he feared death, Voldemort would grant him death on the spot.
That would get him nowhere. Death was death, wherever it happened.
If he went with Voldemort to attack Hogwarts, there was still a chance of being captured alive. Though being captured alive meant being thrown into prison.
Being thrown into prison was terrible, but it was still a little better than being killed outright.
If possible, though, Wormtail still hoped to stay alive without going to prison.
So Wormtail forced his brain to work, trying to come up with a reasonable argument.
Fortunately, one soon came to him. "Master, although your magical power is without equal, surely you should at least have a wand? What do you think?"
Voldemort's wand had been damaged in his earlier magical clash with Dumbledore.
It was not his original wand. He had replaced his first wand after it reacted strangely to Harry's.
A wand that might cause trouble at a critical moment was absolutely unacceptable to Voldemort.
He had not obtained the new wand from a wand shop, but through other channels.
A wand that did not suit its user would be awkward to wield.
Both Ron and Neville had experienced that in their first year. But for a wizard of Voldemort's caliber, it was no longer an issue.
Voldemort could easily master any wand he had ever laid his hands on, even one that already had an owner.
As a student, he had used other people's wands