Moody's voice was as cold as the bitter wind in the Forbidden Forest as he looked with contempt at the man trembling like a leaf before him.
Wormtail flinched at his roar and hurriedly said:
"Master... Master said to bring Harry Potter before him as soon as possible!"
"And... and the thing he needs must be brought back as soon as possible, too."
"Of course."
Moody snorted, crumpled the newspaper into a ball, and hurled it to the ground.
He stared at Wormtail, his Magical Eye seeming intent on seeing through his filthy soul.
"What else? Did Master have no other demands?"
The faintest flicker of evasion appeared in Wormtail's eyes as he remembered the almost impossible task Master had assigned to him personally.
"Yes... he did."
He dared not lie and could only force himself to speak.
"Master also demanded... demanded that we find out everything about this defense system and the Marauders Company, including its core technology, funding sources... and the weaknesses of everyone involved."
Undisguised mockery curled Moody's lips.
"We?"
He drew the word out, his voice full of derision.
"Wormtail, given Master's current condition, do you think he'd care about a commercial company's financial statements?"
He stepped closer, that crazed Magical Eye almost pressing against Wormtail's face.
"This was the task Master gave you, wasn't it?"
"A task meant to send you to your death, wasn't it?"
Those words completely shattered Wormtail's psychological defenses. He dropped to his knees with a thud and pleaded in a tearful voice:
"Barty, please, help me! There's no way I can complete this task!
"Black and Holmes will squash me like a bug! Master will feed me to Nagini!"
Looking at the worthless wretch groveling at his feet without a shred of dignity, Moody was filled with contempt.
At the