Wormtail felt as though he had been granted a pardon.
He could not even feel the pain of his knees striking the rotten wooden stairs.
He scrambled out of the basement that reeked of snakes.
Behind him, the invisible door seemed to have closed, shutting away hell.
But he knew that hell had already been planted in his heart.
He had to leave immediately to carry out that almost suicidal mission-investigate the Marauders Power Company.
At the same time, he had to deliver his master's deadly second command to that loyal hound at Hogwarts.
Darkness swallowed the basement once more.
All that remained in the air was Voldemort's breathing, growing heavier with exhaustion.
And the sound of Nagini's cold scales slowly sliding across the damp floor.
Rustle... rustle... rustle...
Like the blade of Death's scythe being sharpened, stroke by stroke.
Hogwarts.
Moody's Office.
Bang!
The wooden door slammed shut, making several dark detectors on the wall buzz.
Barty Crouch Jr. leaned back against the door, gasping for breath.
Every step of the journey from the Great Hall had brought him unbearable, stabbing pain.
The burning pain of the Dark Mark on his left arm had yet to fade. Worse still, his master's blunt, simple command kept battering his mind, making his head feel as though it would split.
Barty Crouch Jr. had been patient all along, and he had planned everything carefully, but in his master's eyes, he was merely wasting time.
His face felt as though it were burning, worse than the wounds on his body.
"Calm down..."
He growled in Moody's hoarse voice and limped over to the drinks cabinet, picking up a bottle of Firewhisky with a trembling hand.
He needed a drink to numb himself now.
Yet the instant he unscrewed the cap, that mental