Voldemort gently stroked his wand, a strange smile curling his lips. "My friend, we must think of a way to get that boy. We cannot let this opportunity slip away."
Then they changed their strategy.
Wormtail sneaked into a Muggle neighborhood and stole a car.
And so they began their flight.
First, they raced north toward Serbia. The Serbian regions they passed through were ravaged by war, leaving the wizarding world's forces barely able to gain a foothold and allowing them to advance swiftly without restraint.
Next, they headed toward Amsterdam.
Amsterdam was an open, tolerant city, and Wormtail soon found a smuggler there who could help them enter the United Kingdom illegally.
In a dark corner of Amsterdam, Wormtail found a smuggler named Jack. Jack was a short, stout Muggle with a mouthful of yellow teeth and a sinister gaze, renowned for his expertise in all kinds of underground dealings.
Wormtail temporarily controlled Jack with the Imperius Curse and had him arrange their passage back to the United Kingdom.
To guard against surprise inspections by the Ministry of Magic, they even made a point of mingling with some Muggle migrants being smuggled across.
Jack took them to Amsterdam's harbor, where a dilapidated freighter lay at anchor. Its hold was piled with assorted clutter and reeked of mold and brine. Jack told them in a low voice that the freighter would sail at night, bound for London in the United Kingdom.
When night fell, they slipped into the freighter's hold.
Wormtail leaned in a corner with Voldemort in his arms. Thanks to Jack's arrangements, no Muggle foolish enough to cause trouble bothered the old man carrying a child.
Voldemort kept his eyes closed, seemingly meditating, but occasionally opened them to sweep his surroundings with an icy gaze. Wormtail, meanwhile, kept